It was one step too late after all.
Hundreds of meters away, Lan Yu and others watched Song Zhong enter directly under the escort of the palace guards.
He knew that allowing the palace guards to escort him in was definitely a major case.
"Brother, what should we do now?"
Cao Zhen asked, panting.
Upon hearing this, Lan Yu began to ponder.
What he could be sure of was that the palace guards were dispatched to avoid the time for reporting, so the case must be of great importance.
The key point now is what the situation of this case is.
Thinking of this, Lan Yu said bluntly: "Let's go to the Jinyiwei prison."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone immediately understood and quickly turned around and left.
Soon, the group arrived at the imperial prison.
In fact, according to the rules, Duke Liang is not qualified to come to the Jinyiwei.
However, Zhu Ying recently issued an order to let the Jinyiwei, the Public Security Bureau, and the Bingmasi work together.
So Lan Yu had an excuse.
In the Jinyiwei, since Song Zhong was not there, no one dared to stop them.
In the imperial prison, under the pressure of Lan Yu, the jailer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard dared not hide anything and had to tell what happened when Song Zhong interrogated Cao Zixing.
Cao Zixing was brought out for trial again.
"The guilty minister Cao Zixing pays homage to the Duke of Liang."
Cao Zixing, covered in blood, bowed.
"Tell me what you told Song Zhong just now. Repeat it to me again."
Lan Yu didn't have a good tone and gave orders directly.
Upon hearing this, Cao Zixing bowed and then stood there, pretending not to hear anything.
Civil officials and military generals are natural enemies, so Cao Zixing was too lazy to tell the story again. Besides, his own affairs were not a good thing either.
Lan Yu frowned.
boom!!
Cao Zhen, who was standing next to him, had no time to hesitate and kicked Cao Zixing hard in the chest.
The enormous force penetrated Cao Zixing's body and slammed heavily against the wall of the imperial prison.
Large mouthfuls of blood kept gushing out of Cao Zixing's mouth. The whipping for several hours made Cao Zixing feel painful, but Cao Zhen's kick almost took half his life.
"You dare to pretend in front of us? I think you don't want to live anymore." Cao Zhen scolded.
Cao Zixing wanted to get up, but he had no strength left, so he just lay on the ground, opened his bloody mouth, and said with a smile: "After entering this prison, I never planned to get out alive."
Cao Zhen sneered when he heard this: "You are doomed, but if you offend our brothers, do you think there is still a way for your clan members to survive?"
"When a certain letter reaches Shanxi Wei, I will slaughter your entire clan!"
"I want to see if you can still laugh."
Cao Zixing almost choked to death on a mouthful of blood, and his originally pretentious expression turned into a tearless one.
What the hell is going on? Why do they come one after another and always want to wipe out the entire clan? Can't they give us some chance to survive?
He didn't dare to gamble, but at the same time he believed that the guy in front of him could definitely do it.
The military generals and nobles from Huaixi were well-known in the Ming Dynasty. Even His Majesty knew that they were troublemakers and had done many things like massacring cities and exterminating clans.
If you really compare them, they are much more ruthless than the Jinyiwei.
Cao Zixing knew that he had hit a wall and could only explain the matter again.
"Bah, you coward!"
Before explaining, Cao Zhen even cursed. Did he really think this guy had any backbone?
After the explanation, everyone's expression changed, including Lan Yu's.
"No wonder this kid ran so fast. Such credit was taken away by him."
As Cao Zhen spoke, he glared at Cao Zixing viciously, scaring Cao Zixing so much that he curled up in a corner, buried his head and dared not move.
He was not afraid of being beaten to death, but he was afraid of angering people like Cao Zhen. If he died, his son would be buried with him.
I finally saw a glimmer of hope. If it is destroyed at this moment, I will never be able to rest in peace in the afterlife.
Naturally, the names of the accomplices were also honestly disclosed.
"Brother, why don't we take a step ahead and capture these people?" Cao Zhen suggested.
Lan Yu frowned and said, "No, it's a foregone conclusion. We brothers don't lack these merits. We just want to win the eyes of the Crown Prince. If we offend His Royal Highness by snatching the merits, it will be more trouble than gain."
People like Lan Yu no longer care about merit.
If you want something, just take it on the battlefield. The key now is to gain the trust of the crown prince.
"Then brother, what should we say now?" Cao Zhen asked again.
Lan Yu looked at Cao Zixing and said, "Now that we know about these conspiracies, things will be much easier. We should do our job well and continue to arrest the Shanxi merchants. Those who should be killed should be killed, and those who should be tried should be tried."
