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

Chapter 143 In the mountains and wilderness, Xin Guogong Tang He

"You people are truly wicked when it comes to playing tricks; you've managed to come up with so many outrageous things!"

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled and patted Prince Yan, Zhu Di, on the shoulder.

"If possible, I would not want to doubt anyone, but I just don't want them to go down a path of no return. If their power is not restricted, even if they don't want to go that way, I'm afraid their generals will still seize power!"

"In that case, why not put all their power under my control!"

"This way, we can both conserve the military strength of our Great Ming Dynasty and ensure that all power is in the hands of the Emperor!"

Not everyone is like Tang He, the Duke of Xin, who can readily relinquish the power in his hands.

Previously, Duke Tang He of Xinguo held immense power. In terms of seniority, Duke Tang He had more merit than some of the six founding dukes. However, when it came to rewarding merit, he was only granted the title of marquis, which was intended to put him in a low position.

As expected, Duke Tang He of Xin handed over his thirty battalions of soldiers and returned to his hometown of Fengyang to farm. However, he became one of Zhu Yuanzhang's most trusted men and was able to die peacefully.

Fengyang Prefecture.

Tie Xue, along with the Western Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, began arresting people everywhere.

At the beginning, those people, relying on their status as nobles and earls, were arrogant and domineering, refusing to obey arrest, and some even resisted with their servants.

Ironblood didn't care about those who dared to resist; he wiped them all out.

This sudden change startled them, and only then did they realize that Ironblood was truly capable of killing them.

Moreover, the person who made the move was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, directly under Zhu Yuanzhang.

These people, like mice before a cat, no longer dared to be as arrogant as before, and many people were arrested throughout Fengyang Prefecture.

When the people of Fengyang Prefecture heard this news, they were all overjoyed.

These people, relying on the reputation of the nobles of Huaixi, acted arrogantly and domineeringly here, and they have suffered greatly.

Now that they hear that the people sent by the imperial court have all been arrested, they are all celebrating.

Meanwhile, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao arrived in the countryside of Fengyang Prefecture.

The two men have come here to visit an old friend, Duke Tang He of Xin.

There was a vegetable garden in front of a small thatched hut.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the place and cursed loudly.

"Tang and that guy really know how to enjoy life. They live a more comfortable life than any of us!"

"Only he has that kind of mentality!"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao kept his head down and didn't say a word. Although on the surface Tang He and Zhu Yuanzhang were still as usual, in fact, there was already a grudge between them.

"Among our group of old brothers, only this old guy was pragmatic and left early. If only the others could have handed over their military power like him!"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao gave a bitter smile; he knew the situation back then very well.

It was not that Duke Tang He of Xin voluntarily relinquished his military power; it was clearly seized directly by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Both of them were fully aware of the situation.

Upon arriving at the fenced courtyard, they found many people dressed in brocade robes waiting there, with the doors inside tightly closed.

One person shouted anxiously into the room.

"Duke Xin, I am from the Marquis of Linjiang's residence. My lord has important matters to discuss with me. Regardless of our past relationship, we must meet!"

"Duke Xin, His Majesty shows no respect to us old brothers. Not long ago, the Duke of Han was demoted by the Crown Prince, and the Duke of Liang was also forced to relinquish a significant amount of military power. Next up is us old brothers!"

...Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned extremely ugly upon hearing these words.

"These old bastards have no shame, actually coming to Tang He to ask for favors. Do they really think we wouldn't dare kill them?"

Hearing the sound, everyone looked in that direction and saw Zhu Yuanzhang and Crown Prince Zhu Biao, and they were terrified.

"Your Majesty?"

"This humble subject pays respects to Your Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the people in front of him and sneered.

"Good, very good! We haven't even settled the score with you over what happened in Fengyang Prefecture, and you dare to come here and disturb our old brother!"

"The Marquis of Nanxiong, the Marquis of Yongjia, the Marquis of Yan'an, the Marquis of Ji'an, the Marquis of Linjiang, and the Marquis of Pingliang—that's great, they've all gathered here!"

Everyone kept their heads down, not daring to say a word, their backs already soaked with sweat.

"Mao Xiang, arrest all these people and hand them over to Tie Xue. Tell him to thoroughly investigate whether they have committed any crimes. If so, punish them severely!"

After receiving the order, Mao Xiang led the Embroidered Uniform Guards to drag all these people out.

After everyone had left, the wooden door in front suddenly opened, and a person walked out.

"Your Majesty, you've come to see your old brother!"

The person who came out was none other than Tang He, the Duke of Xin.

At this moment, Tang He's hair and beard were all white, and he was dressed in coarse cloth, looking like an old man. No one would have guessed that the man in front of him was the Duke of Xin, who was once highly regarded by Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Tang He, these blind bastards are buzzing around you like flies every day. How can you stand it? You should tell your brother about this. I will definitely take care of these people!"

Tang He sighed and waved his hand.

"Forget it, I'll ignore them. They're a bunch of reckless fools. I'll just stay here in the fields and have some peace and quiet. I'll close the door, and nobody can bother me!"

"You've come at the perfect time, sir. We went up the mountain a few days ago and gathered some local delicacies. You must try them!"

Tang He led Zhu Yuanzhang and the other man into the courtyard.

The yard was filled with vegetables, and although the room wasn't luxurious, it was still quite tidy.

Tang and his family lived in this place.

At this moment, a young man appeared before the crowd with a child.

The older one bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao.

"This humble subject, Tang Yi, pays his respects to Your Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince!"

The child next to them was too young and only dared to hide behind that person.

Zhu Yuanzhang walked forward with a smile.

"This must be the second son. He's grown so much in just a few years. We're all family. Your father is my elder brother, and Biao'er is your cousin. There's no need to be so polite!"

Tang took out a pot of food from the inner room.

"Hey, come and try our freshly stewed mutton. It's got some mountain delicacies in it, it's so delicious!"

Immediately, a fragrant aroma wafted from the pot, making Zhu Yuanzhang's mouth water.

He looked at the mutton in front of him and said with a smile.

"I still remember the beef from Liu the Rich Man's house back then. It was so delicious. All of us old brothers ate a lot of it, but you, Tanghe, ate the most!"

Upon hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Tang He was immediately displeased.

"What are you saying? You ate just as much as we did back then, and Xu Da and Deng Yu, which one of them ate a lot? We didn't even get to rob you, and you only ate half full!"

(End of this chapter)