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

Chapter 175 The Worship of Envoys from All Nations

Zhu Yuanzhang received a report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, especially the news that the monk and the Taoist priest had gone to the palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang was suppressing his anger.

These monks and Taoist priests are incredibly audacious, daring to use the Empress of the Ming Dynasty as a bargaining chip for making money.

As for whether the method would be useful, Zhu Yuanzhang knew perfectly well.

Having been a monk for so many years, I know very well about the mundane affairs of monks.

These monks are simply using filial piety as a weapon to make more money.

As for those so-called miracles, they are just tricks used by charlatans to deceive people.

It's just a way to fool ordinary people.

Zhu Xiong Ying directly exposed this matter and proposed that both monks and Taoists should be tested.

Although it was a good idea, it offended quite a few people.

After thinking for a moment, Crown Prince Zhu Biao said.

"Father, I must say, U.A. really has some ingenious ideas. I really can't think of any better way than U.A.'s method!"

"There are quite a few people in our Great Ming who worship Buddhism and Taoism, and they have even spent a lot of money on this, especially Buddhist statues, which are all gilded, and the amount of money spent on them is countless!"

"And according to the report submitted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, these monks and Taoists possess countless amounts of grain and land!"

"What's more, with so many people becoming monks and Taoist priests, who will cultivate the land of my Great Ming? Who will guard the borders of my Great Ming?"

"This method can indeed control the number of monks and Taoist priests, and even eliminate some fake monks and Taoist priests!"

"After that, the influence of Buddhism and Taoism on the imperial court diminished considerably. It must be said that this method was indeed quite effective!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was filled with emotion.

"How does this kid's brain work? He can even think of such a method. With him around, we feel much more at ease!"

"Erhu, let's not go back. Let's continue our incognito visit!"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao was speechless; his father was always acting on a whim.

"Father, are you sure you don't want to go back?"

"In a few days, it will be the day when all nations pay homage to our Great Ming. Basically, all the countries near our Great Ming will come to pay homage. If Father Emperor is not present, it would be inappropriate!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was immediately displeased.

"What? What can happen if I'm not here?"

"Do they really dare to turn the tables?"

"We get annoyed just looking at those people; they look like monsters!"

"Isn't U.A. currently acting as regent? Let's leave this matter to him too!"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao watched Zhu Yuanzhang return the way he came, utterly speechless.

It seems that having an outstanding son isn't always a good thing, as it makes him, as the father, feel completely invisible.

However, when it comes to relations between countries, mishandling can lead to great disasters.

It seems I should write a letter to remind them, lest something goes wrong.

Yingtian Prefecture of the Ming Dynasty.

With the hasty rebellion, both Buddhism and Taoism no longer objected to Zhu Xiong Ying's proposal to use ordination certificates as qualifications for studying Buddhism and Taoism.

Even many leading figures from both Buddhism and Taoism throughout the Ming Dynasty went to Yingtian Prefecture to follow Zhu Xiong Ying in compiling examination questions.

The first examination was attended by tens of thousands of monks and Taoist priests from the surrounding area of ​​Yingtian Prefecture.

Less than 30% of the monks and Taoist priests passed the test; the rest had to return to secular life as previously agreed.

Although some people were dissatisfied, the exam questions were drafted by key figures from both Buddhism and Taoism, so it couldn't be said that there was a problem with the exam questions, could it? After these monks were returned to their original places of residence, the government verified the land and population owned by these temples.

Apart from the land allocated by regulations, all other land was handed over. The abbots and Taoist priests of these temples and monasteries were heartbroken to see all the wealth they had painstakingly accumulated over the years being taken away.

However, the amount of property they possess has now been thoroughly inventoried by the government.

In addition, the number of monks and Taoist priests is much smaller now than before.

It's really a bit unreasonable to own so much land.

Minister of Revenue Yang Siyi was so happy when he saw the mountain of money that he almost went crazy.

The Ming Dynasty's treasury has never been so abundant, which has made it much easier to get projects approved by the Ministry of Revenue during this period.

In the imperial court, the panic caused by the Empty Seal Case and the illegal activities of the Fengyang nobles was gradually easing.

Li Shanchang, the head of the civil officials, felt that he had lost face once again because of the matter of the nobles. Before he could even return to his hometown of Fengyang, he fell seriously ill in Yingtian Prefecture.

Zhu Xiong Ying specially dispatched an imperial physician to treat him.

This time, Li Shanchang's illness was not feigned; he was genuinely ill from anger.

Zhu Xiong Ying didn't say anything about this, but he gave Li Shan Chang's son, Li Qi, a sinecure in the Ministry of Works as a consolation prize.

Compared to the miserable state of Li Shanchang, Xu Da, the foremost military general, is living a much more comfortable life.

It is not appropriate for him to appear in the court until things in the north have stabilized.

Even now, there are still people impeaching him.

Xu Da was happy to have some free time, and he could be more comfortable lying at home every day.

As a result of this incident, many troops from the Forty-Six Northern Guards were transferred to other locations.

This incident aroused the dissatisfaction of many generals.

The imperial army was assigned specific positions, and especially for people like them who were used to their local area, being moved to a different place was extremely difficult.

No one wanted to give up, and now their tyrannical lifestyle has been transferred to another place.

Many people even turned to Xu Da for help.

At this time, Xu Da used his status as a convict as an excuse not to meet with any of them.

Everyone knew that Zhu Xiong Ying couldn't possibly punish Xu Da.

Although Xu Da is now confined to his home, he is living a very comfortable life.

The imperial court did not impose any explicit punishment, only offering different interpretations.

Once the northern troops have been mostly redeployed, Xu Da will naturally reappear in the imperial court.

Moreover, they should be given even greater responsibility than they are now.

If anyone actually believed that Zhu Xiong Ying had captured Xu Da, that person would definitely die a terrible death.

Marquis Fu Youde of Yingchuan will be carrying the spoils of his campaigns to wipe out the scouts in various places.

This time, based on the actions of the scouts, almost all the scouts in various parts of the Ming Dynasty were wiped out.

Except for those who resisted and were killed on the spot or those who were of little use, the rest were all taken to the capital to await trial.

The blood on the ground at the Dongmen vegetable market hasn't been cleaned up in the past few days.

The officials in the imperial court were all shocked.

Who would have thought that even after the Ming Dynasty had unified the country for so long, there were still so many spies from the Northern Yuan hiding in this world?

If these people were to actually be mobilized, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Ni Yuanlu, the Minister of Rites, stepped forward.

"Your Highness, according to custom, the day for envoys from various countries to pay homage to His Majesty is in a month. Some envoys have already arrived. I wonder what arrangements we should make!"

(End of this chapter)