When Zhu Biao was only one step away from the truth (really only one step?), he was stopped by Zhu Yuanzhang's rage.
Ma Xiuying also learned about this later, and she rarely cared about her image and laughed very heartily.
"Biao'er, your personality is indeed not like your father, but it is like your mother." Ma Xiuying smiled and tapped Zhu Biao's nose.
Zhu Biao suddenly realized: "Yes, that's right!" That's right, my personality is indeed very similar to my mother's!
Ma Xiuying smiled and said, "Look, I have five children. Except for you, all of them have personalities very similar to your father. If you weren't my biological child, how sad I would be? Of all the children, not one looks like me."
Zhu Yuanzhang: “???”
Zhu Biao immediately said, "Ah, yes!"
He slammed his head. "I'm so busy thinking about how I don't look like my dad, why don't I think about the fact that I'm the only one who looks like my mom?"
Zhu Biao sighed: "Mom, we are so miserable. We are the only two reliable people in this family."
Ma Xiuying sighed along with her son: "Yes."
Zhu Yuanzhang: "Ah, no, you two..."
Zhu Wenzheng put his arm on Zhu Yuanzhang's shoulder to stop him from talking: "Fourth Uncle, all right, shut up and stop arguing. Biao'er said that arguing is just quibbling."
Zhu Yuanzhang: “…” I’m so angry!
Zhu Biao said, "But it turns out that Mother really did get close to Empress Ma? That's not like Mother's personality."
Ma Xiuying glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang, who had ruined her image, with a helpless look.
Zhu Yuanzhang quickly looked up and almost whistled.
Ma Xiuying explained, "Of course I didn't say those things. Don't listen to your father's nonsense. But if I wanted to get close to her, I did. You know, your mother and Empress Ma had similar experiences, and they happened to have the same surname, so they were relatively close."
Ma Xiuying sighed slightly and said, "In fact, the closest thing between Empress Ma and me is that we share the same surname. As for our experiences, most of the wives of nobles in the court are similar to us."
Zhu Biao immediately understood what Ma Xiuying said.
Most of the nobles under Emperor Hongwu had risen from the peasantry through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
When they were serving under various deceased warlords, they were recruited because of their bravery, but they were not qualified to marry other people's daughters.
Many warlords, including Zhu Yuanzhang, liked to adopt sons, and many warlords born into powerful families also liked to adopt "adopted daughters." These "adopted daughters" were gifts to win over subordinates.
Therefore, many of the original wives of the nobles in the court were adopted daughters of certain generals, officials and powerful people.
Ma Xiuying said, "For adopted daughters like us, our adoptive parents' families aren't really considered our natal families. Some have even turned against each other. All our glory and honor are tied to our husband's family, which is a huge advantage. Empress Ma brought us together to teach us how to be good nobles and not hold our husband's family back."
Zhu Biao immediately rolled his eyes. "I don't know about the others, but some say Empress Ma got a great deal by marrying the emperor. I think they deserve a slap in the face. Empress Ma's adopted daughter is different from the ordinary daughters adopted by powerful people. Her family is a close friend of Guo Zixing, and they are also from a wealthy family. Empress Ma is not an adopted daughter, she is an adopted daughter!"
"Back then, Guo Zixing was entrusted by Ma Gong, who was fleeing from disaster, and he accepted Ma Gong's last words, which were to give Empress Ma a good home. Even if he didn't regard Empress Ma as his own daughter, he shouldn't have treated her so badly..."
Before Zhu Biao could finish his words, Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted him hastily, "Biao'er, what do you mean by humiliating me? Isn't the emperor a good husband?!"
Ma Xiuying also smiled: "Yes, Biao'er, even the Emperor cannot be called a good son-in-law, so there is no better husband than this."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded vigorously.
Zhu Biao sneered: "The current master is the emperor. When Empress Ma married the master, the master was the emperor?"
Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned: "This..."
Zhu Biao crossed his arms and said, "What conditions did you have when Empress Ma married me? You were a monk, a beggar, and even a fugitive because of a letter from Uncle Tang. By the time you joined Guo Zixing's army, you were already 27, your parents dead, and you had no one to rely on. You were just an old bachelor and a soldier."
