Chapter 61: Becoming an Apprentice

  The Great Ming Palace, the East Warm Pavilion of the Wuying Hall.

  Inside the pavilion was a copper basin, in which burned bright red charcoal, making the whole room warm as spring.

  Zhu Yuanzhang wore a bright yellow dragon robe, his expressionless face scanning the several high-ranking officials standing below him, his sharp gaze making everyone's body tremble slightly.

  After a long silence, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke up: "The memorial of the Crown Prince, have you all read it?"

  The officials bowed and said in unison: "We have read it."

  "'The righteousness and profit of merchants', haha, how did he think of that...". Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze returned to a pale blue memorial on the dragon case, his expression unclear whether it was joy or anger.

  The officials were silent and dared not speak, the heavenly will was difficult to fathom. Facing such a pioneering emperor, it was hard for the officials to guess what he was thinking in his heart.

  Zhu Yuanzhang leaned his head against the back of the chair, slowly closed his eyes and said faintly: "Since you have all read the memorials, let's hear your opinions."

  The officials bowed their heads again, no one spoke, the entire warm pavilion was quiet, only the sound of the charcoal burning in the copper basin occasionally made a slight crackling sound.

  After a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang still closed his eyes, but his tone was somewhat impatient.

  "What's wrong? You are all high-ranking officials in the court, can't even evaluate a single article?"

  All officials trembled simultaneously and knelt down, saying: "Your subjects are incompetent."

  Those who were listed in the warm pavilion and were called "heavy ministers" by Zhu Yuanzhang were all outstanding in morality, literature and art. Of course, it is impossible to evaluate even one article.

  But this article is even more deadly, its author is the grandson of the current emperor and the next heir to the throne. Its content is even more deadly, throughout the whole article it only expresses one idea, that is to justify the merchants!

  Merchants are inferior households, this was the national policy set by Zhu Yuanzhang himself at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. Today, his great-grandson has proposed a different view, which is openly overthrowing the national policy established by Emperor Hongwu. To put it nicely, it's remonstrance; to put it badly, it's going against the emperor.

  The differences in opinion between the grandfather and grandson, how can outsiders say anything? Offending either side is not pleasing, didn't Emperor Hongwu's slaughter of officials kill many? The cases of Hu Weiyong and Lan Yu, almost all the officials in the imperial court were slaughtered by the emperor, who dares to touch the dragon's whiskers? Apart from pretending to be mute, what else can the officials do?

  The ministers were trembling with fear, their hearts only hoping that Zhu Yuanzhang would spare them and let the matter pass, but Zhu Yuanzhang was determined not to let them off.

  After a long wait, without seeing anyone speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang's withered fingers lightly tapped the dragon case a few times and said calmly: "Huang Zicheng, you are the lecturer of Chunfang, also the companion reader of Donggong, teaching Taishun's lessons. Taishun is your student, so you come first to evaluate this memorial of Taishun."

  Huang Zicheng was over forty years old, a thin and short middle-aged man with bright eyes, a lean face, and a few strands of green whiskers under his chin, which made him look spirited and very capable.

  When Zhu Yuanzhang called out his name, Huang Zicheng's whole body also trembled slightly, but he didn't dare to hesitate for a moment. He stepped forward and thought for a moment before saying: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's memorial is of the highest quality in terms of writing style, with strict parallel sentences and perfect antithesis... However, as for the viewpoint expressed in the memorial, Your Majesty, please forgive me for not daring to agree."

  Zhu Yuanzhang still had his eyes closed, as if he was tired, leaning against the back of the chair, but a faint smile appeared on his face.

  "Huang Ai Qing, tell me in detail, why don't you dare to be with him?"