Now, Lan Yu actually has no other desire but to make enough contributions to the Crown Prince and gain his full trust.
Only by risking his life for the Crown Prince can he maintain his own power in the future.
Now that we are fighting against Japanese pirates, suppressing Liao, and redressing rebellions, the situation in many places is turbulent, and these generals have found a place to use their skills again.
In Lan Yu's heart, he was more afraid of the Crown Prince than the Emperor.
As for Your Majesty, you have been working with me for decades and have made many contributions and efforts.
But as for the Crown Prince, he had learned his lesson and had really fallen into the trap without even realizing it.
After a series of tricks, he killed people without leaving any blood, and all his military power was taken away inexplicably, and the power of his brothers was also greatly weakened.
Besides, everyone in the army praised him, so no one could get angry.
I was unaware of this tactic while I was in it, but when I think back on it after it’s over, my back is soaked with sweat.
Only after Lan Yu and others left did the Jinyiwei members breathe a sigh of relief.
The current Jinyiwei is not as powerful as before.
In the past, let alone the Duke of Liang, even a vassal king would not dare to intrude privately.
However, the situation is somewhat unclear with the Crown Prince currently in power, and no one knows which government office His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be favored.
The reason why the Jinyiwei is so powerful is because of your majesty's trust in them.
…
In the palace, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ying were discussing arrangements after the Spring Festival.
"It's not that the official newspaper you mentioned is not good, but I think the effect is minimal. However, the method of using copper characters is quite good."
After listening to his eldest grandson's ideas, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke.
Just now, Zhu Ying revealed to the old man that he wanted to publish a private newspaper, which would be semi-official.
In addition to some information that can be made public in the court, the rest, such as introductions to local customs and some fresh and interesting things, can be published.
Naturally, there will be personnel to strictly control the above details.
In order to better print the court bulletins, or to expand the sales of the court bulletins, Zhu Ying proposed to reform movable type printing.
Since Cai Lun improved paper production in the Han Dynasty, writing materials have become lighter and more economical than the oracle bones, bamboo slips, metal and stone, and silk used in the past. However, copying books is still very labor-intensive and is far from meeting the needs of society.
By the Xiping period at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, methods of copying and rubbing stone steles appeared.
The movable type invented by Bi Sheng during the Qingli period of the Northern Song Dynasty marked the birth of movable type printing.
Wang Zhen of the Yuan Dynasty successfully created wooden movable type and invented the rotary typesetting machine.
Now Zhu Ying proposed copper movable type, which can be more durable and convenient to use.
Most of the popular type in the Ming Dynasty was wooden movable type. The only disadvantage was that it was often soaked in ink, and ordinary wood was easily corroded and damaged, and needed to be replaced frequently.
Good wood is too expensive.
If it is made of copper, it will be much better in terms of durability.
Hearing that the old man was not very interested in the official bulletin, Zhu Ying pursed his lips.
In fact, as far as the current market is concerned, the role of the court bulletin is indeed not that big.
Firstly, only a minority of people could read and write, and the audience was too limited. Eighty to ninety percent of the people in the Ming Dynasty were illiterate. Even though Zhu Yuanzhang had already introduced compulsory education, very few people could actually read.
Eating is a problem, who cares about reading and writing? Just stay alive first.
Coupled with the invasion of Mongolian culture and the destruction of most of the aristocratic families, Han culture was about to be broken. In the north, there was not much difference between those who knew Mongolian and those who knew Chinese.
Another reason is that it is more difficult to guard against the people's mouths than to guard against the river.
Zhu Yuanzhang was no exception.
Control over public opinion is very strict. Although there is no literary inquisition, there are still many people who are convicted for their speech.
At least in the case of Hu Weiyong, many people were convicted for their words, and this was also the main crime that the Jinyiwei arrested civil officials for.
Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang was not very interested in the large-scale development of official newspapers.
Fortunately, it was the eldest grandson who proposed the idea, so Zhu Yuanzhang did not raise any explicit objection.
"Grandpa, in fact, the biggest advantage of the official gazette is that it controls public opinion. With official endorsement, most people will definitely choose to believe the content of the private gazette."
"It is a powerful tool for propaganda in the court and control of people's hearts."
"Although not many people are literate now, my grandson plans to set up a large school and also arrange some people to tell the contents of the court bulletin like storytellers."
"Since ancient times, the people have been afraid of military service, and often have to be forced to serve. We can use the court bulletin to publicize the glory of soldiers, such as some heroes who are loyal to the emperor and serve the country, and promote them."
"Under this situation, conscription will naturally be much easier than before, and once soldiers join the army, it will be easier for them to develop faith and loyalty."
