Ming Dynasty: The Jingnan Rebellion has just been successful, and Zhu Yuanzhang has been resurrected

Chapter 100 Tell me loudly, can I sit on this throne?
"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Ma Sanbao nodded, turned around and walked away.

"The glorious moment has come!" Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Neng, Sheng Yong and Li Jinglong all looked awe-inspiring.

"Swish!"

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Neng looked at each other, puffed out their chests proudly, and stood straight.

Both of them are old men who followed Zhu Yunhuan to start an uprising in Fengyang and fight all the way to Yingtian Prefecture. At this moment, they have absolute qualifications to be proud.

Sheng Yong looked hesitant and conflicted for a while, then he straightened his chest after hesitation.

Although he did not follow Zhu Yunhuan to start the rebellion in Fengyang, he joined halfway and caught the last train in time, so he was also proud of it at this moment!
"Shh!"

Li Jinglong held his head high and chest out, looking proud!

Not only did he destroy 500,000 imperial troops in Fengyang, severely consuming a wave of the imperial court's resources, but when Zhu Yunhuan entered Yingtian Prefecture, he directly led a group of soldiers defending the city to surrender, and his contribution was very great!

"???"

Zhu Gaoxu was a little overwhelmed when he saw Li Jinglong's expression. "How can you, a surrendered general, look prouder than me? Shouldn't you be ashamed? These are all your former colleagues waiting here!"
He glared at Li Jinglong fiercely.

Li Jinglong smiled and nodded at Zhu Gaoxu, then continued to stand.

"."

The corners of Zhu Gaoxu's mouth twitched, and he seemed to be less excited.

"Shhhhh!"

A group of court officials walked into the hall. Some of them looked nervous, some were angry, and some had complicated eyes. Their different expressions represented their mood at the moment.

Although Zhu Yunwen was a waste, he had followed Zhu Yuanzhang for so many years and later successfully sat on the throne. There were still people who were loyal to him, such as Fang Xiaoru who did not escape.

"Everyone." Zhu Yunhuan smiled.

"Zhu Yunhuan, you traitor!" Suddenly, an angry shout rang out, interrupting Zhu Yunhuan's words.

"Shhhhh!"

All the officials in the palace changed their expressions instantly.

Now the entire Yingtian Prefecture is under the control of Zhu Yunhuan. Whoever Zhu Yunhuan wants to die will never see the sun tomorrow. In this situation, some people dare to curse Zhu Yunhuan to his face. Not only are they seeking death, they are also planning to drag them to be buried with him.

"Bang!" Zhu Gaoxu reacted extremely quickly. He rushed forward and punched Fang Xiaoru, knocking him to the ground. Then, still not satisfied, he rushed forward and kicked Fang Xiaoru hard.

"Shhhhh!"

The ministers all had complicated expressions and wanted to say something, but in the end they all kept their mouths shut.

Others are like maggots on the knife, and I am like meat.

Fang Xiaoru's crime was so serious that if they asked for mercy on his behalf, they might end up in trouble themselves.

Li Jinglong hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward to hold Zhu Gaoxu back, saying, "Gaoxu, that's enough. Don't really beat him to death. It's unlucky!"

"Hmph, Fang Xiaoru, if you dare to speak nonsense again, I will kill you!" Zhu Gaoxu snorted coldly, his eyes full of murderous intent.

"Cough cough cough!" Fang Xiaoru coughed violently, stood up tremblingly, spat at Zhu Gaoxu and Li Jinglong, and said, "Bah! I came here today with no intention of continuing to live!"

"You want to die, right? Okay, I'll help you today!" Zhu Gaoxu got annoyed when he heard that, and walked towards Fang Xiaoru with a cold face.

"This"

The ministers looked at each other, and each of them was filled with bitterness.

They had known for a long time that nothing good would be waiting for them in Fengtian Hall today, but seeing blood as soon as they arrived was still a bit beyond their expectations.

"Gao Xu, calm down." Li Jinglong held onto Zhu Gaoxu tightly, blinking at Fang Xiaoru repeatedly and saying, "Master Fang, don't be so stubborn!"

Fang Xiaoru had helped him before, so he wanted to save Fang Xiaoru's life if possible.

"Li Jinglong, stop pretending to be a good guy here. What I regret most now is that I believed you, you villain!" Fang Xiaoru gritted his teeth and cursed Li Jinglong.

At that time, Zhu Yunwen was very hesitant about whether to let Li Jinglong guard the city gate. It was he, Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai who recommended Li Jinglong.

But he never expected that Li Jinglong not only did not seize this last chance to atone for his sins, but turned around and surrendered directly to Zhu Yunhuan.

He hates it!
"Li Jinglong, did you see that? This guy is just a vicious dog, he bites whoever he catches!" Zhu Gaoxu said to Li Jinglong.

