After the court session, Zhu Biao followed Zhu Yuanzhang and slowly walked towards the Fengtian Hall.
"Father, it's time to take action soon." Zhu Biao said as he read through a stack of memorials. "He should be getting anxious."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in satisfaction and asked seriously, "Biao'er, do you think this will work?"
Zhu Biao was silent for a moment, then said, "Removing Hu Weiyong and abolishing the Secretariat should be handled by the Six Ministries. This is not a bad thing. Hu Weiyong is too arrogant. Over the years, he has gathered many cronies in the court. Today it may be Hu Weiyong, tomorrow it may be Ma Weiyong."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. He had a strong desire for power and also lacked a sense of security.
Over the years, Hu Weiyong has been too autocratic. In many important cases involving life and death, promotion and demotion, he often handled them without consulting Zhu Yuanzhang.
This prime minister was essentially the prime minister, and with such a prime minister wielding absolute power, the imperial power could potentially fall into the wrong hands.
“That Chen Luotie should also be dealt with; he was a member of Hu’s faction,” Zhu Biao said calmly. “The Censor-in-Chief colluded with the Prime Minister and should also die. He was also a cruel official; killing him would rectify official conduct and give the people an explanation.”
Chen Luotie, also known as Imperial Censor Chen Ning, was extremely harsh in collecting taxes in Suzhou, often using branding irons to burn people, causing great suffering to both officials and commoners. Now back in Yingtian, he remained equally cruel, showing little regard for Zhu Yuanzhang's admonitions.
The last prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, or rather the last prime minister in Chinese history, is now on his deathbed.
This net had already been cast long ago. Zhu Yuanzhang was actually deeply disgusted by the existence of the prime minister's power. He could not tolerate the prime minister's power being too great and absolutely did not want any powerful ministers who were above everyone else to exist. Abolishing the prime minister was only a matter of time.
In particular, Hu Weiyong's autocratic rule made the conflict between the power of the prime minister and the power of the emperor even more apparent. Hu Weiyong had served as prime minister for seven years, abusing his power and causing chaos in the government; it was time to get rid of him. Only by removing this prime minister could the emperor truly seize power.
Seeing Zhu Biao reviewing memorials, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled even more broadly.
His son, Biao'er, received meticulous education from a young age, becoming well-versed in Confucian classics. He was kind and generous, and deeply loved his younger brothers. Gentle and refined, compassionate and diligent, he possessed the demeanor of a true Confucian scholar. Both within and outside the court, the Crown Prince was highly praised.
Zhu Yuanzhang knew that beneath his crown prince's benevolent exterior lay a resolute and ruthless nature.
After the father and son finished their official business, Zhu Biao asked, "Father, is Ying'er's workload a bit heavy?"
"Ying'er is intelligent and eager to learn, so we won't stop her," Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile, very pleased and proud. "Biao'er, not to criticize you, but you're not as intelligent as our Ying'er. That's good, you're better than us, and our grandson is better than you!"
Zhu Biao chuckled and spoke the truth, "Father, Ying'er and I are only good at reading books, we can't compare to you. Without your guidance, Ying'er and I would not have made any progress."
Zhu Yuanzhang was not modest. He thought it made sense. "I thought, as the founding emperor, I've paved the way so that you and Ying'er won't have to take any detours in the future. I'll get rid of these powerful ministers and fierce generals and leave you a stable country."
Zhu Biao rubbed his temples and then said, "Father, should I take Ying'er back to the Eastern Palace...?"
Zhu Yuanzhang pushed aside the memorial; he had just finished instructing his son. The rest was unnecessary to discuss further.
As Zhu Yuanzhang strode towards Kunning Palace, he casually asked, "Where did the Crown Prince go?"
A eunuch immediately replied, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince went to the Eastern Palace after completing his studies."
Zhu Yuanzhang was not surprised, mainly because this was exactly how his good grandson had always behaved. After finishing his studies each day, he would basically go to the Eastern Palace to play with his younger siblings. He was a reliable and good older brother, truly a father figure to his elder brother.
Let him continue being cute; it seems that these are all the things Zhu Xiong Ying can do now. For him, growing up steadily and healthily is more important.
As for rights and such, Zhu Xiong Ying doesn't have many options right now. His age and abilities are insufficient for considering unrealistic things.
"Brother, I want to catch butterflies!" Zhu Xi stumbled over, excited. "Butterflies! I want butterflies!"
Zhu Xiong Ying was very happy and said with high spirits, "Xi'er, wait and see, your royal brother will catch butterflies for you!"
Full of confidence, Zhu Xiong Ying began to take action, but it seemed like he was just fooling around. He couldn't catch the butterflies at all, and they just flew around everywhere.
Zhu Xi was shouting and yelling from the side, while Zhu Yue, though confused, just laughed.
"Silly nephew, if you don't catch the butterfly, see how you'll get out of this!" Zhu Zhu chuckled, urging him from a distance, "If you don't catch the butterfly, you won't get any food!"
It seems highly likely that he was abused by his 'vicious' aunt, and he probably won't get to eat this meal. Not only is he not getting to eat, but he's also being denounced and criticized by his two younger sisters, causing his image as a wise and powerful elder brother to quickly crumble.
Empress Ma found it amusing; such a life was incredibly wonderful for her, and it was the kind of wonderful life she had always longed for.
While there were heartwarming moments at the royal court, some events were also taking place in the imperial court.
Imperial Censors Tu Jie and Shang Song accused Hu Weiyong of colluding with Japanese pirates in the south and the former Yuan dynasty in the north, intending to rebel.
In the first month of the thirteenth year of the Hongwu reign, Prime Minister Hu Weiyong claimed that a sweet spring had gushed forth from the well in his old residence, which was an auspicious sign, and used this as an opportunity to invite Zhu Yuanzhang to come and see it.
Zhu Yuanzhang gladly went there, but when he reached the Xihua Gate, the eunuch Yun Qi tightly pulled on the reins, unable to speak, and frantically pointed to the Hu family's house. Zhu Yuanzhang sensed the seriousness of the situation and immediately turned back. When he climbed onto the palace wall, he found dust flying above Hu Weiyong's house, and soldiers hidden in the walls and passageways.
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