Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 83 The Phoenix Man of Ming Dynasty

Zhu Yunhuan, dressed in casual clothes, went straight to Dong'anmen, which was also the outer forbidden wall of the imperial palace.

Seeing Zhu Yunhuan coming, Zhu Zhong and others immediately followed. Jiang Lin also followed, leading the horse.

Zhu Yunhuan glanced at Jiang Li, and he knew that he couldn't hide this from Old Zhu. Of course Old Zhu might not know what was going on in the East Palace, he just didn't stop Zhu Yunhuan from leaving the palace.

Guo Ying, who was guarding the city gate, had been on standby for a long time and stepped forward quickly, "Your Highness."

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Guo Ying and asked, "Marquis Wuding, you should be on duty at the Meridian Gate, why are you here?"

Guo Ying replied, "I am on duty here today. Your Highness is leaving the palace, so I have to follow."

It's not a rotation at all. It's clearly just a temporary transfer ordered by Old Zhu.

Pointing at Jiang Li and others, Zhu Yunxun said, "Isn't this enough?"

Guo Ying said with some pride, "The Jinyiwei are all elite soldiers, and I know how powerful they are. I just ask Your Highness to grant me permission to accompany you."

Zhu Yunhuan did not force him, because even if he did, it would not work. Zhu Yunhuan had issued an order, and Guo Ying had to follow him, otherwise Zhu Yunhuan would not be able to leave the palace.

Zhu Yunhuan nodded, "Then bring a few trusted and reliable people with you and keep their mouths shut."

Guo Ying immediately said, "I understand. Only loyal and brave people should be brought with you. Duke Cao has received the order and is waiting."

Zhu Yunhuan brought a team of Jinyiwei, and Guo Ying would also bring some guards with him. This configuration certainly did not have any security issues, but when it came to Zhu Yunhuan, things were different. Every time he left the palace, there was a team of imperial guards ready to go out of the palace to support him.

Xu Huizu also came hurriedly and said, "Your Highness, the soldiers of the Five Cities Military Department are ready."

This time it was Zhu Yunhuan's turn to be dumbfounded. He had not intended to cause such a big commotion. He was going to arrest Ouyang Lun's family, not to suppress a rebellion, so he did not need so many troops.

"Alright, let them wait." Zhu Yunhuan could only speak, because it would be useless to say more. "Oh, by the way, let the three judicial officials wait as well. I don't know much about criminal law, but they must understand it."

Xu Huizu and the others were confused, they just suddenly received an order to follow the crown prince out of the palace, or some other errands. But now from the crown prince's attitude, this is to investigate a case, and it is a big case.

Zhu Yunhuan didn't say anything more. He left the palace and went straight to Ouyang Lun's mansion.

The princess's mansion is the princess's mansion, and the princess's mansion belongs to the court. Theoretically, it has nothing to do with the prince consort. If the princess dies, the court can take back the princess's mansion.

Looking at Ouyang Lun's mansion, it was not particularly magnificent, and naturally it was not beyond the rules. It looked like that of a wealthy family, and there was nothing unusual about it.

Ouyang Lun hurried out of the house and bowed respectfully, "Your Highness, the Prince Consort, Ouyang Lun, pays respect to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Long live His Royal Highness."

Zhu Yunhuan glanced at Ouyang Lun without answering and walked straight into Ouyang Lun's mansion.

Ouyang Lun was embarrassed and didn't know how he had offended the Crown Prince. He felt a little uneasy. But now he could only hurry up and catch up. After all, his family was the first to be visited by the Crown Prince after he was enthroned.

If the Crown Prince was in a good mood, Ouyang Lun would definitely be very happy. But now that His Royal Highness's expression was ugly, Ouyang Lun began to feel uneasy.

Zhu Yunhuan went straight to the main hall, while Xu Huizu directly guarded the gate of Ouyang Mansion. The rest of the guards and others also quickly dispersed and controlled everything in Ouyang Lun's Mansion.

What Zhu Yunhuan didn't know was that as soon as he arrived, Xu Zengshou immediately led the soldiers of the North City Military Division to guard the streets outside Ouyang Mansion.

Xu Huizu was loyal and respectful, but when he could do things for the crown prince, he would definitely take care of his younger brother. It was definitely not a bad thing to show off more, especially when doing some "private things".

Zhu Yunhuan sat directly in the main seat and asked, "Where are your family members?"

Ouyang Lun's heart was beating fast, and he said, "Your Highness, the princess has been ordered to enter the palace today. Her parents, second brother, third brother, and nephew are still at home."

Guo Ying, who was guarding the main hall gate, immediately shouted, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is here in person, why don't you hurry and pay your respects!"

Ouyang Lun knew this, but this time he came too suddenly, and the Crown Prince did not even say hello when he came. As a result, he was not prepared at all, otherwise the incense table and other things would have been prepared!

Ouyang Lun's family also came in a hurry. It must be said that Ouyang Lun's family all looked good. They were a good-looking family, but what they did might not be that good-looking.

Zhu Yunhuan just sat there, and after Ouyang Lun's parents knelt down to pay their respects, he did not let them stand up.

This also made Ouyang Lun's heart sink. He naturally knew that he, the son-in-law, was not valued, but for the princess's sake, not to mention the emperor's grandson, even the princes and princesses would give him some face.

Zhu Yunxun opened his mouth slowly and said, "I'm afraid the people are not all here. Jiang Lin, go and get the man from Qingliu Lane."

Ouyang Lun's face turned pale instantly, and his parents couldn't help but tremble all over. "Your Highness, spare my life!" Ouyang Lun burst into tears and kowtowed like crazy, "Your Highness, I dare not do it again!"

