Zhu Yunhe sneered and said, Zhu Mengran was so frightened that he knelt on the ground.
"It's not a rebellion!" Zhu Mengkan said in panic, "It's just a few vassal kings uniting to advance and retreat together and help each other!"
"Ha!" Zhu Yunxi laughed angrily, "Having two minds and having different ambitions towards the Central Committee of the Ming Dynasty. Isn't this rebellion?"
No wonder, since ancient times, emperors have had headaches when they had too many sons. The secret tricks of these princes are really endless.
However, Zhu Yunxi was still very curious, how did this Five Kings Alliance come into being? Who is the link between them?
"Get up and answer the question, and sit down in front of me!" Zhu Yunxi said with a gentle tone, smiling, "I want to ask you, how long has this Five Kings Alliance existed? How much do you know about this matter?"
Zhu Mengtan came forward, but did not sit down. Instead, he bowed and said, "I don't know much about the details!" He said, thinking about it carefully, "It is probably the letters exchanged between my father and several other uncles after the spring of the year before last.
It became more frequent, and on a few days, my father sent a confidant to bring a scribe into the palace, and he only met with the scribe alone every day!"
As he spoke, he paused again, "One time I passed by my father's study inadvertently and heard the scribe inside say: In the future, once Your Highness ascends the throne, your vassal will be empty. By then, the vassal king and others will be nothing more than fish and meat, and they will not be able to enjoy their wealth in peace.
It’s also unavailable!”
Why did you pass by the King of Chu's study by chance?
What this guy said is completely untrue!
Zhu Yunxi thought to himself, but this was not the time to care about these things, so he patiently continued to listen to what the other party said.
"My father probably didn't agree at that time, because the scribe in the study kept trying to persuade me. My father said that if I live in Wuchang and enjoy myself, if I don't break the law and rule the law, what can I do?"
"Then the scribe added that it is essential to be on guard against others. A vassal king is weak compared to the imperial court. But when many vassal kings unite and advance and retreat together, they are a huge force. When the time comes, even if His Highness wants to move
They all have to weigh it up!"
"Only when people are afraid to move lightly can they enjoy wealth and honor in peace."
"The man also said that several other vassal kings have expressed their opinions, and now you are the only one left!"
"My father didn't say anything at that time. The man said again, why should the King of Chu be so careful when he is a thousand years old? He just needs to know the alliance well and will not leave any words behind. Besides, if the emperor's grandson does not cut down the vassal in the future, there will naturally be harmony.
!”
"When it comes to reducing the vassal state, several princes also help each other. People will be punished by heaven and earth if they don't care for themselves. It's not like everyone wants to imitate the rebellion of the Seven Kings of Han Dynasty, but they just want to protect themselves!"
Zhu Mengran talked a lot, but when he saw that Zhu Yunxi didn't say anything and just listened with a gloomy face, he felt even more uneasy.
"My father probably didn't agree at that time, so the scribe laughed and said to my father, Prince Chitose is still hesitant now, which is as it should be. Please wait and see if what I said below is correct.
, let’s see if the emperor’s grandson is merciful to you!”
Speaking of this, Zhu Mengnan showed a slight fear, "Originally, my father had no complaints against His Highness. But in the past two years, Your Highness has been very tight on the vassal king's military resources. He is not allowed to expand the army of guards, and is not allowed to leave the fiefdom without authorization.
You are not allowed to participate in local political affairs."
"Last year, I asked for a military salary of 300,000 yuan, but His Highness rejected it again, and then issued a reprimand. My father was a little dissatisfied. After the incident of King Ning secretly selling contraband with other kings, my father was issued an order again.
After reprimanding and cutting off a team of people to rely on..."
Before he finished speaking, Zhu Yunxi suddenly said, "Hey, if you do something wrong, you are still not allowed to be punished? You must also know something about the inside story. In recent years, not only tea and salt products of your Chu vassal have been sold through King Ning's route, but also
Outside the Great Wall, pig iron, cowhide farm tools and other items are also sold to those restless southern barbarians, right?"
Zhu Mengtan immediately knelt down again, "I also advised my father!"
"Get up, get up!" Zhu Yunxi said, "For their own selfish interests, the kings ignored the interests of the country. Gu's treatment has turned a big deal into a trivial matter. But they still have complaints in their hearts. It seems that this good man is doing something
No!"