  "Your Majesty, the sage said: 'The gentleman is persuaded by righteousness, the petty man is persuaded by profit.' The distinction between the gentleman and the petty man was made clear by the sage a thousand years ago. Merchants, no matter how they may disguise their actions, cannot escape their true nature of pursuing profits. As those who pursue profits are petty men, where does righteousness come from? I believe that what the Crown Prince said is truly absurd. When Your Majesty first established the country, merchants were considered to be of lowly occupation because they pursued profits and forgot about righteousness, gaining without labor, only knowing how to make a living by buying low and selling high through speculative means, which was shameful in the eyes of the world. Therefore, what the Crown Prince said, to promote merchants from their lowly status, is contrary to the ancestral teachings that Your Majesty established at the beginning of the country's founding. I dare not agree with this!"

  Huang Zicheng's words were moderate and dignified, neither arrogant nor humble. He quoted the words of a sage to refute Zhu Yunwen's views, and the officials nodded in agreement after hearing him. These officials had grown up reading the classics since childhood, so they naturally highly approved of Huang Zicheng's refutation.

  Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes opened slightly, a thin line, and in the narrow slit, a sharp gaze like a knife edge slowly swept across the officials. Then his eyes closed again, and he said slowly: "Huang Aiqing is indeed a lecturer at Chunfang, with knowledge and literary talent that are not common. Hehe, do you have any other opinions?"

  The officials bowed their heads and said in unison: "We concur with Lord Huang's words."

  Zhu Yuanzhang's expression remained unchanged, his withered fingers lightly tapping on the dragon case, once and again, as if tapping on everyone's heart. The officials listened to the slow rhythm of the knocking sound, their faces changed in unison, and a thin layer of cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.

  After a long silence, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke up: "Do you all agree? Is there no one who opposes Mr. Huang's words?"

  The officials all chimed in again: "We concur with Minister Huang's words."

  Zhu Yuanzhang let out a small sigh and said: "I understand, all of you can withdraw. The matter that the Crown Prince reported will be discussed later."

  The officials all showed joyful expressions on their faces. "Postponing discussion" is a more euphemistic way of saying, the actual meaning is to put it aside, or even never discuss it again.

  As he watched his ministers slowly and uniformly withdraw from the Wenyuan Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang's face suddenly turned gloomy.

  The emperor's perspective on things is different from that of his ministers. The ministers only see the thing itself, while the emperor sees the entire situation related to it.

  Zhu Yunwen was able to propose ideas that were completely different from his, Zhu Yuanzhang was not angry, outwardly he was a brutal and bloodthirsty emperor, but inwardly he was a kind and gentle grandfather, his brutality and bloodlust were entirely for the sake of the Zhu family's descendants.

  Zhu Yunwen had his own ideas, and Zhu Yuanzhang was not only not angry but also very happy. This grandson was personally designated by him as the successor, who would take over the throne and the country from him in the future, replacing him to rule millions of people. If an emperor did not have his own views, how could he govern the ministers? From Zhu Yunwen's memorial, Zhu Yuanzhang clearly felt that his grandson had grown up and knew how to distinguish right from wrong. This realization made him very delighted.

  Zhu Yuanzhang felt dissatisfied with the unanimous voice of the group of officials in the warm pavilion today.

  No matter who is right or wrong, for the emperor, the unanimous voice of his ministers is a very bad phenomenon, it's an omen that the power of the officials will override the imperial power! This phenomenon also appeared in the court more than a decade ago, at that time, the person who dominated the court with overwhelming power and was arrogant and complacent was Prime Minister Hu Weiyong!

  Nowadays, these ministers are full of the stale and hackneyed sayings of the sages, unanimously opposing Zhu Yunwen's views. What about in the future? After Zhu Yuanzhang dies, if Zhu Yunwen proposes another idea that the group of ministers dare not agree with, will they also oppose it unanimously like today, and then the ruler's orders cannot be carried out? In this way, where is the power of the monarch? How can Zhu Yunwen sit firmly on the throne? Won't the imperial power of the Zhu family's descendants be completely manipulated by those mediocre ministers under their seats?

