Zhu Zhanji looked serious, "Uncle Qing, tell the truth. Does Grandpa Huang want to change the throne to a crown prince?"
"you guess."
"We are our own people." Zhu Zhanji said affectionately, "You grew up watching me...my father, and you two have a deep relationship..."
Everyone in Lao Zhu's family is a human spirit, except for Han Han... Li Qing sighed and said amusedly, "Why don't you think about why your grandfather asked you to go out with the army?"
Zhu Zhanji was startled, "You mean..."
"No, I didn't say anything." Li Qing said angrily, "Let's go, I'll teach you how to practice archery."
"Okay." Zhu Zhanji agreed with a smile.
Although Li Qing didn't say it explicitly, the smart Zhu Zhanji understood the meaning.
…
As soon as Zhu Gaoxu took charge of the country, he implemented national policies.
——Intensify efforts to open the canal and build a new capital!
It has to be said that Hanhan is still very hard-working. Although he is not as talented as Chubby, he is very diligent and energetic. He eats and sleeps in the imperial study and never returns home.
Although it was meant to be expressive, Hanhan still wanted to do things well and get his father's approval.
Zhu Gaoxu supervises the country, which makes the civil servants feel relieved. Fortunately, Zhu Di did not change the crown prince, which made the civil servants feel a little better.
Zhu Di's move was very effective. The prince was still restrained, and no one dared to object to the expedition.
I'm afraid that if one thing goes wrong, Zhu Di will change the throne and establish a crown prince.
Zhu Gaoxu was quite supportive of the expedition. He supported whatever his father wanted to do.
For a time, large-scale construction of rivers and capitals was carried out, troops were mobilized, grain was transported; armor, cannons... As long as Zhu Di needed it, he would satisfy it.
The imperial court spent money like water, and the possessions that Xiaopang had worked so hard to save were all taken away by Hanhan.
Xiaopang was banned, Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Household Affairs, was imprisoned, and the remaining two ministers did not dare to follow Zhu Gaoxu. They did whatever the King of Han ordered, and it was not their own money, so they could spend it as they pleased.
Anyway, the laws of the Ming Dynasty contain clear words: if you do things according to orders, you will not be punished if you are guilty!
In a blink of an eye, two months passed, and it was the day of the expedition.
In the imperial study, Zhu Di, who had not been involved in political affairs for a long time, suddenly came to visit.
Zhu Gaoxu was reading the memorial when he saw his father coming. He quickly stood up and saluted, "My dear father, long live my father."
"Ang, get up!"
"Thank you, Father." Zhu Gaoxu stood up, "Yongqing Marquis and Master are here."
Li Qing and the two men saluted, "I have met the King of Han."
After the simple courtesy, Zhu Gaoxu asked: "Father, do you have any orders when you come today?"
Zhu Di's face heats up. He is here to cause trouble today. He is out on an expedition and he really doesn't trust his second son to supervise the country.
He walked to the imperial desk and sat down, and asked tentatively: "Are you tired these days? Why don't you take a rest?"
"I'm not tired, my sons and ministers are not tired." Zhu Gaoxu's answer was very official, "How can you be tired if you are loyal to the country?"
Zhu Di originally wanted to ask Lao Er to step down peacefully, but seeing that he was so ignorant of current affairs, he had to resort to the next step.
"Let me ask you, how much money does the treasury have now?"
"Ah? This..." Zhu Gaoxu was stopped by the question. He only looked at the flowers and said dryly, "My son... I will go back and check."
"You don't know how much money the treasury has, what country are you overseeing?" Zhu Di was furious.
Zhu Gaoxu was a little confused. He didn't understand why his father changed his attitude so quickly. Yesterday, he was still talking about one thing at a time. Why is it like this today?
"My son, I'll go check it out right now."
"No need." Zhu Di snorted coldly, "You have only been in charge of the country for two months, but you have drained the treasury. Since you don't know, I will tell you!
There are only 300,000 taels of silver and 4 million shi of grain left in the treasury. There are still several months before taxes are sent to Beijing. This money is only enough to pay the salaries of officials, nobles, vassal princes, and the royal palace.
Once drought or flood occurs somewhere, how to provide relief to the victims? "
"This..." Zhu Gaoxu was confused and panicked, a little at a loss, "Father, you know that the progress of building the capital and opening the canal has been accelerated several times, and... there are... 500,000 troops in the Northern Expedition, and there are new additions. Cannons and armor..."
"You are sophistry, I won't listen to this." Zhu Di said angrily, "I'm just asking you, what should I do now?"
"I..." Zhu Gaoxu was anxious, angry and aggrieved, "Father, I didn't put a penny in my pocket. I spent a lot of money, but..."
He turned away and said in a low voice: "Father, don't you know where the money was spent?"
"Good boy, you have learned to talk back, right?" Zhu Di was caught, rolled up his sleeves and was about to beat someone.
Li Qing and Dao Yan stopped him on the left and right, "Your Majesty, calm down."
This scene had been rehearsed in advance, and only Zhu Gaoxu was kept in the dark.
