[Lightscreen]
[Naturally, many people could not tolerate the behavior of Hu Weiyong.
A man of great prestige such as Xu Da directly told his elder brother that Hu Weiyong was unfit for the office of chancellor.
Someone fearless like the censor Han Yike even carried a memorial in his robe and ran straight to Zhu Yuanzhang to accuse Hu Weiyong in person.
And a man of upright character like the scholar Wu Bozong continued to send private letters to the emperor warning that Hu Weiyong would eventually rebel, even though Hu repeatedly framed him.
Yet Zhu Yuanzhang largely turned a blind eye to these opinions.
Xu Da's frank criticism received neither approval nor rejection. The emperor simply laughed it off.
Han Yike was thrown into prison for his memorial, but before he had even warmed his seat there, Zhu Yuanzhang pulled him out again.
Wu Bozong was an even greater exception. Not only was he not punished, he was actually recalled to the capital and reinstated in office.
In truth Zhu Yuanzhang was certainly not a fool. After all, the position of emperor naturally makes one extremely sensitive to power.
A certain teacher once wrote a comment in the margin of a history book saying that among all rulers in history, none surpassed Li Shimin in military ability, with Zhu Yuanzhang coming second.
But if one were to speak bluntly, then among all emperors in history none surpassed Zhu Yuanzhang in his desire to control power.
It is generally believed that Hu Weiyong's arrogance during this period was deliberately tolerated by Zhu Yuanzhang.
As an emperor who had fought his way out of the chaos at the end of the Yuan, a man truly born among the lowest ranks of society, Zhu Yuanzhang was perhaps the ruler in history most filled with a sense of crisis and most convinced that one must strike first and eradicate problems at the root.
His entire life shows this clearly.
Throughout his reign he was constantly searching for something that did not actually exist.
A "law for ten thousand generations."
Likewise, since the authority of the chancellor threatened imperial power, Zhu Yuanzhang was also waiting for an opportunity, or perhaps a method, to eliminate it completely.
Looking at history, different emperors had taken different approaches when faced with the problem of powerful chancellors forming factions.
Emperor Wu of Han used punishment.
During his fifty-four years on the throne, thirteen men served as chancellor. Seven were dismissed and stripped of rank. Five were executed along with their clans. Only one was entrusted with the emperor's final testament.
Emperor Guangwu of Han chose another approach. He hollowed out the power of the chancellor by strengthening the Secretariat.
But over time the officials "recording the affairs of the Secretariat" came to exercise the real authority of the chancellor even without the title.
From Zhu Yuanzhang's perspective, both solutions treated the symptoms but not the root.
Since it was so troublesome, why not simply let the emperor serve as chancellor himself?
Of course, abandoning ancient institutions required an opportunity.
Fortunately, that opportunity soon arrived.
For Hu Weiyong, enjoying the sweetness of power also meant finding ways to defend it.
To keep the authority of the chancellor as stable as a mountain, pleasing Zhu Yuanzhang's appetite alone was not enough. He also needed to add another layer of protection for his own life.
According to the historical records, after Wang Guangyang was removed from the Central Secretariat in the sixth year of Hongwu, Hu Weiyong began tirelessly courting the founding nobles.
He married his niece to the nephew of Li Shanchang to strengthen relations with his teacher.
He also set his sights on other founding nobles.
The one he most desired to win over was the Grand General Xu Da.
Unfortunately, while Hu Weiyong admired Xu Da, Xu Da looked down on him.
Since that path was closed, Hu Weiyong had to settle for the next best choice.
Beyond the Six Dukes there were still twenty-eight marquises. He could choose among them.
As mentioned earlier, the fact that only two years after granting iron certificates Zhu Yuanzhang had already issued new laws to restrain the nobles shows the average quality of the early Ming nobility.
In such circumstances, few could resist Hu Weiyong when he arrived with treasure in one hand and beautiful women in the other.
Before long, men like Fei Zhong and Lu Zhongheng gathered around him.
Thus, under the leadership of Hu Weiyong, who had effectively become the empire's "executive vice-emperor," a brand-new network of interests was woven together.
