Just when Lao Zhu wanted to test Zhu Fan's temper, and Zhu Biao was waiting with peace of mind, a memorial set out from Taiyuan, Shanxi, all the way to the capital, and fell into the hands of Zhan Hui, the Minister of Civil Affairs.
As soon as Zhan Hui got the memorial, he went directly to the emperor with the memorial without waiting for the Secretary of General Affairs to report it to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, Zhan Hui, has requested to see the Emperor. Please convey the message."
"Master Zhan, please wait a moment. I will report to the emperor right now." A eunuch guarding the door of the hall bowed slightly towards Zhan Hui, then turned and walked into the hall without waiting for his reaction.
Not long after, the eunuch came back. With a whisk in his hand, he said, "The emperor has a decree to summon Lord Zhan to see you."
Zhan Hui bowed his hands in thanks and followed the eunuch into the palace.
"My lord, Zhan Hui, pays homage to the emperor. Long live my emperor."
"I love you." Lao Zhu said calmly.
Lao Zhu still likes Zhan Hui very much. He dares to fight hard and is not afraid of offending people in the officialdom. Lao Zhu values him deeply. Otherwise, Zhan Hui would not have been able to grow from a failed scholar to a short period of time.
Within a year and a half, he became the minister of the Ministry of Personnel, the first of the six departments of the Ming Dynasty.
In fact, there is one person that Lao Zhu values more, that is Han Du. However, although Han Du is very obedient in front of Lao Zhu, there is always a feeling that Lao Zhu is slippery.
Han Du will fulfill the orders that Lao Zhu gave Han Du to the letter. He may even find another way to complete them better.
But the bad thing is this new approach. Sometimes Lao Zhu wants to let Han Du pass some things, severely punish some officials, and even use some heads to scare chickens and monkeys.
But Han Du was able to find another way to turn this bad thing into a good thing, so that officials who should have lost their official positions or even lost their lives could finally save their lives and even avoid punishment.
This is what Lao Zhu dislikes the most.
After a lot of back and forth, Lao Zhu simply stopped looking for Han Du to do these things. He began to look for candidates again, and only then did Zhan Hui, a man who obeyed his words and dared to fight and fight, come into Lao Zhu's sight.
Zhan Hui is the second-rank minister of the imperial court, and Lao Zhu is willing to give him some face. After Zhan Hui stood up, Lao Zhu casually put aside the memorial in his hand, preparing to hear why Zhan Hui came first.
"My beloved, why are you here?"
Hearing this, Zhan Hui immediately held the memorial in both hands and said: "Your Majesty, according to the memorial in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, Wan Jin, the prefect of Taiyuan, impeached the King of Jin for hiding troops and horses and forging weapons, with the intention of treason. And he leaked the information in order to protect him, which is even more insane.
Ordered the massacre of the village, resulting in the death of more than 200 villagers, men, women, old and children at the foot of Wutai Mountain. The crime is extremely heinous. Please take a clear look at it and provide justice to the people of the world."
The expression on Lao Zhu's face suddenly froze, his eyes fixed on Zhan Hui who was bowing in obeisance, and he didn't know what to say.
Lao Zhu had never thought about making a fuss in the court about Zhu Fan's matter, thinking that he could handle the matter quietly. Although Lao Zhu also hated Zhu Fan's actions of massacring the people, but people
There is no resurrection from the dead. Moreover, Zhu Fan killed everyone, so even if he wanted to make some compensation, there was nothing he could do.
But Zhu Fan was his biological son. Although he caused such a big disaster, he couldn't behead Zhu Fan since he was his biological son after all.
It is precisely because of this that Lao Zhu kept Zhu Fan's affairs a secret. Even the court ministers did not know why the emperor recalled Zhu Fan to the capital, nor did they know that Zhu Fan was crying day and night in the palace.
.
But looking at Zhan Hui who was bowing in obeisance and the memorial in his hand, Lao Zhu knew that this matter could not be as easy as he thought.
Looking at Zhan Hui who was bowing in obeisance, Lao Zhu had no choice but to signal the old eunuch to bring up the memorial.
Of course the old eunuch knew about King Jin, but when he saw the emperor pretending to have just heard about it, he quickly kept his expression consistent with the emperor's.
