Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 340: Merit and guilt! Showdown with the emperor!

After the decree was passed down, Zhu Yunhuan dismissed his attendants and only left Yang Shiqi, Yao Guangxiao and Yang Rong.

At this time, the atmosphere in the Qinzheng Hall was solemn.

Zhu Yunhuan sat on the dragon throne with a stern face. He slowly glanced at the three people and said, "I read the daily briefing and found many memorials from the censors impeaching the princes."

"The reasons for the illegal activities cited are numerous, and even worse, there are countless people who write letters to report the incident."

After saying this, he frowned slightly, as if he was deeply saddened by the actions of these vassal kings.

"Yang Shiqi, you were previously in charge of the Censorate, so you must be most familiar with these impeachment memorials and letters of accusation. I order you to compile these things into a book and present them to me immediately."

Zhu Yunhuan's eyes were burning and his voice left no room for doubt.

Since we are going to take action against the princes, the most important thing about this matter of royal relatives is to have a legitimate reason. Only by listing their "crimes" one by one can we silence the public and convince the people of the world.

Upon hearing this, Yang Shiqi hurriedly bowed and saluted, and replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, please rest assured that all the memorials impeaching the princes, letters reporting the princes and their servants, and subordinate officials have been carefully sorted out and filed away."

"The crimes mentioned are too numerous to count; the evils committed are too numerous to mention."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "It's just that most of the vassal kings are stationed at the borders, and the mountains are high and the roads are long, making it extremely inconvenient to travel. It takes a long time to send people to investigate and verify."

"Therefore, most of these impeachment memorials and letters of complaint have not yet been verified to be true and cannot be processed for the time being."

Having said that, he changed the subject again.

"However, public opinion is in the hearts of the people and is a matter of public opinion."

"Your Majesty, if you want to do something, you only need to point your sword at the place where it is pointed. With these objects as evidence, it will be ironclad evidence. No matter what crime you are convicted of, it is sufficient."

As the saying goes, “If you want to accuse someone of a crime, you can always find a pretext for it!”
The princes held high positions and great power, guarding one side and commanding a large number of troops. Each of them had three personal guards at their disposal, and the military and political affairs they had to deal with on a daily basis were numerous and trivial.

People can not escape from doing wrong?
In the process of doing things, if they are not careful and reveal some flaws, it will be easy for them to be caught.

Moreover, under the feudal etiquette, the practice of "collective responsibility" was prevalent, and everyone felt that this was a reasonable move.

If an official under the rule of a vassal king made a mistake, it would be the king's fault for failing to manage his subordinates and he could not escape the blame.

The princes command so many troops, and it is simply impossible to expect all their subordinates to behave themselves and abide by the law!

Illegal and disorderly acts happen from time to time, it depends on whether Zhu Yunhuan is willing to take advantage of these handles.

Besides, the princes of the Zhu family were proud of their noble status. Even though Zhu Yunhuan had previously vigorously reformed the clan system, allowing their titles to be stripped and strictly controlling them, which made them restrained, they still behaved in an arrogant and domineering manner on a daily basis, and their old habits were hard to change.

Since the establishment of the reporting system, the Censorate has received countless letters of complaint.

Of course, most of these letters of complaint were not directed directly at the prince himself, but at officials at all levels under his command.

After all, the status of the princes is respected, and they usually do not deal directly with the common people, and the common people rarely even see them.

Those who really come into direct conflict with the people are often those who rely on the power of the princes and take advantage of the power of others.

In order to pursue their own selfish interests, they wantonly oppressed the people and made their lives miserable.

However, these are no longer important in Zhu Yunhuan's eyes. In this imperial chess game, all the blame can ultimately be firmly pinned on the heads of the vassal kings.

Even if the princes claimed that they were unaware of the illegal acts of their subordinates, that was just an excuse, and they could hardly escape accountability for not managing their subordinates well.

Yao Guangxiao had been standing quietly by the side. He took a step forward and bowed slightly, saying:
"Your Majesty, the Intelligence Department has also collected a lot of intelligence information about the princes. I have already sorted them all out and are waiting for your Majesty to review them."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunhuan nodded slightly, with a hint of admiration in his eyes.

Whether a minister is capable of doing his job is often reflected in these details.

It is rare for people like Yao Guangxiao and Yang Shiqi to know what to prepare in advance without him saying anything or giving any orders.

Yao Guangxiao then said: "Achievements are achievements, and mistakes are mistakes. The two should not be confused."

"I have also specially sorted out the contributions that each vassal king has made to the Ming Dynasty in the past. I hope Your Majesty will be aware of this."

