Li Shanchang was thinking about the wording, and Emperor Hongwu beckoned to him, "Come on, choose one, and accompany me to finish this chess game." ”

Li Shanchang chose Baizi, and he seemed to drop a son at random. A quarter of an hour later, the draw on the chessboard immediately changed, and the white son had the upper hand, entangled the black son like a python, and the victory was already divided.

Zhu Yuanzhang used to be an illiterate Fengyang peasant, and Li Shanchang was born in Fengyang's scholarly family, Zhu Yuanzhang became a party figure, and there were Li Shanchang and other staff members around him to teach him to read and write, speaking in the vernacular, and being able to basically express the meaning, as for the elegant pastime of playing chess, Li Shanchang won a big victory after a quarter of an hour, which was enough for Zhu Yuanzhang.

Emperor Hongwu happily abandoned his son and admitted defeat, as if he was quite happy to lose, and sighed: "I, a stinky chess basket, only deserve to play with Xu Da and Chang Yuchun." ”

A very common sentence, Li Shanchang was shocked when he heard it at this time, and hurriedly said: "Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and when it comes to playing chess, Weichen is far better than the emperor and the Duke of Wei." However, when it comes to governing the country and fighting wars, Weichen is ashamed of himself. ”

Emperor Hongwu waved his hand, "I'm depressed today, let's just talk about playing chess, don't talk about the headache of governing the country and fighting wars." Aiqing is a well-known talent in Fengyang's hometown, and he has been proficient in chess since he was a child. I am the son of a tenant farmer, and when you can play chess, I and Xu Da are still ignorant, rubbing mud in the fields and throwing each other around. There are some gaps, which are destined from the womb of the child, and they will not be able to catch up with the horse in the future. ”

Li Shanchang's shirt was already soaked with cold sweat, and he said: "The emperor is the true dragon prince, and Weichen is just an ordinary man." The emperor's poverty at home when he was young was a catastrophe set up by God in order to sharpen the emperor's mind, the book also said that if you want to achieve great things, you must first suffer its mind, work its muscles and bones, starve its body and skin, and empty its body. ”

Emperor Hongwu smiled, "You, you are worthy of being the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, and even these words of praise are better than those ordinary officials." ”

Li Shanchang would rather see Emperor Hongwu who was furious and scolded him with his head and face, rather than see Zhu Yuanzhang, who was kind and happy, as if nothing had happened.

Li Shanchang said: "These words come from the bottom of my heart, the emperor recovered the Central Plains and ruled the world, such a credit, even after tens of thousands of years, no one in the land of China knows the emperor's prestige." ”

Emperor Hongwu shook his head and said: "This is too early to say, I have also read history books, this history was created by people like me, but in the end it was written by people like you." The history known to future generations is told by you literati with pen and ink, even if I have the power to live and kill and take away, but for history books, once I return to the sea, can I still manage the pen of the historian? ”

Li Shanchang hurriedly said: "The emperor is prosperous for a thousand years, long live, long live, long live!" ”

Emperor Hongwu sighed: "The Son of Heaven will also be old and will die, hoping for the next generation." It is not easy to fight the country, and it is even more difficult to defend the country. Aiqing, I am not as good as you in chess, the prince has been taught by you since he was a child, how is his chess skills? ”

Unexpectedly, the topic was still rounded here by Emperor Hongwu's words, and Li Shanchang said in fear: "The prince has been smart since he was a child, and now he is playing against Weichen, and he has about five wins in ten games." ”

Emperor Hongwu put the chess pieces into the box one by one, not distinguishing between joy and anger, "In this way, you and the prince are evenly matched." ”

Li Shanchang hurriedly added, "It's the prince who is benevolent, and he pities Weichen for being old, so let Weichen go." ”

But Emperor Hongwu asked again, "Yun Wei is also deeply taught by you, how is his chess skills better than yours?" ”

Li Shanchang kept his head down, not daring to look directly at Long Yan, and the cold sweat on the tip of his nose dripped onto the well-defined chessboard, "The emperor and grandson are rare to see in a hundred years

's genius boy, since he was eight years old, Weichen has rarely had a chance to win. Not to mention a courtier like Weichen, who is tired of the case, even today's Go saint, the emperor and grandson, have the ability to fight. ”

When it came to his favorite imperial grandson, Emperor Hongwu had a smile on his face, "So I just said that there are some gaps, which are destined from the womb of the child, and they can't catch up with the horse." The prince and Yun Wei will be reincarnated, they never know what hunger is like, and as soon as they learned to speak, a group of Confucian scholars taught them to read and write. ”

"And I, my parents are illiterate, and after I was born, I weighed eight catties, so I casually called Zhu Chongba, and I didn't even have a name. For as long as I can remember, all the memories are related to hunger and death, my father, my brother, and my two younger sisters all starved to death, and I didn't feel so sad at the time, because every family was starving to death, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun were too, as if it was normal for the dead to die, but it was strange not to starve to death, the whole world was so absurd and crazy, those who died...... None of them had a good baby. ”

Li Shanchang said: "The emperor's merits are high, pacifying the world, ending the war, and they are reincarnated in the current peaceful years in the next life, all of which are the emperor's credits." ”

Emperor Hongwu said: "No, how can it be all my credit." I am Zhu Ming, and Aiqing has contributed at least half of his efforts. ”

Li Shanchang sat on a needle carpet, simply stood up and said tremblingly: "Weichen does not dare to be greedy for merit, in terms of merit, Xu Da, the Duke of Wei, is the first hero of the founding of the country." ”

Emperor Hongwu glanced at him deeply, "Soldiers and horses can win the world, but it depends on you civil servants to rule the world." ”

Li Shanchang knelt down and said: "There are talents in the country. Weichen is old, his old eyes are dizzy, and he is powerless in state affairs, so he asks the emperor to ask Weichen to return to his hometown. ”

Li Shanchang had resigned twice before, and he originally planned to arrange a retreat, and then propose it for the third time next year, looking at the current situation, the emperor is obviously suspicious of himself, so let's quickly surrender and leave.