Li Jinglong looked calm and did not explain anything.

He could understand why Fang Xiaoru hated him.

However, he was very unhappy about being scolded by Fang Xiaoru in front of so many people.

"It's hard to persuade a damned ghost with kind words!" Li Jinglong remained calm and let go of Zhu Gaoxu's hand.

Since Fang Xiaoru wanted to die, he would help him.

Zhu Gaoxu was freed from restraints, stretched his body, and walked towards Fang Xiaoru with a sneer.

"Could it be that Zhu Gaoxu really dares to kill someone here?"

"The Emperor's grandson, Yun Hun, is watching from above. Could it be that he also wants Fang Xiaoru to die?"

"Fang Xiaoru is really too stubborn!"

"."

The ministers were all thinking about this, each with an extremely complicated expression.

To be honest, although they could not do what Fang Xiaoru did, they had great respect for him in their hearts.

Not everyone can risk their life to confront Zhu Yunhuan, at least they can't do it.

Better to die than live.

Facing death requires great courage!
"Okay, second brother, stop making trouble!" Zhu Yunhuan called out to Zhu Gaoxu.

"Ah?" Zhu Gaoxu was startled, his face filled with astonishment. He looked up at Zhu Yunhuan and said, "Your Highness."

He was very puzzled and didn't understand why Zhu Yunhuan insisted on stopping him.

"Hu Yunhuan, the emperor's grandson, has taken action. Fang Xiaoru should be safe now."

"Fortunately, the Emperor's grandson Yun Hun is relatively rational, otherwise, our days would be much more difficult."

"What would the grandson of the emperor Yunhuan do? Fang Xiaoru was clearly risking his life to rebuke the grandson of the emperor Yunhuan. Under such circumstances, the grandson of the emperor Yunhuan refused to let Zhu Gaoxu take action. Could it be that he planned to endure it?"

"Yun Hun, the grandson of the emperor, called out to Zhu Gaoxu. This was not a good choice. Unless he could get rid of Fang Xiaoru, the situation would be very embarrassing in the end. He would end up with something more than a tiger."

"."

When the ministers saw Zhu Yunhuan come forward, they all felt relieved, but at the same time they were curious about how Zhu Yunhuan would deal with Fang Xiaoru.

In the current situation, Fang Xiaoru is not even afraid of death and certainly has no concerns. If Zhu Yunhuan fails to resolve this issue, his reputation will definitely suffer a great blow.

"Hmph!" Fang Xiaoru snorted coldly, looking at Zhu Yunhuan with a cold gaze: "Zhu Yunhuan, stop pretending to be a good person. I am here today. You can kill me or chop me up as you please. But if you want me to bow my head, I advise you to forget it."

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Fang Xiaoru with a calm expression.

Fang Xiaoru showed no fear at all and looked at Zhu Yunhuan.

Zhu Yunhuan smacked his lips, reached out and grabbed a book from the side, threw it at Fang Xiaoru, and said, "Fang Xiaoru, you said I was a traitor. Come, take a good look at this Imperial Instructions and see what it says about the heir to the throne."

"The Imperial Ming Dynasty's ancestral precepts?"

The ministers were stunned, and their eyes were all stunned.

After Zhu Xiongying's death, Zhu Yunhuan became the eldest grandson of the Ming Dynasty and the first heir to the throne.

Zhu Yunhuan's identity was very upright, but the reason why he was imprisoned in Fengyang was too ridiculous.

Fang Xiaoru frowned. He had not expected that Zhu Yunhuan would directly bring up the Ming Dynasty's ancestral precepts, which made him a little at a loss.

"Speak? Why aren't you talking?" Zhu Yunxun asked.

Immediately, he raised his head and looked at the ministers in the hall, his eyes sharp: "The Imperial Ming Dynasty's ancestral precepts clearly state in black and white that the throne of the Great Ming Dynasty shall be inherited by the eldest son and grandson. Am I wrong about this?"

The ministers were silent, each with a complicated expression.

What Zhu Yunhuan said was all true, and even if they wanted to refute it, they couldn't open their mouths.

"In the fifteenth year of Hongwu, my eldest brother passed away."

"In the twenty-fifth year of Hongwu, my father passed away."

"According to the order of succession to the throne as written in the Imperial Instructions of the Ming Dynasty, shouldn't I be the next to sit on the throne?"

Zhu Yunhuan's tone was calm at first, but then his voice gradually became louder until he finally roared.

His eyes were sharp as he stared at the ministers, his aura as strong as a mountain and as vast as the sea.

"Alas!" sighed the ministers, their faces pale and their heads bowed in silence. They were almost breathless under the pressure of Zhu Yunhuan's fiery aura. Fang Xiaoru moved his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.