Seeing the emperor taking away the memorial, Zhan Hui straightened up and said: "Your Majesty, what King Jin did is simply a violation of the world's injustice. If there is no severe punishment, where is the justice of the world? Where is the heart of the people of the world?"
"
Lao Zhu had just received the memorial handed over by the old eunuch. When he heard Zhan Hui's words, his hands couldn't help but tremble, and then everything returned to normal.
But even such a small movement was seen by the old eunuch. He straightened up and looked at Zhan Hui, sighed helplessly, and stood aside without saying a word.
Lao Zhu opened the memorial and read it carefully from beginning to end. Generally speaking, Wan Jin's impeachment was well-founded, and the content was no different from what Lao Zhu had learned.
In other words, what Zhu Fan did in Taiyuan had actually been watched for a long time.
"Your Majesty, the King of Jin not only had a rebellious intention, but also had the audacity to send people to intercept the Taiyuan magistrate's report to the court. So that after the King of Jin left Taiyuan and returned to the capital, Wan Jin could continue to report to the imperial court to impeach the King of Jin.
The King of Jin is so lawless, so I ask the Emperor to severely punish him as a warning to others." Seeing that the Emperor had not spoken for a long time, Zhan Hui couldn't help but continue.
Lao Zhu suddenly became furious and threw the memorial on the imperial case. He slapped the case and cursed angrily: "It is said that King Jin has entered the palace."
When Zhu Fan was banned in the palace
He was frightened, especially when he had been imprisoned for many days without any sign that his father would spare him, and it even frightened him to the point of trembling with fear.
Based on his understanding of the prince, even if he did such a treasonous thing, the prince would definitely intercede for him. But after so long, there was no news at all, or the prince did not intercede for him. But this is not true.
It's possible that the prince couldn't ignore him when he saw him in trouble.
Then the prince could only plead for him in front of his father, but it was of no use.
Even the prince's pleas were in vain and Zhu Fan was truly frightened in an instant.
These days in the palace, he feels uneasy every day. Now that he heard that his father finally summoned him, he thought that the prince had settled his matter and that his father had forgiven him of his mistakes.
He came to Fengtian Hall with a face full of joy. He walked in and was about to admit his mistake to his father, but suddenly he saw Zhan Hui standing here, and the prince he thought was nowhere to be seen.
Coupled with the livid look on his father's face, Zhu Fan suddenly felt cold and realized that things might not be what he thought.
"son"
Before Zhu Fan could pay his respects, Lao Zhu immediately threw the impeachment memorial at him, "You bastard, look at the good deeds you've done."
Zhu Fan didn't dare to dodge and let the memorial hit him on the head without any bias. He picked it up and opened it and saw that it was indeed a memorial to impeach him. But hadn't he told his father about these things one by one?
Before Zhu Fan could ask questions, Lao Zhu angrily took the paperweight on the imperial desk, walked down from Danbi angrily, and suddenly hit Zhu Fan with the paperweight.
Zhu Fan didn't react in time and was hit by Lao Zhu, who immediately screamed.
The paperweight in Lao Zhu's hand is made of golden nanmu. It is extremely hard, as thick as a wrist, and about two feet long. There are two paperweights in total, one on the left and one on the right. They are carved with exquisite and complicated lines.
The paperweight is full of sharp edges and corners, and it feels so sore when hit on the body.
Zhu Fan took one blow and didn't want to take another one. When he saw his father holding the paperweight high as if he was going to hit him, he quickly got up and ran away.
Zhu Fan was escaping in front, while Lao Zhu was behind him holding a paperweight and chasing after Zhu Fan, unable to fly!
"Father!" At this moment, Zhu Biao appeared at the door. Seeing the scene in front of him, he shouted quickly.
After he got the news that Zhan Hui had gone to see his father with a memorial to impeach the King of Jin, he hurried over. Unexpectedly, he saw his father beating his third brother violently.
Everyone in the hall was startled by Zhu Biao's roar. Lao Zhu and Zhan Hui all raised their heads and looked at Zhu Biao.
Zhu Fan took this opportunity and hurriedly hid behind Zhu Biao, rubbing desperately the places where his father had just hit him. These places were so painful that it was impossible not to rub them slowly.
Lao Zhu was still angry. He walked up to Zhu Biao with a paperweight and said sternly: "Get out of the way, I must beat this traitor to death today."
