"I respectfully welcome His Royal Highness the Imperial Grandson."
"The common people respectfully welcome His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince."
"Hahahaha... eldest nephew, you are the only one who needs to be here today. Follow Uncle Wang into the mansion."
November 18, the twenty-eighth year of Hongwu.
night.
In front of the Jin Palace in Taiyuan City, colorful lanterns were shining brightly and flags were fluttering, creating a festive and lively scene.
Countless Shanxi officials, local gentry and merchants gathered on the broad street in front of the Jin Palace to pay their highest respect to the newly arrived team of the Ming Dynasty's imperial grandson.
Zhu Fan, the king of Jin in the vassal state of Taiyuan, was wearing the bright red prince's uniform, his face was glowing, and he was in high spirits. He changed from waiting and chatting in front of the palace with Sun Gong, the chief envoy of Shanxi Province, to walking forward quickly.
In front of Zhu Yunxi who had just got off the horse.
Zhu Fan waved his arms, as if he wanted to hook up with Zhu Yunxi. He looked at the crowd around him, then he realized and waved his hands around.
"Give it all, give it all."
Zhu Yunxi said with a smile on his face: "My nephew congratulates the third uncle on his birthday today. I wish the third uncle long happiness and good health, as good as the East Sea, and as long as the Southern Mountains."
Zhu Fan's face was filled with a smile, and he kept shaking his head and waving his hands: "Feel free to do whatever you want, and don't say anything else. I will stay with your Uncle Three Kings tonight until I get drunk."
Zhu Yunxi nodded: "Of course I should."
He and Zhu Fan turned around and looked at Prince Jin's Mansion.
Changsun Gong and others standing behind saw Zhu Yunxi finally looking over at this time, and they all bowed again.
"I will see His Highness Taisun."
Zhu Yunxi nodded, probably because it was Uncle Wang's birthday, and he was in a good mood: "Everyone is exempt from courtesy. Tonight, regardless of whether the emperor or ministers are civil or military, whoever gets down first will be the coward."
Changsun Gong led everyone to turn sideways and make way for the main entrance of Prince Jin's Mansion, which was rarely open. He said with a smile: "I and others were discussing before. Prince Jin is one of the top drinkers in Taiyuan City. Tonight
I'm afraid that I and others will be brought down by Prince Jin."
Zhu Fan let out a sigh, his eyes were a little ambiguous, and he led Zhu Yunxi towards the palace. He tilted his head and said, "That's not necessarily true. You may have brought down this good nephew of mine tonight."
I haven't slept since I was really preparing to eat and drink, and I'm just waiting to flip the table and knock the other person down.
A sentence with some meaning.
Zhu Yunxi silently nodded and lowered his eyelids, watching the surrounding lights passing by his eyes, and couldn't help but feel a little more expectant in his heart.
Entering from the main entrance of the Jin Palace, the audience followed from the side doors on both sides.
Zhu Yunxi was pulled by Zhu Fan's hands all the way to the main hall of the palace.
"Uncle Three Kings, this is inappropriate..."
"What's inappropriate? You are the emperor's grandson, the future crown prince, and the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty. You should sit here!"
"This... is really inappropriate. Today is your birthday..."
"Then just listen to Third Uncle."
In the main hall of the palace, singing and dancing continued.
On the throne, Zhu Yunxi looked troubled, and he and Zhu Fan had been fighting for a while.
In the end, Zhu Yunxi had no choice but to sit on the Jin King's throne that should have belonged to him under Zhu Fan's weird smile.
Zhu Fan is sitting under the throne, on the right hand side of the throne.
After that, when both of them sat down, the birthday banquet officially began.
In the main hall, there were all prominent officials and gentry from Shanxi Province and Taiyuan Prefecture. After the first three glasses of wine, the atmosphere became freer with the congratulatory dance.
People such as Changsun Gong and Zhou Yunkun were able to sit in front of the throne because of their official rank.
Therefore, it is inevitable for several people to exchange cups and cups and talk to each other.
"Shanxi Dao has supplied millions of dans of coal to the imperial court this year, and the people in various places have been relieved of the hardship of firewood. This is the credit of Shanxi Dao's ministers and all the ministers and workers."
Zhu Yunxi drank a lot of wine, his face turned red, and his eyes became blurred. He looked at Changsun Gong and others and began to praise them.
Zhu Fan immediately took over the words: "Shanxi Dao can be what it is today, all because of the mutual efforts and concerted efforts of the vassal, Naitai, military sect and others. In Taiyuan, my vassal state, the three divisions have also been very helpful in these years.
.”
"It's time to ask for credit for Shanxi Dao in front of Grandpa Huang!"
Zhu Yunxi drank a glass of wine, clapped his hands on the table, and his face glowed.
Changsun Gong hurriedly raised his hands and nodded: "I, as ministers, have the honor of honoring the emperor, guarding Shanxi for the imperial court, managing the local area, and nurturing the common people. These are all my responsibilities and what I should do.