"But what was the final result?"

"Finally, I was imprisoned behind the high walls of Fengyang."

"Who among you stood up and spoke up for me at that time?"

"Fang Xiaoru, were you dead at that time? Or was your mouth covered by someone?"

"I've only taken back what originally belonged to me, and you've all jumped out, labeling me a rebel without a second thought. But, I want to ask, do any of you know why I started this rebellion?"

Zhu Yunhuan continued, his tone gradually calming down.

The pressure on the ministers eased and they breathed a sigh of relief. However, facing Zhu Yunhuan's questions, doubts arose in their hearts again.

"What's going on? What does Emperor Yunhu mean by this? Is there some hidden reason behind his rebellion?"

"I remember that Wang Yue, who was always by your Majesty's side, suddenly disappeared about half a month ago. I was very confused at the time and made some inquiries, but was told that he had been sent out by your Majesty to do something. Could it be that the rebellion of Emperor Yunhu's grandson was related to this incident?"

"No way? Could it be that the grandson of the Emperor Yunhuan was forced to rebel by Your Majesty?"

"."

The ministers all had complicated expressions.

Although they were just guessing, they could roughly guess it based on the meaning of Zhu Yunhuan's words.

After all, Zhu Yunhuan was the grandson of the emperor, and he was imprisoned behind the high walls of Fengyang. Who could force Zhu Yunhuan to start a rebellion?

Thinking that Zhu Yunwen might have been forced to rebel, all the ministers suddenly became a little impatient. If they didn't have the ability, why would they provoke the emperor's grandson Yunhuan?

"Fang Xiaoru, do you know why I want to rebel?" Zhu Yunhuan looked at Fang Xiaoru and asked.

Fang Xiaoru was silent.

He was not stupid and guessed the truth of the matter. Zhu Yunhuan was probably forced to start a rebellion by Zhu Yunwen.

"Your Majesty, why are you forcing Zhu Yunhuan? He has been imprisoned behind the high walls of Fengyang by the late emperor. Why are you still trying to provoke him?" Fang Xiaoru's heart was filled with bitterness.

Zhu Yunhuan did not end the topic because of Fang Xiaoru's silence. He continued to talk on his own: "The reason I started an uprising is because Zhu Yunwen wanted to kill me and chop off my head. Fang Xiaoru, do you think I should just stretch out my neck and let Zhu Yunwen chop it off?"

"Your Highness." Fang Xiaoru opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

Although he was loyal to Zhu Yunwen, as a scholar, he still had some dignity. He could not say that Zhu Yunwen wanted to kill Zhu Yunhuan and that Zhu Yunhuan should stretch his neck and be killed obediently.

After all, Zhu Yunhuan did nothing. After he was imprisoned in Fengyang, he had no contact with Zhu Yunwen at all.

He had some vague guesses in his mind as to why Zhu Yunwen wanted to kill Zhu Yunhuan. It was nothing more than that Zhu Yunhuan's identity was too upright, and Zhu Yunwen was worried that something unexpected would happen in the future, such as Zhu Yunhuan raising an army. But the problem was that Zhu Yunhuan did not raise an army at that time.

You can't use something that hasn't happened in the future as a reason to take action, right?
That's nonsense!

He could stand in the name of justice and on the moral high ground to scold and curse Zhu Yunhuan, and for this, he could even risk his life. But he could not and did not bother to confuse right and wrong and throw dirty water on Zhu Yunhuan.

"Bah!"

"Bah!"

"Bah!"

Zhu Yunhuan took a step and walked down from the platform.

After a moment, he came to Fang Xiaoru, looked at him and said, "Fang Xiaoru, you should actually thank me!"

"What?" When the ministers heard Zhu Yunhuan's words, they were stunned and wondered if they had heard it wrong.

Fang Xiaoru thanked Zhu Yunhuan?

Thank you for what?
Thank Zhu Yunhuan for seizing the throne from Zhu Yunwen?
Fang Xiaoru was stunned, frowned, and said, "Your Highness, are you joking?"

He thanked Zhu Yunhuan?

Stop it. Although he has nothing to say after being criticized by Zhu Yunhuan, why should he be grateful to Zhu Yunhuan?
"Fang Xiaoru, you are the leader of the civil servants in the world and have a high reputation among the literati. Let me ask you, what does it mean that the emperor has ignored the inheritance system of the eldest son and grandson written in the Ming Dynasty's ancestral precepts? What does this behavior of disregarding the national law mean?" Zhu Yunhuan asked.

Fang Xiaoru frowned and wanted to speak in defense, but he didn't know how to say it.

