Zhu Di respectfully exited Fengtian Hall.
On the way to Yingtian, he thought a lot.
The sound of horse hoofbeats interrupted his thoughts. Looking into the distance, a majestic imperial city seemed a bit depressing.
The death of the eldest brother Zhu Biao was an extremely terrible shock to the entire Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Di, who was far away in Peiping, was so sad that his thoughts naturally fell on the position of crown prince.
Once, because of Zhu Biao's existence, the crown prince's position was unbreakable. With his father's love for his eldest brother, he understood that he would have no hope in this life.
But the death of the eldest brother caused all the impossibilities to become loose and shaky, and he, the fourth son, also had a little more possibility.
Hope is like a wild fire, even if there is only a trace, it is enough to ignite a prairie fire in the wasteland of the heart.
Therefore, when Jin Yiwei came to Peiping to deliver the order, he felt frightened, confused, and slightly excited.
The Jin Yiwei is a notorious secret service organization that is hated by all civil and military officials. Once the Jin Yiwei comes to your door, almost no good will come of it.
Zhu Di was frightened at the time. He had just received news from Yingtian's spy, saying that Liu Sanwu, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, was meeting the emperor alone and might be related to Li Chu.
The back-foot Jin Yiwei came quickly, and it was such a coincidence that he even suspected that it was something like setting up an informant, and his father discovered it and wanted to punish him.
Facing his old and decrepit father who was far away in Yingtian, Zhu Di was still very afraid. He bribed Jin Yiwei with a large sum of money, but only received an ambiguous reply.
He was panicking, but he had to go. Even if the spy he planted was discovered, he would at most receive a punishment and would never commit a crime and go to jail.
But if there was this little episode, what would his father think of him?
If some things are done without being discovered, it can be called a clever method, but once the flaw is exposed, it will be a huge disaster.
Carrying a variety of complex emotions such as nervousness, uneasiness, and fear, Zhu Di took only a few brave personal guards who had experienced hundreds of battles and rushed all the way to Yingtian.
However, the blame and punishment he imagined did not come. Instead, the development of things far exceeded his expectations, and even everyone's expectations.
The position of Crown Prince was actually beckoning to him, and the distance was very close.
Taking a deep breath, Zhu Di pinched his thigh. A clear and strong pain suddenly surged into his heart. His face, which had been tempered by wind and frost and became tough and tough, could not stop his expression of joy.
This situation that could only appear in a dream turned out to be so real. Zhu Di's steps became brisker, and a little raindrops fell on his body and fell on the corners of his lips, making him feel sweet.
the other side……
Yingtianhuang City, in front of the Meridian Gate.
The fine raindrops were like cow hair, soaking Zhan Hui's temples.
He came the fastest, but in front of the Meridian Gate, he still chose to stand still and wait quietly for several other colleagues.
In recent days, His Majesty's government has been in a state of neglect, and the number of court meetings has dropped significantly. It can be seen that the death of the Crown Prince has caused profound pain to His Majesty.
Your Majesty's sudden summons of six ministers to discuss matters must be related to the position of crown prince.
Zhan Hui felt something was wrong and frowned deeply. Before leaving the house, he specifically told his wife and children at home what was going on behind him.
"Zi Shan, you came so quickly."
A familiar voice came from behind. Zhan Hui turned around and saw that it was Ren Hengtai, and said, "It's not too late for Gu Yong to come."
"This is the first time His Majesty has summoned us to discuss matters since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince passed away. Naturally, we cannot miss the time."
"This discussion is of great concern. I estimate that it must be related to the position of the crown prince."
"That should be the case." Another voice came. Zhan Hui and Ren Hengtai turned around. The person who came was walking steadily, it was Yang Jing and Yang Zhongning.
"Zhong Ning."
"Brother Zishan, brother Gu Yong, why don't you come in?"
Zhan Hui: "Your Majesty summoned me to discuss matters. If I am the only one who comes in, if your Majesty blames you, then I will commit a big crime."
Yang Jing glanced around and saw that the palace guards were far away, so he lowered his voice and said, "Which prince do you think your Majesty likes the most?"
Zhan Hui and Ren Hengtai shook their heads in unison, evading this question as if they were snakes and scorpions: "How can ordinary people like us guess His Majesty's thoughts? Zhong Ning be careful when speaking."
"It's me, Meng Lang."
Soon, six ministers came together, and a moment later, Liu Sanwu, an eighty-year-old Hanlin scholar, came tremblingly.
The seven people greeted each other and went straight to Fengtian Hall without stopping outside the Meridian Gate.
In the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang closed his eyes and rested his mind, and did not deal with the mountain of memorials.
In his opinion, these memorials can be handed over to Zhu Di for processing in a few days. An old man like him, who is dim-sighted, should stay peacefully in the backyard, enjoy flowers and fish, and take care of himself.
As his thoughts turned, he suddenly realized that a mortal body has limited energy, and there were so many memorials to deal with. If Zhu Di was exhausted, what should he do?
The former prince Zhu Biao died in the prime of his life. It is difficult not to make him wonder whether he died of overwork due to excessive handling of government affairs every day.
If that's the case, what about Zhu Di? Will he die of overwork before he has completely handed over the destiny of the country?
Opening his eyes slightly, Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at the pile of memorials, feeling more and more unhappy. Most of them were trivial matters, and the officials below, really, such things also need to be reported?
There is also a part where officials are criticizing each other. The scene is comparable to a martial arts competition between sects. The various rhetorical methods are dazzling, and the view is clear and logical, making it difficult to distinguish the true from the false.
"The human heart is treacherous and deceitful. It is even more insidious and cunning than the monks like us who defy heaven and fight for our lives. The way of heaven has no advantage in front of the way of humanity, except for the supreme legal principle."
He felt a little emotional in his heart. The scheming thoughts derived from a small human dynasty and a group of mortals who could not live more than a hundred years were really jaw-dropping.
"Your Majesty, Zhan Hui, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Zhao Mian, the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, Ren Hengtai, the Minister of Rites, Shen Shu, the Minister of the Ministry of War, Yang Jing, the Minister of Punishments, Yan Zhenzhi, the Minister of the Ministry of Works, and Liu Sanwu, the Hanlin scholar, are waiting for orders outside the palace."
The voice interrupted Zhu Yuanzhang's thoughts. He raised his eyes slightly and said, "Xuan."
Shortly after the words fell, the eunuch's sharp voice came from outside the Fengtian Palace: "Zhan Hui, the Minister of the Ministry of Public Affairs, Zhao Mian, the Minister of the Ministry of Husbandry, Ren Hengtai, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Shen Shu, the Minister of the Ministry of War, Yang Jing, the Minister of the Punishment Department, and Yan Zhenzhi, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, Hanlin scholar Liu Sanwu entered the palace."
Led by Zhan Hui, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, the seven people entered the Fengtian Hall one by one with their eyebrows lowered and their eyes lowered. After standing still, they all knelt down and worshiped on the ground, shouting: "Zhan Hui, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel (Zhao Mian, the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs...) knelt down." Your Majesty, long live my emperor, long live, long live!"
"Get up."
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at all the ministers and said directly: "I have summoned you to discuss matters today for the purpose of holding the position of crown prince. Please tell me what you think."
After the words fell to the ground, there was silence in Fengtian Hall.
Seeing this, he was not surprised and continued: "I want to make King Zhu Di of Yan the crown prince. What do you think?"
…
