"Have you heard?"

"What's so mysterious?"

"Captain Zhang, he was dismissed from his post and expelled from our Jinyiwei Yamen."

"What! This... is impossible. I know that he is a close confidant of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Hey, you're right. I've heard about this, too. It was really crossed out from the Yellow Book. Our Song Zhenfu Envoy is really bold. He even dared to touch the people of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I wonder if he drank fake wine."

"Don't talk nonsense. If you think about it, you will know that this matter must have been reported to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I think this is what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince meant."

"It's not that serious. Captain Zhang is said to have followed His Highness for many years. I also know a little about the Lu family. It's not a big deal. He was dismissed and investigated just like that. Is it..."

"Shut up, you are not allowed to talk about His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Be careful or your life will be in danger. But His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is really fair and wise. Without saying it, Captain Zhang's behavior is a violation of the rules."

"That's right. We can't compare to Zhang Qianhu. But since His Royal Highness is like this, let's see who dares to break this rule in our government from now on."

The Jinyiwei was originally a government agency specializing in intelligence, and the news of Zhang San's situation spread quickly.

The Jinyiwei, who originally had some resentment about this, suddenly understood.

With such an attitude from our Lord, how dare we disobey?

Even close confidants who have followed him for many years cannot break this rule, which shows how important this rule is.

From now on, everyone must keep this rule in mind.

In the hall of the government office, the chief officer clasped his fists and bowed, saying, "Boss, Captain Zhang is no longer with us. What should we do with the Lu family?"

Song Zhong nodded and said, "Of course, we'll do what we have to do. If Lu Hongzhi cooperates in identifying the high-ranking officials of the Beggars' Sect, then it can be considered as meritorious service for his crimes."

"As for Lu Shuang..."

Song Zhong hesitated for a moment and then said, "Don't touch Lu Shuang for now. Wait until Lu Hongzhi interrogates her."

The captain asked hesitantly, "If Lu Hongzhi denies this, can he be punished?"

Song Zhong smiled and said, "Don't worry. These people from Jiangnan made their fortunes through business. They don't have any integrity or morality. I'm afraid that the moment you catch him, he will tell you everything."

The captain immediately said, "I understand."

…

The Prince of Yan's Palace in the capital,

With the arrival of Xu Yihua and the other two children, the originally deserted Prince Yan's Mansion suddenly felt much more lively.

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui were especially naughty and often came up with different ways of playing.

Out of boredom, Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui set their sights on Zhu Gaochi.

"My eldest brother is always there, and he gets out of breath even after walking a few steps. Why don't we go and tease him a little." Zhu Gaoxu suggested, looking in the direction of the study.

Zhu Gaosui was Zhu Di's youngest son and the most favored one. He had no fear of his elder brother and was happy to agree.

Then, two men rushed into the study, one snatched the brush from Zhu Gaochi's hand, and the other snatched the rice paper, and ran towards the courtyard.

"Brother, come and chase us."

The two shouted with laughter.

Zhu Gaochi stood at the door of the study with a helpless look on his face. He had no intention of chasing after him. Instead, he shouted with concern, "Second brother, third brother, be careful. Don't fall."

After hearing this, the two of them immediately felt that it was meaningless.

At this moment, Xu Yihua came over after hearing the sound. With just one glance, he understood the situation clearly.

He frowned and scolded, "Xu'er, Sui'er, return the things to your elder brother. You are still so disrespectful in the capital. It's really ridiculous."

"You don't even know the slightest bit of etiquette and respect. If you dare to do this again, I will send you to the Imperial Academy and let your grandfather discipline you properly."

When they heard the three words "Emperor Grandfather", their faces turned pale immediately.

Zhu Gaosui was so frightened that he trembled, and the brush in his hand fell to the ground. When he looked again, he saw that it had broken into two pieces.

When Zhu Gaochi saw the brush broke, a trace of heartache flashed in his eyes.

The handle of this brush is made of bamboo, and is not very delicate. It is not even worthy of being used in Prince Yan's Palace. Even the brushes used by servants are much better than this one.

However, this brush was made by Zhu Gaochi and his mother together, and he regarded it as a treasure.

Xu Yihua had sharp eyes and recognized him immediately. He frowned and shouted, "Why don't you apologize to your elder brother quickly?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaosui bowed and said, "Brother, I'm sorry."

