Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1267 Making the Best Use of Everything
Zhu Minlan listened intently, and after listening carefully, she asked some specific questions. After fully understanding the situation, her brows furrowed.

"This is the first time I've heard of this matter, but I never expected it to cause such a big fuss."

"Your Highness, I humbly request that you advise His Majesty to stop this case from escalating further. I do this not for my own sake, but for the stability of our Great Ming!" Hong Chengchou bowed to the Crown Prince without another word. Following Hong Chengchou's gesture, all the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet also bowed. Zhu Minlan quickly stepped forward to help them up, comforting them, "Gentlemen, there's no need for this. I understand your thoughts, and in my opinion, this matter has indeed gone too far. However, I cannot make a decision on the matter itself; I must consult with His Majesty first. But rest assured, gentlemen, I will do my utmost to persuade His Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Hong Chengchou and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief, their expressions softening considerably. Given the gravity of the matter, Zhu Minlan immediately dismissed everyone and went to the Qianqing Palace to request an audience with the Emperor. Hong Chengchou then left the Eastern Palace with high hopes, watching the Crown Prince hastily head towards the Qianqing Palace, a sense of melancholy washing over him.

Just as Hong Chengchou and others returned to the cabinet and patiently awaited the outcome of the negotiations between the Crown Prince and the Emperor, in a side hall of the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Zhu Shenzhui and Crown Prince Zhu Minlan were sitting and chatting leisurely over tea, appearing quite relaxed and content.

"Just as you predicted, Father, these people from the Cabinet went to my Eastern Palace when they couldn't see you, and sent me here to beg you." Zhu Minlan said with a smile as he refilled his father's teacup and picked up his own cup to drink.

"That's for sure. These people aren't stupid. This case has blown up so much, if they drag it out any longer, they'll get burned. It would be strange if they didn't sit still at this point," Zhu Shenzhui said with a smile, taking a sip of his tea with relish.

"Besides, don't forget that your cousin is still in the cabinet. Although he rarely speaks in the cabinet, it's not difficult for him to remind Hong Chengchou and others when it's crucial."

"Father, your strategic planning is truly admirable!" Zhu Minlan then asked, "In your opinion, what is the appropriate step in this matter, Father?"

"Of course, we need to deal with a number of people. First, we need to stop the Three Departments, and then we can thoroughly investigate the current personnel. Judging from the news from the Embroidered Uniform Guard today, we've arrested almost all of them, so it's time to stop."

"Father is wise!" Zhu Minlan flattered her father with a grin.

Zhu Shenzhui rolled his eyes at the boy and said with a laugh, "You are the Crown Prince. How can I win people's hearts if I don't make arrangements like this? But don't be silly and rush to tell them. Let them wait for a couple of days first. You should know that things that are easily obtained are too easy. These guys are all shrewd. There are some things you still need to learn."

Zhu Minlan stood up and solemnly said to Zhu Shenzhui, "I understand..."

The Crown Prince didn't stay with the Emperor for long. After having tea with Zhu Shenzhui for a while, he took his leave. As for how Zhu Minlan would communicate with the Cabinet after he left, and what he would say, Zhu Shenzhui didn't care. Anyway, everything had already been discussed and agreed upon. If Zhu Minlan couldn't even handle such a small matter, then he would be a complete failure as the Crown Prince.

Zhu Shenzhui devoted himself wholeheartedly to the cultivation of the crown prince, and for the past two years he has been secretly paving the way for the crown prince, helping him win people's hearts and build prestige in the court.

As the crown prince, the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Minlan is not bad in terms of ability or methods. Moreover, Zhu Shenzhui has been teaching him since he was a child. Even if Zhu Minlan cannot become an emperor like himself in the future, he will still be able to become a wise ruler.

As emperor, although Zhu Shenzhui ascended to the throne and the Ming Dynasty was reborn in his hands over the years, he knew that his ascension to the throne was somewhat illegitimate. Even if he tried to glorify himself and brought up the fact that his ancestor, Prince Jin, was the legitimate son of Emperor Taizu, he could not avoid the fact that he had seized the throne through a military coup.

This is actually the same as what happened to Zhu Di back then. Although later generations called Zhu Di "Emperor Yongle", at the time, it was considered a huge stain on his rule to seize the throne through the Jingnan Campaign. This led to the tragic case of the extermination of Fang Xiaoru's ten clans after Zhu Di ascended the throne. From this point of view, it is conceivable how intense the criticism Zhu Di received for his accession to the throne was.

Zhu Shenzhui, like Zhu Di, ascended the throne through the Jingnan Campaign. Therefore, in essence, some people viewed Zhu Shenzhui's ascension as illegitimate, even though he single-handedly saved the Ming Dynasty and brought about a revival. This fact still lingered in some people's eyes. Zhu Shenzhui was well aware of this; people could say whatever they wanted, and he couldn't control their opinions. His only recourse was to consolidate imperial power, adjust the political structure, restore the Ming Dynasty's strength, lay a solid foundation, and allow the country and its people to gradually develop, ultimately achieving a revival.

In addition, there is the matter of cultivating the crown prince. Crown Prince Zhu Minlan is different from himself; his position as heir apparent is secure. Once the crown prince ascends the throne in the future, as long as no problems arise, the great ship of the Ming Dynasty will naturally continue to sail in the right direction according to his vision.

