Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 244: Hitting! Testing and Confrontation!

Zhu Gaoxu had been away for so long and had never written a memorial to the court.

Zhu Gaoxu turned a deaf ear to all the official documents sent to him by various ministries.

The naughty kid is well aware that there is overwhelming opposition.

Just ignore it, don't look at it, and don't ask.

Anyway, as long as Grandfather Emperor and Brother Crown Prince don't punish me, no one can do anything to me.

Naturally, the matter of bringing Ji Gang under his command was not filed with the court.

But Zhu Yunhuan had his own information channels.

Yao Guangxiao's Investigation Department is no pushover.

He had already reported to Zhu Yunhuan in detail everything Zhu Gaoxu had done outside and who he had recruited.

When Zhu Yunhuan saw the name Ji Gang and the introduction about this person, he felt a little confused.

Could this person be the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who was once highly valued by Zhu Di in history?

He was not sure. After all, the world was so big and there were many people with the same name and surname.

He couldn't remember Ji Gang's background very clearly.

In addition, as the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, he was in charge of state affairs and was busy with affairs, so he soon forgot about this matter.

When I saw Zhu Gaoxu at this time, I suddenly remembered it.

Ji Gang... If he is really that Ji Gang, wouldn’t he be just the right person to be the “knife” in my hand?

When the naughty kid heard Zhu Yunhuan's question, he was stunned for a moment.

The son of the King of Yan associates with ruffians and gangsters. If his father finds out, he will break his legs.

Brother Crown Prince is asking this now, could it be that he wants to accuse me of something?
"No, I don't know any Ji Gang!" The kid immediately denied: "I have never heard of this person."

"Really?" Zhu Yunhuan asked back indifferently.

"Really, Brother Taisun, believe me, there is absolutely no person like Ji Gang around me."

The naughty child swore: "Who is Ji Gang? He is not a royal relative, a meritorious official, a high-ranking official in the court, or the crown prince. Why would he care about a commoner?"

Zhu Yunhuan grabbed his ear and said, "Since you don't know Ji Gang, how do you know he is a commoner? You dare to lie in front of me, I think you deserve a beating."

“Ahhh…it hurts…Brother Taisun, please let go…I admit that Ji Gang…Ji Gang is the person I recruited.”

The naughty child quickly admitted his weakness and surrendered, saying, "I was afraid of being punished by my father and scolded for being ignorant, so I didn't dare to say it. I didn't mean to hide it from my brother, the Grandson."

Zhu Yunhuan put his hands down.

Zhu Gaoxu asked curiously, "He is just a martial artist. Although he has some martial arts skills, it is nothing special."

"There are a lot of people like this, whether it's His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace or my father's Prince Yan's Mansion."

"Why did Brother Taisun ask about him?"

He suddenly realized, "I guess this person followed me to suppress bandits, killed countless people, and was too cruel and ruthless. Brother Taisun wants to eliminate him?"

"If that's the case, leave it to me. I'll go now and cut off his head in a moment."

After all, he is your subordinate who works hard for you, so how can you treat him like this?

Zhu Yunxun snorted coldly, "Don't try to divert attention by making excuses. You just lied to me and deceived me. You will be punished with twenty lashes of the cane."

The naughty kid's face suddenly fell.

This was exactly what he meant by what he said just now.

If killing Ji Gang can make Brother Crown Prince forget that he lied, then Ji Gang's death will be worthwhile!

Unexpectedly, Zhu Yunhuan was not fooled at all.

"Brother Taisun, I won't dare to do that again."

He begged desperately for mercy but was dragged away by the guards.

Just as he was about to be beaten, Zhu Yunhuan suddenly stopped him and said with a smile: "Remember this beating for now. If you fail to perform your duties in the Ministry of Justice or commit any other crimes in the future, you will be punished together with him."

"If you behave well, you can be exempted from punishment again."

"Go and call Ji Gang in. I want to see him."

When the naughty kid heard this, he was overjoyed, thanked him profusely, and ran to find Ji Gang.