Zhu Gaoxu looked hurt, "Father, my son is really doing his best!"
"How dare you say you've tried your best after doing this?"
"I..." Zhu Gaoxu got angry, "The treasury only has so much money and food, and you want to build the capital and make the Northern Expedition. What can I do?"
"If you have no other choice, don't supervise the country." Zhu Di finally waited for the opportunity and said immediately, "Let your elder brother supervise you!"
"you……!"
Now, no matter how stupid Zhu Gaoxu is, he realizes that he is being used as a weapon by me.
Hanhan got angry, pulled off his python robe, and said bitterly: "I don't want to serve you anymore, I'm going back to Yunnan."
Zhu Di shouted: "Get out of here!"
"Get out!" Zhu Gaoxu shouted back, his voice louder than mine.
Li Qing tried to smooth things over and said, "King of Han, King of Han, don't leave...!"
Zhu Gaoxu had not left in the first place, but after being told by Li Qing, he had no choice but to leave. He waved his sleeves angrily and said:
"I don't want to leave you here, I have my own place to stay!"
After that, no matter how I reacted, I turned around and left.
"This bastard...!" Zhu Di was furious.
Li Qing and Dao Yan were speechless. In comparison, the fourth child was the real bastard.
Zhu Diwu was angry for a while, and then he realized it and said: "It's broken. We can't let the second brother go. Li Qing, go and persuade him."
No one is looking at the boss, and he is not at ease.
"I won't go." Li Qing shook his head. He couldn't be too Zhu Di. He felt sorry for being played like this.
"Good boy, my second son is a bastard, you are a bastard too, right?!"
Zhu Di said angrily, "Li Qing heard the order and rushed to the Han Palace immediately. If we can't keep anyone, you should pack up and get out!"
"Is there such a good thing?" Li Qing asked in surprise.
"You..." Zhu Di was so angry that he said, "Get my knife."
"..."
Zhu Di is the emperor after all, and Li Qing can't stop him from stepping down. "Your Majesty, calm down, I'll go right now."
——
Han Dynasty Palace.
Zhu Gaoxu was instructing his men to clean up their belongings. This time, he was really injured.
"Is the King of Han really going to leave?" Li Qing asked tentatively.
"Go aside."
Zhu Gaoxu was so fond of Li Qing that all the past feelings disappeared with handfuls of golden beans.
"King Han, why can't you... not figure it out?"
"Yes, yes, you are all smart, can I be stupid?" Zhu Gaoxu shouted, "Isn't it okay if I stop playing?"
Li Qing: "..."
Zhu Gaoxu was very angry, and he had reasons to be angry.
"Um... Hanwang, are you willing to listen to me?"
"I don't listen."
Li Qing shook his head and sighed: "In that case, the emperor's difficulties... well, it's better not to mention them."
"Hey, hey, don't leave yet." Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu quickly stopped Li Qing who was about to leave, and asked suspiciously, "What's his reason?"
Li Qing said seriously, "King Han, you spend all the money from the treasury, right?"
"I was..."
"Yes, the King of Han is also dedicated to serving the country." Li Qing interrupted his complaint, "But it is true that the treasury has no money. Your Majesty's Northern Expedition will take away a large number of generals. When the time comes, no one will support you, and most of the civil servants will turn to your eldest brother, so Can you handle this situation well?"
"I..." Zhu Gaoxu choked, and the anger on his face gradually disappeared, "Then he can't say that to me. I haven't been home a few times in the past two months, but what I got in exchange is..."
"Huh?" Li Qing looked like he was heartbroken, "The emperor still loves you, but now that the treasury is so empty, it would be really worrying for you to take care of it;
That's why the emperor left this mess to your elder brother. Unexpectedly, you didn't understand his good intentions at all. "
Li Qing pretended to be displeased and said, "I didn't say that, King Han, you have indeed gone too far. Don't you know who the emperor likes?"
Zhu Gaoxu was stunned for a moment, and the old pie reappeared in his mind again: The prince is so sick, you should encourage him; my second son, you are so like me...
"So... it's actually like this." Zhu Gaoxu lost his anger and stopped letting his servants move things.
He pulled Li Qing to one side, rummaged through his arms, and took out a dozen golden beans. A few were missing, but Li Qing didn't mind.
"Mr. Li, what should I do now?"
It was Li Qing's first time accepting gifts and doing things. He was somewhat unaccustomed to it, so he cleared his throat and said, "Well, you go to the palace now and admit your mistake to the emperor."
"This..." Zhu Gaoxu hesitated, "Sir, you don't know, my father... beat me like a dog. I'm afraid..."
"What are you afraid of?" Li Qingyi and Bo Yuntian said, "I'll go with you."
After being cheated by Li Qing for a long time, and suddenly being treated like this by Li Qing, Zhu Gaoxu was inexplicably moved.
So, he took out a handful of golden beans from his sleeve and said, "Sorry, sir."
"Haha... I should." Li Qing accepted it with a smile, and couldn't help but sigh: The silly golden beans are so profitable!
