Chapter 123: The storm is coming, Hu Weiyong's son dies.

"Boss, you are really mean. Are you making a sarcastic remark or praising me?"

After Hu Weiyong left the imperial study, Zhu Gang looked at Zhu Biao and burst into laughter.

"If he thinks it's a sarcasm, then it's a sarcasm. If he thinks it's a compliment, then it's a compliment."

Zhu Biao smiled indifferently.

If someone else were to be titled Marquis Zhengde, he might well deserve the title.

But when it comes to Hu Weiyong, it seems like he is not worthy of the position.

One day, when everything is settled, Hu Weiyong's title will explode instantly.

Hu Weiyong was directly consigned to the pillar of shame as a sinner for all time.

"Your method is indeed brilliant. No matter how hard Hu Weiyong tries, he can't figure it out."

"And it can also win over a group of people, so that they will be wholeheartedly working for the title."

"After all, he belongs to the princeling party. He also knows that he is not a core member, but the title is real."

There was also a gleam of admiration in Zhu Gang's eyes.

"Count, Marquis, Duke."

"They are all granted by the court. This is for those who have made contributions. But if they are guilty and their crimes are so heinous, they cannot be saved as an earl."

Zhu Biao's lips curled up into a meaningful smile again.

The crimes committed by Hu Weiyong and his repeated touching of Zhu Biao's bottom line had already made Zhu Biao want to kill him.

And this person is definitely not someone who would stay content with what is left of him, so he must not be allowed to stay.

No matter what reward he receives today, it cannot be used as a reason to exonerate him in the future.

Therefore, Hu Weiyong's ending was already determined, which was death.

And this Earl of Zhengde, in order to maintain stability and unity, spared no effort to implement the tax system of equalizing land tax and requiring officials and gentry to pay taxes together.

"Hu Weiyong said it would take half a year to stabilize the situation in eastern Zhejiang, but with the support of this earl, it will definitely be faster."

"After all, he is already a little impatient, so his methods will only be more ruthless."

"Then we should take measures against him. After all, by that time, Hu Weiyong will really become the target of public criticism."

"Even if we wanted him to live, those gentry and powerful people would not let him survive."

"But Hu Weiyong has implicated too many officials, and as the saying goes, if one move is involved, the whole body will be affected, so we must be fully prepared."

"From today on, select smart and capable generals from the army, summon them to the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace, serve as the Crown Prince's personal guards, and study in the Imperial Academy."

"I will let Gu Xiuqi give lectures to them so that they can transform from military generals to court officials in the shortest possible time."

"Make adequate preparations for the upcoming Hu Weiyong case to avoid unrest."

Zhu Gang thought about it again before looking at Zhu Biao and speaking.

"Well, I think your suggestion is good."

"In fact, from the very beginning, when you brought up this topic, I had already started thinking about it."

"After all, Hu Weiyong is not just Hu Weiyong. He is involved with at least 800 officials, if not thousands."

"If we catch them all at once, it will inevitably cause turmoil in the court, and even affect the operation of the court."

"So if we want to move Hu Weiyong, we must be fully prepared to avoid this turmoil."

"Even if we hold an imperial examination to recruit talents, they won't be able to be used in a short period of time, so it's better for us to train them ourselves."

"Most of the officers in the army are unruly, but they value loyalty and are absolutely loyal to the court."

Zhu Biao also nodded in agreement.

"Entering the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace, you will be his personal guard and one of his confidants. This will help you win their hearts."

"Besides, as the saying goes, 'the closer you are to the better, the closer you are to the worse.' Those who can enter the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace should be of the best character."

"So we send them to the Imperial Academy to study, so that they can switch from military to government affairs in the future, and they can also serve the country and better maintain the operation of the court."

"In this way, almost everyone in the court is from the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace, and you promoted them all."

"Then one day, when you succeed to the throne, the world will remain peaceful and calm without causing any disturbances."

Unlike Zhu Biao, Zhu Gang thought longer term and considered Zhu Biao from the bottom of his heart.

After all, when the prince ascends the throne, the emperor chooses his own ministers, but the officials of this dynasty are all the prince's people.

Would it still be the case that a new emperor has new ministers?
No.

As for Zhu Yuanzhang?
There is no need to think about it at all, Zhu Yuanzhang would definitely laugh to death, and he would be very happy that Zhu Biao did so.

"Fortunately, I have never thought of competing with the boss in my life, otherwise, I might be guarding the tomb of my ancestors in Fengyang now."

