Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 322: A plan to remove the firewood from under the cauldron!

Zhu Gaoxu was stunned at first, then burst into laughter.

"Uncle Wu, oh uncle Wu, your acting is so lifelike! I, your nephew, was almost fooled by you!"

After he finished laughing, he leaned back in his chair and changed his tone, saying, "Okay, Uncle Wu, there are no outsiders here, so don't act here."

"I read the story of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms serialized in the newspaper. Cao Mengde and Emperor Liu were drinking wine and discussing heroes. Emperor Liu deliberately dropped the wine glass to show his cowardice."

"Your actions today are similar to his."

"But I am not Cao Mengde, nephew. Who are you acting for?"

Zhu Su's face froze slightly.

His expression changed from one of shock and disbelief to gradually easing off, and finally slowly dispelling it into a faint smile. The body that had stood up sat down again.

"Don't laugh, Fifth Uncle, I'm just being cautious." After being pointed out by Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Su didn't look embarrassed, but remained calm and explained: "After all, this Jinling City is under the eyes of others, so I have to be careful!"

He sighed softly, filled with emotion.

The shock and the accidental drop of the cup just now were just pretense.

As early as when they were in the Kaifeng Palace, Feng Sheng had analyzed the five possibilities of Zhu Yuanzhang with him.

After coming to the capital, he inquired about news from many sources. How was it possible that he didn't receive any news at all?
When his secret was exposed by someone, he became calm and composed.

Zhu Gaoxu showed disdain on his face: "So, Uncle Wu stays in the mansion every day reading medical books?"

"After reading this over and over again, can we use medical books to rescue Grandpa Huang from the harem?"

Zhu Su did not care about his "ridicule" and asked in a low voice: "Does my nephew have any good ideas?"

Zhu Gaoxu snorted coldly: "You are the fifth son of the emperor grandfather."

"My eldest uncle and second uncle died, and my third uncle went overseas."

"Among all the kings in the court, my father and you, my fifth uncle, are the best."

"The current situation has caused all the kings to have doubts, and each of them is dissatisfied."

"Why did he take over the Ming Dynasty?"

"As long as you, Fifth Uncle, stand up and raise your arms to call for action, all the kings will follow and the whole court will respond. Why worry about not achieving great things?"

Zhu Su shook his head repeatedly and said with a wry smile: "It's not that easy!"

Zhu Gaoxu was able to see through his disguise at a glance, which made him think more highly of this young boy and thought that he really had some brilliant ideas.

I didn't expect such useless and arrogant words, and I couldn't help but feel disappointed.

He thought to himself that he was just a child after all. It was ridiculous for a great King Zhou to listen to his "profound theories".

Seeing Zhu Su's reaction, Zhu Gaoxu said angrily, "If you are afraid of both wolves and tigers, what can you accomplish?"

"Didn't you all bring back the three guards from your respective palaces?"

"With the army at hand and so many vassal kings, why should we be afraid of him?"

"Besides, you are the biological son of the Emperor. Are you just going to watch your father being imprisoned in the harem by this rebellious grandson and stand by and watch without rescuing him?"

"You are unworthy of being a son if you act this way!"

Zhu Su's eyes flickered, and he suddenly asked in a deep voice, "Is my father really imprisoned in the harem by him?"

Zhu Gaoxu sneered: "You are asking even though you already know the answer. I don't believe that you didn't hear any rumors."

Zhu Su shook his head repeatedly and said, "Who can tell the difference between true and false rumors?"

"What if my father has really passed away? The so-called house arrest of the harem is just a trap set by Zhu Yunhuan."

"But we took the initiative to jump in. Didn't that mean we fell into his trap?"

Zhu Gaoxu was stunned when he heard this.

He had not thought about this carefully.

When Zhu Su mentioned this, he suddenly became a little confused.

Then he shook his head again.

He had already inquired about the matter clearly.

All the evidence points to this.

Zhu Gaoxu firmly believed that his judgment was correct.

"There is absolutely no mistake about this." Zhu Gaoxu said firmly: "Fifth uncle must also know that I am in charge of the Ministry of Justice. Now that the Ministry of Justice has been reformed, my power has greatly increased."

"The Ministry of Justice has a special agency for gathering information, and they are fully aware of these matters."

Zhu Su looked at him with a suspicious look on his face: "The power of the Ministry of Justice has indeed increased greatly, but you are not the Minister of Justice."

"I heard that you are in charge of the Ministry of Justice, but do those people in the Ministry of Justice really listen to your orders?"

"I think you should listen to the Minister of Justice Gao Wanjie more, right?"

After Zhu Su came to Nanjing, although he read medical books every day, he was actually not idle at all. He secretly sent people everywhere to gather information and had already figured out the situation in the court.