Zhu Yuanzhang: “…” Stop swearing, stop swearing. If you continue swearing your father will spank you!
Zhu Wenzheng nodded vigorously: "That's right!"
Zhu Yuanzhang glared. "I'll take care of you later!"
Zhu Biao said to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Father, think about this. Imagine Uncle Tang, Uncle Xu, and Uncle Zhou were to replace Ma Gong. Before they died, they entrusted you with a daughter. You adopted her and promised to take good care of their only blood relative. Would you marry your adopted daughter off to someone like our lord just because you had a 'good eye for him'?"
Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to shout "Yes!", but he ground his teeth for a long time and his voice became smaller and smaller: "...No."
Ma Xiuying laughed out loud, tears streaming down her face. "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore."
Zhu Biao said: "If you don't want to talk about it, then don't talk about it. I am just speaking up for Empress Ma. Many people say that Empress Ma was not good to the Guo family. The Guo family did support Empress Ma for a few years, but when they married Empress Ma to a beggar, Empress Ma had already repaid their kindness. As for what happened later..."
Zhu Biao sneered: "A beggar became an emperor, an orphan girl became an empress. That's what they deserve because of the mutual support and achievements of the couple. Why are others gossiping about it?"
"Who's taking advantage of whom? When the lord was still a beggar, no one married their own daughter to him. Even Guo Shanfu only allowed his children to join the lord after he had already taken control of Guo Zixing's army and became the de facto leader of the Red Turban Army in Haozhou. What's with fortune-telling? He doesn't know shit!"
"My lord, all the concubines in your harem are married to either Marshal Zhu, King Zhu Ming, or Emperor Zhu. Only Empress Ma married Beggar Zhu, the soldier Zhu. If my lord allows these rumors to spread and doesn't properly protect Empress Ma, the only one willing to marry Beggar Zhu, then honestly, I despise him!"
Zhu Biao put his hands on his hips and said, "Given Empress Ma's background and the long-standing friendship between the Ma and Guo families, if she had brought up her father's last words and cried in front of Guo Zixing, I don't believe that Guo Zixing, who cares so much about his reputation, would dare to give his adopted daughter away so casually!"
Ma Xiuying laughed even harder, her eyes reddening. "You guessed right about that. Empress Ma volunteered. Apart from anything else, the emperor's face and honest demeanor back then made him look like someone who would live a peaceful life. Who knew he would eventually become emperor?"
Zhu Wenzheng nodded vigorously: "That's right! My adoptive father looked very honest when he was young!"
Zhu Yuanzhang: "..." I'm honest? If I were honest, I would have starved to death when I was a beggar! Do you think being a beggar is easy?
Li Wenzhong coughed dryly, rarely stopping Zhu Wenzheng: "That's absolutely true. If I hear anyone gossiping, I'll punch them in the eyes."
Chen Ying crossed his arms and said politely, "Foster father was busy with government affairs and didn't hear those gossips. Otherwise, given Father's personality, he would have personally stepped forward to kick them."
Zhu Yuanzhang immediately followed Chen Ying's words and said, "That's right! Biao'er! You have to trust the emperor!"
Zhu Biao said: "It doesn't matter whether I believe him or not. Even if I look down on him, he is still the emperor. I am just muttering to myself."
Ma Xiuying gently pinched her son's cheek and said, "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. What does their affairs have to do with us?"
Zhu Biao frowned. "That's right. My father wouldn't be like that. My father's moral sense regarding men and women is far superior to yours."
Zhu Wenzheng quickly said seriously, "That's right! Fourth Uncle is not lustful at all."
Li Wenzhong: "...Everything is fine, everything is fine."
Chen Ying: "Godfather...of course."
Zhu Yuanzhang: “…That’s right!”
The Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang was lustful, and it had nothing to do with me, Chen Guorui... Zhu Guorui, not at all.
When Zhu Yuanzhang was about to break out in a cold sweat, fortunately Chang Yuchun arrived in time and discussed with Zhu Biao how to arrange the labor reform camp for the construction of the palace.
