Raising chickens and pigs and digging for wild vegetables, the county magistrate's promotion wa

Chapter 282 Emperor Zhu angrily berates Magistrate Yang

The more Emperor Zhu read the Treaty of Friendship between Ming and An and the Treaty of Friendship between Ming and Gao, the more uneasy he felt.

Can you explain to me what "Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty" means?

Another day of ruined reputation!

After handing the two treaties to Zhu Biao, Emperor Zhu looked at Magistrate Yang with a forced smile and asked, "Minister Yang, why is the treaty signed by Annam so much better than the one signed by Goryeo?"

Goryeo needed to return Jeju to the Ming Dynasty, but Annam had no territory to return.

Goryeo was required to supply warhorses to the Ming Dynasty, with a purchase price of one piece of silk per horse, and a stipulation that no less than five thousand warhorses be provided annually.

Annam did not need to raise horses or cattle for the Ming Dynasty. It only had a grain purchase clause of one Guan Baochao for one Shi of rice, stipulating that the annual amount should not be less than ten million Shi of hulled rice.

Although the various clauses, such as the three-year tribute system, the establishment of embassies, and extraterritoriality, were basically the same, the fact that Annam did not have to cede territory like Korea made it seem like Annam had gained a huge advantage.

If Annam gains an advantage, then wouldn't the Ming Dynasty suffer a loss?

Magistrate Yang rolled his eyes discreetly.

Old Deng is somewhat insatiable.

In the original history, Annam was not an obedient and honest child. It not only caused a lot of trouble while the Ming Dynasty was on its northern expedition against the Yuan Dynasty, but also took the opportunity to seize a lot of territory. Zhu Chongba, the old emperor, had no choice but to swallow his pride and endure it in order not to affect the northern expedition. It was not until the fourth emperor sent Zhang Fu to completely recover Jiaozhi that the matter came to an end.

Now that I have signed a friendly treaty with the monkey in advance, and all the landmines have been planted, after Xu Da kills Hu Yuan, we can find a way to restore Jiaozhi. This old man is still not satisfied?

If you're so awesome, why don't you go and negotiate with the monkeys!

While inwardly complaining, Magistrate Yang respectfully bowed to Emperor Zhu and replied, "Your Majesty, I believe that since Prime Minister Xu is currently leading his army on a northern expedition, and Annam is located in the rear of our Great Ming and is rich in grain, we should prioritize stability for now. It is not too late to sign a new treaty after the north has been pacified."

Emperor Zhu stared intently at Magistrate Yang and asked, "Tell me the truth, do you really intend to wait until the north is pacified before signing a new treaty with them?"

Perhaps feeling a bit uneasy under the Emperor Zhu's gaze, Magistrate Yang didn't have time to think it through and blurted out the words he had been holding back: "Of course, we should recover the nine prefectures, after all, they are granaries that yield three harvests a year!"

Emperor Zhu then hummed in agreement, before turning to Zhu Biao and asking, "Guess why Minister Yang wanted to sign such a harsh treaty with Goryeo? Isn't he afraid of forcing Goryeo into rebellion?"

Zhu Biao replied without hesitation, "I'm afraid my brother-in-law just wants to force Goryeo to rebel so that he can take advantage of Uncle Xu's northern expedition against the Yuan dynasty to recover the four Han counties."

After a slight pause, Zhu Biao added, "If Annam weren't so plagued by miasma, located in the rear of our Great Ming, and rich in grain, then conquering Annam would inevitably require fighting on two fronts, which might have frightened the surrounding vassal states. I'm afraid the treaty my brother-in-law presented to Annam would have been even more harsh."

At this point, Zhu Biao clicked his tongue twice and looked at Magistrate Yang, saying, "Brother-in-law has always said that a great nation should have a magnanimous spirit. I have truly witnessed it today. It is indeed magnanimous."

As Zhu Biao finished speaking, the old emperor, who had been barely maintaining his composure, could no longer keep a straight face. He snorted coldly and said, "You scoundrel, I've never seen a son-in-law who betrays his father-in-law like you in my entire life!"

Emperor Zhu couldn't help but angrily berate Magistrate Yang: "Explain to me what it means to be called 'Grandpa Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty'? If this gets out, how will the world view me, Zhu Yuanzhang?"

"When the King of Goryeo writes a memorial to us, he has to address us as His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty. If we become the Retired Emperor one day, he will also have to address us as His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty when he writes a memorial to Biao'er. How messed up will the generational hierarchy become?"

"If you take these two treaties to them and ask them to sign them, won't they resent you? Don't you know how to make the wording look nicer and less obvious before getting them to sign?"

You've completely ruined the image of our great Ming Dynasty!

"..."

Magistrate Yang was completely stunned.

No, who exactly is this nagging, criticizing official in front of me?

This is the legendary Ming Dynasty emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, the one who always liked to make scarecrow figurines.

Is this old man possessed by some evil spirit? Why is he acting like a domineering father-in-law in an ordinary family, scolding his prospective son-in-law?

After calling out "Uncle Jiu" several times in his heart and silently reciting "Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin of Thunder and Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable" several times without any response, Magistrate Yang finally confirmed that this old man must have always been like this.

Why do I always feel like I've been played by Lao Deng and Xiao Zhu together?

Look at this, Old Deng first plays the bad cop, nagging and complaining, and then Little Zhu plays the good cop, calling him brother-in-law to build rapport—aren't they the CPU's personal confidants?

Just as Magistrate Yang was ranting inwardly, Emperor Zhu Chongba finally let loose and vented his frustrations.

Cool!

The pent-up frustration from the past year and a half to two years has vanished, and I feel much clearer-headed!

After berating Magistrate Yang, Emperor Zhu snorted coldly and said, "Alright, stop looking all pitiful. Your aunt made some pancakes today. You'll come with us later, and we'll leave the palace after we've eaten. Damn it, you're getting a good deal, you bastard!"

……

Magistrate Yang wanted to curse.

When Chang Yuchun invited him to dinner, the main dishes were the same ones that the Chang brothers, Chang Mao and Chang Sheng, had plundered in Ningyang County. When Zhu Chongba invited him to dinner, the main dishes were still the same few that the Chang brothers had plundered in Ningyang County, except that there was an extra swan and a dish of roasted venison among the meat dishes, and an extra spinach and mustard greens among the vegetarian dishes.

All told, there were eight dishes in total, four meat and four vegetable, which is just a fraction of what those wise and virtuous rulers in Ma Zi's family would eat in one meal.

Moreover, Zhu Chongba was really stingy and miserly. When Magistrate Yang left, he only gave him a whole roast goose as a reward, and he didn't give him any of the other things like gold, silver, jewelry, or silk.

Not only did he not give them anything, but Zhu Chongba, that old tyrant, also waved his hand and took away the four scholars that Magistrate Yang had brainwashed for half a year before they were barely somewhat decent. He said he planned to arrange them to be assigned to the Ministry of Personnel and send the four of them to be stationed in Annam and Goryeo in the future.

Then, Emperor Zhu also conveniently changed Yang Da's title from Acting Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies to Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, removing the word "acting".

According to Emperor Zhu, this was a good deal for Magistrate Yang, since the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial was a proper fifth-rank official in the capital, which was more prestigious than a sixth-rank local magistrate.

The only thing that made Magistrate Yang feel somewhat satisfied was that he had a very good grasp of the fifth-rank position, which meant that he could go to the emperor if he had a problem, but he didn't need to attend court if he didn't.

It has absolutely nothing to do with receiving two salaries.