  Zhu Yuanzhang's eyelids twitched violently, a fierce and murderous aura swirling in his chest. He had another urge to kill. He wanted to slaughter all these stubborn and conservative ministers and replace them with obedient officials. The world would be entirely under Zhu Yuanzhang's control; he didn't mind killing a few more scholars, nor did he worry about nobody being left to govern.

  Soon after, Zhu Yuanzhang calmed down again. He had grown old and tired of killing people for a lifetime, feeling anxious about it, and didn't want to kill anymore.

  His gaze fell again on the memorial presented by Long Fan, and a hint of a smile flashed across Zhu Yuanzhang's face.

  "Someone has come to announce Yuan Zhongxian's arrival."

  Before long, a flying fish robe Jin Yiwei Yuan Zhong knelt sincerely at the feet of Zhu Yuanzhang.

  Zhu Yuanzhang closed his eyes and said slowly, "The Crown Prince spoke to me today about the affairs of merchants. You have been accompanying the Crown Prince all day, do you know why he suddenly brought up this matter?"

  A royal noble who grew up in the palace since childhood, suddenly became a merchant with the lowest social status in society. This is an abnormal phenomenon, Zhu Yuanzhang must figure out what's going on.

  Yuan Zhong prostrated himself on the ground and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, yesterday the Crown Prince went to Jiangpu County's Drunken Immortal Pavilion again..."

  Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes opened immediately, and he said in a deep voice: "Jiangpu County? Is it that wine shop owner named Xiao Fan again?"

  "Yes."

  Zhu Yuanzhang's eyebrows furrowed, his tone seeming to simmer with boundless murderous intent: "So it seems that the matter of the merchant presented by the Crown Prince is not his own idea, but rather something Xiao Fan has instructed him to do?"

  Listening to Zhu Yuanzhang's gloomy tone, a cold sweat trickled down Yuan Zhong's forehead. His mind racing quickly, he then spoke an incomplete truth.

  "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince had a conversation with Xiao Fan for about an hour. When the Crown Prince returned to the capital, he seemed to be deep in thought along the way and wrote this memorial that night."

  Zhu Yuanzhang's cold and stern face finally gradually calmed down, and a hint of a relieved smile also quietly appeared on his face.

  "For your sake, you need to understand the people's suffering at all times. It's great that Taizun has his own thoughts and can also plead with me on behalf of the people, haha."

  Yuan Zhong remained kneeling on the ground, motionless. Upon hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, he couldn't help but feel a great sense of relief in his heart.

  Having followed the young master in and out of Zui Xian Lou for a long time, Yuan Zhong was naturally familiar with Xiao Zhanggui, the manager of the wine house. Although they had not become deeply acquainted, he had developed some goodwill towards Xiao Fan, who was warm, elegant, and neither arrogant nor servile. Such a person should not have died because of his words.

  Zhu Yuanzhang's fingers tapped the dragon case a few more times, his eyes deep in thought, muttering to himself: "Xiao Fan... it's Xiao Fan again..."

  Zhu Yuanzhang said in a low voice: "Yuan Zhong, you go and take care of something."

  "Please instruct, Your Majesty."

  "Send someone to investigate Xiao Fan's family background, tracing back three generations. Investigate his character and moral integrity as well. If his family background is not clean, or if he has flaws in his virtues and conduct...” Zhu Yuanzhang paused for a moment before suddenly opening his eyes wide, his gaze filled with a stern and murderous aura: “...then have him killed! This matter does not need to be made known to the Crown Prince.”

  Yuan Zhong's whole body trembled slightly, then he firmly said: "Yes."

  "I originally rose from humble beginnings and do not object to the Crown Prince having friends among common people, but I will not permit someone with a questionable family background and ulterior motives to befriend the Crown Prince!"

  "Long live Your Majesty!"

  Yuan Zhong hesitated for a moment, then said: "Your Majesty, if it is found that Xiao Fan's family background is clean and he has no problems with his character, what then?"

  Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a moment, and a faint smile appeared on his face: "Then ask him again if he can read and write, and then bring him into the palace. I want to summon him."

  "By order."

  Yuan Zhong slowly backed out of the warm pavilion.

  Zhu Yuanzhang picked up the memorial from Zhu Yunwen on the dragon case, opened it and read it carefully again. After a while, he raised his head, seemingly deep in thought, and muttered to himself: "The court still needs a different voice... and by Yunwen's side, there should also be a young assistant minister..."

  …………

  …………

  That night, the outer gate of the imperial palace in Beijing slowly opened a line in the darkness, and several plainclothes Jin Yiwei soldiers quietly left the palace, rushing to Jiangpu County outside the city. The cavalry went out in all directions, taking two routes, openly and secretly, and began to investigate Xiao Fan separately.

  Xiao Zhanggui, who was in Jiangpu, had no idea that the discussion about the status of a small merchant like him had been written into a memorial by the Crown Prince and submitted to Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial desk. He was even more unaware that his name had already reached the heavens.

  He is still carefree as the owner of his wine shop.

  If the Taixu Daoist Master with unparalleled martial arts skills didn't bother him, he would be even more carefree.

  In comparison, Tai Xuzi was not as carefree. For some reason, he seemed to be very keen on teaching Xiao Fan martial arts. Since Xiao Fan refused to acknowledge him as his master, Tai Xuzi felt extremely distressed and had lost his appetite for food over the past few days. He struck a pose of a "thinker", exuding an air of "the troubles of old age".

  "Why won't you acknowledge me as your master? You've seen my skills with your own eyes, I'm not bragging. In today's martial world, there are few who can rival me..."

  Xiao Fan sighed: "Dao Zhang, why must you teach me martial arts? I'm actually a bookworm at heart, and I follow the principle of 'a gentleman uses his mouth not his fists'..."

  Tai Yu bluntly exposed Xiao Fan's true nature: "Bah! You're all talk and no action, you robbed your fellow worker of his silver coins. How can you do such a despicable thing? Who are you trying to deceive?"

  Xiao Fan's face turned slightly red: "......Even a gentleman can make mistakes sometimes."

  Tai Yu continued to expose him: "You also instructed Pu Dao to hit Huang's inner door with a mallet."

  "Moderate setbacks are beneficial for young people's growth..."

  "You forced Poor Dao to go to Jinyulou and cause trouble, smashing Huang Zhizhou's venue."

  Xiao Fanjun's face turned somewhat dark: "Daozhang knows about my many shameful pasts, normally I should kill you to silence you..."

  "Alright, alright, you can't beat me anyway..."

  Xiao Fang suddenly lost his energy, looked up at Tai Xu and said weakly: "Dao Zhang, can you tell me why I must follow you to learn martial arts? Is it that you see that my bones are extraordinary, a rare talent for practicing martial arts..."

  "Pfft! You're just a freak with a weird skeleton! With your small build, you'd fall over in the wind, and yet you think you're talented? You're nothing but a scrawny piece of trash!"

  "Then please, Master Dao, spare me and stop bothering me. A useless person isn't a piece of crap, if you want to step on me, just do it... I really am not cut out for martial arts..."

  Tai Xū let out a low hum, his expression suddenly turned serious, and his eyes had an inexplicable glint that flowed subtly.

  "The reason I want you to practice martial arts with me is to follow the will of heaven."

  "What does 'Dao' mean?"

  Tai Xū sighed and said: "I've told you before, your facial features are those of extreme wealth and nobility, destined to be enfeoffed as a king or marquis..."

  Xiao Fan's eyes widened: "What monkey? I've only heard of gibbons, golden monkeys... what breed is Wang Hou?"

  "Can't you be serious for once? Let me tell you the truth, although you have a noble fate, your destiny is marked with war and bloodshed. If you don't cultivate your skills, forget about being a king or a lord, you won't even be able to save your own life..."

