Chapter 436 The Zhu family needs to be cautious in their follow-up
'Snapped...'
Chen Cao slapped Zhu Shouhong on the face with a loud slap, then straightened up and looked at the beaten Zhu Shouhong with a righteous face: "I led hundreds of thousands of soldiers to fight bloody battles on the front line. You are a good guy, and I am in the rear. Still thinking about causing trouble, what if the Nanjing Garrison Headquarters hadn't foiled your plot? Now are you going to welcome Zhu Cixiang, who is only two years old, in Nanjing to come back as your emperor?
It's just that Zhu Cixiang is alive. You don't even know whether he is alive or not, so you dare to engage in "repaying the great government". Zhu Shouhong, are you, the prince, confused? "
Zhu Shouhong knelt on the ground and cried loudly. Then he beat his chest and stamped his feet in front of Chen Cao to express his confusion. He was deceived by the treacherous villain and did such foolish things.
Of course, although Zhu Shouhong was stupid, he still heard from Chen Cao's words that Chen Cao characterized him as "confused", so he followed this lead.
Chen Cao felt that this old boy was not stupid, so he looked at Zhao Xin and said: "I am on the front line. I heard that King Lu is sick. Is there anything wrong with that?"
Xin Zhao clasped his fists: "Back to your Majesty, according to the report from the Jinyi Guards who guarded His Royal Highness King Lu, King Lu did ask famous doctors for treatment many times during his detention. It is said that he suffered from lung disease. I am not sure. Maybe I can confirm it by asking the doctor who treated him. .”
No matter how stupid Zhu Shouhong was, he understood what it meant. Although he was unwilling to do anything, he still endured it in order to survive and said: "Yes, yes, your Majesty, I have been ill for many years and have been unable to cure it. The famous doctors from Shandong and Nanjing have been unable to do anything. Please have mercy on Your Majesty and allow me to return to my hometown for retirement."
Chen Cao looked sideways at Zhu Shouhong, staring at his prostrate form, and finally spoke for a long time: "King Zhu Shouhong of Lu has done many illegal things. I remember that he is weak and sick, and he is an elder among the kings of the Zhu family, so I will show mercy to him to prevent him from rebelling." The crime of death will deprive him of the title of King of Lu, and his wife and concubines will be sent to Qiongzhou to support themselves in their old age."
Although it was a distribution, the end result was retirement, which made Zhu Shouhong feel much safer, and he kowtowed to Chen Cao to thank him.
After hearing the news, Zhu Changying, King Zongzhenggui of the Zongren Mansion, was the same age as Zhu Shouhong, but he was one generation younger than Zhu Shouhong. However, looking at the royal families available to the Zhu family, Chen Cao could only choose between Gui Fan and Tang Fan. , Tang Fan Zhu Yujian was too young to be Zongzheng, so the casting could only fall on Zhu Changying.
Zhao Xin briefly explained the matter to Zhu Changying. Zhu Changying looked at his uncle Wang, who was not far behind in age. He sighed first, then bowed to Chen Cao and said: "Your Majesty, I agree with your Majesty's decision to deprive Prince Lu of his palace." One lineage..."
Chen Cao could hear the regret for the unsatisfactory Zhu Shouxun from Zhu Changying's tone. After all, the Zhu family's royal family was already a special case. Now he was the emperor of the new dynasty. The emperor's surname was Chen, not Zhu. If he wanted to preserve the Zhu family lineage, everything had to be done. It all starts from the overall situation.
Before Chen Cao could speak, Zhu Changying continued: "Your Majesty, what the Prince of Lu did is entirely his own fault. All rewards and punishments are decided by your Majesty. I just ask your Majesty to consider the Shandong line of Prince Lu's lineage and temporarily grant the title to other people in the Prince of Lu's mansion." , I would like to thank Your Majesty on behalf of the Zhu family."