With the important matter at hand, Zhu Biao immediately devoted himself to the work, thus preventing Zhu Yuanzhang from being roasted by his own son.
When the three adopted sons saw Zhu Biao leave, they knew that Zhu Yuanzhang would soon become angry and embarrassed, so they quickly found excuses to leave the city and return to the military camp to hide.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Ma Xiuying and felt embarrassed: "Xiuying..."
Ma Xiuying reached over and gently pinched Zhu Yuanzhang's earlobe, angrily saying, "Did you hear what Biao'er said? If you don't protect me well, I'll look down on you!"
Zhu Yuanzhang breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Don't worry, no one can hurt you with me here. But after hearing what Biao'er said, I remembered that Guo Zixing..."
Yes, no matter how handsome I am, I was just a beggar who came to seek refuge. My daughter Xiuying is the only blood of your close friend Guo Zixing. Don't you feel guilty about marrying Xiuying to a beggar?
Ma Xiuying said calmly, "It's all in the past. I was an orphan with no one to rely on, and you were a beggar with no one to rely on. Were we not a perfect match? It was a perfect match."
Zhu Yuanzhang felt a sudden pang of pain in his heart. He held Ma Xiuying's arm and changed the subject, saying, "Now we are Emperor Zhu and Empress Ma, the perfect match. The summer heat is intense. Go back to your room and rest well. Biao'er has put plenty of ice in your room. I think we will be much more comfortable with Biao'er than being the emperor and empress in Yingtian."
Ma Xiuying smiled and said, "Biao'er loves to enjoy himself, but he doesn't harm the people. If the rich people in the world had Biao'er's ability, what would happen if they were allowed to enjoy luxury?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said proudly, "That's right. But who can compare with us, Biao'er?"
…
Zhu Biao was always unscrupulous in front of his parents. Even when he almost thought that his son was not his biological son, he believed his parents' explanation and continued to act unscrupulously.
In fact, he was still skeptical about what Zhu Yuanzhang said, but his mother's words made so much sense that Zhu Biao believed them too much.
No matter how you think about it, you are your mother's child. No one is allowed to question it.
What Zhu Biao said was actually a sarcastic and indirect criticism, asking his father to be more obedient.
His father was very honest now, but Zhu Biao knew that many noble families had seen new lovers competing for favor with their old wives. If such a thing dared to happen in his family, Zhu Biao would no longer uphold any humanitarian spirit and would sell the wife if she needed to, or send her back to her parents' home if she needed to.
Dare to object? If you, Zhu Guorui, and I, Zhu Biao, have the guts to separate?
Zhu Guorui's family was still peaceful. However, when Beiping was named Beijing and Yingtian was renamed Nanjing, Emperor Hongwu issued another decree, posthumously conferring the title of Prince Xu on Empress Ma's father, Ma Gong, and the title of Lady Xu on her mother, Zheng Ai. In the decree, he recounted how Empress Ma had been loyal to him when he was still a soldier, and said that only Empress Ma was his, Zhu Yuanzhang's, wife.
This decree made the concubines' families in the court panic.
Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma adopted dozens of adopted sons. In the original history, most of these adopted sons died in battle. But in this time and space, Zhu Yuanzhang's conquest of the empire was much easier, and many of his adopted sons survived.
Those adopted sons tried to find out whether some ignorant concubine was showing off in front of their adoptive mother, and they were all furious.
Hu Quan, who had become a little ostentatious because he had become the grandfather of a prince, immediately shrank his neck and pretended to be sick at home; Hu Tingrui, who had quarreled with Hu Quan every day, also volunteered to guard the border and did not dare to stay in Nanjing; the Guo family, who had been a little restless recently due to being instigated by others, also quieted down.
From then on, the rumors about Empress Ma disappeared.
Even though Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying were not in Nanjing, the palace and Nanjing City were peaceful.
Zhu Biao was stunned for a long time when he saw Zhu Yuanzhang's edict.
How come I secretly cursed Zhu Yuanzhang and then he issued an order to correct his mistake?
His father immediately said, "Of course it was me who submitted the memorial!"
"Oh." Zhu Biao scratched his head, hid the strangeness in his heart, suppressed his random thoughts, and continued to do his work.