"Father," Zhu Biao quickly stepped forward, hugged Lao Zhu's arm, and begged: "The third brother knows that he was wrong. He has been sincerely repenting in the house these days. How about my father spare him this time?"
"Don't even think about it!" Lao Zhu was furious and was about to rush forward to hit Zhu Fan again, but fortunately, Zhu Biao stopped him.
Zhan Hui also stood up, raised his hands and said to Zhu Biao: "His Royal Highness, I know that Your Highness has always been kind and caring for all the princes. But what King Jin committed was a serious crime of treason. How can we turn a big thing into a trivial one?"
Done?"
Lao Zhu raised his head, glanced at Zhan Hui, and said suddenly: "What Zhan Aiqing said makes sense. The state has national laws, and families have family rules. Since this rebellious son dares to do such a heinous and unethical thing, he will have to bear the full responsibility for his merits and demerits."
What Lao Zhu said was plausible. In fact, if Han Du were here, he could clearly hear the implication of Lao Zhu's words: Lao Zhu also wanted to let Zhu Fan go.
Otherwise, Lao Zhu would not have said that national law is both a national law and a family rule. Of course, the national law is unforgiving, but what about family rules?
The best thing is that the Ming Dynasty belongs to Lao Zhu’s family. The national law can be the family rules, and the family rules can also be the national law.
When it is a family rule and when it is a national law, it all depends on what Lao Zhu said.
If Zhan Hui realizes this at this time and takes the initiative to give Lao Zhu a step down, then this matter may be over.
Zhu Fan was punished, and Lao Zhu was able to save his face, which can be said to be the best of both worlds.
But Zhan Hui seemed not to understand the implication of Lao Zhu's words, and directly raised his hand and said: "The emperor understands the righteousness well, which is a blessing to the people of the world. I think that the affairs of the King of Jin are important and have to be cautious. It is best to leave them to the three parties."
It is only appropriate to have a judicial trial."
If the third brother is handed over to the Tribunal for Trial, it will really be over.
"No, it cannot be tried by the three judicial departments.
"Zhu Biao immediately interrupted Zhan Hui's words, turned to his father and begged: "Father, who is not a sage and can have no faults? The third brother already knows that he is wrong, please give him a chance to reform.
If you have the opportunity, don’t hand him over to the Tri-Faculty Division for trial.”
Lao Zhu actually didn't think about what he wanted to do to Zhu Fan. He originally thought that Zhan Hui had always obeyed him, and this time would be no exception. That's why he deliberately said those words in order to make Zhan Hui know something interesting for him.
Find a place to go down the stairs and make this a big deal.
But what Lao Zhu never expected was that Zhan Hui not only failed to give him a step up, but instead captured Lao Zhu's army and blocked his retreat.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince," Zhan Hui looked at Zhu Biao seriously, "I know that Your Highness is kind-hearted by nature and loves the kings very much. He is a good brother. However, the national law is ruthless. Princes who break the law are guilty of the same crime as the common people. Even if the King of Jin is a prince,
, nor can we trample on the laws of the country. Otherwise, where is the justice in the world?"
Zhu Biao looked at Zhan Hui in shock and was speechless for a long time. In the past, he didn't like Zhan Hui's style and thought he handled affairs too harshly. Now seeing him chasing his third brother so hard, Zhu Biao was even more worried.
I felt disgusted with him in my heart.
Zhan Hui didn't know that Zhu Biao already hated him in his heart, but he still looked upright and showed an upright attitude.
Lao Zhu stared at Zhan Hui closely, trying to see him clearly.
After a while, Lao Zhu had to change his words and said: "What Zhan Aiqing said is reasonable. This traitor has made such a big mistake. How can we spare him lightly?"
"Come here, capture the King of Jin and have him interrogated by the Three Law Departments!"
"My Emperor, Holy Ming." Zhan Hui's face showed no joy, and he bowed to Lao Zhu solemnly.
After hearing the emperor's order, the guards on the left and right came over immediately, caught Zhu Fan, and walked towards the door of the palace.
Zhu Fan panicked and shouted: "Father, father, I know I was wrong!"
Seeing Lao Zhu standing on Dan's throne without saying a word and looking at him, Zhu Fan shouted again: "Brother Emperor, Brother Emperor, save me."
