At dawn, the red sun rises in the sky, suddenly appears above the horizon, and the light gradually becomes white.

Kaifeng City, which lies on the bank of the Yellow River and has been the ancient capital of several dynasties and the thoroughfare to the major cities, is as silent as death.

In the distance outside the city, a few wisps of black smoke were still flying for several days, but they still refused to come to an end. They seemed to still be telling the story of the return of the thieves before the prosperous times.

Under the city gate, several county officers huddled lazily under the shed, rolling up their cotton clothes. It was always cool in the early morning. At this time, even if the emperor came, the officers would not move for a moment.<

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If it weren't for the army still mopping up the remnants outside, these people would have returned home long ago, telling their wives, children and neighbors about their great achievements in defending the city a few days ago and their undaunted demeanor in the face of the enemy.

That was confirmed by His Royal Highness the Emperor Taisun himself.

Their names are on the merit book of the Ming Dynasty.

In the city, the streets are quiet. Even the most hardworking people in the past are unwilling to go out of their homes at this time. They would rather hug their wives at home and lie in bed with their eyes open for a long time, counting the days of peace and stability.

What time.

In the northwest corner of the city, next to the huge swampy lake near the Zhou Prince's Mansion, sits the villa named after the Prince's Mansion.

In the backyard, there is a water pavilion garden from the Song Dynasty. Under the corner, the branches and leaves are piled with dew accumulated in the middle of the night in the summer morning.

A gust of wind blew.

The branches and leaves swayed a bit, and the drop of dew hanging on the tip of the leaf finally couldn't hold up and dripped down.

Tick.

"The Duke of Liang has returned from purging the remnants of the rebels in Henan Province. He invites you to enter the city. I invite you to see His Highness the Emperor Taisun. What do you want from His Highness?"

The young chief minister, holding a white cloth tie with his right index finger, sat behind a small eucalyptus and took out a memorial. He held a pen with his fingers and hung it on the memorial, but his appearance was slightly funny because of that finger.<

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The equally young Prince Yan was sitting on the other side, with his head bowed and the ink pen in his hand never stopping. One by one, he wrote articles and memorials about promoting reforms in Henan Province and setting up tax department branches.

Zhu Yunxi was holding a bowl of white porridge sprinkled with a few salty beans, rolled up a piece of pancake, and chewed slowly and carefully. It seemed that this simple breakfast was the most delicious in the world.

Sucking.

A mouthful of white porridge goes into your mouth, mixed with cooking cakes.

Zhu Yunxi raised his head: "Repeat, the people in Kaifeng City are out of danger, the imperial court cannot bear the soldiers and horses to disturb the people, and the troops and horses of all parties are not allowed to enter Kaifeng without orders and armor. The army retreated thirty miles and set up camp, waiting for the imperial court's decree. Liang Guogong put an end to the rebellion in Henan.

For your hard work, you will be given wine and meat to temporarily comfort the soldiers, and your military achievements will be left to be examined by the judge."

Pei Benzhi lowered his head, and the corners of his eyes moved. The emperor's grandson only said that Liang Guo was fair and traitorous, but he did not mention military merit. This statement has profound meaning.

However, he still faithfully left Taisun's teachings in the memorial sent to the city by the Duke of Liang, waiting for an official to send it back to the Duke of Liang.

After a while, Pei Benzhi said again: "The Marquis of Xiping Muying camped thirty miles outside the city. He wrote a letter to ask for military supplies from Henan Road, and the army marched back to the capital, so as not to stay in the place for a long time and make the people uneasy and panic. The Marquis of Xiping also wrote, if the emperor

If His Highness Taisun is summoned, he can be ordered to come to see you within an hour."

Zhu Yunxi pondered for a moment.

Zhu Gaochi on the side quietly raised his head and glanced at him.

Zhu Yunxi opened his mouth and said: "Come back, the various camps of the Beijing army are working hard, and there are commanders who test their merits and judge their merits according to heaven. The Marquis of Xiping is loyal and courageous, and he will do what he asks for. However, the military affairs of the armies are complicated, and there are hundreds of people in Henan Province.

It’s useless to be reborn, so there’s no need to invite you.”

Pei Benzhi flicked the finger that had been tightly bandaged by the emperor's grandson himself, and while writing sentence by sentence, replying to the memorial of Marquis Xiping, he thought about it in his heart.

The two memorials written by the Duke of Liang and the Marquis of Xiping are roughly the same, but they are completely different. The reply from the emperor's grandson also seems to be the same, but they are completely different.

It was also hard work, but Marquis Xiping received a loyal and courageous reply.

According to convention, these four words are used together. But now it is obvious that the Marquis of Xiping is loyal, brave, and measured. They need to be mentioned separately, which is much better than the Duke of Liang.

Wait until the memorials from the two noble princes are processed.

Pei Benzhi added: "Previously, Henan Province sent a petition to the imperial court to approve the filling of official vacancies. The head of the Literary and Selection Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs sent a letter to reply. In the near future, candidate candidates and Jinshi to observe politics will be sent to Henan Province."

"Is this a letter from Bai Yuxiu?"

Zhu Gaochi, who had been silent until now, suddenly opened his mouth and asked Pei Benzhi. Then he shifted his gaze and silently looked at Zhu Yunxi, who was drinking porridge with his head down.

Pei Benzhi flipped through the memorial, then raised his head and said: "This is Bai Yuxiu, the newly appointed head of the Literary Selection Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. I have heard about him. It seems that he has been in office not long ago."

After finishing speaking, Pei Benzhi paused and turned to look at the emperor's grandson, who had finished his porridge.

