Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 104 Provocation! A brand new era!

Old Zhu actually liked Li Jinglong quite a bit.

This man was handsome and majestic, and left a good impression on him.

What's more, Li Jinglong is the son of Li Wenzhong.

Among Zhu's closest relatives, Li Wenzhong was the most knowledgeable one.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang later reprimanded Li Wenzhong many times for some reasons and even thought about beheading him, he finally let him go for the sake of family ties.

After Li Wenzhong's death, he was praised and rewarded many times.

As a descendant of Li Wenzhong, Li Jinglong was also treated differently by Zhu Yuanzhang.

But if Li Jinglong really wanted to block Zhu Yunhuan's way and obstruct the establishment of the Ming Military Academy, then Zhu would become ruthless.

There is a difference between closeness and distance.

How can my nephew's son be compared with my grandson?

What's more, he is Zhu Yuanzhang's favorite grandson, and the future inheritance and stability of the Ming Dynasty is also involved.

……

Duke Cao's Mansion.

Li Jinglong didn't know that he had already been put on the list of the Emperor before he had done anything.

At this moment, he had just met Huang Zicheng.

"Mr. Huang, you are so honored to be here. I am sorry for not welcoming you in person. Please forgive me, please forgive me!"

Before meeting Huang Zicheng, Li Jinglong asked him to wait for him at the gatehouse, without any fear of neglecting others.

But when they met, he immediately put on an attitude of modest and polite gentleman.

At the same time, he deliberately did not refer to Huang Zicheng by his official title, but instead called him "Mr." to show respect.

This is exactly how Li Jinglong has always acted.

In front of others, he always appeared to be very humble and polite, very much like a "scholar-general", without any of the arrogance of a noble and dissolute young man.

Behind the scenes it's completely different.

"I was busy just now and didn't meet Mr. Huang in time. Jinglong apologizes to you. Please don't blame me."

Huang Zicheng didn't expect the other party to be so humble. The unhappiness he had just felt disappeared in an instant.

He stroked his beard and thought to himself that this boy was quite polite and not as rude as other generals and nobles.

He immediately laughed and said, "Lord Cao, you are too kind. I just waited for a while, how can I deserve such kind words from you?"

After the two exchanged greetings, Li Jinglong asked Huang Zicheng to sit down and the servants served him tea.

"Mr. Huang is visiting today, but I'm afraid he's not here to chat."

After taking a sip of tea, Li Jinglong got straight to the point and asked, "I am a warrior, and I don't have as many twists and turns as you scholars."

"Mr. Huang, if you have anything to say, just say it!"

Huang Zicheng saw that he had pointed it out, and after a moment's deliberation, he said, "Duke Cao, have you read today's edition of the Ming Daily?"

"I've seen it!" Li Jinglong pretended to be impressed and said, "Your Highness Prince Yan's desire to learn is admirable."

"All of us military commanders should take the King of Yan as our role model."

"To be honest, I am also thinking about whether I should follow the example of the King of Yan and also take the King of Wu as my teacher."

"Mr. Huang, what do you think?"

He sat with his body half leaning forward, as if bending over, and looked at Huang Zicheng with a smile.

It is common knowledge that Huang Zicheng is King Xian's man.

This time, the King of Wu seized the position of crown prince from King Xian.

Although the two brothers pretended to be friendly and respectful to each other on the surface, outsiders all believed that they had long been enemies.

No one would remain indifferent if their artifact was taken away by others.

King Xian was naturally no exception.

He asked this just to test Huang Zicheng's reaction.

This also shows King Xian’s attitude.

Huang Zicheng smiled as he picked up the teacup and gently poked the tea leaves with the lid. He blew on the tea to cool it down slightly before taking a sip and saying, "This tea has a rich taste and an endless aftertaste. It is indeed a good tea!"

Li Jinglong smiled and said, "If Mr. Huang likes it, I'll have someone pack some and send it to Mr. Huang's house."

"However, Mr. Huang hasn't answered my question yet?"

Huang Zicheng put down his teacup and said, "Duke Cao is unwilling to tell me the truth, so how should I answer?"

