Xia Yuanji walked out of the main hall and bowed to Zhu Di in the hall:

"Your Majesty, please give me your holy bow."

"I am at peace."

Zhu Di asked displeasedly, "Xia Laoji, you said you came here for the Southwest?"

Xia Yuanji nodded: "That's why I'm here."

"Why?"

Zhu Di was well aware of Xia Laoshu's temper and thought Xia Yuanji was here to persuade him not to start a war.

It is well known that Xia Laoji of the Ministry of Finance does not like fighting. Whenever there is a war, the Hubu will definitely oppose it. Every arrow shot on the battlefield is lost because of Xia Lao Shangshu's frugality.

Now that the country is fighting for years, it is the last thing the Ministry of Revenue wants to see. This was already the case during the Northern Expedition. The national treasury has been running deficits year after year and cannot make ends meet. After the battle in Mobei, Mr. Xia's hair turned white.

Xia Yuanji bowed Lingran: "Your Majesty, Xia Yuanji, I would like to inform you that the Ministry of Finance has been rich in finance and food in recent years. There has been a rebellion in the southwest. I would like to ask your Majesty to send troops to investigate the crime. The army will fight for as long as it takes. How long will it take to fight on the front line? How much money is needed?

No matter how much military supplies are lacking, this is the job of the Ministry of Revenue. But not even an inch of the Ming Dynasty’s territory can be lost!"

His Majesty the Emperor touched his ears: "I didn't hear what you said clearly. Say it again."

"I say, we will not give in an inch of the Ming Dynasty's territory!"

Zhu Di was shocked: "Did you, Mr. Xia, take the wrong medicine today?"

He has only seen war-weary households, but never warlike households!

What a hell, Xia Yuanji actually asked Emperor Yongle to send troops to fight one day!

Xia Yuanji said righteously: "The Ming Dynasty cannot be humiliated, and anyone who humiliates it will be killed!"

Zhu Gaojie said to Zhu Di from the side: "Dad, once the black and white taxes are collected this year, they will all go into the national treasury. Although the Ministry of Revenue does not have the power to mobilize, it can check it twice. Mr. Xia is very wealthy now."

Zhu Di was shocked: "Is this happening?"

No wonder Master Xia now dares to let go of his bold statement, "The Ministry of Finance will be able to survive as long as the war continues." This is because the money has arrived.

It is said that money makes a hero bold, and Zhu Di thinks this is so true. As long as you have enough money, everything can be settled for you.

Isn't he just a small southwest rebel? Deal with him!

When you have enough money, don't let the ghosts push you around, you can just let the ghosts give you massages, strokes on your back, and bathing in wooden barrels for one-on-one services!

…

In the summer of the fifteenth year of Yongle in the Ming Empire, four people in the Shuntian Palace deliberated on how to deal with the southwest rebellion.

His Majesty the Emperor sits in the capital to ensure that everything goes smoothly for the empire.

Crown Prince Zhu Gaojie took command, with British Duke Zhang Fu as his deputy, and led a small group of troops to the Yunnan Guiguo Palace secretly. In order to prevent the leakage of information from causing the Southwest Capital Incident, the entire process would be kept secret until Zhu Gaojia and Mu Jiajun arrived in the southwest.

Zhu Di did not express too many opinions at this Shuntian meeting. He had been calmly watching Zhu Gaojie's deployment, and everything was arranged just right.

It is said that a mountain cannot tolerate two tigers, but at this time, the tiger and the cubs got along very harmoniously.

Seeing Zhu Gaojie's high-spirited but sophisticated appearance, Zhu Di wondered if he could abdicate in favor of someone more powerful.

….

He has long passed the age of greed for power and position. Ever since Empress Xu's coffin was buried in Changling in Beijing in the eleventh year of Yongle, Zhu Di has been tired of being an emperor. The reason why he still sits in this position is that

I feel like I can't find a suitable heir.

Whether it is the eldest brother Zhu Gaochi or the second eldest brother Zhu Gaoxu, they can all be regarded as outstanding men of their generation. Even the most incompetent third child Zhu Gaosui has both brains and blood.

【In view of the general environment,

However, none of the three princes satisfied the emperor.

In his eyes, his successor should be like him, good at both literary and martial arts, capable of conquering the world on horseback and ruling the world on horseback, supporting the empire on the blue clouds, and having the power to hold back the overwhelming power of the world.

Zhu Di

In fact, he doesn't like to raise his sons by raising Gu, and let his princes fight and kill each other.

The reason why he keeps letting the princes fight among themselves is not just to stabilize his throne as the world thinks. In fact, he thinks that in this way, he can bring out the potential of the princes so that he can

Give up the throne.

Now that he has finally found the prince who suits him best, it seems he can let go.

"Wait a little longer, wait a minute..."

Zhu Di murmured, "I always feel like there's something missing..."