Seeing this, Xu Yihua looked at Zhu Gaoxu and said, "Why don't you apologize to your elder brother?"

Although Zhu Gaoxu was very afraid of the emperor, he still said stubbornly: "I was just playing with my elder brother. Besides, mother, look, this rice paper is in good condition and not damaged. I don't need to apologize."

Xu Yihua said: "Since ancient times, the elders have respected the younger ones, and the eldest brother is like a father. You teased your elder brother, which violated the moral code and was unfilial. You knew you were wrong and did not repent, which was immoral."

"How can you be a son if you have no moral integrity and no filial piety?"

Zhu Gaoxu never thought that his usually kind mother would scold him so much about his eldest brother's matter.

For a teenager, these words are quite serious.

But Zhu Gaoxu was different. Facing this reprimand, he was not ashamed or remorseful. Instead, he held his neck high and said, "Mother, you are biased. You are biased towards my elder brother. I was just playing with my elder brother. It was just a joke."

Xu Yihua said, "You know your elder brother is not going to do anything, but you still do this. What is your intention? Sui'er, tell me, was it you who suggested playing a trick on your elder brother?"

Zhu Gaosui quickly waved his hands and said, "It's not me, it's not me, it's my second brother who said that."

Zhu Gaoxu was so angry that his teeth were itching. This third brother had betrayed him in the blink of an eye.

"Mother, please stop blaming my second and third brothers. We were just joking. My second and third brothers definitely didn't mean it that way."

When Zhu Gaochi saw his mother scolding him, he hurried over to explain.

Seeing this, Xu Yihua frowned and said, "It's not the way of a brother to indulge your second and third brothers like this."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaochi did not say anything else, but bowed deeply and asked his mother for forgiveness.

Xu Yihua sighed softly, glanced at Zhu Gaosui who was a little frightened, and Zhu Gaoxu who had a smug look on his face, shook his head slightly, and turned away.

After his mother's figure disappeared, Zhu Gaoxu said coldly: "Brother, you are pretending to be good."

After saying that, he turned and left without looking back.

Zhu Gaosui was a little at a loss. He looked at his second brother's back as he left. Perhaps because he was afraid that his mother would send him to the palace school, he bowed to Zhu Gaochi for some reason before leaving.

Is Zhu Gaochi a cunning person?

Not really.

But he was a fat man with a kind heart, and when his third brother bowed to him, he also bowed back.

After the two men left, he picked up the broken bamboo pen and rice paper on the ground with great pains and difficulty.

In his eyes, there was only love for the bamboo pen. After all, he and his mother had made it together. However, he did not have the slightest resentment towards his two younger brothers.

It is hard to imagine that in this world, the eldest son of King Yan could have such a broad mind.

Perhaps this is why Zhu Ying truly treated Zhu Gaochi as a friend when he first came into contact with him.

He truly has a kind heart inside his fat body.

The reason why Xu Yihua did not stay for too long was because Zhu Di came back.

In the main hall of the palace, Xu Yihua sat next to Zhu Di.

"Yihua, why do you look so upset? Are you worried about something?"

Zhu Di asked with concern.

When it comes to treating their wives, Zhu Di and Zhu Yuanzhang are the same, they respect and love them very much.

Since ancient times, the royal family has emphasized having many sons and grandchildren, but in the case of Zhu Di, he only had one wife, Xu Yihua, and he didn't even have a concubine. Zhu Di himself had never thought of taking a concubine.

The two have known each other in the palace since they were young, and can be said to be childhood sweethearts.

Xu Yihua said softly: "Your Highness, Chi'er is your eldest son. Even His Majesty values ​​Chi'er very much."

"It's true that I'm a little fatter, but it's not Chi'er's fault."

"In the eleventh year of Hongwu, when I was in Fengyang, it was my fault."

Originally, Zhu Di's expression was not very good when he heard his wife talking about his eldest son, but when he heard about the eleventh year of Hongwu, Zhu Di's expression warmed up.

In the ninth year of Hongwu, when Zhu Di was seventeen years old, Zhu Yuanzhang took Zhu Di and other brothers back to their hometown in Fengyang, also known as Zhongdu.

Although Fengyang was called Zhongdu, it was located in a desolate area. Zhu Yuanzhang's original intention was to let his sons experience the suffering of the common people.

At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang's parents are also buried there, so they are also used to pay homage to them.

