When Xu Ying heard that her brother was fine, she couldn't help but put her mind at ease, and then remembered that Xu Huizu had always been hostile to her husband Zhu Quan because of the matter of dividing the feudal king.

Zhu Quan saw that Xu Yingxiu's eyebrows were slightly lame, so he immediately came behind him and hugged her into his arms, and the fragrance of his beloved wife's sideburns came from the end of his nose, and he couldn't help but feel a little confused.

"I don't know if Brother Lan has always been good?" Xu Ying asked softly.

Zhu Quan heard Xu Ying talk about Lan Yu, and couldn't help but recall the scene of Lan Yu of the Heavy Rain laughing wildly and swinging his sword to commit suicide, and after a little hesitation, he said softly: "Lan Yu, this kid is the same as Xu Huizu, every time we meet, I can't wait to swallow this king alive." Saying this in his mouth, he couldn't help but sigh secretly in his heart, I don't know if the case of Lan Yu's rebellion will involve Xu Huizu's stinky boy, at this time, Ying Mei is pregnant, and when she hears such news, she is afraid that she will be frightened in vain, and she can hide it for a while.

Xu Ying turned her back to Zhu Quan, didn't see him just faced, and when she heard the words, she didn't doubt him at all, so she put her mind at ease.

Daning City shrouded in night, the candles in the study of King Ning's Mansion were bright, and an old man in a green shirt with gray hair was sitting upright, silently listening to Zhu Quan's story about the scientific research fraud that Yingtian had experienced, Zhu Biao, the prince of Yiwen, died, and his son-in-law Zhu Yunwen was announced to the world by His Majesty the Hongwu Emperor, canonized as the prince, and the death of the Duke of Liangguo, Lan Yu, was Zhu Quan's teacher Jing Kun. ”“

After listening to Zhu Quan's brief explanation, Jing Kun sighed and said: "Sun Tzu's Art of War: Changes" has a cloud: "The land is not attacked, the city is not disputed, and the king's order is not affected." "Outside, how many famous generals have been achieved by the monarch's order, but it also makes the monarch and ministers inevitably suspicious, bringing them the disaster of killing. Li Mu of Zhao State, Bai Qi of Qin State, Meng Tian, Han Xin of the Han Dynasty, Zhou Yafu, Yue Wumu of the Song Dynasty, all of them are like this. ”

Zhu Quan couldn't help but bow his head slightly when he heard this, and said in his heart: The general power that is not subject to the orders of the foreign monarch and the so-called Fengtian carrier, and the imperial power granted by the monarch is almost a dead knot that is difficult to extricate when the lord and the country are in doubt. Many corrupt Confucians in the court thought that Lan Yu was causing trouble on himself because of his arrogant and domineering nature, but in fact, it was not. Even if he is introverted and steady, he is afraid that he may not be able to escape this catastrophe, but his arrogant temperament makes him bear the brunt of this bloody storm.

At this moment, there was a sound of broken footsteps outside the study, followed by Ma Sanbao's voice: "Your Highness, Shen Peng has come to the mansion to ask for a meeting, and he is already in the living room. ”

Zhu Quan couldn't help but sigh when he heard this, and scolded with a smile: "This fat man Shen doesn't come to see me during the day, but he comes to see me at night, it's really inexplicable." After a short groan, he commanded in a deep voice, "Call him here immediately." ”

Jing Kun heard the footsteps of Ma Sanbao outside the study, and said with a smile: "Like a businessman like Shen Peng, he is the most well-informed, but I am afraid that he has already known about the emperor's canonization of the prince, so he naturally does not dare to get too close to Your Highness, lest he suffer from the seedlings of the pond fish in the future." ”

Zhu Quan heard the teacher say this, recalling that Zhu Yunwen, the justifiable prince of the Ming Dynasty, and his group of ministers had always been hostile to a number of vassal kings, and he was afraid that he would make a big move to cut the feudal domain after he ascended the throne, and he couldn't help but show a wry smile on his face.

A moment later, a fat man in a blue cloth shirt came down to the study under the guidance of Ma Sanbao, and fell to the ground with a respectful face, seeing Zhu Quan, the king of Ning, who was the former subordinate of Ouyang Lun, a famous businessman in Daning City today, Shen Peng.

Zhu Quan saw that Shen Peng's fat figure was more prosperous than before, and he couldn't help but smile and said: "I haven't seen you for many days, I'm afraid your business is getting smoother and smoother, right?" ”

Shen Peng just sat down, and when he heard Zhu Quan's words, he hurriedly stood up and bowed and said, "Thanks to His Royal Highness Hongfu, the villain's business has improved slightly compared to last year. Since the leader of the three tribes of Wuliang Ha returned to the Ming Dynasty and accepted the canonization of Zhu Yuanzhang, more and more people from the grassland tribe came to Daning to trade livestock, animal skins, and Shen Peng took this opportunity to make a fortune.

