Seeing that Prince Lu was so scared that his legs and feet went limp, although Zhu Youxiao felt helpless, he still walked over and helped Prince Lu up with his own hands.
After Prince Lu stood up, Zhu Youxiao softly comforted him, "Prince Lu, there's no need to do this. I don't distrust you. I know Prince Lu's character. You would never do such a thing."
Zhu Youxiao knew the stupidity of Prince Lu, and he also knew that Prince Lu was willing to give him half of his property and wanted to collect some good things to present to him. He felt that he was wronged by having only four dishes and one soup.
If he had been properly trained, Prince Lu might have been a talented person. However, the Ming Dynasty kept so many princes, and basically treated them like pigs.
They had no power over the palace; all matters within the palace were decided by the chief secretary. If a vassal prince became too deeply involved, he would be impeached.
Therefore, the princes did not care about anything, and spent their days eating, drinking and having fun, treating themselves like pigs. Over time, they had lost all wisdom and officialdom in their hearts.
They had been raised behind high walls since childhood, and were probably unaware of the suffering of the people. The saying "Why not eat meat porridge?" was probably not unique to the Ming Dynasty princes; many would say so.
Under such circumstances, Zhu Youxiao really had no intention of blaming Prince Lu.
So what if King Lu was punished?
It is impossible to deal with all the princes of the Ming Dynasty.
You have to know that this is a feudal society. In addition to being the emperor of the world, the emperor is also the patriarch of the royal family. In this era where clan values are very important, as a patriarch, it is natural for him to take good care of his clan members.
Otherwise, you will be criticized and even ostracized. This is the value of this era.
Even if you want to do something, you have to do it in private and never publicize it.
If Zhu Youxiao really punished the princes severely, he would probably lose the support of the people, just like Zhu Yunwen who reduced the power of the princes.
Wasn't Zhu Yunwen the emperor? Didn't he hold the righteous position?
But so what?
Zhu Yunwen was too harsh on his uncle, which led to him losing the support of the people.
After the Prince of Yan rebelled, he easily seized the world.
In addition to Zhu Yunwen's lack of ability, the more important reason is that he has lost the support of the people.
In the eyes of the people of the world, the princes had no intention of rebellion. Instead, Zhu Yunwen treated his uncle this way. To the people of the world, how cold and indifferent was this emperor? What hope was there?
Some time ago, Zhu Youxiao confiscated the land of the old Prince Fu, and no one in the world said anything. After all, the old Prince Fu had a bad reputation. The most important thing was that he brought the old Prince Fu to the capital, dismissed the old Prince Fu's title, and passed his title to his son. This was something that the public accepted very well.
If Zhu Youxiao killed Prince Fu now, I'm afraid there would be an uproar in public opinion. By then, people would say all kinds of things about Zhu Youxiao, and they wouldn't say anything good. He would be packaged as a mean and ungrateful emperor.
Although Zhu Youxiao did a lot of things after he ascended the throne, he still had ministers who were loyal to him. A big part of the reason was that Zhu Youxiao used them to do things and took the blame, but never asked them to take the blame.
If something really happens, Zhu Youxiao will protect them, this is very crucial.
The King of Lu wanted to deal with them and teach them a lesson, but he could not kill them all.
Seeing Prince Lu crying, Zhu Youxiao smiled and said, "Don't be so. How could I blame Prince Lu for what his subordinates did? Besides, the Chief Secretary is an official of the imperial court. In the end, it's my fault for not employing the right people."
Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Prince Lu quickly said, "It's my fault!"
"Okay, okay, we are all family, there is no need to say this." Zhu Youxiao reached out and patted Prince Lu, saying with a smile. At the same time, he pulled Prince Lu into the house and asked him to sit down with a smile.
After Prince Lu sat down, Zhu Youxiao said, "This matter is of great importance. Prince Lu may face some criticism, but don't take it to heart."
"I know the Prince of Lu well enough to know his character. He would never do such a treasonous act. So, Prince of Lu, please rest assured. I am not a foolish ruler who cannot distinguish right from wrong."
"Your Majesty is wise and your grace is deeply appreciated." Prince Lu said hurriedly, tears streaming down his face.
Between great joy and great sorrow, this emotion is somewhat unbearable.
While Zhu Youxiao was comforting Prince Lu, another important figure came to Jining City.
This person came from Qufu and was none other than the contemporary Duke Yansheng, Kong Yinzhi.
For Kong Yinzhi, who had just inherited the title, he felt uneasy when faced with such a situation. However, fear was out of the question, as the imperial court would not do anything to him, so he was fearless.
When he arrived in Jining City, Kong Yinzhi found that the atmosphere here seemed a little different, and the whole city was tense.
The city gates were never opened.
The city gates were not opened until around noon, and even then, entry and exit were strictly checked.
Kong Yinzhi sat in the carriage, looked around, and ordered his men, "Go and find out what happened. Why is Jining so nervous?"
"Yes." The subordinate agreed and turned around to inquire.
At this time, some people had already left the city. If you just ask around, you'll naturally get the news soon.
Soon, the subordinate came back and told Kong Yinzhi what had happened.
The young Duke Yansheng frowned and suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart.
If everything had gone smoothly, there might not have been any major problems; but now that a rebellion had occurred in Jining, this was a rather serious matter.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
