Ming Dynasty: Charge, Emperor Yongle!

Chapter 94 Li Shanchang's Fury, Crown Prince Zhu Biao: The sky has fallen!!!

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Sheng Yong stumbled into the East Palace, looking completely disoriented.

"Did you stop the fourth brother?"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao asked anxiously.

"Marquis Yongjia, Zhu Liangzu, gathered a crowd to plot a rebellion, but was killed on the spot by His Highness Prince Yan, and his head was cut off and hung at Fengtian Gate."

"Marquis Tang Shengzong of Yan'an, Marquis Lu Zhongheng of Ji'an, and Marquis Zhou Dexing of Jiangxia attempted to rebel but were killed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"Marquis of Huai'an, Hua Yunlong, and Marquis of Jining, Gu Shi, surrendered without resistance, and their entire families were imprisoned."

"Ta-da!"

Zhu Biao stumbled back several steps, barely managing to steady himself by bracing himself against the edge of the table with one hand.

The sky has fallen; Zhu Di has ripped the sky apart. How could the nobles of Huaixi accept this? How could the generals in the army not harbor resentment?

"Your Highness."

"Zhu Liangzu made outrageous remarks in front of the Yongjia Marquis's residence, tarnishing the emperor's reputation."

"The officials, nobles, and common people all heard it."

Sheng Yong added bitterly.

What?

Zhu Biao shouted angrily, "Zhu Liangzu deserves to die!"

He knew his father Zhu Yuanzhang's character better than anyone else; he was intolerant of even the slightest flaw.

If it were just the six marquises gathering a crowd to rebel and assassinate a prince, killing them would be the end of it; at most, the officials and nobles would be appeased. But now, Zhu Liangzu has done such a thing. If Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang does not punish them, the people's hearts will be in turmoil, and who will submit to the Zhu family?

Clearly, because of Zhu Liangzu's words, Zhu Yuanzhang was bound to raise his sword and unleash a massacre.

"Shouzhong" (守忠).

"Quickly, go tell the Empress Dowager!"

In his anxiety, Zhu Biao instructed the eunuch attending to the Crown Prince beside him.

"This servant will go and invite Her Majesty the Empress immediately."

Shouzhong quickly left the East Palace.

"Your Highness, I am ashamed that I failed to stop the Prince of Yan."

Sheng Yong was filled with shame. He was terrified by what Prince Yan, Zhu Di, said and dared not step forward. He could only watch helplessly as this happened.

"Sheng Yong".

Zhu Biao encouraged him, saying, "It's none of your business."

"The fourth brother is used to being domineering, and Zhu Liangzu and the others dared to gather a group to assassinate him; they deserve to die!"

"I have noted what happened today. Go and make preparations. You do not need to stand guard at the East Palace."

"Your Highness!"

Sheng Yong felt as if he had heard thunder, and his face turned deathly pale. He thought that Zhu Biao was going to exile him because he hadn't handled the matter well.

"You know Zhang Yu, right?"

"Brother Shimei?"

Sheng Yong was astonished to hear the name of his former colleague from Crown Prince Zhu Biao.

"He is now the commander of the left flank of the Fifth Army Camp, one of the three guards of the Prince of Yan, a fourth-rank official."

"The imperial court will reorganize the local garrisons and establish the Imperial Guard, the Capital Guard, the Border Guard, and the local garrisons."

"The Imperial Guards were established with twelve guards, including the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Flag Bearers Guard, the Four Guards of the Imperial Household, and the Left and Right Guards of the Golden Guard."

The Imperial Guards (Left and Right), the Tiger Guards (Left and Right), and the Flag Bearers (Shoulder Guards) were responsible for the emperor's drums, flags, and banners, and led strongmen to accompany and guard the emperor.

"I wish to recommend you as the Commander of the Standard Guard."

Zhu Biao spoke up.

"This humble general kowtows in gratitude to Your Highness!"

