King of Han Dynasty of Ming Dynasty

Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Along with the words "I believe you", these four words fell.

The prince turned around without any hesitation and left in big strides without staying here for a moment.

As the prince left, Zhu Gaoxu looked at the figure disappearing in front of the gate. It took him a long time to come back to his senses. His originally calm and indifferent expression disappeared, replaced by a serious face. He couldn't help but murmured in a low voice:

"Believe me"

"If you really believed me, you wouldn't ask so many questions."

"Forget it"

"Whatever you think, there's not much time left for you and me anyway."

"Once this matter is done and everything is settled, it will be time for us two brothers to go our separate ways completely."

"Now, there is no need for me to scheme against you or think about so many unnecessary things with you."

After a brief pause, Zhu Gaoxu turned his head and looked outside the hall. His voice suddenly rose and he said:

"Someone is coming!!"

"Send the Jinyiwei commander Ji Gang to come to see the king immediately."

Hearing this, the servant who was waiting at the door quickly came to the palace door, bowed respectfully, and said, "Yes! I will do it right away."

That's it.

Time passed minute by minute. After about a quarter of an hour, hurried footsteps were heard outside the originally quiet hall, and Ji Gang, dressed in a flying fish suit, strode in from outside the hall.

Seeing Ji Gang, who was leaning on a chair on the high platform, half-closed his eyes and was thinking about something, he bowed slightly and said:

"I see you, Your Majesty."

"I wonder if Your Majesty has summoned me here to tell you something important?"

Hearing the greetings and salutes, Zhu Gaoxu's thoughts were pulled back. He slowly opened his half-closed eyes and looked at Ji Gang who was standing respectfully in the audience. He said in a deep voice:
"How are you doing with what I asked you to do before?"

"Have the spies and manpower at hand been properly arranged and completed?"

Facing Zhu Gaoxu's question, Ji Gang frowned and thought for a moment. He knew what Zhu Gaoxu was asking about, and then nodded solemnly and replied:

"Reporting to the prince."

"All the families of the ministers and nobles in the court are now under the surveillance of the Jinyiwei."

"If there is any disturbance among the ministers and noble families in the court, the spies will report the news immediately."

"but."

Having said that, Ji Gang couldn't help but pause, a hint of confusion and urging flashed across his expression, and he looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly, looked at him curiously, and asked:

"But what?"

"If you have anything to say, just say it here!"

"It's not the first time we've worked together. You know what my personality is like."

"Moreover"

"You are the leader of the Jinyiwei, a man who can calm crying babies at night. Is there anything you are embarrassed to say?"

"Why do you have to act like a little girl in front of me?"

After hearing this, Ji Gang pondered for a moment, and then he simply sorted out his thoughts and reported everything that the civil official said outside the palace gate when he left. After that, he also spoke out his concerns without any reservations, saying:
"Report to the prince."

"If nothing unexpected happens, the words and attitudes of the civil officials at the palace gate will be revealed."

"The choice made by the civil officials is likely to be the same as what the prince had expected before. It seems that there will be no difference at all."

"They will probably choose to take risks and use the power in their hands to try to erase the evil deeds that their family and noble families have done in the past."

"Although our Jinyiwei spies have been deployed early, if these people really take risks and really commit treason, we will purge the people who know about it."

“I don’t know how many people will die by then.”

"Your Majesty, are we really just going to ignore these people?"

"Is it enough to just watch those civil officials and noble families take action while the Jinyiwei spies quietly collect evidence?"

About it.

In fact, Ji Gang shouldn’t ask.

Or perhaps this was an unnecessary question, and it was definitely beyond his scope and responsibilities.

Since Ji Gang was able to become the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he knew these principles better than anyone else.

But why ask?
It was Zhu Gaoxu's plan, the number of people sacrificed, and the cruelty of the incident, in a sense, that really made him, an executioner who could hear the cries of babies, feel a little scared just thinking about it!

Because if there is no deviation from the prediction, then what is happening right now is definitely not as simple as the death of one or two, dozens, hundreds, or thousands of people. It is real, and it is going to cost the lives of hundreds of thousands or even millions of people!

Just think about it, it means the lives of hundreds of thousands or even millions of people are at stake.

Compared with the number of people who have died at his hands over the years, who have confiscated properties and exterminated clans, the two are really dwarfed by the vast majority. There is absolutely no comparison.

Of course, the most important point is that no one who died at Ji Gang's hands in the past was innocent. For this reason, Ji Gang had no psychological burden in his heart for having taken so many lives.

But the situation is completely different today. It is undeniable that Zhu Gaoxu's plan was a plan against his ministers. However, a large number of people were involved, or the lives that were disregarded, and they were all innocent people all over the world. Hundreds of thousands and hundreds of thousands of innocent people were involved at once!

As for the current plans and arrangements, even a murderous executioner like Ji Gang would feel a little frightened and scared when he heard about and carried out them, or he could not get over the hurdle in his heart and felt that they were too cruel and brutal.

That's exactly why, Ji Gang knew that his duty in the face of orders was to complete the task honestly and do his own thing, and there was no need to say too much about it. But in the end, he couldn't help but ask, and said the real reason for such inappropriate words.

After hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu was slightly stunned. After a brief moment of shock, his eyes narrowed slightly. He looked at Ji Gang, who had a complicated expression, with deep meaning. At the same time, he could probably guess what Ji Gang was thinking, and then he said:
“Those who achieve great things will eventually make sacrifices.”

