Rebirth of Zhu Di's son

Chapter 32

"The prince is guilty of the same crime as the common people. Your third brother's crime is so heinous. Why can't he be killed?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked coldly.

Zhu Di was neither humble nor arrogant, and gave his answer calmly and unhurriedly.

"First of all, the third brother's father-in-law is Yongping Hou Xie Cheng, and his in-law is Yingguo Gong Fu Youde. Both of them are heroes in the founding of the country and veteran generals in the army."

"Before there is no suitable prince to sit in Taiyuan and control the border troops on behalf of the third brother, if the third brother is dealt with rashly, the Xie and Fu families will be implicated, which is not conducive to the stability of the border areas of Jin."

"Secondly, if my father kills his third brother today because he has committed an unpardonable crime, setting the precedent of killing a royal child for a crime, will there be civil and military officials in the future who will frame other princes and grandsons for personal gain?"

"If another prince or grandson commits an unpardonable crime in the future, will my father kill him or not?"

"If the future successor encounters such a situation, how should he make a choice?"

After Zhu Di asked three questions in a row, he concluded forcefully: "My son believes that this is a war to defend the imperial power. Therefore, the third brother cannot be killed!"

"Haha, what you said is very high-sounding. Aren't you just trying to win the reputation of benevolence and righteousness?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, unceremoniously exposing Zhu Di's plan buried deep in his heart.

"My son, I have no intention of doing so. Father, I know it for sure."

Zhu Di was not angry at all and said respectfully.

He finally understood Zhu Yuanzhang's temper, otherwise he wouldn't have said so much.

I think back then, Zhu Yuanzhang's nephew Zhu Wenzheng was rebellious and was not executed, let alone his own son.

"It's getting late, you should go back first."

Zhu Yuanzhang seemed a little tired and waved his hand rather irritably.

Zhu Di bowed without emotion and said: "My son, please leave. Father, please rest early."

Looking at Zhu Di's leaving figure, Zhu Yuanzhang sighed with both relief and disappointment.

He was pleased because Zhu Di was not dazzled by the "heart of seizing the legitimate son" and realized that the advantages of not killing the King of Jin outweighed the disadvantages. He was a qualified politician.

Although Zhu Di only gave part of the reason, he believed that Zhu Di should understand the other part of the reason.

At this time, King Ning and King Liao in the northeastern border of Ming Dynasty were still young and lacked experience.

If King Jin were suddenly killed, most of the defense burden for the northern border would fall on King Yan's shoulders.

In this way, those high-ranking generals may not necessarily be convinced by King Yan. After all, they were mostly controlled by King Jin in the past, and King Jin's military capabilities were not inferior to King Yan.

In the historical blue jade case, Zhu Yuanzhang implicated a duke, thirteen marquises, and two earls, and his ability to handle so many generals quickly and smoothly was thanks to the role of Jin Wang Zhu Fan.

As for Zhu Yuanzhang, he felt disappointed because although King Jin could avoid death, the price would be extremely huge. He was even worried that King Jin would be unable to bear the blow and commit suicide.

The Crown Prince of Jin falsely accused King Yan of disrupting the country, and the evidence was conclusive, and the King of Jin himself colluded with Lan Yu with evil intentions. The father and son did everything they could to seize the legitimate heir, and what they committed was tantamount to a serious crime of treason.

In fact, for Zhu Yuanzhang, as his own son, the King of Jin was ambitious and used all means to win the heir, but there was nothing wrong with it.

To put it bluntly, the King of Jin did not raise an army to rebel, and his crime would not lead to death.

However, the King of Jin indulged his subordinates in killing court officials and even raping women of the people. He himself violated the rules and was extremely domineering.

Not only did it violate the imperial ban, but it also aroused public resentment. The local people hated him so much that they had to risk their lives and write a joint letter in blood, begging the emperor to bring justice to them.

If the Jin vassal was not punished severely, Zhu Yuanzhang's wise image in the eyes of the people all over the world would plummet.