Seeing Zhu Fan being dragged away, Lao Zhu waved to Zhan Hui expressionlessly, "Step back."
Zhan Hui bowed and took a few steps back, then turned and left Fengtian Hall.
Only then did Zhu Biao come to his senses and immediately knelt down towards Lao Zhu with a thud.
"What are you going to do? Do you still want to plead for that traitor?" Zhu Biao was fine if he didn't kneel down, but kneeling like this made Lao Zhu even more angry.
Zhu Biao looked a little dazed, as if he was talking to Lao Zhu, but also as if he was just talking to himself, "My son is incompetent. I try my best, but I still can't satisfy my father. I can't make my father agree with me."
The prince who is the emperor's favorite. By the way, I didn't teach my younger brothers well, and let them make mistakes again and again, so that they will never recover. My son, my son."
"What do you want to do?" Lao Zhu asked with a ferocious face and gritted his teeth every word.
Zhu Biao was a little despairing. If he had seen his father's current expression in the past, he would have been so frightened that he could not speak. But now he seemed to be indifferent.
Prostrating again, Zhu Biao begged: "The holy king rules the world with benevolence, and I beg my father to spare my third brother."
Lao Zhu was panting instantly, staring at Zhu Biao with red eyes, and said angrily: "Are you teaching me how to be an emperor? How do you want to be an emperor? Let's talk about it after you have the world!"
Zhu Biao faced his father's murderous gaze and immediately looked at him in fear.
Lao Zhu was so angry that he immediately shouted at Zhu Biao: "Get out, get out!"
Zhu Biao panicked and stumbled out of Fengtian Hall. Zhu Biao had been held in the palm of his father's hand since he was a child, and he had never suffered any grievances. However, in just a few days, he was kicked out of Fengtian Hall by his father.
Once, and now I've been kicked out again.
Such a blow made Zhu Biao extremely uncomfortable, plus he was worried about his third brother. Zhu Biao's expression was in a trance after leaving Fengtian Temple. He staggered, walked to the bridge of Jinshui River, and suddenly faced towards
I took a look in the river.
With just one look, Zhu Biao fell straight into the Jinshui River.
"The prince fell into the river"
The eunuch screamed sharply, followed by the guards shouting in panic and the sound of jumping into the water.
Lao Zhu immediately received the news that Zhu Biao had fallen into the river. His expression suddenly changed and he hurried towards the Jinshui River.
By the time Lao Zhu arrived, Zhu Biao had already been rescued by the guards.
Lao Zhu stepped forward and hugged Zhu Biao, and said in great pain: "I asked the Third Law Division to interrogate Lao San, but it was just a delaying tactic. Why are you so stupid? Do you have to fight me desperately?"
But at this time, Zhu Biao fell into a coma and could not hear what Lao Zhu said at all.
Lao Zhu also knew that Zhu Biao's situation was urgent, so he quickly took a deep breath to stabilize his emotions, and immediately ordered: "Quickly tell the imperial doctor."
While ordering the generals on the left and right, Zhu
Biao was carried back to the East Palace and put in place.
Lao Zhu was about to follow him to the East Palace when he suddenly looked back at the guards who went into the water to rescue Zhu Biao. Suddenly he ordered the old eunuch: "Give generous rewards to those guards who went to save the prince with clothes on, and give generous rewards to those who took off their clothes to save the prince."
Pull out all the guards and chop them down."
The old eunuch was suddenly startled. Faced with the emperor's cold eyes, he quickly lowered his head and said, "Yes, I obey the order."
Soon, Wu Qian, the envoy of Taiyuan Hospital, came with two imperial doctors, two people carrying medicinal materials, and three officials to diagnose and treat the prince.
Queen Ma also quickly received the news and hurried to the East Palace, only one step away from the imperial doctor.
Seeing Wu Qian coming out, Empress Ma quickly stepped forward and asked, "How is the prince?"
Wu Qian bowed and said, "I pay homage to the Queen. I replied that after the diagnosis and treatment by me and two other imperial doctors, it was found that His Highness the Crown Prince fell into the water and suffered from wind and cold, which led to his coma. I have already spoken with the two imperial doctors."
