Chapter 78 Enough
"Zhu Chong, be careful with your words!" Zhu Biao was really angry this time. Who could have thought that Zhu Chong would say such words.
Hu Weiyong was the prime minister of the time, and was recommended to the position by his teacher Li Shanchang. Zhu Chong's words not only affected one person, but a whole group of people, even Zhu Biao was involved. How could he not be shocked and angry?
Zhu Yuanzhang in the back hall was also in turmoil at this moment. He had the idea of dealing with Hu Weiyong only after Hu Weiyong became the prime minister, and it was only a year since then.
Zhu Yuanzhang himself hadn't decided whether to eliminate Hu Weiyong, so even Empress Ma, his closest confidant, didn't know about it. How did his son know about it? Did he leak information somewhere that Zhu Chong could see through it?
Old Zhu looked through the barrier of the side hall at the back of Zhu Chong, who was sitting opposite Zhu Biao in the front hall, and a sense of overwhelming pressure arose spontaneously.
"Why should I be so cautious?" Zhu Chong waved his hand at Zhu Biao nonchalantly. "Old Hu is courting death. He really thinks our father knows nothing. His little deeds may not be punishable by death, but now that he has become the Prime Minister, some things have completely changed."
"Speaking of this, I have to say that my father really has a problem with judging people! Hu Weiyong can only be a thousand households at most, but my father insisted on making him the prime minister. Isn't this a big deal?"
"Zhu Chong!" Zhu Biao was already sweating all over, feeling like a thorn in his back, and was restless. However, Zhu Chong was completely unaware of it and continued to turn a blind eye to his elder brother's clear hint.
"People like Lao Hu shouldn't have too much power. If they have too much power, their hearts will change."
"Look at him now, forming cliques and factions in the government and against all odds, excluding those who are against him. What does he want to do? Cover up the sky with one hand? This sky belongs to our Zhu family, and he wants to cover it up with one hand? Isn't this just courting death?"
"My father can still tolerate it now, but once he knows that Old Hu has completely changed, I'm afraid he won't be able to tolerate it anymore!"
"Brother, you may not know this, but Old Hu has already taken control of the Ministry of Personnel. He can promote officials he likes at will, and those he dislikes, no matter how talented they are, will be suppressed by him until they have no chance to survive."
"And doesn't our father like to kill corrupt officials? But he certainly doesn't know that the biggest corrupt official is right in front of him. Don't ask me how I know. I only know that when foreign countries pay tribute to our court, that old guy dares to embezzle it..."
"Zhu Chong, do you know what you are saying?" Zhu Biao's hair stood on end, and he felt unwell. "How dare the Prime Minister? Don't talk nonsense!"
"I'm talking nonsense?" Zhu Chong sneered. "You know Li Shanchang's brother Li Cunyi. He's a good fighter, but he's even better at embezzling money. Not only is he greedy, he's also clueless. He became a relative of Hu Weiyong, and Hu Weiyong used him to embezzle money."
"You..." Zhu Biao was shocked and frightened. He didn't expect that Zhu Chong would still involve Li Shanchang.
"Brother, don't be so nervous. The dispute between our father and Old Hu is actually a dispute between the power of the emperor and the power of the prime minister. If Old Hu had been submissive and had a bit of foresight, our father wouldn't have done anything to him."
"But Old Hu now has students and former officials all over the court. He may seem to be in a good position, but in fact he is just putting himself on the fire. He thinks the law doesn't punish everyone, but in fact he is extremely stupid!"
"To be an official like him is utterly foolish. He doesn't even understand the principle that everything that rises must fall. He's now in control of all the power. If he remains like this in a few years, people who don't know about the Ming Dynasty will think it belongs to his Hu family. I wouldn't do that!"
Zhu Biao was so shocked that he was speechless. He opened his mouth wide and stared at his second brother in front of him, his head buzzing.
In the back hall, Zhu Yuanzhang had a thoughtful look in his eyes and nodded repeatedly.
All the civil and military officials in the court, so many people who followed him to build the empire, and even the crown prince he appointed, were not as clear-sighted as Zhu Chong. It seemed that he really underestimated his son.
He is indeed his own child. Unlike those court officials who have no vision, they are like having eaten too much lard and their minds are clouded. Seeing Hu Weiyong's overwhelming power, they dared to submit to Hu Weiyong. Where do they put him, the emperor?
In the hall, Zhu Chong's "long talk" had not yet ended. He was afraid of Zhu Biao's nagging, so he decided to say enough at once and let Zhu Biao also taste the pain of Tang Monk chanting scriptures.
"Brother, let me be honest with you. Be prepared. Our father is very ruthless. Hu Weiyong is dead. There will be no prime minister in the Ming Dynasty anymore. Just wait and see!"
"Zhu Chong, you're getting more and more outrageous!" Zhu Biao finally recovered from his shock. "How can the official system be changed so easily? Since the Qin Dynasty, when has the position of prime minister ever been abolished? Abolishing the power of the prime minister? You're so surprised you'd even think of doing that!"
"Alas, big brother, your vision is limited." Zhu Chong drank another cup and laughed, "The power of the prime minister is too great. Our father is a powerful ruler. Hu Weiyong is no problem. But if someone else were to become the emperor and meet a prime minister like Hu Weiyong, it would be a different story!"
"You, you, you are drunk, someone come here!" Zhu Biao could no longer listen.
The second son was getting more and more outrageous. He spoke like this in front of himself and Zhu Yuanzhang, even openly saying that the future descendants of the Zhu family would be unfilial. Isn't this just tired of living? Even if he was Zhu Yuanzhang's biological son, he shouldn't talk like this!
But Zhu Chong still didn't care to interrupt Zhu Biao, "Brother, that's enough, let's talk properly, we are talking from the heart."
"Didn't I just say that everything that rises to prominence must fall? Look at the history books of any dynasty, and you'll see that every time the founding emperor was wise, his descendants failed to live up to their expectations. Haven't you ever wondered why?"
"Our father is wise and powerful, and you, big brother, are also a benevolent ruler, but who can guarantee that all descendants of our Zhu family will be good?"
"The Han Dynasty lasted for hundreds of years. Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Guangwu of Han were both heroes, but what happened to Emperor Ling of Han and Emperor Xian of Han? And then there's the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Li Yuan, Li Shimin, and even Li Longji were all virtuous rulers of their time, but what happened later?"
This time it was not only Zhu Biao, but also Old Zhu in the back hall was shocked to the point of being burnt on the outside and tender on the inside. But after the shock, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
The second son was right. Both his generation and the prince's generation were good, but who could say for sure that the Zhu family would have a prodigal son in the future?
Are there not enough bloody examples in history books? Wang Mang usurping the Han Dynasty, Empress Wu usurping the Tang Dynasty, the An Lushan Rebellion, and Zhao Kuangyin ascending the imperial robe... Which one of them is not a clear example?
Could it be that one day, the kingdom that he and a group of old brothers had fought for would be handed over to his own prodigal son?
No, absolutely not. If that day ever comes, even if I am in the grave, I will rush out and kill that prodigal son!
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