Chen Cao rolled his eyes and thought that Zhu Changying was also brave enough to plead directly with the Zhu family in front of him. However, what he said seemed to make sense. The provinces in remote areas recognized the Zhu family. After all, he respected the Zhu family too much after he ascended the throne. The ancestral emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, after thinking about it, Zhu Changying's words still made sense, so he nodded: "Gui Fan's words are reasonable, Zhao Xin, how about Prince Lu's palace?"
Xin Zhao clasped his fists: "Back to the emperor, there are no heirs in Prince Lu's palace. Only Princess Zhu Weisi can inherit the title."
"I said when I ascended the throne that even the kings of my Chen family will also have descendants in the future. The hereditary titles of princes are very few, and the same will be true for the Zhu family. I will not be exempt from any special reasons. , since there is no heir in Prince Lu’s palace, the title of Prince Lu will definitely not be retained.”
Zhu Changying sighed secretly and then held his hands in his hands: "I obey your Majesty's wishes."
Chen Cao told Zhu Changying a few more words in the lobby to be serious about the vassal affairs, and hinted that as long as he could handle the vassal affairs fairly and justly, he could inherit the position of Zongzheng in Guifan. Zhu Changying was not stupid. He also heard the hint and silently made a calculation in his mind.
After Chen Cao left, Zhao Xin stayed at the end. Seeing the emperor leaving, he naturally had other things to deal with as the leader of the Imperial Guard. However, seeing that there was no one else in the hall, Zhao Xin sighed deliberately: "Hey, such a pity..."
Zhu Changying knew Zhao Xin's status, so he handed over his hand: "Why do you sigh, Mr. Zhao? But what can you teach me?"
Zhao Xin was hesitant to speak, and then looked at Zhu Shouhong who had just been helped up: "Hey, Your Highness King Gui, this Prince Lu's Mansion is about to disappear, and the Zhu family's follow-up will only become less and less in the future. As time goes by, the Chen clan king will slowly replace the Zhu family. I am not talking nonsense. In thirty years at most, the Zhu family will only have two vassal kings named Gui Fan and Tang Fan. However, I am not talking nonsense. It’s just such a sigh, the Zhu family has been in existence for more than two hundred years..."
Zhu Shouhong burst into tears suddenly, but Zhu Changying didn't care, just looked at Zhao Xin, thinking that there must be a reason for him to say these words in front of him, and considering that he was the emperor's absolute confidant, he even wondered if these words were hinted at by the emperor. , so he quickly pulled Xin Zhao aside and asked humbly: "Master Zhao, please don't hesitate to teach me."
Xin Zhao hurriedly waved his hand: "His Royal Highness, Prince Gui, you are being humble. I am just telling the truth." Then he said seriously: "You must also know your Majesty's preferences." As he said, Xin Zhao looked towards the relatives of Prince Lu who were standing outside the door and had not left. Xiang Xiang pursed his lips: "The Princess of Prince Lu's Mansion is young and beautiful. If she can enter the palace...hehehe..."
Zhu Changying looked at Zhu Weisi, and suddenly an idea came to him. He nodded quickly and laughed secretly: "I have indeed forgotten this incident. Zhu Weisi and I are the same generation in terms of seniority. We can talk about it, as long as she agrees. , I have no objection to coming here..."
As he spoke, Zhu Changying looked at Zhu Shouhong who was sitting on the ground and crying loudly, and couldn't help but sigh secretly: "Master Zhao's words make sense, and I am enlightened."
Zhao Xin struck while the iron was hot and pretended to be mysterious: "Zhu Shouhong has a long way to go to Qiongzhou. It is enough to save his life. If he brings so many family members with him, it may be difficult. Moreover, his health is not as good as before, and he may die on the way. It’s not necessarily true. If he dies, I don’t know what will happen to his family, but I do know that there is only one word to describe it: tragic.”
Zhu Changying looked at the group of family members again, and nodded thoughtfully: "I know how powerful this king is," he said, handing over to Zhao Xin: "Thank you, Mr. Zhao, for reminding..."
