Chapter 7: The Underworld (Part 7)
Although Zhu Yuhuan seemed to be completely confident, she did not act rashly, but chose to stay indoors in the princess's mansion.
Zhu Yuanzhang saw through the girl's intentions immediately and sneered, "She's still trying to play tricks on me. Isn't she worried about the country's demise and the people's safety at this moment? She's just as hypocritical as her own father. And seeing how she manipulated Zhu Qizhen before, I'm afraid she must have had a hand in Zhu Qizhen's current situation."
Zhu Zhanji was slightly stunned when he heard this, but he didn't take it to heart.
No matter how thoughtful Zhu Yuhuan was, he would not have reached this point. Today's situation was mostly due to some accidental factors. If Zhu Yuhuan could even talk about these things, it was definitely beyond human intelligence.
Zhu Di felt somewhat helpless and cautiously defended his great-granddaughter, saying, "As the old saying goes, even clay can be temperamental. Besides, Huanhuan is a princess after all. She's been targeted like this all along the way, and she's still trying to diligently clean up the mess left behind by that bastard Zhu Qizhen. Isn't this making a fool of our family for the outsiders?"
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted and asked, "Laugh at me? Don't you have enough jokes? Are you afraid of people laughing at you?"
Zhu Di shut his mouth awkwardly upon hearing this.
No matter how you say it, he's wrong, so it's better to say nothing... Now he kind of understands what those court officials are thinking.
The more you talk, the more mistakes you make; the more you do, the more mistakes you make. Not talking or doing anything is also not bad.
"My grandson thinks Huanhuan is trying to force those who can speak out now to come to her."
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Gaochi, a hint of approval between his brows, and said, "Finally, there is someone who understands."
"There aren't many senior ministers with a say in the court these days. One is Zhang Fu, and the other is Hu Yi. Because of their advanced age, they didn't accompany the emperor this time, which is actually a blessing." Zhu Gaochi pondered for a moment and said, "Both of them are ministers of state. Compared to Hu Yi, Zhang Fu has a bit more responsibility. If nothing unexpected happens, he will naturally go find Huan Huan after today."
Zhu Yuanzhang himself was not familiar with Zhu Di's subordinates, but after listening to Zhu Gaochi's clear analysis, he guessed that what he said was probably right, and said, "You are so knowledgeable, why did you die so young?"
Zhu Gaochi smiled awkwardly upon hearing this and said, "Excessive wisdom will inevitably lead to harm, excessive wisdom will inevitably lead to harm... Grandson thanks the Emperor for his concern."
"Am I caring about you?"
"The elders care about the younger ones from the bottom of their hearts, so of course the younger ones accept it all."
Zhu Di couldn't help but think that his son's ability to deceive people was really perfect. He even dared to deceive Zhu Yuanzhang. He was afraid that he had been deceived by him several times without knowing when.
Just as Zhu Gaochi expected, Zhang Fu soon found Zhu Yuhuan, and with him came Yu Qian and Xu Yun. These two now held important positions in the six ministries, and were highly valued during the war. They were considered to have some weight among the relatively young ministers.
Zhu Yuanzhang had been emperor for many years and was very good at judging people. He said, "Xu Yun is obviously a profit-seeking person. Bribing him wouldn't be difficult. Yu Qian does have some integrity, but with such a temperament, he was able to serve Zhu Qizhen for several years. I'm afraid it's because he has some ability and was recommended by Zhu Yuhuan."
One of the important reasons why Zhu Qizhen fell into this situation today is that he could not understand good or bad words.
It was obvious that Yu Qian would not flatter Zhu Qizhen in a gentle voice like Wang Zhen did.
Zhu Yuhuan didn't seem to mind someone coming to him, and instead met with the three people.
Seeing Zhu Yuhuan asking Zhang Fu to act as a matchmaker among the ministers and to submit a joint memorial, Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled and said, "He is indeed waiting for a good price."
Zhu Di could understand Zhu Yuhuan very well. "These people didn't say a word before. If we just follow their wishes and let them supervise the country and assist in the administration, wouldn't that let them climb over Huanhuan's head?"
The result of being too humble is that others will climb over your head. Zhu Yuhuan has suffered losses at the hands of Wang Zhen, so how could he repeat the same mistake?
