Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng are both close people around Zhu Yunwen, and they are colleagues and cronies of each other. But in a way, they're enemies.

They are all self-proclaimed talents, people who are rich and rich, and no one is convinced, so there will be some disputes occasionally. From the bottom of their hearts, the two of them are for Zhu Yunwen and for the sake of this Ming Dynasty, so they sat together today to discuss future arrangements, so as not to have any misunderstandings, quarrels, and make people laugh.

Politics is actually a process of making trade-offs, and if you want to achieve something, you usually need to make certain concessions.

Huang Zicheng proposed to cut the domain, first easy and then difficult, and Qi Tai agreed. Qi Tai proposed to open a martial arts move and strengthen the army, and Huang Zicheng also agreed. It's a step forward. And then there's a lot of other things to talk about.

Huang Zicheng proposed to purge the officials, and Qi Taiyou proposed to check the acres of land. Huang Zicheng proposed to focus on agriculture, and Qi Tai proposed to suppress business. The two of you went back and forth to replan the entire Ming Dynasty. A waiter in the East Palace, a left waiter in the military department, makes him look like an emperor and a prime minister, if he is seen by outsiders, he may laugh at it.

And in order not to let others laugh at them, the topic of the two slowly turned a corner.

"Brother Huang is talented, enough to be the pillar of the world, I think it is more than enough to be a Taichang Siqing and a bachelor of Hanlin. ”

"Where, where. Huang Zicheng smiled like a flower on his face: "It's Brother Qi's opinion on military equipment, I think it's much more profound than that of Ru Yu, the secretary of the military department." ”

"Brother Huang is too famous, Qi Tai can't afford it. ”

The two complimented each other, chatted and laughed for each other, made a wish, and a better future was just around the corner, and they couldn't wait.

。。。。。。

Zhu Yunwen didn't know that his official position had been decided by the two, and at this moment, he was accompanied by Xu Ruyi to meet a person in the Wuying Palace, a scholar who looked ordinary but had a convincing temperament.

He is Fang Xiaoru, who was called to Zhu Yunwen by name by Zhu Yuanzhang from Shudi Hanzhong, known as "Mr. Zhengxue".

At the age of forty-one or twelve, his eyes are bright. The chin is three-foot haircut, and the face is like a crown of jade. The body is well-proportioned, the only fly in the ointment is that the back is slightly hunched, but the righteousness of the body is really desirable.

"Mr. Zhengxue came from afar, he's tired all the way, come," Zhu Yunwen personally poured tea for Fang Xiaoru, and said with a smile: "Sir, try it, this is a good red robe, although I don't know much about tea, I also think this tea tastes good." ”

Fang Xiaoru got up and arched his hand, and said respectfully: "Thank you Your Highness the eldest grandson for the tea, Weichen is grateful." ”

Speaking of which, Fang Xiaoru was admitted to the Juren Examination when he was ten years old in Hongwu, and he was only ten years old that year. This was an out-and-out genius at the time, a prodigy. Everyone who has read his articles will praise it, and it stands to reason that it is not a problem to take the Jinshi meritorious service.

But unfortunately, before he entered Beijing to participate in the examination, his father Fang Keqin was involved in the empty seal case and was beheaded by Zhu Yuanzhang. And he had to go home to keep his filial piety.

In the days that followed, he studied hard every day to cultivate his self-cultivation. In the years that followed, his fame and talent grew more and more famous, almost to the extent that he was famous all over the world.

In the fifteenth year of Hongwu, Wu Shen, the governor of Zhejiang, recommended him to Zhu Yuanzhang, and after Zhu Yuanzhang received him, he said: "Now is not the time to use him", and sent him to Hanzhong to be a lecturer, teaching to the Confucian students in Hanzhong full-time.

Therefore, it is not wrong for Fang Xiaoru to call himself a "micro-minister", although his official position is a little strange.

Seeing Fang Xiaoru quietly sipping tea, Zhu Yunwen thought for a while and asked, "Does Mr. have any opinions on today's major events?"

Zhu Yunwen actually didn't have anything to say for a while, so he came to such a sentence, which roughly meant that Fang Xiaoru said casually that he was willing to listen to anything that was useful to Jiangshan Sheji.

Fang Xiaoru put down the teacup, pondered for a moment, and said: "The legal system formulated by the Holy Lord for His Royal Highness the eldest grandson is already very perfect, except for the policy of the vassal king or flaws, the other ministers, I don't think there is anything to change. ”

"Oh?" Zhu Yunwen was interested.

He has seen too many people who talk about it in front of him, or his imperial grandfather, and he has never seen someone who is as silent as Fang Xiaoru in front of him.

Zhu Yunwen was puzzled: "Sir, do you want to emulate the old things of Cao Shen in the early Han Dynasty?"

Cao Shen, that is, Cao in the idiom "Xiao Gui Cao Sui", succeeded Xiao He as the prime minister, and did not make the slightest change to all the policies set by Xiao He.