"The most popular person in the Ministry of Justice right now is Ji Gang."

"He is in charge of the Anti-Theft Division and is feared by the world."

"It is said that people in the underworld all call him 'Ji Yanwang'."

"However, it was you who introduced Ji Gang to Zhu Yunhuan."

"But you didn't really use him before."

"This person is a vindictive person."

"After he was promoted and given important positions, he was not cold to you, the little prince."

Zhu Su ruthlessly exposed Zhu Gaoxu's true situation in the Ministry of Justice.

Seeing Zhu Gaoxu's face becoming extremely ugly, Zhu Su smiled and said, "Given your current situation in the Ministry of Justice, even if you were given ten times the courage, you would not dare to ask the intelligence personnel in the Ministry of Justice to inquire about the news in the palace."

This was like a knife stabbing Zhu Gaoxu in the heart. He slammed his palm on the table fiercely and said, "It's just that I have been in charge of the Ministry of Justice for a short time. Those obedient officials, relying on their familiarity with the business, don't take me, the head of the Ministry, seriously."

"Just give me some more time, and I will definitely make them obedient."

Zhu Xi smiled and said nothing.

He reached out and flipped through the medical journal next to him, as if he wanted to pick it up and read it again, but ultimately put it down again.

Although it is true that he likes to study medicine, it is obviously impossible to say that Zhu Su has no ambition at all and really just wants to concentrate on being a scholar studying medicine.

The reason why he became fascinated with medicine was certainly because he had developed a hobby since childhood and it was partly due to his natural instinct, but more importantly, it was because he always felt that his father did not value him, which made him depressed and unhappy, so he became obsessed with medicine to relieve his boredom.

Now that things are changing "greatly", no matter how obsessed he is, he is not a complete fool who can turn a deaf ear to the outside world and concentrate on reading medical books.

He has more ambitions in his heart.

"This is not a matter of time." Seeing Zhu Yunhuan's expression, Zhu Su said, "Why were you able to hold all the power and have your word be final when you were in the Taxation Department?"

"Now that we have arrived at the Ministry of Justice, no one is listening to our orders and we are unable to move forward?"

"Have you ever thought about the reason behind this?"

Zhu Gaoxu was stunned and said, "I set up the Taxation Department myself, and all the staff were selected and appointed by me. Naturally, no one dares to disobey my orders."

"But the Ministry of Justice is a large department of the court. It has a set of mature rules and regulations and a ready-made team. They are not my team."

"As an outsider, I naturally cannot be as at ease as the tax commissioner."

These are all very simple truths.

Although Zhu Gaoxu was young, he had been working in officialdom for nearly two years.

With his intelligence, he is no longer the ignorant little prince he used to be. He has gradually become a "veteran" in officialdom and is well aware of these situations.

Of course, that's what he thought.

"No, no!" Zhu Su smiled and shook his head, saying, "This is just what I see on the surface."

"What a wise man our emperor is!"

"How could he not know that if he transferred you, a lone man, to be in charge of the Ministry of Justice, you would definitely face many difficulties in the Ministry of Justice and would not be able to accomplish anything!"

"But that's what he did."

"To put it bluntly, he wants you to show the same ruthlessness you had when you were in charge of the Taxation Department, daring to offend anyone, so that the Ministry of Justice can disregard anyone's face and severely punish all those who break the law, so as to help him improve the public security of the Ming Dynasty."

"This is the main reason why you are sent to the Ministry of Justice."

"In short, it's to make you offend people."

“After the major changes to the Ministry of Justice, its power has indeed increased greatly.”

"But the greater the power, the heavier the burden."

"Public security is difficult to manage. Why is it difficult?"

"It's not the loyal underworld gangs, nor the hooligans running rampant on the streets that are difficult."

"The really difficult ones are the ones who stand behind these people and protect them overtly or covertly."

"The high-ranking officials, nobles, and even the royal family in the court all have some matters that are inconvenient for them to deal with personally."

"We need those underworld gangs and those ruffians to help them do it."

"Your Majesty wants to improve public order, so that there will be no more gangs and factions in the world, and no more gangsters and hooligans running rampant. Those high-ranking officials, nobles, and even royal relatives, will they agree?"

"Now that everything has been cleaned up, who will help them deal with dirty things in the future?"

"If the Ministry of Justice is really ruthless, it will definitely offend a lot of people."

"This is why I asked you to go to the Ministry of Justice."

"Ji Gang is a man of the underworld, and has no one to rely on in the court. Even if he has some means, he still has many powerful people he cannot defeat."

"Gao Shijie is also a veteran in the officialdom and will not offend anyone easily."

"The waters in the court are very deep."