"But think about it, it makes sense. Looking through the history books, my father is in the court, and the prince has the power of regent, and his power is as vast as my father's."

"If this wasn't the Hongwu era, I would have thought you were the emperor and the old man was the emperor emeritus."

"After all, you issued these imperial edicts one by one. Which one did you ask for the old man's approval?"

"In terms of power, I have never seen such a prince in history books."

Zhu Chong, who was sitting nearby, also said this with some emotion.

There was a hint of regret in his tone.

"Don't make trouble."

"Even if you really have this idea, I will protect you for life."

Zhu Biao's smile remained gentle.

Even though Zhu Chong had no intention of seizing the throne in history, the bad things he did were known to everyone and everyone hated him.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he wanted to kill Zhu Chong. It was Zhu Biao who mediated in the court and pleaded for Zhu Chong, which saved Zhu Chong from death.

There is also Zhu Gang in history who hid his troops in Mount Wutai and planned a rebellion. This is a historical record.

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious and wanted to order Zhu Gang to be brought back to the capital. It was Crown Prince Zhu Biao who took the first step and went to Shanxi in person to persuade Zhu Gang.

This made Zhu Gang become the King of the Frontier who guarded the border for the Ming Dynasty.

So even if history repeats itself, even if Zhu Gang is not around, Zhu Biao will still protect these two brothers for the rest of their lives.

"When the Ming Dynasty becomes stable and prosperous, you can prepare to ascend the throne."

"After all, the old man has worked hard all his life, fighting enemies on horseback and governing the country on foot. It's time to take a break."

"I think the old man should also want to go back to Fengyang to herd cattle. Anyway, I will help you in the court. You have caught up with the old man's wishes, so let him go."

After saying this, Zhu Gang looked at Zhu Biao.

"Ah."

This time Zhu Biao did not shake his head, but nodded slightly.

"That's right."

Zhu Gang also smiled with satisfaction.

"When we see you ascend the throne and become emperor, we will have no regrets."

"Then I can ride my horse overseas and travel the world."

Zhu Chong also smiled.

However, when this voice sounded, Zhu Biao's eyes narrowed slightly, and he sighed again: "For the country, I hope that stability and prosperity can come soon, but for me, I hope it can be slower."

For a moment, the atmosphere in the imperial study was a little depressing.

How could Zhu Gang and Zhu Chong not understand Zhu Biao's meaning? It was simply that he couldn't bear to part with his two younger brothers.

And they were reluctant to leave Zhu Biao, but for the sake of the world, they had to leave, because if they didn't leave, there would be no trouble within the family.

"That's all in the future, don't think too much about it now."

"Maybe you'll get tired of seeing both of us in the future, right?"

Faced with this awkward atmosphere, Zhu Chong scratched his head and smiled again.

The awkwardness in the imperial study was instantly dispelled. Zhu Gang and Zhu Biao also showed a smile on their faces. After all, the future was still far away, and who could really tell?
So there is no need to be anxious, and there is no need to be reluctant. At least it is here now, and that’s enough.

"By the way, I have two things I want to give you, I almost forgot."

As he spoke, Zhu Biao shouted to the outside of the door again, "Bring the things in."

"what?"

A hint of curiosity suddenly flashed in Zhu Biao and Zhu Chong's eyes.

In response, Zhu Gang just showed a mysterious smile but did not say anything.

Soon, several guards came into the imperial study carrying a black wooden board and a box.

"blackboard?"

Looking at the black wooden board in front of them, Zhu Biao and Zhu Chong were a little confused.

What can you do with such a black board?
"Wow, you two are quite smart. This is indeed a blackboard."

Zhu Gang looked up to Zhu Biao and Zhu Chongdao.

"Nonsense, with such a black board, who can't recognize it as a blackboard?"

Facing Zhu Gang's high regard, Zhu Chong immediately spoke unhappily, and even Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Gang with a frown on his face.

Is it really fun to treat people as fools?

"This is a blackboard, and this box contains chalk."

Seeing this, Zhu Gang stuck out his tongue, walked over, opened the box, revealing sticks of white chalk, and pointed to the blackboard.

"Blackboard, I know this by the color."

"It's just this white stick, ahh. What is the chalk you mentioned?"

Zhu Biao also walked down from the dragon throne, came to Zhu Gang's side, picked up a piece of chalk and frowned.

“It’s for teaching.”