Moreover, the Crown Prince's benevolence was more readily accepted by the people, especially the civil service, just like Emperor Renzong in history. Although Emperor Renzong's reign was short, he was highly regarded among the emperors of the Ming Dynasty. After Emperor Renzong, the people fully accepted the legitimacy of Zhu Di's lineage, thus ensuring the continuation of the throne.

Zhu Shenzhui is doing the same thing now. In other words, he is trying to do what he can do now. As an emperor who ascended the throne under the pretext of pacifying the rebellion, Zhu Shenzhui's power is no less than that of the Taizu and Chengzu emperors. If he does not make changes to the Ming Dynasty, then the future revival of the Ming Dynasty will be nothing more than a flash in the pan. After that, it will gradually decline as before, with power gradually falling into other hands and the emperor becoming a mere figurehead.

This was an outcome Zhu Shenzhui absolutely could not allow, and he did not want to see the country fall into internal strife once again. Therefore, he had to make changes to prevent future problems. Over the years, Zhu Shenzhui had been doing just that, using various means to gradually change the political situation and strengthen imperial power, even if he encountered resistance or suffered infamy.

After his death, he would pass the throne to the crown prince, thus laying the foundation for everything. The crown prince would then follow the established rules and bestow appropriate favors, naturally winning the approval of the people. The current arrangement is the same; there are some things that the crown prince cannot do, so he will do them himself. While doing these things, he can also use them to cultivate the crown prince's prestige and lay the foundation. From this, we can see Zhu Shenzhui's intentions.

To be honest, being an emperor is really not easy. Outsiders think that the emperor has a harem and can have whatever he wants, but that's not the case at all. The entire Ming Dynasty rests on the emperor's shoulders. Zhu Shenzhui never dared to slack off. Whether he was initially the regent or later officially ascended the throne, he worked diligently and tirelessly over the years.

Time flies so fast; decades have passed in the blink of an eye, and the young man from back then has long since entered middle age. As he gets older, Zhu Shenzhui gradually feels that he is not as strong as he used to be. Fortunately, he has a good foundation and his body has always been strong, but even so, he often feels exhausted and lacking in energy.

But there is no turning back on the path of becoming emperor. No matter how hard it is, he can only grit his teeth and walk it. This is the path that Zhu Shenzhui chose himself. He never regrets it and hopes that the Ming Dynasty can become the ideal country in his vision. If so, he can have a good evaluation after he passes away and can hand over power to the crown prince with peace of mind.

The results of the negotiations between the Crown Prince and the Emperor gradually reached the cabinet. When the Emperor learned that the Crown Prince had gone to great lengths and even threatened to resign as Crown Prince to dissuade the Emperor, he reluctantly agreed to the request to stop escalating the case.

Upon learning of this outcome, everyone from the cabinet and court officials to local officials was deeply grateful and greatly admired the Crown Prince's "benevolence." In their view, having such a crown prince was a blessing for the country! They believed that once the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he would surely be a wise ruler, further enhancing his prestige and solidifying the Eastern Palace's position in everyone's hearts.

The case continued after this initial setup. As more and more facts were uncovered, the crimes of some of the main perpetrators became irrefutable, and there were also many others with secondary responsibilities. In addition, due to the involvement of other matters, quite a few officials and gentry were ultimately convicted.

Based on the evidence and charges collected so far, it seems that quite a few people will lose their heads, and there are likely to be even more who will lose their official positions, be dismissed, or even be exiled.

These are all things to be discussed later, as it would take time to fully investigate the case. During this period, the Ming Dynasty finally received some good news: the rebellion in Yunnan was finally quelled, and Sha Dingzhou, who had been causing trouble in the region, was ultimately defeated and killed. Under the siege of several armies, Sha Dingzhou was left with no way out, trapped in an isolated city, and had no choice but to surrender.

With Sha Dingzhou's surrender, the rebellion, which lasted for more than two years, finally came to an end. Sha Dingzhou, his family, and his subordinates were escorted to Beijing by Yunnan and faced severe punishment under the law.

After the rebellion in Shading Prefecture was quelled, order was gradually restored in Yunnan. However, the rebellion had a profound impact on Yunnan, especially the prestige of Mu Tianbo, the Duke of Qian, which plummeted. If it weren't for Mu Tianbo's negligence that allowed Shading Prefecture to be so easily captured, how could such a thing have happened?
Furthermore, nearly half of Yunnan was engulfed in the war and suffered extremely severe losses. Now that the rebellion has been quelled, there are still many things to be done in Yunnan, especially the pacification of the local people and the restoration of order. The central government needs to provide advice on these matters. At this time, Zhu Shenzhui, in his capacity as emperor, proposed to the cabinet to take advantage of the situation and promote the "abolition of the native chieftain system and its replacement with direct imperial administration" in Yunnan. This would not only involve the re-establishment of local government offices, but also the dispatch of officials and immigrants to Yunnan. The officials to be dispatched would include those who were involved in the Yellow River flooding incident but were not primarily responsible and were punished, including local gentry, powerful families, and official families. Sending all these people to Yunnan would allow them to atone for their crimes and their families to be relocated to the local area, which would be a way to make the best use of them.

(End of this chapter)