The Ming Dynasty: Starting with taking Old Zhu on a journey to the future

"The reputation of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is known to all."

The Ministry of Justice also emphasizes the importance of evidence in arresting people.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards wouldn't talk about it; if there was no evidence, they would fabricate it.

The deterrent effect has been achieved.

Jiang Huan then got straight to the point: "The night before last, one of our brothers in the Embroidered Uniform Guard died."

"The murderer escaped through the Jinchuan Gate in the north of the city that night."

"Who is in charge of opening and closing the Jinchuan Gate?"

The Five City Military Commands each had positions such as Commander and Deputy Commander.

There is one commander and usually four deputy commanders.

The four northern gates—Zhongfu Gate, Jinchuan Gate, Shence Gate, and Taiping Gate—were each managed by a deputy commander.

Jin Chuan Gate was managed by Deputy Commander Qi Heng.

Mao Lei respectfully replied, "It is Deputy Commander Qi Heng."

The answer was obtained.

Jiang Huan slowly stood up and glanced at everyone.

Who is Qi Heng?

"Reporting to Your Excellency, Qi Heng did not appear at the Command Post today."

Didn't come? Looks like he has something to hide.

"Go to his house and arrest him!"

Jiang Huan, meanwhile, was inside the military headquarters, waiting for his men to bring Qi Heng to him.

About half an incense stick's time.

Ding Qiu walked up to Jiang Huan and whispered in her ear, "Qi Heng committed suicide."

"suicide?"

"Yes, when my men arrived at his house, Qi Heng had already committed suicide there."

Jiang Huan took a deep breath and slowly stood up: "The deputy commander of the North City Military Command, a seventh-rank official, can die so easily."

Although, if we say he killed dozens or even hundreds of officials of the seventh rank, there were at least a dozen.

Some of them were scared to death.

This is the first time someone has committed suicide before even coming to their door.

It seems that the person behind Qi Heng is not to be underestimated.

"Mao Lei".

"exist."

"I need a list of everyone who entered the city through the north gate in the past few days."

Since they escaped through the north gate, they must have come from the north.

They must have entered through the north gate.

There are always some clues that can be found.

Upon hearing this, Mao Lei immediately instructed the officials to begin investigating the list of people who had entered the city in the past few days.

Entering Beijing requires an official travel permit from the point of departure.

The name and place of origin on the travel permit also need to be recorded.

If something goes wrong, we can use these things to trace it back.

Otherwise, if someone enters the city and assassinates the emperor, the entire Five Cities Garrison will be in danger.

When entering, a road sign was used.

This way, you only need to retrieve all the entry records for the past few days.

Then they were screened one by one.

There is a record of entering the city, but the person is not in the capital.

These people are most likely the ones who attempted to assassinate Lan Chen.

After a full day of investigation and comparison.

Jiang Huan eventually found a list.

Looking at the names on the list, Jiang Huan fell into deep thought.

Zhu Gaoxu, the second son of the Prince of Yan, and his accompanying guards.

Jiang Huan looked at Ding Qiu: "Are you sure he's not in the capital?"

Ding Qiu nodded.

"Everything except the Imperial Palace and the Duke of Wei's residence has been investigated."

Zhu Gaoxu's reason for going to the capital was to visit his uncle, Xu Huizu.

The palace is unlikely.

After all, the emperor wouldn't summon Zhu Gaoxu to the capital without a reason.

Among all the imperial grandsons, Zhu Gaoxu was not among those whom Zhu Yuanzhang favored.

On the contrary, there was Zhu Gaochi.

So, if Zhu Gaoxu is not in the Duke of Wei's residence, that means...

The person who assassinated Lan Chen was very likely Zhu Gaoxu.

Jiang Huan immediately stood up: "Let's go to the Duke of Wei's residence."

……

The Duke's Mansion of the State of Wei.

After returning from military training in Henan last year, the imperial court has not dispatched any other military personnel.

Therefore, Xu Huizu has been staying at home these days, studying various military books.

Just as Xu Huizu was reading, the butler knocked on the door.

"master."

"What is it?"

"Jiang Huan, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, requests an audience."

Xu Huizu was slightly taken aback and looked up at the window.

Jiang Huan? Does His Majesty intend to target the Duke of Wei's mansion as well?