Xin Zhao waved his hand and turned to leave: "His Royal Highness King Gui, please help yourself, I have other important matters."
Early the next morning, Chen Cao received a memorial that made him laugh and cry. The person who presented it was Zhu Shouhong himself, and the seconders of the memorial were actually the King of Gui, Zhu Changying, and the King of Tang, Zhu Yujian.
The content is very straightforward. Please send the princess Zhu Weisi to the palace, and cut off all the enslaved maids in the Lu Palace. Only the princess and two concubines, and all the remaining concubines, will be sent to the Jiaofang Department.
Chen Cao chuckled, then looked at Zhao Xin who was delivering the memorial, and said abruptly: "I don't believe that Zhu Shouhong has such a bright mind, and he even got Zhu Changying and Zhu Yujian together. Zhu Changying can forget it. That boy Zhu Yujian is young and energetic. , the person who wanted to fight with me back then would still take care of the overall situation? Xin Zhao, you did it, right?"
Zhao Xin hurriedly bowed to Chen Cao: "I don't dare to deceive the emperor. I just explained the future situation of Prince Lu's palace. Besides, Zhu Shouhong's health is indeed not good. Qiongzhou is a long way away. It is really impossible to reach Qiongzhou alive." , unless the emperor is merciful and allows him to be a sea-going ship."
"You kid..." Chen Cao put the memorial aside, picked it up again after a long time, and then asked: "Since the memorial was submitted, you must be prepared, tell me."
Zhao Xin laughed playfully, and then said seriously: "Your Majesty, the seventh son of King Lu Gong has been granted the title of King of Taixing, and he and other Shandong princes are temporarily staying around Xuanwu Lake."
After saying that, he looked at Chen Cao. Chen Cao composed himself and said, "Go and call Zou Weilian and Chen Yan."
The two arrived not long after, and had listened to the report given by Zhao Xin on the way. After the ceremony, Zou Weilian said: "Your Majesty, I think that King Zhu Jiafan can keep at most two princes and two county princes. If it is due to the marriage issue, I will I’m worried that people in the Zhu family will follow suit, which will go against His Majesty’s original intention at that time.”
Chen Yan nodded and cupped his hands: "I second the proposal. Your Majesty, please handle it as appropriate."
Chen Cao nodded thoughtfully and said: "The Kong family is from the Confucius family. Although I respect Confucius, I have long said that Confucianism is not about governing the country at all, but only about governing people. Besides, the Confucian family was in front of everyone at that time. They dared to surrender to the Tatars in front of me, and even let me get into trouble. It is really shameful for such people to spread their influence over Yan Shenggong."
Zou Weilian raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, the Southern Sect of the Kong family is still available..."
"Well," Chen Cao nodded: "As long as the Kong family is allowed to serve in the palace, I will rely on Zhu Changying's favor to bring Zhu Weisi into the harem. In order to remember the two hundred years of Lu vassal foundation, I will deprive the title of King of Lu as usual and give Zhu Shouyong the title of Prince of Taixing. He is hereditary, and considering that he is frail and sick, he stays in his hometown for retirement, and will not be able to step out of Prince Lu's house in this life."
"Your Majesty is merciful..."
"Zou Qing, who do you think you will choose among the remaining princes?"
Zou Weilian and Chen Yan looked at each other and said: "Taizu's nephew, Jingjiang Prince's Palace can inherit..."
Chen Cao thought about it silently and thought it was okay. After all, the Zhu family had so many princes. There were more than 70 princes in the Zhou king line alone. The enfeoffment would become even more exaggerated. There are still many princes of the Zhu family in Nanjing. More than a thousand people, which is an exaggeration.
The Prince of Jingjiang was maverick, so he was submissive, and compared with the prince, he was reliable in doing things, so he nodded and agreed: "I also think it is feasible, so I will do what you want and make Prince Taixing and Prince Jingjiang hereditary. The replacement for the county king."
