The next morning court session.

Tomorrow is the first day of October. It will be the day for the enthronement ceremony of Crown Prince Zhu Ying and also the first grand military parade of the Ming Dynasty.

"Tianjie Temple, have you made all the arrangements for the foreign ministers? The military parade for our grandson's enthronement is related to the prestige of the Ming Dynasty. Let's make it clear here first. If anyone causes trouble, don't blame us for being ruthless."

After the morning court began, it did not follow the previous procedures, so Zhu Yuanzhang directly started to scold.

When Tianjie Temple was called, the head monk who was in charge of the Monks' Office immediately stepped out of the class, clasped his hands together and said, "Your Majesty, I have already made arrangements for the foreign ministers."

"The list of all the participants has been handed over to the Jinyiwei Yamen. Your Majesty, please rest assured."

Since Zhu Yuanzhang had a relatively deep understanding of Buddhism and believed that Buddhism could "secretly support the king's rule" and "secretly assist the king's power", Zhu Yuanzhang personally formulated a complete monk official system in terms of religion.

In the first year of the Hongwu reign, the Shanshi and Xuanjiao academies were established as important government offices in the Ming Dynasty to manage monks and Taoists throughout the world.

In April of the 15th year of Hongwu, the Buddhist Records Office and the Taoist Records Office were re-established and the two courts were abolished.

From then on, the Monk and Taoist Records Office was in charge of all monks and Taoists in the world.

However, perhaps because there are more idle monks in Taoism, it is difficult to find spiritual leaders of Taoism like Zhang Sanfeng.

Moreover, many Taoists were very disgusted with working in the Daoluosi Yamen, and those who came here on their own initiative were not considered important figures.

Therefore, in terms of religious management, the Monks' Registration Office is responsible for many more areas.

As a religious office, it had one Si Zheng and one Zuo Zheng, both of whom were of the sixth rank and were affiliated to the Ministry of Rites.

Under normal circumstances, monks from the Buddhist Affairs Bureau do not need to attend the morning court.

The director of the Monk Department came here this time because he received a notice and needed to report on his work in person.

Don’t just think about these two sentences, if you don’t come.

hehe.

Zhu Yuanzhang would not tolerate him just because he was a monk. He would execute him if he deserved to be executed.

Over the years, many monks from the Buddhist Affairs Bureau have been executed for corruption and bribery.

Just because of Zhu's violent temper, there is no one in this world who dares not kill him.

However, most of the Buddhist officials in the early Ming Dynasty were respected monks, which was generally very good.

At least in the areas of Si Zheng and Zuo Zheng, there has been no change in people since the first year of Hongwu.

With continuous confirmation, all the regulations regarding tomorrow's enthronement, military parade, and other matters at the morning court were basically communicated clearly.

Zhu Ying stood in the Golden Palace, wearing royal robes, listening to the complicated ceremony with a slight smile on his face.

In order to demonstrate the majesty of the Ming imperial family, especially the crown prince.

The entire process of the ceremony can be said to be full of details.

But it is easier to accept when there is a comparison.

Civil and military officials had to kowtow for almost the entire morning without any rest.

This made Zhu Ying feel much more comfortable.

Those who make various suggestions and propose various plans will inevitably suffer.

The discussion lasted for about an hour. Zhu Yuanzhang was smiling the whole time when talking about his eldest grandson and seemed to be in a good mood.

Just after the matter was finalized, a court official suddenly came out of the office, and without coughing to greet his colleagues, he said, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to report."

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't think much about it and said, "Approved."

The minister bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that yesterday's incident caused a stir in the capital, which led to hundreds of thousands of people gathering. In the end, the army entered the city and only then was the riot avoided."

"But even so, there was a lot of chaos in the capital city, and many people were trampled and injured."

"I have even heard that this Qunying Chamber of Commerce has a close relationship with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. It seems that this is the chamber of commerce that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince established when he was in the opposition."

"I dare to say that Your Highness, the Crown Prince, is now a member of the royal family. How can you associate with merchants? You should quickly disband the so-called Heroes Chamber of Commerce to prevent similar incidents from happening again."

"Moreover, this group of British Chamber of Commerce, a group of merchants, has deceived His Royal Highness the Crown Prince into competing with the people for profits. This is simply the greatest evil. Yesterday, I also got the news and learned that this group of British Chamber of Commerce actually wants to harm the foundation of our Great Ming."