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at him and said, "You are protecting her."
In the projection, Zhu Yuhuan left behind Yu Qian and Xu Yun. In response to Yu Qian's question, Zhu Yuhuan admitted it frankly, making it difficult to understand what Zhu Yuhuan was thinking. Even the smart people in the Zhu family could not understand it.
In terms of identity, Zhu Yuhuan is a royal princess, and in terms of status, Zhu Yuhuan is noble. It is not Yu Qian's turn to question Zhu Yuhuan, but she behaved so naturally.
However, what surprised them even more than these was that Zhu Yuhuan made no secret of his ambition for the throne.
Yu Qian was, after all, a court official, and not an obvious opportunist like Xu Yun. However, Zhu Yuhuan bluntly stated that he wanted to be emperor. Wasn't he afraid that Yu Qian would tell others?
At this point, it would be strange if Zhu Yuhuan didn't want to take a further step. After all, if he didn't take this step, Zhu Yuhuan's future ending might be even more miserable.
"Yu Qian has a straightforward personality, albeit a bit unorthodox. Perhaps that's why she felt so comfortable confessing."
"I remember that Yu Qian and Zeng Heling were both Jinshi in the same class. Perhaps they had been colluding for a long time."
"I think Yu Qian is arrogant and doesn't even take the emperor seriously."
Listening to other people's discussions, Zhu Zhanji felt very complicated.
As the saying goes, both the palm and the back of the hand are made of flesh. Zhu Zhanji certainly did not want to see Zhu Yuhuan end up in a miserable state, but he would feel even more uncomfortable if Zhu Yuhuan or Zhu Qiyu replaced Zhu Qizhen.
He knew better than anyone that most of these ministers were weak, and Zhu Yuhuan had now colluded with the Imperial Stables. In addition, the current situation was not optimistic, and there was no leader. There was a great chance that her coup would succeed.
As long as she can get through the Tumu Incident, her position will probably become more and more stable with her influence.
By that time, there would really be no place for Zhu Qizhen in the Ming Dynasty.
After all, Zhu Qizhen was his son, and Zhu Zhanji couldn't help feeling complicated when he saw his brother killing each other.
"I understand your Highness's meaning. This border patrol was both an accident and destiny."
"Why don't you suspect that I deliberately taught His Majesty this?"
"Raising a child without educating him is the fault of the father. This has always been the case throughout history. What fault has Your Highness committed?"
Zhu Zhanji was slightly stunned when he heard this, and everyone looked at him.
Instead, Zhu Yuanzhang, who was most dissatisfied with Zhu Zhanji, said, "How bold of Yu Qian to criticize the late emperor. Such a traitor is indeed a fellow traitor of Zhu Yuhuan."
Zhu Zhanji closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and remained silent.
Perhaps Yu Qian was indeed right, or he, as a father, did not teach his son enough. When Zhu Qizhen was born, Zhu Zhanji no longer had to worry about his status, so his teaching was naturally relaxed. If he could teach his son the same way he taught his daughter, perhaps everything would be different.
Seeing him like this, Zhu Di pointed at his nose and said, "Stop imagining things. Even if I were to be resurrected, there's no way I could save Zhu Qizhen!"
Zhu Zhanji: "..."
The scene in the projection has shifted to the Fengtian Hall of the next day. Empress Dowager Sun was fighting against everyone on her own, and even Zhu Qiyu was brought out to stop Zhu Yuhuan from "assisting in government". However, she did not expect to be "betrayed" by Concubine Zhou De. The two even pushed each other in front of a group of ministers, which made Zhu Yuanzhang's brows furrowed as if he wanted to pinch a fly to death.
Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, "Shameful, truly shameful! With their son and husband still unaccounted for, these two women are still vying for power! If it weren't for this Hu who prioritized the greater good, who knows how many people would have laughed at them!" He glanced at Zhu Zhanji and said, "You dote on this Sun so much. Is she what you want in a concubine? She's not educated, virtuous, or even exceptionally dull."
Zhu Zhanji immediately said, "Taizu misunderstood. Sun was just in a state of urgency... She still had the overall situation in mind."
