The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 106: Zhu Yuanzhang's Affirmation, Zhu Biao Gets Caught in the Crossfire

"That little brat, we've only been gone a few days, and he's already caused a huge mess!"

Zhu Yuanzhang said, cursing and swearing.

He then looked at Zhu Biao and said angrily.

"Look what your son has done! Is this how we've always taught you?"

Zhu Biao: "???"

Zhu Biao inwardly cried out that he was being wronged, that he had no idea what had happened, and that he was being blamed.

"Father, what happened? Did Xiong Ying do something wrong again?"

"Father, don't worry, I've written down everything Xiong Ying has done in my little notebook. When we get back, I'll settle the score with him!"

At this moment, Zhu Biao was already imagining how to deal with his little brat: first, whip him, then hang him from a tree and beat him.

Zhu Yuanzhang was extremely displeased upon hearing this.

"What do you mean by this? That's my precious grandson, the future heir of our Great Ming Dynasty. What do you want? I'm saying you're useless. How come you can't do what your son can do?"

"what!"

Zhu Biao stood there, stunned.

Why did Zhu Yuanzhang's expression change so quickly? He wasn't like this just a moment ago.
"Father, what exactly happened? Did that little brat do something good or something bad? Your words are making me really panic!"

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed.

"It's neither good nor bad, but this is indeed not suitable for him to do. However, if you had half his backbone, we would be satisfied!"

Zhu Yuanzhang felt that what Zhu Xiong Ying was doing was very similar to what he himself had been wanting to do, and that his grandson had already accomplished it.

If this were Zhu Biao, he might not agree.

Zhu Biao felt somewhat unconvinced upon hearing this.

“Father, you fought your way from your hometown of Fengyang to bring peace to the world. I can’t compare to what you’ve been through. But Xiong Ying is just a child. Am I not as good as him?”

Zhu Yuanzhang gave a cold laugh.

"Your mother just told us in her letter that your good son threw Li Shanchang out in front of the entire court and dismissed him from his position as prime minister!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's lips twitched upon hearing this.

This is something only my ten-year-old son would do.

If that's the case, then I really am no match for this kid.

"That's unlikely, isn't it? Are you joking, Father?"

Li Shanchang, the Duke of Han, wielded immense power in the court, his influence deeply entrenched. As the head of the civil officials, his power was immense, and removing him was no easy task.

Zhu Yuanzhang said irritably.

"How could we lie about something like this? Not only that, he also appointed Hu Weiyong as acting prime minister to handle this empty seal incident!"

Upon hearing this, Crown Prince Zhu Biao felt a chill run down his spine.

Regardless of whether what he did before was right or wrong, what he's doing now is a terrible mistake.

No matter what, Xiong Ying is Li Shanchang's disciple, and the two of them are of one mind. Now that such an important matter has been entrusted to him, isn't he the right hand and left hand?

Moreover, Hu Weiyong may not be a good person. He is ambitious, and if he were given power at this time, it would probably cause a lot of trouble.

"Xiong Ying is still too young. Hu Weiyong may not be as useful as Li Shanchang, and it is unlikely that he will achieve anything by handling the matter of the empty seal!" Li Shanchang has some connections with these Jiangnan gentry, and Hu Weiyong is not necessarily clean either. It is likely that this matter will end up being left unresolved.

Zhu Yuanzhang burst into laughter.

"My dear grandson, how could you be as simple as you think? Take a good look for yourself!"

Zhu Yuanzhang handed the letter that Empress Ma had written to him directly to Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao took a closer look and read the contents carefully, and his face immediately showed surprise.

It must be said that the methods Zhu Xiong Ying used in this matter were truly remarkable; even I myself might not have devised such a scheme.

The key issue is that Hu Weiyong's reputation among scholars was completely ruined after this incident.

Even if he becomes prime minister, he will not pose a significant threat to them.

When he read to the end, Zhu Biao's expression changed.

"Has U.A. gone mad? What is he trying to do?"

Zhu Xiong Ying transferred all the memorials from the Six Ministries to his own Qin Zheng Hall, completely undermining the responsibilities of the Central Secretariat.

If that's the case, what difference does it make whether Hu Weiyong holds the position of prime minister or not? Zhu Yuanzhang sighed.

"Now you know what your kid did, right? He did a good job, but he was just a little too hasty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was also extremely dissatisfied with the officials of the Secretariat. Although Li Shanchang accomplished a lot after taking office, he also brought him a lot of trouble.

Doing this now would allow me to significantly increase my power.

Zhu Biao seemed to understand something and said in confusion.

"Haoying has concentrated all the power in his own hands. Could it be that he intends to abolish the position of Prime Minister?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

"You're not entirely stupid. I reckon that's exactly what Xiong Ying was planning. That's why he brought Liu Sanwu and our little Twelve to the Hall of Diligent Governance early this morning, just to share these things with him!"

"The idea is good, but Li Shanchang wields immense power, and the aristocratic families are extremely powerful. I'm afraid these people will retaliate!"

Zhu Biao was somewhat worried, after all, this was his own son.

No matter what they did, they're still my biological child; how could I abandon them?

"Father, there's no time to lose. Let's hurry back. If these people attack Xiong Ying, Xiong Ying might not be a match for them!"

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head.

"There's no rush now. Let's see who dares to lay a hand on our precious grandson. There must be something to it about Xiong Ying that my sister could write such a letter. Xiong Ying is just as clever as I am. Besides, I left Tian De here to prevent such a thing from happening. As long as Tian De is here, Yingtian Prefecture will not be in chaos!"

"We're quite curious, just who would dare to go against our grandson!"

A murderous glint flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, and Zhu Biao beside him also felt a chill.

Every time his father had this expression, he would kill a group of people, and this time would probably be no exception.

"So, does that mean Father Emperor doesn't intend to respond to Heaven?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

The two of them came out this time for two reasons: one was to investigate the local areas of the Ming Dynasty, and the other was to instruct Zhu Biao.

Who would have thought that while the task of teaching Zhu Biao was still not progressing much, Zhu Xiong Ying, who remained in Yingtian Prefecture to oversee the country, gave him a big surprise.

(End of this chapter)