Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 81 Closing the Net
"Master, things are not going well. The national debt... may not be repaid on time..."

"What's going on? Didn't they say the first batch of summer taxes would arrive on June 15th?

How come it has become impossible to repay the national debt as agreed now?

We remember that there weren't many disasters this year, so it can be considered a year of good weather and good harvests, right?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's face instantly turned gloomy, and the temperature in the Wuying Hall seemed to drop by several degrees.

Hu Weiyong became even more cautious, not daring to glance around at all.

“Since you are in a high position, there really haven’t been many disasters in various places.

But...but this time the collection of summer taxes is slow.

I have already sent special personnel to nearby places like Suzhou and Changzhou to urge the matter.

The people who went there also brought news that the collection of summer taxes was indeed underway.

I don't see any problems, just a little slow here and some minor issues there.

Originally these were not a big deal and were normal situations, but when they all came together, they became like this.

If this continues, the summer tax revenue will definitely be significantly delayed..."

The more Hu Weiyong spoke, the lower his voice became.

"Can't you find someone who has done something wrong to establish your authority?"

There was displeasure in Zhu Yuanzhang's voice.

“As for the higher-ups, this… I really haven’t found one. The officials in those places all acted honestly and according to the regulations.

This is not only the case in Suzhou, but also in nearby places like Changzhou. When I discovered this situation, I immediately sent people to check in places farther away, and the situation was the same there.

I have issued orders one after another to urge them to proceed, and even sending someone special has not worked.

The speed of tax collection still can’t be increased…”

"How can you be the Prime Minister? You can't even collect taxes?

As the Prime Minister, what you say can be ignored?

There was no problem in all the years before, but this year the money was a little short, and we had to issue government bonds and borrow money, and now it has become like this?

Are the people below disobeying you, or are you, Xiao Hu, deliberately trying to stir up trouble for us at this critical moment?"

Zhu Yuanzhang put his hands into his sleeves and looked at Hu Weiyong with a squint.

Anyone familiar with the emperor knew that this showed that he was very angry.

“It’s not that I didn’t do my best, it’s that I…I’m incompetent. Many officials in these places don’t listen to me, the Prime Minister.

What they really listened to was... what the Korean prince said."

Hu Weiyong gritted his teeth and said these words.

"Over the years, I have been the Right Prime Minister of the Secretariat, but my job as Prime Minister has been truly aggrieved.

Although Duke Hanguo had long ceased to be the prime minister, the real power was still in his hands.

Many officials still listened to him.

The words of Duke Han Guo were more effective than imperial edicts. The officials would do whatever he told them to do.

What I, the Prime Minister, say doesn’t count at all.”

Hu Weiyong was filled with shame and grievance as he spoke these heartbreaking words.

Li Shanchang's words are more effective than imperial edicts. The destructive power of this sentence is too great!
The Crown Prince Zhu Biao, who was standing next to the emperor, was so shocked by what he heard that his expression changed drastically.

Zhu Yuanzhang also put his hands in his sleeves on the table, leaned forward, and stared at Hu Weiyong with a serious expression.

Like a tiger on the edge of rage, full of oppression!

"Is everything you said true?"

Hu Weiyong, as if he had given up everything, raised his head, looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with red eyes, and said with a look of grievance: "My lord, everything I said is true.

I feel ashamed of the kindness you have shown me.

Even after being in charge of the Secretariat for such a long time, he was still unable to take back the power of the Prime Minister.

So much so that at times like this, he could only watch his superiors being bullied like that, but was powerless to do anything.

I am incompetent, I dare not and cannot be the Prime Minister anymore..."

As Hu Weiyong spoke, he took off his hat in front of Zhu Yuanzhang and Crown Prince Zhu Biao, knelt on the ground, and cried uncontrollably.

Zhu Yuanzhang secretly praised Hu Weiyong's acting skills, but his expression became cold and impatient.

"Get up, take your hat back! Wipe your tears!
A grown man, a prime minister, is fussing and crying here. What kind of ability does he have?
Remember, you, Xiao Hu, are the Prime Minister we appointed! The Secretariat is now in charge by you!

We know about this, wipe your tears and snot and get out of here! Don't embarrass yourself here! "

Hu Weiyong hurriedly wiped his face with the sleeve of his robe.

“The superior taught me, and I will remember your teachings.

We must closely follow the footsteps of those above us, and fight to the bitter end those who deliberately oppose the imperial court and those above us!"