"Don't try to be so naive! She's obstructing us in every way. It doesn't seem like she's thinking about the overall situation. She's clearly just vying for favor with Zhu Yuhuan!" Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, "No wonder even the Fourth Prince looked down on her. He chose Hu as your principal wife."
Zhu Zhanji noticed the look in his father Zhu Gaochi's eyes and had to shut up obediently.
Just like when he faced Zhu Di's marriage decree many years ago.
In the end, Zhu Yuhuan successfully took over the power of regent. After Empress Dowager Hu and others left, he began to assign tasks to everyone.
Seeing how organized she was in appointing officials, one could tell that Zhu Yuhuan had probably already made arrangements and preparations in his mind. Sure enough, those who shouldered the important tasks were all Zhu Yuhuan's confidants. This showed that Zhu Yuhuan was seeking greater benefits while stabilizing the overall situation.
Unexpectedly, the ministers in the court could no longer hold back and took the initiative to ask the princess to "clean up the house."
Zhu Yuhuan should have "hated" Wang Zhen more than anyone else, which is why the ministers made such a request after Zhu Yuhuan became regent.
Ma Shun, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who had dismembered Liu Qiu together with Wang Zhen, immediately panicked when he heard the news. He did not expect that the excited ministers had lost their minds and rushed up to beat him to death. Not only that, Mao Gui and Wang Changsui also died together in Fengtian Hall.
Zhu Yuhuan did not show any fear, nor did he simply compromise with the court officials. Instead, he looked contented, as if he was waiting for the officials to "make a mistake."
Zhu Yuanzhang immediately realized this and said, "I'm afraid the person who submitted this memorial is also implicated by Zhu Yuhuan. Otherwise, why would he submit such a good memorial?"
As someone who had been impeached before, Zhu Gaochi disagreed. "The censor is reckless and outspoken, but that's not necessarily true...Wang Zhen is narrow-minded. The court has long harbored resentment towards him, and now he's just trying to vent his anger."
After all, he had been reported to the emperor, and his ribs had been crushed and he was thrown into the imperial prison to fend for himself. Unexpectedly, this man was lucky enough not to die, and even lived until the reign of Zhu Qizhen, living longer than Zhu Gaochi's son.
Zhu Di also said: "Besides, Huanhuan and Wang Zhen are not on good terms. People with good information know that Huanhuan is now the regent and is popular. In this case, it is not a big deal to sell him a favor."
As everyone expected, Zhu Yuhuan first demonstrated his ability to lead the Imperial Stables in front of everyone, and then very "generously" forgave the ministers who participated in the beating and killing of Ma Shun and others.
When the court officials heard that she was going to send the private merchant Huang Jinfeng as an envoy to Hami, who were still frightened by the threat of the Imperial Stables' military force, they did not object, or rather, they did not dare to object.
"Bang!"
Several people turned to look at Zhu Yuanzhang who was slamming the table, and no one knew what to say.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked down on businessmen. He had previously looked down on Zhu Yuhuan's business activities. Now Zhu Yuhuan actually allowed a businessman to participate in state affairs. How could Zhu Yuanzhang not be angry?
Zhu Di laughed dryly and tried to smooth things over, saying, "These merchants travel extensively, especially those with close ties to these foreign tribes. Sending them to Hami is the most appropriate way to send them as envoys. At least they won't be deceived... The situation is urgent now, so it's normal to use anyone without any restrictions."
Shortly after Zhu Yuhuan took over the power of regent, Yang Hong, now the general of Xuanfu, reported to the capital that the Oirat were holding the emperor hostage and were besieging the border, demanding that the generals defending the city use gold, silver and treasures to ransom him, otherwise they would not be polite to the emperor.
Zhu Yuhuan had obviously anticipated this and did not show any surprise. Instead, he made proper arrangements and even took out his own property to facilitate the Ming army to change the armor style to prevent the two armies from being unable to distinguish between friend and foe during the battle.
Watching smart people do things always makes people feel happy both physically and mentally. Although it is not appropriate at this moment, Zhu Di still feels a lot more relieved.
But what happened next was not so pleasant.
"If the imperial court wants to prevent the Oirat from 'holding the emperor hostage to control the other princes,' there is only one way."
