The hustle and bustle of the night fell into silence as the sky dawned, the sun rose as usual, the morning light dispersed the mist, and life continued.
When the people who got up early in the morning cautiously opened their doors, they saw the mist dissipating, and they still saw the familiar streets as before. Birds were chirping, and old cows were chirping, pulling dung trucks and carrying breakfast.
The peddler carrying the load shouted in his usual tone:
Everything was so calm and normal, as if the rumbling cannons and screams of death last night were just a nightmare... However, in the upper echelons of the Ming Dynasty, the turmoil set off last night had just begun!
Prince's East Palace.
Although the emperor was on a northern tour and the prince was supervising the country, officials did not have to go to court. But that morning, the civil and military officials and noble ministers who stayed in the capital still gathered in the main hall of the East Palace. They either looked excited or worried.
.No matter what their stance is, everyone is eager to find out what happened last night?
At this time, the real owner has not yet arrived, but a lot of news has been gathered continuously...
"I heard that last night, Beizhen Fusi and the avant-garde of the Fu army went out in full force to uproot the Jinyiwei's influence inside and outside the capital, and eradicated it completely..." In the circle of military generals and nobles, Jianping Bogaofu looked embarrassed.
Xin Xin asked: "How is this possible? Why do I feel like I'm dreaming?"
"It's true." Li An, the Marquis of Anping, sighed: "When I got up in the morning, I took a special trip on horseback. The Black Tiger Hall in the south of the city, the Beggar Gang, the Brotherhood in the west of the city, and the Iron Hand League in the north of the city... are all Yingtian Mansion now.
The people are standing still." He said with a tsk on his face: "The wealth these gangs have saved over the years is all cheap to Ying Tianfu, tsk tsk, they are moving out box by box, which adds up to hundreds of cars!"
"Wow, you are so rich?" The generals immediately widened their eyes and said, "I heard that the backstage boss of these gangs is Ji Gang. Now this kid can't pee blood?"
"Who says it's not the case? Last night our Lord Ji was very anxious, but the people in Fusi in Beizhen were so cunning that they deliberately chose a time when he couldn't get out of the imperial city to attack. Ji Gang took King Han with him.
They didn’t even ask to open Hongwumen!”
"Ah? No way. Wang Tie, the guard of Hongwu Gate, is an old subordinate of the King of Han. How dare he disobey His Highness the King of Han?"
"Of course Wang Tie didn't dare, but at that time, His Highness the Grand Sun was standing on the tower of Hongwu Gate..."
"Wow, this is a match..." The generals exclaimed, "Didn't the prince get angry?"
"It's time to get angry, but for some reason, yesterday the prince only scolded the grandson a few words and then turned around..." Li An lowered his voice and said, "I don't know what the prince was thinking."
All the generals looked confused when they heard this. After all, they had a friendship with each other and had carried guns together. They had always unequivocally supported His Highness the King of Han. Although it was unlikely that they would rebel with him, if the King of Han and the Crown Prince really faced each other,
, they must have sided with the prince without hesitation, and naturally they did not want to see Zhu Gaoxu not even daring to offend Zhu Zhanji...
The civil servants on the other side are not as rough-and-tumble as the military generals. They are worried about what happened last night...
"What nonsense, what nonsense!" Jian Yi, the Minister of Rites, said with his old face turning pale with anger: "How dare you mobilize the army and still fire artillery in the capital? It is simply lawless and lawless!"
"Yes." All the civil servants agreed: "Last night's incident shocked the capital and all the officials were shocked. Once the news reaches Beijing, what will the emperor think? Will he put all the blame on the crown prince?!
"
"This Wang Xian was originally supposed to have the courage to do his job, but he was not allowed to act recklessly and bring trouble to the prince!" Another veteran minister said sadly: "It's good now. It's a big mistake. It's too late to regret it. I regret it."
It’s too late!”
"It's not too late to make amends!" Some radicals suggested: "We will ask the prince to arrest Wang Xian later, and then immediately write a memorial to the emperor to explain clearly. In this way, we can avoid the suspicion of the emperor. Prince Quan
In danger!"
"It makes sense..." This suggestion was echoed by many civil servants. This shows how dangerous and unforgivable Wang Xian's actions last night were in the eyes of civil servants. This is not difficult to understand. For fragile civil servants,
Stable order was the source of their sense of security. Wang Xian mobilized troops and fired artillery, which seriously aroused their sensitive nerves and made them feel intensely uneasy.
Just as he was talking, there was a sudden announcement from outside the palace: "His Royal Highness the King of Han has arrived!"
All the civil and military officials stopped talking and went outside the palace to greet His Highness the King of Han. Speaking of which, this was the first time His Highness the King of Han had appeared in public since his assassination. Naturally, the civil and military officials had to greet Jun An grandly and greet him:
"Looking at the rapid pace of the prince, he must have recovered. Thank God!"
"Seeing that the prince has recovered, our anxious heart suddenly fell back into our stomachs, hahaha, it's so good, so good..."
"Haha, you are all well..." Zhu Gaoxu's face was covered with a cloud, and he could only show a slight smile at this moment: "Thanks to the great blessing of my father, I have become a good man again, but I have disappointed some people.
Hahaha..." As he spoke, he glanced coldly at Jian Yi and other civil servants. The civil servants felt a chill and all lowered their heads.
