Chapter 95: My Son, So Dutiful!
All present were foxes with a thousand years of cunning.
Yoshinori Ashikaga’s remark made the faces of the Ming emperor’s crown princes darken to the extreme.
Who didn’t know that the longer a war dragged on, the greater the drain on national strength—and the deeper the pockets of the civil officials grew?
They had lost face all the way abroad!
The stern gaze of the Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang swept across the room.
“Crown Prince, speak!”
Zhu Di, the Yongle Emperor, immediately lost his composure, his accusatory eyes fixed on Zhu Gaochi.
The plump Yongle Emperor was drenched in sweat, his heart bitter with frustration. Which ancestor had caused this mess?
The worst part was that, having followed the emperors through several dynasties, he still didn’t understand the full background.
Zhu Gaochi’s scalp tingled; he glanced at the obediently standing young Zhu Zhanji beside him and poked him, whispering,
“Zhanji, your imperial grandfather is asking you.”
What should I do now?
Zhu Zhanji jolted awake in terror and immediately looked toward the onlooking Zhu Gaoxu.
“Second uncle…”
Zhu Gaoxu blinked in surprise, pointing at himself and muttering, “Not me. I was ordered to arrest Huailiang—I have an alibi!”
“Third uncle…”
Zhu Gaosui looked bewildered. “I swear, I went with Second Brother to arrest Huailiang!”
Zhu Di snorted coldly. “Crown Prince, you’ve done nothing these days. Tell me, who was in charge of military affairs during the Yongle reign?”
All eyes turned back to the plump Yongle Emperor, who gritted his teeth and said,
“The Cabinet was fully responsible!”
Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, Yang Pu, and Xia Yuanji served as laborers during the Chongzhen reign. Even in Yongle’s era, after meeting the Hongwu Emperor, none dared harbor such ill intentions.
Clearly, the flaws of an emperor and crown prince absent from court for over a month were surfacing; the six ministries and the acting cabinet elders grew increasingly arrogant.
Zhu Yuanzhang stared at him for a long time, then said expressionlessly, “Fourth son, Yongle’s reign was truly capable.”
Zhu Di broke out in a cold sweat, his fury burning inward. He wished he could mount a horse, seize a spear, and slay all these incompetent, corrupt civil officials in the cabinet!
Such a familiar feeling!
The young Zhu Di, terrified, immediately hid behind Zhu Youjian, still shaken, whispering,
“Father, if you hit him, don’t hit me too!”
The Fourth son, recalling the brutal beating during the Jingtai reign, trembled with fear and protected Zhu Youjian, swallowing hard: “Me too, same here!”
A bunch of cowards!
Zhu Di’s scalp tingled as he gritted his teeth, “My son is guilty. Please give him some time, Father. I will kill and investigate until the truth is clear!”
Hmph!
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, ignoring him, and threw a stack of treaties at Yoshinori Ashikaga, his voice icy and sharp as a blade: “Sign it!”
“Hey hey hey!”
Though Yoshinori did not understand the words, he was terrified. When old Zhu got angry, he was terrifying; his piercing gaze was like a knife, as if ready to flay him alive.
“Withdraw! Everyone withdraw!”
Yoshimitsu Ashikaga hurriedly translated for his third son, ordering him to dismiss the growing number of soldiers.
As the soldiers retreated,
Zhu Yuanzhang’s gaze softened slightly.
Yoshimitsu cursed silently: he hated having eyes and ears for such matters—just hearing about this could cost one’s life!
Maybe someone would lose their head simply by stepping forward first!
With a sigh,
The two immediately began signing and sealing the documents, ceding land and ports, restoring territories, and agreeing on equal treaties concerning trade and taxation.
One copy in Chinese, one in Japanese, with the Chinese version prevailing; ultimate interpretation rights belonged to the Ming dynasty…
...
Later,
Zhu Di’s gaze was almost ferocious, his chest heaving. He ground his teeth and said word by word, “Crown Prince, who are the new cabinet ministers? Who exactly are they?”
“Well…,”
The plump Yongle Emperor’s face quivered with fat as he stammered, “Father, the Ministers of Personnel, Works, and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices—Jian Yi, Wu Zhong, and Huang Huai!”
“Letting the six ministries act as the cabinet—you’re an idiot! And weren’t these men all in prison? Who let them out?” Zhu Di’s eyes were icy.
These names were all too familiar!
The plump Hongxi Emperor listened in terror; his cabinet during the Hongxi reign was exactly these men.
Each had been imprisoned by the Yongle Emperor, leaving the Hongxi cabinet like a gang. Anyone who hadn’t served time was ashamed to chat with colleagues.
Zhu Di shouted, “Speak!”
“Eh! Eh!” the plump Yongle Emperor trembled, pushing Zhu Zhanji in front of him. Swallowing hard, he said, “It was the ministers’ recommendation. I... Zhanji, under pressure, felt the Yongle cabinet desperately needed capable men, so I released them.”
Living father.
Congratulations—you’re about to get a dead son.
Zhu Zhanji showed a smile more pitiful than tears.
“Idiot!”
Zhu Di flew into a rage, grabbing both by their necks and dragging them into a tent, letting them feel what it meant for a father’s love to fall like a mountain.
“Imperial grandfather, if you hit him, don’t hit me too!”
The young Hongxi emperor and the Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji, terrified, quickly stepped back several paces, shielding the resigned Zhu Youjian.
The atmosphere was set.
The Jingtai Emperor glanced around; both his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father had cowered—he couldn’t be the only one standing firm without retreating.
With a face full of compassion, Zhu Qiyu quickly pulled young Zhu Jianshen close, whispering, “Great-nephew, your uncle is filial and can’t bear to hear your grandfather’s screams. Hold on to me, and let’s step back a little.”
“Okay! Got it, uncle!” Young Zhu Jianshen nodded earnestly, holding his uncle’s hand and shielding Zhu Youjian.
Because of his youth, Zhu Di even gave young Zhu Jianshen a good spot.
The Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji scolded in a low, serious voice, “Qiyu, Father just praised you as capable, but looking at you now, you’re still weak and soft!”
“Father, you squeeze in the middle,” Zhu Qiyu hastily said.
“My son is truly filial!”
The Xuande Emperor nodded with satisfaction.
“...”
All the emperors and crown princes were speechless and choked back their emotions.
Zhu Zhanji cared little for this; judging by Imperial Grandfather’s current strength, beating one Yongle Zhu would not be enough.
He furtively glanced at the young Hongxi Emperor standing on the sidelines, thinking: beating two should be sufficient.
Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui squatted in a corner, faces full of excitement watching the spectacle.
Pointing and whispering, obviously scheming something mischievous.
What kind of family was the Zhu household?
Zhu Youjian looked at the trembling plump and young Zhu beside him, opened his mouth, and sighed deeply in helplessness:
“What are the ancestors doing? I have pills; the great progenitor and forefather can’t kill us.”
The plump Hongxi Emperor shivered listening to Yongle’s agonized wails from inside the tent, hands in his pockets, face drawn, saying bitterly,
“You talk as if it’s easy, Youjian. They might not kill you, but you can’t stand the pain. Listen to that noise—there’s still anyone human left in there?”
...