Sheng Yong was surprised by the unexpected turn of events. He had just been envious of Zhang Yu for becoming a fourth-rank military officer, but now he had suddenly become a third-rank commander of the flag guards. Overwhelmed with emotion, he quickly kowtowed to express his gratitude.

"Go down."

Zhu Biao waved his hand, not paying much attention to the matter; his most important task at the moment was to clean up Zhu Di's mess.

"Yes."

Sheng Yong walked briskly and quickly left the Eastern Palace.

at the same time.

News of what happened in the six marquisate residences is spreading throughout the capital, causing a great uproar.

.

The usually closed gates of the Han State Duke's residence welcomed an uninvited guest: Hu Weiyong, the Left Vice Minister of the Secretariat.

"What did I say again?"

"If these soldiers cannot be controlled, they will suffer a terrible disaster."

"It's not that Zhu Liangzu's death is a big deal, but it has caused such a disaster."

"You haven't drawn your sword all these years since you came to power. Do you all think that those in power are incapable of killing?"

Li Shanchang was so angry that his beard trembled, and his wrinkled face showed fear and unease.

Who was Zhu Yuanzhang? He was an unparalleled hero throughout history. He, Zhu Sheng, and the Four Masters of Zhejiang willingly submitted to him. Such an emperor could be called the Son of Heaven. He could decide the life and death of thousands of people with a single word without even blinking an eye.

The assassination of a prince is a serious crime in itself. The fact that six marquises conspired to commit the crime and gathered so many soldiers in their homes constitutes treason.

Zhu Liangzu's words before his death undoubtedly pushed Zhu Yuanzhang's bottom line, making the entire Huaixi nobility a target of public criticism.

"The old prime minister."

"The Duke of Song, the Marquis of Yingchuan, the Marquis of Changxing, and others have asked me to ask you for an idea."

Hu Weiyong also felt very troubled at this moment, and his already dark face became even more gloomy.

He never imagined that Zhu Liangzu had done such a big thing behind his back. He was even stupid enough to gather his servants, adopted sons and nephews in the capital to try and challenge the Prince of Yan. Did he deserve it? The Prince of Yan's three guards: the Three Thousand Battalion, the Five Armies Battalion, and the Divine Machine Battalion, were all elites who had crawled out of piles of corpses.

"Make a decision, but what do you mean by 'make a decision'?"

Li Shanchang pointed at Hu Weiyong, his withered hand trembling uncontrollably.

"The old prime minister."

"This matter is definitely not going to end well."

"The Prince of Yan acted arbitrarily by mobilizing the Embroidered Uniform Guard to surround and kill six marquises, thus forcing them to rebel."

"We are in the right with His Majesty."

Hu Weiyong's eyes flashed with a cold light. Now that things had come to this, he could only focus his anger on Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan.

"madness!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shanchang flew into a rage and said hoarsely, "Do you think His Majesty would care?"

"During the second northern expedition, Lan Yu adopted over a hundred sons in the army. Do you know what His Majesty said?"

"His Majesty said that he only accepted about twenty adopted sons back then, while Lan Yu accepted more than five times that number."

"Today, Zhu Liangzu has gathered so many servants, adopted sons and nephews, and openly rebelled."

"Ask those soldiers, every single one of them, not one of them has taken in fewer adopted sons or nephews."

"These men are scattered throughout the army, wielding military power. His Majesty feels a thorn in his side; how can he not be wary of Xun Gui?"

"Now you're bringing up the Prince of Yan and trying to force him to abdicate again? Do you think His Majesty's sword has lost its edge?"

"Old Prime Minister, I..."

Hu Weiyong was left speechless by the question.

"Since you've come to ask me on their behalf, I'll only say one thing: do nothing."

"Wait, until His Majesty summons them!"

"Qi'er, see the guest out."

Li Shanchang waved his sleeve and didn't look at Hu Weiyong again.

"Prime Minister Hu"

"My father is tired, please leave."

Li Shanchang's eldest son, Li Qi, was like a refined gentleman, gesturing with his hand.

"Ugh!"

Hu Weiyong sighed, glanced at Li Shanchang, and left somewhat unwillingly.