Fang Xiaoru smiled slightly: "Your Royal Highness, eldest grandson, in fact, you should know in your heart that today under the governance of the Holy Lord, the people are already living and working in peace and contentment. If you want to make life better for the people, you can't say it's impossible, but it's hard. And it's not necessary either. ”

"Oh, why isn't it necessary?"

"The people don't have much pursuit, all they want is three meals a day, they can have enough to eat, and they can save a little extra money in their hands. They won't think about the rest, so His Highness naturally doesn't need to give it. ”

"What if you want to give it?"

"That's hard. Fang Xiaoru smiled and talked eloquently: "A husband in the north cultivates thirty or fifty acres of land, and harvests more than one stone of wheat per mu. The summer wheat and autumn millet are combined into two stones. The land in the south is fertile, and the yield of two crops of rice per mu can reach four stones. Excluding other harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes, the imperial court's levy on the field tax is 30 taxes and 1, and if other harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes are added to the field tax to calculate, it can probably be converted into 20 taxes and 1.

In addition to the necessary expenses spent on various projects such as water conservancy, most of the rest was spent on distributing money to officials in the court and raising armaments.

In other words, if His Highness wants the people to have more savings, he must continue to reduce the income of the officials. The consequence of reducing the amount of money is to make corruption even worse. I won't say this, I believe Your Highness can understand it. ”

。。。。。。

"Mr. Zhengxue is indeed a great talent, if His Highness can have this person to help, it is a blessing for the people of the world, and it is also a blessing for His Highness. ”

After Fang Xiaoru left, Xu Ruyi said to Zhu Yunwen Zhengse.

"Oh?" Zhu Yunwen looked at Xu Ruyi in surprise: "I have never seen you respect a person so much, today you two have only met once and come to such a conclusion, tell me in detail, what do you think?"

"Your Highness, the slave doesn't know much, but she also knows that governing the world is nothing more than civil and martial arts. Mr. Zhengxue does not understand military affairs, and points out the disadvantages of the vassal king, but does not elaborate, which shows that this person is self-aware and not a person who talks on paper. When it comes to Wenzhi, he starts from the people's livelihood, and talks about the people's income and expenditure as the first thing, and uses the numbers as the basis, which is convincing. Finally, he said that the power of decision-making was handed over to His Royal Highness, indicating that he knew how to advance and retreat, and respected him. Isn't such a person a great talent?"

To be honest, Xu Ruyi's impression of these ancient Taoist gentlemen in his heart was not very good, especially after contacting Huang Zicheng, Qi Tai and others, he was disgusted by Yousheng.

Doing things entirely by imagination, rhetoric, unrealistic, and self-serving. The scholars misled the country, referring to their group of people.

Originally, I thought that this filial piety was also a raccoon dog, but now it is not a concept at first glance, here, Xu Ruyi has to admire Zhu Yuanzhang's wisdom in knowing people.

Zhu Yunwen thoughtfully recalled what Fang Xiaoru and Xu Ruyi said before, Xu Ruyi did not bother, and stood quietly aside.

I don't know when, a small yellow door outside the hall ran in in a panic.

"Your Highness, Your Highness!" Xiao Huangmen tripped at the door and fell on a big horse. There was blood on his face, but he didn't care about wiping it, he knelt on the ground with a "plop" in three steps and two steps, and shouted in his mouth: "Your Highness, something is wrong!"

Before Zhu Yunwen could react, Xu Ruyi stepped forward and shouted: "What do you look like in a panic!

"Yes!" The little eunuch was startled by Xu Ruyi's appearance, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, barely stabilized his mind, and said tremblingly: "Your Highness, the emperor was enjoying the flowers in the imperial garden just now, and suddenly vomited blood and fainted, and he is still unconscious, and has been carried to the Palace of Heart Nourishment. ”

"What are you talking about!" Zhu Yunwen stood up and exclaimed in surprise when he heard this, and then his body shook for a while, and he was about to faint when he saw it.

"Your Highness!" Xu Ruyi hurriedly held on, and his right palm was attached to Zhu Yunwen's heart, and a gentle internal force was injected to stabilize Zhu Yunwen's heart.

"I, I... Grandpa Huang!" finally didn't fall, Zhu Yunwen let out a loud shout and ran towards the Heart Cultivation Palace, followed by Xu Ruyi.

"The emperor woo woo woo . Panting and running to the door of the Heart Cultivation Palace, Zhu Yunwen was about to shout, but Xu Ruyi behind him covered his mouth: "Your Highness, be quiet, be careful to disturb the emperor!"

"Ahh

On the dragon bed, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were closed tightly, and his face was pale. An old physician closed his eyes and signaled his pulse.

Zhu Yunwen waved his hand to stop the eunuch Gong'e who was about to bow down, and then stared at the imperial doctor with his eyes tightly. Every time the Imperial Doctor's brows furrowed, his heart followed with a "pop".

