After broadcasting the ancient times live, I handed the system over to the state.

Therefore, Zhu Qinggu decided to go and investigate in person.

Moreover, the strangeness of this Tianqi explosion wasn't limited to these places; the third son of the Tianqi Emperor was also frightened and died under mysterious circumstances.

If this world were a world without the Heavenly Curtain, then Zhu Yuanzhang would have had to spend a lot of effort investigating this matter, but now Zhu Youxiao already knows and has given an early warning.

The explosives from Wanggongchang have now been moved out of the city, and they are now being guarded according to regulations, with three or four different groups of people going there to inspect them at irregular intervals each day.

He was also extra careful with Zhu Youxiao's third son, and ordered Wei Zhongxian to thoroughly inspect the palace.

Indeed, many sordid things from back then were found in the palace, but they were gradually buried with time, and Zhu Youxiao's control over the palace reached a new level.

The areas he can no longer control are the imperial court and the common people. There are quite a few uprisings among the people, but they are still much better than during the Chongzhen era. In addition, Zhu Youxiao promoted sweet potatoes and some agricultural tools, which has led to a certain degree of decline in uprisings.

After all, as the saying goes, if you can fill your stomach, there will be far fewer of these problems.

But there's still one more thing to do...

"Wei Zhongxian, I heard you have a lover in the palace?" Zhu Yuanzhang said casually.

Wei Zhongxian broke out in a cold sweat and immediately understood what Zhu Yuanzhang meant. "This servant will give her a quick death."

Wei Zhongxian's mistress was none other than Madam Ke.

Madam Ke was Zhu Youxiao's wet nurse. She had a very close relationship with him and was highly trusted by the emperor.

It was because of this trust that Madam Ke committed all sorts of evil deeds in the harem, even persecuting pregnant concubines. There is even a saying that Zhu Youxiao's third son, Zhu Cijiong, was killed by Madam Ke.

Furthermore, Madam Ke orchestrated the Empress's miscarriage, and together with Wei Zhongxian, they controlled the court and the harem.

Even though Zhu Youxiao now knew what would happen next, he didn't kill the woman; instead, he just locked her up.

Do you think Wei Zhongxian had much affection for this woman? Actually, not much; it was mainly an alliance of interests.

He was afraid that if he got involved with Ms. Ke, she would really dig up all his dirty secrets.

Moreover, Wei Zhongxian now felt that the emperor's power was growing stronger, so he dared not inquire about what was happening to Madam Ke. He was already lucky to have his life saved, and he knew that he was still useful to the emperor.

This is one of the reasons why Zhu Youxiao and Zhu Yuanzhang temporarily kept him.

"Ha!" Zhu Yuanzhang laughed cryptically in response to Wei Zhongxian's words.

Wei Zhongxian's back was already wet.

Zhu Youxiao actually wanted to say something, but under Zhu Yuanzhang's sharp gaze, he ultimately refrained from speaking.

Wei Zhongxian simply gave a look to the people next to him, and the eunuchs nodded and scurried out.

He hadn't dared to inquire before, but now that Zhu Yuanzhang had tacitly approved, Madam Ke had no choice but to die.

Soon, they set off for the former site of Wanggongchang.

Zhu Qinggu's lips twitched when he saw the storage conditions here. They piled things up in the underground warehouse and had no fire prevention or explosion protection awareness whatsoever. When the weather is dry and everything is in a bad state, it would be strange if this place didn't blow up to the sky.

As for how those people's clothes became so far apart from the people who were blown into the air, Zhu Qinggu currently has no clue.

"System, perform a check." She walked around the area, which was also a check required by the system.

"The system's current capabilities are sufficient to detect slight energy fluctuations, but information is still lacking," the system said.

Zhu Qinggu nodded, and then went to check out the explosives placement site outside the city. The arrangements there were much more scientific, and the regulations were very strict.

However, some unusual energy fluctuations were detected here.

Therefore, Zhu Qinggu plans to stay here for a while.

Zhu Youxiao was naturally very happy, and Zhu Yuanzhang was also very happy.

Zhu Youxiao was happy because he could ask Zhu Qinggu about some carpentry blueprints from later eras, while Zhu Yuanzhang was happy because he could probably become a shrewd merchant again.

Even during Zhu Youxiao's reign, factional strife persisted. However, at this time, the Donglin Party had previously been suppressed by the combined forces of Madam Ke and Wei Zhongxian, so Zhu Youxiao was still able to do some things.

Now that Madam Ke has been imprisoned, Wei Zhongxian dares not go too far. The Donglin Party in the court has risen up and started to engage in factional struggles with the Zhejiang Party and others.

Zhu Yuanzhang carefully selected a few matters from Wei Zhongxian, all of which were matters of mutual buck-passing and compromise due to factional strife in the court.

Wei Zhongxian was naturally happy to have someone nitpick at those so-called upright civil officials.

Everyone says that Wei Zhongxian controlled the government, but these party members were nothing but hypocrites.

"Summon these people to see us." Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at them a few times; he had already memorized these names before, and now that he saw them, he called them out.

Wei Zhongxian smiled and said, "Yes."

"Emperor Taizu, could this be...?" Zhu Youxiao was still somewhat hesitant.

"The first lesson I'll teach you today is to be ruthless when wielding a knife," Zhu Yuanzhang said. "Watch this."

"Wei Zhongxian," Zhu Yuanzhang called out.

Wei Zhongxian immediately crawled over on his knees.

Zhu Yuanzhang added a few names to the book with his pen, including Cui Chengxiu and Tian Ergeng, and then threw the book in front of Wei Zhongxian.

Wei Zhongxian glanced at it nervously, his face turning pale.

"Go do it," Zhu Yuanzhang said calmly.

Wei Zhongxian dared not disobey; even if Zhu Yuanzhang had not brought a single soldier with him today, Wei Zhongxian would still not have dared to disobey.

"Yes, Emperor Taizu." Wei Zhongxian left respectfully, his last moments resembling those of a mad, rabid old dog.

"Cui Chengxiu and Tian Ergeng are both eunuchs. Now we're having Wei Zhongxian do your job properly, so don't think about anything else." Zhu Yuanzhang was just giving a few casual pointers; whether he understood or not was another matter.

Zhu Youxiao bowed his head respectfully, thinking, "The Taizu Emperor ordered Wei Zhongxian, a member of the eunuch faction, to kill other members of the eunuch faction."

In the end, the scholar-officials will hate Wei Zhongxian, and those who were once Wei Zhongxian's allies, the eunuch faction, will also hold a grudge against him. Even if the top leader is executed, the lesser figures will not dare to fully serve Wei Zhongxian.

It is highly likely that Wei Zhongxian will be implicated.

"As for the factions in the court, it's nothing more than trying to win one side over another and maintain a balance." Zhu Yuanzhang was also thinking that neither of his brothers had received much imperial education, so he explained it in more detail.

If it were Zhu Biao, he would already know what to do without being told.

"Call them over later. I'll talk about border defense and taxes." Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression grew even colder.