Madam Xie's gaze turned cold, and she lowered her voice, saying, "You are, after all, the heir of the Prince of Jin, and your father dotes on you the most. If Ji Huang didn't have a vixen mother, he wouldn't have caused such a commotion! The Emperor has never liked that unfilial son, and today he has sent him away. How he is dealt with is up to the Emperor, and it's none of your business."
As the heir apparent to the Prince of Jin, Zhu Jixi was not without his own thoughts. "This son naturally knows that Jiye will only suffer a little. As for Jihuang, that depends on what Your Majesty thinks. As for your maternal grandfather and uncle, your cousin will probably also be involved. There were also people from the Marquis of Yongping's residence with Jiye and the others this time."
Marquis Yongping, Xie Cheng, was the father of the Xie family. He was from the same hometown as Zhu Yuanzhang and had previously served under Xu Da, making him a key member of the Xu faction. However, this general, renowned for his military achievements, was not only responsible for expanding Taiyuan but was also greedy and arrogant. Although he was currently stationed in Taiyuan, his family remained in Yingtian Prefecture.
Thinking of her nephew from her maternal family, Xie quickly said, "Should we ask the Prince of Wu to put in a good word for us? Let's go see the Duke of Zhongshan again, and you can go and put in a good word for us, and ask them to speak on our behalf."
"Mother, the Crown Prince saw it." Zhu Jixi said with a bitter expression and some helplessness, "My cousin has cut himself off from the Crown Prince. Although the Crown Prince is still young and doesn't remember much, my cousin's reckless behavior might cause the Crown Prince to hold a grudge. The Duke of Zhongshan is a cautious person by nature. I'm afraid my maternal grandfather and uncle will not be able to enter the Zhongshan Prince's Mansion in the future."
Although Xu Huizu was only the Duke of Zhongshan, the residence he lived in was always the Prince of Zhongshan's Mansion, which was an honor bestowed upon Xu Da.
Madam Xie waved her hand dejectedly and said, "That's his own fault, so it's no wonder that I, his aunt, won't help him. Let's see if he can improve in the future, and don't let him ruin your grandfather's life's work."
Upon seeing the menacing Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Jiye quickly dismounted and greeted, "Greetings, Your Highness."
Zhu Jihuang quickly dismounted, bowed, and greeted the Prince of Wu, saying, "Your younger brother Zhu Jihuang greets your elder brother, the Prince of Wu."
Looking at his two cousins who had returned from outside the city, Zhu Yunwen said directly, "Tie them up and send them to kneel in front of the Fengxian Hall! I will go to the capital immediately, and His Majesty can decide how to deal with these two scoundrels!"
Zhu Jiye and Zhu Jihuang's expressions changed; they dared not cause trouble in front of Zhu Yunwen. Not to mention that one was only the second son of the legitimate wife and the other was the third son of a concubine, their positions were already awkward, not to mention that Zhu Yunwen was their cousin and now held the title of Prince.
Most importantly, the dark and cruel Zhu Jihuang was well aware that the most honorable prince in the Ming Dynasty was not their father, Zhu Gang. Although their father was the eldest son of the retired emperor and was indeed favored, so what? The retired emperor had only liked the 'former emperor,' only liked the current emperor, and only liked the current crown prince.
Zhu Yunwen, this is the most noble prince in the Ming Dynasty at present!
Zhu Yunwen ignored his two cousins' pleas and said coldly, "Go kneel in the Fengxian Hall and behave yourselves! If you don't want to go back to Fengyang, then stop causing me trouble!"
Zhu Jiye and Zhu Jihuang were even more terrified, and the most likely scenario was that they would return to their ancestral home in Fengyang. One possibility was to visit their ancestral estates, a process all male members of the imperial clan had to undergo. Another possibility was punishment, returning to their hometown to receive their due. What truly terrified the imperial clan was the high walls of Fengyang, the prison for them; once inside, all worldly riches and honors would be lost.
Although the high walls of Fengyang had previously seemed merely decorative, with no member of the imperial clan yet imprisoned there, no one dared challenge the current emperor's authority. If this member were to become the first to be imprisoned, they would certainly be stripped of their title and removed from the official register—a fate worse than death.
Zhu Yunwen continued, "Which other families' sons were riding with you today?"
Zhu Jiye was taken aback, as if he understood something. It seemed that someone had reported this matter to His Majesty, which was why the Prince of Wu was sent to cause trouble.
In truth, Zhu Jiye didn't care much; it wasn't a big deal. At most, he'd be confined to his home, and he could simply go back to his hometown to farm for a few months. Such trivial matters certainly wouldn't warrant being locked up behind bars. He was now certain of this; it wasn't anything else!
Still a young man under twenty, Zhu Jiye still cared about his reputation and loyalty, so he stammered and remained silent.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhu Jihuang quickly said, "I hope Brother Wang will understand that it was all Xie Yu, the eldest grandson of the Marquis of Yongping, who instigated this. I had tried to dissuade him before, but to no avail. Seeing that this man was arrogant and lawless, I went to chase after him. I think it was a misunderstanding by my subordinates. It is Xie Yu's fault; I was just trying to stop him!"
Zhu Jiye was taken aback, then flew into a rage, "Jihuang, what nonsense are you spouting?"
"I hope that my brother, the Prince of Wu, will understand. I am now an adult, and according to ancestral teachings, I should also be granted a title." Zhu Jihuang didn't care about his second brother's rage; self-preservation was the most important thing. "I will definitely submit a memorial to plead guilty and explain myself clearly."
There are also oddballs among the royal family, including many ruthless or ambitious schemers.
Zhu Gang was quite cruel; he used to whip cooks and, in his fiefdom, he would have people bound by horses and torn apart by chariots. Although things have improved somewhat now, his son has surpassed him in cruelty.
For example, Zhu Jihuang was historically framed, leading to Zhu Jixi being stripped of his princely title and imprisoned for ten years. As a result, Zhu Jihuang gained Zhu Di's 'appreciation' and, despite being a son of a concubine, was granted the title of Prince of Jin. Then, he poisoned his nominal mother, Consort Xie, and placed Zhu Meigui, the true heir to the Prince of Jin line, under house arrest.
And this man's path of self-destruction continued. When Zhu Di's second son, Zhu Gaoxu, rebelled, Zhu Jihuang also participated in the alliance... and then, naturally, he was stripped of his title and imprisoned by Zhu Zhanji.
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