After a while, the imperial doctor put down Zhu Yuanzhang's wrist, gently tucked it in the brocade quilt, pointed to the outside of the hall, and whispered: "Your Highness, please come with me." ”

Outside the Heart Cultivation Palace, Zhu Yunwen couldn't wait to ask, "How is the imperial grandfather?"

"Your Highness. The imperial physician said in a low voice: "According to Wei Chen, Your Majesty is full of qi and blood, and his pulse is stable and powerful, like a man in the prime of life... ”

"So my imperial grandfather is okay?" Zhu Yunwen said in surprise.

The imperial physician shook his head and said, "Your Highness, it's the opposite. Your Majesty is now seventy years old, and it is unusual to have such a pulse. According to Wei Chen's guess, it should be caused by His Majesty's practice of domineering inner family true qi. ”

"So what's going on?" Zhu Yunwen remembered that he was about to cry.

Xu Ruyi took a step forward and said in a deep voice: "Just say directly, why did the saint faint, and when would he wake up, there is no need to elaborate on the rest!"

The imperial doctor looked at Xu Ruyi, then at Zhu Yunwen, and said astringently: "Your Majesty will faint, when it is caused by a head wind or a temporary lack of energy, which causes the real qi in the body to be restless." The minister immediately prescribed a pair of medicines, and the saint took them on time every day, and he could wake up in as little as seven or eight days, but it was also possible... ”

"What could be?"

The Imperial Physician sighed and shook his head.

Zhu Yunwen exclaimed in surprise and passed out.

"Your Highness!"

"His Royal Highness the Eldest Sun!"

"Quickly pass on the Imperial Doctor!"

"I... I am... ”

。。。。。。

On the ninth day of March, Zhu Yuanzhang fell ill and fell unconscious. After repeated treatment by the imperial doctor, he finally woke up on April 15. But after Zhu Yuanzhang woke up, he was already unconscious, often had a fever, talked nonsense, salivated, and was stupid. The body is getting weaker and weaker day by day.

Under Zhu Yunwen's tearful acquiescence, Lao Zhang, the chief administrator of the Inner Palace, began to lead the eunuchs of the various departments to prepare all the expenses needed for the emperor's great trip, such as coffins, white silk, filial piety belts, mourning halls, and various arrangements.

The news that the Son of Heaven was critically ill did not make much waves in the court, after all, the physical condition of the Son of Heaven was expected by the ministers. However, the vassal kings from all walks of life in all directions received the news that the emperor was seriously ill, and their hearts were uneasy. They all drove lightly and rushed to the capital.

Among the vassal kings, there is only one exception, and that is Zhu Di, the king of Yan. After many years of head illness, when he received the news that his father was seriously ill, he couldn't stand the blow for a while and lost his soul. Every day, he knelt down in the direction of Nanjing, his eyes were dull, as if he was stupid. When the news came, the courtiers all expressed their understanding and praised King Yan's pure filial piety.

Zhu Yunwen, Xu Ruyi, Huang Zicheng and others naturally understood Zhu Di's wolf ambitions, but they still didn't say anything, after all, the public opinion in the world is sincere, and if they say anything lightly, I am afraid it will make the vassal king uneasy.

。。。。。。

On May 19, the 31st year of Hongwu, the Son of Heaven vomited blood again and fell into a coma.

After the diagnosis, the doctor said: "If there is something unspeakable, it is advisable to prepare as soon as possible." ”

As soon as the news came out, the ministers were uneasy, and the world was terrified. Zhu Yunwen, the grandson of the Emperor of the Prison State, ordered a ten-day boycott, and waited day and night in front of the bed.

"Your Highness, the governor and eunuch Xu Ruyi of Dongchang ask to see you. Maruko whispered.

"Xuan," as soon as the words fell, Zhu Yunwen changed his words again: "That's it, let's go to see him alone, so as not to disturb the imperial grandfather." Gently tucking Zhu Yuanzhang's withered big hand back into the quilt, Zhu Yunwen got up and walked outside the house.

"His Royal Highness the eldest grandson. Xu Ruyi bowed down.

"Flatten. Zhu Yunwen waved his hand, frowned, and said: "Grandpa Huang is seriously ill, lonely and confused, if there is anything you do first, turn around and say to me Tongbing." ”

"Your Highness, you can't be the master of this matter. Xu Ruyi said: "Unspeakable things may be in front of you, the kings of all the vassal domains will enter Beijing in a few days, and the mobilization of soldiers and horses in Beijing still needs the instructions of His Royal Highness." ”

"Oh. Zhu Yunwen was stunned for a moment, then understood, and didn't say anything, took a few steps to the front of the bookcase, put pen on the ink, and then took out the seal and covered it, and handed it to Xu Ruyi: "You can look at it." ”

"The slave obeys. Xu Ruyi bowed and retreated.