Something seems wrong.

Pei Benzhi muttered for no reason.

It turned out that the Yellow River burst, causing disasters in Henan Province and causing chaos in the area. The chief envoy Si Yamen reported to the court several times, asking the Ministry of Civil Affairs to appoint officials to fill the vacancies in Henan Province. However, there was never a reply from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Why is it that now the Ministry of Civil Affairs has changed its head to another person in charge of the Literary and Selection Department? Not only has he started processing petitions from Henan Province, he has even sent a letter specifically explaining it.

Over the years, the imperial court seemed to have tens of thousands of officials, but the Ming Dynasty was so big that it needed manpower to manage every aspect. Not only did the local government complain about being poor every year, but they also complained that there were no people.

Official vacancies had long been a common occurrence in the Hongwu Dynasty.

When will the officials and local officials specifically explain: Ah, I know your affairs, and don’t worry, I will take care of them for you.

This is inconsistent with common sense.

After Zhu Gaochi confirmed it, he smiled faintly and continued to lower his head and write his seemingly endless innovation memorial.

Zhu Yunxi didn't say anything, just wiped his mouth and signaled Pei Benzhi to continue.

The study room in Bieyuan under the name of Prince Zhou's Mansion suddenly became quiet.

……

Zhang Zhiyuan, who was wearing armor and stomach, was obviously silent around him, but he felt that there was a strange noise in his ears all the time, which made him unable to calm down for a long time.

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In front of him, there were generals from Ma Junying who followed him south from Dusi Yamen in Peking, and generals from Dusi Yamen in Shandong.

The Shandong Daodu commander did not come. Ever since Zhang Zhiyuan took more than ten thousand Peiping Dusi officers and soldiers south to Shandong, the Dusi said he was sick and could not leave the house even half a step.

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Tang Keke, who was sitting among the generals, looked left and right and coughed slightly: "The rebellion in Henan Road has been put down."

In the hall, no one spoke, but everyone's eyes couldn't help but glance at Zhang Zhiyuan, who had temporarily taken over the military affairs of Shandong Road.

Tang Keke added: "How long will it take for the rebels in Shandong Road to be completely wiped out!"

Everyone's eyes were still looking at Zhang Zhiyuan, but no one was willing to speak.

Zhang Zhiyuan's face was a little gloomy. He placed it on the table and clenched his hands tightly into fists hidden in his sleeves.

I missed this year's Nine-Border Northern Expedition and went south from Beiping City to Shandong Road. I commanded more than ten thousand cavalry and led the troops and horses of the guards at the Shandong Road Dusi Yamen for less than half a month.

However, Zhang Zhiyuan has no clue about the rebellion in Shandong Road, and there has been no substantial progress until now.

The rebels are still there. The soldiers and horses of Shandong Road have not yet been dispatched. They just received military orders. These rebels have already dispersed in a swarm. No matter how you search, they will be difficult to find.

The rebellions in Shandong Road and Henan Road were completely different, presenting two completely different situations. The rebels in Henan Road gathered in large groups, waiting for opportunities, and even dared to besiege Kaifeng City.

However, the rebels on Shandong Road never occupied the city to support themselves. They only looted official warehouses and ransacked the people. The most troublesome thing was blocking the canal water transportation, making it impossible for cargo ships heading north to move forward.

It seems that the rebels in Shandong Road just want to show what they can do and what kind of influence and pressure they can bring to the Shandong Road Sansi Yamen and the court.

Zhang Zhiyuan glanced at Tang Keke, who was a little angry, and did not express his displeasure at being shouted at here.

Others present were unclear, but Zhang Zhiyuan knew very well that since he arrived at Shandong Road with his army and horses, Tang Keke had invited them to conduct a secret investigation.

Then the result is also unsatisfactory.

Countless clues have been found, but these clues will always disappear completely at a certain node.

This made Zhang Zhiyuan, who was accustomed to just leading his troops to charge where the enemy was most outside the Nine Border Fortress, as if he were stuck in a swamp, with his feet stuck in it and unable to extricate himself.

"What do the Chief Envoy Si Yamen and the Inspector General Si Yamen say? How many days has it been and you still haven't figured out who the rebel leaders are?"

Zhang Zhiyuan's lieutenant saw that General Tang Keke's confidant had spoken, and looked at the Shandong Daodu Si Yamen generals sitting opposite with a gloomy face.

The problem cannot be solved for a while, but the pressure must be put on Shandong Dayousi Yamen.

The faces of the Shandong Dusi Yamen generals sitting opposite the Peking Dusi generals also looked a little ugly.

"The chief envoy Si Yamen promised that Shandong Road would never delay and deduct any food and fodder needed by the general, or use shoddy goods as good ones."

"The Inspector-General's Yamen replied that there are rebels who are obstructing the investigation of the criminal names. Please allow the general a few days of grace until the Inspector-General can find out clearly."

The Shandong Dusi Yamen general who spoke at the scene actually said this to Zhang Zhiyuan.

However, Zhang Zhiyuan's face became even more ugly.

Shandong Yousi Yamen looks very obedient, but in fact they don't contribute at all.

Ten thousand people may seem like a lot, but in the entire Shandong Road, it is not too much. Even if you live and eat in Shandong Road for a year, the Chief Envoy Si Yamen can afford it.

"Let's end the discussion today."

Zhang Zhiyuan waved his hand, and his originally gloomy expression calmed down: "I still have to work hard for you all, continue to send military and horse spies, and we must find out where the traitors are hiding as soon as possible."

"The last general takes orders."
To be continued...