Yet he had no idea that Zhu Yuanzhang was already holding the butcher's knife and waiting patiently.
Hu Weiyong's attempt to win over the nobles was not difficult to understand.
More precisely, he coveted their iron certificates of immunity.
Those things were practically resurrection tokens.
If he truly committed some crime, he could simply shift the blame onto a noble. The noble could then rely on the iron certificate. Surely Zhu Yuanzhang could not deny the very document he himself had issued.
Of course, from today's perspective this idea seems rather naive.
After all, everyone learns a simple truth early in life.
The final interpretation always belongs to the organizer.]
---
Zhu Biao could tell from the light screen that later generations believed the Hu Weiyong affair had been a carefully planned trap laid by his father in order to abolish the office of chancellor.
But for them, living at the beginning of the fourteenth year of Hongwu…
Zhu Biao looked around.
He easily recognized the same thought in the eyes of his brothers.
The thought itself was somewhat disrespectful and not something they could openly say.
Even so, Zhu Biao could not help but examine the Ming emperor with entirely new eyes, just like the others.
So Father is actually this calculating… this scheming… this long-prepared…
No, no. He is simply so masterful at strategy!
But Zhu Yuanzhang himself did not notice their gazes.
He had heard evaluations of himself before, but this was the first time he had been compared directly with the great emperors of antiquity.
After carefully reading the marginal note that mentioned his name, Zhu Yuanzhang could not help sharing the same thought Li Wenzhong had earlier.
If only the campaign in Lingbei had been victorious.
If that had happened, perhaps he truly might have surpassed all emperors in military achievement and stood beside Li Shimin.
If Lingbei had been won, the remaining Yuan forces might have been destroyed in a single campaign.
His soldiers would not have frozen to death in the northern deserts.
Their fine horses would not have been lost.
With the strength of the Ming army, they might even have resolved the affairs of Korea and Japan.
Perhaps later generations would not regret those failures.
Perhaps the lifespan of the Ming dynasty might have been extended by several hundred years.
Perhaps…
A pair of hands suddenly covered his temples and gently massaged them.
The palms were slightly rough, but they always calmed him quickly.
"Chongba, must you seek a law for ten thousand generations in everything? How exhausting. Why push yourself so hard?"
The voice of Empress Ma was filled with undisguised concern.
Her sincere care had always been something Zhu Yuanzhang cherished.
Well, it would be better if she did not call him by that childhood nickname…
His thoughts drifted briefly before he pulled them back.
Then he said quietly,
"If one aims for the highest, one may obtain the middle. If one aims for the middle, one may obtain only the lowest."
"If Great Ming seeks to restore the thousand-generation glory of China, then we must aim for a law that lasts ten thousand generations."
The empress had used the words from the light screen to persuade him. Now he returned them in reply, unwilling to yield.
Yet hearing himself described in this way by later generations also left him slightly confused.
He spoke of seeking a law for ten thousand generations, but after being criticized piece by piece by these future commentators, his Records of Ancestral Instructions now seemed less like a law for a thousand generations and more like something that might last only a hundred years.
Unwilling to dwell further on that thought, Zhu Yuanzhang changed the topic.
"Still, that young man on the light screen spoke correctly. Han Yike has never feared for his life. That is a blessing for Great Ming."
Empress Ma only smiled and offered no further comment.
The previous year, after Hu Weiyong had been punished, the entire court trembled with fear. Only Han Yike dared to submit a memorial criticizing the severity of the laws and refusing to accept punishment that humiliated the emperor.
Soon afterward he was accused of crimes but personally pardoned by the emperor. Though Han Yike resigned and returned home, everyone in court understood that once a man had entered the emperor's notice, his return to office was only a matter of time.
Now it seemed the light screen would make sure Han Yike never had much leisure again.
After speaking these casual words, Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head and suddenly noticed the strange looks his sons were giving him.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Naturally none of them dared voice their disrespectful thoughts.
Fortunately Zhu Di spoke quickly.
"Your sons and brothers are all admiring Father's ambition to seek a law for ten thousand generations. Father has labored greatly for Great Ming."
Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his beard and smiled modestly.
Then he gave his fourth son a slightly longer look.