Shanxi Road is adjacent to the border in the north, and it is bitterly cold. The people are not living in peace now, and they often lack food and clothing. There has never been anyone who has no worries about food and clothing, so how can we dare to say that we have meritorious service."
Zhu Yunxi shook his head and looked at Changsun Gong and others as if he was drunk.
He suddenly said quietly: "It's difficult to be an official. If there is no chaos, no rebellion, no rebellion, then it is already the best government."
"Conspiracy?" A flash of light flashed in Zhu Fan's eyes, and he raised his voice: "Shanxi Dao dares not to have a rebellious person. There is a vassal, a pastoral guard in Shanxi, and a military gate to control Shanxi. Who dares to conspire?
Rebellious? Even if he plots rebellion today, his head will be hanging above the gate of Taiyuan tomorrow!"
The expressions of Changsun Gong and others changed slightly.
Mentioning the matter of rebellion at this time is not like talking nonsense after drinking too much.
Zhu Yunxi continued to speak slowly: "In recent years, many people have told me that governing the world is difficult, but not difficult. As long as we give the people something to eat, they will not be hungry.
In the end, everyone in the world still has the surname Zhu, and it cannot be changed.
Ke Gu was very confused at that time, but because he was still young, he never asked the doubts in his heart. Today there is an opportunity, and some of the ministers and ministers of this dynasty's pastoral guards are here, and they may be able to help clear up Gu's doubts."
Before Changsun Gong and others could ask what the doubts were in Zhu Yunxi's mind, Zhu Fan seemed to be the one who was advocating, his eyes lit up and he patted the table.
Zhu Fan spoke loudly: "Brother Hei, what doubts do you have? Fantai and the others are here, and they have been officials in Shanxi for many years. Maybe they can answer Brother Hee's doubts."
Seeing that I have been framed here.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Changsun Gong could only smile, nod his head and said: "I would like to ask the grandson to explain, maybe I can explain something."
Zhu Yunxi nodded, then shook his head: "It's not an important matter, I was just thinking about it at the time. If the people can have something to eat, there will be no trouble. Then if there are other people besides the court,
Feed the people's bellies. Do these people listen to the court or that person?"
As soon as he said this, everyone in front of the throne was stunned, and their hearts quietly became heavier.
Zhu Yunxi glanced at the many officials and gentry of Shanxi Province who were gathered together in the palace.
With a smile on his face, he didn't wait for Changsun Gong and others to think about how to respond.
He had already opened his mouth and continued: "Let's just say that today, at the birthday banquet of Uncle Three Kings, everyone was full of wine and food. It cannot be said that it was because of the court, but it must be said that Uncle Three Kings entertained them warmly."
Zhu Fan pretended to be nervous and shook his head repeatedly: "Hey, hey, brother Hey, don't you dare say that. How much food and drinks we have in Prince Jin's residence are all provided by the clan salary given by the clan's mansion."
"Third uncle, don't panic, I'm just making an analogy." Zhu Yunxi smiled, and then looked at Changsun Gong and others: "But... there is an ancient saying, a thousand pieces of gold buy bones, and a scholar will die for his confidant. One grain at a time.
A favor of millet or a meal should be repaid with life and death.
If there is a problem in the local area, the first thing the people will criticize is the government's improper governance. If there is a disaster and the court and government provide relief, the people feel that this is how it should be, and if it is not done well, they will probably curse it.
But if there is a kind person who gives out porridge, it will probably be widely praised, and the people will praise it as a kind house, and even if the servants of the family go out, they will probably be treated politely."
There was something strange in Changsun Gong's heart. He always felt that Zhu Yunxi didn't look like he had drunk too much.
He whispered: "The people are so ignorant that they never knew the difficulties of the imperial court and the government."
"Yes, it's difficult for the court, and it's also difficult for local officials." Zhu Yunxi nodded and looked at the countless green official robes of Shanxi Province in the hall.
"The imperial court had a hard time in the past few years, and only Yin had to eat a lot of food. There was a shortage of money and food everywhere, and the people in the Ministry of Household Affairs could not see a smile on their faces for more than a few days a year.
It was precisely because of this that the imperial court was unable to do many things. In the third year of Hongwu, because of concerns about the food and clothing of border officers, the imperial court instituted the Kaizhong system.
Only in this way can we temporarily stabilize the supply of food and grass for the soldiers at the border and prevent the Yuan thieves outside the border from having a chance to make a comeback.
In the past few years, the imperial court has been conquering the south and east, the treasury has been full, and the imperial court has money, but it still can't help spending money.
However, this trip to Gubei was also for the imperial court to see with its own eyes what was going on in the local area. The imperial court also intended to stop the introduction of the Zhongzhong system.
Even if the imperial court has no money, it can no longer suffer the hundreds of thousands of soldiers at the border. It can no longer let the local gentry and merchants do business at a loss all day long.