Although he was only the prefect of Peking, he was in charge of more than just Peking's affairs.
News came from the court that the Ming Dynasty was going to establish two provinces, "Southern Zhili" and "Northern Zhili", in Nanjing and Beijing. Zhu Biao would most likely become the chief officer of "Northern Zhili" in charge of civil affairs, and would jointly rule the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun with Prince of Yan Zhu Wenzhen.
In terms of regional division, Zhu Yuanzhang originally wanted to change the Yuan Dynasty's terminology and change the "Xingzhongshusheng" to "Chengxuanzhengshisi".
When he discussed it with Zhu Biao, Zhu Biao told him that a complicated and difficult-to-pronounce name would cause great trouble to official communication and people's lives, and it would be better to keep it as simple as possible.
In fact, the administrative planning before the Song Dynasty was very good. The titles of Inspector and Governor were no better than the series of difficult-to-remember official titles that came later.
Zhu Yuanzhang thought about the headache he felt when he looked at the official positions in the Song and Yuan dynasties, and agreed with it deeply.
Therefore, since the people were used to the "Xingzhongshu Sheng", it was simply simplified to "Sheng". Under the province was the "Fu", under the Fu was the "Zhou", under the "Zhou" was the "Xian", and the highest administrative chief was the Zhisheng, Zhifu, Zhizhou, and Zhixian, respectively. The four-element administrative planning system of province, prefecture, state, and county was still in place.
Other official positions also follow the official system of the Han and Tang dynasties, and the names are simplified if possible to avoid increasing "administrative costs."
This "administrative cost" was also taught to Zhu Yuanzhang by Zhu Biao.
If a country is regarded as a large business group, many things that Zhu Yuanzhang was completely clueless about could be answered based on the "rich businessman experience" he had gained from assisting Zhu Biao for many years.
Zhu Yuanzhang used an abacus to calculate "costs" and "expenditures" every day, and shouted "budget" and "deficit", which made the court quite uncomfortable except for the first few civil servants who followed him. Some civil servants even submitted memorials to persuade him, saying that Zhu Yuanzhang was disrespectful to society.
Zhu Yuanzhang cursed, "Isn't being an emperor responsible for the people's food, clothing, housing, and transportation?! How can this be considered demeaning?! Shaving pennies for the Ming Dynasty is demeaning. Then, do something respectful! Come, figure out how to decently allocate funds for the military spending in the north and south, as well as the upcoming Yellow River control expenses!"
Emperor Zhu was so angry that he called himself "I", and the civil servants who tried to persuade him had to retreat.
They found Song Lian and others, hoping that Song Lian could take the lead and give them another warning.
Song Lian, a man of perfect moral character, smiled and said, "It's a simple matter. As long as you can fill the hole in the national treasury this year, I'm sure the emperor won't be embarrassed by a few copper coins."
They immediately became angry: "How are we going to make up for that much money?"
Liu Ji said angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about? Did the money come from the wind? If you think it is insulting to civility, then go and compile a book. That way, you don't have to worry about whether the soldiers and civilians will starve to death, and they won't insult your civility by using food, clothing, housing and transportation."
The visitor's face turned purple with anger, and he left in anger, cursing Liu Ji and Song Lian for not knowing how to advise the king and being treacherous ministers.
Liu Ji was furious and immediately reported to Zhu Yuanzhang, and another debate was held to debate whether "it is disrespectful to haggle over money for the sake of the country and the people."
Liu Ji became addicted to holding debates. According to him, he felt unhappy because he had held several debates but failed to convince anyone.
Zhu Biao said that Mr. Liu's symptoms had nothing to do with him.
Zhu Yuanzhang and a group of pragmatic scholars used rude methods to barely keep the Ming Dynasty, a country full of holes, running at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. This made Zhu Biao, who was guarding the border in the north, much more relaxed.
There was enough money and grain shipped from the south, and Zhu Biao could implement the "work-for-relief" policy when rebuilding the Yuan Dynasty Palace, accepting many people who were not working during the farming off-season and allowing them to have something to eat during the lean period.