"Well, if Duke Cao is not afraid of being laughed at by the world and bringing shame to the Li family, just go and become the disciple of King Wu."

"I just wonder what Your Majesty would think if all the nobles, meritorious officials, commanders and generals in the world became disciples of the King of Wu?"

He lowered his voice, leaned over, and said calmly: "When that day comes, will the world belong to the King of Wu or to your Majesty?"

Li Jinglong frowned, thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty trusts the King of Wu. Maybe the King of Wu's move was your Majesty's idea."

Huang Zicheng sneered and asked: "Do you believe this? Has there ever been such an emperor since ancient times?"

Li Jinglong was silent for half a minute before he asked, "Mr. Fang, what do you want me to do?"

Huang Zicheng smiled slightly, stretched out his hand to touch his beard, and said: "Duke Cao is a seven-foot-tall man, with a great reputation throughout the world, how could he be willing to take a child as his teacher?"

"But if I don't bow, I feel that the other party is too powerful and difficult to contend with, so I'm in a dilemma."

"In fact, in my opinion, what Duke Cao is worried about is just groundless worry."

"Right now, Duke Cao doesn't have to worry at all."

"On the contrary, this is the best time for Duke Cao to make achievements and show his loyalty to Your Majesty."

Li Jinglong's expression changed slightly, and he quickly asked, "What do you mean by that? Please enlighten me, Mr. Huang!"

Huang Zicheng picked up the teacup again, took another sip, and then said, "Your Majesty favors King Wu and trusts him, which is naturally correct."

"Your Majesty is a man of great affection and you witnessed what happened in the court that day."

"The King of Wu's current status was earned through crying!"

"Your Majesty values the King of Wu so much because of his friendship with the late Crown Prince. He lets him govern the country and entrusts him with government affairs."

"But don't forget that His Majesty is not only a father, but also the Son of Heaven."

Hearing this, Li Jinglong was suddenly shocked and his eyes flashed with light.

Huang Zicheng took a breath and continued, "My father is affectionate, but the emperor is ruthless. This is not contradictory."

"Your Majesty made him regent, but he did not issue an order to let him run the Ming Military Academy and recruit meritorious officials and generals as his disciples."

"This world belongs to your majesty."

"He can take what His Majesty gives him."

"Your Majesty didn't give it to him, so he can't rob him."

"But isn't the King of Wu trying to rob right now?"

Li Jinglong immediately asked, "Mr. Huang, are you saying that he took the initiative to set up the Ming Military Academy, and Your Majesty did not support it?"

"Why does Duke Cao ask when he already knows the answer?" Huang Zicheng said firmly, "Your Majesty definitely doesn't know."

"Otherwise, such a big matter would not be issued in the name of the regent, but should be issued by your majesty." "Although your majesty has already issued an order, from now on, all political affairs, big or small, will be entrusted to the King of Wu."

"But your majesty is still alive. There are always exceptions."

"If your Majesty issues an order on this matter, no one in the court or the country will dare to object."

"But if the regent issues the order, I don't know how big a storm it will cause."

Li Jinglong pondered for a moment and said, "What you said is not unreasonable."

"But if that is the case, why hasn't Your Majesty come out to object?"

"Your Majesty only needs an imperial edict to start the Ming Military Academy, right?"

"Although Your Majesty is not attending to state affairs now, it is impossible that Your Majesty does not know about such a big thing, right?"

Huang Zicheng laughed and said, "That's why I said this is the best time for Duke Cao to make achievements and show his loyalty to His Majesty!"

Countless thoughts flashed through Li Jinglong's mind, and he thought of something. He looked at Huang Zicheng with a twinkling gaze and said, "Please speak frankly, Mr. Huang."

Huang Zicheng smiled and said, "Your Majesty wants to take this opportunity to see how the generals react and who is loyal and who is treacherous."

"Whoever is eager to cling to the new master's thigh is the one who is truly loyal to himself."

"At this time, if Duke Cao stands up and resists this matter, then His Majesty will definitely think that you are loyal and commendable, and you can be of great use!"