The imperial court cannot suffer the people, it cannot suffer the soldiers, and it cannot suffer the Jin gentry and merchants either.
You are all the chief officials of Shanxi Road, and the imperial court's Kaizhong system is also based on Shanxi Road. What do you think?"
suddenly.
There was silence near the throne.
Who would have thought that Zhu Yunxi would say in public that the imperial court intended to suspend the Kaizhong system.
What does it mean that the imperial court cannot suffer the hundreds of thousands of soldiers at the border, and what does it mean that it cannot allow everyone to continue to engage in loss-making business?
That’s a business that makes a lot of money every day!
Is this a pretense of ignorance?
But how can I and others cope with it?
It cannot be said that this matter cannot be stopped, because everyone hopes to continue to rely on this open-center system and make money from generation to generation.
Zhu Fan said loudly: "How did I hear that under the Kaizhong system, the merchants of Shanxi Road made a lot of money? Changsun Fantai, is this true?"
As he spoke, Zhu Fan had already turned his head and looked at Changsun Gong inquiringly.
Changsun Gongtai had an unnatural smile on his face: "It should... be like this."
The King of Jin has ruled Taiyuan since the eleventh year of Hongwu. It has been almost twenty years. Even if he does not know everything about Shanxi Road, he can always hear the rumors.
"oh?"
Zhu Yunxi looked curious and said unexpectedly: "Originally, the imperial court thought that under the open-China system, merchants transporting grain and grass to the border would have to lose money. Even if they didn't lose money, they could only make some hard-earned money.
The imperial court also knew that it was not easy for everyone, even if they made a little money, they would make a profit, so they couldn't ask people to work on errands without giving everyone enough to eat.
What? From what I heard from Third Uncle and Fan Tai, there are other things that the court doesn’t know about?"
Zhou Yunkun saw that Chang Sun Gong seemed to have difficulty answering, so he spoke from the side: "Your Highness must also know that businessmen have been pursuing profits since ancient times. These people dare not do anything in front of the court, nor do they dare to disobey the king's law. But they can't stand these people.
They increase their own profits from other sources, such as deducting wages and food from hired workers, or suppressing small businessmen by big businessmen. Generally speaking, these people make a lot of money."
Anyway, it is still unknown what the Shanxi Road will look like after tonight.
After everyone left the main hall and went outside, just waiting for the fireworks to light up and turn into sparks all over the night sky, it was time for the incident to start.
Zhou Yunkun felt that even if he told the truth at this time, it would not hinder what happened next.
As long as he can hold Zhu Yunxi back and prevent him from leaving in anger, that's all.
"It's not an exaggeration to say that he didn't deceive the court or bully the people." Zhu Yunxi shook his head, lowered his head and pinched the wine bottle.
"Drink! Drink!"
Zhu Yunxi slapped the table and invited everyone to drink together.
After drinking for three rounds, Shi, the head of the Jin Palace, walked up behind Zhu Fan and whispered a few times.
Zhu Fan raised his head and looked at everyone with a smile on his face.
"Everything is ready. After watching the fireworks, we are going to watch the show. Brother Hei, will you all go over and watch together?"
Zhu Yunxi shouted: "Okay!"
After finishing speaking, he put his hands on the table and slowly stood up. It seemed that he had really drunk too much, so that he was a little staggered.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Zhu Fan looked at it and immediately shouted: "Here, help the grandson."
However, Zhu Yunxi waved his hand, and with drunken eyes, he staggered to the middle of Changsun Gong and Zhou Yunkun.
He spread his arms and put them on their shoulders with a snap.
Then, smelling of alcohol, he smiled and turned around to look at the two of them: "Gu Bu Ceng has drunk too much, let's go out to watch a show together!"
Changsun Gong and Zhou Yunkun were stiff and did not dare to make any big moves. They saw Zhu Fan looking at them, as if to tell them not to panic.
In this way, the two of them supported Zhu Yunxi and walked out of the palace.
Outside the palace, there is the huge Jin Prince's Mansion with many palaces.
Far away from the palace hall where Prince Jin's birthday banquet was held today, there were countless people serving the banquet.
A small courtyard is temporarily used to store goods today.
There was silence at the moment.
Three groups of people obviously dressed differently gathered together.
"The Taibao has already told us that when the fireworks are lit and the fireworks soar into the sky, it will be time for us to take action. At that time, we will act according to the plan, create chaos, and arrest Zhu Yunxi, Zhu Fan and others."
The person opposite immediately spoke in a low voice: "My master said, everything has been arranged in advance. When the time comes, Zhu Yunxi and Zhu Fan will go to the theater to watch the fireworks, and the theater troupe will create chaos. You will form a siege and we will wait.
The outside will cover you and move people away from Prince Jin's Mansion."
"Can you kill someone?"
A somewhat slurred Chinese language came from the mouth of a bearded man.
The two people in front were stunned and looked at this barbarian and reckless man from outside the pass.
"Except Zhu Yunxi and Zhu Fan, everyone else can be killed!"