Unlike other members of the Zhu family, Zhu Yuhuan's expression remained very calm.
"Your Highness, please ascend the throne as Emperor and respect Your Majesty as the Supreme Emperor. This way, Your Majesty will no longer be the Emperor. Even if the Oirat Mongols capture Your Majesty, they will not be able to use the title of 'Emperor' to their advantage. Your Highness can then preside over the overall situation in the name of the Emperor and stabilize the world."
Now that Emperor Zhu Qizhen has been captured, the person who should have been protecting the Ming Dynasty has become an excuse for foreign invasion and harassment. The only way to make this excuse invalid is to establish a new emperor.
The best candidate is of course Zhu Qiyu, the adult son of Emperor Xuanzong, and definitely not Zhu Yuhuan in front of him.
Zhu Yuhuan's answer was particularly firm: "Minister Yu, I will not honor Your Majesty as the Supreme Emperor."
Not only Yu Qian and Xu Yun, but everyone in the Zhu family also fell silent.
They all understood what Zhu Yuhuan meant. She wanted to be an emperor, not just an emperor for a short time, but an emperor forever.
Zhu Di subconsciously looked at Zhu Yuanzhang. At this moment, his anger was no less than when Zhu Qizhen was captured.
However, Zhu Zhanji vaguely realized that Zhu Yuhuan could say this with such confidence, there must be something more powerful that could make her "legitimate".
Yu Qian's attitude was completely different from Zhu Qizhen's. He understood this point, and after adapting for a moment, he began to ask Zhu Yuhuan what his plan was. However, Xu Yun next to him had no doubts at all, and had probably already begun to consider how to pave the way for the emperor.
Zhu Yuhuan obviously did not intend to simply "depose Zhu Qizhen's title of emperor", but to completely wipe out Zhu Qizhen.
"Only in name and in terms of offspring..."
This is also what everyone present is most worried about.
Zhu Yuhuan had no children of her own. With her intelligence, she would not do something that could endanger her life, such as giving birth when she was in power. So she had to adopt a child to continue her rule. However, in everyone's cognition, a woman's child generally would not take the woman's surname.
In other words, could it be that the Ming Dynasty would be cut in half by a woman just like the Tang Dynasty?
"No, Huanhuan would never do such a stupid thing..."
As expected, Zhu Yuhuan smiled and asked, "Whose surname should the child of an unmarried woman have?"
"Our ancestors and relatives see it all. As long as the country is stable and the people live and work in peace and contentment—as long as the world still belongs to the Zhu family, what else matters?"
It has to be said that Zhu Yuhuan's words hit the nail on the head, and even Zhu Yuanzhang's anger was calmed down by these words.
Zhu Yuanzhang quickly understood and said, "This girl is really not a pushover. She wants to adopt the infant Zhu Qizhen as her own child! In exchange for everyone's support!"
Only then did everyone remember the existence of Zhu Jianshen.
He was still a child, and even the Zhu family did not put him in the sequence of succession to the throne.
If such a child were to die prematurely, the question of succession to the throne would have to be considered, not to mention the Empress Dowager Sun, who was watching closely. If he were to inherit the throne, it would inevitably lead to a struggle between Empress Dowager Sun and Zhu Yuhuan for the power of regent. Who knows what the situation would become? It would be better to let an adult like Zhu Qiyu inherit the throne. There would be no need to worry about premature death, and everyone would have a thinking leader.
Zhu Qiyu and the court officials had already been frightened by the way Zhu Yuhuan commanded the Imperial Stables. As long as Zhu Yuhuan could come up with a reasonable plan, those who opposed him might not insist on it.
Between Zhu Yuhuan, the powerful and influential Zhu, and the bald prince Zhu Qiyu, even a fool would know which one to choose... As for Zhu Zhanji? Even Zhu Yuanzhang knew that this guy was best at running away and would definitely not get involved in this mess. He was probably busy writing a letter of refusal to the court.
After Yu Qian and Xu Yun left, Zhu Yuhuan picked up another military newspaper and sighed, "Grandpa Zeng, this day is destined. You have suffered such an injustice, so I will not be polite."
Zhu Di immediately became alert, "What...what do you mean?"
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