Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1138 [Exiled Prince]

"Your Majesty, something important has happened!"

An accompanying eunuch came running over with a freshly published copy of "Da Ming Monthly" in his hand.

The content of the front-page headline was extremely shocking, and Zhu Guoxiang was stunned for a long time after reading it.

Prince Cai Zhu Zhi colluded with officials, interfered in local affairs, engaged in illegal business, forced purchases and sales, set up private casinos, occupied people's property, and took human lives... He was stripped of his throne, demoted to a commoner, and exiled to the Anxi Protectorate.

Cai Wangfei Lu, who allowed her natal son to seduce her husband into committing a crime, was stripped of her imperial edict and exiled to Anxi.

The concubines of King Cai were ordered to remarry.

The children of Prince Cai are young and are temporarily being raised by the Zongzheng Temple. They are not allowed to inherit the title after they reach adulthood.

Her mother, Zhe, was a poor parent and protected her after the incident. She was stripped of her title of concubine and demoted to a noble lady.

After the Ming princes were crowned kings, they were initially granted houses to live in Kaifeng and Luoyang. But the mansions in these two cities were not enough, so other princes were granted houses in Chang'an.

In recent years, he was granted a house in Daming Prefecture.

Prince Cai Zhu Zhi was granted a house in Daming Prefecture. Not only was he punished, but a bunch of officials in Daming Prefecture were also ruined!
Zhu Guoxiang was stunned for a long time because he had a good impression of this grandson. He was a very smart child, and he was also very well-behaved and filial. He knew a little about poetry, songs, astronomy and geography.

Why was he suddenly stripped of his title and exiled?
Zhu Guoxiang hurried to Hangzhou City and sent a telegram to his son to inquire.

After waiting for a long time, Zhu Ming finally responded.

"Is his matter very big?"

"If we don't cause public outrage in Daming Prefecture, do you think the censor will risk exposing it?"

"Anyone killed?"

"Several lives have been lost. I originally wanted to execute him directly, but many people in the harem and the court dissuaded me. They thought that for a prince to commit such a crime, he should be demoted and punished, and that executing him would undermine the dignity of the royal family. Well, I am also a little soft-hearted and cannot bear to kill my son. But at least he should be exiled!"

"He's a good kid. He's only been in Daming Prefecture for two or three years. How come he suddenly became like that?"

"He has a brother-in-law who has taken refuge with him. This brother-in-law is good at having fun, and the various ways of playing among the people really opened your grandson's eyes. They spent a lot of money, and naturally the titles and rewards were not enough, so they started to bully the market and do business. The local corrupt officials and profiteers swarmed over him like flies smelling something, making Daming Prefecture a mess!"

"Why didn't the officials of the palace report it in time?"

"Of course they are all corrupt. Ask them to report it? They even help to give bad advice. They really think I only arrest corrupt officials and not the royal family! There was a lady in Daming Prefecture who was spotted by that bastard when she was offering incense. He sent someone to propose marriage and already had an engagement. The chief official of the palace actually brought the palace guards to snatch her away! The fiancé came to ask for justice, but they actually broke his legs, just like the bullies in the drama!"

"What happened to those lives?"

"They colluded with corrupt officials and profiteers to seize other people's property, framed people with crimes and put them in jail, and lured other people's sons into gambling and accrued huge debts. The old woman of that family couldn't figure it out and hanged herself. Her two sons and three followers went to Beijing to beat the drum to report the incident, but they were killed by them on the way and sunk into the Yellow River."

"Did he instruct someone to do it?"

"If it was really that bastard who ordered it, why would he be exiled? He should have been beheaded directly. Although it was not his order, he knew about it afterwards, and he even threatened the Hebei Provincial Surveillance Commissioner to help conceal it!"

Zhu Guoxiang didn't ask any more questions and left the telegraph room with a sigh.

That's why he was only granted a residence as far as Daming Prefecture, because it was accessible by water and was actually not far from Luoyang. Yet, he was so lawless for just two or three years.

If I were granted a house to live in Jiangnan, the emperor is far away and I don’t know what I would do there.

……

In Kaifeng City, several princes were trembling with fear and they did not dare to go out during this period.

Although there are many titles, salaries and rewards, how can they be enough for the princes to squander?
It's normal to do small things in private.

