King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 744 Zhu Jingyuan: Your Majesty, please call me the Crown Prince!

At this moment, the incident had already started. The bandits in Guanghan Palace were pressing forward step by step, while outside the Guanghan Gate there were shouts and cries of killing.

The people arranged by Zhu Jingyuan wanted to block the passage, so they started fighting with the people around them. The people arranged by Zhu Jinghong might have been prepared in advance, but more people were in a confused state.

So when the changes started, many people, like the guards at Qianqing Gate, were killed on the spot by these chaotic soldiers.

Then the guards came to their senses and confronted the people who might be marauders, and a melee broke out on the bridge.

Chen Yuntai was guarding outside Guanghan Gate. At this time, the twenty elite captains he had prepared were following him to attack Guanghan Gate.

At the same time, the people deployed by Lao Liu also left the melee and approached the Guanghan Gate in order to control the palace gate.

As for Xu Guangfu and his men, they also began to mobilize after hearing the noise, aiming to rush to the scene as quickly as possible and seize control of the stone bridge.

Time is very important at this moment.

For the prince, he reserved a moment for himself, during which he had to get things done, but in reality he did not have even a moment of time.

In fact, it was not just the imperial city. The Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince also had arrangements outside the imperial city. They both used coercion and inducement to win over some of the generals of the Five Cities Army.

When the Xuchu Banquet began, seven captains were mobilizing their subordinates, including the West City Defense where Sun Shaozu was located.

Sun Shaozu had five captains under his command, and one of them mobilized troops without authorization.

Sun Shaozu personally led dozens of soldiers to the military camp, and then looked at the assembled troops and shouted, "Captain Wang, who told you to mobilize troops without authorization?"

Sun Shaozu's quick reaction was beyond Captain Wang's expectation. He was a little nervous at the moment, as he knew what he was doing better than anyone else.

"Sir Sun, I am mobilizing troops on your orders!" Captain Wang said bravely.

In their Qianhu Division, he was not the only one who was bribed by the Prince Rui's Palace. There were also several Baihu who were deeply involved with the Palace, so this Qianhu Wang still had some confidence.

There is no turning back on the path he has chosen, and now he can only go all the way to the end.

Therefore, Captain Wang had already developed the intention to kill Sun Shaozu.

However, in Sun Shaozu's eyes, Captain Wang's murderous intent was similar to the threat from a child, and could be said to pose no threat at all.

Although Sun Shaozu's character is not good, he is a warrior who fought his way out of the battlefield after all. These officers of the Wucheng Bingmasi really have no weight in his eyes.

"By order? By whose order?" Sun Shaozu asked coldly.

"The emperor is holding a banquet in the West Garden today, why would he call you to join him?"

"Everyone, listen to my orders. Return to the camp. What happened tonight will be forgiven!"

Sun Shaozu was the commander of the guard, and his orders were undoubtedly more authoritative. The soldiers became agitated as soon as he opened his mouth.

Captain Wang roared, "Don't move a muscle! Sun Shaozu is rebelling. The emperor has secretly ordered us to suppress the rebellion. Today is the day to make achievements!"

At the same time as he gave the order, the centurions who had been bribed with him also spoke out to suppress their subordinates.

Captain Wang continued to give orders: "Come here, kill this traitor!"

The hundreds of soldiers at the scene were all looking at each other in bewilderment, with only about twenty trusted soldiers moving.

But Sun Shaozu also brought dozens of people with him, some of whom were transferred from the Beijing camp, and they suppressed the attackers just by their momentum.

There was a tense confrontation at the scene, but only Captain Wang was nervous. Sun Shaozu was actually in a relatively calm state of mind.

The problem he is worried about now is that he has failed to control his subordinates. If Zhu Jinghong gets to know this, then he, Sun Shaozu, will be ruined.

"Wang Yu, I really underestimated you. How dare you raise an army to rebel!"

