Chapter 70: Report from Jiangning County
Zhu Gang seemed to have something else to say. He pondered for a while and said, "Qianqiu, our business is now open, but there is a merchant from Wujiang County who wants to have a good talk with us."

Deng Qianqiu smiled and said, "Wujiang? Wujiang has been home to many wealthy merchants since ancient times. Since he dares to come and negotiate, he must be from a wealthy family."

Zhu Gang smiled and said, "Qianqiu is Qianqiu, such a divine fortune teller. To tell you the truth, this man's surname is Shen, and the Shen family is really known as the richest family in Jiangnan. Guess who his grandfather is?"

"Ah..." Deng Qianqiu said subconsciously: "The surname is Shen, could it be Shen Wansan?"

"Ah... Qianqiu, you are really a genius. This time I am completely convinced. How did you know all this?" Zhu Gang was extremely shocked, with a look of amazement, his eyes full of the starlight of a young girl who had just seen her own GIEGIE.

Deng Qianqiu was even more shocked than him. He was so shocked that he could not speak. He paused and said, "You said the wealthy businessman from Jiangnan, who else could it be but Shen Wansan? No, wasn't Shen Wansan exiled to Yunnan by His Majesty because of the construction of Nanjing City?"

The city of Nanjing had been built seven or eight years earlier, as recorded in the History of Ming Dynasty. In the end, Zhu Yuanzhang exiled Shen Wansan's entire family, which was also recorded in the History of Ming Dynasty.

So...what the hell is this Shen Sen?

Even if he had not been exiled, would he have had such huge financial resources?

Even... do you have the guts to come to Nanjing and do business in a big way?
But Deng Qianqiu's shock had not yet passed.

This time, it was Zhu Gang's turn to be shocked: "Qianqiu, what are you talking about? Shen Wansan... He died a long time ago. Now it is his grandson Shen Sen who is in charge of his family business. Exile to Yunnan? Qianqiu, are you crazy? Our Ming Dynasty has not yet expanded its territory to Yunnan. Yunnan is still occupied by the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty."

And the shock was apparently beginning to shift again.

Deng Qianqiu asked, "Shen Wansan died a long time ago? Could it be... could it be that His Majesty exiled Shen Wansan's family directly to the enemy territory?"

Zhu Gang was shocked again. He looked at Deng Qianqiu in disbelief. "Of course he is dead. Even if he is still alive, he would not leave such a good businessman and his entire family to Yuan Ni. Wouldn't that be aiding the enemy? Although my father may not be as smart as me, I don't think he would do such a stupid thing."

"Then..." Deng Qianqiu was a little confused.

Because the information he knew was indeed solid and well-documented; after all, it was recorded in the History of Ming Dynasty.

Of course, what Deng Qianqiu didn’t know was that there was actually a lot of controversy in the historical community about this period of history.

Because according to research, in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, a scholar named Wang Xing wrote an epitaph for Shen Wansan's son Shen Rong, in which he clearly mentioned that Shen Rong died in August of the autumn of the ninth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, at the age of 71. By calculation, we can know that when Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty in 1368, Shen Wansan's son Shen Rong was already 62 years old. In this way, there is no problem with Shen Wansan's age being around 80 years old.

The fact that Shen Wansan lived to be eighty years old and was exiled is actually a matter of debate.

As for being exiled to Yunnan after building the Nanjing city wall, it is even more strange.

Because in fact, the Ming Dynasty did not start to use military force against Yunnan until the 14th year of Hongwu, which was 11 years later, and did not officially start to rule Yunnan until the 15th year of Hongwu.

So, if Shen Wansan was still alive at that time, he should be around 100 years old. A 100-year-old man was exiled to Yunnan...

Moreover, the epitaph also recorded that Shen Wansan had died long ago. Therefore, the final conclusion is that this record, which was written in detail in the Ming History and even the clear record of Empress Ma privately dissuading Zhu Yuanzhang, is most likely fabricated.

The Shen family was indeed extremely wealthy, and Shen Wansan might have died before the fall of the Yuan Dynasty.

Among the living members of the Shen family, the ones still alive are Shen Wansan’s son, Shen Rong, who is now 65 years old, and Shen Wansan’s grandson Shen Sen.

Deng Qianqiu is a little confused now. He finds that his brain is a little stuck. Why is it a bit confusing?
"Has the Shen family committed any crime before?" Deng Qianqiu looked at Zhu Gang and asked seriously.

Zhu Gang thought Deng Qianqiu's reaction was strange, so he asked, "He is just a businessman, what crime could he have committed?"

Deng Qianqiu was a little confused and said, "That's not right. Is it possible that there were no merchants whose clans were exterminated? I don't believe it."

"Yes." Zhu Gang said with great interest, "The Pu family in Quanzhou was slaughtered by the order of the emperor. All the males were killed and the women were sent to the Jiaofang Bureau. Only the children were left. However, they were also made slaves for generations and were regarded as untouchables." Deng Qianqiu said with an "oh", "Now that you say that, I feel a little relieved."