After holding it in for several days, Prince Cheng Zhu Ji finally couldn't help but go visit his brother.

When Prince Gong Zhu Chang met him, he asked, "Why did you come to my house?"

"They probably won't come to check on us again," Zhu Ji said, "We just collect a little money and do some small business. Even if they find out, they will just scold us."

Zhu Chang was shocked and said, "What do you think the King of Cai was thinking? He actually did such a big thing in Daming Prefecture! That's several lives lost. Since he didn't instigate it, he should have surrendered earlier and received a lighter punishment. He even threatened the Hebei Provincial Surveillance Commissioner and forced the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner to suppress the murder case."

Zhu Ji said, "Maybe it's because Daming Prefecture is farther away, and they feel that the emperor can't control it, and the officials don't dare to control it. By the way, did anyone from the Zongzheng Temple come to your house?"

Zhu Chang said: "He came, gave me a lecture and left, and replaced all my officials in the palace. He said that the past was forgiven, but the next time he did it, he would be severely punished."

"It happened to me too. I was so scared that my legs went weak." Zhu Ji said with lingering fear.

Although the two were not brothers, one was born to Zhao Fujin and the other was born to Zhao Fujin, so they had a deep friendship since childhood.

Zhu Ji's hobbies are calligraphy, painting and opera, and his calligraphy and painting skills are average. He has created several opera scripts, which are quite popular among Kaifeng celebrities, but no one watches them when he performs them in Wazi. They are too elegant and out of touch with reality.

Zhu Chang had no hobbies, or rather, he had a wide range of hobbies. He knew a little about everything, but was not proficient in anything. He did things on a whim, but once he had mastered some of them, he soon found them boring.

Sitting on the rocking chair, Zhu Chang sighed, "This life is so boring. I don't know what to do. I have nothing to do every day when I open my eyes."

"Let's form a drama troupe together," Zhu Ji suggested.

Zhu Chang shook his head: "Boring."

"Then what do you want to do?" Zhu Ji asked.

Zhu Chang still shook his head: "I don't know."

Zhu Ji said angrily: "You know nothing. You might as well resign your title and take the imperial examination, or learn from Zhu Kang and establish a kingdom overseas."

Zhu Chang still shook his head: "Don't I know how much I am capable of? Not to mention the imperial examination, I can't even pass the imperial examination. It's even more impossible to be granted an overseas kingdom. Zhu Kang conquered the territory of Nanyu Kingdom by himself. Although I have learned some strategies, I can only lead a hundred soldiers at most."

Zhu Ji laughed when he heard this: "You find eating, drinking and having fun boring, and you have no ability to do serious work. You just lie at home every day and wait to die of old age."

"So, how are we supposed to spend our days? We're so bored!" Zhu Chang was also speechless.

Zhu Chang was actually very smart and could learn anything quickly, but he lacked perseverance and persistence. He would give up halfway after achieving a little success and pursue something new.

Even for fun, he tried all kinds of ways to play, but none of the hobbies could last long.

Suddenly, Zhu Chang sat up straight from his rocking chair: "There are many strange stories in "Arabian Nights". If we go to sea, there will definitely be new things every day. The last time Wang Chongdu came to Beijing, I talked to him when he passed by Kaifeng..."

"You want to go to sea?" Zhu Ji asked. Zhu Chang sat back and continued to rock: "But he said that sailing is actually boring and dangerous. I don't know whether I should go to sea."

This guy has another shortcoming, which is that he is hesitant.

Zhu Ji sat for a while, then said goodbye and left, inviting his friends to go to the brothel to listen to music.

Zhu Chang was still lying on the rocking chair in the yard, looking at the branches and leaves through which sunlight occasionally shone.

The same is true of his attitude towards his wife. He met her a few times before the engagement and thought she was good in every way. But after they got married, his wife's shortcomings were exposed and the relationship between the couple became increasingly weak.

Life is quite boring.

Zhu Chang lay in the chair and rocked until dinner time, when he finally stood up. But he did not go to eat, but went back to his study to write a letter, asking for permission to travel abroad.

It was not an expedition, but a tour of various overseas countries, writing down what he saw and heard along the way.

After writing the memorial, Zhu Chang took out the globe.

He wanted to go to Japan first, then go to Nanyu State to hang out with Zhu Kang, then go to various countries in Southeast Asia, and then go to various states in India...