"If you want to rebel, it's fine if you want to kill yourself, but why do you have to lead your brothers to their doom?"

Sun Shaozu's tone was more severe than ever before, and Captain Wang became even more frightened after hearing it. In fact, he had expected that he was finished this time since Sun Shaozu appeared.

The soldiers on the scene could not be mobilized, so how much effect could they have with only a few dozen of his trusted men?
Looking at Wang Yu who was still standing there and didn't even dare to draw his sword, Sun Shaozu felt more and more contemptuous.

At this moment, a large group of soldiers rushed to the outside of the military camp. These were the troops dispatched by Sun Shaozu to suppress the rebellion.

At this moment, Captain Wang looked haggard, and he knew that he was finished.

"Wang Yu, you beast, how dare you use the imperial edict to deceive us and make us do such a treasonous thing..."

The person who spoke was Wang Yu's trusted captain, but he became the first person to betray him.

The fourth and sixth brothers really don't understand military affairs. They think that if they control the officers they control the army. This is actually a very ridiculous idea.

At such a critical moment, the power of officers is reversed. For example, a small flag officer can mobilize his soldiers, a general flag officer can also mobilize his soldiers, a centurion can basically command his subordinates, but the situation is unclear when it comes to a thousand-man commander.

Above the rank of Qianhu, generals have less contact with the soldiers below, and it is even more difficult for them to command them to do "bad things".

What happened in the defense of West City was also happening in several other garrisons, and although some people failed, there were still some successes.

Originally, the Crown Prince and Prince Rui planned to mobilize four to five thousand men, but in reality they only mobilized about a thousand men, and the army was demoralized and morale was low.

It is ridiculous to let these people blockade the imperial city.

This is the situation in the capital. Outside the capital, Siling is heavily guarded, and the safety of everyone in Prince Xiang's mansion is absolutely guaranteed.

As for the Beijing camp and the imperial guards, they did not move at all at this moment.

Zhu Jinghong's subsequent order was to let Hou Jing and others control the army and monitor others to prevent them from taking any rash actions.

Just as Sun Shaozu despised Wang Yu, Zhu Jinghong's trick on his two brothers was to attach importance to them tactically and despise them strategically.

Turning our attention back to the Western Garden of the Imperial City, the chaos here was still continuing, the battle on the corridor bridge was still going on, the light was not good and all parties were killing each other indiscriminately.

Inside the Guanghan Palace, the bandits were still approaching.

The rebel soldiers were not wearing armor, and when they faced the heavily armored soldiers like the Qianqing Gate guards, plus the fierce warrior Zhu Jinghong, they would be killed as many as they came.

Of course, following Zhu Jingyuan's orders, these rebel soldiers attacked Zhu Jinghong fiercely with the aim of taking his life.

The emperor was blocked by four heavily-armored soldiers. He was observing the situation on the scene from a high position with an extremely solemn expression.

At this moment, Zhu Jinghong admired the emperor very much. He did not change his expression in the face of the changes from beginning to end. It should be noted that he was completely unaware of this matter.

As for Zhu Jinghong himself, he was still holding a knife in front of the emperor. He had killed eleven people on the spot, which was more than the six guards on his left and right combined.

During this process, Zhu Jinghong deliberately got injured twice, in his left arm and right shoulder respectively, just to show the old man.

"Old Six, Old Six is ​​plotting treason... Old Six, you bastard!"

"Listen, Sixth Brother. If you want to be the crown prince, I'll give it to you. Don't hurt Father and Thirteenth Brother!"

This was the prince's voice. Old Six had slipped away at some point, so naturally he took the blame first.

He wants to be the crown prince and he also wants to be a filial son. Of course, the Thirteenth Prince must die and the Sixth Prince must be stink.

Everyone says that the emperor is wise and enlightened, which is a compliment to most emperors, but Zhu Xianming is definitely not one of them.

"Stop right there!" Zhu Xianming's voice was as loud as a bell.

