Old Zhu and Young Zhu were naturally extremely disappointed with Zhu Gui's actions. When Zhu Gui was in the local area, he thought he was above the law, being greedy, cruel, and unrepentant. But when it came to being punished, he tried to shirk all responsibility.
Zhu Yunying was displeased, but said to Old Zhu, "We should also investigate the people under us. Those who served under the Thirteenth Uncle, if they are guilty, shall be severely punished. If those people from the garrisons are implicated, we will not be lenient either. As for the local officials, we will have them dealt with later. I don't think those people are clean."
Old Zhu was absolutely satisfied with Zhu Yunying's statement and handling of the matter; this was simply his style.
He's kind to his own family, but Old Zhu won't be lenient with outsiders. In Old Zhu's view, his son has certainly made a mistake, but those who led his son astray are absolutely unforgivable and must be severely punished.
Those wicked servants and slaves deserve to die. Those local officials and civil servants who disregarded the laws of the court in order to curry favor with Zhu Gui should also be severely punished. None of them should be let off the hook.
Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunying and asked, "What is your thirteenth uncle doing back in his hometown?"
“Let Uncle Thirteen guard the imperial tombs of my great-grandfather and great-grandmother for a period of time,” Zhu Yunying said, offering his idea. “After all, it is the capital city. My grandfather had a hard time starting his dynasty, and Uncle Thirteen has been back before. This time, we plan to let Uncle Thirteen go back, and we will set aside a piece of land for him. No one else is allowed to help.”
Old Zhu's eyes lit up, and he said, "Good! These bastards should know that this life of luxury is hard-won!"
Looking at Empress Ma's memorial tablet, Zhu Yunying said, "Although the offerings at Fengxian Hall are continuous, we must say that our ancestors also wished for their descendants to be virtuous. From now on, the grains for Fengxian Hall should be grown by our own imperial family members."
Old Zhu snorted coldly and looked at Zhu Gui, saying, "With the grain supplied by this scoundrel, we're afraid our ancestors wouldn't want to eat it! These scoundrels have disgraced our ancestors, and we've all lost face because of them!"
"Father, have mercy!" Zhu Gui cried, tears streaming down his face, truly terrified. "Your subject... Your subject was simply deceived!"
Old Zhu kicked Zhu Gui away in annoyance. Old Zhu had many successful sons, but also quite a few good-for-nothing children. And this Zhu Gui was clearly one of the good-for-nothings, making Old Zhu feel extremely disappointed.
It's obvious this scoundrel is completely ignorant. If he weren't born into royalty, he'd probably starve to death even begging!
This person has completely lost their mind. If they were to be severely punished, it wouldn't just be sending them to farm. If they were truly demoted to commoner status, that would mean being imprisoned within the high walls of Fengyang. That would be a truly severe punishment for a member of the imperial family, a punishment from which there is virtually no chance of recovery.
Zhu Yunying didn't stand on ceremony and continued, "This time, I plan to move the entire Prince Dai's Mansion back here. It's no longer suitable for Uncle Thirteen's family to go to Datong Prefecture."
Old Zhu didn't object this time, probably because he knew Zhu Yunying had never liked the princes. Furthermore, given Zhu Gui's actions, Old Zhu had no face to defend his son.
Zhu Gui felt that he was finished, completely finished, and there was no turning back now. He truly regretted his actions.
Zhu Yunying looked at Zhu Gui and said earnestly, "Thirteenth Uncle, I am your nephew, but I am also the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. In some matters, I am on your side, Thirteenth Uncle, because I don't want to upset my Imperial Grandfather. But remember this: this is the only time. In the end, I am the Emperor, and the people are also my subjects!"
Zhu Gui really wanted to argue back. As the uncle, how could he be scolded and reprimanded like this by his nephew? But now, he didn't dare to say anything more. Even though he was a favored prince, Zhu Gui was well aware that his status as a prince was far inferior to that of a grandson of the emperor.
Old Zhu waved his hand and said, "You'll stay kneeling here until we issue an imperial decree! In a couple of days, we'll have someone send you back to your hometown!"
After saying this, Old Zhu ignored Zhu Gui, who was crying. As Old Zhu turned to leave, Zhu Yunying naturally followed, and indeed, he was too lazy to pay attention to Zhu Gui.
Holding onto Old Zhu's arm, Zhu Yunying said, "What Uncle Thirteen did this time is not surprising to me."
Old Zhu sighed. He knew this all too well. "We come from a poor family, while they have never suffered. Not to mention them, even those from military families, even those who fought alongside us to conquer the world, many of them have forgotten their roots once they became rich."
“Yes, there are quite a few who become arrogant and domineering after becoming rich and powerful.” Zhu Yunying smiled bitterly, also feeling helpless. “This is also a matter of human nature. I think it’s not just Uncle Thirteen, but no one can solve this problem. In Datong Prefecture, no one can control Uncle Thirteen.”
Because they were far from the emperor's reach and had special status, no one could really control them. Furthermore, although it was a fiefdom, it didn't require governance, so there was no need to worry about any public resentment.
Hearing Zhu Yunying say this, Old Zhu didn't know what to say, probably because he naturally understood this principle.
“What I said earlier wasn’t just casual talk. We are planning to cultivate a field in our hometown,” Zhu Yunying said to his father. “Although some members of the imperial clan may not repent just by farming, we think it will serve as a lesson.”
Zhu Yuanzhang naturally had no objection to such a suggestion. He himself cultivated a field within the palace grounds and often had his incompetent descendants help him. In his view, cultivating a field in his hometown was also a matter of course.
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