Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 170 The punishment must be paid

Zhu Chong was somewhat disappointed with the treatment he received after returning to Beijing. His plan was very shrewd. He wanted to be the first to complain and seek some complaints and comfort, hoping that this would reduce his sense of existence and punishment.

But now he can only kneel in Fengxian Hall with a lot of resentment and bully the bullied Old Five.

"Brother, I only coaxed the grandson to see the father." Zhu Su said aggrievedly, "You know what the court is like now. The father has already handed many things over to the grandson. If you ask me, it was the same when my brother was here."

Zhu Chong snorted coldly and said, "He is more ruthless than my brother. How can my brother still show me his power after such an accident?"

That's not true. Before Crown Prince Zhu Biao arrived in Xi'an and inspected Guanzhong, Zhu Biao recalled Zhu Chong to the capital on the grounds that Zhu Chong had made too many mistakes. He only allowed Zhu Chong to return to his vassal state after Zhu Biao responded to Tianfu.

Zhu Chong’s fault was one thing, but wasn’t this also a kind of protection for Zhu Biao and a warning to Zhu Chong?

After taking a look at Zhu Su, Zhu Chong asked, "Is your father in good health?"

"He looks better than he did two years ago." Zhu Su answered honestly, "We dined together yesterday. Father ate a large bowl of rice, a bowl of soup, and drank half a cup of wine. He seemed to have a good appetite."

Zhu Chong breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good."

Zhu Su was speechless. If people who didn't know heard this, they would think that the crown prince had done something to the emperor!

Zhu Chong suddenly asked, "Old Fifth, how many people from the imperial court are there in your palace?"

Zhu Su immediately laughed and said, "Aren't all the people in my palace people from the imperial court?"

There is nothing wrong with this, the officials of the palace are actually arranged by the court. However, this is only in a broad sense, the officials of the court are not necessarily the real people of the court.

Seeing that his second brother was not satisfied with this answer, Zhu Su quickly asked, "Second brother, what's going on? How come the Jinyiwei found out, but you didn't notice anything?"

Knowing what Lao Wu meant, Zhu Chong gritted his teeth and said, "How would I know? Those three old vicious women have lost their minds! I asked them and they said they were afraid of me, so they thought of such a vicious plan to murder me. It wasn't arranged by the Crown Prince. He is smart."

Seeing that his second brother's expression did not seem to be fake, Zhu Su also breathed a sigh of relief.

The Jinyiwei arranged by the Crown Prince solved the case and rescued the person at the critical moment. It was all too coincidental, so coincidental that Zhu Su pretended to be confused and dared not make blind guesses, for fear that there was some conspiracy here.

Seeing that Zhu Su seemed relieved, Zhu Chong asked, "Are you relieved? I see that you have been heartless since you were a child, and you haven't made any progress now! He is so insightful and can see through people's hearts, how can you still feel relieved?"

Zhu Su was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "I am a mediocre person, so it is no harm for the Crown Prince to treat me like this. But I am a little scared when I think about it, because he hid it too deeply. I should behave myself in the future and not mention my status as an elder in front of him, that's all."

Zhu Chong sighed dejectedly. As the leader of all the princes in the royal family, this might be the only way he could live in the future.

Even more tragically, it is still unclear whether he, the King of Qin, can return to Xi'an.

While the King of Qin and the King of Zhou were kneeling in the Fengxian Hall, other princes who had received the imperial edict hurried back. Those who had not received the imperial edict were probably still living a comfortable and wonderful life as princes.

In the Wenhua Palace, Daoyan suggested, "Your Highness, if we evaluate the princes of the royal family, I think the princes who fulfill their duties should be the first choice for evaluation."

Zhu Yunhuan asked, "What does it mean that a vassal king fulfills his duties?"

Daoyan said directly, "To rule the land but not to rule the people is to fulfill one's duty."

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but look at Daoyan and said, "Master, you really understand the worries of the emperor! If this word gets out, I'm afraid that the princes of the royal family will immediately want to purge the emperor's side."

Daoyan's words had some intention of alienating the royal family, but Zhu Yunhuan's words were also somewhat treasonous.

However, as long as Zhu Yunhuan said it more often, as long as he did not say it in formal occasions or in front of civil and military officials, many people would choose to accept such words.

The emperor wouldn't mind, but these ministers insisted on making a fuss about it, which only made them feel uncomfortable.

Daoyan said calmly, "Your Highness, I think the princes of the royal family should gradually stop leading troops."

Zhu Yunhuan did not object to this, in fact, he also thought so. In the early years of the founding of the country, these more capable princes of the royal family were indeed needed to restrict the nobles, to guard some important places and to return more power to the royal family.

However, the country has been established for nearly 30 years, and the country is relatively stable. So at this time, it is necessary to start to take back power from the princes and nobles, and it will not be so easy for the princes to lead troops in the future.

Daoyan continued, "I was in Peking before, and I know the importance of Yanyun, and I also know the importance the court attaches to Monan. If the princes of the royal family continue to lead the troops, it won't be long before the princes of the royal family can take charge of the people and handle affairs."