After thinking it over, Xu Huizu put down the military book in his hand, got up and opened the door.

"Please let them in."

Jiang Huan entered the courtyard, saw Xu Huizu, and bowed respectfully: "Duke of Wei."

Xu Huizu returned the greeting: "I wonder what important matter brings Commander Jiang to my residence, the Duke of Wei's residence?"

Jiang Huan glanced around.

She smiled slightly and said, "I've come here to ask one thing: Is the imperial grandson Zhu Gaoxu at the Duke of Wei's residence?"

The grandson of the emperor, Zhu Gaoxu? Xu Huizu shook his head.

"When did Zhu Gaochi come to the capital? How come I didn't know?"

Doesn't Xu Huizu know?

This means that Zhu Gaoxu did not actually come to the capital to see Xu Huizu.

If it wasn't at the Duke of Wei's residence, then we can be certain that it happened after Zhu Gaoxu entered the capital.

Then it disappeared.

It seems that he left Yingtian Prefecture on the very night of the assassination attempt.

"I understand. Then I won't bother Duke Wei any longer."

The matter is now clear.

The person who assassinated Lan Chen was most likely Zhu Gaoxu, the second son of the Prince of Yan.

As for the motive for the murder.

I had long heard that when the Crown Prince was alive, Lan Yu and Zhu Di had a very strained relationship.

Many spoke ill of Zhu Di in front of the Crown Prince, thus incurring his wrath.

……

The Imperial Palace.

study.

Jiang Huan presented a file with both hands.

"Your Majesty, the person who assassinated Lan Chen has been identified."

"On the morning of the 8th, the grandson of the emperor, Zhu Gaoxu, entered the capital and on the evening of the 9th, he led his guards to assassinate Lan Chen."

Zhu Yuanzhang flipped through the files that Jiang Huan had compiled.

The time, place, and pattern of the activities were recorded very clearly.

"After the assassination, he left the capital through Jinchuan Gate that very night."

"The deputy commander of the North City Garrison Command, who was in charge of guarding the city gates, committed suicide last night out of fear of punishment."

Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhu Yuanzhang did have some impression of this grandson of the emperor.

Lacking manners, frivolous in speech and behavior, and arrogant in conduct.

Lan Yu had a grudge against Zhu Di, and Zhu Gaoxu wanted to vent his anger on Lan Chen in order to avenge his father.

It's not necessarily impossible.

Others act logically, but Zhu Gaoxu does not; he acts recklessly and without any sense of reason.

"Your Majesty, shall I lead men to arrest him?"

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment.

There are actually some of the Fourth Prince's men in the Five Cities Military Command? Does the Fourth Prince have long harbored rebellious intentions, or am I just overthinking things?

Thinking of Zhu Di's future rebellion, Zhu Yuanzhang slowly said, "Jiang Huan, if I remember correctly..."

"According to Lan Yu's confession, Aru Temur and Nairbuhua, the surrendered generals of the Prince of Yan's mansion, are suspected of plotting a rebellion, aren't they?"

Jiang Huan was slightly taken aback. "Really?"

Aru Temur and Nairbuqa were both former generals of the Yuan Dynasty, and in the twenty-third year of the Hongwu reign.

He was persuaded by Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan, to surrender and submit to the Ming Dynasty.

After that, their troops settled down in Beiping.

These two were also the first achievements of Prince Yan, Zhu Di, in his expedition to the northern desert.

He was a true confidant of the Prince of Yan.

Jiang Huan looked into the emperor's cold eyes, his heart skipped a beat, and he instantly understood.

"Yes."

Go and summon Zhu Shan.

Soon, Zhu Shan, a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, arrived at the study.

"His Majesty."

"Proposed recruitment."

"Yes." Zhu Shan held the vermilion brush and unfolded the imperial edict.

"Aru Temur and Nairbuqa plotted a rebellion. The Duke of Wei, Xu Huizu, was ordered to go north to join forces with the Prince of Yan to arrest the two and escort them to the capital for interrogation."

"The Prince of Yan accompanied and escorted them south to the capital."

After the edict was written, Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at it, and seeing that there were no problems, he spoke.

"Send it to the Duke of Wei's residence."

Jiang Huan continued, "Your Majesty, what should we do with Zhu Gaochi?"