Zhu Yuanzhang was well aware of the palace's speculation about his eldest grandson.

Now, through the mouths of many royal family members, the situation of the eldest grandson in the palace has become an open secret.

However, many ministers did not know Zhu Ying.

Could the palace controlled by Zhu Yuanzhang cause his ministers to worry?

Just take care of your own life and don't ask too much about the affairs of the palace.

As ministers who left suicide notes when attending court on a daily basis, they avoided royal secrets as much as possible, for fear of being accidentally involved.

How dare I ask?

Those who can now stay in the Huagai Hall and discuss state affairs with Zhu Yuanzhang are undoubtedly the leading civil officials of the entire Ming Dynasty.

What they discussed directly involved the entire Ming Dynasty.

Just one incident may affect the livelihood of tens or even hundreds of thousands of people.

Outside the door, after Zhu Ying received Liu He's message, he followed him in.

In fact, the old man had told him long before that he could enter and leave freely no matter where in the palace.

There is no problem even during the morning court session.

When Jiang Li saw it after arriving here, he did not stop it.

It was Zhu Ying himself who suggested letting the eunuch go in to report.

In Zhu Ying's view, this is politeness and also a rule.

The old man's doting on him was not a reason for him to be arrogant.

In the Huagai Palace, before Zhu Ying entered, Liu He loudly announced, "Your Majesty, the eldest grandson is here."

"My dear grandson, come over here quickly." Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile when he saw Zhu Ying.

As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers who had been whispering to each other suddenly became quiet.

Most of the ministers had looks of surprise and speculation in their eyes.

After all, these ministers spend a lot of time in the palace every day, and some ministers sometimes go to the palace academy to teach.

Those who are able to become Shangshu are all great masters in terms of literary attainments. Teaching is very easy for them, and some of them even have many disciples themselves.

Moreover, these ministers often meet with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

When the ministers saw Zhu Ying's appearance almost at the same time, they were stunned.

Even a dog wouldn't believe it if you said that this young Prince Changsun had no relationship with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

It cannot be said to be exactly the same, it can only be completely identical.

This temperament and appearance are simply amazing.

If it weren't for his overly young appearance and the titles of eldest grandson and crown prince, if His Majesty had said that the crown prince had been resurrected, they would have believed it to be true.

I'm really worried that the impact of this will cause heart attacks in some older people.

However, only during the Hongwu period could one become the top civil officials in the Ming Dynasty, and at the very least they were old foxes.

When it comes to protecting oneself, everyone is extremely skilled.

Those that were not fully stretched were basically buried in the ground.

The only one who had a strange look in his eyes but was not shocked was the Minister of War Ru Heng.

Ruheng's eyes revealed emotion.

As early as when Zhu Ying persuaded him to support the expedition to Japan, Ru Hong knew that this day would come.

Since that meeting, Ru Hong has never mentioned any issues about Zhu Ying to anyone else.

Even everything that happened that day was kept strictly confidential.

The possibilities involved in the sudden reappearance of the eldest grandson of the emperor who had been missing for ten years were totally beyond his ability to participate.

Not only him, no one can or dares to participate.

Only Your Majesty can do all this.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness Chang Sun."

Just when many ministers were confused, Ru Hong stood up and bowed to Zhu Ying.

Then the other ministers reacted immediately.

This is not the time to guess riddles. Don’t you see that His Majesty has already called him the eldest grandson?

No matter who he is, just worship him first, you won’t go wrong.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness Chang Sun."

Many ministers stood up and paid homage to Zhu Ying together.

Zhu Yuanzhang, sitting on the dragon throne, stroked his beard gently with a smile on his face.

Zhu Ying's expression did not change much, and he said, "Get up."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

The reactions of many ministers can fully illustrate Zhu Yuanzhang’s current prestige.

If this happened in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.

hehe,

The saliva sprayed by the civil officials almost drowned the emperor.

There might even be censors who threaten to commit suicide.

Of course, he didn't mean to die, he just wanted to scare the emperor and gain a good reputation.

This method was not invented in the Ming Dynasty. It was very common in the Tang and Song dynasties and the effect was quite good.

However, in today's Ming Dynasty, no one dares to follow the example of their ancestors, as they would probably not gain a good reputation but only be labeled as a fool.