Although Zhu Biao executed the order first and reported to the emperor later, the official announcements he issued all said that "Emperor Hongwu personally ordered" to let the people bow to the south before every meal.
When Zhu Yuanzhang was on a secret visit to Beijing with his hands behind his back, he heard that his reputation was rising steadily. Less than two years after he ascended the throne, he became known as "a great wise ruler rarely seen in a century" in the eyes of the people. He was at a loss whether to laugh or cry and could not help but sigh.
"Just by filling the people's stomachs for a short time, you can become a wise ruler for all ages. How easy is it to be a wise ruler?" Zhu Yuanzhang laughed at himself.
A ragged old man nearby said, "That's true. But it seems so easy, so why can't so many emperors do it?"
Zhu Yuanzhang listened to the old man's sigh beside him and looked over in confusion.
The old man looked at the towering imperial palace with a complicated expression. Although he responded to Zhu Yuanzhang's words, he did not look at Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang had a pair of discerning eyes and immediately realized that the old man in front of him might be a talented person, so he immediately invited the old man to have tea and dinner.
The old man shook his head and walked towards the government office with a sad face.
Zhu Yuanzhang was very curious, so he followed the old man and escorted him all the way.
It happened that Zhu Biao was jumping around at the gate of the government office, not knowing what he was doing. Zhu Yuanzhang stopped him and asked in confusion, "Biao'er, what are you doing?"
Zhu Biao said, "I'm testing how much force this cement board can withstand. If it works, I'll use cement to replace the gold bricks."
Gold bricks were "tribute floor tiles" shipped from Suzhou when Yongle was building his palace. They were called "gold bricks" because they sounded like gold and stone, and each brick cost one ounce of gold. The fact that Yongle chose gold bricks as tribute when building his palace suggests that they had been around for many years.
The Yuan Dynasty imperial palace also used gold bricks, but there was no specific requirement that gold bricks be the only tribute floor tiles.
Zhu Biao felt that he couldn't afford one ounce of gold per brick, and so did Zhu Yuanzhang. They both agreed that cement floors were perfectly fine and could be rebuilt immediately if damaged.
Zhu Biao originally wanted to try using ceramic tiles, but as we all know, ceramic tiles cannot be made into durable and durable tiles by firing them using traditional techniques.
Modern tile technology comes from the West. They strictly keep the production technology and tile formula confidential. Domestic tile manufacturers rely almost entirely on imports to produce high-end tiles.
However, domestic manufacturers cannot produce tiles of uniform size and tight fit, so they manually grind the tiles after they leave the factory. The cost is cheaper than high-end foreign tiles, so most of the domestic decoration market still uses tiles produced by domestic manufacturers.
Zhu Biao had visited a high-end tile factory, but this was inconsistent with his business interests. Zhu Biao's memory stick was a "storage" stick; only what he had memorized in his previous life could be "retrieved" in this life. Therefore, his memory hall lacked tile-making recipes, which was a pity.
Therefore, Zhu Biao could only hope to use cement to replace the precious stone slabs that cost one or two ounces of gold each. If he found it ugly, he would inlay porcelain tiles and other decorations on the cement surface.
Zhu Biao really racked his brains to think of ways to cut corners and build a palace that was all show and no substance.
Zhu Yuanzhang happily offered suggestions and was happy with this kind of "cutting corners" that gave him face and did not consume too much manpower and material resources.
"Let others try it, why are you jumping?" Zhu Yuanzhang said, and then he went up and jumped twice.
Zhu Biao said: "I just think it's very interesting."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "It is indeed very interesting."
The three adopted sons guarding Zhu Yuanzhang were speechless.
Biaoer also said that he and his adoptive father are not similar at all , but in fact they are very similar in some ways.
The father and son chatted for a while, and then Zhu Yuanzhang introduced the old man who had been observing them from behind to Zhu Biao.
Zhu Biao bowed and said, "Father, may I ask what brings you to the government office? If you have any financial difficulties, please register first and I will do my best to help you."
The old man's voice was a little sharp: "Can you solve the life difficulties of every citizen?"
