Every official attending the grand court assembly wore a somber expression, clearly indicating that there were truly pressing matters to be discussed at this momentous occasion.
With all the officials, high and low, present, Zhu Yuanzhang, dressed in a dragon-patterned robe symbolizing his supreme status, sat regally in the Golden Palace.
"If you have something to report, do so now; otherwise, the court may adjourn."
The first Grand Eunuch of the Ming Dynasty issued a sharp statement.
How could nothing have happened? In reality, the issues to be decided in the Grand Assembly were all problems that had been preliminarily confirmed in the Cabinet. The Grand Assembly was just a formality.
No sooner had the chief eunuch finished speaking than the Minister of Justice stepped forward and said:
"Although the world has been initially settled, bandits of all kinds still exist. I urge Your Majesty to send elite troops to suppress them and eliminate all banditry."
Sitting upright on the dragon throne in the Golden Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang softly uttered a single word:
"allow."
Following the Minister of Justice, two or three other highly influential officials spoke about various matters, both large and small.
These were all discussed in advance, and Zhu Yuanzhang handled each case according to the methods discussed by the cabinet.
At that moment, General Xu Da solemnly said:
"Your Majesty, although the world has been pacified, the martial arts world in the Central Plains is not yet at peace. Many martial arts heroes are breaking the law and disregarding the laws of the court. Furthermore, some martial arts sects are encroaching on land. If this continues, the country will be in danger of falling apart, and the consequences will be unimaginable."
The use of martial arts to break the law has been a long-standing problem that no dynasty could solve.
The heroes of the martial arts world are often alone, without any ties, adhering to the principle of eliminating injustices and getting rid of people they don't like, with no regard for the law.
Because they possess martial arts skills, local government officials and constables often have no way to deal with these martial arts heroes. These heroes are skilled in martial arts, while the constables are just trying to make a living and are no match for them.
Needless to say, the martial arts sects are the gathering place of true martial arts masters. The influence of each martial arts sect is far greater than that of aristocratic families, and its influence radiates to the surrounding areas.
In the eyes of ordinary people, the first people they could not afford to offend were these martial arts sects, and only then did they consider the imperial court.
After all, the imperial court might occasionally try to reason with you and talk about the law, but martial arts sects always speak with knives.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be the saying, "In prosperous times, there is no martial arts world; in chaotic times, there are heroes."
As the founding emperor of a dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang would naturally not tolerate the martial arts world being out of his control, so dealing with the martial arts world was an urgent matter.
History is so similar. No matter the dynasty, the golden age of a dynasty is the time when the martial arts world suffers. After all, the imperial court controls the world, and it is no problem for the people of the world to deal with a martial arts world.
In times of chaos, when the influence of the imperial court weakens, it is the time when great heroes emerge in the martial arts world.
Zhu Yuanzhang sat upright on the dragon throne and said majestically:
"My esteemed ministers, do you have any good strategies?"
In fact, the most important thing at this grand assembly was to discuss how to resolve the issue of the Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the martial arts world) incident.
The civil and military officials in the Golden Palace all had their brows furrowed, clearly indicating that this matter was not easy to handle.
Sending troops to suppress the rebellion was the first thought of both civil and military officials, since that's how the country was won. But upon further reflection, they realized it wouldn't work.
The world of martial arts is far more complex than that; it cannot be settled with just a few words.
The martial world and the world are intertwined; he exists within the world, yet remains independent of the dynasty.
Dealing with matters of the martial world is not as simple as conquering the world. Whoever has the strongest army, the highest morale, and the support of the people is the most powerful.
If you're afraid that ten thousand people will chase after a wandering swordsman, who will be agile and won't fight you, disappearing in two minutes, things will only get worse.
Zhu Yuanzhang felt a sense of unease seeing the officials in the grand court assembly all silent.
The martial arts world exists all over the world. Not to mention anything else, even the officials at the grand court assembly themselves have more or less connections with the martial arts world. Even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes, so it is naturally difficult for them to handle matters of the martial arts world.
The problem is there, it needs to be addressed eventually; we can't just leave it unresolved. Seeing that everyone was silent, Zhu Yuanzhang called on someone and asked:
"Shanzhang, do you have a solution?"
Li Shanchang stammered as he said:
"I have no other way, and I beg the advice of Military Advisor Bowen."
At this time, the country had just been pacified, and although official positions had been assigned, the habits from when he conquered the country had not yet changed. Zhu Yuanzhang still habitually addressed his close associates by their given names or the titles he used when conquering the country.
"Strategist Bowen, do you have any ideas?"
The Liu Bowen of today is no longer the student under Li Boyang; his demeanor and bearing now exude the air of a strategist. He slowly stepped forward and said in a low voice:
"I have no other choice but to ask my teacher for help."
When I visited you last time, you vaguely mentioned this issue. Now that I think about it, you had already foreseen that Zhu Yuanzhang would have to deal with the affairs of the Jianghu sooner or later, and then he would encounter a problem that no one could solve.
Thinking about this, I felt that the teacher was indeed unfathomable, as if he could foresee everything, which was terrifying.
"Is Zuo Zhuguo's teacher Mr. Boyang?"
Zuo Zhuguo is Liu Bowen's current title of nobility, which is also the highest rank for civil officials.
Upon hearing Liu Bowen mention his teacher, officials of all ranks immediately thought of Li Boyang.
Although Li Boyang was in Jinling, these officials had only heard of him by name but had never seen him in person. They were not qualified to visit him; he was a person from a completely different world.
Li Boyang's exploits of single-handedly storming the capital of the Yuan Dynasty and taking the emperor's head have spread far and wide, and no one is unaware of his name.
"Mr. Boyang, is it?"