Chapter 7 Memorial
Tang He was Zhu Yuanzhang's earliest partner. When Zhu Yuanzhang was at his lowest point, Tang He followed Zhu Yuanzhang wholeheartedly. Compared with other founding civil and military ministers of the Ming Dynasty, Tang He was not as good as Li Shanchang in literature, nor as good as Xu Da and Chang Yuchun in martial arts. But when it comes to close friendship with Zhu Yuanzhang, no one can surpass Tang He, the Marquis of Zhongshan.

Tang He smiled. He had a kind face and spoke slowly and gently, "They are young and still don't know the immensity of the world..."

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head after hearing this and said, "How young are they? When I was their age, I had accomplished so many great things! But look at them, alas... they are neither good at literature nor martial arts, and they only know how to make trouble..."

Zhu Yuanzhang paused, and then continued: "A few days ago, I gave them a question, asking them where the biggest threat to our Ming Dynasty lies. The prince answered very well, but unfortunately, he is too gentle. Although his answer is not wrong, it can only be said to be mediocre."

Tang He said: "The Crown Prince is the heir to the throne, so he should be cautious. Isn't this what it means to be mature and prudent in planning state affairs?"

Zhu Yuanzhang just smiled, and when he talked about Crown Prince Zhu Biao, a rare warmth appeared on his face.

Zhu Yuanzhang added: "There is also Prince of Yan Zhu Di, my fourth son, who replied that the core threat of our Ming Dynasty lies in the enemies in Mobei. In addition, he also submitted a memorial to deal with the remnants of the Hu people in Mobei. I have read his strategy and I think this kid must have put in some effort."

Tang He smiled and said, "The King of Yan is brave and tenacious, and he is a talented general."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, seeming to express his approval of the Prince of Yan, and then said: "As for the answers of the other guys, there is nothing good to say..."

"They are still minors, Your Majesty. You should not blame them too much."

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes, sat back on the dragon chair, and said: "These answers have their own merits, but I always feel that they are like scratching an itch, always missing a little meaning. In fact, I have been thinking hard these days, and I am also looking for the answer..."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, as if he was lost in thought, and seemed to be comparing the answers of several princes.

At this moment, a young eunuch from the Tongzheng Department came hurriedly, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the memorials of the two princes, the King of Qin and the King of Jin, have arrived."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyebrows moved slightly when he heard this, but he didn't look too expectant. He just said in a deep voice, "Bring it here."

Tang He smiled and said, "I'm afraid the answers to your two highnesses have already arrived."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, and said: "These two guys, you can't get ivory out of a dog's mouth. This time, I don't know how they plan to get away with it! The last time, they must have been too lenient, so they only reported it now."

Tang He couldn't help but smile helplessly. He knew the King of Qin and the King of Jin best. These two guys, along with the Crown Prince and the King of Yan, were all born to Queen Ma, but they were the most naughty and were often beaten.

The eunuch carefully delivered the two memorials to the desk.

Zhu Yuanzhang just picked up one copy at random, opened it, glanced at it quickly, and then his face suddenly froze.

Tang He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang's expression and asked in confusion: "Your Majesty..."

As soon as the shouting stopped, Zhu Yuanzhang said in a rough voice: "As expected, look, look, the bastard King Qin dared to say that the core problem of our Ming Dynasty is that fathers and sons are always alienated by traitors, causing discord between father and son, and that disaster will arise within the family. He also asked me to set an example and never beat my own son again. Only when the family is harmonious can everything be prosperous. This evil beast!"

Tang He opened his mouth wide, not knowing what to say for a moment. He paused for a moment before closing his chin: "Ahem... ahem... common people... well, common people do believe that harmony in the family is the key to success."

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious: "He has been reprimanded many times but he still refuses to learn his lesson. Now he dares to make excuses. This is really unreasonable."

After saying this, he threw the memorial down angrily.

Tang He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please read the memorial of the Prince of Jin." Zhu Yuanzhang said, "The Prince of Jin is certainly not much better. These two are birds of a feather. I sent them to Fengyang this time to teach them the hardships of the people and understand their current difficulties. Who knew that they thought the mountains were high and the emperor was far away, thinking that I was hundreds of miles away from them and could not deal with them now, so they dared to act so recklessly."

Although he was cursing, Tang He still managed to change the subject.

Zhu Yuanzhang took out another memorial and opened it.

Tang He looked embarrassed. He carefully observed Zhu Yuanzhang's expression. He felt a little regretful. Why did he enter the palace at this time and ask for trouble?

Then, Tang He's heart began to worry again.

Because he noticed that Zhu Yuanzhang's expression began to become more solemn. Tang He muttered in his heart, no way, the King of Qin is so shameless, could the King of Jin be even more shameless?
At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang's burly body seemed to have stiffened. He held the memorial in both hands, and his tiger eyes were motionless, fixed on the memorial.

Tang He felt that the days passed by like years, and even his breathing subconsciously became inaudible, as if a storm was about to hit at any moment.

"Ok?"

Zhu Yuanzhang uttered a syllable through his nose.

His eyes finally regained some spirit, but he began to feel doubtful.

Tang He coughed and said, "Your Highness... a child... well... adults should not bear grudges against children..."

At this time, a voice like a loud bell came out from Zhu Yuanzhang's mouth: "Difficult times create tenacious and brave people, and brave people create a peaceful and prosperous era..."

Tang He was stunned for a moment, then began to listen attentively.

Zhu Yuanzhang continued: "A peaceful and prosperous era makes people lazy and unwilling to work, and the lazy and unwilling to work weak people will bring the world back to difficult times!"

Zhu Yuanzhang took a long breath and said, "Yes, yes, this is the biggest worry of our Ming Dynasty. Good, good, very good!"

After hearing these words, Tang He fell into deep thought, because he had shared weal and woe with Zhu Yuanzhang, and he was particularly moved by these words.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes subconsciously turned red, and he couldn't help but say: "Recalling the past, recalling the past. Back then, the world was in chaos, and we were the ministers. We lived in a world where even dogs couldn't survive. We endured hunger, were oppressed, and insulted. In the end, it was through these hardships and the three-foot sword that we have achieved what we have today. Isn't the first part of this sentence a reflection of me?"

Tang He also said with emotion: "Yes, it was really not easy back then."

When Zhu Yuanzhang said this, he seemed to be touched by something, his eyes became redder, and he said: "But... why is the world in chaos? Why would people like you be forced to kill officials? Isn't it because those princes and nobles, born rich and noble, gradually become lazy and hate work, and don't know the sufferings of the world! So... the people are living in misery. These days, I have been thinking about where the biggest trouble of my Ming Dynasty is. I have thought of many possibilities, and I have thought of this. It's just that this sentence has awakened me. The Mongolian princes and nobles we killed at the beginning, as well as those corrupt officials who assisted the tiger, will become a group of lazy people who hate work when you and I grow old in the future. In the end..."

Tang He kept silent. This was not something that could be said.

Zhu Yuanzhang paced back and forth, saying in deep sorrow: "This is the cycle of justice. I killed the nobles and officials in the past, and sooner or later my children and grandchildren..."

Tang He said quickly, "I never thought that His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin could think so deeply at such a young age. Your Majesty, congratulations."

(End of this chapter)