"You are the son of the Prince of Yan, the young prince of the Ming Dynasty, and a relative of the emperor. Only if you take the lead can you afford to offend those people."

"Only when the Ministry of Justice rectify the public order in the country can we see real results."

What he said was a very simple truth.

To sum it up in the words of later generations, "to fight crime, we must fight the umbrellas."

Without a protective umbrella, how could the underworld gangs and hooligans be so arrogant? Zhu Su said leisurely: "But your role is limited to this."

"Just like you were in the tax department."

"After you built the tax bureau and collected all the taxes, he kicked you out."

"The Ministry of Justice is very powerful, but Zhu Yunhuan has never thought of really handing over the power of the Ministry of Justice to you."

"Otherwise, you wouldn't be sent alone to the Ministry of Justice, but you would be assigned a few more helpers."

"Imagine if you could bring a few more confidants from the Taxation Department to the Criminal Department."

"Place these people in key positions in the Ministry of Justice and transfer a few people from the original Ministry of Justice."

"Will you still feel so aggrieved when you are in the Ministry of Justice?"

"No!" Zhu Su did not wait for his answer and shook his head: "As long as you arrange a few more confidants, plus your status as a young prince, you can easily control the Ministry of Justice."

"Zhu Yunhuan knew this very well, so he deliberately let you be the chief official of the Ministry of Justice without any support."

"Gao Shijie and Ji Gang understand this clearly, so they don't take you seriously."

"Otherwise, they wouldn't go against a great young prince like you."

"Can you understand what I say?"

Zhu Gaoxu stood there in a daze.

After all, he is just a child. How could he have thought about the twists and turns involved?
When he heard Zhu Su's point, he immediately became angry.

It turns out that Zhu Yunhuan has been using me as a tool, not wanting to give me any benefits, but I have to take the blame?

"You've gone too far, you've gone too far!" Zhu Gaoxu clenched his fists and slammed the table repeatedly.

"Then isn't it the same for my father and my brother?"

He suddenly remembered this place and couldn't help asking.

Zhu Su looked at him deeply and thought to himself, "Your father and your brother are much smarter than you. They have already seen all this clearly. You are the only one who has not used your brain to think carefully."

However, he did not say this out loud, but instead said: "The civil and military officials are like birds in a cage, and the emperor can control their rise and fall at will."

"In fact, there is not only the civil and military officials, but also us princes. How big is the difference between us?"

Zhu Su changed the subject and said, "I don't know where you got the news from, but without solid evidence, I, the Fifth Uncle, will never act rashly."

When Zhu Gaoxu heard this, he looked up at Zhu Su and said, "Although I don't have much power in the Ministry of Justice, I know everything about Grandpa Huang."

After saying this, he recounted in detail the source of his information and how he had obtained it.

This is the information Zhu Su wants most.

At this moment, listening to Zhu Gaoxu's words, the corners of his mouth began to rise uncontrollably.

After Zhu Gaoxu finished speaking, he said, "It is absolutely true that Grandpa Huang is still in the harem."

"As long as Uncle Wu unites with the other kings, we can all force the emperor to abdicate together."

"If we invite Grandpa Huang back out, his end will come."

Zhu Su looked at him and said with a smile: "If that's the case, why didn't your father take action, but let me, your younger brother, take the lead?"

Zhu Gaoxu thought, isn't it because his father is timid and cowardly?

But he was not stupid, and knew that he should not say that, so he said, "My father is different from you."

"He has been away from his fiefdom in Beiping for more than two years now, and he has no trusted soldiers at his disposal. If he acts rashly, he may encounter unexpected consequences."

"Besides, my father had previously taken Zhu Yunhuan as his teacher. This is known to the world. Now we are in a difficult situation."

"You all came back to the capital with good preparations, and each of you brought three personal guards with you."

"As long as everyone unites together, forces him to abdicate, and invites the emperor who is imprisoned in the harem back, then everything will be settled."

Zhu Gaoxu paused, and then immediately promised: "Don't worry, uncle, if this is accomplished, my father will be made the crown prince and will definitely not forget your contribution."

"In the future, not only will Uncle Wu's fiefdom be larger and wider, but all of his sons will also be able to be crowned kings."

When it comes to "painting cakes", Zhu Gaoxu is naturally well-instructed.

Zhu Su sneered in his heart.

This guy wants others to take the lead, but he also wants his father to reap the fruits.

This is a bit too beautiful.

If he is willing to risk losing his head just for a prince, then what is he busy about?
Aren’t we all fighting for that throne?
Why should Zhu Di be given the seat?

However, Zhu Su certainly would not speak out what he was thinking at this moment.

After Zhu Gaoxu finished painting the pie, he "threatened" again: "Fifth uncle, don't forget, it is rumored that Zhu Yunhuan wants to dismiss all the princes and drive you all overseas."