As soon as he saw Ji Gang, the naughty kid started beating and scolding him.

I thought I had passed the test successfully, but because of this discipline, I was punished with twenty lashes of the board.

Although he was not beaten on the spot, the thorn was planted.

Just thinking about it makes the naughty kid feel very uneasy.

He didn't dare to get angry at Zhu Yunhuan, so he could only vent his anger on Ji Gang.

Even though it was clearly his own fault.

Ji Gang didn't dare to fight back, let alone dodge, and could only take it hard.

Fortunately, he was a martial artist after all, so he could withstand a few punches and kicks from the naughty kid, but he felt extremely uncomfortable.

"It was you who almost got me beaten." The naughty kid was tired of beating and panted, "Brother Taisun wants to see you, go and see him now."

Ji Gang stood there in a daze.

He was beaten and scolded for no reason. From the little prince's tone, he knew that he was punished because of his own fault, so he took it out on himself.

That’s all.

But how could His Royal Highness the Crown Prince know that a small figure like me wanted to summon him?

"I don't know why Brother Crown Prince wants to see you." The naughty child warned: "Anyway, when you go to see Brother Crown Prince, you must be careful. If you make Brother Crown Prince unhappy, no one can save your life."

The naughty kids all felt a little regretful that they shouldn't have brought Ji Gang with them in the first place.

What a hassle.

……

Ji Gang went to the backyard of the East Palace in panic.

Thinking and pondering at the same time.

Judging from the little prince's reaction, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince doesn't seem very satisfied with himself.

But if they just want to punish me, as the crown prince, all they need to do is say a word, and even if he has a hundred lives, he will be killed.

There is no need to summon him.

Since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to see me, there is still a chance to turn things around.

Wealth and wealth are found in danger.

I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has always been unconventional in employing people.

Yang Shiqi, who now holds great power in the court, and Xia Yuanji, who is in charge of the Ming Bank, had no official position before, but were selected by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and entrusted with important tasks.

Yao Guangxiao was also a Buddhist monk.

If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can use those people, he may be able to use a gangster like me.

Perhaps, this is my chance to make a big leap forward.

Thinking of this, Ji Gang's heart slowly calmed down.

All he wanted was to make a name for himself and return home in glory, and he was willing to do so even at the cost of his life.

Soon, in the backyard of the East Palace, Ji Gang met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

A young boy who looks quite young.

Apart from being handsome and looking more elegant than ordinary children, there is nothing special about him.

If they were to meet him outside, they would probably regard him as a "child" who has not yet reached adulthood, and would never think that he is a powerful figure.

Zhu Yuntong was chatting with the person next to him while sipping tea.

Seeing Ji Gang coming in, he glanced over.

In an instant, Ji Gang felt his heart pounding.

It felt as if a heavy burden was pressing down on me.

He immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowed and said, "I, Ji Gang, pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Yunhuan looked Ji Gang up and down and noticed that there were obvious red marks on his face from being slapped. He immediately guessed that it was the naughty kid who did it.

Just now, Zhu Yunhuan deliberately used the excuse that the naughty kid lied about Ji Gang's matter to threaten him with a beating. This was his intention.

If I just say that I admire Ji Gang, with how cunning this naughty kid is, he will definitely take the initiative to win over Ji Gang.

Most likely you have to talk to Ji Gang. It was only because of my recommendation that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince appointed you.

Zhu Yunhuan knew the character of the naughty child best.

People are as big as little devils.

A bear is a bear, but it has one thousand six hundred tricks.

Therefore, Zhu Yunhuan deliberately did not say anything and instead found a reason to punish him.

In this case, the naughty kid will naturally vent his anger on Ji Gang.

If he uses Ji Gang again, Ji Gang will no longer think of it as a "favor" from this naughty kid.

Instead, they will feel resentment towards the naughty child.

Ji Gang in history was such a person.

This is also what Zhu Yunhuan wants to see.

If you want to use Ji Gang, you can't let him form cliques with others.