The doctor discussed and prescribed a prescription, and you should wake up after taking the medicine."
"Okay, okay, hurry up and grab the medicine." Seeing Zhu Biao lying motionless on the bed, Queen Ma felt extremely heartbroken. She panicked for a moment and quickly ordered Wu Qian to grab the medicine and boil it.
"Yes, I'll go right away." Wu Qian bowed quickly, waved to the imperial doctor inside, and took away all the people he brought.
Lao Zhu also waved his hand silently, asking everyone in the room to exit.
Empress Ma secretly wiped away her tears behind Lao Zhu's back, then cheered up and said, "You are so cruel in handing Lao San over to the Tribunal for Trial."
Although Lao Zhu also felt heartbroken about Zhu Biao's current situation, when it came to Zhu Fan, Lao Zhu did not think that what he had done was wrong. "Although I did not feel close to father and son in doing this, it paid for the public welfare of the world."
Righteousness. I just want to let those princes and ministers know that even if my son makes a mistake, he will not escape the punishment of the Great Ming Law."
"You have gained justice, but now you have a son in prison waiting to be interrogated by the three judges. A son is lying on the bed not knowing whether he is alive or dead. Now are you happy?" Empress Ma had no scruples and did not give Lao Zhu the slightest chance.
face.
Lao Zhu had put all his hopes on Zhu Biao his whole life. Now that Zhu Biao was unconscious, Lao Zhu, who had been strong all his life, had to weaken. Facing Queen Ma's questioning, Lao Zhu looked at him and said,
"Now that things have come to this, sister, what's the point of saying all this?"
Seeing that Queen Ma still ignored him, Lao Zhu had to let go and said: "Okay, okay. I'll just wait until Biao'er wakes up and I won't scold him anymore. In addition, where is Lao San, I'll let him
Let him go."
Queen Ma then spoke, with a dissatisfied tone: "The third child made a mistake, and if you want to punish him, just punish him. But you shouldn't tease him. After teasing him enough, punish him again. Biao'er is the elder."
What's wrong with begging for mercy? Is it worth reprimanding him in anger?"
Lao Zhu immediately approached Empress Ma with an awkward expression, held her shoulders with both hands, and comforted her in a low voice: "Okay, okay, okay, I know I was wrong. When Biao'er gets better, I will never reprimand him again, how about that?"
"
"In addition, I will let the third child go now and let him go back and stay well."
After saying that, Lao Zhu called out the door: "Here comes someone."
The old eunuch immediately walked in from the door, bowed and asked: "Please give me your orders, Your Majesty."
Lao Zhu pointed with his big hand, "Go, immediately send someone to the Ministry of Punishment to convey my decree and let King Jin return to the mansion. But he still can't go out, so let him stay in the mansion."
"As ordered." The old eunuch quickly turned around and went out to give instructions.
"What? The prince fell into the water and was unconscious?" Han Du was chatting with An Qing in the yard when he got the news.
Hearing this, he immediately stood up and asked in disbelief.
An Qing suddenly became nervous and quickly asked the eunuch who came to deliver the order: "How is the prince's brother?"
"Back to Your Highness the Princess, the Prince has not woken up yet. However, the imperial doctor has already looked at him and said that he contracted the cold due to falling into the water. The imperial doctor is currently treating him. In accordance with the order of the empress, I have summoned Your Highness the Princess and the Marquis of Zhenhai to enter the palace."
The eunuch quickly bowed towards Anqing and explained.
Han Du immediately grabbed the brocade robe placed on the chair, put it on himself, and put it on as he walked: "Let's go to the East Palace quickly."
"Husband, I'll go with you." An Qing couldn't let go of the prince and hurriedly followed him.
Han Du and An Qing came to the East Palace and stepped in. Han Du saw Lao Zhu standing aside with an embarrassed expression, while Queen Ma sat in front of the table and secretly wiped away tears.
Not understanding what was going on, Han Du greeted him first: "I pay homage to the emperor and the empress."
Lao Zhu coughed, but before he could speak, he was interrupted by Queen Ma's words.
"Handu, Anqing, are you here? Come here quickly."
An Qing glanced at Han Du, and at Han Du's signal, he quickly stepped forward to comfort her mother. "Don't worry, mother, the imperial doctor is here, and the prince's brother will be fine."