After saying this, he left Wuying Palace with red eyes.

It even allows people to see the determination to succeed or die...

"Hu Xiang is also difficult, but he is still loyal. At least he can get things done."

After Hu Weiyong left, Zhu Biao spoke with some emotion.

He could see that Hu Weiyong's words were not pure in purpose. He wanted to take the opportunity to put Li Shanchang in the eyes of his father and let his father take action against Li Shanchang so that he could take the opportunity to take back the power of the prime minister.

But the reason why Hu Weiyong was able to find the opportunity to do this was because Li Shanchang was too arrogant and domineering.

Did he really do such a thing, disregarding the important affairs of the country and family, and leading local officials to use national interests to coerce his father?
No matter how much public interest or selfishness there was in this, Hu Weiyong at this time firmly stood with his father to deal with Li Shanchang.

This is very rare.

After hearing Zhu Biao's words, Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said, "Biao'er, you are not entirely right. Don't be fooled by Hu Weiyong.

Our Prime Minister Hu is no simple man, he has a gloomy mind!

Don't be fooled by the fact that he is crying bitterly and showing deep hatred and bitterness, he is still here to express his loyalty to us.

But later on, when we really start taking action against all the officials, this guy will definitely turn against us, side with all the officials, and take the lead in opposing us!"

Zhu Biao was stunned for a moment when he heard this, with some disbelief.

"Father, this... shouldn't be possible, right? How could Prime Minister Hu be so bold?"

"Biao'er, Prime Minister Hu is very courageous.

It’s just that Li Shanchang is still in control and he hasn’t got the real power yet.

If you get real power, things will immediately change.

There is a saying that wine makes cowards brave, and the position of prime minister can give people courage even more than wine.

Among people like Li Shanchang and Yang Xian, who was honest after they took control of the Secretariat?

Not to mention that Xiao Hu is a very brave man.

The prime minister is the head of all officials. In our Ming Dynasty, we have the Secretariat, which is above the six ministries, further increasing the prime minister's authority.

If the prime minister wants to get things done, it is not enough to just have the title of prime minister, he must also have the actual power of the prime minister.

Didn't Hu Weiyong do this because he didn't have the power of a prime minister, but wanted to be one?

How did the title of Prime Minister come about?

It means that many officials can listen to the prime minister and do things according to what the prime minister says.

Therefore, in the future, when we find evidence against us and want to take action against the officials, Hu Weiyong will definitely defect.

He will stand with the officials and speak for them.

Take the opportunity to show favor to all officials."

Upon hearing what Zhu Yuanzhang said, Crown Prince Zhu Biao pursed his lips.

I just feel that being an emperor is really tiring.

Many people think that the emperor’s words are law and he is very comfortable and can do whatever he wants, but this is not actually the case.

There were many emperors whose decrees could not leave the imperial city.

Even a powerful founding emperor like my father would have few ministers who acted recklessly and disobeyed his orders, right?

"Then...how about we restrict Hu Weiyong? Or prevent him from participating in these things?"

After a period of silence, Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and tried to speak.

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head again and said:

"We can't move him, at least not now.

The top priority now is to subdue Li Shanchang and the many local officials behind him.

And human selfishness can sometimes be used.

If used well, it can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Moreover, even if we really captured Hu Weiyong, the prime minister who came to power later would still stand on the side of the officials.

The fundamental problem in this matter is not who the prime minister is, but the prime minister system itself!"

Zhu Biao's heart skipped a beat when he heard Zhu Yuanzhang's words.

An extremely shocking idea suddenly came to my mind.

This... Could it be that my father, the emperor, wants to take action against the prime minister system in the future?
However, after this thought arose, Zhu Biao quickly threw it out of his mind.

He felt that he was overthinking.

How many years has the prime minister system existed?
That has truly been the case since ancient times.

It has long been deeply rooted in people's hearts and cannot be shaken.

Moreover, although the prime minister system has some problems, it has been proven to be useful.

If the prime minister is really abolished, who will assist the emperor in handling government affairs?
The emperor must be so busy that he doesn’t even have time to sleep?

After discarding this unreliable idea, Zhu Biao turned his attention back to the most serious problem that needed to be solved.

"Father, what should we do about the national debt?

Or... I'll think of some other ways to raise some money and pay off the national debt first.

Or... should I go down there myself?"

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head: "Biao'er, is this not necessary?

A mere 250,000 strings of cash, and all the troubles caused by Li Shanchang and his men, are not as valuable as our face.

