Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

"The boss did nothing wrong."

Zhu Di and Dao Yan were across the chessboard, and the atmosphere was a little tense.

Dao Yan picked up a chess piece again and said: "You did it right? In the final analysis, isn't this a matter of your majesty's first thought? If you don't kill Jiang Xinghuo, let alone other things, just the matter of cutting off the vassal can make the second prince The momentum that had just been suppressed by His Majesty's personal acquiescence has surged again."

Zhu Di was silent.

The eldest prince Zhu Gaochi is a kind and wise man, with the style of a benevolent king, and is a good candidate to guard the country.

The palms and backs of his hands are full of flesh. It's not that Zhu Di doesn't love his eldest son, but he loves his second son more who is more like him and has a closer relationship with him.

"Tell the boss about the vassal reduction first and let him think of some ideas. Aren't there so many civil servants and celebrities around him?"

"At tomorrow's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, the envoys from the vassals and the crown prince who came to congratulate me on my enthronement will be there. I will announce this matter."

"His Majesty!"

After hearing this, Dao Yan suddenly waved his sleeves and the chess pieces instantly scattered to the ground.

Zhu Di frowned and looked at Dao Yan.

Dao Yan almost gritted his teeth and glared at Zhu Di: "You clearly know Jiang Xinghuo's plan. Not to mention a waste like Jie Jin, even talents like Yang Rong and Yang Shiqi can't figure it out! Jiang Xinghuo can't figure it out!" I am willing to be defeated by the plan to reduce the vassal state. Your Majesty favors the second prince like this, and there will definitely be another fight between the government and the opposition!"

"If I don't do this, can I say that my plan was overheard?"

"If I don't do this, won't there be a fight between the government and the opposition to establish the crown prince?"

Zhu Di also overturned the chessboard with a slap.

With a "clang" sound, Zhu Di, dressed in regular clothes, stood up, looking like a fierce god about to kill someone.

Dao Yan was happy and stood up without fear. The long wind blew and the black cassock rustled.

Zhu Di looked at Dao Yan in front of him, feeling a little dazed for a moment.

He seemed to see himself twenty years ago, the scene when he first met that bold young monk.

The same tension, the same unwillingness to give in.

"For the last time, I will not go astray in the future."

Afterwards, Zhu Di picked up the chessboard with his own hands and put it back before the two of them sat down.

"Ask the third child to go to the prison to send a message to the second child. Just tell him that I will announce the reduction of the vassal state at the Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet. Ask him if he has any opinions. If so, write a memorial and ask the third child to hand it over."

"Didn't I say that His Majesty's plan to ask the Second Prince to present his plan was wrong? His Majesty couldn't say it out loud. Then letting the Second Prince know about it wouldn't be an obvious way to monitor him? It would separate the father and son, and it would indeed be easier for him to unite the nobles if he presented the plan. , let the nobles take the lead in expressing their support for His Majesty’s decision to lift the maritime ban and sail to the Western Seas.”

Dao Yan's anger was no longer at this time. He held the rosary beads and looked as calm as an enlightened monk. He turned the rosary beads for a long time and finally said.

"Your Majesty, I know a little bit about the art of prophecy and divination, even more so than Jiang Xinghuo."

"What's the result?" Zhu Di was a little curious.

After Daoyan fell silent, he said with a troubled expression.

"Don't forget it."

"What?"

"The result of the calculation is - don't forget it."

The rosary beads in Daoyan's hand stopped spinning, and he pinched them tightly, smiling bitterly.

"I don't know where this Jiang Xinghuo came from. The Ji Gang has been checked, and it is definitely not the Jianwen Yudang. Jiang Xinghuo spent almost the first twenty years in the countryside, and only visited the county town a few times to teach him Mr. Private School is just a registered disciple of Fang Xiaoru."

Zhu Di said in amazement: "And the most surprising thing is that this Jiang Xinghuo seems to be looking forward to death every day. It is really incredible. Ji Gang inquired and found that Jiang Xinghuo mentioned to the inmates more than once that as long as he died, he would You can 'go back and live forever'."

Dao Yan accurately interpreted Zhu Di's doubts: "Your Majesty feels that Jiang Xinghuo's knowledge is as if it was given by heaven, and his attitude of seeking death is too abnormal, right?"

Zhu Di was a little dumbfounded, nodded and said: "Yes, that's how I feel."

"That's what God has given, and that's what you want to die."

Seeing that Zhu Di was stunned for a moment, Dao Yan said: "Your Majesty, have you ever heard of the banished immortal? I have already guessed this, what if it is the banished immortal who was punished to the lower world? Could it be that after death, he returned to heaven to enjoy eternal life? Naturally, he was born Knowing this, I naturally look forward to an early death. If your Majesty is really worried, just ask the Taoist fortune teller Yuan Gong and Yuan Zhenren to come and take a serious look."

Is Jiang Xinghuo a banished immortal?

After hearing this statement, Zhu Di was not sure to pay attention for the time being. As for the Taoist fortune teller Yuan Gong and Yuan Zhenren, who gave him and Dao Yan quite accurate fortune-tellings, he was indeed a good candidate. He was the only one who practiced the art of prophecy and divination in the world. I can get a glimpse of the secret.

Zhu Di immediately called for the Jin Yiwei, but Ji Gang came to serve him after finishing the matters at hand.

"Ji Gang, please arrange for people to go to eastern Zhejiang to invite Master Yuan Gong. Just tell him that I and Master Dao Yan have encountered a being who is suspected of being a banished immortal, and invite him to come and have a look."

After Ji Gang left, Zhu Di thought for a moment and discussed follow-up arrangements with Dao Yan.

"The boss doesn't have to think about it behind closed doors anymore. Let him come out to do things after the Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet."

"As for the second child, let him stay in prison for a while first."

"Is Your Majesty still angry with the second prince, or are you afraid that the second prince will no longer be able to listen to Jiang Xinghuo's lectures after leaving the prison?"

Zhu Di did not answer, but continued.

"Using Jiang Xinghuo's strategy, the salaries of the vassal and county princes were raised, and a 'year-end reward package' was issued at the same time. In this way, the court's expenditure on supporting the clan will be larger in recent years, but in the future, with the improvement of finances and the number of clans, Compared with the original support method, it will definitely save a lot."

Zhu Di turned to ask Dao Yan: "In addition, regarding ocean trade, I plan to let Ma He (whose surname was changed to Zheng in the second year of Yongle) do it. Let him first understand the situation of the countries he passes through, as well as sea charts, products and other information. how do you feel?"

Dao Yan nodded slightly: "Fu Jixiang believes in the Great Eating Method. His father and grandfather have been to Mecca, and he understands astronomy and navigation, so it is naturally a perfect fit."

In this way, the decision to support the clan and the preliminary preparations for maritime trade were finalized, and Zhu Di breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Master, do you have the answers to Jiang Xinghuo's two questions about "The Theory of National Destiny"?"

Dao Yan pondered for a moment, remembered the two questions about the dynasty, nodded affirmatively and said: "I have my own answer."

Zhu Di was also a little relieved. In his heart, Jiang Xinghuo was not a god after all, and of course there should be answers to the questions he asked.

"Then do you plan to go and listen together, master?"

Dao Yan shook his head and just said: "Whether Jiang Xinghuo is a banished immortal is just a temporary guess. In fact, I still think that he is just a mortal with some wisdom. But if we only talk about wisdom, not Lao I don’t know how to be humble, but I don’t think anyone in the world can surpass me.”

A gust of wind blew by, and the black cassock fluttered gently, as if to silently remind him that the "prime minister in black" in front of him was the one who assisted Zhu Di in his successful rebellion.