Li Shanchang guessed that King Yan and Xu Miaoyi returned to the palace in the early morning to complain to Zhu Yuanzhang, but all the evidence was snatched away and destroyed by him, and Zhu Yuanzhang could not turn his face to himself after listening to his words.

After all, he is the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, the leader of the world and the civil ministers, but it is not like when the evidence was conclusive and ironclad when he killed Xie Zaixing's whole family.

Killing Li Shanchang at this time, how did Emperor Hongwu explain to the hundred officials of the imperial court?

Emperor Hongwu quietly looked at Li Shanchang who was kneeling on the ground, and did not respond for a long time, just now he knocked and tried to do it, Li Shanchang's reaction was always humble and deferential, not at all like a rebel who could assassinate the prince's crazy behavior.

But it is impossible for King Yan and Xu Miaoyi to identify Prime Minister Daming as the murderer for no reason...... But they were able to escape back and have already shed a layer of skin, without any evidence at hand, just relying on two mouths, a suspicious person like Zhu Yuanzhang would not believe it.

Li Shanchang is 14 years older than Zhu Yuanzhang, he is old and calculating, and he assisted him to build the country, survived countless difficulties, and the monarch and ministers have shared weal and woe for many years...... But when he thought of the wound on King Yan's body, Zhu Yuanzhang, who was a father, was distressed, and he dared to attack my son, no matter who it was, it was unforgivable!

Li Shanchang was motionless, unable to kneel for a long time, and time seemed to stand still forever at this moment.

After a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Why do you suddenly want to leave today?" ”

Li Shanchang said: "The Ming Dynasty has been founded for four years, the emperor governs the country in a way, the prince and the emperor and grandson are also diligent and benevolent, the minister can rest assured that the old man resigned. Weichen was worried that he was old and dizzy, and his corpse was a vegetarian meal, and he had betrayed the emperor's trust, so he thought about three words. ”

"Just now accompanied the emperor to play chess, Weichen sighed in his heart, in fact, for Weichen, the mission of making contributions has been achieved, and the chess game belonging to Weichen has ended, it's time to stop and hand over the next game to the newcomer. Weichen can still walk around with this old bone, and takes his old wife to swim all over the beautiful mountains and rivers of Daming, begging the emperor to fulfill it. ”

The prime minister told the old man to resign, the rule is to resign three times and stay three, even if the monarch and the minister get along unhappily, they must put on a posture that is difficult to give up, in line with etiquette and human feelings, Li Shanchang will leave sooner or later, and he has also discussed with Emperor Hongwu the candidate for the next prime minister, and both sides are tacitly waiting for the third time...... It's just that neither of them expected that this third time would come so quickly.

And it came so coincidentally.

Emperor Hongwu was suspicious in his heart, King Yan and Xu Miaoyi both identified Li Shanchang, but Li Shanchang's performance was not leaky, Jinyiwei had been monitoring him, and found any suspicions.

If the murderer is not Li Shanchang, then King Yan and Xu Miaoyi should have fallen into someone else's trap and committed murder in the name of Li Shanchang to divide the monarch and ministers. I'm definitely not going to fall for the trick on Li Shanchang.

If the murderer was really Li Shanchang, and the Xie Zaixing case was really done by him before, he was really mad to the point of chasing and killing the prince. I can't do anything to Li Shanchang immediately, because there is no evidence, and secondly, the government and the opposition are all his henchmen and protégés, and if Li Shanchang is killed, there will inevitably be turmoil inside and outside the court, and the foundation of the Ming Dynasty may be ruined......

At least not for now. When he resigned, I promoted the new man step by step, shoveling out his henchmen while keeping a close eye on him...... If he is really a murderer, he can't escape the palm of my hand!

After making a decision, Zhu Yuanzhang raised his hand, "Get up, I'm allowed." ”

Li Shanchang was overjoyed, "Thank you, Lord Longen!" ”

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "I am busy with state affairs all year round, and I can't see the mountains and rivers of the Ming Dynasty." You are my eyes, help me look at the landscape, write a travelogue, and then splash ink and draw a few strokes. ”

Li Shanchang happily agreed, paused, and said: "Weichen told the old man, everything has been arranged, there is only one thing, Weichen has thought about it for a long time, even if he risks the crime of dividing the flesh and blood of the Heavenly Family, he still has to show the emperor." ”

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately turned cold, "It's my 'Fagu Jianbang' again, the matter of sealing the vassal king, right?" Needless to say, I've made up my mind. This is my country, I divide my sons into different places, and my brothers guard the mountains and rivers together, what's wrong. ”

Li Shanchang said: "What Wechen said is not 'Fagu Jianbang'. According to the secret report of the Criminal Department, the case of the fire in the warehouse of the gunpowder factory the year before last, there was another thing in it, and it was Zhu Wenzheng's old department who took care of the warehouse, and the person who guarded the treasury was self-stealing, and smuggled the firearms from the treasury to his own grange, and this person has been secretly in contact with Zhu Shouqian, the king of Jingjiang——"

Emperor Hongwu scolded loudly and interrupted: "Why don't you report such a major case of rebellion? ”

Li Shanchang said: "Just when Weichen wanted to get the stolen goods, King Yan's people suddenly pretended to be tenant farmers and mixed into the grange, and all the firearms in the grange disappeared mysteriously the next day......" 166 Reading Network