It's not to the point where we have to give up our reputation for this.

We've already asked someone to look at it, and the ninth day of August is a good day for getting married.

We plan to let the fourth child get married at that time.

Just invite Li Shanchang to come to the capital to preside over the wedding for the fourth son.

It just so happened that officials from all over the country who came to Beijing to file taxes had all arrived at that time.

Let’s have some fun together!”

When Zhu Biao heard this, he subconsciously felt that something was wrong.

At this juncture, if his father made such a decision, wouldn't it mean that he was bowing to Li Shanchang in this matter, admitting that he could not defeat Li Shanchang and suffered a great loss?

This is not in line with my father's character.

It is also totally inconsistent with the attitude that my father has shown before.

Or is it that my father is preparing to take advantage of this opportunity to decide the outcome and break the deadlock in one fell swoop?

But... after some quick thought, Zhu Biao couldn't see any connection between his father's move and breaking the deadlock.

"This matter involves officials from all over the world. If we want to break the deadlock, we must find an opportunity to gather all the officials from all over the world under our noses.

For these people, coming to Beijing to file taxes is the best opportunity.

Biao'er, don't worry, these people won't be able to dance for much longer!"

Zhu Yuanzhang stood with his hands behind his back, his whole body filled with a strong will to fight and an unshakable iron-blooded murderous aura.

It was as if he couldn't wait to welcome his hunting moment.

How could he look frightened at all by this difficult situation?

……

In Fengyang, Duke Hanguo Li Shanchang stared at the news for a long time, then suddenly smiled and immediately asked someone to call his son and brother.

At first glance, it seems like he has important instructions.

"Come, look at this."

After waiting for a while, Li Cun Yi rushed over.

Li Shanchang didn't say anything else and handed the secret report on the table to Li Cunyi.

While Li Cunyi was reading the secret report, Li Shanchang's eldest son Li Qi also walked in.

At Li Shanchang's suggestion, he also came to Li Cunyi to read the secret report together.

"Haha, this bastard Zhu Yuanzhang is really funny!

He was so poor that he could barely make ends meet, and he couldn't even pay back the mere 250,000 strings of cash he had borrowed. How could he still hold a wedding for his son?
Does he have the money to do it?
Brother, please go and preside over the wedding for that guy Zhu Laosi. What does he think?
Has he forgotten how he treated his elder brother before?
What do you think of me, big brother? Someone you can summon and dismiss at will?
Do you really think he has such a big face?"

After reading the secret report, Li Cunyi became excited.

Here he sneered and uttered a series of words.

Li Shanchang was not surprised to hear this. He couldn't help but shake his head secretly, feeling helpless.

What is a piece of rotten wood that cannot be helped?

My good-for-nothing younger brother is a typical hopeless case!

Over the years, I have taught him many things in person, through words and deeds, and explained them to him in detail.

After so many years, even if you are just a pig, you should have made some progress.

As a result, my younger brother is still so stupid!

Li Shanchang once again felt deeply tired and a little anxious.

This family is supported entirely by myself!
If I were to die, my brother would be taken advantage of sooner or later because of his stupid character!

Ignoring his brother's foolish remarks, Li Shanchang turned his gaze to his eldest son.

At this time, Li Qi had also finished reading the secret report, with an expression of uncontrollable joy on his face.

"Dad, I think you can pass on the message and have all places start handling government affairs at full speed.

In particular, the collection and transportation of summer taxes are of paramount importance and must be carried out with all our efforts.

Strive to complete it more beautifully than in previous years.

And you, Dad, need to prepare yourself and go to Yingtian to preside over the wedding for the Prince of Yan."

Li Shanchang was immediately relieved. Qi'er was pretty good. She was his own child!
When it comes to understanding these things, there is still a big gap compared to me.

But it can also surpass many ordinary people.

At least he is much better than this idiot brother of mine!

"Why do you have to do this? In this way, Zhu Yuanzhang will have enough money to hold a wedding for Zhu Laosi, right?

Isn’t the arm wrestling between us and the emperor over?
How can this stop like this?
I finally found the emperor's weakness, and now I should punish him properly so that he will remember it for a long time!
How could we let the dog emperor get away with it so easily?!"

Before Li Shanchang could speak, Li Cunyi started shouting.

He was extremely dissatisfied with his eldest nephew's statement.

The smile that had just appeared on Li Shanchang's face disappeared, and he could no longer hold it back.

