The first day of the first lunar month in the thirty-second year of Hongwu.

The crackling sound of firecrackers made Zhu Ying look a little dazed.

In fact, this is his seventh year in Beijing and his seventeenth year in Ming Dynasty.

Seventeen years seem like a dream.

This has already changed the course of history.

The Lan Yu case that was supposed to happen disappeared, which also led to the current Ming Dynasty having a large number of military generals.

It can be said that almost all of the more than 15,000 people involved in the Lan Yu case are now alive.

However, the biggest change came from Zhu Yuanzhang.

Under the double blow of Empress Ma and Crown Prince Zhu Biao, Zhu Yuanzhang became insane and cruel in his later years.

He would kill anyone who disliked him.

This is the key reason why the ministers in Fengtian Palace must leave their last words every time they go to court.

Then the accumulation of problems will lead to illness.

As for model workers, there has never been anyone in all dynasties who worked as hard as Zhu Yuanzhang.

It is even more powerful than the 996 blessing in later generations.

It really means that as long as you can't kill them, you will do it to the death.

If this is the case, the chance of sudden death will increase sharply for not only the elderly but even young people.

I have to say that Lao Zhu's physical fitness is really very strong.

Even by doing this, he was still the longest-lived emperor in history.

Hidden beneath this desperate work is the deep pain in the early morning.

Empress Ma was Zhu Yuanzhang's lifelong love, so this was already a very powerful blow.

Originally, Zhu Yuanzhang had placed all his hopes for the future of the Ming Dynasty on Crown Prince Zhu Biao, but he ended up seeing his young son die.

In such a heartbroken state, the only way to forget the pain for a short time is to work hard on government affairs.

Fortunately, Zhu Ying came.

The appearance of Zhu Ying undoubtedly became Zhu Yuanzhang's spiritual sustenance. As for Zhu Yunwen, although he was indeed his grandson by blood, it was a completely different matter compared to his eldest grandson.

In fact, let alone Zhu Ying being canonized as the Crown Prince, even correcting his name was an extremely difficult matter.

Who would believe that the emperor's eldest grandson, who had been dead for ten years, suddenly came back to life?

Normally, if there is even a 10% chance that Zhu Ying is an imposter, he will not be given the position of Crown Prince.

Not to mention such a ridiculous appearance, most people felt that it was 80% impossible when they heard it.

What's the point of looking alike? There are so many people in the world who look alike.

Theoretically speaking, even if Zhu Ying was given a vindication, at most he would be given the title of a vassal king, which could be considered a special gift. After all, there was no paternity test in those days.

But the timing of Zhu Ying's appearance was just right.

During this period, Zhu Yuanzhang had fallen into a state of irritability.

Not only in the court, but even in the imperial palace, there was panic all day long.

Perhaps if a eunuch did not do a small thing well, he would be executed directly by the furious Zhu Yuanzhang, or even skinned and stuffed with straw, or beaten to death.

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang was no different from a tyrant.

The suspicious, jealous and cruel character is undoubtedly revealed, and displayed vividly.

But who can do anything?

Under the supervision of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, any disturbance that might arouse Zhu Yuanzhang's suspicion would be eliminated.

"Everyone is in danger" is not an enough to describe the situation in the imperial court.

In such an environment, everyone is living in dire straits.

At this time, Zhu Ying appeared.

When Zhu Ying appeared, the changes in Old Zhu were very obvious.

The ministers suddenly discovered that His Majesty had not killed many people recently, and the situations in which some of his colleagues were originally destined to be killed were also turned into normal punishments.

The eunuchs noticed that His Majesty, who had always had a gloomy face, began to smile.

The biggest change is here in the Jinyiwei.

After all, it is a directly affiliated agency, and Jiang Li has always been under great pressure. You know, if the Jinyiwei fails to complete the emperor's orders, they will basically be dead.

But after Zhu Ying appeared, everything was completely different.

Even if some minor matters are not done well, His Majesty will not care so much.

In this situation, what else does Jiang Lin need to consider? He must protect the crown prince. No matter whether it is true or not, the first thing to do is to save his own life.

After Zhu Ying's existence was exposed, the ministers had no intention of opposing him at all.

Let’s not even talk about whether questioning will lead to being skinned and stuffed with straw. The existence of Chang Sun is completely a talisman to protect his own life.

As for the eunuchs, there is no need to say more.

So everyone seemed to have a tacit understanding about the reappearance of the emperor's eldest grandson, who seemed to have died mysteriously ten years ago.

Not to mention the several vassal kings.

For example, Zhu Chong, Zhu Gang, and Zhu Di, who are ranked high, are like good kids in front of Zhu Yuanzhang.

Even if he had some ideas in his mind, he would not dare to express them at all during Zhu Yuanzhang's lifetime.

I originally thought that perhaps after Zhu Yuanzhang's death, people could question Zhu Ying's status as the eldest grandson of the emperor.

But Zhu Ying's growth is too fast.

In just three years, it had become a behemoth, and its momentum overwhelmed the entire Ming Dynasty.

Up to now, even if Zhu Yuanzhang really passed away, the princes would not have the slightest intention of rebelling.

They can no longer understand the current Ming Dynasty.

It was precisely because of Zhu Ying's way of handling government affairs, ruling with ease and delegating power, that Zhu Yuanzhang had spiritual sustenance and did not need to work so hard.