Zhu Yunhuan never believed in eternal laws. He knew that some policies needed to be adjusted in a timely manner. In the past, it was suitable to let the princes go out to guard and take back the military power, but it couldn't continue forever, otherwise the princes of the Ming Dynasty would slowly begin to have some real power, which would not be good.

Zhu Yunhuan said in agreement, "The great monk is right. The princes of the royal family should indeed fulfill their duties."

Not commanding the military, not ruling over the people, and not managing affairs, this is how a vassal king should be, and it is an attitude that can reassure the court.

Although he seems to be in a high position, he does not necessarily have any real power, which is by no means a bad thing.

Daoyan also continued, "The King of Qin, the King of Jin, and the King of Yan are indeed too prominent now. If the court builds a good overall situation, the King of Qin and the King of Jin should give up their power."

Zhu Yunhuan did not object to this. After all, Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang had led troops many times in recent years, and many generals were controlled by them. Apart from other things, the prestige of these princes in the army was not low.

Seeing that Zhu Yunhuan did not object, Daoyan continued to suggest, "As for the conduct of the princes, I think the court already has rules. As long as they abide by the court laws, there is actually no need to change them."

Zhu Yunhuan pointed upwards and said, "This is where my headache comes from!"

Daoyan didn't know what to say for a moment. The emperor did make many restrictive laws on the princes, but Zhu himself did not really follow those laws, so most of the time other people could only stare blankly.

It seems that there is no way to solve these problems, unless a new head of the family is appointed and the rules are stricter.

Or they could think of a compromise that Zhu Yuanzhang could accept, with certain restrictions on the princes but not too "harsh".

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Daoyan with a smile and asked, "Master, how do you think the King of Qin should be dealt with now?"

"Your Highness, I think you should advise His Majesty first." Daoyan did not hide his thoughts, "Your Majesty has always attached great importance to his offspring, and there are many complaints from the court and the public. Your Majesty is strict with officials and nobles, but it is not a good thing to be lenient with the royal family."

This is true, Zhu Yuanzhang would not show mercy to officials or nobles. But whether it was his son or nephew, he would always make a lot of noise but not do anything, which of course would make some people feel unbalanced.

Zhu Yunhuan leaned back slightly, his tone was emotionless, "Severely punish the King of Qin?"

Daoyan quickly explained, "I dare not! I think this time we can't do it the same way as before. The King of Qin should be punished, but it shouldn't be too severe."

We still have to consider Zhu's feelings. Even Zhu Yunhuan did not dare to raise the suggestion of deposing the King of Qin. If he really raised it, even if Zhu Yunhuan ran to Fengxian Hall to hide, Zhu would not let him go. This was not something that could be resolved by just a quarrel.

Daoyan said, "The former King of Jingjiang was tyrannical and unjust. I think we should take this as an example."

King Jingjiang Zhu Shouqian was indeed a negative example. He was imprisoned in his hometown Fengyang and did not even have a posthumous title after his death.

This is exactly the same as his father Zhu Wen Zheng, who also died of depression after being imprisoned and did not even have a posthumous title.

Zhu Yunhuan asked with a smile, "Master, if this is true, will the royal family think that I treat them harshly?"

"I don't think so." Daoyan said confidently, "The King of Qin is immoral. All the royal family members know what he has done. He has brought all this upon himself. Please ask His Royal Highness the King of Wulin to submit a memorial to impeach him. Your Highness can give him a lighter punishment as appropriate."

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but look at Daoyan. He swears to God, he had never said anything to Daoyan, such as his positioning of Zhu Yunwen.

But now, some smart people in the world actually know what is going on.

The so-called "King of Wulin" and "righteousness" were all fake. They were just puppets pushed out by the crown prince to do things that offend the royal family. Zhu Yunwen was the one who took all the blame, because he was the one who submitted the memorial.

It seems that everyone knows Zhu Yunwen's position. However, it is better to continue to pretend to be confused. The emperor and the grandson also need some face, and the royal family also need a step. It's okay if everyone knows it tacitly.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Zhu Yunhuan headed towards Fengxian Hall.

Seeing Zhu Chong and Zhu Su kneeling properly, Zhu Yunxun suddenly felt that he had gone too far. In the past, even if he was punished to kneel, he would kneel for at most half an hour, and then he would either sit or lie down.

But now look at the notorious King Qin and the famous playboy King Zhou, both of them are so honest. The comparison is really embarrassing.

"Take a break." Zhu Yunhuan took the initiative to speak, "Second uncle, fifth uncle, use this when grandpa can't see."

Zhu Chong and Zhu Su did not want to pay attention to Zhu Yunhuan's experience. Do you really think they want to do so? They are afraid of being blamed by their ancestors and punished by the emperor.

That is to say, the crown prince and the crown prince's grandson are treated specially, and no one will care if they don't accept the punishment honestly!

(End of this chapter)