I feel even more sorry for the dead Li Zhongyue, as well as the poor people and local officials who were harmed by the Jin vassal.

Everyone would only think that Emperor Hongwu protected his son and treated the people like nothing.

Zhu Yuanzhang was also a common man in the past, and he knew very well how terrifying the power gathered by the common people in the world could be.

For the sake of the country, the country, and the stability of the people of the world, he must "eliminate relatives with righteousness."

But before dealing with King Jin, Zhu Yuanzhang still needed to do one thing.

"Come here, call the commander of the Jinyi Guards, Jiang Yu, to come see me!"

Not long after, Jiang Wei hurried over.

"Meet Your Majesty."

"Flat body."

After Jiang Wei got up, Zhu Yuanzhang showed the imperial edict he had just written and said, "Take this."

Jiang Wei quickly stepped forward, stretched out his hands, and respectfully received the imperial edict.

Zhu Yuanzhang said in a cold voice: "Lanyu, Duke of Liang, made arrogant comments about government affairs and insulted his ministers. You take my orders and capture him and imprison him. Bring more troops. If he disobeys orders, kill him on the spot!"

"I obey the decree." Jiang Yu said respectfully.

Two hours later.

"Your Majesty, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, Jiang Wei, would like to see you?"

"allow."

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty." Jiang Yingxing paid homage and said.

"Get back together quickly." Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand impatiently: "I ask you, have you done everything?"

Jiang Wei said respectfully: "Your Majesty, Duke Liang has not resisted and has been taken into custody by the Jinyi Guards."

"it is good."

Zhu Yuanzhang handed over a piece of paper and said with murderous intent: "Send spies to keep an eye on the people on this list day and night. If there is any abnormal movement, arrest them immediately and put them in jail! If you encounter resistance, shoot them without mercy!"

"The minister obeys the order."

Jiang Wei took the list respectfully, then knelt down and saluted.

The next day, the tenth day of April.

Before dawn, people from the palace went to the King of Yan's residence to convey the emperor's decree, allowing Zhu Di to attend today's morning court.

A few hours later, Zhu Di returned to his residence from the court and immediately summoned Monk Daoyan to discuss the matter.

He gave a summary of the crimes committed by the Jin prince and his son, as well as Zhu Yuanzhang's treatment of the Jin vassal in the early days, to Monk Daoyan.

According to the law, the King of Jin should have executed him, but because he had made many contributions to the court, and as the king of Sai, he also fulfilled the responsibility of guarding the border, so he could be exempted from the death penalty, but he could not escape the living crime.

Therefore, Jin Wang Zhu Fan's lineage was removed from the jade certificate, demoted to common people, and his family moved to Fengyang to guard the ancestral mausoleum, never to rise again.

"Now that things have come to this, why is Father still suspicious of me?"

Zhu Di said a little annoyed.

Monk Dao Yan stroked his beard and analyzed carefully.

"His Majesty is not only the father of the King of Jin, but also the father of all the people in the world. In order to quell the resentment of the people in Jin, Your Majesty had to deprive the King of Jin of his title, demote all the Jin vassal lineage to common people and move to Fengyang. In this way, you can Give an explanation to the people of Jin."

Zhu Di listened quietly, his face uncertain. "As for your Majesty's order of Fengyang Guards to strictly guard the Jin Prince's family who has been demoted to common people, I believe that this is not because your Majesty is jealous of His Highness, but on the contrary, it is because His Majesty has foresight to protect His Highness."

Monk Daoyan continued.

"What do you mean by this?" Zhu Di asked suspiciously, his eyebrows moving.

"With the means of the Jin Yiwei, Your Majesty is not afraid that His Majesty will secretly send someone to harm King Jin. The reason why His Majesty made such arrangements is that he is worried that someone will kill King Jin. After all, when King Jin dies, the biggest beneficiary is His Highness. Therefore, His Majesty protects Jin. The vassal is to protect His Highness."

Monk Dao Yan analyzed the situation quite insightfully.

