Chapter 100: Emperor Xuande Zhu Zhanji: My Second Uncle Isn’t Quite Right in the Head!

Muromachi period.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, along with two unfamiliar sons, busied themselves tirelessly attending to the Ming Emperor’s heir and his entourage, arranging their leisure activities as if they were beasts of burden.

“Eldest grandson, this hot spring is truly splendid. Aren’t you going to step in for a soak?” Zhu Yuanzhang reclined comfortably by the pool’s edge, while the elder Zhu Di diligently scrubbed his father’s back.

“Reporting to the Great Ancestor, the Old Ancestor hasn’t finished discussing matters with the Prince of Han yet. I’ll wait a little longer,” Zhu Youjian said calmly, blinking at the shore without a hint of emotion.

The Ming Emperor was delicate, prone to weakness when immersed in water.

He dared not enter.

All the civil officials from the Jianwen era were here in Muromachi.

He feared that if the officials schemed or if Japanese raiders suddenly attacked, storming in to slaughter the entire imperial family, and he was soaked, the thunderous punishments might electrocute him to death.

“Alright, alright,” Zhu Yuanzhang sighed contentedly, humming softly. “A little further ahead. Yes, just there.”

“Understood, Father.”

Elder Zhu Di, sweat pouring from his brow with a white towel draped over his shoulder, earnestly scrubbed his father’s back, seeming utterly devoted to the task.

In such a vast pool, it was just the two of them; everyone else had been ushered to the far side.

In the second pool, the corpulent Yongle and Hongxi Emperors took two pills each to suppress their high blood pressure, finally lying back comfortably in the water with towels pressed to their foreheads, occasionally wiping away sweat.

The Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji, along with the younger Yongle and Hongxi princes, soaked in another corner of the same pool.

Zhu Zhanji reclined at the pool’s edge, leisurely recounting to the two:

“When I ascended the throne, my second uncle was hoodwinked into lameness by that group of civil officials in the cabinet. They claimed to have established the Five Armies’ Headquarters, appointed all five commanders, and arranged ministers for the six ministries. They were preparing to march west to seize Jinan, then north to take the capital, so the Prince of Han could ascend.”

Hongxi’s younger prince remained silent.

The younger Yongle prince asked curiously, “Then? How far did second uncle get? Did he reach Jinan or the capital?”

Zhu Zhanji raised an eyebrow. “He never even left the Prince of Han’s residence before surrendering.”

This...

The younger Yongle prince blinked.

Zhu Zhanji’s expression grew somber. “Second uncle wasn’t really thinking of rebellion. The news of the uprising in the capital reached before he even had the thought.”

“In the end, it was my fault. In July of the first year of Xuande, I established the Internal Documentation Hall to control the cabinet with eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial. By August, Yang Shiqi’s faction leaked rumors that second uncle planned to rebel, pressuring me.”

Hongxi’s younger prince sneered suddenly. “Then they secretly contacted Zhu Gaoxu, claiming I, Zhu Zhanji, was incompetent, and that if the Prince of Han merely raised his arm, all civil and military officials would support his ascension!”

“Ha! That fool attended the Jingnan Campaign. He always believed grandpa’s throne was stolen, so he thought if officials supported him, it was just uncle robbing nephew, as grandpa had done!”

Hongxi’s younger prince’s resentment toward second uncle surpassed even that toward the officials. He believed the realm would be safer once second uncle’s head rolled.

Zhu Zhanji, having endured much, bore greater grievance against the officials. Sighing, he said, “True. At the time, I sent second uncle a secret letter. I had no sons then, and second uncle was the closest family I had, repeatedly warning him not to fall into their trap.”

“But my foolish second uncle, in his reply, tried to one-up me. He sent two proclamations to the capital demanding the purge of corrupt ministers led by Xia Yuanji, identical to the edict grandpa had sent to Jianwen Emperor. That was an open declaration of rebellion.”

The hot spring water barely covered his neck.

Zhu Zhanji hummed softly in comfort and continued, “Those cabinet officials, led by Yang Shiqi, were eager to escalate matters, urging me to dispatch troops. I had to lead the campaign personally, but the cabinet repeatedly obstructed and refused to allow me to go.”

“These damned people took me for a fool. It had only been twenty years since the Jingnan Campaign; the example of Li Jinglong was still fresh. Military power in the Xuande era could never be entrusted to others!”

“When I finally led the campaign, second uncle realized his so-called Five Army commanders and six ministry ministers were all pretenders, vanished without a trace.”

“Who helped grandpa in the Jingnan Campaign? The Duke of Wei, Duke of Cao, Marquis of Changxing, Marquis of Wuding — these were top-tier generals, essentially the entire military might of Ming at the time.”

“Second uncle’s rebellion involved only the command of Qingzhou Guard, the prefect of Anlezhu, a thousand-household commander named Sheng Jian, and even a mere hundred-household commander... My second uncle was too thoughtless. If you’re dragging a hundred-household commander into rebellion, you’re at best capable of uprising only in a small place like Japan.”

Zhu Zhanji sighed deeply. “The journey from the capital to second uncle’s fief took only a day if hurried. I rode for ten days just to see who would move. No one dared. On the day I reached Lean, second uncle surrendered.”

“That shameless cabinet, when second uncle surrendered, actually impeached the Prince of Han, demanding immediate execution!”

Zhu Zhanji sneered, nearly choking on water, sitting up slightly before continuing:

“They didn’t even hold a trial, seeking to kill outright because the officials had sent secret letters to my foolish second uncle. They wanted to silence him. After I stopped them, on their way back, they even plotted to take care of my third uncle as well!”

“Remember, this was the cabinet’s ploy to weaken the Zhu clan’s royal line. Never be deceived!”

“They also alleged that second uncle maintained close secret correspondence with Duke of Yingguo Zhang Fu. Zhang Fu did send me a letter, but it was forged by officials under the Prince of Han’s name. Second uncle denied this.”

“Second uncle was reckless but not stupid. Duke Zhang Fu was my maternal grandfather, a national duke with the Grand Tutor title—he was the pinnacle in Ming. What could second uncle offer him?”

Zhu Zhanji paused, weariness evident. “Clearly, the cabinet officials played both sides: if successful, they’d force the emperor to bow, abolish the Directorate of Ceremonial, and reduce the emperor to a puppet, pleasing all officials; if failed, they’d implicate Zhang Fu and tighten their grip on the military.”

“Though Youjian supports us from behind, giving us confidence, you must never let your guard down. Watch those officials carefully—they are a double-edged sword aimed at the emperor. You can’t avoid using it, but you must be cautious.”

“Those damned creatures!”

The younger Yongle prince ground his teeth. Currently, he was in a honeymoon phase with second uncle—they had recently been on the best terms.

Hearing how second uncle was manipulated as a pawn by the officials, he naturally despised them with a burning hatred.

In a corner, Zhu Qiyu just showed his head above water, listening intently without even blowing bubbles, trying hard to minimize his presence.

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