Chen Di then stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, the false king Yi Seong-gye has proclaimed himself the Supreme King. Two years ago, Yi Bang-won launched a rebellion, killing Yi Seong-gye’s crown prince Yi Bang-seok and his brother Yi Bang-ban. Both of them were born to Yi Seong-gye’s principal wife. Yi Bang-won’s other sons were all born to his concubines.”

There's a reason for this, as the practice of having multiple wives is currently prevalent in Korea. Yi Seong-gye's principal wife was the one he married in Gaegyeong, hence the title "Gyeong-ji wife" (meaning "Gyeong-ji wife"). His concubines were the wives he married in his hometown, hence the title "Hō-ji wife" (meaning "Hō-ji wife").

In fact, when Yi Bang-won launched the first Prince Rebellion two years ago, many people in the court had already heard about some things in Joseon.

However, now that Lee Bang-won has launched the Second Prince Rebellion, he is simply challenging the bottom line of the Ming Dynasty's emperor and his ministers. This Lee Bang-won is truly lawless, disrespectful to the emperor and his father!

This is a struggle for the throne, and it's even a rebellion by a son born out of wedlock. They had already killed the legitimate son, and now they're fighting amongst themselves... Each of these things challenges the bottom line of traditional Confucian scholars, and these are things they cannot tolerate.

A murmur of discussion instantly broke out in the court and among the public, with many expressing extreme anger. Li Fangyuan's actions had truly incurred the wrath of both heaven and man.

Ru Chang stepped forward at this moment, speaking angrily, "Your Majesty, the false king Yi Seong-gye of Goryeo murdered the emperor and usurped the throne, and his son imprisoned his father and killed his brother. Such acts of defiance against human ethics have angered both Heaven and the people!"

The Confucian scholar Huang Zicheng wept bitterly, seeing the events in Goryeo as an outright tragedy of human relations. These were things he truly could not tolerate.

Zhu Yunying did not rush to express his opinion at this time, and for him, there was really no need to rush. In short, it was not appropriate for him, as the emperor, to take action now. If he were to take action, it would essentially mean that the matter had been settled and a final decision had been made.

Judging from the progress, Zhu Yunying is quite satisfied. Although there are some dissenting voices, overall it's not bad.

"Your Majesty, Goryeo was originally a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. Given such a calamity befalling Goryeo, the court should send envoys to rebuke it."

"Absurd! Goryeo is two-faced, and previously even submitted to the Mongol Yuan dynasty with the intention of seizing Liaodong. Our dynasty has long since ceased to recognize Goryeo as a vassal state; how can we send envoys here?"

“We think you’re the ones who’re confused! Yi Seong-gye and his son are both beasts! Those people plotted to usurp the throne, imprisoned their fathers and murdered their brothers, and you’re afraid of sending them? If you ask us, our Great Ming should raise an army!”

"No, absolutely not! In the past, Emperor Yang of Sui suffered heavy losses in his eastern expedition against Goguryeo, which led to turmoil throughout the country. Emperor Taizong of Tang also failed to achieve complete success in his campaign against Goguryeo."

"How can you speak of war so lightly! The Goryeo king and his ministers are barbaric..."

"What ruler and subject! Those who have no ruler or father should naturally be exterminated!"

These people seem to be having conflicts now, and their opinions are starting to differ. This is probably the most normal situation.

Although everyone is united in their indignation at what happened in Korea, and it seems that no one can tolerate such things happening, this is quite normal, because what happened there challenges everyone's bottom line of understanding, and those things do indeed challenge traditional human ethics and morality.

To demand an explanation, a strategy is needed, as ordinary actions would be ineffective and might even cause the Ming Dynasty to lose face.

Some people think that sending envoys to demand an explanation at this time would be sufficient, while others believe that a more direct approach, such as launching a military campaign, is necessary.

However, this raises a problem. The campaigns against Goguryeo during the Sui and Tang dynasties were not very effective, and many people felt that they should learn from past mistakes and not take any major actions at this time.

Some people also felt that it would be sufficient to station troops in Liaodong as a deterrent. As long as envoys from Goryeo arrived, the court could issue an edict to reprimand them. In their view, that was about enough, and the attitude of the Ming court would be clear.

It's perfectly normal for there to be controversy, and the inability to reach a consensus was something everyone had expected.

Zhu Yunying is genuinely not in a hurry; he can certainly wait. Even though he has already made up his mind, it doesn't stop the important officials in the court from continuing to discuss the matter.

Although the emperor is autocratic, there are some things he shouldn't do too much of and should still respect his ministers.

7017k