Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 18: Is I planning a rebellion? Questions and answers, Lu Xiaofeng's speculation (4000 words long chapter)
"Your Highness Prince Su, why don't you ask why this princess went to Ming alone?"

"not interested."

"you……"

Zhao Min glared at Zhu Jinzhen angrily. His attitude and those four words made her face flush red, and all the drafts she had in mind were disrupted.

"This princess is sent as an envoy to the Ming Dynasty on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty. Doesn't His Royal Highness Prince Su care?"

"In the past, Taizu rode his horse across the grassland and almost destroyed the Mongols. Taizong conquered the grassland five times and killed the Mongols so that they did not dare to start a war for a hundred years. There was also the incident of Yingzong. The Ming Dynasty and the Mongols have been mortal enemies for generations. I know without asking that you sent envoys to the Ming Dynasty that you must have evil intentions. Why bother asking?" Zhu Jinzhen shook his head.

"You, how do you know if we have evil intentions if you don't ask?" Zhao Min stomped her feet in anger. This was the bargaining chip she relied on, something that everyone thought was foolproof before setting off. How could it be that it didn't work?
Zhu Jinzhen laughed. "It's nothing more than a pretense of peace talks, or an alliance or marriage, some kind of 100-year alliance, to paralyze those short-sighted court officials and buy time for the Mongols."

"you you…"

Zhao Min was stunned. Looking at Zhu Jinzhen's calm appearance, she was shocked.

"It seems that I guessed right."

"If this is all you want to say, then it's worthless. Take him away." Zhu Jinzhen shook his head in boredom and gave a look to Yan Yimei who was on standby.

"Wait a minute."

Zhao Min tried to stop her again, but Yan Yimei remained unmoved.

Seeing that she couldn't persuade Yan Yimei, Zhao Min could only quickly say, "Your Highness Prince Su, even if your guess is correct, don't you want to know who our Emperor is planning to marry?"

Zhu Jinzhen waved his hands, not feeling curious at all.

"The person that His Majesty the Great Emperor of Mongolia wants to marry is you. Aren't you curious and don't want to ask? Your Highness Prince Su?" Zhao Min's voice rang out before she was about to be dragged out of Tiance Mansion by Yan Yimei.

It was like thunder in their ears, making Lu Xiaofeng and the others feel dizzy.

"Wait a minute."

Yan Yimei paused as she dragged her hand.

Zhao Min was able to catch her breath and struggled a few times, but found that she couldn't break free, so she had no choice but to give up.

For the first time, Zhu Jinzhen felt like a weasel paying New Year's greetings to a chicken. "Temur wants to marry me?"

"Yes."

Zhao Min nodded affirmatively.

"I have a letter written by His Majesty the Emperor. If Your Highness Prince Su doesn't believe it, you can..."

Before Zhao Min could finish her words, she felt the letter hidden in her arms fly up into the air and fall into Zhu Jinzhen's hands. Although it was just a telekinesis, Zhu Jinzhen's behavior still made Zhao Min blush.

"Interesting, interesting."

Zhu Jinzhen read the letter, glanced at Zhao Min, then looked at Lu Xiaofeng and others beside him, his eyes showing thought.

"Take this Princess Shaomin away."

Zhu Jinzhen's voice suddenly became cold, as if he was extremely angry and trying hard to restrain himself.

"Your Highness Prince Su..."

Zhao Min widened her eyes, as if she didn't understand why Zhu Jinzhen's attitude changed drastically after reading the letter, and even burst out with such a strong murderous intent?
Yan Yimei did not give Zhao Min any chance to speak, and directly pulled her up and quickly left the main hall of Tiance Mansion.

"Something's wrong."

Lu Xiaofeng lowered his eyes, not daring to reveal himself.

Ximen Chuxue shook his head imperceptibly, indicating that Lu Xiaofeng had better be quiet.

Hua Manlou couldn't see what was happening, but he could guess a thing from the conversation between Zhu Jinzhen and Zhao Min just now. He just couldn't figure out what was written in the handwritten letter from the Mongolian emperor?
Did it actually anger His Royal Highness Prince Su?

……

Inside Tiance Mansion.

About half an incense stick of time passed.

"call!!"

Zhu Jinzhen let out a long breath and sighed inexplicably: "The storm is coming."

The content of that letter was truly shocking.

Even someone like Zhu Jinzhen is not immune to this.

"Your Highness!"

Li Chengen, Yang Ning and other Tiance generals were hesitant to speak.

Zhu Jinzhen shook his head gently: "It's okay, things have their priorities."

Although Li Chengen, Yang Ning and others did not know what had happened, since it was Zhu Jinzhen who spoke, they could only suppress their anxiety temporarily and wait quietly by the side.

Zhu Jinzhen's face slowly returned to its calm and composed look.

He looked at Lu Xiaofeng and said, "Sorry to have kept you waiting."

"We are sorry for disturbing you, Your Highness. I hope you won't mind." Lu Xiaofeng hurriedly said politely.

"hehe."

Zhu Jinzhen smiled and said, "I already know why you are here."

"Traitorous to the country and plotting rebellion."