…

On the dining table in the East Palace, there are four dishes and two soups. Although it is not a delicacy with delicacies from the mountains and seas, this simple meal is also made by the royal chef of Guanglu Temple. The simplest ingredients can make people appetite.

After finishing the meal, Zhu Gaojie wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin and patted his children's little heads lovingly: "Daddy is going on a long journey. Liangguo and Jing'er should listen to their mother at home."

No one would have thought that the cruel and ruthless Crown Prince could speak in such a tone.

However, Zhu Gaojie's principles of life have always been this way. Although he has always regarded himself as a martial artist, he has never used the martial arts method to educate his children.

He will give his children the best conditions and the best education, but he will not impose his will on his children. Zhu Gaojie is willing to let his children develop freely in their own way.

The two countries were silent, and their clear eyes held a calmness that was beyond their age.

On the other hand, Zhu Gaojie's eldest daughter, Zhu Yingjing, nodded and said, "Jing'er is obedient~"

Zhu Gaojie chuckled lightly and turned his attention to Zhang Yingzhen again.

After the eldest daughter of a British duke was promoted from Princess Qi to Crown Princess, she seemed unaware of the earth-shaking changes in her status.

Princess Qi is just a princess, nothing more, but the Crown Princess is the future queen, the lord of the six palaces in the world.

Zhang Yingzhen bit her thin lips lightly and sighed: "Is Your Highness going to fight again?"

The two countries, who were as emotionless as puppets, turned their eyes to their father after hearing this.

I really don’t know how this little kid who is not yet one year old can be so precocious.

Zhu Gaojie said calmly: "This battle must be fought. I also want to sit in the Wenhua Palace and handle state affairs with peace of mind. But if the country wants to develop, it must first resolve foreign affairs. If foreign affairs are uncertain, how can the inner stability be stable?"

….

Zhang Yingzhen was a little puzzled: "The Ming Dynasty has no shortage of generals who can fight. When it comes to fighting in the southwest, my father, the British Duke Zhang Fu, and Yunnan's Guizhou Duke Mu Cheng are both good at fighting in the southwest. Why do you have to be the crown prince?

Go out in person to fight?"

Zhu Gaojie did not speak, but looked at his princess calmly.

Zhang Yingzhen also realized that she had said the wrong thing, and she bowed her head and admitted her mistake: "I am aware of my guilt."

Emperor Taizu made it clear that women in the harem and eunuchs were not allowed to interfere in politics. Now that the affairs in the southwest involve military affairs, according to Emperor Taizu's ancestral precepts, Zhang Yingzhen was not qualified to ask about relevant matters, let alone put forward her own suggestions.

However, the statement "The harem must not interfere with politics" is not the first of its kind by Lao Zhu. Some people say it was said by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, while others say it was said by King Wu of Zhou Dynasty. However, no matter who said it, the ultimate intention is only one:

He was afraid that his relatives would become more powerful and threaten the emperor's power.

Confucianism proposes the Three Cardinal Guidelines and the Five Constant Rules, among which the Three Cardinal Guidelines emphasize: the king is the guideline for the ministers, the father is the guideline for the son, and the husband is the guideline for the wife.

The Song and Ming dynasties became increasingly strict on etiquette. The situation of "a queen can also be a second-married daughter" could occur in the Han and Tang dynasties, but could not occur in the Song and Ming dynasties.

Zhang Yingzhen was born in a royal family and is a virtuous and intelligent woman. She knows that in order to be a good housekeeper, the most important thing she should do is to obey her husband.

…

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but sigh: "This granddaughter-in-law is not bad, she is as virtuous as our eldest sister."

Cao Cao seconded the opinion: "Lao Zhu, what you said is what I want, and I also admire this lady very much."

"Get out of here." Zhu Yuanzhang cursed and said, "You think I

I don’t know what’s on your mind? I advise you to take care of yourself, don’t force me to slap you!”

"What did I say?"

Boss Cao was a little helpless, "I just appreciate it, do you understand?"

Von Neumann said in Shaanxi-flavored Chinese dialect: "Why are you so interested in a lump of material composed of water, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and fat? I don't understand."

"?"

A big question mark appeared on Zhu Yuanzhang's head.

…

On the last night before the expedition, Zhu Gaojie was not in a hurry to enjoy the last warmth with his wife on the bed.

Zhang Yingzhen poured the warm soju into the wine cup. Zhu Gaojiu picked up the wine cup, took a sip, and said, "I didn't deliberately avoid answering your questions at the dinner table today."

The Crown Princess nodded: "I understand."

"Do you really understand?"

Zhu Gaojie stared into his wife's eyes. From her bright and pure eyes, he only saw understanding, without any deliberate showoff.

Relieved, he slowly said: "This battle cannot be replaced by others, it can only be fought by me."

The Crown Princess frowned slightly, a little confused.
To be continued...