"shut up!"

He shouted.

"Qier is absolutely right, that's what we need to do next!"

"Brother, why do you have to do this?
The Emperor is so heartless and ungrateful. We can't just rush over as soon as he makes a statement. If we do, won't we be laughed at by the whole world?"

Being scolded by his elder brother like this, Li Cun Yi, who was in his fifties, actually felt aggrieved.

Li Shanchang didn't want to waste any more words with him, but seeing his expression, he finally sighed inwardly and didn't harden his heart.

"Don't forget what our purpose is in doing this!
It was to make the emperor bow his head, then continue to build Zhongdu City and move the capital!"

"But now, hasn't the emperor said he wants to continue building Zhongdu?"

"You..." Li Shanchang pointed at Li Cunyi, feeling very disappointed with him and began to doubt his life again.

We are brothers from the same mother, so how come the difference between us is even greater than that between humans and pigs?

"Things were so tense before, and now the higher-ups are asking me to officiate the wedding for Prince Yan. That's like admitting defeat and bowing to me!
As long as everyone in the world is not stupid, who can't see it?
Don’t you know what the temper of the person in power is like?
Have you ever been submissive or bowed your head to anyone over these years?
I, Li Shanchang, can now make those in power bow their heads. Who dares to laugh at me again?
That is the superior position, the superior position that would rather break than bend!

It’s good enough that he can achieve this level!
Do you think that even the higher-ups have to announce it to the world, openly admit their mistakes, and promise the world to continue with the construction?

What are you dreaming about?
The superior has already released goodwill, and I am also showing my strength to the superior.

Then that's the end of the matter.

Next, it is our turn to show magnanimity and respond immediately.

With this good start, the rest of the things will be easier to carry out.

This is how things are done properly.

If you insist on doing this, you won't get anything done and will only completely piss off the higher-ups!"

Li Shanchang's spit sprayed all over Li Cunyi's face.

Only then did Li Cunyi show a look of sudden realization.

But after a moment, his expression turned grim again: "So...you'er's revenge is just going to be let go? My son died in vain?"

Li Shanchang wanted to continue scolding, but when he met Li Cunyi's red eyes, he couldn't say the scolding in the end.

"That's my son, I couldn't bear to touch him since he was little.

You'er didn't do anything against the law. Everything he did was to build the capital city for the emperor.

As a result, he was executed by the dog emperor!

Or peeled daylilies!

My own flesh and blood was skinned alive in front of countless untouchables!
They also stuffed the skins with straw and hung them on the top of the city wall of Zhongdu to be exposed to the wind and sun!

Until now, I still often dream about You'er. He was crying to me with blood all over his body, saying that he was in great pain..."

As Li Cun Yi spoke, he couldn't help but burst into tears.

Li Shanchang and Li Qi also burst into tears.

"Let's cook some more food for You'er..."

Li Shanchang wiped his tears and spoke with a heavy nasal tone.

"The dead cannot be resurrected, and precisely because You'er died for the construction of Zhongdu, we should do our best to promote the continued construction of Zhongdu.

Build the Zhongdu city beautifully and make it the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

Only in this way can we be worthy of You'er and comfort his soul in heaven.

You'er's death was not in vain."

Li Cun Yi cried loudly and nodded vigorously to show that he remembered it.

It took a while for my mood to gradually calm down...

Looking at the backs of his son and younger brother as they left, Li Shanchang sighed deeply.

I have paid too much to build Zhongdu City.

Fortunately, although there were some twists and turns, the final result was the same as I had imagined.

In this way, all my efforts will be worthwhile!

Just as I was lost in thought, suddenly, a head popped out from outside the door, staring at me with two blood-red eyes.

Li Shanchang was caught off guard and trembled violently with fear.

He subconsciously picked up the inkstone and was about to smash it.

"Brother, how about... you reconsider and not go to Yingtian?"

The head spoke, and the entire body appeared from behind the door.

But it was Li Cunyi, who had been crying loudly just now, who had returned.

Li Shanchang hurriedly stopped the inkstone he was about to throw and glared at his stupid brother: "What are you doing? Why are you walking so quietly?
Why can’t I go to Yingtian again?”

Li Cunyi smiled awkwardly, then quickly said seriously, "I'm afraid the emperor has bad intentions. He said he wanted you to preside over Zhu Laosi's wedding, but in fact he wanted to lure you over.

And thus do some bad things.”

Seeing his brother looking at him with concern, Li Shanchang's tone softened.