"As far as I know, this news is most likely true."

"The wild and barren lands overseas are nothing compared to the richness of the Central Plains."

"Uncle Wu has been to Yunnan before, so he should know the situation there."

"It's much harder overseas than in the wilderness."

"Da Ming Daily boasts about how good overseas is and how rich the products are every day, but it is just to deceive the ignorant people. Will Uncle Wu be fooled?"

These words really touched Zhu Su's heart.

Having once stayed in Yunnan, he had experienced the sufferings of mosquitoes, ants, beasts, miasma, humidity, and rampant epidemics there. He has always had a serious psychological trauma from this wild place.

Now many princes are dissatisfied with Zhu Yunhuan.

This is also the most crucial reason.

Poor people want to go overseas to make a fortune and take a chance to see if they can change their fate.

But these vassal kings have already enjoyed all the wealth and glory in the world.

Who would be willing to give up their good life and go to a wild place overseas?

By doing this, Zhu Yunhuan was simply forcing them into a dead end!

but.

Zhu Su looked at Zhu Gaoxu again, his eyes flickering, and sighed: "Even if the news is true, what does it matter?"

"Now people are at the mercy of others and I am the meat."

Zhu Gaoxu hurriedly said: "You can all force the emperor to abdicate together. As long as you rescue Grandpa Huang from the harem, the situation will be reversed immediately."

Zhu Su shook his head slightly and said, "Do you think that if we, the princes, unite to force the emperor to abdicate, we can rescue our imprisoned father from the harem?"

"This... why not?" Zhu Gaoxu was stunned and asked in reply. "If the princes start to make trouble together, many court officials will stand on your side."

"At the very least, many people will just stand by and watch without helping either side."

He did his analysis early on.

As long as a vassal king revealed that Zhu Yuanzhang had been imprisoned in the harem, the ministers would still be skeptical, but many of them would also want to find out the truth.

At that time, Zhu Yunhuan was deserted by his friends and relatives.

"Then do you know why Zhu Yunhuan dared to let us princes return to the court together? And he also allowed us to bring three personal guards with us?"

Zhu Su looked somewhat helpless and said, "The new army's combat power is unmatched in the world. Right now, there are many new army brigades stationed in and around Jinling City."

"Perhaps many of the ministers in the court can stand on our side, or not help either side."

"But the new troops were trained by him and they admired him very much."

"The soldiers of the new army will definitely obey his orders."

"At that time, the butcher's knife will be opened."

"No matter how many people support you, you will all be killed by the new army."

Zhu Gaoxu said angrily: "He dared to do this. Isn't he afraid that he will be cursed in history books for thousands of years?"

"Since ancient times, victors have been kings and losers have been bandits." Zhu Su said, "If he kills all of us, how will the history books be written? Isn't it up to him?"

"I'm afraid that in future history books, we will be regarded as traitors."

"He was a wise ruler who remained calm in times of crisis and decisively quelled rebellions."

"Besides, when Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, killed his brother and took his sister-in-law, and forced his father to usurp the throne, wasn't it recorded in history books that he was still Emperor Taizong, whose achievements will be remembered for thousands of years?"

Zhu Gaoxu looked gloomy and asked, "Are we just going to watch him abuse his power and there is nothing we can do?"

Zhu Su laughed and said, "That may not be the case. There is another way."

Zhu Gaoxu suddenly perked up, looked up at him and asked, "Uncle, please give me some advice."

Zhu Su stroked his beard, then turned to look at Zhu Gaoxu and said, "If this is to be accomplished, you and your brother need to cooperate."

Zhu Gaoxu hurriedly said: "Uncle Wu, just give me your orders, I will definitely cooperate with you to the fullest."

As for his brother Zhu Gaochi, he did not say anything.

But now that things have come to this, he must find a way to get his brother to go along.

"The reason why the new Ming army has unrivaled combat power is entirely due to the muskets and artillery in their hands."

"These muskets and cannons were all manufactured by the former Ming Dynasty Manufacturing Bureau."

"Although the current Daming Manufacturing Bureau has been changed to the so-called Daming Imperial Court Assets Department, your brother is still the head of the Assets Department."

"The military factories that manufacture muskets and cannons are still under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty's Assets Department."

"I heard that there are still a large number of muskets and artillery in the warehouse of the military factory."

"If we can get these muskets and cannons out, we can distribute them to the three guards of the prince's palace."

"What's there to worry about with just a few new troops?"

"This is the solution to the problem!"

Zhu Su looked at him and said, "The imperial court has very strict control over muskets and artillery."

"This matter can only be accomplished if you, the chief of the Criminal Department, and your brother, the chief of the Assets Department, work together."

……

(End of this chapter)