Li Jinglong touched his chin and said with a half-smile: "Mr. Huang is right, but this matter is of great importance. I will give it some more consideration."

Huang Zicheng looked at him deeply, stood up, and said with a bow: "I have said everything I need to say, and I will take my leave now."

"Finally, the time to make achievements is now. The opportunity is fleeting, so don't hesitate."

"Between Your Majesty and the King of Wu, how should I choose? I believe that with Duke Cao's intelligence, it will not be difficult for him to make a choice."

After saying this, he bowed and turned away.

When I turned around, a smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of my mouth.

Although Li Jinglong did not agree on the spot, Huang Zicheng knew from his expression that the matter was already 70% settled.

With Li Jinglong rushing to the front to test, they sat firmly in the back and would be able to reap the benefits no matter what the outcome.

Even if we take a step back and set up the Ming Military Academy and let the King of Wu accept meritorious officials and generals as his disciples, and this is really your Majesty's intention, the person who will be punished will be Li Jinglong.

The prestige of the King of Wu would also be damaged as a result.

For them, there is still profit.

On the contrary, it is even more self-evident.

……

Three days later.

The twenty-fifth year of Hongwu, the sixth day of the tenth lunar month.

It was a clear, cloudless day.

In the city of Jinling, all the streets are deserted.

Only in front of Daming Bank, there was a huge crowd of people, and it was impossible to get in or out.

In recent days, "Da Ming Daily" has printed four more editions on top of the previous four.

The content has doubled, but the price remains four cents per copy.

Therefore, it further aroused the buying frenzy.

The printing volume of daily newspapers has been steadily increasing, from more than 100,000 copies per day to nearly 200,000 copies per day.

Among the four additional editions, one edition encouraged the collection of commercial taxes and another edition sharply commented that the establishment of the Ming Military Academy was a great achievement for future generations, in order to enhance the momentum of the school.

The other two editions naturally explain the various advantages of the Ming Bank and the new banknotes.

People of this era still have only a vague concept of advertising.

They know how to hawk their wares on the streets and put up nice signs in front of their shops.

This was the first time in their lives that they had encountered an advertising campaign of the scale and intensity similar to that of the Da Ming Daily.

When they first came into contact with it, they did not know that it was an advertisement.

On the contrary, I think the content is very exciting and good to read.

At the same time, I am also full of curiosity about new things.

Are the Ming Bank and the new banknotes really as good as the newspapers say?
It is said that if you deposit money in the Ming Bank, you not only don't have to pay storage fees, but you can also earn interest.

It is incredible to many people.

Also, according to the newspaper, on the day of the Ming Bank's opening, a troupe of actors will be invited to perform, storytellers will be invited to tell stories, and free pancakes will be distributed to those who come to support the bank.

If you go to Daming Bank to open an account and deposit money, you can receive many gifts.

The curious people of Jinling all rushed over.

……

Yang Shiqi looked at the surging crowd outside and felt both nervous and excited.

He was able to help King Wu with advice on strategy and power struggles in the court.

But for things like publishing newspapers, setting up banks, and issuing new banknotes, he could only help out.

I don’t know how His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu came up with this idea.

It's fine to publish a newspaper, after all, someone has done it before, but the print volume was not so large.

But the bank... Yang Shiqi was well-read and had seen records about the Song Dynasty's money houses in miscellaneous books.

But upon closer inspection, it is very different from the bank run by the King of Wu.

And new banknotes...

Does it really work?

Yang Shiqi felt somewhat uneasy.

But when I thought of the extremely determined expression of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu, I felt full of confidence.

The King of Wu is a man of extraordinary talent. He must have been confident if he dared to do this.

Thinking of this, Yang Shiqi's heart gradually calmed down.

The auspicious time has arrived.

The door of Daming Bank was slowly opened.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

With a few gongs and gongs, Yang Shiqi officially announced: "The Ming Bank is open for business!"

The crowd immediately burst into thunderous cheers.

They were just curious and excited about the possible food and gifts they might receive.

Little did they know that a brand new era had begun from this day!
The tide of the times is rolling in!

……

(End of this chapter)