"The only national affairs that the common people can learn about are from the court reports, which naturally have a deeper understanding of the people's minds."
In Zhu Ying's mind, this official newspaper is definitely a very good thing for controlling public opinion.
就目前的情况，邸报自然是唯一官办，而后大量印刷，以低廉的价格，迅速传递至大江南北。
从前为什么有说什么皇权不下乡的言辞，就是因为百姓们不识字，朝堂的昭告，根本看不懂，加上一般来说很少离开自家的一亩三分地。
这也就导致那些乡绅地主说什么，他们就信什么。
邸报就不同了，首先上面肯定都是满满的正能量，以宣扬忠君爱国为主，彻底的激发天下兴亡，匹夫有责的概念。
在加上打造英雄人设，什么舍己报国，为兄弟挡刀，独上草原，杀敌千里。
这些的小故事不断产生，日积月累下，对于民心有很大塑造的效果。
可不要小看这些英雄人设，站在上位者的角度，这英雄人设的产生的影响力，对于百姓的影响，尤其是青壮年，非常巨大。
那些身上有着一把子力气，想要搏出个未来，有想法的。
从军，成为大明的英雄，就是最好的选择。
朱元璋起初还不是很在意，但是听着听着，就越发认真了起来。
正所谓时势造英雄，蒙元的溃散，和他们对汉人的暴虐，还有不断压制的愤怒，有着离不开的干系。
朱元璋曾经打着重开日月大宋天的名义，也是号召天下百姓的跟从。
从大孙这里，他看到了不一样的角度，那就是以邸报为引，大面积操控天下舆论，或者说：民心。
民可载舟，亦可覆舟的道理，朱元璋自然非常清楚。
也就是为什么他要定下儒家思想为主流，大力宣扬忠君爱国思想。
一个大一统的国家，不仅仅是在形式制度上，包括思想，也非常的重要。
目前大明的四书五经，儒家思想，很多都是经过朱元璋的亲自修订，像是什么民为贵，君为轻的，早就被移除了。
在科举考试的内容限定死了的情况下，读书考科举就是主动去迎合思想统一，不去迎合，就一辈子做人下人吧。
相对的，所有的官学、私学，全部也都只教授儒家的“四书五经”。
这就是八股取士带来的效果。
朱英另辟的科举之路，其实在原则上，也没有撼动八股取士。
因为朱英给予的，主要是以吏为主，以生活，技艺为主。
俸禄丰厚，但没什么权力可言，真正从官，还是得去学目前正统儒家学说。
而朱元璋意识到，现在大孙所提出的低廉邸报，就是从更加深入化的角度，去控制整个大明百姓的思想。
不仅仅针对于读书人，哪怕是普通百姓，也能有很大的影响。
这个中的关键，就是售价。
大孙方才提出的邸报售价，仅仅只有三文钱一张。
这个价格，哪怕是地主家的长短工，甚至包括佃农，都是能够买得起的。
仔细想去，这些邸报作为书籍，甚至很有可能为更多的百姓，带来识字的可能。
目前大明想要识字，书籍是不可避免需要购置的，但一本书的价格，往往非常昂贵。
哪怕是最为启蒙的书籍，也是以贯钞计算。
这就导致哪怕想要识字的百姓，也增加了很大的难度，因为他们连看到字的几率都不大。
邸报一出，这个概念就不同了。
首先是邸报的上的内容，在百姓们去学习的过程中，无疑会被一直深化，影响。
后世有言，当一句话天天都被提及的时候，就会生生的刻在脑子里。
这些因为邸报学习而有识字能力的百姓，他们对于整个大明的忠诚，将会变得非常之坚固。
并且在往后不管是招收更方面人才的时候，培养起来也更为方便迅速。
“办，必须要办，且不能小办，得大办，咱看呐，邸报这块，得形成章程，任何人都不得阻碍邸报的传播，要让这邸报，哪怕是身处边疆的百姓，都能拿到。”
朱元璋想明白了，想清楚后，大声说道。
这其中的一些东西，琢磨起来，完全是在不断的稳固整个大明江山，比之科举，更加重要。
这也就意味着极有可能，当大明有难时，振臂一呼，四方响应，八面云从。
如此民心，可堪大用。
“大孙，你这脑袋瓜子怎么长的，古往今来，天资聪慧者如过江之鲫，浩瀚无垠，可却从来没有谁，提出过真正的把控民心，而是防之又防。”
“到了大孙这里，都玩出了这般花样。”
朱元璋赞赏道。
