These ministers were all sycophants. Because Zhu Yuanzhang was worried about the Japanese pirates, they advocated resisting them.
But as soon as the topic of donating money comes up, they all act as if they've been caught red-handed.
Everything that the Crown Prince is doing now is undoubtedly an obstacle for them.
That guy's resistance against the Japanese was like burning money, but even burning money wouldn't be done with such a massive amount of firepower.
In the Ming Dynasty, what Zhu Yuanzhang feared most was that his princes and grandsons would win over the ministers, so they wanted to go against Zhu Yunwen, and this was a good idea!
Who knew that Zhu Yunwen would arrive at the main hall at that moment and overhear their conversation!
"You guys are all useless and good for nothing. When something happens, you're like cowards hiding in the mud. It's really an eye-opener!"
The ministers were taken aback by Zhu Yunwen's words, especially since some of the veteran ministers had fought alongside Zhu Yuanzhang to establish the empire.
Let alone Zhu Yunwen, even if Zhu Biao crawled out of the ground, he would still have to show these old ministers some respect.
Everyone looked grim, but Zhu Yuanzhang showed no anger whatsoever.
"Grandson, don't be so arrogant. When I was helping His Majesty conquer the country, you were just a young boy!"
"That's right. Back then, we fought to the death to save His Majesty and the Empress, without the slightest hesitation!"
The old ministers were all red-faced with anger, and their hands began to tremble involuntarily.
"That's right, you have indeed made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty, but what's wrong with you all now? Have you changed after getting old?"
In fact, Zhu Yunwen's visit this time was not to deliberately target those veteran officials. There are always a few bad apples in the court who spoil the whole bunch!
"Alright! Stop arguing. We've already decided that the matter of resisting the Japanese pirates will be handled entirely by the Grandson!"
Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Zhu Yuanzhang had no choice but to step in and stop the conversation.
Of all the officials, only one remained unfazed as he listened to Zhu Yunwen's heated debate with the veteran ministers.
Doesn't that achieve my goal?
Actually, it wasn't the old ministers stirring up trouble. Although the amount of silver they donated wasn't much, they truly gave away their entire savings!
Zhu Yuanzhang also saw this: some people donated several thousand taels of silver, but it was only a drop in the ocean compared to what he had embezzled.
The scene in the imperial court was nothing more than a play put on by the old ministers and Zhu Yunwen.
Zhu Yunwen wanted to see who was willing to be a lackey of the Eastern Island while receiving the Ming Dynasty's salary!
Inside the Imperial Study, a group of senior officials knelt on the ground.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me, this old minister knows he was wrong!"
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and looked at the screen behind him.
Zhu Yunwen stepped out from behind and bowed to the old ministers.
"You are all founding fathers, please forgive the rudeness of this junior!"
The old ministers lowered their heads to the ground. It must be said that the Crown Prince was truly magnanimous. At first, when Zhu Yuanzhang changed his idea of ​​establishing an heir, everyone was against it.
Unexpectedly, they have actually realized that Zhu Yunwen is not as others describe him.
They also admired him to some extent, especially the Crown Prince today. Although he argued vehemently in the main hall, his current attitude was unexpected by everyone.
"Please rise, everyone. I've said this is just a performance, so I won't hold it against you. However... there are always some people in the court who are passive and reluctant to fight. We want to see what these people are really up to!"
"Your Majesty is wise; we will go through fire and water for Your Majesty without hesitation!"
Zhu Yunwen took out several trays of silver ingots from behind the screen.
"This is the money you all donated for the fight against the Japanese pirates. I am returning it all to you. I know this is your retirement money, so please keep it safe!"
The ministers were also filled with fear, thinking that Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunwen were going to dismiss them from their posts.
Zhu Yuanzhang immediately spoke again.
"Please don't panic, everyone. Take the money first. I won't allow you to retire and go back to your hometowns. My grandson will be handed over to you in the future!"
Hearing Zhu Yuanzhang say this, everyone was even more confused!
What exactly are these grandfather and grandson up to? They're not refusing donations, nor are they trying to dismiss them.
"I hope you will all cooperate with me in rooting out the corrupt officials in the court. I think none of you want to see the Ming Dynasty destroyed by those few corrupt officials!"
The ministers nodded, their admiration and fear of Zhu Yunwen growing even stronger!
In fact, Zhu Yunwen deliberately created discord between himself and these veteran officials in court. When the time was right, the troublemakers would step forward and join forces with those veteran officials to rebel.
Zhu Yunwen wanted to win over these elderly people in advance to avoid any unforeseen complications later.
To win someone over, you either need to catch them by the tail or offer them enough benefits.
That's why the silver was returned to them.
The old minister lowered his head, for Zhu Yunwen was truly unfathomable!
In the Trade Office, several people were sitting together discussing how to deal with Zhu Yunwen.
Suddenly, a man in a black robe walked in through the door. Everyone stood up and bowed when they saw him.
The man didn't speak, he just waved his hand.
The sun shone on the man, momentarily obscuring his face, especially since he was wearing a large hat.
"I've heard about what happened in court today. It seems it's time to put some pressure on the court. You must guard the border and not let the Lord's plan fail at the last minute!"
The envoys looked troubled.
"We also want to hold on, but the Crown Prince is pressuring us so hard... it's really hard to hold on!"
"Even if it means losing your head, you must hold on! Zhu Yunwen won't have the time to manage the port matters anymore!"
These messengers never imagined that such an easy job would one day be associated with beheading.
The envoys looked at each other, and some even began to regret that they had agreed to this guy's conditions in the first place!
The man in black gave a sinister smile.
"You've already received and spent the silver. If you want to back out, you'll have to repay tenfold. If you can't afford it, that's fine too. I've heard that slaves are treated very well in the desert. You can sell your wives and children there!"
Hearing this, everyone trembled even more. Their wives and children's lives were in the hands of others. What else could they do but agree to their demands?
The man in black took out a piece of paper from his robe, threw it on the ground, and disappeared from everyone's sight. The paper only had two words on it, but they made everyone's hearts pound.
"Who can complete this task?"
"It's alright, won't the adults help us from behind?"
"They say they're helping us, but we don't even know who's behind it all! I still suggest we launch a surprise attack tonight!"
"Yes, we need to be prepared for both possibilities. If Zhu Yunwen isn't eliminated, we'll die!"
"So what if I die? I wasn't guaranteed to survive anyway, since embarking on this path didn't guarantee survival!"
After discussing it, the group decided to take action in the next couple of days.
The note was thrown into the incense burner, and a large character for "death" was written on it!
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