The emperor is always the emperor, ruling over all the lands. Especially now that the Ming Dynasty is stable, the emperor is almost a god in the eyes of the world.

As soon as he said this, even the rebellious bandits felt shocked and terrified, thinking that disobedience would lead to disaster.

This panic did not arise because of the threat to personal interests. Since these people were rebelling, they naturally didn't care about anything. The fear was simply because the emperor was angry.

No matter what, the Ming Dynasty has been passed down for more than 300 years, and the emperor's majesty and power in ruling the world has become a stamp of thought in the hearts of the people.

When the emperor is angry, people will naturally be afraid.

Of course, this situation did not last long. After a brief panic, the rebels looked at the emperor with sinister expressions.

However, they had no armor and no blunt weapons to penetrate armor, so they dared not attack rashly at this time. The two sides were in a stalemate. "Fourth Brother, you really surprised me!"

The emperor's sudden remark startled many people at the scene, especially the prince who was being "held hostage".

Zhu Jinghong was also very surprised. He didn't know how the old man saw the flaw, or maybe he had known it for a long time.

If I knew in advance, wouldn't I be a clown too? Zhu Jinghong groaned inwardly.

But when he thought about it a little more, he realized that he was completely overthinking it. The old man was not so stupid as to take the initiative to make the situation so out of control.

"It's fine for an ordinary warrior to rebel, but you, a weak scholar... dare to raise a sword and a stick in front of me, kneel down!"

Hearing this, the prince was greatly shocked. He felt embarrassed and even ashamed that the emperor had seen through him.

The shameful thing is that the emperor saw through it all.

But the prince did not accept his fate, and planned to "fight to the last" again.

"Father, are you drunk? My son has been held hostage!" Zhu Jingyuan cried.

Zhu Xianming was certainly not drunk. He just said slowly, "Old Fourth... I know exactly what kind of person you are!"

"After such a big change, you showed no fear at all and even put the blame on Old Six. This really opened my eyes."

Zhu Xianming had been paying close attention to the situation on the scene and had noticed the prince's performance.

The prince is weak and incompetent, lacking in strategy and decision-making.

It is extremely abnormal for such a person to remain calm in such a changing situation, and this is the biggest doubt.

Combined with some other factors, it was inevitable that the emperor would suspect the prince.

After the emperor said this, the prince's own defense only deepened his suspicion.

After all, it was because all of the prince's behaviors were abnormal after he was "kidnapped" that the emperor became more suspicious of him.

"You are the prince, why do you want to rebel?" Zhu Xianming asked coldly. He was very disappointed with the prince.

"Father, I am innocent!" Zhu Jingyuan still refused to accept his fate.

Sighing, Zhu Xianming continued, "I think you were coerced. This matter has nothing to do with you!"

Zhu Xianming understood everything. He said these words at this moment in order to stabilize the prince and prevent the situation from getting out of control.

However, Zhu Jingyuan would never betray his own people, so he could not continue to speak in accordance with Zhu Xianming's intention, otherwise he might be killed on the spot.

"Dad, I am innocent. This is all Old Six's conspiracy..."

Seeing that the fourth brother was still stubborn, Zhu Xianming still did not give up, but continued: "Fourth brother...as long as you turn back from your mistakes, Dad will not blame you!"

The royal family has deep kinship, but the people of the White Lotus are not fools, they cannot serve as consumables.

If the prince follows the emperor's words, the White Lotus will kill him directly.

So after Zhu Xianming finished speaking, the knife on Zhu Jingyuan's shoulder tightened a little, and the situation changed from "acted" coercion to real coercion.

The pain in his neck frightened Zhu Jingyuan greatly, and he was in a dilemma at the moment.

If he admitted his mistake to the emperor, he would be killed on the spot by the White Lotus Sect, and if he did not admit his mistake... he had already been seen through by the emperor, and being stubborn would only lead to a worse end.

"Fourth brother, what happened? If you explain it to dad, everything can be salvaged!" Zhu Jinghong was full of regret.

