Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 11 Argument in Court
Zhu Yunhuan was still the same as in the previous few days. It seemed that he only needed to do his duty of keeping vigil, which was what he should do now.

In the mourning hall of the late Crown Prince Zhu Biao, many people belatedly realized that there was a mysterious atmosphere.

Zhu Yunhuan spent longer time in the mourning hall. The two brothers Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yunhuan no longer spoke to each other, and the superficial brotherly friendship was no longer maintained.

Even including Zhu Yunwen, he no longer maintained superficial respect for his third brother Zhu Yunwen.

Zhu Jihui, Zhu Gaochi and others were terrified. They were all brothers who studied in the same hall. Even though they had some disputes occasionally, their relationship was generally good.

But now it’s different. Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yunhuan seem to have completely broken up. It’s not just a simple dispute, but it is very likely that they are fighting for the throne. This is scary.

They were originally more optimistic about Zhu Yunwen because he was now nominally the legitimate son, and he was also good at studying and his usual behavior was obvious to all.

But even if they were optimistic about Zhu Yunwen, they dared not say a word at this time, let alone express their opinions. As the princes of vassal states, they were generally over ten years old and understood both big principles and small matters.

Zhu Yunhuan knelt down and threw the folded gold ingots into the offering basin. He remained silent in the mourning hall. When he got tired of kneeling, he would go to the side hall to rest. In front of the coffin, he would fold gold ingots and burn paper money.

Unlike Zhu Yunwen, he would cry a few times and pretend to be weak and fainted when there were many people around or when someone came.

The Han general and eunuchs came and summoned Zhu Yunhuan.

Not to mention Zhu Gaochi and others looked at each other in bewilderment, even Zhu Yunhuan himself was very surprised. This time he was summoned to the Fengtian Hall, where he attended court.

Zhu Yunwen lowered his head and said nothing. He knew a little about some things, and in order to become the crown prince, he didn't care about brotherly love.

Old Zhu sat on the dragon throne, feeling a little nervous but also expectant. He wanted to see if his third grandson could give him more surprises.

When he was summoned into the palace, almost everyone's attention was focused on Zhu Yunhuan.

The young man in mourning clothes took big steps and showed no sign of fear.

Zhu Yunhuan knelt down and bowed four times in a proper manner, and kowtowed loudly, "I, the third grandson of the emperor, Zhu Yunhuan, kowtow to my grandfather, His Majesty the Emperor!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was also very impressive. In the Record of Ancestors' Instructions, there were regulations on how the royal family's descendants should address the emperor and empress. However, this was only used in formal occasions, and it should still be used today.

Old Zhu did not let Zhu Yunhuan stand up, but directly questioned, "A minister reported that you did not show any sadness after the death of the crown prince. Your face was ruddy and you were often lazy. Is this true?"

Zhu Yunhuan raised his head and looked at Old Zhu, and asked directly, "Grandfather, I, your grandson, dare to ask who impeached me?"

After Old Zhu nodded slightly, Huang Zicheng came out and said, "Your Highness, it is I who impeached Your Highness."

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Huang Zicheng and asked, "Who are you? What is your official position?"

Huang Zicheng continued to answer, "I, Huang Xi, have the honor of being a Hanlin editor and a royal official, and later a minister of the Ministry of Rites."

Zhu Yunhuan immediately understood that this was one of the legendary "Three Treasures of Jianwen". He might be a loyal minister, but he was definitely a fool who harmed others!

Zhu Yunhuan said to Old Zhu in a loud voice, "Your Majesty, the Emperor, I dare to kill this beast!"

Huang Zicheng's eyes widened, and Zhan Hui and others were also shocked. The emperor's third grandson did not play by the rules. At this time, the emperor's third grandson should be terrified and argue, instead of murderously asking for permission to kill.

Old Zhu showed no expression on his face, he just asked, "Oh? Why?"

Zhu Yunhuan immediately started to talk nonstop, saying, "My great grandfather has a rule in the Record of Ancestor's Instructions: Any censor who reports a minor offense against the king to the emperor, or who alienates the relatives, will be executed. Anyone who hears that the king has committed a major offense but has no evidence to prove it and still reports it to the emperor will also be punished with the same crime."

Zhu Yuanzhang was delighted, but Huang Zicheng and others started to panic, because what Zhu Yunhuan said was reasonable and had the support of Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Huang Zicheng and asked, "Are you a Fengxian official?" Huang Zicheng was sweating coldly and answered in fear, "Your Majesty, I am impeaching His Royal Highness the Third Grandson of the Emperor. This is just my duty as a subject and has nothing to do with my official position!"

Zhu Yunhuan immediately seized the opportunity, "Reporting to Grandfather, the Emperor, this beast has ulterior motives and has alienated the royal family. His crime is unforgivable! As the Minister of the Imperial Academy and a Hanlin scholar, he still cannot observe etiquette and the law, and has often acted presumptuously! I think that Grandfather should execute this beast! I have the audacity to ask for permission to be the executioner, and I will cut off this beast's head and hang it on the city wall to warn all officials!"

