In the past, Zhu Yunying would indeed have had to be more careful. Previously, the princes of the vassal states all had some troops, at least garrisons, and some even had tens of thousands of soldiers.
But things are different now. The princes now are just servants and guards. Even those vassal kings have lost their power and are just empty shells.
According to Zhu Yuanzhang's original intention, the princes were to guard the borders and expand the territory, which would also allow him to consolidate military power from the hands of the military officers. Each princely residence was equipped with about three guard command offices, two fortified posts, and one ceremonial guard office, with a total of more than 10,000 people.
The Prince's Palace also had its own system of officials. Although they could not interfere in local government affairs, these people were indeed quite capable in local military affairs.
At this point, Old Zhu continued, "We won't bother to talk about what he did."
Zhu Yunying sensed that Old Zhu was truly angry, so he looked at Zhu Gui and said, "Thirteenth Uncle, we can put aside the matter of unauthorized conscription of soldiers and civilians for now. I just want to ask, did you harm any civilians in Datong Prefecture?"
Zhu Gui immediately lowered his head. He didn't think killing a few civilians was a big deal. Although he didn't dare to compare himself to the eldest and youngest Zhu, he was still a son of the emperor, a member of the imperial family.
Seeing Zhu Gui's attitude, Zhu Yunying's expression darkened even further. He felt that Zhu Gui was practically challenging his bottom line!
The practice of "unauthorized use of military and civilian labor" essentially meant that Zhu Gui used his position to mobilize military households and civilians to do work for him. And these things were generally not major events; they weren't plots or rebellions, but rather "private jobs."
Zhu Yunying also became serious at this moment, looking at Zhu Gui, "Thirteenth Uncle, is this assault resulting in death, bullying the innocent, or engaging in monopolistic practices?"
Zhu Gui remained silent, while Old Zhu simply said, "He did everything you said, he did everything!"
Zhu Yunying suddenly understood everything. It seemed that Zhu Gui's money-making skills were really only at a 'beginner' level. Relying on his special status, he acted with impunity, swiftly and decisively bullying and dominating the market. If anyone dared to resist or disobey, he would simply take action.
At this point, Old Zhu continued, "If he were only greedy for money, that would be one thing. He still complains that the salary and support we give him every year are not enough. When we give him land, this scoundrel not only demands high rents, but also makes the common people and military households farm for him!"
Zhu Yunying took a deep breath and looked at Zhu Gui, "Thirteenth Uncle, let me ask you just one question. Think it through before you speak. How many lives have been lost?"
Zhu Gui seemed to have realized he was scared and said in a low voice, "At most three or four, they're all merchants. It seems we haven't harmed any civilians."
Zhu Yunying looked at Zhu Gui with disappointment and said, "Uncle, you know of three or four lives, but there are probably many more you don't know. Your tyrannical rule will only make your servants more likely to bully others. And the officials who serve you will probably be even more cruel."
"It's true that my grandfather couldn't survive in his hometown back then, due to natural disasters and man-made calamities," Zhu Yunying said with deep sorrow. "If there had been some capable ministers and officials back then, my grandfather wouldn't have had to raise the banner of rebellion. We are born into the royal family, but we also come from peasant families!"
Zhu Gui may seem to know fear and regret, but in his heart, he really doesn't care.
Who is he? He is the son of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. His mother was the daughter of Guo Zixing and his second wife, Lady Zhang. She gave birth to three sons and two daughters for the emperor and was quite favored.
He truly looked down on those ordinary people. Even if he was of noble birth, a prince, or a descendant of the emperor, even if the current emperor were before him, he would only be a nephew!
Zhu Yunying looked at Old Zhu and said, "Grandfather, if you ask us, we should let Uncle Thirteen go back to his hometown."
Old Zhu remained silent; he was indeed quite disappointed in Zhu Gui. As for Zhu Yunying's fate, Old Zhu felt he should still listen to the decision. After all, although Old Zhu loved his people dearly, he was also extremely protective of his own and valued his children highly.
Zhu Gui seemed to panic suddenly. Returning to his hometown of Fengyang might mean guarding the imperial tombs. But a more likely scenario was that he would be stripped of his princely title, demoted to a commoner, and exiled to the high walls of Fengyang!
"Father, I know I was wrong!" Zhu Gui panicked and crawled to his father's side. "It was all done by the people below, it has nothing to do with me!"
This left not only Zhu Yunying but also Old Zhu even more disappointed. This Zhu Gui was utterly hopeless!
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