As the minister's tone became more and more excited and loud, Zhu Yuanzhang's smile began to gradually become stiff.

The other ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. There was deathly silence in the Fengtian Hall.

The minister who was speaking did not seem to realize it, and was completely immersed in his own inner world, and continued to speak passionately:

"I have seen the notice, which says that this group of British merchants are recruiting workers, both men and women are welcome. Isn't this against the women's code? That's all, he is recruiting anyone."

"He will recruit people who are not even apprentices, even refugees. And as long as they enter, they can get 200 coins a month. 200 coins is not much, but this damn Heroes Chamber of Commerce, he actually provides meals. His intentions are sinister, sinister!"

"If this happens, the common people will no longer have the heart to farm and will all go to the Heroes Chamber of Commerce. From now on, the fields of our Daming will probably become barren."

"People will stop farming, food will become less and less, and taxes will also become less and less. This is to dig up the roots of our Ming Dynasty."

At this point, the minister took a deep breath again, and said with a hint of speculation in his tone: "I have also heard that the Heroes Chamber of Commerce originated from the Western Regions and has colluded with many forces on the grasslands. A large number of its members are not from our tribe."

"Your Highness is still young, and he has not been in the palace for long. He must have been deceived by a traitor, which will cause him endless troubles."

"Your Majesty, I suggest that you immediately send the Royal Guards to conduct a thorough investigation of the entire Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce. We must not let a single spy escape."

After the minister finished speaking, his colleagues next to him subconsciously moved their feet slightly and did not dare to approach him.

There were people nearby who were familiar with this minister, and the look they gave him was full of pity.

Maybe your brain was hit when you went out, how dare you say such things.

I don't want my life anymore.

Tomorrow is a great day for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but today this guy stood up and scolded the Heroes Chamber of Commerce.

Anyone with a little bit of experience knows the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce, which was built by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince himself. It is particularly famous in the border areas.

The wealth controlled by them is innumerable.

This can be seen from the fact that after His Royal Highness the Crown Prince entered the palace, the banquets His Majesty rewarded him with became more frequent and sumptuous.

There must be a lot of money that flowed directly into the treasury.

You have to know that in the past, although His Majesty had given banquets, the meals were so light that sometimes there was not even a speck of meat. You can see how tight the treasury was.

As for the improvement of the diet, the Ministry of Revenue has not made any suggestions, which shows that the money certainly did not come from the national treasury.

This shows that the treasury is now very full.

Even a fool can guess that it must be the credit of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, or the Heroes Chamber of Commerce.

This guy is going to empty your Majesty's purse. He is so cruel.

"Are you done?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked expressionlessly.

The minister was stunned for a moment, then bowed and said, "Your Highness, I have finished speaking."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, and then calmly ordered: "Okay, that's all. Left and right, drag him out and chop him off."

The smart Jinyiwei had been eager to try, and when they heard the emperor's order, they did not hesitate at all. Two Jinyiwei strode forward, picked up the minister, and dragged him out.

"Your Majesty, why are you like this? Why are you like this!!!"

"Every word I say comes from my heart. This is going to ruin our Ming Dynasty and bring disaster to our country. There will be endless troubles in the future!!"

"I thought I was going to die, but Your Majesty must conduct a thorough investigation of the Qunying Chamber of Commerce. Thorough investigation! Thorough investigation!!!"

"Your Majesty!!! Ugh..."

The Jinyiwei immediately covered his mouth and then quickly removed his jaw. The two men quickened their pace and quickly dragged him out of the Fengtian Hall.

Soon, a scream was heard.

Zhu Yuanzhang then asked with a gloomy face: "My dear ministers, do you have any opinions on what happened just now? Feel free to speak up. We are listening."

The ministers in the hall were silent, no one said a word, and even seemed to hold their breath.

This was the court during the Hongwu period.

Even the highest-ranking ministers lowered their heads and dared not look Zhu Yuanzhang in the eye. Anyone who dared to challenge the emperor's majesty would have the grass three feet high on his grave.

The guy just now was just a small fifth-rank official. It's okay for him to die. There's nothing shocking about a second-rank minister being executed. Everyone is used to it.

Many ministers felt Zhu Yuanzhang's anger and cursed the execution in their hearts.

