Ming Dynasty: Zhu Biao's younger brother, the most rebellious son in history

The brothers were having a very pleasant time chatting here.

On the other side, Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying had almost finished their discussion.

"I deliberately hid out today to let the third child vent. I know he is unhappy. After all, I am his mother and I understand his thoughts very well.

Actually, we are a little biased in doing this, but there is nothing we can do about it.

Someone has to do these things, either the third or fourth son. Zhu Di cannot marry Wang Baobao, as this will only strengthen their ties with the Mongol tribes."

"Queen, you are right. You always handle matters appropriately when it comes to major issues."

"Don't talk about me for now. When are you going to let Zhu Kai enter the palace?"

"I have been thinking about this matter. I believe that this brat Zhu Kai must have a lot of things to report to me. No, I still can't see him first. The Jinyiwei commander-in-chief is still waiting outside."

"Yes, yes, yes. You see, I'm getting older and older. I almost forgot about this matter. He was waiting outside when I came in just now."

"He has been waiting for a while. Mao Xiang has been very busy recently, so he was asked to go and greet Zhu Kai and the others in person.

It's a bit of an exaggeration to give such a small matter to a Jinyiwei commander, but after he investigates Liao Yongzhong's affairs, he can take a good rest for a while. "

"Your Majesty, have you really thought it through? Are you planning to take action against Marquis Deqing now?"

"I have been patient for too long. I have known what he has done for a long time, but I could not touch him. Now I finally have such an opportunity, and I don't want to miss it easily.

In fact, I just haven't had the patience to investigate his actions. If I, as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, wanted to investigate him, I would have done it long ago."

“Back then, he and his brother came to us, which was actually a timely help to us.

Moreover, the two brothers have always been brave and good at fighting, and they have indeed helped the emperor a lot. That is why they were given such a high position. His elder brother also sacrificed his life because of helping the emperor conquer the world.

The emperor always felt that he owed him something, which is why he is so arrogant and domineering now, and doesn't take anyone in the court seriously. In fact, if the emperor is really dissatisfied, he can just give him a good beating.

It is not necessary to kill him. If others hear this, it may seem that the emperor is destroying the bridge after crossing the river, which is not good for the emperor's reputation. "

What Ma Xiuying said was all true. He was indeed considering Zhu Yuanzhang and was afraid that it would cause some unnecessary trouble.

"I already know all the things you said, Queen. Let Mao Xiang come in first and see what he has found out.

I have heard about what Marquis Deqing did before, but I never took it to heart. Now it has become a cancer that has grown to a certain point. If it is not removed, it will probably rot away. "

"Then let him come in first. I'm here to listen. It's been a long time since I've dealt with these matters with the Emperor. Does the Emperor think I'm too old to tell me these things?"

The eunuch Wang Jinghong saw that Zhu Yuanzhang had made the decision, so he spoke up.

"Since the emperor has made up his mind, I will go and call him in now."

"Yeah, let's go now."

Afterwards, Wang Jinghong came outside and looked at the Jinyiwei commander-in-chief who was waiting anxiously, and he said with a smile.

"Master Mao, I am sorry to have kept you waiting. The Emperor and the Empress are already inside. They asked me to call you in."

“Eunuch Wang is so polite.

Since the Emperor and the Empress asked me to go in now, I will go in now.

Eunuch Wang, you don't have to be so polite when you talk to me. You are already an elder by the emperor's side, so your status and position are naturally extraordinary. Sometimes, we even need you to say a few good words for us in front of the emperor."

"Mr. Mao is so polite."

Afterwards, Mao Xiang followed Eunuch Wang to the emperor.

"Mao Xiang pays respect to His Majesty the Emperor and His Majesty the Empress."

"No need to be so formal, hurry up and get up. If you have anything to say, just reply directly."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zhu Yuanzhang saw that he was a little hesitant, so he quickly spoke up.

"Your Highness, there is nothing you cannot say here. Just tell me directly. What did you find out today?"

Mao Xiang knew very well that Zhu Yuanzhang had asked him to conduct a secret investigation. The Empress was here, and he would not dare to reveal the results of his investigation without Zhu Yuanzhang's permission.

Since Zhu Yuanzhang had already said so, he spoke slowly.

"Your Majesty, I have indeed investigated some things, but there is one more thing I must tell you in advance. I saw His Highness Zhu Kai when I was outside today."

"Zhu Kai? I told him to rest at home, but he wouldn't listen. Why do I see him everywhere? What is he doing wandering around the streets?"

"His Highness Zhu Kai should have gone to the inn, saw General Li Wenzhong and the others taking over, and then happened to see me on the street."

"What did Zhu Kai say?"

"He didn't say anything, but His Highness Zhu Kai thought I was going to spy on him."

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head helplessly.

"He's just like that. He's suspicious all the time. He hasn't done anything wrong, so why should he be afraid of being spied on? But you're not going to spy on him either."

"Yes, I have already replied to His Highness Zhu Kai that I am not going to monitor him and told him to rest assured. However, he then asked me what I was doing here. I dare not say anything without the permission of His Majesty and the Empress.

I have also told His Highness Zhu Kai that this is a secret mission given by the Emperor. I cannot speak carelessly without an imperial decree, otherwise I will be sentenced to death."

"Given Zhu Kai's personality, he will definitely get to the bottom of things. If he can't get a definite answer, he will keep pestering you. How did you get away?"

“His Highness Zhu Kai didn’t keep pestering me. I just said it was a secret mission given to me by the Emperor, and he didn’t ask any more questions and went straight back to his own residence.

I observed there for a while and found nothing special, so I hurried back to the palace to report to the emperor. But does the emperor really want to hear everything I saw?"

"I want to hear the truth. Just tell me everything you saw."