Zhu Biao was stunned for a moment, then he understood the old man's likely identity. He said sternly, "No, but as long as you have hands and feet and are willing to work, you probably won't starve to death. But I'm not a god. If I encounter an elderly or weak person whose family doesn't support them and who can't afford to support them, I can only watch them starve to death. I simply can't take care of everyone."
The old man didn't expect Zhu Biao's answer to be so straightforward.
He looked around at the people who were mixing cement near the government office.
After hearing what Zhu Biao said, the people all glared at the old man, as if he had bullied his beloved child.
The prefect is the parent official, which means that the prefect should take care of the people like parents take care of their children.
The old man heard rumors along the way when he entered Beijing that Zhu Biao was a very good official, and the villages along the way all placed tablets for Zhu Biao in their village ancestral halls.
He always wondered how kind and majestic Zhu Biao looked when he interacted with the people.
Seeing Zhu Biao today, he remembered how young he was. The common people who regarded Zhu Biao as their parents acted more like doting parents when they interacted with him in person.
The old man understood the people's anger.
Our Biaoer has been working hard and doing great, so why are you, an outsider, nagging me? Do you want to get beaten up?!
This was exactly the same thing his old friend had said to protect his grandson. He continued to laugh at him and was chased out of the house by his old friend with a broom.
The mansion where he and his old friend quarreled has become a school, and the sound of reading aloud coming from inside is actually a woman's voice.
The old friend's residence was only separated from the imperial harem by a wall and a street. It was said that the concubines of the Ming Dynasty would open a gate here, directly entering and leaving the girls' school to teach the noble ladies.
It's ridiculous.
The old man suddenly lost interest and no longer had any desire to argue with the boy in front of him.
He bowed to Zhu Biao and said, "I am Wang Liang, the councilor of the Central Secretariat of the Great Yuan Dynasty."
Behind him, a young man who looked like a son or a guard, a man who had walked silently all the way, also clasped his fists and said, "I am Zhang Yu, the Privy Councilor of the Great Yuan Dynasty."
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyelids jumped, and he immediately put Zhu Biao behind him.
His three adopted sons were already standing in front of him, and upon hearing this, they grasped the hilts of their knives.
Zhu Biao was also startled: "Ah...these...please stand up quickly, let's go in and talk...don't get excited, don't get excited, they must be good people who have returned to join our Ming Dynasty!"
The people raised their shovels and sticks and shouted excitedly, "Sir, don't be fooled by them. There are no good people among the Yuan Tartars!"
One of them, a tall and strong man who looked like a Mongolian, howled the loudest: "The Yuan Tartars are no good! They never let me eat enough!"
Zhu Biao smiled bitterly and said, "Let me ask first if he's a good person. Don't worry, look, my father and... Prince Yan are both here. Who can defeat Prince Yan?"
Zhu Wenzhen, who pretended to be a guard and had no idea that he was the "Prince of Yan", the one with the highest official position among them, was stunned for a while before helping Zhu Biao to appease the people.
I am the King of Yan, the King of Yan who often goes to the grasslands to rob cattle and sheep! With me here, we are not afraid of the Yuan Tartars' reckless behavior!
Zhu Wenzhen's plain and simple words of persuasion made Wang Liang and Zhang Yu look a little unhappy.
The people were very impressed by this and calmed down. Zhu Biao was able to invite Wang Liang and Zhang Yu into his official residence from among the people.
Zhu Yuanzhang followed Zhu Biao with swagger, wanting to see what these two high-ranking officials of the remaining Yuan Dynasty were up to.
These two high-ranking officials of the remaining Yuan Dynasty who returned to the south had no intention of selling any medicine. They simply came back to the south.
In order to consolidate their power, the two Yuan emperors and princes who were driven back to the grasslands quickly changed back from Yuan emperors to Mongolian kings.
Many Han officials of the remaining Yuan Dynasty transformed themselves and continued to serve as the confidants of the Mongolian king; some Han officials wavered between the ideas of loyalty to the emperor and love for the people, and could not turn a blind eye to the cruelty of the Mongolian king after he turned back into a slave owner, so they secretly fled south.