However, whether he and the historical Ji Gang were the same person and whether he had real ability could be verified again. Zhu Yunhuan deliberately ignored him and turned to talk to Yang Shiqi and Yao Guangxiao next to him.

The old monk was very surprised.

Although he had previously mentioned Ji Gang in the report submitted to Zhu Yunhuan and submitted detailed information about this person.

But that was mixed in with a lot of submitted documents.

Ji Gang is not a particularly important person.

If Zhu Yunhuan had not mentioned him at this time, Yao Guangxiao would have forgotten him long ago.

But why does His Royal Highness the Crown Prince attach so much importance to this person?

Looking back, it seems that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince always uses people in a fanciful way, which makes it impossible to understand.

But the people who are promoted every time are really very capable and are all very rare talents.

Such as Yang Shiqi, Xia Yuanji...even Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu, all are like this.

It would be fine if they were people who had been following His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for a long time.

It is normal for a person to have a discerning eye and recognize a good horse.

However, this is not the case.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has never dealt with these people before.

After only meeting once, he quickly determined that the other person was a talented person.

Even before we met, I had anticipated it.

This ability to judge people is a little too terrifying.

It was as if there was a god guiding him.

Yao Guangxiao was well versed in the art of yin and yang, and was even better at physiognomy, but he felt that he did not have such ability.

When he said he wanted to give the King of Yan a white hat, his main purpose was to realize his goal of assisting the emperor in building his career and to see whether the dragon-slaying skills he had learned throughout his life were useful.

It doesn't mean that Prince Yan will definitely become the emperor.

There is no such magic in the world!
But Zhu Yunhuan...seemed like he had known it for a long time.

It would have been fine if they only promoted Yang Shiqi, but it was a bit unbelievable that they picked people one after another.

At this moment, he couldn't help but observe Ji Gang carefully.

I saw this person kneeling there, not moving at all.

He looked calm and composed, not showing any sign of panic.

There was a little more surprise in my heart.

It seems that this gangster does have some skills.

At least he has a good character.

It is inevitable that ordinary people would feel nervous when they meet a powerful person like His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for the first time.

Even if you can remain calm at the beginning, your true colors will be revealed if you are left alone for too long.

Ji Gang can always control himself, which is better than countless people in the world.

After a full cup of tea, Zhu Yunhuan stopped chatting with Yang Shiqi and Yao Guangxiao, turned to look at Ji Gang and said, "Ji Gang, do you admit your guilt?"

It was just a simple sentence, but it made Ji Gang feel as if he was struck by thunder.

He raised his head slightly, looked at His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who was staring at him, then quickly lowered his head and said, "I don't know. I followed the young prince to fight against bandits and robbers. What crime have I committed?"

Zhu Yunhuan snorted coldly and said, "It was you, the martial artists, who persuaded my cousin to fight with bandits all day long, causing him to fall into danger many times."

"He is the son of my fourth uncle, and the grandson of my grandfather."

"If anything happens to him, you won't be able to report to the Prince of Yan, and the Emperor of Ming will be the first one to not forgive you."

He raised his voice and shouted: "Don't you know what crime you have committed?"

Ji Gang's body trembled slightly.

His face turned red and white, as if he was struggling and thinking about something.

After a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty the Emperor may blame me, and the King of Yan will not let me go, but Your Highness the Crown Prince should thank me!"

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a gleam of light in the eyes of Yang Shiqi and Yao Guangxiao.

The field suddenly became extremely quiet.

Zhu Yunhuan was also stunned. He did not expect Ji Gang to say such a thing.

This is even more interesting.

He picked up the tea, took a sip, and said, "Tell me the reason."

Ji Gang raised his head, turned his gaze to Yang Shiqi and Yao Guangxiao, and said, "This matter can only be discussed with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince alone."

Yang Shiqi and Yao Guangxiao both stood up, bowed and were about to take their leave.

Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand to stop them: "You don't have to leave. You are all people I trust absolutely. What can't we say to each other in person?"

"Ji Gang, tell me the reason."

"If what you said is wrong, I will kill you today."

