Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Zhu Gang with some doubt, not expecting that Zhu Gang would speak up for Chechi Kingdom.
So he frowned and said:
"You mean, our Great Ming Dynasty might actually have wronged the Chechi Kingdom?"
Zhu Gang nodded and said:
"That's right, I think that's very likely. Although Chechi Kingdom and Taisun Kingdom do have some ties, they are just minor conflicts and not enough to escalate into a war between the two countries."
The Chechi Kingdom was no fool; they surely understood the consequences of killing the Ming Dynasty's crown prince. No one, unless they were idiots, would ever do such a thing.
Since they clearly knew that killing the crown prince would arouse suspicion and could very likely trigger a war between the two countries, and if war broke out, the Chechi Kingdom would surely be destroyed.
Under such circumstances, it's clearly unreasonable that they would do something so foolish. At the very least, the King and Prince of Chechi wouldn't be so stupid.
Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment. Such a possibility was not out of the question, but he still somewhat believed that Chechi Kingdom had sent someone to kill Zhu Yunwen.
Moreover, the Vice Minister of Revenue investigated and said that he heard the King of Chechi Kingdom admit it himself.
Regarding this point, Zhu Gang stated:
“Father, that Vice Minister of Revenue has no concrete evidence whatsoever. He only said that he had heard about it, which can only be considered his side of the story. How can this side of the story be considered evidence?”
Are we to let war break out between the two countries based solely on his one-sided account? If Chechi Kingdom really did send someone to kill the grandson of our Ming Dynasty, then even if war breaks out, it would be understandable, and it would be their own fault.
But what if they don't? At least from the current situation, all indications suggest that Chechi Kingdom really doesn't have such a motive, and they should also know what the consequences would be if they actually did it.
Weighing the pros and cons, they certainly wouldn't do something so foolish. Furthermore, they understood that if they actually did this and then came to the Ming Dynasty, they would surely be torn to pieces by the Ming.
But even under these circumstances, they still came to the Ming Dynasty. In conclusion, Father, don't you think we might have truly wronged the Kingdom of Chechi?
It has to be said that Zhu Gang has indeed become much smarter now.
Zhu Yuanzhang was starting to look at him with new respect. Wasn't his third son known for his rudeness and tyranny?
How come you've suddenly become so eloquent after being quiet for a while?
Moreover, what he said was well-organized and made some sense.
At least at this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang was somewhat swayed by what he said, and he was genuinely wondering if he had wronged Chechi Kingdom, and whether Chechi Kingdom really hadn't done this.
If they really didn't do anything, but the Ming Dynasty sent troops to fight them, it wouldn't be a good thing for either the Ming Dynasty or the Chechi Kingdom.
If Chechi Kingdom did this, and the Ming Dynasty attacked them, that would be considered revenge.
If Chechi Kingdom hadn't done this, the Ming Dynasty wouldn't have needed to fight them at all.
Ultimately, war might not bring much benefit, especially since Chechi Kingdom is so far away from the Ming Dynasty and separated by other countries. Even if the Ming Dynasty were to win against Chechi Kingdom, the gains would be relatively limited.
Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang remain silent, Zhu Gang was secretly delighted, knowing that he had a chance.
If one can persuade Zhu Yuanzhang, then perhaps one can truly extricate oneself from the suspicion of being a member of the Chechi Kingdom, thereby elevating one's status in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes.
After pondering for a moment, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke again:
"Although what you said makes sense, and although the king and prince of Chechi Kingdom are not stupid enough to invite trouble upon themselves."
However, there is ultimately no conclusive evidence to prove that they did it, or no conclusive evidence to prove that they didn't.
So since they're coming to the Ming Dynasty, let them come and get to the bottom of this matter in front of me.
If they can prove they weren't responsible, then there's no need to continue the war. At the same time, we must continue the investigation to find out who dared to assassinate the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty.
"Of course, if they did it, then the king and prince of Chechi Kingdom have essentially walked into a trap and won't be able to leave the Ming Dynasty alive."
Zhu Gang immediately nodded and said:
“What Father Emperor said is absolutely right. That is why I am even more convinced that the King and Prince of Chechi Kingdom would not do such a thing. Their fearlessness must be because they have a clear conscience.”
He was still using these kinds of words to try and make an impression on Zhu Yuanzhang, to make Zhu Yuanzhang think that anyone who dared to come must have no humility.
Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent for a long time, then said to Zhu Gang:
"Alright, we understand. If there's nothing else, you may leave."
Zhu Gang understood his purpose, and having achieved it, he immediately bowed and left the imperial study.
After leaving, Zhu Gang felt refreshed; at least in his opinion, his conversation with Zhu Yuanzhang that day had been very successful.
Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude wasn't bad, and most importantly, the death of Zhu Yunwen seemed to have made Zhu Yuanzhang compromise a lot with Zhu Gang.
After all, Zhu Yunwen, such an excellent successor, suddenly passed away.
It seems that the Ming Dynasty will also find it difficult to find a good successor in the short term.
Zhu Yuanzhang was also in poor health and didn't know when he would suddenly pass away. Under these circumstances, it seemed that he had no choice but to support Zhu Gang.
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