Mao Xiang looked at Zhu Yuanzhang tremblingly. Zhu Yuanzhang knew what the situation was like when he saw his expression. He must have found out something terrible that scared him like this.

"Zhu Kai is a very knowledgeable kid today. Since he saw you investigating secretly, it's really not easy for him not to come over and ask you."

"When the King of Sai saw that I had something to hide, he didn't ask any more questions and went straight back to his mansion. He should have gone to the inn to visit Wang Baobao and his sister today."

“Yes, after all, Wang Baobao and his sister came to the capital with him. If there are any problems, he is also responsible.

I know Zhu Kai too well. Although he may seem unreliable at times, he is still cautious when it comes to crucial matters."

Ma Xiuying heard this and smiled.

"Zhu Kai is indeed a very responsible child."

Mao Xiang looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma. The two of them interrupted the conversation and he didn't dare to say anything.

Just at this moment, the eunuch Wang Jinghong walked in from outside and said.

"Your Majesty, Queen, the Crown Prince has gone to the Queen."

"Biaoer must have gone to see his two younger brothers. He heard about the arranged marriage and must have gone to persuade them. He knows his younger brother's temper very well."

"Yes, indeed."

"It would be better if the crown prince could persuade Zhu Chong. Otherwise, he would find it hard to accept the situation in a short period of time. He might even have some complaints against Zhu Kai, thinking that all of this was caused by Zhu Kai."

Zhu Yuanzhang was a man of foresight. He was able to predict at once that Zhu Chong did have some complaints against Zhu Kai.

"Mao Xiang, you should quickly tell us what you have found out. Is Liao Yongzhong really like the rumors say?"

When Mao Xiang, the commander-in-chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, heard this, he immediately knelt down and said.

"Your Majesty, Queen, no matter what I say to you two, you must calm down and don't get yourself in trouble."

"Hurry up and tell me, what happened?"

"The mansion of Marquis Deqing is indeed very luxurious, with singing and dancing, drinking and merrymaking, but I only saw these from the outside, and I didn't sneak into their mansion.

I am not sure what the exact structure is like inside. Since I did not see it with my own eyes, I cannot speak nonsense in front of the Emperor and the Empress.

However, I also asked some local residents, and they said that even the housekeeper and some servants in the Deqing Marquis's mansion were ostentatious and acted like a bully.

It is even more common to oppress the common people. If they take a fancy to a girl, they will force her to live in their mansion."

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he was so furious that he was enraged.

"How dare you! Liao Yongzhong is really tired of living. How dare he be so presumptuous? This is the capital city, under the feet of the emperor and under my nose. It is unbelievable that he dares to do such a thing.

Even Xu Da, Tang He, Chang Yuchun and others in the court would not dare to do such an excessive thing, as they were all great generals with outstanding military achievements.

Liao Yongzhong is really tired of living, and dares to do this in front of me."

When Ma Xiuying saw Zhu Yuanzhang’s angry look, he was a little frightened.

Mao Xiang was standing alone below, so it goes without saying how scared he must have been. In fact, he was quite conservative and did not tell Zhu Yuanzhang what he had seen with his own eyes. He was afraid that the other party would get angry and take his anger out on him.

Zhu Yuanzhang had long been very aware of Liao Yongzhong's actions.

Moreover, there was more than one person in the court who was reporting to Zhu Yuanzhang. After this went on for a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to investigate him.

He sent his closest person to investigate Liao Yongzhong. If it was someone else, he would never believe it.

"Your Majesty, please calm down."

"Calm down? I am really furious now. I have never seen such a presumptuous minister like him."

Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang so angry, Ma Xiuying didn't know what to say, so he just went to the side, picked up a cup of tea and handed it to Zhu Yuanzhang.

This was a tacit understanding between the couple. Every time Zhu Yuanzhang was very angry after something happened, Ma Xiuying would bring him a cup of tea.

"Your Majesty, please don't be so angry. Only we know the results of Mao Xiang's investigation. It's better not to spread them for the time being."

After hearing this, Mao Xiang nodded quickly and said.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured that I have not told anyone about this matter. Even if I met His Highness Zhu Kai on the road today, I kept silent and did not dare to reveal any information.

After all, this matter is of great importance and involves many people. I dare not casually guess what the emperor and the empress think, so I can only come back to report to the emperor and then ask the emperor and the empress to make the decision. "

"Yeah, you are right. We cannot tell Zhu Kai about this for now. Zhu Kai is also an impatient person. And it is hard to say whether something will happen after telling him."

When Mao Xiang heard this, he was a little hesitant. He also knew something about the conflict between Zhu Kai and Liao Yongzhong, but he didn't dare to say it directly.

At this moment, Ma Xiuying saw the other party's hesitation, so she quickly spoke to him.

"Mao Xiang, the emperor and I have entrusted you to investigate this matter. You must do the following: First, you must remain silent and never tell anyone.

Before the emperor has decided on a solution, no one can speak up, not even the important officials in the court."

"Don't worry, Queen, I won't tell you anything."

"Yes, you have been with the emperor for so many years, and we are very confident in you. In this case, we will not say anything else. The emperor may have other things to arrange for you next, so you should be aware of it."

"The Imperial Guard was established by the Emperor. If the Emperor wants us to do something, all he needs to do is say a word, and we will naturally devote ourselves to the Emperor until our death."

“I can see your determination, so if that’s the case, you should go back and rest.

Today's investigation ends here. Anyway, you can't sneak into Liao Yongzhong's home in broad daylight to see what they are busy with.

In this case, let’s put this matter to an end.”

Mao Xiang nodded, and then he was ready to take his leave from Zhu Yuanzhang. (End of this chapter)