From the perspective of Han King Zhu Gaoxu, there was no one in the entire Ming Dynasty who could make him surrender except his own father.
Even the commander of the Forbidden Army, when he was young and vigorous, would kill at will.
The eldest brother, Zhu Gaochi, was the crown prince and had been in charge of the country many times. Zhu Gaoxu's conspiracies against him were constantly emerging, with new tricks, and they never stopped targeting him again and again.
But this time, after hearing that Xiao Chen led the captain of the Dongchang School and massacred all the people of the Daxing Chamber of Commerce, Zhu Gaoxu, who would normally be furious and killed several servants to vent his anger, had no intention of getting angry at all.
Instead, he had an indescribable guilty conscience that made him panic all day long.
He has seen people who are determined to retaliate, but like Xiao Chen, who is not afraid of anything, and with his ridiculously powerful personal abilities, Zhu Gaoxu is really a little scared.
He touched his neck, then looked through the window at the big willow tree where he often tortured prisoners in Le'an Prefecture Prison, and shook his head with a wry smile.
At this moment, he just hoped that Xiao Chen still had the respect for the imperial power and his father in his heart and would let him go.
Looking at Zhu Gaoxu's expression, the guard commander Zhang Jian on the side understood his helplessness.
Although the King of Han was always violent and killed his servants at will, the guards of the palace never left the palace.
Everyone's military salary is twice that of other guards, and they have never been in arrears.
With double the military pay, if I don't achieve anything in this critical moment, I will really be ashamed of my armor and the King of Han.
"Don't worry, Your Highness, unless the captain in purple clothes walks in on the corpse of his subordinate, he will never get even half a step closer to the palace." Taking a step forward, Zhang Jian's eyes were filled with determination.
"No need." Zhu Gaoxu stood up, walked to Zhang Jian, stretched out his broad palm, and patted the other man's shoulder.
"All the more than 800 people in the Daxing Chamber of Commerce have been killed. I don't want you to make unnecessary sacrifices anymore. Just be on guard. If the purple-clothed captain comes, just let me know at any time. Fortunately, I am also a prince.
He should be weighing whether to remove the head or not." Zhu Gaoxu said calmly.
He was expelled from the capital by his father, and now he only has more than 3,000 guards around him. If he really wants to compete with the prince in the future, these people are all fierce generals who charge into battle, and he will feel heartbroken if one more person is sacrificed.
"But Your Highness," Zhang Jian said anxiously, "if the captain in purple clothes is blinded by hatred and insists on his own way..."
Zhang Jian did not dare to say the next words.
"If he insists on taking my head off, my father will naturally not let him go. Just think that I have fulfilled my eldest brother's destiny and made his path to inherit the throne smoother. Don't make any unnecessary resistance and send him away on the spot.
." Zhu Gaoxu's tone seemed to be explaining the funeral arrangements, a bit dejected.
He used to be arrogant and domineering because of his status as a prince. Now, he was expelled from the capital and had been out of favor for many years. How could he face Xiao Chen, a wild beast with red eyes?
"Your Highness, I have a plan that can help Your Highness avoid this disaster." Mo Li, the counselor behind him, approached with a wretched look on his face.
"What's the plan? Let me tell you." Zhu Gaoxu said without looking back.
In the face of absolute strength, any strategy would be in vain. He no longer had much confidence in Mo Li's so-called strategy.
"Thirty-six Strategies, the best strategy is to leave. At this moment, the captain in purple should be full of anger on the way to Le'an Prefecture. His Highness might as well take shelter first. Once he leaves, we will make a long-term plan to avoid this humiliation.
." Li Qiye said slowly while arching his body.
Zhu Gaoxu raised his right hand, interrupted Mo Li's words, and said decisively: "Since I joined the army with my father, even if there is only one soldier left, I have not escaped from the battle. Although a man can bend and stretch,
But in my mind, the word "submission" has never existed. Please don't mention this kind of avoidance."
"But if Your Highness doesn't avoid it, the purple-clothed captain is coming..."
"Shut up, I said, the word avoidance is not allowed to be mentioned again in the future." Zhu Gaoxu shouted loudly, interrupting Mo Li's words.
"Yes." His eyes rolled several times and his throat surged several times. Mo Li swallowed the words in his throat and bowed back.
"Even though he was expelled from the capital by his father and disliked by all the officials in the court, I am still the prince of the current dynasty who has made great military exploits. If I hide because of the arrival of a Dongchang school captain, how will I compete with the prince for the world in the future?
, how to re-establish prestige in the hearts of the officials. Even if I die, I will die standing up and will never live an ignoble existence."
Zhu Gaoxu's high-pitched voice echoed in the hall, causing the tea in the teacup on the table to vibrate and causing ripples.
Outside the hall door, a guard hurriedly ran in, stepped over the threshold, clasped his hands in his fists, and knelt on the ground with one knee.
"Your Highness, Li Jinhong, the magistrate of Le'an Prefecture, would like to see you!"
"Li Jinhong, what is he here for?" Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but be startled.
"Master Li said that the imperial court sent him an official document and he came here to pay homage to His Highness."
Zhu Gaoxu lowered his head and thought for a moment: "Let him come in."
"Yes." The guard stood up, turned around and left quickly.
Looking at the guard walking out of the hall, Zhu Gaoxu was filled with doubts.
Although his fiefdom is in Le'an Prefecture, he has never participated in the political affairs of Le'an. When an official document came from the court, Li Jinhong hurriedly came to discuss with him, but for what purpose?
Besides, I was already in a desperate situation, so how could I be in the mood to discuss political affairs with him?
Could it be that this official document is not an official document from the imperial court, but a secret letter from the emperor?
Thinking of this, Zhu Gaoxu's face lit up with joy. As if he had seen a savior, he looked at the door of the hall, looking forward to Li Jinhong's appearance.
In a moment, Li Jinhong, dressed in a blue official uniform, hurried to the door of the hall with a letter in his hand.
Seeing Zhu Gaoxu, he hurriedly stopped, adjusted the black gauze hat on his head, and then raised his legs and crossed the threshold of the hall.
Lifting the hem of the official uniform with his right hand, he knelt on his left leg first, then his right leg on the ground, placed his hands on the ground, and kowtowed to Zhu Gaoxu.
"Li Jinhong, the magistrate of Le'an Prefecture, went to visit the King of Han."
"Get up, get up. It's not outside, but inside the palace. Mr. Li doesn't need to do this big ceremony." Zhu Gaoxu hurriedly stepped forward and helped Li Jinhong up with both hands.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Li Jinhong stood up and bowed his hands again.
Regarding Zhu Gaochi, Li Jinhong also had the same fear as Mo Li. He would not be willing to come to the Han Dynasty Palace if it was not assigned by the imperial court.
He must follow all the etiquette so as to ensure his personal safety.
"My lord, why did you come to the palace?" Zhu Gaoxu asked gently, uncharacteristically, with a smile on his face.