Zhu Yunxi stared into Zhu Mengnan's eyes as he spoke.
"That's it. I think about such a serious crime. It is already a huge crime for Your Highness to decide whether to punish him or not. No matter whether you are the father or the other uncles, you should be grateful. How can you secretly complain? It's just, that's it.
I don’t know what’s good or bad, and I don’t know how to advance or retreat!”
Zhu Yunxi nodded, stood up and took two steps with his hands behind his back, "It's okay to complain, but he also created an alliance of five kings. Does this mean he is determined to be the enemy of Gu and the Ming Dynasty? Oh, my God
You can still live if you commit evil, but you can't live if you commit evil yourself. These vassal kings will not give up until they put the lives of their entire families on the line!"
Zhu Mengnan's body trembled obviously and he said, "So, I would rather bear the crime of unfilial piety than say this in front of His Highness!" After saying that, he kowtowed and said, "Your Highness, my father is just confused and a little extreme. Many
It’s all said and done, but I dare not actually put it into practice!”
Zhu Yunxi looked out the window and said nothing.
The so-called alliance of five kings is actually not a big deal. With Zhu Yunxi's current status and strength, even fifty kings, let alone five kings, cannot be shaken. Besides, all the kings have their own agendas and are just using each other. Moreover,
, they are not born from the same mother, how can they be monolithic!
The implicit meaning is that if someone really makes trouble in the future, the buddies will neither help nor undermine each other. Between them, there is both icing on the cake and adding insult to injury. They are a body of interests and a body of contradictions.
Furthermore, the scribe may also be deceiving the King of Chu Zhu Zhen, saying that other vassal kings are involved, and now it’s up to you. Only by uniting can everyone be able to protect themselves. But for other vassal kings, the scribe must also be like this
General rhetoric.
Moreover, if we look at it in detail, the Five Kings Alliance is actually wrong and should be called the Six Kings Alliance.
Because in the secret, there is another vassal king who has been pretending to be a filial son and a virtuous grandson!
But Zhu Yunxi was a little curious, who was the scribe who connected the Five Kings Alliance?
"Do you know who the scribe went to see the King of Chu on whose order?" Zhu Yunxi asked.
"I have never seen that person, I have only heard that person's voice!" Zhu Mengxuan said, "When that person spoke, he sounded a little bohemian!"
Zhu Yunxi then asked, "Does your father have much contact with other vassal kings now?"
"There are often letters exchanged and gifts given!" Zhu Mengfan replied, "However, most of them are after others brought them to my father, and my father returned the gifts out of affection! Most of them are worthless things. Since the incident with Prince Ning,
Father has restrained himself a lot!"
Zhu Yunxi nodded again and said with a smile, "It's rare for you to be loyal enough to tell me this!"
"Actually, I also have selfish motives!" Zhu Mengfan said politely, "I don't want my father. I make mistakes again and again, until I make a big mistake!"
Zhu Yunxi turned around and looked at him, fully aware of his son's difficulties and secrets in suing his father.
He was afraid that the King of Chu would implicate him. The King of Chu didn't even see the old man yesterday, which already represented a lot of things. If the old man knew again that they were secretly planning the Five Kings Alliance, they would really be doomed.
.
Even if the old man doesn't know, what awaits his family after the emperor's grandson ascends the throne will definitely not be a good thing.
This is a smart man, a man who knows the trade-offs.
But...
Looking at Zhu Mengnan, Zhu Yunxi suddenly thought of Zhu Gaoxu's three brothers. Although the three brothers also had evil intentions, no matter what time they went, they would only follow their father instead of protecting themselves wisely.
Of course, there are also reasons for being fathers. King Chu and King Yan, two kinds of fathers, naturally have two kinds of sons.
"You have two brothers above you?" Zhu Yunxi asked.
"One brother, one brother!" Zhu Mengkan was even more humble, "My brother's health is not good, he is frail and sick!"
"The vassal king is the shield of the country, and the virtuous people live there!" Zhu Yunxi said with a smile, "You are a sensible person, know how to advance and retreat, and have a sense of proportion. If all the vassal kings in the world can be like you, I will feel more at ease!"
A hint of joy flashed in Zhu Mengran's eyes, but he lowered his head and said, "My lord, it is extremely unfilial to accuse my father in front of His Highness! Your Highness, please, for the sake of my father's confusion...