  Xiao Fan's face showed a look of disdain. This old swindler is deceiving people again, he must not be able to calculate it out, I am an atheist who has received modern education...

  "What does learning kung fu have to do with following the natural order of things? Are you saying that a deity appeared in your dream and told you to teach me martial arts?"

  His face was full of profound and unfathomable expressions, and he slowly said: "In recent years, I have discovered that the heavenly phenomenon has formed a killing wolf's fate, which is located in the north. In the Purple Mansion's calculation, when the Seven Killings, Greedy Wolf, and Broken Army meet at the three sides and four directions of the palace, they form the Killing Wolf's Fate. Once these three stars gather together, it means that the world will be turbulent and the ruler will change..."

  Xiao Fan's face was blank: ".........."

  "In the 29th year of Hongwu, in October, I observed the celestial phenomena at night and found a strange star shining brightly near the left side of the capital. This star is not ordinary, its origin is suspicious, it is not recorded in the Yi Jing or Dou Shu, but it has clashed with the killing energy of the Wolf's fate, causing the three stars to be unable to gather. I was curious and hurriedly came to the capital, finally discovering that this star should be located within Jiangpu County, so I stayed here..."

  Xiao Fan yawned: "………"

  "With your intelligence, it's hard for me to explain clearly. Forget it, let's talk about something you can understand."

  Xiao Fanru sighed in relief: "Thank you, Daozhang, for understanding. Actually... I'm not as useless as you said either, I somewhat understand what you're saying."

  "What did you understand?"

  "At the very least, I can see that Dao Zhang's eyes are sharper than a telescope. Oh, you don't know what a telescope is? You don't need to know, it's far inferior to you. With one glance at the celestial bodies and another at the alien stars, you can see things that others can't. It must be the result of years of practicing your gaze on beautiful women on the streets, absolutely professional level..."

  Tai Xū: *silence*

  With a resolute expression, he said: "In short, you must learn martial arts from me! If you don't, you'll be going against heaven and will suffer heavenly punishment!"

  Xiao Fan was startled: "So serious? Do I have to pay tuition fees? I don't have any money for you..."

  His face turned as black as coal, and two words burst out from between his teeth: "…No need!"

  Xiao Fan felt relieved, he was just afraid that the old swindler would come up with another idea to cheat him out of his money.

  "Since I don't have to pay tuition, I'll reluctantly learn a few moves from Dao Zhang..."

  Tai Xū's face lit up with extreme joy: "You've finally agreed? Heaven have mercy, my humble self's painstaking efforts have finally moved the heavens..."

  "The road is long, I am the one who promised you, not the heavens..."

  Tai Xū calmed down, his face filled with anticipation as he asked: "Speak, which martial art do you plan to learn? I know many kinds of extraordinary martial arts, learning just one will allow you to dominate the world and sweep away all obstacles..."

  Xiao Fan's face was full of disdain, you're bragging again, and you've almost gotten away with it, still invincible...

  Tai Xū was still enthusiastically boasting: "I've been following my senior brother to learn martial arts since I was young, apart from Tiān Yún Zòng's lightness skill, I also know Tai Chi Fist, Cloud Palm, Cotton Palm..."

  Xiao Fan interrupted: "These palm and fist techniques, if you want to learn them to a small extent, how long will it take?"

  "Hmm... it takes at least two or three years, and up to ten years, mainly relying on the internal family's one true breath..."

  Xiao Fan shook his head with a lack of interest: "It's been too long, I don't have the patience for that. By the time I learn it, I'll only know half of the skills and won't even be able to swat a fly. That would be too embarrassing. Is there something faster?"

  "Quickly, there are twelve forms of yin and yang hands..."

  "Is there a better-sounding name? This one sounds too difficult."

  "How is the Dragon and Tiger's Devastating Fist?"