Putting aside the interests of family and country, who doesn't fear death?

Scholars truly love reading. To put it bluntly, they read for the golden house and beautiful wife described in the books.

"Grandson, why did you come to see me this time? Is there something urgent?"

Zhu Yuanzhang ignored his ministers and didn't even introduce himself to them. He just asked his eldest grandson who was sitting next to him.

Many ministers seemed to have their heads down, but in fact their ears were erected high, taller than those of rabbits.

I listened attentively to the conversation between His Majesty and His Highness.

After His Majesty opened his mouth, he even held his breath, just to be heard more clearly. He must be afraid of suffocating to death.

"Grandpa, I just reviewed the memorial about the plague in Henan and found a very serious problem."

"It is very likely that it was the Black Death that came from Europe."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ying spoke in a deep voice with an extremely solemn tone.

The reason why I used the Black Death to illustrate this was actually to tell the old man more clearly the seriousness of the matter.

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned slightly when he heard this and asked, "Black Death?"

This was the first time Zhu Yuanzhang had heard of this disease. The current Europe is the name given to Europe by the Ming Dynasty.

However, due to the huge geographical differences, Zhu Yuanzhang could only know about the place Europe, and the specifics had no impact.

Zhu Ying explained: "The Black Death is the name used in Europe, and we call it the plague here. Grandpa may not know how much of an impact the plague had in Europe."

"According to the news my grandson has received, the entire Europe is now almost empty. The death toll is close to 30 million."

"What! Thirty million people! Is what Da Sun said right?"

Zhu Yuanzhang exclaimed, stood up and asked in disbelief.

Thirty million is equivalent to more than half of the population of the entire Ming Dynasty.

This is far more terrifying than any change of dynasty.

At this moment in the Huagai Palace, there were sounds of people gasping for air, and even several elderly ministers began to tremble.

Their first reaction when they heard this was to disbelieve it.

This number is simply too exaggerated.

There has never been such an exaggerated number in the history of China.

Although many ministers were not very clear about the situation in Europe, 30 million was a bit too terrifying.

But for this unfamiliar His Royal Highness Chang Sun.

Many ministers did not believe it in their hearts, but reason told them that it might be true.

This is the majesty of Zhu Yuanzhang.

Just like his previous unhesitating visit, it was not because of Zhu Ying's appearance, but was entirely influenced by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Perhaps some ministers would take advantage of the situation when writing memorials.

But they all write big things in a small way. To dare to make such a big thing seem a bit fake, but in fact it is more credible.

"Of course I believe what my grandson said, but this is a little too shocking. Europe is so far away, where did my grandson get this information from? Could it be that he was deceived by someone?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked, of course his grandson would not lie to him, but he was afraid that his grandson would be deceived by villains.

Zhu Ying shook his head and said, "Europe is far away, and not many people in the Ming Dynasty care about it. The reason why my grandson knows about it is because he has come into contact with merchants from Europe."

"Moreover, such a big thing is no longer a secret in Europe. Almost everyone knows about it."

"However, due to the naming problem, we in the Ming Dynasty did not associate the plague with the Black Death in Europe. It was only after I learned about the symptoms of the Black Death that I realized that they were exactly the same as the plague."

After hearing the explanation of his eldest grandson, Zhu Yuanzhang was still somewhat puzzled and asked, "Europe is a long way from our Ming Dynasty. It will probably take at least several years to come here."

Zhu Ying understood the old man's implication and replied, "The Black Death in Europe did not occur recently. In fact, the Black Death in Europe occurred about 45 years ago, which was the eighth year of Zhizheng."

"The Black Death lasted for a total of six years in Europe, and it was not until the 13th year of the Zhengde reign that it was nearing its end."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly.

Calculating it this way, there is indeed no problem with time.

In the 13th year of Zhizheng, Zhu Yuanzhang returned to his hometown to recruit soldiers. He recruited more than 700 people and returned to Haozhou. He was promoted to be the governor by Guo Zixing.

At that time, China was in chaos, so it was naturally impossible to care about the situation in Europe.

By the time the Ming Dynasty was founded, more than ten years had passed since the plague in Europe, and even if there was some news, no one cared.

Therefore, what the eldest grandson says is highly credible.

"Your Majesty, I have a report to make."

Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was thinking about it, the Minister of Revenue Zhao Mian stood up and bowed and said.

"Tell me, Minister Zhao, what do you think?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Zhao Mian bowed to Zhu Ying again before saying, "I am very apprehensive, but I have indeed heard about the European affairs that Your Highness Changsun mentioned."

"Oh, tell us in detail." Zhu Yuanzhang was slightly surprised.

Zhao Mian replied, "Your Majesty, I don't have much to add. I just want to provide evidence for Your Highness Changsun. When I was receiving foreign envoys and paying tribute, I did hear this during our casual conversation."

"I still remember the look of fear on the face of the foreign envoy when he talked about the plague. He didn't elaborate on the exact number of people who died from the plague. But the foreign envoy at that time, in the words of our Ming Dynasty, responded to the impact with corpses everywhere."

Many officials in the six ministries, especially those at the Shangshu level, were in rotation.

Generally, after working for three years, you will change to another position where you can shine.

In his early years, Zhao Mian worked in the Ministry of Rites for a period of time, and was responsible for receiving tribute.

It was also because of Zhao Mian's outstanding performance in the tribute trade at that time that he was able to hold the position of Minister of Revenue.

Resume is very important in today's Ming Dynasty.

The Ministry of Revenue is the main body of the Ming Dynasty's finances, so Zhao Mian was able to become the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

After a Shangshu like Zhao Mian came out to support his argument, it was obvious that Zhu Ying's words were more deeply rooted in people's hearts.

Several Shangshu, including the palace officials, were very familiar with each other and knew that Zhao Mian would definitely not speak nonsense, especially to provide evidence for the newly appeared Royal Highness Changsun.

The oppression of thirty million people was brought upon me all at once.

The breathing of many ministers, including Zhu Yuanzhang, became a little rapid.

Obviously, the plague currently occurring in Henan is very likely to affect the entire Ming Dynasty.

Let alone the death of 3,000 people, even tens of millions or millions of people would be a heavy blow to the Ming Dynasty, which had only been established for 25 years.

Affecting the foundation of the Ming Dynasty is considered a small matter. If something goes wrong, it may lead to a change of dynasty.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang asked Zhu Ying: "What is the current situation of the plague in Henan?"

The reason why he asked the eldest grandson directly was obviously because he had discovered the situation, and the other ministers certainly did not pay attention to it.

Zhu Ying replied: "We are still enduring the impact at present. I am afraid that the plague will spread to a wider area and cause a situation like that in Europe."

"I calculated before I came here that there are about thirty cities affected by the plague, and the number of people affected should be more than 100,000."

"The plague is extremely strong and there is no good medicine to cure it. Those who contract it will die within two or three days. My grandson suggests that we should immediately order the isolation of all cities affected by the plague and send in doctors to treat them."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not hesitate and directly issued an edict: "Liu He, send an urgent message of eight hundred miles. In the Henan Provincial Administration, all cities affected by the plague are strictly prohibited from traveling around. Set up checkpoints. No matter who is in the city, no one can enter but not leave."

"I obey your order."

Liu He did not dare to delay and immediately drafted the imperial edict.

"Ruhong."

"I am here."

"Immediately mobilize 200,000 troops to tightly seal off all checkpoints outside the cities infected with the plague. Anyone who dares to break through the checkpoints will be killed without mercy!"

"I obey your order."

"Zhao Mian."

"I am here."

"Immediately pass down the order to start transporting the grain that has already been harvested in the surrounding areas of Henan to the plague areas in Henan. Remember, anyone transporting grain is not allowed to enter the city, and those who enter the city are not allowed to return!"

"I obey your order."

Zhu Yuanzhang issued three edicts in one breath.

First, the cities in the plague-affected areas of Henan were announced, then the army blockaded them, and then food was supplied.

It has been less than a stick of incense time since Zhu Ying entered the room. Zhu Yuanzhang, who is quick and decisive, has changed extremely quickly from not believing to issuing corresponding measures.

The post station is already expedited for 800 miles.

When Crown Prince Zhu Biao passed away, the express train was only six hundred miles long.

Eight hundred miles in a hurry is a speed that would kill several horses.

"Grandson, if you have anything else to add, just say it."

After Zhu Yuanzhang issued the edict, he turned to Zhu Ying and asked.