"Don't worry, it's okay. The emperor won't use such means, nor would he dare to use such means.

This time, the matter involved officials all over the country. He knew it was me who did it, but he couldn't find any evidence to prove it.

No matter how angry you are, you have to be patient.

There is no need to worry that the emperor will go back on his word. I can command all officials in the world. If you do something like this once, you can do it a second time and it will last longer.

Officials all over the world recognize me, not him as the emperor.

I think after this incident, the higher-ups have already understood this very clearly.

He was the one who built the Ming Dynasty, and he had extremely deep feelings for it.

He certainly didn't want the Ming Dynasty to fall into chaos.

Just rest assured, nothing will happen."

Hearing his brother say this, Li Cun Yi thought about it, nodded vigorously, said no more about this matter, and went to do his work.

I was overthinking this matter.

My eldest brother is a very smart person, I don’t know how much smarter he is than me.

Since he said this, there must be no problem...

……

Next, as Li Shanchang quickly spread the news to various places,

Government offices across the country, which had been operating in obscurity for nearly half a year, quickly returned to normal.

No, it even runs smoother than normal in the past.

The collection of summer taxes in various places, which is of great importance, is progressing rapidly.

Taxes that were particularly difficult to collect before have now become particularly easy.

There are no problems at work.

Even if any problems arise, they are resolved quickly.

Of the summer taxes collected, except for those kept for local needs, the rest were quickly transported to Yingtian.

The first batch of summer taxes arrived in Yingtian two days earlier than last year!

Subsequent summer taxes also arrived in Yingtian one after another.

Many ships carrying summer taxes are docked at Jiangdongmen Wharf.

With the arrival of summer taxes, the court had money in its hands, and the previous state of eagerly waiting for food to be cooked disappeared in an instant.

According to the instructions of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty, the first thing to do was to repay the maturing national debt in a few days.

Not only is the principal not lost a penny, but the corresponding interest is also not lost a penny.

After this incident happened, it immediately caused a sensation in quite a large area.

Some people who were not originally prepared to receive the money as agreed, in addition to receiving a surprise, also saw the emperor's credibility from this incident.

And they began to look forward to when the emperor would issue government bonds again.

At that time, you must try your best to buy as much as possible.

This is the reaction of those who bought the bonds. Those who have wanted to buy them for a long time but failed to do so became even more jealous and wanted to buy the bonds even more.

Being able to establish some relationship with the government in a legitimate way, especially with the emperor, is what many people dream of, even if the relationship seems to be just an ordinary loan and does not involve anything else.

Not to mention, after establishing this indirect relationship, not only do you not have to spend any money, but you can also get extra interest. How can this not make people tempted?
This small-scale issuance of government bonds has achieved greater significance than solving the temporary financial difficulties themselves.

While these things were being implemented intensively, officials from all over the country who needed to go to the capital to file taxes also gathered in Yingtian...

……

Beiping.

General Xu Da, after entrusting all matters to his deputy general and explaining everything, also took some personal soldiers and rushed from Peking to the capital.

His beloved daughter is getting married, and as her father, he has to go back.

Of course, Xu Da also knew that this time it was not just about sending his daughter to get married, but more importantly, it was about participating in the powerful counterattack launched by the superiors against Li Shanchang.

Although it is still unknown how Your Majesty plans to respond to this unprecedented offensive launched by Li Shanchang.

However, after seeing the news that the emperor wanted to invite Li Shanchang to preside over the wedding of Prince Yan and his daughter, Xu Da knew that the emperor was coming to settle accounts with Li Shanchang.

Many people felt that Shang's move was a surrender to Li Shanchang.

But Xu Da knew his superior's character and personality very well. He was truly an indomitable person.

At this time, he was able to disregard his own face in front of the whole world and do something that seemed to make him bow down to Li Shanchang.

That can only mean one thing.

That means the higher-ups have made all the preparations and are starting to close the net!

He wanted to see with his own eyes how miserable the death of Li Shanchang and others who disregarded the country and used the overall interests of the country to coerce the emperor was!

……

In Linhuai, Li Shanchang, who had not appeared in public for a long time and seemed to have been recuperating from illness, boarded the ship.

He nodded slightly to his brother Li Cunyi and others who were seeing him off, then turned around and stood at the bow of the boat with his hands behind his back.

The breeze blew his hair and clothes, which was very comfortable.

He is going to meet his victory!

(End of this chapter)