Zhu Quan picked up the teacup on the table and took two sips, looked at Shen Peng and asked lightly, "Why are you asking to see you tonight?" ”

Shen Peng said respectfully after a long sigh: "I heard that His Majesty the Emperor announced to the world that since then, my imperial examination in the Ming Dynasty has been divided into the north and south lists, and the villain's peers are very excited, so they immediately recommend the villain to come, hoping that His Royal Highness can bring me and other businessmen's children one or two." ”

Zhu Quan originally thought that Shen Peng was here for business, but when he heard him talk about the north and south lists of the imperial examination, he couldn't help but be very unexpected, and said with a smile: "What does the matter of the scientific examination have to do with you and other businessmen?" ”

When Shen Peng heard Zhu Quan say this, he couldn't help but show embarrassment, his face became more respectful, and he replied: "Today, the saint has already issued a strict order, and we and other businessmen are not allowed to wear silk shirts, and the children of merchants are not allowed to participate in scientific examinations. Speaking of this, he looked up at Zhu Quan's face, and cautiously continued: "Your Highness is in Daning, commanding the army, and has always been valued by Your Majesty, so they are delusional, and they recommend villains to come and beg His Highness to say a few good words in front of His Majesty, so that the children of my businessmen and other businessmen can participate in the scientific expedition in order to glorify the lintel." If this matter is successful, this Ming Dynasty, regardless of the businessmen from the north and south, will be grateful to His Royal Highness, and if His Highness has the drive to help him in the future, he should not hesitate to help with financial resources. He remembered that his son was already more than five years old, so he did not hesitate to invite the scribe to teach, and today he had no worries about food and clothing, and his family was rich, so he hoped that his son would be able to participate in the scientific examination one day.

Zhu Quan heard Shen Peng's words, and Huo Ran recalled that the current Ming Dynasty scholars, farmers, industrialists, and merchants were clearly distinguished. If a wealthy businessman like Shen Peng is a wealthy businessman, even if he has a lot of money, his social status can be regarded as the lowest, if his children participate in the scientific examination to gain fame, or even enter the court as an official, it is undoubtedly the most effective shortcut to completely change their family reputation and social status, when he turned his head, he saw Jing Kun sitting on one side frowning and shaking his head slightly, indicating that he could not agree to Shen Peng's request, and said lightly to Shen Peng after a little silence: "The matter of the scientific examination involves the major affairs of the imperial court, and the king will make a decision after thinking about it for a while, you can step down." ”

Seeing Zhu Quan say this, Shen Peng was inevitably a little disappointed in his heart, but he didn't dare to be verbose, so he withdrew from the study.

Zhu Quan heard that Shen Peng was far away, so he immediately paced to Jing Kun's side and sat down, and asked with a smile: "The teacher just heard what Shen Peng said, and it seems that he has the intention of making this king refuse categorically, I don't know why?" ”

Jing Kun smiled and said: "Once a businessman like Shen Peng has more than enough wealth, he wants the children of the family to participate in the scientific expedition, in order to glorify the lintel, although this move is excusable, if His Royal Highness is to write to His Majesty the current emperor, it will inevitably attract reprimand, and the current scholars of the Ming Dynasty have always been self-respecting and high, and these businessmen can be said to be disdainful of these businessmen as grass mustard ants, allowing the children of merchants to participate in the scientific examination is undoubtedly the enemy of all the scholars under Fang Jinda, why does His Highness bother to do this useless work, but to make enemies in the court in vain?" ”

Zhu Quan heard the teacher say this, and couldn't help but be silent, thinking back to Shen Peng's words that if this matter was successful, the businessmen regardless of the north and south would be grateful to themselves for their encouragement, and they couldn't help but feel a little moved. He had been with Shen Peng for a long time in the past, and he knew that the strength of these businessmen was really not to be underestimated.

"From the point of view of His Royal Highness, what is the most important thing for His Majesty Emperor Hongwu to govern the country today?" Jing Kun saw that Zhu Quan was quite moved after hearing Shen Peng's words, and he was afraid that he would do such a senseless act, so he immediately made up his mind to tell the reason for this in more detail.

Zhu Quan smiled when he heard this: "Old man Zhu is the first to govern the country, the high-ranking officials are like the Shangshu of the Criminal Department, and the military generals are like the grandfather and son of Zhu Liang, the Marquis of Yongjia, in the past, and they will not escape death." Sixty taels of silver for embezzlement of ink was punished by stripping the skin and grass, and there were countless corrupt officials who copied their homes and questioned them. ”

Jing Kun sighed softly: "His Majesty the Emperor today has the courage to punish the greed for ink, and the ruthless means can be said to be the best in ancient and modern times, and the emperors of all dynasties and dynasties are beyond the reach. Strictly prohibiting the children of business from participating in scientific examinations also has its own deep meaning. ”

Zhu Quan knew that his teacher was far-reaching, and he had seen people, so he immediately asked, "I would like to hear the teacher's explanation." ”