邸报很早就有了，在宋朝时候，就比较流行，但从来没有谁说利用邸报去影响民心。
这样的思维角度，属实新奇。
朱英笑了笑。
这就是格局眼光的不同，在后世因为时代的推进，民智的开放，对于宣传极为重视。
大明无独有偶，宋朝国弱，政策不行，底层百姓犹如牛羊，苦不堪言，即便有所影响也没多大用处。
甚至皇帝的谕旨，连汴京都很难出去。
且那个时候虽有活字印刷，但不受重视，包括现在大明的邸报，都不是印刷，而是以手抄为主。
这就造成了价格的相差，只能在乡绅官员，勋贵大户之间流行起来。
而蒙元，就更不用说了。
入主中原，向来是以武力镇压为主，百姓们想什么，那些蒙古贵族会有人在乎？
不听话，鞭打便是。
奴隶还能有自己的想法，那就是对主人的不敬。
直到大明，现在高产粮出，国库充盈，前有朱元璋义务教育的开办，现在朱英学堂的出现。
加上活字印刷技艺的成熟，造纸业的兴盛，低廉的纸张价格。
最后还得加上明代小说的兴盛，一大批以此为业的说书人出现，对于加强宣传的助力。
等等一系列的条件极为具备，所以才能达成此事。
换作往前任何一个朝代，都是难以办到。
朱英做的，只是在合适的时机，提出了合适的安排。
“爷爷，大明的威严，在于强军，邸报只是辅助，所谓弱国无外交，想要大明长盛久治，以孙儿看来，还需是武力守护。”
“因此邸报上的主流内容，孙儿当以为要宣传军人，传递保家卫国之理念。”
朱英顺势说道。
对于打压武人，在朱英的心中一直都是持反对的。
自然从源头上来说，朱元璋的打压武人，并不是指整体军人，而是说大明的武将勋贵，兵权这些。
朱英要做的是，塑造出真正的大明强军，有着自己思想的强军。
无时无刻以守护大明安危为己任，哪怕是他们的将军，想要带头造反，也会被手下绑起来的那种。
朱英现在创办的军事学堂，就是要大量的培养出中层军官，将大明将士的骨架支撑起来，削弱统帅的影响力。
目前来说，效果还是很好的。
地方上不说，至少京师周边，玄甲卫这里出去的将士，不断进入各个卫所，蚕食往前老将们的兵权。
他们的进入，就好像一颗钉子，深深的埋了进去。
若有卫所的指挥使，有什么图谋不轨的念头，势必难以达成。
“保家卫国，好一个保家卫国！！！”
朱元璋眼睛一亮，大声称赞道。
在现在的大明，或者说包括从前，是没有保家卫国这个词的。
听到老爷子的称赞，朱英也是一愣。
这个在后世几乎是人人皆知的成语，在大明竟然没有吗？
这倒是朱英不学无术了，保家卫国这个成语，出自后世著名诗人冰心，而非自古有之。
就在朱英借此机会，想要跟老爷子好好唠唠关于强军，增加军饷，完善军人保障制度的时候。
门外宦官来报：“启禀陛下，锦衣卫镇抚使宋忠，有紧急之事求见。”
朱元璋有些不悦。
这寒冬腊月的，爷孙俩在这里聊得热闹呢，还是事关大明未来之大事。
若是没什么重要的事，宋忠这家伙，印象分大减。
“让他进来。”
“遵旨。”
宋忠进来，看到陛下和太孙殿下都在，心中一喜，行礼道：“臣拜见陛下，太孙殿下。”
朱元璋点点头，淡淡的说道：“起来说话，这次是有什么要紧事情。”
宋忠连忙正色道：“回禀陛下，臣按令抓捕山西户籍，户部郎中曹子兴入诏狱审问，发现晋商谋逆大罪。”
简单述说一下，宋忠连忙呈上卷宗。
刘和上前接过卷宗，而后递给陛下查看。
朱元璋本就心头有些不爽，待看到卷宗内的详细后，整个人直接就炸了。
“谋逆！谋逆！这是要窃咱大明根基，毁大明国祚。”
“里通外族，内藏京师，好大的局。这些晋商，当一个个尽诛九族！！！”
朱元璋没想到，谣言案竟是牵扯出一个惊天大阴谋。
晋商的布局，太过深远，本就偏离京师，皇权难达，还大量售卖铁器至草原上。
更甚者，是整个山西的官员，几乎都被收买，往前彻查贪污案，山西那边少有发生，朱元璋还觉得不错，政治清明。
现在看来，分别是蛇鼠一窝，连京师这边，都有布局。
In an instant, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly felt that this method was somewhat familiar. Thinking about it carefully, it seemed to be similar to the method used by his eldest grandson to layout Goryeo.