"What a serious crime!"

When these words were spoken, Zhu Jinzhen laughed, but Lu Xiaofeng and the others could not laugh.

Because Li Chengen, Yang Ning and other Tian Ce generals "could not control" and burst out with murderous intent, the murderous intent of several great masters of celestial phenomena and a land immortal made the air in the entire Tian Ce Mansion seem to be frosted.

Even martial arts masters as strong as Ximen Chuxue and Lu Xiaofeng felt suffocated.

"Ok?"

With Zhu Jinzhen's voice, the murderous aura quickly disappeared.

It was as if everything just now was just an illusion.

"Hoohoo."

Lu Xiaofeng gasped violently twice, looked in horror at the generals of Tian Ce Mansion who were standing silently behind Zhu Jinzhen, and a terrible thought arose in his mind.

Could it be that these Tiance soldiers who are so powerful that they terrify the Ming Dynasty and the surrounding countries are all great masters of celestial phenomena?
Not only Lu Xiaofeng had such thoughts, but Ximen Chuxue and Hua Manlou also had them.

A mere Grandmaster of the Celestial Realm could not possibly be able to suffocate them with just murderous intent.

It might even be possible...

Ximen Chuxue raised his cold eyes and looked at the extremely young general, Yang Ning, the Heavenly Spear of the Tiance Mansion, and thought to himself, "This person is probably not just an ordinary Grandmaster."

"Lu Xiaofeng."

"exist."

Lu Xiaofeng responded subconsciously, then realized that he was not from the Prince Su's Mansion, nor was he under Zhu Jinzhen's command, so why should he be so obedient?
"I heard that I was plotting rebellion and colluding with foreign nations. Did you get this information from various institutions and channels within the court? Is this true?"

"To be honest, Your Highness, this is indeed the case."

Lu Xiaofeng touched his nose awkwardly.

It is one thing to come to Shaanxi secretly to conduct an investigation, but it is another thing to be exposed in person by the person being investigated.

Especially now that they are under someone else's control.

For no reason, I will feel uneasy.

"The East Factory, West Factory, and Embroidered Uniform Guard are all intelligence agencies directly under the Emperor's command. The Dragon Guarding Villa was established by the late Emperor out of fear that the young Emperor would be easily manipulated by treacherous individuals. Their power transcends all other court agencies, and they have the right to execute first and report later." "The Dragon Guarding Clan is only responsible for the safety of the Emperor and the Imperial Court. They have no power over investigations or judicial proceedings. Their identities are also top secret, and even they received the news."

Zhu Jinzhen glanced at Lu Xiaofeng and said to himself, "It seems that the news that I am colluding with foreigners and selling out my country, and plotting treason and usurping the throne, has spread throughout the court and the country."

The reception room of Tiance Mansion.

It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Even though Lu Xiaofeng, Ximen Chuxue and Hua Manlou had a premonition that His Royal Highness Prince Su might not do anything to them, their hearts sank when Zhu Jinzhen uttered the last words.

If it weren’t for the people from the Tiance Mansion who were watching closely.

Lu Xiaofeng really wanted to run away.

But the person in front of him was Zhu Jinzhen, and he was surrounded by soldiers from the Tian Ce Palace. The worst of them were at the level of Grand Master of Celestial Phenomena, and there was also a land-based sword immortal. This made Lu Xiaofeng even more desperate than the Dongchang Sky Prison and the Dali Temple Prison, and he dared not act rashly.

I can only wait anxiously for Zhu Jinzhen's next words.

"Lu Xiaofeng, everyone says you're a smart man. I'd like to ask, do you think this is a frame-up?" Zhu Jinzhen's eyes flashed dangerously. "Or is it a long-planned conspiracy?"

Lu Xiaofeng felt a slight numbness in his body.

But he really didn't have an answer to this question, so he could only bite the bullet and say, "Before answering Your Highness's question, Lu Xiaofeng has a question. Could Your Highness please help me solve it first?"

"Be bold!"

A Tiance soldier shouted angrily.

"Go back."

"Yes."

The Tiance soldiers glared at Lu Xiaofeng, lowered their heads, and stepped aside.

Zhu Jinzhen nodded: "It's okay to ask."

"Your Highness, I have only one question. If the Mongols and the Liao invade again, and Jiayuguan is isolated and helpless, what will Your Highness do?"

"It won't happen one day."

Zhu Jinzhen shook his head with certainty, his eyes cold and icy. "I will never give the Mongols and the Liao a chance to make a comeback. If your assumption is true, and that day really comes, I will defend the Ming territory and protect our people just as I did back then."

"This will never change."

"Well, I understand." Lu Xiaofeng bowed.

Zhu Jinzhen looked at Lu Xiaofeng deeply and said, "It seems that this question is not what you want to ask."

"Your Highness has a keen eye."

Lu Xiaofeng smiled bitterly and nodded.

Although he was concerned about the country and the people, he was not stupid. How could he ask such an offensive question at such a juncture?

Just when Lu Xiaofeng thought the matter was over and everyone knew what was going on, Zhu Jinzhen unexpectedly did not follow the routine and asked directly, "So, regarding the matter of treason, was the question just now from His Majesty the Emperor's intention?"