Jing Kun slowly put down the teacup after taking two sips of tea, and said in a deep voice: "At present, the commercial tax of the Ming Dynasty is one out of thirty, which is lighter than that of the previous dynasties. When he turned his head, he saw Zhu Quan's puzzled face, so he smiled slightly: "The so-called officials in the DPRK and China are greedy for ink and accept bribes, and there are many cases of collusion between officials and businessmen, and the collusion between officials and businessmen has already endangered the society of the imperial court. The so-called poor do not fight with the rich, and the rich do not fight with the officials, don't look at Shen Peng today in front of His Royal Highness is very humble, but I am afraid that the poor grass people in the countryside will definitely not be able to offend him. If there are any children in the clan who can enter the imperial court and become officials, they are afraid that they will not be loyal to the court and seek the well-being of tens of millions of people, and they are all about making profits for their family business. ”

Zhu Quan couldn't help but sigh when he heard the teacher say this, and secretly thought to himself: As the teacher said, there have been many corrupt officials and businessmen who collude with officials and businessmen to seek personal gain. The collusion between officials and businessmen has already harmed the people of Li and endangered the world. ”

"There are advantages to everything, and there must be disadvantages. At present, the imperial examination of the Ming Dynasty was changed to the north and south list, although it made the northern literati have more opportunities to enter the imperial examination, but the admission of tribute scholars in different provinces will inevitably make the teacher, fellow villagers, and the same year become popular. The wealthy families of a county government are just encroaching on the interests of the people in the local area, but several wealthy families have children who are officials in the court, plus the townspeople, and the love of the same year, if the family business interests are entangled, won't it become a cold trend? As the old saying goes: the world is bustling, all for profit, and the world is bustling, all for profit. They will naturally form party henchmen in the DPRK and China, and become a force of party contention, causing chaos in the DPRK and endangering the society of the country? Jing Kun said in a deep voice.

Zhu Quan heard the teacher explain the benefits and disadvantages in such detail, and couldn't help but recall that when the scientific examination fraud case, Yang Dao, a native of Henan, still refused to let go of his political enemies, and he wanted to put them to death as soon as possible. If the sons and daughters of those local wealthy businessmen and magnates enter the imperial examination, and then grasp the authority of the imperial court, they will inevitably form a party for personal gain, and divide into several factions to fight and blood, and eventually the country will not be a country. ”

Jing Kun sighed and said: "Therefore, the people of the Qingliu despise the people who are profitable, and the generations of officials and businessmen in the court are clearly distinguished, and there must be blessings and disasters for the thousands of people in the country. Speaking of this, he turned his head to look at Zhu Quan and said lightly: "His Royal Highness the Emperor Sun is already a legitimate prince, and when he ascends the throne in the future, he will definitely vigorously reduce the domain, and His Royal Highness must make plans in advance." ”

Zhu Quan was silent when he heard this, recalling Xu Ying's happy face when he stroked his bulging abdomen, and said coldly: "It seems that this king must strictly organize the army and firmly grasp the power of counterattack, so that he will not be reduced to a fish and meat under the knife and slaughtered." ”

A wide river rushes and meanders away, and the afterglow of the setting sun is reflected on the sparkling river, which makes it even more golden. Numerous tents of all sizes dotted the banks of the river, and herdsmen of all families, young and old, were busy with their horses, driving herds of cattle and sheep to gallop before night fell.

This large river, called the Hannan River, is located hundreds of miles north of the fishing sea. Within a radius of hundreds of miles nearby, there are abundant water and grass, the most suitable for grazing cattle and sheep, which is the habitat of dozens of large and small tribes known as the "forest people" of Western Mongolia. At present, these large and small tribes have been conquered by the armies led by Mahamu, Tuhuan and his son, and all of them have returned to the most powerful Oirat tribe in the forest Mongolia and have become the subjects of the Warat country.

An ugly-looking Oirat man of about forty years old stood quietly by the river, looking at the Hannan River rushing away, and the grief and indignation in his chest were like a surging river, and he could not help himself. He is the first master of the Oirat tribe, and the famous "Desert Flying Eagle" Tuyu on the grassland.

There were people shouting and screaming in the wide cowhide tent more than ten zhang away, it was Mahamu, and the father and son were feasting and drinking the noise of the leaders of the rest of the tribes of the Warat country. Tuoyu heard the words of the leader's father and son feasting, and remembered that Ma Hamu had accepted the canonization of the Ming Dynasty Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang and became the king of Shunning, and he couldn't help but be angry and filled his chest. He used to live in Dadu with his father, who was the imperial physician of the Yuan Court, and learned medical skills since he was a child, and knew far more about Han culture than his father and son. Zhu Yuanzhang's son Zhu Quan was titled King Ning, and Mahamu, the leader of the Oirats tribe who was over fifty years old, was actually canonized by Zhu Yuanzhang as the King of Shunning, which was purely an unbearable insult.