"master."

The coachman waiting outside the mansion gate immediately brought out a low stool, helped Hu Weiyong into the carriage, and sent him back to his residence.

"Master, Lord Chen has arrived."

As soon as Hu Weiyong returned to the Dao Mansion, the steward came up to him and told him some news.

"Chen Ning is here?"

Upon hearing this, he hurried to his study and met Chen Ning, the Imperial Censor-in-Chief, a native of Huguang who succeeded Liu Bowen as head of the Censorate.

"Prime Minister Hu"

Chen Ning hurriedly stepped forward, having always regarded Hu Weiyong, who had recommended him, as his benefactor.

"Why are you here?"

Hu Weiyong frowned and asked.

The Censorate was an institution for supervising officials in the Ming Dynasty, which was in opposition to the Secretariat. He did not want anyone to know about his relationship with Chen Ning, especially to arouse Zhu Yuanzhang's suspicion that the two were colluding. Therefore, he usually did not associate with Chen Ning.

"Prime Minister Hu"

"A major event that happened in the capital."

"Should the Censorate submit a memorial impeaching the Prince of Yan for his misconduct?"

Chen Ning quickly raised the question: the Censorate is in charge of this kind of work that offends people; if they do nothing, they will seem useless.

"No."

Hu Weiyong immediately stopped him: "This matter concerns the nobles and the princes."

"If the Censorate gets involved, it will only make things worse and out of control."

"His Majesty already intended to appoint Liu Ji; your actions will only benefit him."

Thump!

Chen Ning felt a chill run down his spine. Liu Bowen could be considered the founder of the Censorate. If he were to return to the Censorate, how could he still hold absolute power?

"Go back immediately and discipline your subordinates."

"The Censorate can simply observe from the sidelines."

Hu Weiyong patiently gave instructions.

"Yes."

Chen Ning quickly turned and left.

Inside the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang was listening to a report from Geng Tianbi, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Prince Zhu Di of Yan sat to the side, drinking tea, looking quite content.

"His Majesty."

"The relatives and servants of the six marquises number over 1,200 and are currently detained in the imperial prison."

"Hua Yunlong, Marquis of Huai'an, and Gu Shi, Marquis of Jining, were also among them."

At this point, Geng Tianbi carefully observed Zhu Yuanzhang's expression.

"You can go now."

..

Zhu Yuanzhang said expressionlessly.

"Yes."

Geng Tianbi slowly withdrew from Fengtian Hall.

"Smack!!!"

After he left, Zhu Yuanzhang finally lost his temper and smashed a teacup on the ground.

"His Majesty."

The eunuchs and palace servants serving in the palace were all so frightened that they knelt down on the ground, trembling with fear.

"These beasts who have no ruler or father."

"I was too lenient and let them become so arrogant and domineering."

"Kill them all! Kill them all! Let the world know that anyone who dares to draw their sword against the royal family will have their entire family executed!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was deep and chilling, as cold and murderous as ice from the depths of hell. The actions of Zhu Liangzu and the others had completely ignited his killing intent.

He asked himself why he had treated these old brothers so well since the founding of the country, giving them whatever they wanted and even turning a blind eye to their illegal activities, yet they had ended up like this. These people were so audacious that they even dared to intercept and kill their own sons.

More importantly, it was Zhu Liangzu's last words that were hitting his sore spot repeatedly, which was intolerable.

"Hey old man, calm down."

"He's over forty years old, how come he still has such a short temper like a young boy?"

"Those who deserved to die and those who didn't deserve to die have all been killed. Was it really necessary to get so worked up over some of these petty clowns?"

Zhu Di toyed with the teacup in his hand, completely ignoring the matter, as if he wasn't the evil star who ordered the siege of the six marquis's mansions.

"You brat."

"You're deliberately trying to make your father look bad."

"We don't believe you didn't notice these people when you were in Anqing."

Zhu Yuanzhang glared angrily at Zhu Di with displeasure. It was very strange that Zhu Di could sort out the matter so quickly and eradicate the people involved.