There is actually no such thing as a man having three wives and four concubines. Instead, he usually has one wife and many concubines.

Ouyang Lun’s mistake was that he raised a child outside. In a more serious case, it was a crime of deceiving the emperor.

Zhu Yunhuan didn't say these things in front of his aunt, but when it came to Ouyang Lun, he would not be polite.

Zhu Yunxun snorted coldly and asked, "Where is Zhou Bao? Isn't that man claiming to be the manager of the Prince Consort's Mansion? Ordinary clerks dare to beat and scold him. Call him over so that I can open my eyes. The manager of the Prince Consort's Mansion is actually a man!"

Ouyang Lun's family trembled even more. They had done many things under the guise of a tiger. But once it was taken seriously, it would be another crime of deceiving the emperor.

Seeing that Ouyang Lun's family was silent, Jiang Li quickly said, "Your Highness, the criminal has been captured. Your Highness will decide his fate!"

Zhu Yunhuan said, "There is no need to meet him. Zhou Bao is not from the Ouyang family. Isn't there an Ouyang Gang? The Ouyang family has a good family tradition of ethics and morality. They all give good names to their children. Your cousin has accumulated hundreds of acres of land in less than ten years. He is also a good manager. Call him over. I want to ask you a question or two."

Ouyang Lun's face turned pale, and at this moment he could only cry, "Your Highness, I don't know!"

I don't know, now no matter what happens, I have to push it onto my cousin and the servants, saying that they are the ones who do evil under my name. In this way, I might be lucky enough to get a charge of not being strict with my subordinates and neglecting discipline, which is not too serious.

For the sake of the princess, you can't kill him, the prince consort, right?

"I don't know?" Zhu Yunhuan smiled, "Then you have been deceived. Since they have been cheating people under your name and causing trouble for the people, it shouldn't be unfair for you to clean up the mess yourself, right?"

Ouyang Lun trembled and said with all his might, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I failed to discipline my clansmen and servants, which led to their evil deeds. I am willing to clean up the mess and discipline my clansmen. I hope Your Highness will forgive me!"

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "What is the current land price?"

Ouyang Lun didn't say anything, so Jiang Lin quickly took over, "Your Highness, in other places, good farmland costs about five taels of silver per mu. The land in Jiangnan is a little more expensive, but good farmland will not cost more than ten taels of silver."

The Ming Dynasty is currently reclaiming land, and many places are still barren, but it is not as expensive as in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. However, in places like Jiangnan, the price of land is naturally more expensive.

Zhu Yunhuan did a simple calculation, "Let's say it's five taels per mu, your family owns about 130 mu of land. Your uncle owns more than 300 mu, and your cousin has more than 400 mu. With this calculation, it's worth thousands of taels! That's not right, I remember that when the princess got married, your family only had 50 mu of land in total. You really have a good management!"

Ouyang Lun's mother suddenly said, "Your Highness, it was the princess who used the dowry to supplement the family expenses!"

If you really say that, there is nothing wrong with it. Some women do subsidize their dowries. This statement is also reasonable and should not be taken seriously.

When Princess Shouchun married Fu Zhong, Zhu Yuanzhang granted her a farmland with a rent of 1,500 dan per year and more than 120 hectares of top-quality land in Wujiang County.

Princess Anqing would naturally be granted land when she got married, but this had nothing to do with Ouyang Lun's family. As for the other treasures, gold and silver in the dowry, that was another matter.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "The princess's dowry is also used to supplement the family income. My aunt is indeed virtuous and kind."

However, Zhu Yunhuan suddenly asked, "But why do I hear that most of the land you have collected can be bought for one or two taels? The village head dare not stop it, and the land is not considered high-quality land after paying taxes and grain? Some people have become tenants of the Ouyang clan, and they still have to pay taxes and grain?"

Ouyang Lun cried out, "Your Highness, please understand clearly. It must be someone from our clan who is cheating us. I will clear the family out!"

Zhu Yunhuan snorted coldly and said, "It's useless to say it. Think about how to deceive me first, and how to deceive the people of the world. How about this, if the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture doesn't dare to try you, I will do it."

After saying this, Zhu Yunxun said to Jiang Lin, "Take all the criminals and witnesses to the government office and have the Royal Guards take care of them. I want to see if the court's laws and regulations can still apply to you guys!"

Zhu Yunhuan stood up and looked down at Ouyang Lun. "The border guards dare not stop the carriages of the princess's mansion. A trip to the grassland can earn several times the profit. The prince consort is very good at managing the household and doing business, but you are so stubborn. Should I chop off your head and put a golden head on it? Or should I just peel off your skin and stuff it with straw, or stuff it with gold and silver to be worthy of your status as a prince consort?"

Ouyang Lun's body went limp and he collapsed to the ground. Normally, he could take advantage of his status as a royal consort to bully others, but now it seemed that this status could not protect him.

Zhu Yunxun snorted coldly, "When the trial begins, you should say what you need to say and explain what you need to explain. If you talk too much, I will skin you alive!"

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Jiang Lin and asked, "How did you cut him into pieces?"

Jiang Li was a smart man, and he immediately said, "Your Highness, please understand. Lingchi must last for three days, and the person being lingchi must be skinned alive with three thousand knives! The person being lingchi must not die, but must watch helplessly as his flesh is skinned off piece by piece!"

Ouyang Lun's family trembled even more violently, and suddenly a fishy smell began to spread.

Zhu Yunhuan left in disgust. After scaring them, these people must be smarter, otherwise they will be the ones to suffer!

(End of this chapter)