Zhou Dexing looked very unwell today, as did some of the military officers who were on good terms with him.
The Chang brothers, Fu Youde, Feng Sheng, and other bigwigs among the military officers all had somewhat solemn expressions.
Clearly, the atmosphere at the morning court session was particularly oppressive because of the fact that Zhou Dexing's son was beaten to death by Zhu Yunwen last night.
The civil officials, on the other hand, all wore enigmatic, subtle smiles.
When something like this happened among the military officers, the civil officials were naturally happy to watch the spectacle.
Civil and military officials have never gotten along well, especially in this founding dynasty, where the high status of military officials has always made civil officials quite wary.
In addition, Zhu Yunwen has recently shown signs of rising to power, and under these circumstances, everyone is worried that military officials will suppress civil officials again in the future after Zhu Yunwen takes power.
This incident may cause unpleasantness between these military officers and Zhu Yunwen.
Therefore, this was not only welcomed by the civil officials, but also by Zhu Yunwen.
At this moment, Zhu Yunwen's face was now adorned with an undisguised smile.
However, when he came, Madam Lü had instructed him, so he tried his best to suppress his smile, and instead put on a somewhat sorrowful expression. He walked up to Zhou Dexing and said to him:
“General Zhou, I am deeply saddened and furious about what happened to your son. Today in court, I will definitely help you, General Zhou, to seek justice from His Majesty.”
Zhou Dexing said gratefully to Zhu Yunwen:
"Thank you, Your Highness. If Your Highness will stand up for justice, I will go through fire and water for you without hesitation..."
Zhu Yunwen waved his hand and said, "I helped the general only because of a sense of justice in my heart and because I felt that your son's death was not worthwhile. It was not for anything else."
After saying that, Zhu Yunwen turned and left.
He perfectly demonstrated what hypocrisy is.
After he left, Huang Zicheng, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the Minister of War both stepped forward to express their sympathy for Zhou Dexing.
Whether they genuinely sympathized with Zhou Dexing or wanted to win him over remains unknown.
Not long after, Zhu Yunwen walked slowly into the court with a blank expression.
As expected, his appearance immediately attracted the attention of countless people.
The civil officials all looked at Zhu Yunwen with mocking expressions, as if they were waiting to see a good show.
Most of the military officers had complex expressions, and some seemed helpless.
Apart from the two Chang brothers, it was clear that the other military officers were furious about Zhu Yunwen's execution of the descendants of meritorious officials last night.
Zhu Yunwen paid no attention to anyone's gaze. He calmly walked to the front of the main hall and then stood there quietly.
It was as if he hadn't taken the things that everyone had cared about before to heart at all.
Zhou Dexing clenched his fists and stared intently at Zhu Yuntong. If looks could kill, Zhu Yuntong would probably be torn to pieces by now.
Before Zhu Yuanzhang could even take the throne, and before Zhou Dexing could say anything, Zhu Yunwen was the first to become restless.
He clearly wouldn't let this opportunity slip by; it would not only allow him to establish prestige among the civil officials, but might also win over some military generals.
So he walked up to Zhu Yunwen and said somewhat angrily:
"Third brother, what you did last night went a bit too far."
Zhu Yunwen asked in confusion, "Oh, I don't know which matter you're referring to, Second Brother? I did quite a lot last night. I had dinner with Grandfather and then dealt with a small matter."
After that, I read a book in the room for a while. Oh, and I also took a shower. Which thing did you mean was excessive? Was it the shower?
"Really? Since when is it wrong for me to take a bath? Is it worth my second brother publicly reprimanding me in court?"
This attitude and these meaningful words made Zhu Yunwen's expression somewhat unpleasant.
He suppressed the anger brought on by Zhu Yunzhong's provocative words and said:
"You personally carried out the beating to death of General Zhou Dexing's son, Zhou Ji, last night. Do you consider that a trivial matter?"
Zhu Yuntong said, "Oh, so this is what Second Brother is talking about. I never thought murder was such a big deal."
Zhu Yunwen seized the opportunity to reprimand him: "In your eyes, killing someone is a trivial matter? Do you still have any regard for the law? Do you still have any sense of rules? Do you think that just because you are the grandson of the emperor, you can think that killing someone is a trivial matter?"
Upon hearing Zhu Yunwen's words, Zhu Yunwen adopted a humble and inquisitive demeanor and replied:
"Then, Second Brother, do you know what exactly constitutes a serious matter? I am not very educated and somewhat ignorant, so I am not quite clear about what constitutes a serious crime or a serious matter under the penal code?"
Zhu Yunwen snorted and said, "Then I will teach you properly today. In the criminal law, murder, rape, mutilation, abduction... are all serious matters, all major crimes."
Zhu Yunwen looked as if he had just realized something, and said:
"I see. Then I would like to ask, is it a serious crime to harass and rape palace maids in the palace?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen's face darkened; he knew that Zhu Yunwen had set another trap for him.
Zhu Yunwen was not unaware of the gravity of the matter; he simply wanted to use Zhu Yunwen's words to admit Zhou Ji's crimes.
Zhu Yunwen had clearly realized this and immediately shut up, but Zhu Yuntong obviously wouldn't let this opportunity pass and continued:
"How long has it been since the Crown Prince died? If someone in the palace has been coercing, bribing, or harassing palace maids during this period, would that be a serious matter or a grave crime?"
He even caused a death while trying to harass a palace maid. Was that a serious matter? Did it constitute a grave crime?
Zhu Yunwen was speechless for a moment after Zhu Yunwen’s casual words.
He can't very well say, "This isn't a big deal."
Wouldn't that put yourself in a very difficult position?
The court fell silent once again.
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