Most of these Han officials who fled south were killed by the Mongols or even their own people. Wang Liang and Zhang Yu teamed up, and it was thanks to Zhang Yu's bravery that they were able to return to the land of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Yuanzhang didn't care about Wang Liang, who looked miserable and might be a great scholar. He was very curious about the young- looking Yuan Privy Councilor.
The Yuan Dynasty's Privy Council, inherited from the Song Dynasty, was nominally the highest military institution, headed by the Privy Councilor. If an official holding other official positions concurrently served as Privy Councilor, they were called "Zhiyuan." Later, the Zhiyuan became equivalent to the Privy Councilor.
The high-ranking officials of the Yuan Dynasty's Privy Council had always been Mongolian nobles. The fact that Zhang Yu, a Han Chinese, could become the Privy Councilor was sufficient proof of his ability, even though he was now vacant at the Yuan Dynasty court.
Zhu Biao chatted with the two Yuan officials who returned from the south for a while, and Zhu Yuanzhang felt even more itchy.
Zhang Yu is only 26 years old this year. He is so young that he can work under me until Biaoer ascends the throne!
Zhu Biao wasn't particularly excited to see such talent. While Wang Liang and Zhang Yu were formidable, the Ming Dynasty was not without its share of such capable individuals. No matter how capable they were, they still needed to serve time in a labor reform camp. Otherwise, if they surrendered, they would be offered high positions. What would those veteran Ming generals who had been with them think?
Zhu Biao also told the two very honestly that he would take care of their lives immediately, but regardless of whether they would become officials in the future, they would have to go to a labor reform camp.
"Although it's offensive, I don't believe the officials who fled north with the Yuan Dynasty have the people in their hearts. So you must learn to work among the people for a while, get to know them, and understand their difficulties. Only then will I let you go." Zhu Biao said, "Rewards and punishments are clear. This is also for the people to see."
Wang Liang asked, "What if I don't agree?"
Zhu Biao smiled and said, "If you accept labor reform, you will be a member of the Ming Dynasty. After that, it is up to you to accept the recommendation or return home to live in seclusion. If you do not accept, then you will still be an official of the Yuan Dynasty. I can only put you in prison and judge you as I should."
Wang Liang frowned, "Isn't the prefect afraid that this move will discourage the Yuan officials who want to return south?"
Zhu Biao said, "I only care about whether this will chill the hearts of Ming officials and the people. If you follow the Yuan Dynasty to fight against the Ming Dynasty, and then follow the Yuan Dynasty emperor to flee north, you will immediately be able to gain high positions and generous salaries upon your return. Then what will happen to the soldiers who shed blood and sacrificed their lives for the Ming Dynasty?"
Zhu Yuanzhang's joy at having such a talented person was shaken by Zhu Biao's words, as if a basin of ice water was poured over his head, and he immediately calmed down.
He said in a deep voice: "Biao'er is right. This is the rule of our Ming Dynasty."
Wang Liang said, "From ancient times to the present, there has never been an emperor who treated a surrendered minister like this!"
Zhu Biao retorted sharply, "That's right. From ancient times to the present, the emperor has rotated, and as long as the officials surrender , they will always be high-ranking officials. As I think, if someone abandons the land that gave birth to him and raised him, and abandons the common people on this land, it's best not to come back. But I can't fight the trend of the world, and I can't change the fact that emperors come and go, but the aristocratic families and powerful people remain. At the very least, we need to establish a rule of rewards and punishments so that fence-sitters don't waver too easily!"
Being described by Zhu Biao as a fence-sitter, Wang Liang's face suddenly turned very ugly.
Zhang Yu immediately defended Wang Liang, saying, "Master Wang isn't... he's not some fence-sitter. He truly serves the people and returned south after seeing the Yuan Emperor's brutality."
Zhu Biao laughed: "You only see it now? How many years has the Central Plains been rotten? Even if you two never left Dadu, when the Yuan Emperor practiced Joyful Zen, he allowed the officials' wives to take turns to come to the palace to practice dual cultivation. Even when officials were in meetings, the officials' wives were naked, practicing the Heavenly Demon Dance with the lamas. When the wives of themselves or their colleagues were insulted by the emperor, where were the good officials who were dedicated to serving the people?! Or were the good officials of the Yuan Dynasty so noble that they only considered the herdsmen as the people, and not their own relatives and friends?!"
