Zhu Yuanzhang hosted a banquet for 36 heroes. Liu Bowen knocked on the wall and sighed: Everyone will surely die.

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This was another way Zhu Yuanzhang appreciated his four dishes and one soup, but the princes and ministers were not happy when they saw the clear soup and watery dishes in front of them.

Perhaps in our impression, the emperor's three daily meals must be all delicacies from the mountains and seas. A Manchu-Han banquet is placed in front of him, and each dish only needs to be tasted before being replaced by the next one.

But Zhu Yuanzhang was a frugal emperor. Not only did he eat vegetables and radishes himself, but he also asked all officials in the court to follow suit and eat vegetarian meals every meal without any oil stars.

Until one time, the princes and ministers received Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial edict again, inviting them to attend the celebration banquet at the Qinggong Building.

The dishes this time are not radish, green vegetables and leeks, but hard vegetables such as bird's nest, mutton and rabbit.

Following Zhu Yuanzhang’s order, these dishes were brought to the table.

This abnormal behavior attracted Liu Bowen's attention. At the banquet, he had no time to appreciate the graceful figures of the singers, and his attention was always on Zhu Yuanzhang.

After three rounds of drinking, Zhu Yuanzhang said that he felt bored and wanted to go out for a walk.

Liu Bowen seized this opportunity and said he wanted to serve on the side, so he went out with Zhu Yuanzhang.

When Zhu Yuanzhang walked out of the Qinggong Building, the Qinggong Building immediately collapsed and caught fire.

Most of the heroes who accompanied Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the world died in Qinggong Tower.

Of the 36 ministers who were invited to the banquet, only five including Liu Bowen and Xu Da survived.

This is one of the many historical stories about Zhu Yuanzhang, the burning of the Qinggong Tower.

Why is Zhu Yuanzhang, the supreme emperor of the 1990s, so strict about his diet? For what reason did he kill all his founding fathers one by one?

This has to start with Zhu Yuanzhang’s life experiences. As a peasant emperor in Chinese history, Zhu Yuanzhang undoubtedly completed a counterattack in life.

Born in a poor peasant family, Zhu Yuanzhang had to herd cattle for the landlord to earn money to support his family since he was a child.

In the third year of Zhizheng (1343), Fengyang, Anhui Province suffered a severe drought, and Zhu Yuanzhang's destiny began to slowly change.

In the spring of the fourth year of Zhizheng year, a serious locust plague and a deadly plague broke out in Fengyang.

Zhu Yuanzhang’s parents and brothers passed away one after another. Zhu Yuanzhang, who had no enough to eat, chose to become a monk in Huangjue Temple.

Originally he thought he could get alms at the temple, but the famine made it difficult for the monks in the temple to survive.

After that, Zhu Yuanzhang began to wander around. He lived like a beggar by eating grass roots and tree bark.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the world was in chaos. During his travels, Zhu Yuanzhang joined the Red Scarf Army led by Guo Zixing.

After that, Zhu Yuanzhang began to display his leadership skills in the military.

Guo Zixing valued Zhu Yuanzhang very much and even married his adopted daughter Ma to him, who later became Queen Bigfoot Horse.

Zhu Yuanzhang went through untold hardships to defeat Chen Youliang's power and ascended the throne as emperor with the support of many.

The difficult experiences in his early years made Zhu Yuanzhang understand the hardships of life for the people at the bottom.

When Zhu Yuanzhang's parents died, he couldn't even afford the coffin.

Therefore, as a peasant emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang did not pursue luxury and was very considerate of the lives of the people.

In addition, the new dynasty has just been established, and everything is still in ruins.

Having just experienced war, the people in the early Ming Dynasty could not pay any taxes at all, and Zhu Yuanzhang himself did not want to waste a lot of national power.

In terms of diet, Zhu Yuanzhang continued his previous habits and did not pursue appetite.

However, the princes of the royal family, who had transformed from the peasant class into the landlord class, did not have such a consciousness as Zhu Yuanzhang.

As an emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang naturally wants to reward those good brothers who have followed him through life and death.

In 1370, Zhu Yuanzhang began to reward his subordinates based on their merits.

Six people were granted the title of Duke, the remaining 28 generals were granted the title of various Marquises, and some Dukes received iron certificates of alchemy.

In addition to giving them prominent official positions, Zhu Yuanzhang will of course reward them with a large amount of land.

The number of tenant farmers owned by the 34 dukes and marquises in one country was 38,194.

All the tax revenue from these tenant farmers' lands belonged to the private property of the princes and princes. In order to protect the loyalty of the princes and ministers, Zhu Yuanzhang even became in-laws with them.