"It's going to happen."

Lu Xiaofeng's heart was pounding, and he quickly shook his head: "Your Highness has misunderstood. The question just now was indeed what that person meant, but it is definitely not a conspiracy to rebel."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jinzhen burst into laughter. "Hahahaha, Lu Xiaofeng, ah Lu Xiaofeng. How can you be so sure that the news of me colluding with foreigners and selling out the country, plotting treason and usurping the throne, wasn't the Emperor's intention?"

"The East Factory, the West Factory, the Imperial Guard, the Six Gates, the Dragon Guard Villa, and the Dragon Guard Clan all received the same news. With such a plan and layout, besides the Emperor, who else could have done it?"

Ximen Chuxue and Hua Manlou frowned.

Although Zhu Jinzhen's tone was unfriendly, what he said did make sense.

At the same time, it involved so many special institutions in the imperial court, and they all received accurate news that Zhu Jinzhen, the Prince of Su, intended to rebel and collude with foreigners to sell out the country.

The biggest suspect is naturally the emperor.

Because by getting rid of Zhu Jinzhen, the Prince of Su who might shake the emperor's position, the person who would benefit the most would naturally be the emperor.

However, Lu Xiaofeng knew that this was a misunderstanding.

At least based on the information he has at the moment, he can be sure that this is not the emperor's intention.

In order to avoid deepening Zhu Jinzhen's misunderstanding and making him think that the emperor was going to "cook the dogs after the rabbit is dead", Lu Xiaofeng could only bite the bullet and reply: "Yes, and quite a lot."

"Oh?"

The anger on Zhu Jinzhen's face faded slightly: "What do you think?"

"To mobilize the East and West Factories, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, the Six Gates, and the Dragon Guard Villa simultaneously, only the Emperor can do it."

"But if we just pass on the message, throw the dirty water of the frame-up on His Highness, and let several institutions receive the message at the same time, there is a lot that can be done."

Zhu Jinzhen nodded: "Well, that's right, continue."

"First, the Cabinet..."

As soon as these two words came out, Lu Xiaofeng felt his scalp tingling. Those civil servants were not to be trifled with. Although he was not afraid of them, he really did not dare to offend them to death. He could only hastily skip over them: "The second is the East Factory and the West Factory, the Jinyiwei and so on."

"This is nonsense. Although they are restraining each other, I don't have any deep hatred with them. And if it was a trick they used, it would be hard for me not to suspect that it was instructed by the emperor." Zhu Jinzhen said bluntly that the East Factory and the West Factory were the emperor's household slaves, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard were the emperor's sword.

If it was really the work of these three forces, then there would be absolutely nothing wrong in him putting the blame on the emperor.

Lu Xiaofeng smiled bitterly and continued, "The third one is the Iron-hearted Divine Marquis of the Guarding Dragon Villa."

"Zhu ignored?"

Zhu Jinzhen narrowed his eyes slightly, half smiling, "I've never had much contact with the Iron-hearted Divine Marquis, but I've heard that he's loyal and courageous, righteous, and upright. He takes it as his duty to uphold the Ming Dynasty. Anyone who undermines the government and endangers the royal family will be killed without mercy."

"If he feels that his own actions threaten the Ming Dynasty and the Emperor's rule."

"It's reasonable to frame me for conspiracy and collaborating with the enemy."

Zhu Jinzhen knew Zhu Wusi's character better than anyone else. He was very cunning and a treacherous man who appeared loyal.

But that doesn't stop him from saying so.

Lu Xiaofeng nodded helplessly: "Your Highness, this is just speculation after all."

Although it was just a guess, Lu Xiaofeng felt that it was indeed possible.

Regardless of his stance, motivation, or ability, Zhu Wusi, the Iron-hearted Divine Marquis, was a suspect, especially when Lu Xiaofeng found out some things he shouldn't have known and felt that the Iron-hearted Divine Marquis didn't seem to be so righteous.

I'm too lazy to argue for Zhu Wusi.

"Any more?"

Zhu Jinzhen remained unmoved and calmly asked, "Is this the work of the Iron-hearted Divine Marquis? I will investigate thoroughly. If it is indeed his doing, even if he truly did it to maintain the stability of the Ming Dynasty, I will demand an explanation from him."

"Have."

Lu Xiaofeng gritted his teeth and thought to himself, "I've already offended enough people today, so I'm not afraid of offending a few more."

"The power of Prince Su's Mansion is growing, and it's inevitable that it will attract envy and jealousy. Besides those in the court, there are also those who want to pass on the information to several intelligence agencies at the court to frame His Highness for treason..."

“Several royal palaces!”

Lu Xiaofeng's guesses and inferences were absolutely earth-shattering.

Ximen Chuxue and Hua Manlou frowned at the same time, looking thoughtful.

"How many palaces?"

Zhu Jinzhen's eyes moved slightly. He didn't expect that the answer given by Lu Xiaofeng would actually implicate several other royal palaces, but when he thought about it carefully, he did have the motive, ability, and position.

(End of this chapter)