This life lasted for three years.

Originally, Xu Yihua did not go with him, but only after begging did she get Zhu Yuanzhang's consent.

In the second year, they became pregnant with Zhu Gaochi.

However, because the conditions were so harsh, the delivery was not thorough, which led to Zhu Gaochi's difficult delivery.

In the end, mother and child were safe, but it also left hidden dangers for Zhu Gaochi.

The specific symptoms are still unknown, but Zhu Gaochi was often weak and sickly when he was a child, and later became extremely prone to obesity.

Zhu Di often talked about this experience with others. He felt that he was able to achieve a great victory and not be afraid of the cold wind outside the Great Wall because of this experience.

But Xu Yihua almost lost his life because of this.

Seeing Zhu Di's expression touched, Xu Yihua continued, "When His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was in Beiping, I also knew that he had a very good relationship with Chi'er."

"In the future of the Ming Dynasty, it will be His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who will ascend the throne. With this relationship, our Prince Yan's Mansion will not be far behind in the future."

Zhu Di, who had calmed down, snorted coldly when he heard this:

"My eldest nephew is not a simple man. Now there are vassal states overseas, and there are no more vassal states within the territory of the Ming Dynasty. If you want territory, you have to fight for it yourself."

"I see, he doesn't care about so much family affection."

Xu Yihua naturally knew about this and said, "This is exactly what you wish for. How could I not know that Your Highness has always wanted to be like Your Majesty and build a kingdom of your own since you were a child."

"When I was in Peking, I was also diligent in military affairs, always thinking about making contributions, and I was highly valued by Your Majesty."

"Although Japan is far away, I have read in books that it is not poor and backward. At least it is not much worse than Beijing."

"At that time, you established a country and became king, and you had the assistance of the Ming Dynasty. Your Highness could manage it well without any hindrance, and you would be able to achieve great achievements for generations to come."

Xu Yihua doesn't know nothing.

She has been with Empress Ma since she entered the palace at a young age. Influenced by Empress Ma, she also has her own opinions on political affairs.

She is the eldest daughter of Xu Da. If she were not a girl, she would definitely be a famous general.

Zhu Di left Peking without any worries about his vassal state because his wife Xu Yihua was guarding it.

After hearing what his wife said, Zhu Di thought for a while and told her what his father had told him this morning.

Then he sighed, "I didn't know that the black soil was so fertile. Even though I saw it before, I didn't take it seriously. If I had known it earlier, then..."

After listening to this, Xu Yihua was also a little surprised.

Beiping is very close to Liaodong, and she has also seen the black soil.

After coming back to his senses, Xu Yihua frowned and asked:

"What does your highness mean?"

Zhu Di said with a firm expression: "Yihua, help me, I know you can do it. Father loves you the most, especially mother did."

"As long as you ask, my father will definitely agree to let me stay in Peking, or guard Liaodong."

"In terms of achievements and strength, no one in the glorious Ming Dynasty can compare to me. I am familiar with Liaodong, and I can rule those Mongols and Jurchens."

"The only problem now is Zhu Ying."

"Zhu Ying just wants me to go out, leave the Ming Dynasty, go overseas, go to Japan. But you know I won't argue with him."

"Help me, Yihua."

Hearing this, Xu Yihua was somewhat moved. In all these years, Zhu Di had never asked him for help. This was the first time.

The current Zhu Di has indeed changed a lot, and the main reason for this is Zhu Ying.

Zhu Ying was very familiar with him, especially in Peking. After contacting Daoyan, he had a very clear understanding of Zhu Di's background.

This resulted in Zhu Di being blinded by just one simple move, leaving him with no one to use.

"You and I are husband and wife. If you make a decision, I will fully support it."

Xu Yihua expressed his opinion.

Hearing his wife's statement, Zhu Di was deeply moved and could not help but step forward and hold his wife's hands tightly.

"What are you doing in broad daylight?"

"We are already an old married couple, there is no need to worry about these things."

"You are old."

"It's my fault. I'm old. I'm old. Hahaha."

…

November 28th, the 25th year of Hongwu.

Heavy snow fell from the sky.

The entire capital was covered in white, and there were almost no vendors on the streets.

There were hardly any pedestrians.

This kind of weather is really freezing enough to kill people.

It was very warm in the Fengtian Hall, where there were more than a dozen bonfires.

