Duke Xu Huizu of Wei was the younger brother of Zhu Di's wife, Empress Xu, and Zhu Di's brother-in-law.
However, it was such a person who made Zhu Di grit his teeth.
Xu Huizu's father was Xu Da, the king of Zhongshan who was the first military official of the Ming Dynasty and the first hairpin of the founding capital. Xu Huizu himself was the "second generation general" most valued by Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang.
Although the Xu family and Zhu Di had a deep relationship, Xu Huizu was an out-and-out "Jianwen Chunchen". When Zhu Di was in trouble, the Southern Army led by Xu Huizu won many battles on the battlefield, and even defeated Zhu Di at one point. The idea of withdrawing troops came up.
Fortunately, Emperor Jianwen made a foolish move at the end. He believed that the capital was empty and needed generals to guard it, so he transferred Xu Huizu from the battlefield back to Jinling. Without the powerful rival Xu Huizu, Zhu Di completely defeated the imperial court, went all the way south, and finally invaded the capital and proclaimed himself emperor.
After Zhu Di ascended the throne, although many of Jianwen's old ministers were willing to die to resist, the relatives in the court quickly surrendered to Zhu Di. Only Wei Guogong Xu Huizu did not surrender. Xu Huizu did not go to see Zhu Di, but locked himself in the ancestral hall, knelt in front of his father's memorial tablet and burst into tears.
Later, Zhu Di brought Empress Xu from Peiping, and Empress Xu even came to persuade her in person, but Xu Huizu was still unwilling to surrender to the usurper. Xu Huizu stayed at home for five years, until his death, and never gave in.
Thousands of swords have been added to the body but he does not change his ambition. This is the case for Xu Huizu.
Zhu Di let out a long sigh: "Xu Huizu, you were a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty, but not a loyal minister of the Yongle Dynasty. You did not die unjustly."
He did not continue to think about Xu Huizu, his brother-in-law, but instead focused on Zhu Gaoxu's life simulation.
[In the first year of Jianwen, your father launched the Jingnan Campaign and broke with Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunwen. When your father started the army, he left your eldest brother Zhu Gaochi to guard his hometown in Beijing, and took you with you, who is brave and fierce by nature, to fight together. 】
[In the next four years, you followed your father to fight against Emperor Jianwen's southern army. During the Battle of Puzikou, your father's army was at a disadvantage and was besieged by Emperor Jianwen's general Sheng Yong. You led the army to come to the rescue. Your father was overjoyed when he saw it. In order to encourage you to fight bravely, he even drew a big cake for you: "My son is often sick, so you should encourage him."]
[You were greatly encouraged after hearing this and knew that you were not without hope of becoming your father's heir, so you fought more bravely and helped your father break out of the siege. From then on, you fought even harder and made many military exploits for your father's Jingnan campaign, just to get the reward you deserved after the war was won. 】
[But you never expected that your father would finally ascend to the throne after successfully evacuating him, but you would not accept his original words and you would not become the prince. 】
Zhu Di touched his chin, feeling a little embarrassed.
"If I deceived the kid, why did the second one still take it seriously?"
[The position of prince has been decided, and it should be the eldest son Gao Chi. This sentence is like a bolt from the blue, and you are dumbfounded. You can't wait to lead your troops into the Qianqing Palace, imitate the Xuanwu Gate Incident of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty, and kill him in a bloody manner. 】
[But in the end you calmed down, because you are not Li Shimin, and your father is not Tang Gaozu Li Yuan. The military power in your hands had already been subtly dispersed to various military camps when your father ascended the throne. Only then do you understand that the old man has been guarding against you for a long time. 】
[But you are not desperate, you think you still have a chance. You don't want to become a feudal lord, and you want to usurp your eldest brother's crown prince position in the capital. 】
[You don’t want to be Zhu Gaoxu, the king of Han, you want to be the prince Zhu Gaoxu! 】
Zhu Di looked thoughtful, and his eyes flashed with wisdom.
In fact, he had known for a long time that the King of Han had rebellious intentions.
Therefore, after the end of Jingnan, Zhu Di set out to resolve the military power in the hands of the King of Han, in order to prevent the second son from doing stupid things.
Zhu Di was not afraid that the King of Han would succeed in his rebellion, but that he would kill the King of Han if he did not stop.
[You tried to win over King Qi, but King Qi was not interested in fighting for imperial power. After several trials, you finally gave up on the idea. And your father set King Qi's fiefdom in Fujian. Fujian has been an indisputable place for military strategists since ancient times. Since you can't benefit from King Qi, you have no interest in King Qi anymore. 】
[Eleven years after Yongle, your father’s attitude towards you and your eldest brother finally changed. He began to delegate power to you and suppress the prince. You didn't know why this happened, but you were pleasantly surprised and started to express yourself even harder. You have more and more say in the court, and anyone with a discerning eye can see that the prince is in doom. 】
[Finally in the 22nd year of Yongle, your father) died of illness in Yumuchuan on his way back to the army from the fifth expedition to Mongolia. Before his death, he left a will and passed it on to you, and warned you to leave a way for your elder brother and his family to survive. . 】
[In the same year, you ascended the throne. You were the fourth emperor of the Ming Dynasty. You finally sat on the throne you dreamed of. 】
The wait was finally over, and the King of Han ascended the throne.
Zhu Di couldn't wait to see what would happen differently after the King of Han ascended the throne.
He has great hopes for this second son who is quite similar to himself.
[After you ascended the throne, you couldn’t wait to attack your eldest brother and his family. You didn't take your father's last words to heart. You first used some small tricks to make your eldest brother "die" of illness, and then hesitated for a long time. In the end, you didn't kill your eldest brother's eldest son Zhu Zhanji, but just deposed him as a commoner. , exiled to the frontier. 】
[After dealing with your eldest brother’s family, you set your sights on your third brother, King Zhao. Before you ascended the throne, you once said to King Zhao, "When I ascend the throne, I will share the world with you." However, like your father, you are both emperors who like to fool people. You found an excuse at random, killed King Zhao's guards, and then put him under house arrest. Two years later, King Zhao died in depression in the palace. That day, you cried loudly in the Qianqing Palace, but if it happened again, you would still treat King Zhao like this. 】
[You four brothers, now only you and King Qi who are far away in Fujian are left. King Qi poses no threat to you, so you finally show mercy to this only remaining brother. 】
Zhu Di's face turned dark. He did not expect that this would be the case after the King of Han ascended the throne.
Now he knows how Zhu Zhanji got his [civilian] status.
When the King of Han ascends the throne, the whole family suffers!
First, kill the prince, then depose the grandson Zhu Zhanji, and imprison King Zhao. The only remaining fourth child would have been killed by the King of Han, if not because he was not a threat to him!
"An Xin, how can the throne be bloodless? An Xin..." Zhu Di took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart.
He was born into rebellion and slaughtered his blood relatives. Therefore, what he fears most in his life is that his descendants will imitate him and wield the butcher knife against their blood relatives.
But what he feared most happened.
Even though he left his last words before his death, the King of Han did not take them to heart.
The King of Han wants to eradicate all those who threaten him!