What he said was really just a show, and there was almost no sincerity in it.

But in the emperor's mind, it was a different picture.

The youngest son was repaying evil with kindness. Even though he knew that the fourth son was rebellious, he was still willing to give him a chance to reform.

"Fourth..."

Zhu Xianming wanted to persuade him again, but was interrupted by Zhu Jingyuan: "Dad... since you know everything, your son will not pretend anymore!"

"I am the eldest son and was appointed as the crown prince. The throne is mine... Why did you support the sixth brother and then the thirteenth brother?"

"My son, the crown prince, is not stable because you favor the Sixth Brother and the Thirteenth Brother?"

At this moment, the prince really let himself go and said everything he should and shouldn't say.

"Father, since you think your son is incompetent, you should abolish his position as Crown Prince. Why do you have to let him stay in this embarrassing position?"

"Fourth Brother, you...you are talking nonsense!" The emperor was still trying to persuade him, but his tone was no longer firm.

After sending away the rebel who "held him hostage", Zhu Jingyuan asked, "Dad, I am very clear-headed. I know whether it is nonsense or not!"

"Dad... tell me yourself, have you ever told Old Six... 'The prince is often ill and you should encourage him'!" When he said this, Zhu Jingyuan's voice was already tearful.

Zhu Xianming not only said this, but he also said it in front of the Sixth and Thirteenth Brothers.

Guanghan Palace is a complex of buildings. The royal family members attending the banquet, as well as the musicians in charge of entertainment, heard everything that was said just now.

In other words, the prince who admitted to treason is now completely ruined.

As for Crown Prince Zhu Jingyuan, after his psychological defenses collapsed, he completely let himself go.

"Dad, since you already know everything, I won't waste any more words. As long as you are willing to abdicate... your son can guarantee your safety!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xianming was so angry that he laughed. The prince was even dumber than he expected. He actually thought that the situation was under his control.

"Fourth Brother..." Zhu Xianming still wanted to make amends.

Only two months after the Queen's death, things had developed to this point. Zhu Xianming was too ashamed to face his deceased wife, so he thought of redeeming her at all costs.

However, the prince had had enough. Seeing that his father was still "obstinate", he said coldly: "Your Majesty, please call me the prince!"

At this moment, Zhu Xianming finally gave up. After a brief silence, he heard him say, "Where is my son Thirteen?"

When the emperor suddenly called his name, Zhu Jinghong immediately responded, "My son is here!"

"You are ordered to suppress the rebellion. Those who rebel will be killed without mercy!"

"Yes!"

With Zhu Xianming's words, Zhu Jinghong immediately turned into a god of death, holding a knife and killing all the White Lotus members.

As for the only few guards on the scene, they were there to protect the emperor firmly, allowing Zhu Jinghong to kill the enemy with peace of mind.

It is no exaggeration to say that Zhu Jinghong's martial arts are the best in the world. At this moment, he rushed towards the prince's camp and was truly invincible.

The guards that the prince relied on were easily broken by Zhu Jinghong, and then the prince was rescued by him and brought to the emperor's throne.

At the same time, Chen Yuntai led his men to recapture Guanghan Gate. After the captains rushed into the palace gate, they further controlled the situation.

"Fourth brother, just admit your mistake to dad and this matter will be over!"

When Zhu Jinghong brought the fourth child before the emperor, he said this.

However, at this moment, Zhu Jingyuan was fearless and said with a smile: "Old Thirteen, the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. Don't act hypocritical here. I will never admit my mistake even if I die!"

Hearing these words, Zhu Xianming was even more hurt, but there was nothing he could do.

"Father, you can kill me or chop me up, whatever you want. I won't frown at all. I want you to see...how filial I am and whether I am worthy of being your son!"

Zhu Jingyuan's words made Zhu Xianming feel even more heartbroken, but the situation was already irreversible.

(End of this chapter)