The strongest eldest son of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 5 The Empty Seal Case: The Emperor is About to Unleash a Massacre!

In an instant, the spiciness and aroma explode in your mouth. The meat is tender and juicy, neither dry nor greasy. The rich broth and mellow seasoning blend perfectly, sliding down your throat!

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened. "It smells so good! It's so spicy! It tastes so good! How can there be something so delicious!"

Forget about decorum, they kept picking up ingredients and putting them into the red soup to cook, eating them in big mouthfuls until they were covered in sweat and their mouths were covered in soup, but they still couldn't stop.

As Liu Bowen ate, he exclaimed inwardly, "Amazing! Absolutely amazing! I've eaten delicacies my whole life, but I've never tasted anything so delicious."

After saying that, he couldn't help but cough twice, but it didn't stop him from continuing to eat heartily.

Erhu and his entourage were also captivated by the delicious food, devouring it with gusto and expressions of pure satisfaction on their faces.

As Zhu Yuanzhang ate, he couldn't help but glance at Zhu Yao, his eyes filled with admiration, and said, "My son, your hot pot is truly a masterpiece!"

Zhu Yao smiled and said, "If Dad likes, he can eat hot pot here every day!"

Zhu Yao reached out and picked up a piece of cabbage, put it into the boiling red soup, stirred it gently a few times, and when the cabbage became soft and translucent, he carefully placed it into Zhu Yuanzhang's bowl, saying in a gentle tone: "Father, try this cabbage. It will taste even better after absorbing the soup."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked down at the cabbage soaked in red soup in the bowl, picked up his chopsticks without hesitation, and put it in his mouth.

One bite, and the sweetness of the cabbage blended perfectly with the savory and spicy flavor of the broth. Crisp and refreshing, it made his mouth water. His eyes lit up, and he put down his chopsticks, exclaiming, "Delicious! So delicious! This flavor is a hundred times better than Pearl Jade White Jade Soup!"

Liu Bowen put down his chopsticks, cupped his hands in a respectful bow to Zhu Yao, and said with admiration, "Young Master Zhu is truly an extraordinary person!"

"Not only did he lead the construction of such a wide and flat road, benefiting the local people, but he also devised such exquisite culinary skills, which is truly admirable."

He paused, then continued meaningfully, "If you, young master, were willing to hand over your road-building skills and hot pot-making expertise to the imperial court, you could immediately gain immense wealth and honor with just these two skills."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yao's smile faded slightly. He didn't respond to Liu Bowen's words, but instead picked up his chopsticks and placed another slice of meat on Zhu Yuanzhang's plate. He said earnestly, "Father, it's rare for you to come to Chenzhou. Why don't you stay in my courtyard? Let me properly show you my filial piety and spend more time with you."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang felt a warmth in his heart, but since he was traveling incognito, he naturally could not stay here for long.

"Yao'er, you're very kind. But I have business to manage outside, so I really can't stay any longer. I'll probably have to leave in a few days."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Zhu Yao's eyes, but he then asked curiously, "Father, what kind of business do you run? Where do you do it?"

The question caught Zhu Yuanzhang off guard, and he was momentarily stunned, unsure how to answer.

Seeing this, Liu Bowen, who was standing nearby, felt a pang of anxiety and quickly tried to smooth things over, speaking in a natural tone: "Young Master Zhu, you may not know this, but my master's business is mainly in the vicinity of Jinling, dealing in grain and silk. He is indeed very busy, traveling around all day long."

After speaking, he covered his mouth and coughed twice.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yao's eyes flashed with surprise, and then he exclaimed, "Jinling? That's right under the emperor's nose, the place where the dragon rose to power! To be able to do business there, Father's abilities are truly remarkable."

Then, he changed the subject, his tone becoming serious, and lowered his voice to advise, "However, Father, I advise you not to return to Jinling during this time. The capital is not peaceful lately."

Zhu Yuanzhang's heart sank, his brows furrowing instantly, and his tone carried a hint of doubt: "Oh? Why is things not peaceful?"

Zhu Yao took a deep breath, a hint of fear appearing on his face. He lowered his voice even further, his tone carrying a barely perceptible terror: "Because our Emperor is going to kill people, and he's going to kill many, many people!"

He paused, his eyes filled with solemnity, and added, "Especially those officials in the imperial court and wealthy merchants in the city, a slight misstep could cost them their heads, and their families would be implicated as well. It's just too dangerous!"

"What?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang and Liu Bowen both shuddered.

The two then looked at each other, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

Zhu Yuanzhang muttered to himself:

Go on a killing spree? When did we ever go on a killing spree? We went on an incognito tour only to observe the people's conditions and investigate the laws of the road. We never had such thoughts. Could this child have heard some rumors?

Liu Bowen was somewhat disappointed. He had originally thought that Zhu Yao was a capable person, but he did not expect that he was talking nonsense and bluffing!

Zhu Yao muttered to himself:

The Empty Seal Case, one of the four major cases of the early Ming Dynasty during the Hongwu era, is about to erupt, and countless people will die!

Although the case mainly targeted local officials, those corrupt officials who used blank seals to commit fraud, he knew Zhu Yuanzhang's nature all too well. Once that god of slaughter started killing, he would never let the innocent go free.

At that time, as wealthy businessmen, they might be caught in the crossfire and suffer irreparable harm if they are not careful.

He had just recognized the "father" in front of him. Although he was not sure of the other party's true identity or what kind of person he was, he had lost his mother at a young age and his maternal grandfather had just passed away. He did not want to send off another relative and have to host another banquet.

Zhu Yao gathered his thoughts, looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, and asked in a somewhat probing tone, "Father, I recently heard that some local officials, for convenience, prepare blank official documents in advance and then fill in the details after arriving in the capital."

"What do you think our Emperor's reaction would be if he found out about this?"

He paused, deliberately emphasizing his words, and added, "That's a crime of deceiving the emperor! His Majesty is always upright; if he learns of this, wouldn't he unleash a massacre to severely punish these corrupt officials?"

"A blank seal!?"

Liu Bowen was holding a wine cup with a faint smile on his face, but when he heard Zhu Yao's words, his smile froze instantly, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead and back, sliding down his cheeks and back. The wine cup in his hand trembled slightly and almost slipped from his grasp.

Overcome with excitement, he coughed violently, bending over with the force of the cough.

A blank seal! Zhu Yao actually knew about the blank seal!

He knew about this matter, and many officials in the court were also aware of it. However, everyone kept it to themselves and no one dared to mention it to His Majesty. Firstly, the matter involved a wide range of people, and secondly, they were afraid of angering His Majesty and getting themselves into trouble. But he never expected that a wealthy merchant from Chenzhou would also know about this matter and speak so frankly in front of His Majesty!

"Young master, be careful what you say! Be careful what you say!"

Liu Bowen could no longer sit still. He lowered his voice and almost pleaded, his eyes filled with panic and fear, afraid that Zhu Yao would say something treasonous and anger Zhu Yuanzhang beside him.