Chapter 221: The Pledge of Allegiance

"I presume you all know the reason why this Prince has summoned you here?"

Although the meaning behind Zhu Gaoxu's words was subtle, everyone in their hearts understood clearly.

Among them, a Commandant of the Third Rank spoke up: "Little Prince, please rest assured. Since you have come to the North carrying the Emperor's decree, we will certainly do our utmost to assist you in quickly restoring the North's development."

Following the words of this Commandant of the Third Rank, the other officials also expressed their stances one after another.

They looked just like dogs that had seen a bone, each one appearing extremely excited.

Who would have thought that an official who looked seventy or eighty years old would be nodding and bowing to Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhu Gaoxu, who did not panic in the slightest when facing the Chancellor Hu Weiyong and dared to openly confront him, was a little panicked at this moment.

He truly could not imagine how these people, who were not of low rank by any logic, could be so... lacking in composure.

He did not know that these great clans and officials of the North were not having an easy time.

As everyone knows, among the founding meritorious officials of Zhu Yuanzhang, almost ninety-nine percent were sons of the South from the Huai-Xi Faction.

The big shots in the imperial court who had the power to speak were also these people.

The lives of the Northern officials were bitter.

If you committed an offense, no one would speak for you, and no one would protect you.

You could work hard for a long time with no one to promote you, and even if you achieved some results, they would be snatched away by others.

Moreover, if someone else made a mistake, it might even be pinned on you.

Even so, one still had to endure the grievances, otherwise, one wouldn't even have an official position to hold.

Now that someone from Jingcheng had finally extended an olive branch, it was not easy.

This group of people was naturally going crazy.

In fact, others had extended olive branches to them before, hoping these people would board their big ship.

But when Hu Weiyong was around before, he was focused on the officials of the Huai-Xi Faction and ignored them.

Even if they accepted some olive branches, the rewards they could get were not proportional.

Later, after Hu Weiyong was offed by Zhu Gaoxu, some people saw the value in the Northern political market.

But it was still the same old story: Southern officials naturally felt a sense of superiority when dealing with Northern officials.

"I helped the Emperor conquer the world; what kind of thing are you?"

Therefore, recruiting these Northern officials was not really about wanting to promote them.

They were all old hands in the bureaucracy and naturally saw it clearly.

Thus, the Northern officials had always been suppressed and bullied.

Now that they heard the son of the Prince of Yan, the Emperor's most favored grandson, had arrived here and seemed interested in taking on followers,

it would be strange if this group of people didn't go crazy.

Zhu Gaoxu, who had been drifting through the Jingcheng imperial court for some time, could now be considered to have guessed some of the reasons.

He waved his hand, signaling the maid to serve tea, and incidentally had his tea, which was already mostly finished, replaced.

After the new tea was served, Zhu Gaoxu lifted his teacup and said slowly: "This Prince is a newcomer and will inevitably trouble you ministers. It just so happens that I have a favor to ask, and I hope you all can help."

Hearing Zhu Gaoxu's words, everyone understood.

This was a reminder for them to submit their "pledge of allegiance."

Zhu Di's ship was not something just anyone could board.

This kind of thing was human nature, and no one would be repulsed by it.

Since they had come here, they had already thought of this step.

Seeing that Zhu Gaoxu had spoken, the group looked at each other and then stood up together, saying: "Please give your orders, Your Highness."

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu nodded with satisfaction, and only then said: "Actually, it is very simple. You should all know that this Prince is currently collecting grain on a large scale."

"I want you to accelerate the entry of Southern merchants into the North, open wide the doors of convenience, and let them pass whenever possible; do not delay."

"Additionally, you are all officials of the various prefectures and counties in Shandong Province. Gather the prominent families and wealthy merchants in your respective regions; this Prince has matters to discuss with them."

Hearing Zhu Gaoxu's words, the group looked at each other; this matter was too simple for them.

When they first heard Zhu Gaoxu say this matter was simple, they thought it was just polite talk; they didn't expect it to really be easy.

Seeing this, the group had no reason to object and hurriedly nodded in agreement, indicating they would certainly handle it well.

Zhu Gaoxu cupped his hands, which counted as thanking them.

He then continued: "Furthermore, you ministers also know that this Prince has purchased a lot of grain, and there will be more in the coming days. When the time comes, I will distribute the grain to the various provinces in the North, so you ministers will have to put in some extra effort."

"Not at all, not at all, it is only right."

"Your Highness works for the people and pays out of your own pocket; we are ashamed and will certainly put our hearts into this matter."

"......"

A group of ministers began to scramble to give their assurances; for them, this was also just a matter of a single sentence.

And after Zhu Gaoxu finished speaking, he did not stop, but instead continued: "In these two days, I will send people to set up porridge stalls in every county and city; I ask you all to take care of them."

"Please rest assured, Your Highness, it is our duty."

"Your Highness is kind-hearted; we will naturally handle such a small matter."

"......"

Hearing the group's replies, Zhu Gaoxu nodded with satisfaction and did not make any further requests.

And the group of officials was also very satisfied; most of the things Zhu Gaoxu mentioned were just a matter of giving an order to their subordinates below.

Then, when there was nothing to do, they would just pay a little attention, or at most send two people to keep an eye on things and report back if there was a situation.

And Zhu Gaoxu clearly saw the satisfaction of these officials and couldn't help but shake his head secretly.

These Northern officials were just great; they were still so satisfied even when asked to do work.

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