The only explanation is that Zhu Di had already obtained evidence of Zhu Liangzu and others' crimes long ago, but only took action now.

"Old man."

You should speak with a clear conscience.

"I told you back then, without any evidence, how could you kill Zhu Liangzu?"

"The moment you make a move, the nobles of Huaixi will immediately kneel before the Fengtian Hall. Let's see what you do then."

"Now that I've given you an opportunity, you're turning around and accusing me. Is there no justice in this world?"

Zhu Di snorted coldly, mocking Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Then we should thank you."

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at Zhu Di with increasingly hostile eyes; this little brat was becoming more and more difficult to discipline.

"There's absolutely no need for that."

Zhu Di spread his hands and said in a roguish tone, "If you really want to reward me with something, you might as well transfer Geng Tianbi away."

"Aren't you currently assembling the Imperial Guard, the Twelve Guards of the Imperial Household?"

"Perfect, let him be the commander of the vanguard of the imperial guard."

"it is good."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

He could see that Geng Tianbi's personality was too straightforward, his heart wasn't hard enough, and his methods weren't ruthless enough, so he was indeed unsuitable to be the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Commander of the Imperial Guard's Vanguard, a young soldier in charge of rotating bodyguards, was one of the emperor's most trusted confidants, which suited him well.

"Also, Mao Xiangjin, the Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is the Commander-in-Chief."

"The Northern Garrison Commander Jiang and the Southern Garrison Commander Song Zhongjin, the Deputy Commanders, will continue to hold command of the Northern and Southern Garrison Offices, respectively."

"Tie Xuan was originally a scholar, but his experience as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was somewhat of a waste for him."

"He did a good job this time. How about promoting him to Prefect of Fengyang?"

Zhu Di listed the merits of his subordinates as if they were his own treasures.

"brush!!!"

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Zhu Di, realizing that his fourth son's arrangements were unusual.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard eliminated the superfluous personnel, leaving only three commanders and deputy commanders who had risen from the bottom. None of these people had any background. Moreover, they had arrested hundreds of officials from the Secretariat and the Six Ministries, and also killed six marquises, offending everyone they could.

Allowing these people to take command of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is tantamount to turning the Imperial Guard into a mad dog, biting anyone it can get its hands on.

As for Tie Xuan, he was appreciated by Zhu Yuanzhang for his outstanding academic performance during his studies at the Imperial Academy and was sent to Henan for training. He was skilled in both literature and martial arts, and had a strong and loyal character. Such a person was undoubtedly a tough nut to crack for local officials.

Placing Tie Xuan in Fengyang Prefecture, the birthplace of the dragon, is tantamount to dropping a thunderbolt into the center of a whirlpool.

"You little brat."

Do you have any opinions about Fengyang?

Zhu Yuanzhang vaguely felt that Zhu Di had his own purpose in doing everything, and that demoting Tie Xuan to the position of prefect of Fengyang could not simply be a way of promoting Tie Xuan.

"What can I possibly say about what you're saying?"

"You let the Duke of Han build Zhongdu Fengyang, and you also relocated 140,000 wealthy households from Jiangnan."

2

"If I remember correctly, in the second year of the Hongwu reign, Fengyang County had a population of just over 16000, and the entire Fengyang Prefecture had a population of no more than 13."

"Now it's probably worth two or three hundred thousand."

"I heard that you also plan to station at least twelve garrisons in Fengyang, and with the families, the number will probably be close to 200,000."

"In this way, the population of Fengyang Prefecture will approach 500,000. We will also be exempt from taxes for ten years, undertake large-scale water conservancy projects, expand the passes and roads, and send a shrewd and capable prefect there. In just a few years, we can build it into the largest prefecture north of the Yangtze River. Why not do it?"

Zhu Di smiled and raised his cup to Zhu Yuanzhang, completely ignoring his father's words.

"???"

Zhu Yuanzhang felt something was off about it, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He didn't believe Zhu Di was such an honest man; his words revealed his concern for the capital of the Ming Dynasty.