……

Luoyang, Imperial Palace.

Zhe Yanxiu has been crying these days. Not only is her son going to be exiled to Anxi Protectorate, but she herself has also been demoted from a concubine to a concubine.

This woman who loved to wield swords and guns when she was young really doted on her son. She only required strictness when her son was learning martial arts, and she followed her son's wishes in other matters.

Hearing the footsteps outside the house, Zhe Yanxiu hurriedly wiped away her tears. She had been strong all her life and didn't want others to see her vulnerability.

The palace maid brought Zhong Miaoyun in, made a cup of tea, and then bowed and left.

Zhong Miaoyun said: "It has been reported in the newspapers. There is no way to save it."

"I know, thank you sister for your help." Zhe Yanxiu sighed.

Zhong Miaoyun said: "Although it is irreversible, after I persuaded him, the government agreed to give some money. No one else is allowed to give, only you can pay for your son, and the maximum you can give is 100 strings of cash."

Zhe Yanxiu was worried, "How can a hundred strings of cash be enough for him and his wife to be exiled to the Western Regions?"

Zhong Miaoyun suggested, "The Zhe and Zhong families have some old friends in the army, and maybe someone they know is serving in the exile area. You can write a letter of trust to ask them to take care of it, and have your family secretly send some money over."

Zhe Yanxiu said: "This is the only way."

Then she complained about her daughter-in-law: "It's all that bitch's fault. My son was fine. He moved to Daming Prefecture for only two or three years, but he was seduced by his wife's brother and became like that!"

Then he said: "When the Zongzheng Temple selected officials for the prince's palace, they didn't know to arrange upright people. They only selected some greedy villains. Not only did they fail to correct and restrain the prince, but they also led the prince to become worse!"

Zhong Miaoyun said nothing and just listened silently.

After a long while, Zhong Miaoyun said, "Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. The emperor is also very sad this time."

Zhe Yanxiu remained silent.

A few days later.

The team escorting Prince Cai and his wife slowly came out of the Zongzheng Temple.

From Zongzheng Temple to the pier, more and more people gathered to watch.

Throughout the dynasties, there were also royal families and clan members who were exiled, but that was mostly related to political struggles.

It seemed to be the first time that a prince was exiled for bullying men and women and exploiting local people.

People gathered together and followed the escort team.

Surprisingly, many people in Luoyang felt that King Cai was somewhat wronged. No matter how big a mistake he made, he should not be exiled to the Anxi Protectorate.

As ordinary people, they actually sympathized with the prince who broke the law.

It was because the King of Cai committed a crime in Daming Prefecture and did not cause trouble in Luoyang. The people of Luoyang supported the Zhu Ming royal family and sympathized with the King of Cai.

Very nonsense.

All the civil and military officials in the court, as well as the common people in the two capitals, felt that the punishment for King Cai was too severe.

Until the case was published in the newspapers, everyone thought the sentence could still be light.

This issue of the Ming Monthly was sold out in Luoyang on the day it was published. Even peddlers and hawkers chased after the literate people who were holding the newspaper, clamoring for them to read it out loud over and over again.

Both officials and civilians felt a huge shock.

It has the impact to subvert your worldview!

After all, Prince Cai Zhu Zhi was a prince, so he did not have to wear shackles when going to the Western Regions, and he even had boats and carriages along the way.

At this moment, Zhu Zhi was carried on board by two men, and his soul was out of his body like a walking corpse. He still couldn't believe that his father really stripped him of his title and exiled him.

Princess Lu's eyes were red and swollen, and she didn't know how many times she cried. She regretted letting her brother enter the palace, otherwise he wouldn't have ended up like this.

The Lu family was also ruined. Her father, uncle, and uncle were all under investigation by the Three Judicial Departments.

Her uncle was not an official, but was doing business in his hometown, yet he was audited for taxes again and again.

A group of students stood by the river, watching the boats escorting the Prince of Cai go away. One student said with emotion, "If a prince breaks the law, he will be punished just like the common people. Today I know it is true. The officials are so selfless and love the people. How can we scholars not devote ourselves to the country?"

"Long live His Majesty!" some students shouted.

"Long live your Majesty!"

"Long live the Ming Dynasty!"

Shouts came one after another from the riverside, and more and more people were shouting, and gradually their voices merged into one.

(End of this chapter)