The father and son looked at each other silently for a while, and then Zhu Biao said with a smile: "I seemed to have seen Yang Xian at the door just now."
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his son who had grown up a lot and said: "You took Liu Bowen away, and Zhongshu Province became Li Shanchang's hall of speech. No matter what, you have to find someone to check and balance."
Zhu Biao said with a smile: "Then Li Shanchang should already know what to do. He must have already started to cultivate a successor."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction and said: "After Tang He was demoted, Li Shanchang began to cultivate Hu Weiyong. He is a smart man. I thought that after his daughter married into the East Palace, he would resign due to illness."
Zhu Biao nodded. The position of king is a reminder. What's more, Li Shanchang also holds the position of Prime Minister Zuo of Zhongshu. If you want to preserve the family, the best way is to retire.
However, Li Shanchang was not willing to lose all his power, so he wanted to push his disciples up so that he could retire with peace of mind.
Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have thought of something and said: "However, Li Shanchang has been going too far recently. Councilors Li Yinbing and Yang Xisheng only offended him slightly, but he immediately reported their crimes and asked me to remove them two!"
Zhu Biao advised: "When geese pass by, they leave their voices, and when people pass by, they leave their names. Li Shanchang is not young at all. Since he is retiring, he naturally wants to show off."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said nothing. Li Shanchang still had a high status in his heart, and he could help him handle most of the government affairs in an orderly manner. Whether before or after the founding of the country, Li Shanchang had made great contributions to him.
Then Zhu Biao began to tell Zhu Yuanzhang about his Northern Expedition. Zhu Yuanzhang naturally knew all about it, but if his son was willing to talk, he was also willing to listen.
Zhu Yuanzhang's pro-combatants were all over the three armies, and nothing about the Northern Expedition could be hidden from him.
Zhu Yuanzhang vetoed Zhu Biao's decision from time to time, and pointed out another better decision. Zhu Biao's victory this time was actually due to the strength of his army, and his decision was not the best choice.
Zhu Biao also listened carefully. His experience in commanding troops was naturally not as good as that of the founding king like Zhu Yuanzhang. But it doesn't matter anymore. It's basically impossible for Zhu Biao himself to lead an army on an expedition.
The son of a rich man cannot sit down in court, let alone the crown prince of a country. Li Wenzhong, Lan Yu, Muying and others are his direct descendants in the army. The future battles will be left to them. They are still very young, but they will gradually master it in the future. military power.
Zhu Yuanzhang naturally knew this, so he did not damage his son's self-confidence too much. Zhu Biao did quite well in this Northern Expedition. He was at least decisive and decisive, which satisfied Zhu Yuanzhang very much.
The father and son took a sip of tea together, and Zhu Yuanzhang said: "We are going to open the imperial examination. There is a shortage of officials in the local area. Not only going to the countryside, but also going to the county is a problem."
Zhu Biao pondered for a while and asked: "Do those wealthy families want their children to become officials?"
Zhu Yuanzhang sneered and said: "Not to mention those big families, we ordered the country to recommend some talents a few days ago. I heard that Yao Shurun and Wang E in Suzhou are both famous local Confucian masters. They are proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics and enjoy a high reputation.
"We ordered the officials to send documents to Suzhou Prefecture, and asked local officials to send people to escort Yao Shurun and Wang E to Beijing. As a result, these two people refused to accept our imperial edict on the spot.
There was also Xia Boqi’s uncle and nephew. Not only did they reject the court documents in person, they also cut off one of their fingers on the spot and decided not to serve as officials in the court! "
Zhu Yuanzhang looked calm after speaking, but Zhu Biao had already felt the terrifying murderous intention. Zhu Yuanzhang continued: "These people are hermits. It's okay if they don't want to, let alone those old officials of the Northern Yuan Dynasty."
"For example, Zheng Yu, the former ceremonial official of the previous dynasty, hung himself after seven days of peerlessness, and the former Minister of Rites also committed suicide. What did these two people say before they died, that they would rather die than become a second minister!
In addition to those who are unwilling to serve us and swear to die for justice, there are also a large number of old Northern Yuan officials who have directly returned to the mountains and forests, such as Yang Weizhen, Shen Menglin and Teng Kegong. "
Zhu Biao naturally knew the reasons for this situation. These literati had lived under the rule of the Yuan Dynasty for more than a hundred years and had developed a sense of identification with the rule of the Yuan Dynasty. There was also the adverse influence of Confucian loyalty to the emperor, which caused these Han intellectuals to only Knowing to be loyal to the monarch, but not caring whether the monarch himself is worthy of loyalty, to put it bluntly, is a kind of servility.
Of course, the most important point is that the Yuan Dynasty exploited the people at the bottom, and they were very good at wooing the gentry. This was true even in the Qing Dynasty. No matter how the dynasties changed, they were the group that enjoyed privileges. "
Zhu Biao glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang who looked calm and said, "How do you want to deal with it, father?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said coldly: "Since they miss the Yuan Dynasty so much, let's give them a ride and let them go underground to serve their master."
There was no change on Zhu Biao's face, but he was weighing the pros and cons in his heart. Although it would be satisfying to kill them all directly, the harm would outweigh the benefits. People seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.
It would be great if even one of these aristocratic families left over from the Northern Yuan Dynasty could become loyal to the Northern Yuan Dynasty. Another 50% had defected to the Ming Dynasty, and the remaining 40% were still waiting and watching. They were afraid that they would be suppressed if they entered the imperial court, so they are waiting. Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude.
The best way to solve this problem is to issue an edict praising their loyalty to the emperor and allowing them to serve the Northern Yuan Dynasty, but announcing that their descendants will not be allowed to participate in the imperial examination in the future! In this way, their foundation will be completely cut off. Without the protection of official circles, they will be eaten by other rising families in a few decades.
The so-called aristocratic families all rise up like this but also become so lonely. In this way, except for those stubborn and immortal families, other families will actively send their children to participate in the imperial examination to show their attitude.
Even those stubborn old men will be forced to death by their own children and grandchildren. In the family, the wishes of the whole family must always be considered. These scholars are so smart, how could they completely destroy the foundation of their family for an elder?
However, these are not things that Zhu Biao can comment on. Firstly, Zhu Yuanzhang is very angry now, and secondly, he has just returned to the court after victory. How could he teach his father how to do things when he comes back? Wouldn't that mean he is arrogant and has no father?
It can be seen from the attitude of the officials when they greet each other that he has now reached the stage where the flowers are blooming and the fire is cooking oil. The most important thing is to cool down rather than add fuel to the fire.
He can now persuade him to do so based on Lao Zhu's love for him, but Lao Zhu will always feel uncomfortable. Relationships need to be managed. Don't act unscrupulously just because someone loves you more.
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