"Stop talking nonsense, I am here today because of the sudden change in the capital last night!" Zhu Gaoxu said as he walked into the palace proudly, glanced around and said, "Why hasn't my eldest brother come out yet? Could it be that he hasn't gotten up yet?!"
"Back to the prince, His Royal Highness is summoning Xue Juzheng, Yin of Yingtian Mansion." The eunuch of the East Palace said hurriedly and respectfully.
"What are they doing? Are they colluding to confess?" Zhu Gaoxu said angrily, with such fierce momentum that everyone in the hall could hardly breathe.
"Second uncle, did you eat explosives this early in the morning?" A deep voice broke Zhu Gaoxu's aura, and His Royal Highness Taisun, who resembled the emperor, appeared in the palace with a majestic appearance.
"Is this the tone you use when talking to your uncle?" Zhu Gaoxu frowned and used his seniority to suppress Zhu Zhanji.
"My uncle taught me a lesson, but is your attitude towards your brother appropriate?" Zhu Zhanji walked up to Zhu Gaoxu with a smile. He was fully grown and mature, and his figure was only two inches shorter than his burly and superhuman second uncle.
It means that it is completely possible to fight against each other.
"You..." Zhu Gaoxu's face turned purple. He looked at his majestic nephew and suddenly realized that his concession last night was actually a big mistake... something happened suddenly last night and he was not ready to take action.
Of course, there is no need to fight for Ji Gang. But obviously, his concession last night has boosted the arrogance of Zhu Zhanji, who dares to confront him tit for tat!
"Ji'er is so presumptuous, why are you talking to your uncle!" His Royal Highness finally arrived belatedly and tremblingly entered the hall with the support of two eunuchs, followed by Xue Juzheng.
"Yes, father." As soon as his father appeared, Zhu Zhanji immediately lowered his eyebrows and smiled at Zhu Gaoxu: "Second uncle, don't take it seriously. My nephew is just joking with you..."
"Hmph..." Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but groaned, turned to the prince and said: "Brother..."
"Second brother, why did you come here in person?" Before Zhu Gaoxu could speak seriously, Zhu Gaochi said with concern: "I just saw you and you were running around. What if the wound recurs? Why do you call me over?
Isn’t it done?”
"Don't worry, brother, my body and bones are different from yours." Zhu Gaoxu said unappreciatively: "Before, I was recuperating from my injuries, which made me worry about you. Now that I have recovered, I naturally have to share the burden for you!" He said deeply.
Looking at Zhu Gaochi, he said: "After all, eldest brother's body is really weak!"
"That's great." Zhu Gaochi smiled happily and said, "You will come here every day to discuss matters. If anything happens, we brothers will come together and we can see each other every day."
Zhu Zhanji felt anxious after hearing this. He opened his mouth but no sound came out.
"Haha, brother, this is what you said. Don't bother me when the time comes." Zhu Gaoxu laughed for a while, then suddenly suppressed his smile and said: "Then let's discuss today how to deal with the surprise last night!"
"Oh, what happened last night? At that time, I thought that my second brother was still recovering from illness, so I didn't explain it to you in advance. It's my fault." Zhu Gaochi's chubby face did not show any emotion, as if he was saying
A trivial thing.
"So, eldest brother knew about it beforehand?" Zhu Gaoxu stared at the prince closely and grasped what he was saying.
In the main hall, the expressions of the civil and military officials who had been quietly watching the show finally changed. The generals were secretly excited, but the civil officials were extremely worried, because if what happened last night had anything to do with the prince, it would violate the emperor's taboo.
, the emperor was so furious that it was impossible to depose the prince.
"Of course I know." In the hall, only Zhu Gaochi's gentle and kind voice echoed: "No matter how useless I am as a brother, I am also a prisoner of the country. For such a big matter, how can Yingtian Mansion and the Zhenfu Division not ask Brother for instructions first?
?”
The atmosphere in the main hall was a little strange. All the civil and military officials stared at His Highness the Crown Prince with wide eyes. They were used to his timid behavior all day long, but they really couldn't adapt to this attitude of being neither humble nor overbearing, neither evasive nor evasive...
"Haha, eldest brother is really impressive." Zhu Gaoxu was also secretly frightened, but he wanted to suppress the prince's momentum. "But as a prisoner of the country, the focus seems to be on the word "supervisor". For all major military and national affairs, you should first ask your father for instructions.
Emperor?"
"Of course, you have to ask your father for instructions on major military and national affairs. How dare you, as a brother, do it yourself?" Zhu Gaochi said seriously: "But last night I just wiped out some ruffians in the corner of the capital. I think it is enough for Ying Tianfu to inform me.
Is there any need to alarm father?"
"To put it lightly, the army was mobilized last night, and even the cannons were used!" Zhu Gaoxu said coldly: "Brother, you have been the prince for a day or two. How could you not know that this important place in the capital is the residence of the emperor and the princes?
, where the central court is located, and using troops in the city without an order is considered to be treason!"
"Second brother, can you explain it more clearly?" Zhu Gaochi still couldn't see any change in expression on his fat face.
"Let me be clear, that Wang Xian has committed a capital crime, brother, don't be foolish and protect him!" Zhu Gaoxu stared at the prince and said word by word.