Zhu Gang was stunned, and finally couldn't help but ask: "Qianqiu, why are you so strange today?"

Deng Qianqiu perked up at this time. Could he tell Zhu Gang that he had just studied a historical mystery?
After coughing, Deng Qianqiu said with true feelings: "I just feel sorry for you because I see you are injured."

When Zhu Gang heard this, he suddenly understood and couldn't help but feel a little moved: "Qianqiu, I am a real man. This little injury is nothing. You don't have to be sad."

Deng Qianqiu was muttering in his heart, what on earth did Shen Sen want to discuss with him?
If the Shen family is still the richest family in Jiangnan... then... how rich is their financial resources?

Deng Qianqiu was full of curiosity, and finally made a decision, saying, "Your Highness, please make an appointment with him. I would like to meet him."

…………

In the inner garden of the Forbidden City, there is a small Mingtang. Except for eunuchs, ordinary people are not allowed to enter or leave at will.

At this time, in this spotless little hall, Zhu Yuanzhang was personally carrying tribute fruits and a large bowl of pork to the spirit tablet in the small Mingtang.

The incense was lit, and amid the lingering aroma, there were two tablets.

What is enshrined here are the spirit tablets of Zhu Yuanzhang's parents.

Zhu Yuanzhang said gently to the spirit tablet: "Dad, Mom, eat, eat more. I have tasted this meat myself, it is very tasty. And this fruit, you can try it too, Mom. Some time ago, I had someone cook a suckling pig for me, it tastes really good, I wonder if Dad is used to it."

As he spoke, Zhu Yuanzhang brought a chair and sat in front of the spirit seat. He looked very kind, even a little flattering, and said: "Dad, our family is no longer hungry now, but those descendants are very useless. Take the fifth child for example, he doesn't like to eat meat. Damn it, tell me, is he still a human being? It's strange that when we were starving, we knew that life was hard and a grain of rice and a penny were not easy to get. But when we finally had clothes to wear and food to eat, our children and grandchildren no longer knew how to cherish them."

"It seems that what Deng Qianqiu said is right. Hey... Deng Qianqiu's father... I have talked to my parents about this many times. These words... are really hard to put into words..."

He kept on talking like an idler squatting at the entrance of the village: "Zhu Gang is now successful. He can actually earn money on his own. But... I met Zhu Biao today and talked to him about the way to govern the country, but he was full of benevolence. I am really worried that he was deceived by scholars. Emperor Xuan of Han, Dad, you know him, right? Oh, I forgot, Dad should not know, anyway, he is an emperor of the Han Dynasty."

"He once said to his son: The Han Dynasty has its own system, which was originally a mixture of hegemony and kingship. How can we rely solely on moral education and use Zhou politics? I think this is true, but what can we do... Zhu Biao didn't think so. He thought that as long as we advocated benevolence and righteousness, the world could be stable and peaceful for a long time."

Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, shook his head and smiled bitterly: "And that Deng Jian, I gave him the post of Jiangning County Magistrate, but he never came to express his gratitude. Humph, that's just his temper, he won't say anything. But who would have thought that a villain would steal his official seal and want to kill him, but unfortunately... I heard that he didn't take revenge on the villain, but was careful everywhere. Sigh... It's really painful to watch. Dad, you say... In just thirteen years, how could that ambitious man become like this?"

He sat upright and continued to chat.

I am alone and can only open my heart to these two spirit tablets.

As he spoke, Zhu Yuanzhang laughed: "Our lives are getting better and better now. We are the emperor, but our parents..."

When he said this, his voice stopped abruptly, and his throat made a "puffing" sound, and he suddenly lost his voice. All of a sudden, tears welled up in his slightly red eyes. Finally, he said in a hoarse and tired voice: "Dad, Mom, I'm not hungry anymore. You won't be hungry anymore, and we can eat our fill. From now on, the descendants of the Zhu family will never be hungry."

His shoulders were shaking and tears were dripping down the wrinkled skin on his face.

He suddenly gnashed his teeth and said, "Although I am not hungry anymore and I have become an emperor, sometimes when I see the civil and military officials in the court and see how gorgeous they are, I always feel... as if these people are the corrupt officials who starved my father and mother to death. Seeing them being so fawning to me today, I think about how cruel they were to our family. Father, mother, do you think about these people... are they docile sheep or tigers, leopards, wolves and jackals?"

As he spoke, Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to be exhausted. He wiped his tears and regained some composure: "Is there any way? Even if they are wolves and tigers, even if our parents and our brothers saw their vicious faces clearly, but now... to govern the world, we still can't do without them... we can't do without them..."

After a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang walked out of the Mingtang. However, at this time, his face showed supreme majesty, and the grandeur on his face was so great that people dared not look directly at him.

He should have hunched over and waited quietly a few dozen steps away. When he saw Zhu Yuanzhang leaving the Mingtang, he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Secretariat has a report. In addition, the Minister of the Dali Temple wants to see you..."

(End of this chapter)