Zhu Yunwen continued, "From the very beginning, Zhu Yunwen was not qualified to inherit the throne. Grandpa Huang asked him to inherit the Ming Dynasty, which was just a mess. To be frank, even if Zhu Yunwen was nominated as the heir, he would be more legitimate than Zhu Yunwen. There is a difference between legitimate and illegitimate children. Don't say that a son is noble because of his mother. If that's the case, wouldn't it be tempting the concubine to kill the wife and legitimate son?"

In the tenth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yunwen was born.

In the eleventh year of Hongwu, Lu was promoted to Crown Princess.

In the 18th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yunwen was born.

Zhu Yunwen was born when Lu was still a concubine.

Zhu Yunwen was born when Lu was the principal wife.

According to the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, Zhu Yunwen's status is slightly higher than Zhu Yunwen's. This is applicable in any feudal dynasty. Although they have the same father and mother, and Zhu Yunwen spoke earlier than Zhu Yunwen, rules are rules.

Here, problems arise.

Zhu Yunwen was born in the 18th year of Hongwu.

Zhu Yunhuan was born in the 11th year of Hongwu.

In terms of the status of the legitimate son, Zhu Yunwen was not as old as Zhu Yunhuan, so Zhu Yunwen could not compete with Zhu Yunhuan in the order of succession to the throne, unless Zhu Yuanzhang changed the imperial Ming ancestral precepts.

Then, the question arises again. When Zhu Biao died in the 25th year of Hongwu, the Ming Dynasty had already been established for 25 years.

The imperial Ming Dynasty's ancestral precepts are right there.

Everyone knows that in the Ming Dynasty, the throne would be inherited by the eldest son and grandson, but Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to change it?
How could the court officials agree?

Zhu Yuanzhang could have insisted on making changes, but would that have caused chaos? Would it have affected the Ming Dynasty?
If Zhu Yuanzhang were younger, perhaps he could have calmed the crowd with his own prestige, but he was already old at that time and might die one day.

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't dare to gamble.

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen could not inherit the throne.

The system in which the throne is inherited by the eldest legitimate son and grandson of the Ming Dynasty cannot be changed.

In this case, we can only find a way to deal with Zhu Yunwen.

"Shhhhh!"

When the ministers heard Zhu Yunhuan's words, their faces changed.

Zhu Yunhuan's words were too bold, directly referring to the Lu family and mentioning the deaths of Chang and Zhu Xiongying.

This topic is obviously not something that people like them can discuss.

Fang Xiaoru frowned. He wanted to refute Zhu Yunhuan, but what Zhu Yunhuan said seemed to be correct.

The distinction between legitimate and illegitimate sons has a long history, and the people who defend the status of legitimate sons are precisely the scholars of the world.

As the leader of the scholars, he naturally had to maintain the orthodoxy of the royal family. The reason why he was not afraid of death was that he felt that he was dying to defend the dignity of the court and for the orthodoxy of the royal family. His death was magnificent!

But now Zhu Yunhuan's words shattered his pride.

"To put it bluntly, you all fear the majesty of the Emperor. Therefore, you readily accepted any reason that the Emperor casually threw out. The reason why the Emperor chose Zhu Yunwen was to show off his half-baked political skills and for his so-called balance in the court." Zhu Yunwen's face was calm.

He never denied that Zhu Yuanzhang was capable.

However, when it comes to political intrigue, Zhu Yuanzhang's skills are really not that great.

Zhu Yuanzhang was great at fighting, his intelligence, and his iron-fisted tactics.

But he lost his mind and tried to play with the balance of the court, and made many stupid moves after he got started.

If you are careful and read some history books, you will find that many criticisms of Zhu Yuanzhang appeared after he was old.

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang thought he was unparalleled in power and strategy, and he was doing all kinds of things.

As a result, he chose his grandson Zhu Yunwen, who seemed loyal and filial but was actually mean and cold-blooded, to inherit the throne. He chose Fang Xiaoru, Huang Zicheng, and Qi Tai, three loyal but incompetent people to assist Zhu Yunwen. He also chose Li Jinglong, who was not good at fighting, to be Zhu Yunwen's thug. He also made too many stupid moves.

The ministers bowed their heads and remained silent.

Before, they had been avoiding and didn't want to think about these things, but at this moment, Zhu Yunhuan directly pierced the window paper, forcing them to face it head-on.

There was indeed something a little wrong with Zhu Yunwen's succession to the throne.

Zhu Yunhuan looked directly at Fang Xiaoru and said, "I raised an army to reclaim Yingtian Prefecture, not to commit treason, but to restore order and prevent future unrest in the Ming Dynasty."

Fang Xiaoru lowered his head and remained silent.

At this moment, he was like a defeated rooster, no longer having the fighting spirit he had before.

Zhu Yunhuan's face was calm as he walked back to the throne. He looked up at the ministers and said, "My Lords, now, tell me loudly, is this the right place for me to sit on?"

(End of this chapter)