In addition, Zhu Ying vigorously developed medicine and provided health care for Zhu Yuanzhang, and his originally damaged body gradually recovered.

Given Zhu Yuanzhang's physical condition, although he could not definitely live to be a hundred years old, at least there was no sign of anything happening to him.

On the first day of the first lunar month, Zhu Ying was still very busy.

There are many procedures in the palace, such as ancestor worship and banquets.

Xiao Wencheng will be four years old this year.

The chubby little face was so adorable, and he imitated adults to ask Zhu Yuanzhang for a gift.

Zhu Yuanzhang never closed his mouth the whole day, and even more wrinkles appeared on his face from smiling.

The Spring Festival in the Ming Dynasty became more and more lively with the development of the economy.

Not only the Ming Dynasty, but also Annan, Champa, Japan, Goryeo, and even the Western Regions were greatly influenced by the Spring Festival.

The court is on holiday for seven days.

This is a new rule, which was specifically proposed by Zhu Ying.

During the past few days, Zhu Ying has been accompanying the concubines to play and relax.

…

Japan, Kyushu Island.

At present, this place has become the direct territory of the four major vassal kings, and of course it must also conform to the Spring Festival of the Ming Dynasty.

It was a rare occasion that the four great princes also gathered together.

Zhu Di and Zhu Gang still don't get along well. Although they have joined forces in some businesses, the rift between them is not so easy to resolve.

"Old Four, if I remember correctly, you are the major shareholder behind the Sihai Chamber of Commerce. I heard that the losses in the country have been quite large recently. Almost all the banks under your name have gone bankrupt and have been acquired by the Royal Bank. This has also affected other businesses."

Zhu Gang laughed loudly, drinking and eating meat while teasing Zhu Di.

Seeing Zhu Di lose money made him happier than seeing himself make a lot of money.

Zhu Di said gloomily: "If I am not doing well, how can you be doing well? Your bank is also gone."

The four feudal lords had amassed so many mineral deposits in Japan that their financial resources naturally increased greatly, and each feudal lord had invested in money-making businesses.

Zhu Gang said indifferently: "My small business cannot compare with your big business. If I lose, I lose."

Obviously, when it comes to the money business, Zhu Di's Sihai Chamber of Commerce is much bigger than that of several other princes.

As the seventh brother, Zhu Yu saw his third and fourth brothers competing with each other, so he grabbed a handful of melon seeds and prepared to eat them on the spot.

I was still wondering if they would start a fight if they got too angry.

There are action scenes, and it’s so exciting to watch every time.

Instead, Zhu Chong started to scold him, "It's New Year's Day, don't ruin the joy."

It sounded like he was talking to two people, but Zhu Chong's eyes were on the third brother. It was obvious that the third brother was the one who started this.

Zhu Chong is the leader of all the kings and has some deterrent power.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Gang smiled and stopped confronting Zhu Di. After all, his goal had been achieved.

"Okay, Lao Si, don't take it to heart. It's okay if you lose a little. We all lose money. It's not a big deal."

"Our key this year still has to be in Luzon."

The four kings gathered together not just to celebrate the Spring Festival, of course, but also for interests.

Zhu Chong continued, "The Lu family has discovered a lot of gold mines and is currently capturing local natives for mining. I think we will be able to see profits in two months."

"I heard a report a few days ago that many Ming merchant ships have been seen outside Luzon. This is not a good thing."

"If the imperial court finds out about our presence in Luzon, everyone should know what will happen."

When it came to business, the expressions of several people became serious.

Zhu Di said in a deep voice: "The reason why the merchant ships appeared is ultimately because of Hong Kong Island. I have confirmed that it was our good nephew who founded a chamber of commerce called Daming Ocean Trade and set up its headquarters on Hong Kong Island."

"Something went wrong at the Hong Kong dental clinic, and it implicated my people. We are currently unable to control the surrounding waters."

"And the Crown Prince arranged for a fleet to go to Malacca, presumably to guard the entrance to the West, but this is likely to affect Luzon."

"Our ships can no longer pretend to be pirates and drive away merchant ships approaching Luzon, otherwise they will inevitably attract the attention of the Ming Navy."

Several people nodded and agreed with Zhu Di's statement.

Zhu Chong looked at Zhu Gang and asked, "What is the current situation in Luzon?"

Zhu Gang was the first to send people to the island, so he naturally knew more about the situation in Luzon.

Zhu Gang frowned and said, "The natives of Luzon have little impact on us. The most troublesome is the Sulu Sultanate. They also have firearms, although not many, but relying on their advantage of being familiar with the terrain, they have a great impact on our control over the entire Luzon."

"It's only a matter of time before we defeat them, but if they send people to the capital for help, it will be difficult not to expose us."

"The Sulu Sultanate was newly established in the 23rd year of Hongwu. It was not founded by local indigenous people, but by the Minangkabau people from Sumatra."

When they heard the name Sumatra, the faces of several vassal kings became unhappy.

Sumatra is located near Malacca, and now the Ming navy is heading to Malacca.

The Sulu Sultanate was established less than ten years ago, so it must have had a very close relationship with Sumatra.

This means that when facing a threat, the Sulu Sultanate will not send anyone to the capital of the Ming Dynasty, but will definitely borrow troops from Sumatra.

It is difficult to hide Sumatra’s movements from the Ming Navy.

This will eventually expose the fact that the four great feudal lords have stationed troops in Luzon.