The strongest eldest son of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 19 Unless a more virtuous eldest son of the Ming Dynasty appears than His Highness

"I always felt that His Majesty must have encountered someone or something during his trip to Chenzhou, which caused such a great change in his temperament and style of doing things."

Hu Weiyong nodded, his doubts deepening: "What you say is absolutely right, but we can't find His Majesty's exact whereabouts in Chenzhou, nor do we know who that mysterious person is. It's really hard to fathom His Majesty's thoughts."

"Keep investigating, we must find this mysterious person!"

"Yes, teacher!"

.....

As the officials gradually withdrew, the Hall of Supreme Harmony quieted down, leaving only Zhu Yuanzhang and Crown Prince Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao remained standing in the same spot, his face still showing lingering astonishment, his eyes filled with disbelief. The scene that had just unfolded in the court was truly beyond his expectations.

Zhu Yuanzhang stepped down from the dragon throne, looked at his son's expression, and couldn't help but laugh. He reached out and patted his shoulder: "Biao'er, what's wrong? Why are you standing there like an idiot?"

Zhu Biao then came to his senses and quickly bowed, his tone full of surprise and a hint of joy: "Father, I am just too surprised. I did not expect Father to handle the Empty Seal Case in this way."

"In the past, when faced with such cases of corruption and abuse of power, Father Emperor would have always punished them severely without exception. But today, however, he has shown leniency, only executing the ringleaders and giving the rest of the officials a lighter punishment. I am both surprised and relieved for the officials in the court."

He raised his head, his eyes filled with admiration: "Father's move not only punished corrupt officials but also appeased the people of the court, balancing law and reason. It was truly a wise move!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's smile deepened, clearly pleased. His tone carried a hint of satisfaction: "Oh? You also think we did the right thing? Then let me ask you, what are your thoughts on this blank seal case?"

Zhu Biao pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke, his tone solemn and steady, his analysis well-reasoned and supported by evidence: "Father, I believe that the root cause of the Empty Seal Case lies in the inadequate supervision by the Ministry of Revenue officials, as well as the local officials' wishful thinking and attempts to exploit loopholes in the law."

"Father Emperor only punishes the ringleaders and leniently punishes the other officials involved. This can deter corrupt officials throughout the country and avoid implicating too many people, which would lead to a loss of talent in the court and affect the operation of government affairs. This is the best policy."

"In addition, I believe that we should strengthen the supervision of officials in the Ministry of Revenue, improve the relevant laws and regulations, prevent such fraudulent activities from happening again, and at the same time, we should appease the innocent officials who have been implicated so that they can serve with peace of mind."

In the past, Zhu Yuanzhang would have been very satisfied to hear Zhu Biao's clear and practical analysis, praising him repeatedly for his talent in governing the country and for living up to his expectations.

But at this moment, after listening, Zhu Yuanzhang's smile faded, and he no longer felt the usual joy. He felt that Zhu Biao's analysis was mediocre and not particularly outstanding.

In his mind, he subconsciously compared Zhu Biao and Zhu Yao, recalling how Zhu Yao had warned him about the risks of the blank seal case with a confident tone, sharp insight, and even the ability to predict the course of events.

In contrast, Zhu Biao's analysis, while logical and well-founded, lacked the insight and foresight of Zhu Yao, and instead exhibited a tendency to follow rules and not break free from established thought patterns.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly realized that the future successor of the Ming Dynasty, whom he had always been proud of and considered perfect, was actually somewhat inadequate.

Zhu Biao keenly noticed the change in Zhu Yuanzhang's expression, his heart sank slightly, and the smile on his face gradually faded. He could sense that his father seemed dissatisfied with his answer, but he didn't know what the problem was.

After the court session ended, Zhu Biao did not return to the Eastern Palace immediately, but went straight to the study of Song Lian, the tutor of the Eastern Palace, with a solemn and puzzled expression.

He bowed to Song Lian, his tone somewhat bewildered: "Teacher, during today's court assembly, I felt that Father Emperor seemed to have changed, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what was different."

"In the past, Father Emperor was always very satisfied with my analysis of political affairs. But today, after I finished explaining my views on the Empty Seal Case, Father Emperor's expression was indifferent, as if he did not approve. Why is that?"

Upon hearing this, Song Lian quickly stood up and helped Zhu Biao up. With a gentle expression and a steady tone, he comforted him, "Your Highness, please don't overthink it. It's not that His Majesty doesn't approve of you, but the situation at court today is special, and His Majesty has many thoughts on his mind, so his expression is inevitably a bit calm."

"Your Highness is the undisputed Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty. He has been learning the ways of governing the country from His Majesty since childhood. He is benevolent and wise, and is highly valued by His Majesty and recognized by the officials in the court. His Majesty places great hopes on you and has never wavered."

He paused, then his tone became even more resolute: "Unless a more virtuous and capable eldest son of the Ming Dynasty emerges than Your Highness, no one can shake your position as Crown Prince!"

"But that's absolutely impossible!!"

"Therefore, Your Highness only needs to focus on self-cultivation and assist His Majesty in handling state affairs, and not be troubled by temporary doubts."

After listening to Song Lian's words, Zhu Biao's confusion eased a little, but he still felt that his father's change was not as simple as Song Lian said. He could clearly see the aloofness and indifference hidden in his expression.

He nodded slightly, his tone tinged with melancholy: "Thank you for your guidance, teacher. I understand, but I still feel uneasy. I hope my feeling is wrong."

In the following days, Zhu Yuanzhang was completely engrossed in his work. The memorials piled up on his desk in the imperial study were so numerous that they almost buried him.

The follow-up handling of the blank seal case, the appointment of officials in the central government, and the reporting of local government affairs all required his personal review and decision-making. He was often busy until late at night and had very little time to rest.

In his spare time, Zhu Yuanzhang would often subconsciously recall the hot pot that Zhu Yao had made in Chenzhou, especially the tender and flavorful cabbage that had absorbed all the broth and melted in his mouth. The warmth spread from his throat to his whole body, and even his fatigue was greatly relieved.

The busier he was, the more he missed that taste, and he couldn't help but think to himself that if he could have a steaming hot pot right now, all the hard work would be worth it.

Unfortunately, he couldn't eat it. Zhu Yuanzhang also had the imperial kitchen make something similar, but the taste was completely incomparable to the hot pot at Zhu Yao's place.

Besides the pile of government affairs and the longing for hot pot, news from the Ministry of Works was also frequently coming in, all of which was bad news about road technology research.

The Ministers of Works repeatedly experimented with and developed cement according to the records in the books, but either the material ratio was wrong and the cement produced crumbled when squeezed, or the kiln temperature was not high enough to meet the firing requirements; even when they occasionally produced cement that could be formed, it was far from meeting the standards for building roads.

The repeated failures left the ministers of the Ministry of Works extremely frustrated, and they frequently went to the palace to apologize. This also increased Zhu Yuanzhang's frustration. The road construction project, which he had been eagerly anticipating, was now stuck at the cement hurdle and made no progress.

The troubles of government affairs and the setbacks of the Ministry of Works had already exhausted Zhu Yuanzhang, but his sons at home showed no understanding whatsoever, and were unruly and mischievous all day long, causing a lot of trouble.