In order to win over Guo Ying, Zhu Yuanzhang adopted his sister as Concubine Ning and took her into the palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang also found a good home for the daughters of Feng Sheng, Lan Yu, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and other heroes.

He personally arranged the marriage and married the daughter of this hero to the prince.

At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang also made clear arrangements for his princesses to marry the sons of Li Shanchang, Fu Youde and others.

For a time, almost all civil and military personnel in the dynasty were relatives of the emperor.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang was indeed at the center of power through this method, many hidden dangers were also laid.

Obtaining the Iron Coupon of the Alchemy Book means getting a gold medal to avoid death. No matter how serious the crime is, Zhu Yuanzhang will spare their lives for the sake of the Iron Coupon of the Alchemy Book.

This death-free gold medal is not a magic medicine that can save people from death, but an accelerator that tempts them to violate Zhu Yuanzhang's bottom line.

The marriage between the dukes and Zhu Yuanzhang also fueled the arrogance of the princes and ministers, making them even more arrogant.

Zhu Yuanzhang formulated the criminal laws one second, and the next second there were heroes who did not take the court's laws seriously.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who was born as a farmer, not only maintained his consistent frugal style, but also deeply hated corrupt officials.

Because he was oppressed in his early years, Zhu Yuanzhang regarded political clarity as his goal in governing the country since he ascended the throne.

"Ming Tongjian" records Zhu Yuanzhang's anti-corruption activities as soon as he came to power: "However, Hu Yuan was lenient and lost. I have to be fierce to level China."

For officials who had embezzled more than 16 taels of silver, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered them to be punished on the spot without mercy.

Zhu Yuanzhang enforced this law very strictly. No one, whether he was a relative of the emperor or a prince or a minister, had any special privileges.

But Zhu Yuanzhang, who had previously given privileges to the heroes, faced their behavior of bullying men, dominating women, killing and robbing, at first he only lightly beat them and did not use real swords or guns.

Compared with Zhu Yuanzhang's four dishes and one soup every day, the life of the heroes was completely different. They could no longer look down on these vegetables and radishes.

Eating good wine and meat, watching the singers dancing, the heroes felt that this was the life they should live.

Zhu Yuanzhang was naturally dissatisfied with the extremely luxurious living style, so he felt the need to hold a palace banquet.

The purpose of the banquet is naturally to let the princes and ministers see that he is an emperor who eats vegetables and radishes. How can you, mere ministers, usurp the emperor's authority?

So, in the splendid palace, plates of green vegetables, radish, leeks, and spring onions mixed with tofu were served.

The officials who originally thought they were here to enjoy the delicacies suddenly changed their expressions and thought Zhu Yuanzhang was joking with them.

Zhu Yuanzhang took great pains and immediately ordered that in the future, banquet guests could only follow the standard of four dishes and one soup.

Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was so serious, the ministers naturally did not dare to violate Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial edict, so they could only agree temporarily.

But privately, the courtiers felt that this was too shabby, not even as good as the lives of ordinary people.

The heroes who wanted to satisfy their appetites began to commit crimes against the trend.

The heroes who did not understand Zhu Yuanzhang’s true intention of treating them to four dishes and one soup ignored the ultimatum issued by Zhu Yuanzhang.

They still went their own way, taking advantage of and plundering within their own sphere of influence, ignoring Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial edict.

As more and more things like this happened, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't stand it anymore.

Jingjiang King Zhu Wenzheng was Zhu Yuanzhang’s nephew. He played the leading role in the decisive battle of Poyang Lake between Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang.

But Zhu Wenzheng, who was just crowned king, felt that he should have higher rights, so he was resentful of Zhu Yuanzhang.

Later, Zhu Wenzheng relied on his status as a royal family member to rob women in broad daylight, and the people complained.

In addition, he was not satisfied with the salary issued by the court, so he blatantly sold his official position to make money.

These actions made Zhu Yuanzhang very angry. He did not expect that his great hero, his good nephew who had praised him at the beginning, would actually take the lead in breaking the law and discipline.

After Zhu Yuanzhang got the news, he wanted to order Zhu Wenzheng to be executed immediately.

However, under the persuasion of Empress Ma, Zhu Yuanzhang did not go on a killing spree. He cared about his family ties and only imprisoned Zhu Wenzheng.

Zhu Wenzheng still survived, but among other heroes, there was no Queen Ma to intercede.

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't bear it anymore and began to uproot the cancers of the Ming Dynasty.

The heroes who have almost done everything from tax evasion, adultery, eating, drinking, prostitution, gambling, corruption and bribery do not understand the principle of accompanying a king like a tiger.

Zhu Yuanzhang also wanted to enjoy the glory and wealth with them, but these heroes had no choice but to commit suicide.