Zhang Yu and Wang Liang both looked pale.
Zhang Yu looked at Wang Liang, his lips moving: "Is this... is this true?"
Zhu Biao was puzzled: "Aren't you the Privy Councilor? Don't you know what's going on in the palace?"
Zhang Yu said awkwardly, "I came from the military and just became the Privy Councilor."
Zhu Biao: "Oh. What I said is true. You can tell by looking at his expression."
Wang Liang squeezed out the words from between his teeth: "No wonder Chen Xueshi was scolded to death by you."
Zhu Biao said confidently, "I have never scolded anyone to death. If I have done nothing wrong in my life, I will not be afraid of ghosts knocking on my door in the middle of the night. Scholars are upright and righteous, and are immune to evil spirits. How could I be scolded to death?"
Wang Liang asked, "Then how did Scholar Chen die? Was he killed by you?!"
Zhu Biao was even more confident: "A strong fortress can only be broken from the inside. I just told him some truths, but he couldn't stand it. Isn't this just him being ashamed and seeking his own death?"
Wang Liang stood up: "You!"
Zhu Biao also stood up: "What do you mean by 'you'? If you have any objections to what I said, refute me with reason and evidence. If you can't refute me, then shut up and listen to me! This is Beijing, the former capital of the Yuan Dynasty. The wives and daughters of the officials who died tragically in the palace are staring at you, a group of good officials!"
Zhu Biao walked to the window, opened the one facing the palace, and turned to Wang Liang, saying, "Come on! Do you dare to declare loudly in front of the palace that you have a clear conscience? Do you dare to say that the emperor's grace and majesty are like thunder and rain, and that offering your wife and daughters to please the king is the duty of a subject? Do you dare to say that your actions are worthy of the heavens and the earth?"
Zhu Biao swung his sleeves and put his hands behind his back. "It's just to send you to a labor reform camp, to be an ordinary citizen for a while, so you can understand how hard life is for ordinary people and how difficult it is to be self-sufficient. After that, with your qualifications and knowledge, you will still be a superior person. You even refuse to endure this little hardship. Do you think it's a humiliation to you?!"
Wang Liang's body was shaking, and Zhang Yu immediately supported Wang Liang's body and continued to help him breathe.
A brave young general was almost crying after being scolded by Zhu Biao: "Chen Zhifu... No, Zhu Zhifu, stop scolding, stop scolding, I will go, Wang Xueshi and I will go, we have no intention of not going, Wang Xueshi is just testing you to see if you are really a good official."
Zhu Biao put his hands behind his back and raised his head, saying, "Whether I am a good official or not is for the people to judge. No one else has the right to judge me except the people under my rule."
Wang Liang gritted his teeth and said, "Even your emperor is not qualified to judge you?"
Zhu Biao's heart skipped a beat. Oh my god, he's been trapped.
Zhu Yuanzhang calmly replied, "Yes. Biao'er serves the people, not the emperor. Whether he is a good official or not is for the people to judge. Even the emperor has no right to judge. The emperor approves of this matter."
Zhu Biao glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang and said, "Our Ming emperor was born into a poor family. He understands what it means to be a good official better than you do. Don't use your shallow knowledge to judge a great emperor."
After Zhu Biao finished speaking, he stepped out of the door, rushed into the backyard, and shouted loudly: "Doctor Tang, Doctor Tang, help!"
Doctor Tang, whose hair and beard were already white, came out of the pharmacy with a sigh and said in a loud voice, "Biao'er, what's wrong with you again?"
Zhu Biao immediately said: "I didn't cause any trouble, it was the trouble that caused me!"
Doctor Tang asked the apprentice behind him to carry the medicine box and said, "Come on, come on. Who are you mad at?"
Zhu Biao was embarrassed: "Well, one, an old official of the Yuan Dynasty who came back from the grassland."
Doctor Tang paused, then walked briskly.
He was afraid that if he was a step too slow, Biaoer would once again create the feat of "scolding the old man to death".