When Zhu Yunhuan heard this, he was stunned for a moment, then he raised his head and burst into laughter. His laughter echoed in the hall, as if dispelling some of the solemn atmosphere.

"The princes are all my uncles, connected by blood. As long as they are loyal to the court, the Ming Dynasty, and me, how could I forget their contributions?"

At this point, his expression became stern and his tone became firm.

"However, there is no selfishness in the royal family. All the people in the world are my subjects."

"If they oppress the people, commit crimes, or commit illegal acts, I will never condone or tolerate them."

Zhu Yunhuan's voice was sonorous and powerful, like the sound of a huge bell, echoing throughout the palace, fully demonstrating the majesty of the emperor.

"You three, draft two imperial edicts for each vassal king right now."

"An imperial edict commended their past achievements and granted them generous rewards to show my compassion and favor."

"The other is to severely rebuke their crimes and impose the heaviest punishment to show the justice and majesty of the laws of the Ming Dynasty. Even if the prince breaks the law, he will be punished the same as the common people. This is to rectify the national law and calm the public anger."

"I believe you know how to phrase it."

After that, he raised his voice slightly and said, "We must speed up and prepare it before the princes enter the palace."

"After you finish writing, please submit it to me for my review and signature. There must be no mistakes!"

The three of them knelt down hurriedly to receive the order, then hurriedly withdrew and went about their business.

……

Since ascending the throne, Zhu Yunhuan has been handling government affairs in the Qinzheng Hall.

However, when he summoned the princes this time, he deliberately chose the majestic and solemn Fengtian Hall.

The Fengtian Hall was the place where important ceremonies and court meetings were held during the Ming Dynasty. The hall is majestic and magnificent, but it is rarely used on weekdays.

Today is not the day for a grand court meeting, but the matter is being discussed in the Fengtian Hall, which shows that it is not an ordinary day.

Soon, a sound of footsteps was heard outside the Fengtian Hall.

One by one, the princes dressed in gorgeous clothes strode into the palace with their heads held high.

They exuded an aura of majesty or arrogance, as if this forbidden area of the imperial palace was just their own backyard.

Dozens of ministers followed the princes into the palace.

These ministers had different expressions. Some had firm eyes, as if they were determined.

Some of them lowered their heads slightly, making it impossible to see the emotions in their eyes.

Among the crowd, the Minister of Rites, who had previously claimed to have caught a cold and had been ill for many days, stood out.

He was a little thin, and his face looked a little haggard and sick.

But his eyes were bright and he didn't look like he was seriously ill at all.

The remaining ministers, both civil officials and military generals, all had different expressions.

Occasionally make eye contact or whisper.

Zhu Yunhuan sat high on the dragon throne, quietly looking at this group of uninvited people.

He did not issue an order to summon them, but these people flocked to him along with the princes.

It is unknown what the intention is.

However, Zhu Yunhuan did not order them to be expelled or have the palace guards stop them from entering.

On the contrary, he was worried that these people would not come. For a big show to begin, someone has to make an appearance.

Just having vassal kings is not enough.

"Today is not the day for a grand court meeting. The emperor has summoned us all to the Fengtian Palace. I wonder what's the matter?"

After the greeting, Prince of Qi Zhu Yu was the first to break the silence in the hall.

He is tall and strong, and his voice is as loud as a bell.

But the slightly upturned corners of his mouth and a hint of cunning in his eyes made this feigned doubtful question seem particularly hypocritical.

This is clearly a question you ask despite knowing the answer.

In fact, not long ago, Zhu Gui and other vassal kings received news sent by King Zhou Zhu Su.

King Zhou Zhu Su told them that he had obtained muskets and cannons from Zhu Gaoxu.

These powerful firearms will be quickly distributed to the personal guards of the princes stationed outside the city of Jinling.

This means that they have strong capital to compete with Zhu Yunhuan's new army.

The big thing that has been planned for a long time has finally come to a conclusion.

Everyone knew that Zhu Yunhuan had been planning to abolish the feudal system long before he ascended the throne.

The successive downfalls of the King of Qin and the King of Jin made the surviving princes feel insecure and tread on thin ice.

At this moment, hearing that King Zhou had made all the preparations, everyone felt that the time was ripe to go to the palace together to interrogate Zhu Yunhuan.

It is for this reason that the King of Qi and other vassal kings are so calm at this moment.

Even the officials who came with them looked confident.

They had already heard that Zhu Yunhuan had ordered the reorganization of the Shangshenjian, and that the court had dispatched troops to the outside of the city to quell the rebellion.

In their ears, these news sounded like the sound of war drums, urging them to speed up their pace.