"There is no other way. Otherwise, our plan will never be able to proceed smoothly and in accordance with our ideas."

"There is no way to implement it. The people of the world will suffer in the end."

"How can there be no change and reform without bloodshed and sacrifice?" "One is a slow death, slowly being forced into despair and becoming a fish on the chopping block, while the other is the life and sacrifice of the previous generation in exchange for the peace and happiness of the next generation."

"After all, you are also a smart person, and you have been following the current situation from beginning to end. You know and understand it better than anyone else. This is a deep-rooted thought that has been passed down for thousands of years."

“It’s not easy to break.”

"So, even if I am unwilling, I cannot make such a choice."

Having said this, Zhu Gaoxu paused, his expression became extremely serious, and he continued in a deep voice:

"okay."

"Do it according to the way and method that the king said!"

"I think the words I told you that day, if anything happened to you, you would have passed them on to the old man far away in Mobei."

"It's been such a long time, whether it's you or us."

"We have never received any orders or memorials from the old man to stop our plans and actions."

"Then it means that the old man also agrees with our current layout."

"So, there is no need to have such a big psychological burden."

"Whether they died in vain or were innocent, we can't care so much. The only thing we can do is to make their deaths more valuable. As long as we do this, we can give an explanation to those people."

“It’s not like we’ve completely failed them.”

"Do you understand?"

Yes!

Just as the King of Han said, such a big thing happened.

As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he was Zhu Di's confidant. How could he not report all such matters to Zhu Di, who was fighting in the northern desert?

During such a long period of time, he had never received any reply or order from Zhu Di.

Such an attitude also clearly told him that this matter was supported and approved by Emperor Yongle, and that he believed there was no problem with their layout.

As he thought about it, Ji Gang collected his thoughts and his expression became extremely serious. He bowed and replied respectfully:

"Yes!"

"I know what to do."

After receiving a definite answer, Zhu Gaoxu nodded with satisfaction, waved his hand and said:
"alright."

"If you have nothing else to do, go ahead and get busy."

"Recently, you Jinyiwei have been very busy."

"Go!"

"My minister retire."

Ji Gang bowed slightly and then strode out.

Looking at the figure disappearing at the gate, Zhu Gaoxu narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of helplessness flashed across his expression, and he shook his head slightly, speaking to himself:
"The merits and demerits will be judged by future generations."

"Everything, everything, just like this!"

"This king has a clear conscience."

at the same time.

The residence of the Prince in the East Palace.

Zhu Gaochi had just returned to the gate of his mansion when his personal servant Zhang De was already waiting at the door.

When he saw Zhu Gaochi's carriage stopped, Zhang De did not hesitate at all and hurried forward to greet him. After bowing, he reported:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince"

"Master Jin Zhong and Minister Xia have been waiting in the mansion long ago."

"He said he had something important to discuss with His Highness!"

Hearing this, Zhu Gaochi was slightly stunned, his eyes narrowed, a complicated expression flashed across his chubby face, and he couldn't help but fall into silence.

Jin Zhong and Xia Yuanji came to visit him and said they had something important to discuss with him?

Needless to say.
Zhu Gaochi was well aware of Jin Zhong and Xia Yuanji's intentions. If nothing unexpected happened, it must be related to what happened in the court today. The two of them probably came here to try to test his mind.

After a brief daze, Zhu Gaochi came to his senses. Although he didn't want to see the two of them and didn't want to talk to them about what happened in today's court meeting, which made him feel upset and disgusted, since others had already come to his house early to wait for him, it would be unreasonable for him to send the two of them away without even meeting them.

Of course, the most important point is that when leaving the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Zhu Gaoxu gave him a list, which recorded all the officials in the court, who was innocent, who was unclean and who had dirty butts, and what they had done, all in great detail.

Among this list, Jin Zhong and Xia Yuanji are the cleanest ones. They have never been in cahoots with those corrupt individuals who allowed their families and nobles to annex land and oppress the people.

Seeing that the two were so clean, or seeing that there were such clean civil officials in the court, the prince, who was disgusted by the hypocritical and disgusting faces of the civil officials today, felt a little relieved and comfortable.

At the same time, he also understood why Jin Zhong and Xia Yuanji were able to stand out among so many court officials and become the old man's trusted ministers.

It seems that Emperor Yongle knew the character of each civil official in the court better than anyone else, and he also knew who could be used and who could not be used.

As he was thinking, Zhu Gaochi nodded slightly to Zhang De who was waiting quietly at the side and instructed:
"Lead the way!"

After receiving the earnest reply, Zhang De's thoughts suddenly relaxed. He did not dare to hesitate for a moment. He lowered his head, bent his body, stretched out his hand, stood to the side and led Zhu Gaochi to the courtyard where Xia Yuanji and Jin Zhong were.

Not long after.

When Zhu Gaochi arrived at the courtyard, he saw from afar Jin Zhong and Xia Yuanji, who were sitting upright on chairs with solemn and serious looks, and it was unknown what they were thinking about.

With the sound of crisp footsteps, Jin Zhong and Xia Yuanji, who were deep in thought, were instantly pulled back to their thoughts. They also saw the Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi walking towards them leisurely. They did not dare to hesitate for a moment, and suddenly stood up from their chairs, bowed respectfully, and said:
"I will see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Gaochi came to the front and looked at the two of them deeply. He pondered for a moment, waved his hand at them calmly, and said:

"Your Majesty, please excuse me."

"I wonder why you two are visiting me in such a hurry? Or is there something important you want to discuss with me?" (End of this chapter)