  "This... seems to be Dongfang Bubai's martial art..."

  "This sect also has the supreme internal skill 'Pure Yang Wuji Gong'..."

  "This name sounds a bit off? Don't tell me you're going to castrate yourself first?"

  "Soft Cloud Sword Technique?"

  "Two Forms Sword Technique?"

  "Thirteen Swords of the Divine Gate?"

  “…………”

  Xiao Fan was like buying Chinese cabbage at the vegetable market, picking and choosing for half a day, but still couldn't decide which martial art to learn. Tai Yu's face had already turned darker and darker.

  Xiao Fan still shook his head, and Tai Xu was so angry that he slammed his hand on the table.

  "In the end, you just don't believe in the power of our sect's martial arts. You stinky little kid, come out and let me show you!"

  Xiao Fan was frightened: "What's wrong with you? It's just a few more clicks, you don't have to beat me up, do you?"

  "Cut the crap, let's go!"

  Tai Yu said, not giving Xiao Fan a chance to explain, and dragged him to the outside of the Drunken Immortal Building. Tai Yu's eyes were as cold as electricity, quickly scanning the bustling street filled with people coming and going. Then, pointing at a slender woman passing by, he said: "You little scoundrel, do you see that young lady?"

  Xiao Fang nodded her head in approval and said: "The Taoist priest has a good eye for beauty, this woman is indeed elegant..."

  Tai Xū snorted and said coldly: "You stinky little brat, watch closely!"

  Tai Xū condensed his spirit, raised his energy, and with his right hand forming a sword-like shape, he suddenly opened his eyes, stretched out his hand, and pointed at the woman's back from afar. With a low, thunderous voice, he violently shouted: "Open!"

  A stunning scene happened suddenly, the woman who was two zhang away suddenly felt strange, "Ah!" exclaimed, covering her chest with a red face, squatting on the ground in the middle of the street, not daring to get up for half a day, the red tide on her face was like being dyed by the sunset.

  "What does it mean?" Xiao Fan looked at the woman with a puzzled expression, then looked at Tai Xu: "You're so shameless, did you just poke her aunt with one finger?"

  Tai Xū smiled slightly complacently and said: "It's very simple, I just used my powers to untie the ribbon of that woman's undergarment from afar..."

  Xiao Fan's eyes suddenly shone like a lantern in the dark night.

  "This... this is..." Xiao Fan was so excited that he stuttered when speaking.

  "This is a small trick I created myself, to practice it you only need to slightly understand the method of manipulating internal energy, and add a bit of distracting technique, in a few days you can master it. This move can resolve personal danger, whether it's ropes, cloth strips or belts, they can all be instantly untied. In the future if you're trapped in prison, relying on this method you can easily escape..."

  "What... what's this move called?"

  "This move is called 'Immortal's Willful Finger'."

  Xiao Fan stared with his eyes wide open, muttering to himself: "The name 'Present Milk One Finger'... indeed lives up to its reputation, what a great name!"

  Just thinking about the future after graduation, the streets are filled with women's belly buttons flying everywhere, Xiao Fan can't help but feel excited and lustful.

  "Master Dao, I want to learn it!" Xiao Fan said very seriously.

  Tai Yu's face lit up with joy: "Really? Are you sure you'll learn it?"

  Xiao Fan clenched his fists tightly and exclaimed excitedly: "I'm determined to learn it! I'll master it with one finger, no matter what! I won't eat or sleep until I do!"

  "Haha, the child can be taught! Come and pay respects to your master!"

  "Master is above, disciple pays three bows!"

  ----------------------------------------------------- divider -----------------------------------------------------

  Something came up tonight, so I'm sending this out ahead of schedule.

  The book's sales seem to be not very ideal, the collection data is like an old cow that can't climb up the slope, no matter what it can't go up, recently I've been feeling a bit down.

  Sunday pushed all stations strongly, hoping for a good result.