Chapter 5: Crazy People Do Crazy Things
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the bustling city of Fengyang.
Indeed, it was much smoother!
Even the traffic in Jinling City wasn’t as efficient.
Earlier, his reason had been overtaken by anger.
Which led to him losing control. He hadn’t been this angry in years.
The last time was during the campaign against Chen Youliang.
Although he greatly disapproved of Li Fan.
He had to admit, this person had some capabilities!
The right-hand traffic rule was indeed effective.
The entire Fengyang City was orderly, with no signs of chaos.
Pedestrians and vehicles followed the planned routes.
When he returned to Jinling, he planned to implement such regulations.
If it worked well, it could be extended throughout the entire Ming Dynasty.
However, the feeling of being called a country bumpkin was unpleasant.
All this should be blamed on Li Fan.
He needed to search Fengyang City for more evidence.
Li Fan had been in Fengyang for three years, surely he had established a tight grip.
Everything must be eradicated to remove all the accumulated corruption in Fengyang.
Zhu Yuanzhang was most concerned about the Zhongdu Imperial City and the Imperial Mausoleum.
He had originally planned to establish the capital in Fengyang.
Hence the substantial effort in building the Imperial City.
The Imperial Mausoleum was where his father and grandfather were buried.
He suddenly felt an uneasy sensation.
He was certain Li Fan must have done something.
And he had a premonition.
That whatever Li Fan had done, it wouldn’t be minor.
He urgently said to Empress Ma:
“Let’s check the Imperial City first, I feel Li Fan must have done something there!”
Empress Ma understood very well what the Imperial City meant to Zhu Yuanzhang.
The Emperor valued Fengyang’s Imperial City and Mausoleum the most.
Funding had been allocated for their construction over the years.
If Li Fan had tampered with these.
The Emperor would certainly not spare him.
She hoped Li Fan had not caused any issues with the Imperial City and Mausoleum.
Zhu Yuanzhang walked along the streets of Fengyang, looking at the myriad shops on both sides.
He couldn’t help but frown, feeling inexplicably irritable.
He had visited Fengyang many years ago.
At that time, there weren’t so many shops.
And why were there so many merchant caravans on the roads.
People from north and south with different accents.
It was busier than Jinling City.
Old Zhu did not like places with a strong commercial atmosphere.
Fengyang should be a place with a rich rural feel.
So many merchants made it somewhat chaotic.
He asked Zhu Shoucheng, who was following behind:
“Why are there so many merchants in Fengyang City?”
Zhu Shoucheng, hearing the Emperor’s question, hurriedly replied:
“Fengyang City is full of new and curious things, new items appear every so often. And since this is a major transportation hub, merchants gradually increased! Most come here to purchase goods and then resell them elsewhere!”
Zhu Yuanzhang’s face grew even darker. A perfectly good Fengyang City had been turned into a chaotic mess by Li Fan.
Merchants were the most greedy people in the world, buying low, selling high, hoarding goods.
They would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
Cheating, deceiving, and committing all sorts of evil.
He had been working hard to suppress them, making merchants the lowest tier of society.
But Li Fan’s actions in Fengyang were clearly aimed at elevating the status of merchants.
Fortunately, he had come to Fengyang to see for himself.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known how much Li Fan had corrupted the place.
The national policy of the Ming Dynasty was to prioritize agriculture and suppress commerce, yet Li Fan blatantly defied this policy.
He wondered how many lives Li Fan thought he had.
And his mood for sightseeing vanished.
He had hoped to see the pure and simple folk customs of Fengyang.
But it had turned into a den of iniquity.
The thought of this ruined his mood.
Fortunately, they were approaching the Imperial City in the north of Fengyang.
And he decided to inspect it, hoping it would improve his mood.
As the group approached the Imperial City.
Zhu Yuanzhang felt increasingly uneasy.
The city walls he had designed were supposed to be very tall, meeting the standards of the capital’s imperial palace.
A full four zhang high.
Why were they now so low?
And why were so many people going in and out of the Imperial City?
Could it be that people were living in the Imperial City?
He, the Emperor, hadn’t even moved in yet.
But these people, obviously merchants by their attire were entering and leaving, looking very pleased and excited, as if discussing something very joyous.
His heart sank.
Could Li Fan have sold his Imperial City?
The more he thought about it, the more it seemed true.
This trip to Fengyang had revealed Li Fan’s madness.
There was nothing this man wouldn’t dare to do.
He should have realized Li Fan’s insanity when he proposed not setting up a prefect in Fengyang.
His worry grew. This was his imperial palace, what if Li Fan had really sold it?
This was too big to be a secret.
Surely Zhu Shoucheng must know something.
Turning to Zhu Shoucheng, who looked dazed, he pointed towards the Imperial City and asked:
“Why are there so many people in the Imperial City?”
Zhu Shoucheng quickly shook his head.
Such matters were beyond a common person’s knowledge.
And even if he knew, he couldn’t possibly tell the Emperor now.
His best bet was to feign ignorance.
Hoping he wouldn’t be blamed for knowing nothing.
Everything should be pinned on Li Fan.
If the sky falls, let the tall ones hold it up. He would be a turtle hiding in its shell.
“I am just an ordinary person, I don’t know anything. Your Majesty should ask the county magistrate.”
Seeing Zhu Shoucheng’s obstinance, Zhu Yuanzhang realized he had no way to get answers from him.
Turning to Mao Xiang, he said:
“Go and find out what’s going on!”
Mao Xiang saluted and hurried to the entrance of the Imperial City to inquire.
After finding out, he quickly returned.
“Your Majesty, I have found out!”
Zhu Yuanzhang was impatient and had never been so anxious and excited.
“What is going on?”
Mao Xiang hesitated, unsure how to respond.
But finally, he steeled himself and said:
“The county magistrate of Fengyang has converted the Imperial City into two hundred Jiangnan-style mansions, which are set to be auctioned in three days. These people are here to inspect the property!”