"Yes." Zhu Di's mood became much more stable, he exhaled a breath and said slowly: "I hope it is as the master said."

"In addition to announcing what to do with Prince Jin this morning, does your Majesty have any other decrees?"

Monk Daoyan asked after a moment of silence.

"The master is really clever and has another purpose."

Zhu Di said: "My father also ordered Bai Di (Xiang King Zhu Bai) to be moved to Taiyuan to continue to take charge of border defense and military affairs in place of his third brother."

Hearing this, Monk Daoyan frowned.

The King of Jin once sent Taoist Qingxuan to secretly collude with Liang Guogong Lan Yu, promising Wang Jue to bribe him, and ordered him to mobilize some generals in the army to wait for the opportunity together.

It stands to reason that Zhu Yuanzhang would never let Lan Yu go, but he did not mention this matter in the morning.

This made Monk Daoyan a little confused.

At this moment, a palace servant outside the door reported: "Your Highness, the second young master wants to see you."

Zhu Di nodded and said, "Let him come in."

"father."

"Grandmaster."

After Zhu Gaoxu entered the door, he greeted monks Zhu Di and Dao Yan in turn.

"What's the matter with Gao Xu?" Zhu Di asked, sitting on the Grand Master's chair.

Zhu Gaoxu turned sideways, pointed at Ma He outside the door, and said, "Let Manager Ma do the talking."

Zhu Di and Monk Daoyan nodded to Ma He.

Ma He bowed in return, then walked into the room and reported: "My slave has just spied on the news and learned that Jin Yiwei has captured Lan Yu, Duke of Liang State, and imprisoned him for making irresponsible remarks about government affairs and insulting the Duke."

"Dong Liang Guo was imprisoned?"

Zhu Di was stunned when he heard this.

He didn't know what this matter had to do with King Jin being deposed, so he subconsciously turned to look at Monk Dao Yan beside him.

Monk Dao Yan showed an uninformed look and asked doubtfully: "Is this happening?" After a pause, he continued: "Lang Guogong had a feud with His Highness, and it is a good thing that he is now imprisoned."

Zhu Gaoxu didn't care about this. He said a little anxiously: "The emperor's treatment of the third uncle, the child has learned the general details from Manager Ma. However, the child has a worry."

Ma He was not only the chief servant of Prince Yan's palace, but also one of Zhu Di's personal guards. He often accompanied Zhu Di in and out of the palace.

Although Ma He did not attend the morning court, he was qualified to stand and walk in the corridor outside Huangji Hall. Standing outside the hall, he could hear the normal conversations between the monarchs and ministers in the hall, and could roughly judge what was happening in the court.

"Tell me carefully." Zhu Di said seriously.

Zhu Gaoxu said: "The emperor ordered Fengyang to guard the third uncle's family. He should be worried that some young people would assassinate the third uncle. If something unexpected happens to the third uncle, my father will definitely become the object of suspicion in the world. From this, it can be seen that the emperor's move , just to protect dad’s reputation.”

When Zhu Di and Monk Dao Yan heard this, they had different reactions. The former looked relieved and nodded, while the latter restrained his emotions, but there was still a trace of surprise on his face.

"My eldest uncle and second uncle have passed away, and my third uncle has now been demoted to a commoner. According to common sense, it is just and logical for the emperor to take advantage of the situation and appoint my father as the crown prince. However, today's court meeting did not mention a word about the emperor's opposition to the crown prince. Could there be a change? ?”

Zhu Gaoxu expressed his inner worries.

"Where are the variables?" Zhu Di asked with a frown.

Zhu Gaoxu said slowly: "His Royal Highness Prince Wu (Zhu Yunwen)."

Monk Daoyan said solemnly: "Did the second young master hear some rumors?"

Zhu Gaoxu replied: "No."

Zhu Di took a slow breath, suppressed the complicated emotions in his heart, and asked calmly: "Why do you think so?"