His Majesty has finally had a few days of peace and quiet. Recently, no one has been executed for seven or eight days. Now this bastard is determined to stir up a hornet's nest.

I'm afraid the days ahead will not be easy.

Seeing that the ministers below had no reaction, Zhu Yuanzhang did not want to just let it go, and asked Zhu Ying: "Grandson, I wonder if you have any opinion on the minister's memorial just now."

"Tell it out loud for us to hear, and for all of you dear ministers to hear as well."

Zhu Ying nodded and bowed, saying, "Grandpa, I think that what happened just now may seem like just one person's words, but there is more to it than meets the eye."

"He can say so much, which shows that he knows a lot. If I remember correctly, the minister just now is from the Ministry of Personnel."

As he spoke, Zhu Ying's eyes were fixed on Zhan Hui.

Zhan Hui felt the gaze of His Royal Highness Chang Sun and his heart skipped a beat.

He knew that His Royal Highness Chang Sun was using this incident to attack him.

As everyone knows, His Royal Highness Chang Sun has a close relationship with the Duke of Liang. Now, because of me, the Duke of Liang is not even qualified to attend the morning court.

Although the rank of the Ming Dynasty Security General Directorate is not low, there is currently no requirement to hold early morning court due to issues of authority.

At this time, the military officers on the right side immediately began to gloat over the misfortune.

Zhan Hui is thick-skinned, but he cannot get the position of Shangshu even if he has the nerve. As long as His Royal Highness Zhangsun does not call his name, he will pretend to be dead.

Zhu Ying paused for a moment, and seeing that Zhan Hui didn't react, he didn't pursue the matter further, and continued, "If it were any other department, I might not think too much about it, but the Ministry of Personnel is different."

"The Ministry of Personnel is where officials of our dynasty are managed. I think that those who can serve in the Ministry of Personnel must be smart. Stupid people will not be able to make it."

"Of course, if this person got in through the back door through connections, that's another matter. In this regard, we can ask the Royal Guards to investigate to see if someone was behind the scenes or using some trickery."

"This is a huge injustice to other candidate officials."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "My grandson is right. Forming cliques for personal gain and deceiving superiors and subordinates must be investigated. Jiang Li, you have heard it clearly."

Jiang Li, who was sitting below him, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I heard it clearly."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, signaling his eldest grandson to continue.

Zhu Ying said, "I just saw that when this minister was executed, he was not too panicked. It seemed that he knew that when he said these words, he would definitely be executed by grandpa."

"This shows that this person's mind is very clear, and the purpose of saying this is very clear."

"Even ants try to survive, let alone humans. If that's the case, there must be someone behind this person directing him."

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said, "What Grandson said makes sense. The rat behind the scenes is really bold and has even inserted his hand into the court."

"He can control his life and death. He must have been hiding in the capital for many years. He may even be in the court, among the ministers."

As he spoke, Zhu Yuanzhang cast a fierce look at the ministers, as if he wanted to find out the manipulator behind the scenes.

In an instant, all the ministers in the court, including the ministers of various ministries, began to tremble.

This was a prelude to impending storms, and many ministers knew that once His Majesty began to doubt his ministers, they would inevitably be strictly investigated by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Anyone who is slightly involved will most likely be dragged directly into the imperial prison, tortured, and interrogated.

Such things have happened three times in the 25 years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

Every time, it was a major purge for the officials in the court. Outside the Fengtian Hall, blood flowed like a river, and in the imperial prison, there were endless screams.

Especially those colleagues in the Ministry of Personnel who had a good relationship with the minister who had just been executed.

My legs are starting to tremble now.

If the Royal Guards want to investigate, they will definitely start with their colleagues. According to past practice, the possibility of being implicated in the death is as high as 99%.

Just when some ministers were about to piss themselves with fear, Zhu Ying suddenly spoke.

"Grandpa, I don't think so. According to the current situation, the person behind this is not in the court, but should be hiding in the capital."

Once these words were spoken, it was truly gospel to all the ministers.

Those colleagues in particular were immediately filled with tears of gratitude. If they had not been restricted by the rules of the morning court, they would have been unable to hold back their bows and kowtows three times and nine times.

In their hearts, many ministers have begun to swear that if they can return home safely today, they must set up a longevity tablet for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and burn incense and kowtow to him every day.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't think much about it when he heard it, and asked directly: "What do you think, grandson? Tell me."