Moreover, these rumors corroborated the intelligence transmitted by King Zhu Su of Zhou, making them even more convinced that the great event had been accomplished.

Now, all he needs to do is go into the palace and put pressure on Zhu Yunhuan to turn the tide.

Therefore, although Zhu Yunhuan did not summon them, they still rushed in in a mighty force, as if they were going to bring the emperor to justice.

Zhu Yunheng glanced at everyone indifferently, and finally fell on the King of Qi. He glanced at him and sighed softly, and there seemed to be a thousand kinds of helplessness in that sigh.

"I have just received a report that my fifth uncle, Prince of Zhou Zhu Su, and my cousin Zhu Gaoxu are plotting rebellion together."

Having said this, he paused slightly.

"Why are you so anxious to fight against each other? I just can't bear it!"

His tone was extremely sad: "Grandpa Emperor handed over the Ming Dynasty to me."

"The millions of people of the Ming Dynasty depend on me."

"All the people in the world are under my care."

"I am entrusted with the destiny of heaven and I govern the people on his behalf. How dare I be partial to others?"

His voice gradually became low, but it was filled with an unquestionable firmness. He then changed his tone and said, "But one of them is my uncle, and the other is my cousin. We have a deep relationship, like brothers."

"What do you think I should do?"

As soon as these words were spoken, surprise suddenly appeared on the faces of several princes. Their joy was like a bright fire in the dark night, and could not be concealed.

They had been worried before, wondering whether the plans of Prince of Zhou Zhu Su and Zhu Gaoxu would succeed.

The reason they dared to come and force the emperor to abdicate was because they knew that Zhu Yunhuan had already made up his mind to withdraw his fiefdom. They thought they had been forced into a desperate situation and had no way to retreat, so they could only make a desperate bet.

Hearing Zhu Yunhuan say this, they felt reassured.

In their view, this must mean that King Zhou has succeeded.

Otherwise, Zhu Yunhuan would not have acted so weak.

Back then, when he dealt with the King of Qin and the King of Jin, he acted swiftly and decisively, but he did not take into account family ties at all.

Now I am crying here and complaining, how can they believe me?

They were certain that Zhu Yunhuan must have been forced into a corner, so he pretended to be so pitiful in an attempt to win everyone's sympathy.

In their eyes, such a cheap trick is nothing more than a clown's trick, and no one will be fooled by him.

All the princes present thought so.

It has to be said that these people are extremely mediocre in both their abilities and strategies, which is why they made such a totally wrong judgment.

In fact, this is normal. Lao Zhu has been very good at maneuvering throughout his life and is a very smart person among smart people.

But according to the laws of this world, human IQ is not necessarily passed on to offspring.

The dragon gave birth to nine sons, each of which is different.

In fact, under normal circumstances, the IQ of offspring will follow the principle of mean regression.

The descendants of people with high IQs are mostly ordinary people with only ordinary brains.

Children born into ordinary lives are naturally ordinary.

As for the occasional gene mutation that produces an offspring with superior intelligence and extraordinary talents, this extremely low probability event is basically randomly distributed and it all depends on who has the luck.

Although the offspring of people with high IQs have a relatively higher probability of producing individuals with high IQs.

The probability can be increased from one in a million to one in a hundred thousand, which seems to be ten times higher, but if it is applied to an individual, it is actually close to zero.

After all, how many offspring can a person have in his lifetime? It is too difficult to accurately hit the extremely low probability in such a vast sea of people.

Old Zhu already had several sons with outstanding abilities and high IQs, such as the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Yan, and God was particularly kind to him.

As this is the case, it is naturally impossible for all the other sons to be wise and intelligent.

Take the King of Qi Zhu Yu for example. This man has only a sturdy appearance but lacks some intelligence inside.

Upon hearing Zhu Yunhuan's words, he could not hold back and said eagerly: "The emperor is a ruler like Yao and Shun, so naturally his family will be harmonious and his subjects will observe etiquette."

"If the emperor were a ruler like Jie and Zhou, he would invite the whole world to attack him."

As he spoke, he waved his arms as if he was giving an impassioned speech in the court.

"King Zhou is your Majesty's fifth uncle, why would he rebel against your Majesty?"

"Hasn't Zhu Gaoxu always been favored by His Majesty? Why did he rebel against His Majesty?"

"Shouldn't Your Majesty reflect on your own mistakes?"

After saying this, he did not forget to look around and seek support from everyone present.

"Everyone present today is either a member of the royal family or a close minister of the court. Please give us your opinions and tell me if what I said is right or not."

……

(End of this chapter)