The Imperial Grandson of the Great Ming

In the seventh year of Hongwu, the legitimate eldest grandson of Zhu Yuanzhang, the great ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, was born.

He who resides as the legitimate heir will surely ascend to t...

Chapter 706 Things Have Gone Wrong

Zhu Yunying interrupted him directly, asking, "I'm going to ask you now, is there any concrete evidence?"

Lian Zining immediately replied affirmatively, "Your Majesty, I have already presented everything and hope you will review it!"

Zhu Yunying nodded slightly as he looked at the memorial Lian Zining held up. Wang Chengen naturally understood as well, and quickly walked down the steps, took the memorial, and knelt down in front of Zhu Yunying, raising his hands high.

The court was silent. Many felt that this morning's court session had indeed brought some 'surprises,' completely unexpected. It was so sudden, so completely unforeseen.

Many people had originally intended to advise His Majesty, not wanting to see the Emperor and Crown Prince leave the palace together again. They felt that at least one of them should remain in the palace, so that everyone could feel at ease.

Besides these matters, many officials are also concerned about the Beijing inspection. This concerns the future and career prospects of many officials, and it is closely related to many people, so it naturally deserves more attention. There is also something that can be done about this matter.

But now things have taken a turn for the worse. Many people are preparing, but before they even have a chance to say anything, Lian Zining has already launched an attack. Not only has this disrupted some people's plans, but it's also a direct impeachment of some military officers, and quite influential ones at that.

Han Xun's identity is quite sensitive. He is the heir of the Marquis of Dongping in the Ming Dynasty and will soon inherit the title.

After all, Han Zheng passed away in the eleventh year of the Hongwu reign, which was already twenty years ago. However, it seems that both the Hongwu Emperor and the Yingshi Emperor intentionally or unintentionally ignored Han Xun and never allowed him to inherit the title.

Han Xun at present is only the heir of the Marquis of Dongping, and only a Gentleman of the Palace personally appointed by Emperor Zhu.

This has led many to speculate, as such matters were quite common in the Ming Dynasty. In his early years, Emperor Hongwu also implemented some assessments for succession to titles, which indeed caused difficulties for some heirs over the years. Those who could not pass the assessments were unable to truly inherit the title for a long time.

Even if Han Xun couldn't inherit the title, it could have been argued in the past that he was too young to work or ride a horse. However, Han Xun has now gained experience at the Five Military Commands and has indeed achieved some success. If he is re-evaluated this year, he will certainly be able to inherit the title smoothly.

But at this crucial moment, Lian Zining actually impeached Han Xun, which is quite interesting.

Some of the military officers were united in their hatred, feeling that Lian Zining was deliberately trying to embarrass them. However, others were worried, as Han Xun was a member of the Chang faction, and even if he remained distant, everyone knew his stance.

Now that Han Xun has been impeached, it suggests that His Majesty may be considering curbing or restricting the ever-expanding military achievements of recent years. The Chang clan has indeed become too powerful, as their biggest backer is the current emperor. But is His Majesty planning to start dismantling their power?

These are no small matters, and they certainly raise many questions. Given Chang Xi's status, it's difficult for him not to be sensitive about these things.

Zhu Yunying's expression was also grim as he looked at the memorial. He knew some things, and one could even say he had secretly instructed others to do so. However, he hadn't expected Lian Zining to uncover even more, which naturally angered Zhu Yunying even more; some things had exceeded his expectations!

"Fine, so this is my military merit!" Zhu Yunying slammed the memorial shut and threw it down angrily. "Good! Very good! Is this how you repay the Emperor's favor? Drinking the blood of soldiers isn't enough, you don't even spare the fallen soldiers?!"

Zhu Yunying immediately roared, "Issue an imperial edict to arrest everyone in the Dongping Marquis's residence and throw them into the Imperial Prison! Throw everyone in the Yong'an Marquis's residence into the Dali Temple prison!"

This caused a commotion, and the civil and military officials were now on tenterhooks.

It wasn't enough that Han Xun, the heir of the Marquis of Dongping, was imprisoned; now there's also Liao Yong, the heir of the Marquis of Yong'an. Not only were these two prominent and sensitive nobles thrown into prison, but the entire household was also imprisoned. This is no small matter.

Because if things escalate further, at the very least, the ringleader will be executed, the men exiled, and the women stripped of their official positions. If things get even worse, the entire family could be executed.

The nobles of the Ming Dynasty were undoubtedly extremely distinguished, but they should never assume that they were free from worry.

The Hu Weiyong case lasted for ten years, resulting in the deaths of dozens of noble families and over 30,000 people. Those once high-ranking nobles could become prisoners overnight, with their entire families sent to the execution ground.

However, regardless of the circumstances, nobles were extremely important and held a certain status in the Ming Dynasty. Now that two prospective marquises had been imprisoned, seeing His Majesty's furious expression, they would likely be severely punished.

At that time, it's possible that another major prison will be opened, and that's anyone's guess.

However, some civil officials were secretly pleased at this time, because this was a punishment for military officers, and had almost nothing to do with them, the civil officials. In fact, many civil officials thought it was a good thing, because the military officers of the Ming Dynasty had been too arrogant for too long.

For over thirty years since the founding of the dynasty, military officials have held a high position, putting immense pressure on civil officials. Further suppressing the arrogance of military officials would certainly be a very good thing for the civil service.

Zhu Yunying seemed unable to bear the secret gloating of some people, and slowly rose to his feet. "Very well, our dynasty has a clear distinction between civil and military officials. I originally thought that civil officials and military generals were clearly separated. But now, looking at you all again, I have underestimated you! Civil officials do not love money, and military generals do not fear death, even if they cannot do it."

Zhu Yunying's words naturally startled many people; things might have gotten out of hand!

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