Ji Gang's expression became hesitant again. After a moment, he made up his mind: "Your Highness the Crown Prince is a man who values friendship and loyalty. He is very concerned about the safety of the young prince."

"But His Royal Highness the Crown Prince shoulders the responsibility of governing the country and the people. You cannot act arbitrarily based on your emotions."

"As a descendant of the royal family, the young prince has the duty to protect the Ming Dynasty."

"If there is any loss because of this, it is also his honor."

He paused, and said, "If the young prince is safe and sound and has wiped out all the thieves in the world, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be happy to see it happen."

"If the young prince is unfortunately killed, it is also the will of heaven. Your Highness can use this opportunity to lead a campaign to defeat the bandits and silence those who opposed the tax commissioner in the past."

"So I will follow the young prince to fight the bandits, which will definitely be beneficial to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. His Royal Highness should thank me."

When these words were spoken, Yang Shiqi and Yao Guangxiao beside them were stunned.

No wonder Ji Gang wanted them to leave just now.

You really can't just listen to this kind of words.

Although both of them were smart, they knew this very well.

But knowing it in your heart is one thing.

Speaking it out loud is another matter.

Apart from irreconcilable conflicts of interest such as the struggle for the crown prince, as a subordinate, it is not appropriate to interfere in the family affairs of the lord or the relationship between the royal cousins.

Unexpectedly, Ji Gang would reveal it like this.

But on the other hand, ordinary people may not be able to easily see the subtleties in this.

In particular, Ji Gang was just a gangster, not a minister in the court.

He was able to reveal the secret with just one sentence, which is truly unmatched by ordinary people.

Zhu Yunxun sneered, "Do you mean to say that I am cold-blooded and heartless and don't care about the kinship?"

Ji Gang bowed quickly and said, "No, if that were the case, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would not have summoned the young prince back to the capital."

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not allow the young prince to continue to fight the bandits, precisely because he cares about him and loves him. This shows that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a man who values friendship and loyalty, and does not want to see his cousin suffer any misfortune."

"But His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, is responsible for the well-being of the people of the world. For the sake of the people, you have no choice but to be ruthless."

"Just like how your majesty appointed his sons as vassal kings and ordered them to guard the borders of the Ming Dynasty."

"Your Majesty, don't you know that the border is dangerous?"

"But the more this is the case, the more we, as descendants of the royal family, must guard the border for Ming Dynasty."

"The Department of Taxation is one of the most important departments in the Ming Dynasty, and it is also the department that court officials and local gentry most strongly oppose."

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has asked the young prince to take charge of the tax department and shoulder such an important responsibility. This shows how much His Royal Highness the Crown Prince trusts the young prince."

"Since the young prince has assumed the post of chief of the taxation department, how can he retreat because of fear of danger?"

"If this is true, then I have failed the trust of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and am unworthy of being a descendant of the royal family."

"It is precisely because I understand this that I follow the young prince and serve the Ming Dynasty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"The Prince of Yan loves his son dearly, and Your Majesty is already old, and cannot bear the pain of separation from his flesh and blood."

"But I think that His Royal Highness, as the crown prince, is the most intelligent person in history. He is a man of both literary and martial virtues, shocking the ancients and the present. No one has been able to match him in the past thousand years."

"Your Highness must understand this."

"So, I think that Your Highness will thank me and not punish me."

Zhu Yunhuan laughed out loud.

Ji Gang's performance was somewhat beyond his expectations.

At this point, Zhu Yunhuan no longer had any doubts in his heart.

This person must be the famous leader of the Jinyiwei in history.

"Then tell me, why did I summon you here?" he asked with a smile.

Ji Gang said in a deep voice: "If what I guessed is correct, His Royal Highness wants to use me as a knife to wipe out all the thieves and bandits in the world and kill all the people who deserve to be killed!"

Zhu Yunxun asked calmly, "Then are you willing to be my sword?"

The bet was right!
Ji Gang's face was filled with ecstasy, and he kowtowed heavily: "I am willing to go through fire and water for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, even if I die!"

……

(End of this chapter)