Zhu Gang said without even thinking.

"You don't mean to use it for writing?"

In response, Zhu Biao looked at the chalk in his hand, then looked at the blackboard in front of him, still frowning.

"Yes, smart."

Zhu Gang immediately gave a thumbs up.

"Nonsense, since you said this is a pen and it's white, and the board in front of me is black, I'm not stupid, so of course I can figure it out."

There was a flash of helplessness and annoyance in Zhu Biao's eyes.

"Place this blackboard behind the teacher, and then this chalk can be used to write."

“This will greatly enhance students’ learning abilities.”

"After all, think about it, let alone the children, even some of the generals in the army are illiterate."

"But if you ask them to learn and practice calligraphy one by one, it will take a long time."

"But with a blackboard, things are different. The teacher can write down the words he is talking about and the classics he is reading in class."

“Listen while you speak, and write while you listen, this is also a way of learning.”

As he spoke, Zhu Chong raised the chalk in his hand and wrote his name on the blackboard. Then he pointed at the words and looked at Zhu Biao who was thinking about something.

"good idea!"

Zhu Biao was definitely smart to be the crown prince, so he understood it immediately and expressed his joy immediately.

In this way, the students' learning ability can be greatly improved, allowing them to master knowledge faster and serve the country.

"Third brother, but the cost of this blackboard and chalk should not be cheap, right?"

"And if a class only uses one blackboard, even if it can improve learning ability, can Ming Dynasty afford it?"

Zhu Chong pointed at the blackboard and chalk and spoke.

"On the contrary, the blackboard is not expensive to make, and the chalk is extremely cheap."

"And who told you that you have to use a blackboard for a class?"

"Except for chalk which is consumable, this blackboard can be completely recycled."

"Because this chalk, to put it bluntly, is just dust, and it can be wiped clean."

After saying that, Zhu Gang picked up a brush board from the box and rubbed it on the blackboard. Although there were still some traces of dust, the writing was wiped clean.

To put it bluntly, it was because of the limitations of the times that Zhu Gang was unable to produce blackboards and chalks of the same standard as in later generations.

But who hasn’t walked this path step by step?
Therefore, as long as we master the method, even if it cannot be compared with the level of later generations, it is good enough for the current Ming Dynasty to use.

Moreover, even if there is too much dust and the written words are no longer visible, the blackboard can be painted again and can still be used after it cools and dries.

This can also save the expenditure and loss of educational resources.

Of course, blackboard and chalk are just the foundation, but what we want to do is to popularize education throughout the world so that everyone can afford to read.

Simplified characters, pinyin dictionaries and other necessities are indispensable, but you have to eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time. It's never wrong to take your time in everything.

After all, there is an old saying that goes, there is only half a step between madness and genius.

At least the Ming Dynasty must learn to accept it before it can slowly accept it.

"If it can be used repeatedly, then this is truly a magical tool that benefits the country and the people!"

Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Gang with shining eyes instantly, and his eyes were filled with excitement again.

"If it doesn't benefit the country and the people, what's the point of inventing it?"

Zhu Gang curled his lips.

"In this way, even in training military generals, the Ming Dynasty can spend less."

"As expected! Third brother, there is nothing you can't do."

Zhu Biao didn't care. Instead, he put his arm around Zhu Gang's shoulders and laughed out loud.

"It seems that it is really difficult to clean you out."

Zhu Chong also put his arm around Zhu Gang's shoulders, a teasing smile flashed across his lips.

While the three brothers were playing, Lu Feng and Mu Ying from the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already arrived at the door of the imperial study.

"Your Highness, it has been done."

Lu Feng stepped into the imperial study, performed his greetings, then looked at Zhu Gang and bowed.

"Ah."

Zhu Gang nodded and waved his hand, indicating that Lu Feng could go down.

"Subordinates retire."

Lu Feng left the imperial study without any hesitation.

"What's done?"

Zhu Biao asked.

"There is gain and loss. If Hu Weiyong is conferred the title of Earl of Zhengde today, he will lose something."

Zhu Gang did not hide it and blurted out: "I sent someone to kill his son Hu Tong. Of course, I was not found to be responsible. He died accidentally."

Hu Weiyong's residence.

Hu Weiyong looked at the letter in his hand with trembling body, and a gloomy look flashed in his eyes.

"check!"

"Check it for me!"

There was a roar.

Obviously, Hu Weiyong also received the news.

(End of this chapter)