Zhu Yunxun's murderous words made many people panic, and Huang Zicheng was the most panicked one, because this grandson of the emperor was very good at putting accusations on others. Moreover, it seemed to him that His Royal Highness really wanted to kill him!
The general principle seemed to be correct. Huang Zicheng alienated the royal family, which was a capital crime. In addition, he was not an imperial censor, nor an official of the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, or the Dali Temple. It was not his right to report on rumors.

At this moment, the civil and military officials in the Fengtian Hall were clearly separated, with military officials on the left and civil officials on the right. Everyone saw Zhu Yunhuan's performance after he came to the Fengtian Hall.

Although some of the military officers looked a little worried, most of them were excited. Especially the leaders, their eyes were full of energy. Many of the civil officials were worried. The third grandson of the emperor did not look like a benevolent ruler!
Huang Zicheng quickly argued, saying to Zhu Yunhuan, "Your Highness, although I am not a censor, I am a tutor in the Eastern Palace. When the Crown Prince passed away, Your Highness did not show any sadness. Our Ming Dynasty was founded on filial piety, and Your Highness did not show any sadness in front of the coffin. How can the people of the world be convinced?"

This seems to be correct. Any orthodox Han dynasty must emphasize governing the country with filial piety, and this is correct.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Huang Zicheng and asked, "Do you know how many sons my father has?"

Huang Zicheng was stunned for a moment, and answered subconsciously, "The late Crown Prince had five sons and four daughters."

Zhu Yunhuan said directly, "My elder brother died young, and now my father has also passed away. It is a great sorrow for the court and the emperor. My fourth and fifth brothers are still young, and my second brother was already emaciated from taking care of the emperor. If I don't get back on my feet, who will take care of the emperor? Could it be that you are the one who talks about morality but is actually a filthy person in your heart?"

Huang Zicheng became even more panicked now, because it made sense for Zhu Yunhuan to explain it this way.

After the crown prince passed away, the emperor personally comforted the extremely sad Zhu Yunwen and encouraged him to cheer up.

Now, Zhu Yunhuan is "sitting back and enjoying the fruits of others' labor", thinking that the fourth and fifth sons are too young to take on responsibilities. With the second son Zhu Yunwen guarding the coffin, he, the third son, should cheer up and be filial to the emperor.

If anyone says that Zhu Yunhuan is unfilial because he has a ruddy complexion and does not show any sadness, someone will definitely accuse him of this immediately.

Zhu Yunhu, the imperial grandson, is very filial. He is fulfilling his filial duty to the emperor and the crown prince. He is a strong and extremely filial child!
Zhu Yunhuan kowtowed to Old Zhu and said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor, the mourning period for my father has not yet passed, so it is inappropriate to see blood. I request your permission to lock this beast up in prison. When the mourning period for my father is over, I will personally chop off this beast's head!"

Old Zhu showed a slight smile on his face. He was satisfied with the performance of this good grandson, which far exceeded his imagination and expectations.

At this time, Old Zhu was more and more certain that the previous rumor that the eldest brother did not like Yun Hu was definitely a misunderstanding. A thirteen-year-old child could understand so many things, so someone must have taught him.

Who in the Eastern Palace can teach Yunhu?

Who else could it be other than that 'unfilial' eldest son?

Moreover, Yun Hun's style of doing things is exactly the same as the boss's. Although he is not as experienced as the boss, he is just as ruthless and decisive. It's just that the boss seems to be more lenient on the surface, while Yun Hun is much more domineering.

Suddenly, a burly man jumped out from the crowd of military officers and said, "Your Majesty, I request your order to execute Huang Xi immediately."

Zhu Yunhuan took a look and vaguely recognized him: his second uncle, Duke of Founding, Chang Sheng.

The next moment, a man with a gray beard jumped out from the crowd of generals and said, "Your Majesty, if we don't kill this traitor, we won't be able to appease the public anger!"

Zhu Yunhuan took a quick look but didn't recognize him. It was not his fault. He was not allowed to contact court officials in the East Palace. So he really didn't recognize the military hero who seemed to be supporting him.

Several more military heroes knelt down one after another, all asking for permission to punish Huang Zicheng.

This also made the civil service system begin to worry. If it was really the Third Grandson of the Emperor who was appointed as the Crown Prince, those Huaixi nobles would certainly become more confident.

As soon as His Royal Highness the Third Grandson of the Emperor showed some performance, these people were eager to show their loyalty. What should we do?

Huang Zicheng was panicking as things were not going as he wished.

Zhan Hui was also anxious. If Huang Zicheng was beheaded, he would definitely be the next one. After all, the third grandson of the emperor had said that he would definitely kill him!
(End of this chapter)