Hearing that Li Shanchang actually wanted to drag Xungui into the water, Lao Zhu's face suddenly turned dark. Li Qi felt the depression in the atmosphere and was trembling with fear, not daring to look up. On the other side, Zhu Feng said angrily: "How dare that man surnamed Li connect with civil and military officials! Dad, I will go to his house right now and capture Li Shanchang and those nobles."
"When the time comes, I'll let you do whatever you want, Dad!"
Saying that, he was about to leave the palace.
"Second brother!" But it was Zhu Biao who stood up and grabbed Zhu Ming. "How can you be so reckless when it comes to important matters for the imperial court!"
"Besides, Mr. Li is our elder, and Brother Li is still here. As a prince, can An be able to scold his father?"
Zhu Di also grabbed Zhu Ping, who wanted to show off in front of Lao Zhu, and nuzzled at Lao Zhu. I saw that Lao Zhu didn't make any movements, as if he was thinking about something. After a while, he said: "Come, let's find the imperial doctor to treat the injury on the face of the Korean prince."
"Li Qi, you go back to your house first. You don't have to worry about this matter."
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty?" Li Qi was panicked. The emperor had no intention of stopping his father from contacting the nobles. Could it be that he wanted to directly confirm the crime and then beat the Li family alone and get the stolen goods?
"If I ask you to go back, you will go back!" Lao Zhu waved his sleeves. "Tell your father not to leave the house after today."
"In a few days, we will summon him to the palace for questioning."
"...Yes, I will retire." Seeing Lao Zhu's impatient expression, Li Qi did not dare to say anything, so he had to retreat with the guards in fear. When he left, he still looked in expectantly, hoping to get some accurate information, but everyone in the hall was thoughtful and no one paid him any attention.
After he retreated far away, Prince Zhu Biao finally said: "Father, although what Prime Minister Li did was inappropriate, strictly speaking, what he did did not violate the law."
"If we want to punish him severely, I'm afraid the crime is not enough."
"He was precisely aware of this, so he dared to act like this." Zhu Su looked gloomy. After all, the new tax system was actually proposed by him. "Those nobles are eager to sell their land and trade with each other. It is not prohibited by the imperial court. I am afraid that most nobles will not refuse."
"Hey, Li Shanchang is just acting as a guarantee, not involved in the cause and effect, but he is also benevolent to both civil and military parties... It's really a good plan!"
"Shi En courtier... what does he want to do?" Lao Zhu's face was very ugly. "When something happened to Hu Weiyong, we looked at Li Shanchang for his hard work and achievements in the past, and we did not hold back the master-disciple relationship between them at all. This time, it's better. He is a duke who has become an official, and he relies on pampering to command Chao Gang. .”
"The boss said he shouldn't be severely punished, but it won't work if he is allowed to hook up with hundreds of officials. This is no longer something that can be overcome by beating Li Shanchang."
"Let's talk about it, Mr. Liu, the eldest, the second, the fourth, the fifth."
"Let's discuss, how should we deal with this matter?"
The brothers looked at each other, Liu Bowen looked down and said nothing. It was Zhu Biao who said: "In my opinion, the connection between nobles and nobles is a major event that can destabilize the outline of our Ming Dynasty."
"The reason why Korean princes and officials are so unscrupulous is because my father cared about old friendships before, which made them unscrupulous. In the past, there were often incidents of forcible buying and selling, and forcible expropriation of land."
"If we are not punished this time, the honorable nobles and others will be more reckless in the future, form cliques for personal gain, and bring trouble to the government and the public. I think..."
"The iron coupons in the hands of the nobles involved can be confiscated as a warning!"
When Zhu Biao said this, everyone was surprised. Even Lao Zhu didn't expect that his eldest son would come up with such a method.
Zhu Su was also shocked. This elder brother said that he would not be severely punished, but as soon as he said it, he actually wanted to take someone's iron coupon... Although this move did not kill anyone and did not show blood, for Li Shanchang and other founding heroes, it would be better to kill someone. They're going to give them a beating or kill a few clan members and housekeepers to scare the monkeys!
What is an iron coupon? It is the "iron certificate of elixir" and the "gold medal of immunity from death" that are widely rumored in later generations. They were awarded by Lao Zhu to these noble families when the founding of the People's Republic of China, which proved that they were exempted from all national legal sanctions except for the crime of rebellion.
This thing is not only a symbol of honor, but also a real second life!
Although in history, Lao Zhu was also issued iron coupons, but even one of these iron coupons could not be used. If Lao Zhu wanted to kill people, let alone iron coupons, even if he had gold coupons, they would not be used. But it has only been Hongwu's seventh year, and Lao Zhu has not gone on a killing spree yet! These princes and marquises don’t know yet!
They really thought that this iron coupon could be used as an extra life. What's the difference between paying their iron bonds and taking their lives?
However, Zhu Biao's suggestion is also very reasonable. If he just reprimands verbally, I'm afraid these proud soldiers will still not take it to heart. The existence of the iron certificate is undoubtedly a hidden artifact deep in their hearts: Even if they go too far and raise excessive taxes and cause public resentment, don't they still have the iron certificate that your majesty has given me? At worst, you can use an iron bond to buy a life, and then you can be cautious and cautious when the time comes.
The existence of iron coupons is the guarantee for their arrogance.
Moreover, today's Zhu Biao always reminds himself that everything should be based on the interests of the country and that becoming an excellent future king of the Ming Dynasty should be his top priority. Lao Zhu, the founder of the country, could ignore the existence of the iron certificate, but if something happened and he, the prince, succeeded to the throne in the future, how could he order the descendants of the founding fathers with the iron certificate?
Iron bonds are harmful to both the country and future generations.
"Biao'er, you..." Unlike Zhu Su, Lao Zhu had a look of joy on his face. Zhu Biao has extensive knowledge and quick thinking. Old Zhu has always valued this eldest son very highly. The only worry is that Zhu Biao, who has received Confucian education since childhood, is too benevolent. It would be great to be a minister, but he is the prince and the future emperor. With benevolent methods, he will inevitably be unable to suppress many evil spirits. , Arrogant soldiers and powerful generals.
This time I heard that Zhu Biao actually came up with such a ruthless move, a collection of iron coupons, without using swords or staff, but it was enough to make Li Shanchang and other nobles tremble with fear, and they already had the power and power that an emperor should have. The growth of his eldest son made Lao Zhu feel as comfortable as drinking a glass of ice water in the dog days of summer.
Even the anger just now was relieved a lot.
"Okay, okay." Lao Zhu smiled. "Biao'er's method is good. It's really time to take back the iron coupon."
"However, if we just receive an iron coupon, I think these nobles who are used to being arrogant will not learn their lesson."
"I also agree." Liu Bowen, who had been listening silently, also spoke up. "Your Majesty. If you and Your Highness want to emulate the ambitions of your ancestors and open up new territories in the future, you cannot do without these generals who are good at fighting."
"But with all due respect, I must say frankly that now that the world has been settled, many of the martial arts heroes have been fascinated by wealth and honor, and no longer have the determination and lofty sentiments of the past."
"The use of troops abroad is a major matter for the country. If such people are allowed to lead expeditions in the future, it will be difficult to achieve even an inch of success. It will also waste national funds and drag down the national economy and people's livelihood."
"In my opinion, how about using this matter as a starting point to screen all the military honors?"
Liu Bowen stood with his hands folded.
(End of chapter)