The heroes lived a life of revelry every day, unaware that Zhu Yuanzhang had murderous intentions.

Zhu Yuanzhang saw that all the marquises and dukes he had personally granted were greedily sucking the national fortune of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, after Zhu Yuanzhang, who strongly advocated frugality, made up his mind, he immediately ordered someone to build a celebration building.

Zhu Yuanzhang knew that this celebration building would be the final burial place of dozens of heroes.

The large-scale Qinggong Building was built very quickly. People who didn’t know the truth thought it was a Tianjia project, which was why the efficiency was so high.

But only Zhu Yuanzhang knew the secret. The Qinggong Tower was just a shoddy project.

When the heroes heard that a celebration building was to be built, they all cheered and called "the emperor is wise."

Only Liu Bowen stood alone and came to Zhu Yuanzhang worriedly, admonishing Zhu Yuanzhang not to carry out large-scale construction projects.

Zhu Yuanzhang was very happy to hear Liu Bowen's words, but his mind had been made up.

Not long ago, the Qinggong Tower located in Gulou Gang was completed. The Qinggong Tower is relatively short, but it covers a large area and is very wide.

The Qinggong Building’s face-saving work has been done very well. In the eyes of outsiders, it seems to be very safe and there will be no accidents.

After finalizing the good day, Zhu Yuanzhang issued an imperial edict and invited the heroes to attend the banquet at the Qinggong Building.

When the ministers saw that the emperor was going to hold a banquet in the Qinggong Building, they naturally dressed up to attend.

Intoxicated by the feasting and feasting of the Qinggong Building, the heroes did not realize the mystery inside the Qinggong Building.

Liu Bowen was very careful. He tested the wooden boards of the Qinggong Building with both hands and found that the inside of the wooden boards was actually hollow. Finding something strange, he secretly sighed, "It seems that everyone will definitely die today."

After the banquet began, Zhu Yuanzhang naturally asked his servants to serve four dishes and one soup first.

The faces of the heroes darkened instantly. The dishes were so oily that they could hardly hold their chopsticks.

Zhu Yuanzhang knew that the heroes were not satisfied with these cabbages and radishes, but because of the emperor's face, he did not stand up and openly oppose it.

The princes and ministers who were accustomed to wine pools and meat forests looked embarrassed, and the banquet where singing and dancing was performed became silent in an instant.

Some generals even whispered below that they would be invited to eat this at a banquet in the Qinggong Building. The emperor was too stingy.

Zhu Yuanzhang certainly knew what the people below were thinking, so he waved his hand to the attendants to continue serving food.

"The dishes haven't been served yet! Why are you anxious?" Following Zhu Yuanzhang's order, braised rabbit meat, stewed dog meat and other major dishes were all brought out.

Before the banquet started, Liu Bowen had a panoramic view of all this, and also signaled Xu Da to drink less at the banquet, and always pay attention to Zhu Yuanzhang's movements.

Xu Da naturally did not understand why Liu Bowen said such words, but he also knew that Liu Bowen must have a point.

After the four dishes and one soup were served, only Liu Bowen and Xu Da were thoughtful.

Only when he saw rabbit meat, dog meat, bird's nest and other dishes on the table did Liu Bowen understand the real purpose of Zhu Yuanzhang's banquet.

Liu Bowen secretly thought of a sentence: "When the cunning rabbit dies, the running dogs will be cooked; when the birds are gone, the good bow will be hidden; when the enemy's country is destroyed, the adviser will perish."

At the climax of the banquet, everyone raised their eyebrows During the cup celebration, Zhu Yuanzhang left the Qinggong Building on the excuse that he was too bored and wanted to go out for a walk.

Liu Bowen saw Zhu Yuanzhang turn and leave, and then motioned Xu Da to follow him.

Just when Zhu Yuanzhang was wondering why the two of them came out together, a fire suddenly broke out in the Qinggong Building.

After that, because Liu Bowen had advised Zhu Yuanzhang not to carry out large-scale construction projects, Zhu Yuanzhang considered him a good official, so he rewarded Liu Bowen with many gold and silver and allowed him to retire and return to his hometown.

Xu Da’s ending was not as lucky as Liu Bowen’s. After the celebration party, Xu Da fell seriously ill.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who had already regarded Xu Da as a thorn in his side, asked his attendant to bring him a plate of roast goose.

The imperial physician had clearly told Xu Da before that he must not eat goose meat, but when he saw the roast goose sent by Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da did not dare to disobey.

The story of Zhu Yuanzhang’s burning of the Qinggong Tower is only spread among the people, and historians have a lot of controversy about it.

But we can also learn about history from folk stories.

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