I don’t know since when, there were rumors like this in the capital:
The King of Han saw that Emperor Xuande was young and thought he was easy to bully, so he had the idea of rebellion!
The guards of the King of Han were practicing day and night in Le'an, and they were very aggressive. The King of Han also uttered arrogant words many times, saying that the person on the throne was just a "little boy with a yellow mouth" and did not know how to govern the country!
Such news was so overwhelming that it was known to both the government and the public!
Even the common people in the capital actually started chatting after dinner:
"I heard that Prince Han from Le'an has evil intentions!"
"There won't be another war, right? It's only been twenty years of peace..."
"It's impossible. The imperial court has millions of troops. How can the King of Han resist the imperial court in Xiao Le'an..."
"You don't know this, right? Prince Han was the number one general under Emperor Taizong at that time. It is said that he was able to carry a cauldron, and he was brave enough to be worthy of a million men. He was able to take the rank of general out of a million troops! Just like Zhang Yide, that He is like the King of Kaiping. If there is a fight, who will be his opponent?"
"Chen Guogong is the queen of King Jingping, how can you be afraid of him!"
"If King Jingping were alive, the King of Han would naturally not be his opponent, but now he is his son! Wasn't General Zhuge (Zhuge Zhan) defeated by Taiwei Deng (Deng Ai)! I think this King of Han is Taiwei Deng... "
Several people started to blush as they talked:
"Chen Guogong's military strategy is stronger!"
"The King of Han has struck down all the invincible opponents in the world with one spear. He is stronger!"
…
There were different opinions for a while.
Some civil servants were discussing, saying that the King of Han had long been disloyal. Although he had been in Le'an all these years, he was still eyeing the throne and had strong ambitions. He should be removed as soon as possible. Renzong was too kind and allowed him to live. To this day.
Some nobles also said privately that this was a conspiracy by civil servants. Because Emperor Xuande established the inner study hall in order to support the eunuchs and their nobles to overwhelm the civil servants, they simply released false news that the King of Han was rebellious. This was to put pressure on Emperor Xuande.
Countless rumors have been circulated in the market, and it is impossible to determine where the source of these rumors comes from. A market hawker who appears inexplicably? A gossipy old man who doesn’t know where he came from? Or the little eunuch who seems to know Ouchi's news very well? Nobody knows. But the truth is hidden in the rumors.
Anyway, as the rumors intensified, everyone in the capital and many big cities, from officials to Bai Ding, knew that the King of Han was planning to rebel.
Rebellious ministers and traitors are naturally looked down upon by others, so in people's minds, the image of the Han prince gradually changed into a Cao Cao-style "white-faced traitor".
However, this is just a rumor after all.
Until that day.
As soon as Zhu Zhanji announced his intention to go to court, Chen Guogong Yan Keng strode out of the ranks of his ministers and stood in the middle of the hall.
Suddenly, pairs of curious eyes turned to him.
As an important figure in the imperial court, his every move naturally attracted much attention.
However, Yan Keng's next words made all the courtiers open their mouths:
"Your Majesty, the King of Han sent a letter last night with the intention of inciting the rebel ministers to act as internal collaborators and to plot rebellion!"
Not allowing everyone to recover, he then took out a letter from his arms and presented it:
"This is a letter from the King of Han to my ministers. It bears the seal of the King of Han. I think it must not be a forgery. In this case, the King of Han may raise an army to cause trouble at any time and cause trouble to one party!"
"I request your Majesty to quickly send troops to conquer the Han Dynasty to put an end to the rebellion!"
The King of Han has really rebelled!
The courtiers were shocked. After all, this was a serious matter of rebellion! But they immediately felt that it was a bit natural: the news that the King of Han was going to rebel had been circulating in the capital for several months, and some even thought it was strange——
Why are you rebelling?
Zhu Zhanji's face showed a slightly surprised look, but he soon regained his composure, and his face showed an expression that was indeed the case.
In his mouth, he spat out a sentence:
"The King of Han is rebelling!"
"In the past, he did evil things in the capital, and even wanted to seize the throne of the late emperor. I saw that his heart was evil and he was not a good minister. In recent times, there have been secret reports from Dongchang, saying that the King of Han had done something illegal in the fiefdom, but I thought of it. As for the uncle-nephew relationship, I will not deal with it for the time being, and I also hope that he will find his way back."
"I didn't expect that what happened today happened! However, the King of Han is my uncle after all..."
Zhu Zhanji's face showed a look of hesitation and intolerance:
"I... still want to write a letter first to persuade him. After all, the King of Han has not openly plotted rebellion. Although he has such intention, there is no trace of it. It would be best if this disaster can be solved without using weapons. Blood and family ties , I also don’t want to give up.”
Yang Rong immediately stood up and persuaded:
"Your Majesty must not have such a kind heart!"
"The King of Han intends to rebel against Duke Chen today, which shows that he is greedy for profit! Once your Majesty's letter of persuasion is issued, if the King of Han still persists in his stubbornness, it will be like reminding the King of Han that it may lead to a catastrophe!
"If he is allowed to rebel, I don't know how many state capitals will be ravaged, and the people of the world who finally got a night of peace will be poisoned again. When life and death are so critical, Your Majesty must not hesitate and cut off immediately!"
"Your Majesty, please send troops immediately to conquer the Han Dynasty!"
Yan Keng's voice rang out immediately after him:
"I also hold this view. Your Majesty, please send troops quickly!"
"Your Majesty, please send troops quickly!"
Seeing one of His Majesty's confidants, a duke stood up, the remaining ministers exchanged glances, and even though many people came out to report to Zhu Zhanji.
For a time, the ministers' exhortations seemed to force Zhu Zhanji to attack Zhu Gaoxu.
Seeing this scene, Zhu Zhanji could only smile bitterly:
"Come on, what you said makes sense. I cannot put my family and surname above the common people. In this case, I will order all the departments in the capital to prepare for war."
"I want to conquer the Han Dynasty in person and capture the King of Han and bring him back to the court!"
…
Although Le'an is small, Zhu Gaoxu is quite at ease as a local emperor here.
Over the years, he has also been honest.
It’s not that I’m unwilling, but that I’ve already recognized the reality.
Zhu Gaoxu was not only cruel, but also recorded in the "History of the Ming Dynasty" as being cunning and cunning.
This is a clever person.
He sees the general trend clearly.
In the absence of major mistakes by the emperor, it would be almost impossible for the vassal kings to succeed in causing rebellion, especially after Yongle moved the capital, the difficulty became even greater.
How could Zhu Gaoxu, who was also an excellent general, not see Emperor Yongle's thoughts? Zhu Di was able to succeed back then because Beidi was far away from the ruling center. Now he is on the edge of Shandong and Beijing. If he really wants to fight, the three major battalions can crush him in less than half a month.
Both his eldest brother and his eldest nephew were far stronger than Emperor Jianwen back then, and he had no chance.
Zhu Gaoxu accepted his fate and lived his small life peacefully in Le'an.
So when Zhu Zhanji mobilized all his troops to conquer him, he was confused.
(End of chapter)