Zhu Gaoxu explained: "In the current situation, from the perspective of the emperor, there are not many suitable candidates for the crown prince. In order of succession, the father should be the one. However, it would also make sense if the emperor had the eldest son. After all, Yuan The ancestor will be passed down to his grandson."

After hearing this, Monk Dao Yan and Zhu Di were both secretly surprised, and the look on Zhu Di's face instantly became very serious.

Because they knew that Zhu Biao's eldest son Zhu Xiongying died in infancy. After Zhu Biao's first wife Chang died of illness, his second son Zhu Yunwen's biological mother Lu was rehabilitated.

In this way, Zhu Yunwen became Zhu Biao's theoretical legitimate son, and Zhu Biao was the eldest son of Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. According to this logic, Zhu Yunwen became the theoretical eldest grandson of the emperor.

Zhu Di had previously served in the Zongren Mansion and had consulted the royal jade certificate. He remembered that Zhu Xiongying's name was in the jade certificate and was at the top of Zhu Biao's descendants, so he knew very well that Zhu Yunwen was not the emperor in the strict sense. Grandson.

However, Zhu Gaoxu's considerations were not unreasonable. Several years after his eldest son, Prince Zhenjin, died of illness, Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, canonized Prince Zhenjin's third son, Tiemu'er, as the emperor's grandson, and finally passed on the throne to him. Gave it to the grandson of the emperor.

"My child feels that maybe the emperor thinks that Zhu Yunwen's stubborn illness can be cured. Otherwise, with the emperor's decisiveness, he will never show his attitude for a long time."

Zhu Gaoxu expressed his guess without reservation.

Monk Dao Yan bent down slightly, tilted his upper body towards Zhu Gaoxu, paused for a moment, gave a salute, and then asked: "If it is true as the second young master said, then how should your highness deal with it? Does the second young master have any good ideas?"

Zhu Gaoxu was stunned when he was asked, and quickly looked at Zhu Di. He wanted to know Zhu Di's reaction at this time, and the two met each other's eyes.

Zhu Di blurted out and asked: "Looking at your calm and calm look, could it be that you have thought of a countermeasure?"

Zhu Gaoxu hesitated for a moment and said resolutely: "The human heart is made of flesh. I want to give it a try to see if I can convince Grandpa Huang not to establish Zhu Yunzhen!"

"Childish! Do you know that the matter of establishing a heir apparent is of great importance? How could your grandpa change his mind just because of your few words?"

Zhu Di retorted.

"Without my order these days, you are not allowed to go anywhere. Just stay in my house!"

Perhaps he was worried that Zhu Gaoxu would do something to hurt Zhu Yunwen on impulse and commit an unforgivable mistake like the prince of Jin Dynasty, so Zhu Di immediately added a stern sentence.

"Dad, I'm sorry that I can't obey my orders! I'll go to the palace now and ask to see Grandpa Huang!"

Zhu Gaoxu said extremely firmly.

After saying that, he quickly bent down and bowed to Zhu Di, then turned around and ran out of the study quickly.

Looking at Zhu Gaoxu's leaving back, Zhu Di let out a long sigh and did not stop him.

But Monk Daoyan raised his hand to twist his beard, raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and showed an unpredictable smile on his face.

As things stand now, the best candidate for the crown prince that Zhu Yuanzhang can choose is indeed as Zhu Gaoxu said just now, Zhu Yunwen or Zhu Di.

Zhu Gaoxu went to make trouble with Zhu Yuanzhang. For Zhu Di, on the surface, it may not be a good thing, but for Zhu Yunwen, it must be a bad thing - Zhu Yunwen is not as far away as Zhu Gaoxu!
Zhu Di and Monk Dao Yan both knew very well that with Zhu Yuanzhang's love for Zhu Gaoxu, even if Zhu Gaoxu was disobedient, he would not be severely punished. He would just be scolded by Zhu Yuanzhang or be grounded.

　Ask for a ticket, ask for a ticket, ask for a ticket, ask for a ticket!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)