In just a moment, Zhu Yuanzhang's anger dissipated, and murderous intent emanated from his half-closed eyes.
When encountering big things, anger is useless. In fact, most of the time, Zhu Yuanzhang's anger was for others to see.
As the founding emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang had long developed the habit of dealing with every matter calmly.
After deep thought, Zhu Yuanzhang began to feel indifferent.
If this trend is allowed to continue for a long time, the future Ming Dynasty might very well be destroyed by these Shanxi merchants.
This speculation is based on some of the methods used by Da Sun in the past.
This is actually true.
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, these Shanxi merchants controlled power and embezzled military pay in the nine border areas, especially in Shanxi. They ate up as much silver as the court gave, like a bottomless pit.
The rise of the Qing Dynasty was due to the extensive trade with Shanxi merchants.
The biggest advantage of the Central Plains dynasty over foreign races was its leading military equipment.
The Shanxi merchants sold arms on a large scale, which greatly increased the Qing Dynasty's combat power. Coupled with the fact that the Ming Dynasty was plagued by disasters at that time, this became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
It is said that the Ming Dynasty was abolished by Li Zicheng's peasant uprising, but in fact, the Qing Dynasty was involved in a lot of Ming Dynasty's military forces.
The nine important border towns are home to the Ming Dynasty's most powerful soldiers.
If it was really just Li Zicheng who rebelled, it would be hard to say.
After Zhu Yuanzhang figured it out, he did not express his opinion immediately. Instead, he waved his hand and asked Song Zhong to leave.
His Majesty's reaction was beyond Song Zhong's expectations, but as someone who often dealt with His Majesty, he understood that this incident would probably cause a huge uproar.
"Grandson, come and have a look too."
Zhu Yuanzhang handed the file to Zhu Ying and said.
Zhu Ying took the file and started looking through it.
Good job.
Zhu Ying knew before that Shanxi merchants had some transactions with grassland tribes, but he didn't expect that it was so exaggerated at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.
After all, many merchants in border areas, including Peking and the Western Regions, are involved in smuggling transactions to some extent.
The huge profits make many people willing to take risks, and we can only strengthen the suppression, but it is difficult to eliminate it.
But what no one expected was that these Shanxi merchants had already started planning this in the early Ming Dynasty.
It is normal to have people in the capital, but it is not normal to have so many people.
The list attached to the file involves more than 300 people!
It may seem that there are not many of them, and their ranks are not very high, but each of these people is an important official of the court, scattered among the six ministries, especially some seemingly insignificant minor officials.
No wonder these Shanxi merchants had been secretly accumulating wealth without being noticed during the nearly three hundred years of the Ming Dynasty.
Until you are strong enough to conquer the whole country.
The relationships are complex and complicated, and this is a list that was only leaked by Cao Zixing, so there must be others hidden.
"Shanxi is no different from a rebellion, and it is even more insidious than an open rebellion. Many officials who went to Shanxi were probably cannibalized."
"It seems that this place in Shanxi needs to be cleaned up thoroughly to wash away all the dirt."
Zhu Yuanzhang's tone was very calm, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.
If Empress Ma or Crown Prince Zhu Biao were still alive, if they heard this voice, they would understand that this was a manifestation of Zhu Yuanzhang's extreme anger.
The beginnings of the three major cases in the past were all like this.
Although Zhu Ying had never seen it, the feeling was also very strong.
After a moment's thought, he said, "Grandpa, it seems that the first thing to do in the spring is to redress the injustices of the army and clean up Shanxi thoroughly."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.
…
In the past two days, it seemed that no imperial edicts had been issued, but during the morning court sessions, many officials found that there were suddenly many empty seats around them.
There were approximately five hundred civil and military officials in the Fengtian Hall.
In just one day, hundreds of civil officials were arrested.
The ministers naturally knew about this obvious thing, but no one dared to ask what was going on.
Everything was normal in the court, except that there was a sense of emptiness among the officials who came later.
Compared with the imperial court, the situation in the capital city was changing rapidly.
It was okay for the Jinyiwei to capture civil officials, as it had almost no impact on the common people.
But Lan Yu followed the clues and first arrested the members of the Shanxi Merchants Gang. Then, during the interrogation, all those involved were arrested and brought to justice.
The cells of the Public Security Department and the Military Department have long been full, and even the dungeons can no longer accommodate people.
All the people who were captured now were sent to the military camp.
While arresting people, a large amount of goods and money were also taken back as dirty property.
"Brother, this is... too much."
Looking at some of the confiscated money in front of him, Cao Zhen swallowed and said with difficulty.