"The weather has been extremely cold recently, and the roads are slippery. The Crown Prince has suggested that in order to avoid any unexpected incidents that would cause the Ming Dynasty to collapse, we recommend that the morning court be cancelled in the near future."

"From now on until the beginning of spring, the morning court session will be changed to the noon court session."

In the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang announced the news loudly.

This can be said to be the most important change for the minister so far.

All the ministers kowtowed and shouted "Long live the emperor".

Many civil officials and all military officers looked at His Royal Highness the Crown Prince with eyes full of gratitude.

The literati of the Ming Dynasty, or the literati during the nearly three hundred years of the Ming Dynasty, have a very bad reputation in history.

But among them, especially in the early Ming Dynasty, there were many ministers who really got things done.

How many people are loyal to their principles, incorruptible, and do practical things for the people.

High salaries cannot keep officials honest. Corrupt officials will still be corrupt and will only get more corrupt.

But blindly oppressing ministers is not a viable approach.

These ministers who hold real power cannot even live as well as an ordinary businessman, or even have problems with their own food and clothing.

Then the problem of corruption will only expand.

It feels like if you are not greedy, you might starve to death.

In the Ming Dynasty where there is no pension, many officials, especially local officials, only think about making money when they take office.

The reason for having such an idea is to ensure the security of one's own life in later years.

Big greed is often the beginning of small greed.

People often start out a little greedy, perhaps just a few taels of silver, but these few taels of silver can improve their lives for the month.

I thought, how nice it would be if everything could be like this in the future.

That's how it is, it's out of control.

It is unrealistic to completely eliminate the existence of corrupt officials. All we can do is to continue to crack down on corrupt officials.

However, truly honest officials should also be given certain living protections.

At least when working for the Ming Dynasty and the country, you don't have to worry about how to get food tomorrow.

Once people get used to being oppressed, they often feel sweetness deep down in their hearts at the slightest bit of goodness.

After nearly twenty-six years of the Ming Dynasty, officials in the court finally felt the care and love from their superiors.

I was so excited.

In fact, Zhu Ying had no choice but to make this suggestion.

Through inquiries, Zhu Ying discovered that the death rate or illness retirement rate among officials was extremely high every winter.

Every year, there were even a few officials who froze to death from typhoid fever.

Some people who don't have much money may freeze to death on the roadside while walking on the street.

This is a minister who can enter the Fengtian Palace. In the entire Ming Dynasty, he can have a say at the pinnacle of power.

Only after many years of study or many achievements can one be qualified to enter the Fengtian Palace and discuss state affairs with the emperor.

The occurrence of this situation is getting worse every year.

Today’s officials serve for life, which means that the earliest batch of court officials would not be much different in age from Zhu Yuanzhang.

Young officials, without any experience, mostly sit at the back.

In Fengtian Hall, aging is the norm.

The elderly cannot withstand severe cold weather. Due to their lack of physical functions, the dawns are late in winter. They have to walk in the dark and on the frozen road in the snow. If they fall, no one will know and they will lose their lives in an instant.

"Grandson, your wise and heroic deeds have earned you great fame among the ministers."

"These civil officials are the leaders of the scholars. I'm afraid it won't be long before the spring comes, and your reputation as a wise and virtuous crown prince will spread throughout the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile.

In fact, at the beginning, when Zhu Yuanzhang heard his eldest grandson's suggestion, he subconsciously opposed it.

But then I thought, maybe this would be of great help to my eldest grandson's reputation. After thinking about it carefully, I felt that there was some truth to it.

The floor of the imperial palace was swept by eunuchs every day, but it was still slippery, let alone the capital city.

So he agreed to his eldest grandson's suggestion.

"Grandpa, you are too kind. I just think it would be too unfortunate if the talents of our Ming Dynasty suffered unnecessary losses due to weather factors."

"As far as I know, ministers who can go to Fengtian Palace must have studied hard for many years or have a very good reputation in the local area to have this opportunity."

"Each one of them is indispensable to our Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Ying replied modestly.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, and then asked: "I heard from the Military Affairs Department that you have recently started selling the coal used by the Gunpowder Department at the lowest price?"

Coal is not a cheap commodity in the Ming Dynasty today, and the cost of producing it is extremely high.

Only wealthy families could afford coal for heating, and firewood was the main fuel.