Chapter 70 Capturing King Yi
After looking at each other, Zhu Youtong said, "It's okay then. Sister won't take this kind of thing seriously, so don't worry."
Zhu Qiyu said dryly, "My sister told me to go to Luoyang to escort Prince Yi to the capital, and then return to the capital with Marquis Jingyuan."
The current Prince of Yi is named Zhu Yongqun. According to seniority, he is Zhu Qiyu's grandfather, but his actual age is only seven years older than Zhu Yuhuan.
Although these words sounded more like drunken nonsense, since it concerned the emperor, and Zhu Yuhuan was an emperor who ascended the throne under special circumstances, the officials of Henan Prefecture did not dare to be careless. Based on the principle of "it is better to kill someone by mistake than to let him go", they sent the report on King Yi to the capital.
For example, Cheng Jing, a close companion of Zhu Qiyu, became a eunuch because he did not respond in time to some illegal acts of the vassal kings. Cheng Jing was inexplicably implicated before he even took office at the Prince of Jin's Mansion.
These officials were worried that the tragedy would happen to them again, so they were more active in reporting than anyone else.
When Zhu Youtong heard this, she felt it was no big deal and said, "This is a good thing. Isn't this giving you a chance to show off? You should seize it."
"I know it in my heart... I'm just worried..."
Seeing him showing some indecision, Zhu Youtong was confused and said, "Worried? Worried about what?"
Zhu Qiyu sighed and said, "Marquis Jingyuan has returned with some soldiers. I'm afraid someone with ulterior motives will spread rumors and cause trouble."
Zhu Hanjia pondered for a moment and said, "Indeed... Prince Yi dared to say such words. I'm sure there are others around him who share the same thoughts. However, after seeing Your Majesty's decisiveness in dealing with Wang Zhen's followers, they dared not say anything. With the Marquis of Jingyuan in charge of the military, and you as a vassal king... it's easy to attract criticism..."
Zhu Youtong waved her hands and said, "Ah, why are you thinking so much? I guess I've already thought about this, but since I asked Xiaoyu to go, just go with peace of mind. It's not like you really want to rebel."
Zhu Qiyu and Zhu Hanjia looked at each other and knew that Zhu Youtong's analysis came from her intuition.
But Zhu Youtong is indeed one of the few people in the world who understands Zhu Yuhuan's thoughts, so what she says is naturally credible.
Zhu Qiyu took it as a reassurance and said, "I will leave the capital the day after tomorrow. I'll have to trouble you sisters to fulfill your filial duties on my behalf."
In fact, not only Zhu Qiyu was nervous, but Wang Ji was the same.
The reason why Wang Ji was able to remain stable for so many years was naturally that he had some dealings with Wang Zhen. It was not just ordinary dealings, but also a very close relationship. Mainly during the expedition to Luchuan and the suppression of the rebellion, Wang Ji not only flattered Wang Zhen, but also gave him some things in order to establish a good relationship.
On the one hand, Wang Ji wanted to make it easier to use troops so that he would have no worries. On the other hand, he also considered self-protection. After all, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Wang Zhen was the knife in the emperor's hand, and the emperor would protect him even if the sky fell. If Wang Zhen was offended, it would undoubtedly be an indirect offense to the emperor.
Now that Wang Zhen had fallen, and Zhu Yuhuan, who clearly had a grudge against both Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen, had taken the throne, many officials in the capital had been imprisoned because of Wang Zhen, and even more were awaiting execution. And now Wang Ji was far away in Fujian suppressing a rebellion, out of the sight of the new emperor. If the Censorate filed a petition implicating him, Wang Ji wouldn't even have a chance to defend himself.
Fortunately, when he was feeling anxious and worried, Zhu Yuhuan's letter of appointment had been delivered to him, asking him to return to the capital and take up a position at the Imperial College at the beginning of next year, responsible for teaching students participating in the martial arts examination and other matters.
Although at first glance it seems that Wang Ji is being laid off, it is better to be alive than to be thrown into jail. Otherwise, Zhu Qizhen, who is now wandering around somewhere, would be a lesson for us.
The situation in Fujian had gradually stabilized, and the officials in Fujian were able to stabilize the situation, so Wang Ji rushed to the capital without stopping.
Everyone knows that the royal family is petty. Although Wang Ji knew Zhu Yuhuan, the emperor with whom he had fought side by side, and knew that her character was not the same as Zhu Qizhen's, he still took precautions, fearing that he would leave a bad impression on Zhu Yuhuan.
Unexpectedly, halfway through his journey, he received an imperial decree ordering him to work with Prince of Qin, Zhu Qiyu, to "pacify" Prince of Yi, who had the intention of rebellion.
When Wang Ji heard the news, his heart skipped a beat. He immediately wondered if the emperor had made such an arrangement to test his position and loyalty.
Not to mention that Zhu Qizhen's reputation was already so bad that it could never be restored, Wang Ji was not so desperate as to dare to challenge the current emperor like this.
"I have met the King of Qing."
"You're too polite, Minister Wang."
When the two met in Luoyang, they noticed the intentional alienation in each other's eyes.
It seems that they both have the same idea.
Of course, Prince Yi would not surrender so easily. He relied on the fact that he was a cousin of Renzong and that there were certain guards in his palace, so he was unwilling to come out to see Zhu Qiyu. Therefore, Zhu Qiyu could only let the officers and soldiers surround Prince Yi's palace, while he collected evidence of Prince Yi's crimes in Luoyang City.
You don't know until you search, and you'll be shocked. A small vassal king could actually commit so many crimes. Accepting bribes and competing with the people for profits are just small matters. Zhu Yongqun himself often bullied women and repeatedly forced women into the palace.
When the people heard that King Yi was suspected of "rebellion", they immediately ran to the Luoyang government office to sue King Yi to King Qing.
Only then did Zhu Qiyu understand why Zhu Yuhuan asked him to come in person. It was probably to warn Zhu Qiyu, the vassal king, not to repeat the mistakes of King Yi.
Zhu Yuhuan gave Zhu Qiyu the power to act quickly. Zhu Qiyu first recorded the complete judgment in a book and sent it back to Beijing, and then he and Wang Ji began to take action against King Yi.
Seeing that all the evidence had been collected, Wang Ji naturally would not be polite. He immediately decided with Zhu Qiyu that Prince Yi was guilty of a heinous crime and needed to be escorted back to Beijing.
With the command of the veteran Wang Ji, the guards of Prince Yi's Mansion were naturally no problem and Zhu Yongqun was quickly captured.
Zhu Yongqun still refused to accept the verdict and cursed on the way from Prince Yi's Mansion to the government office. He simply wanted to use his status as an elder to defend himself.
After hearing what Zhu Youtong said, Zhu Qiyu understood that this was an opportunity given to him by Zhu Yuhuan to prove himself. Naturally, he would not be inferior to others at this time, so he specially sent someone to inform the people.
The people around him kept cursing as long as the escorted King Yi kept cursing, as if they were having a fight.
In the end, King Yi was so overwhelmed by the scolding that he finally shut up and followed the army into the yamen.
Zhu Qiyu did not put him in prison directly, but simply placed Prince Yi and his family under house arrest.
After that, there will be a multi-day tour of the capital.
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