The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 157 Lü's Delusional Land

"Otherwise, given His Majesty and the Crown Prince's personalities, they would definitely beat Yunwen to death. He's your younger brother who grew up with you since childhood. You wouldn't just stand by and watch him die, would you?"

Zhu Xiong Ying sneered inwardly. This Lady Lü was thinking too simply. After such an event, it was impossible for Zhu Yuanzhang and Crown Prince Zhu Biao to be completely unaware of it.

Moreover, after this incident, the officials and generals in the court also saw through Zhu Yunwen's character.

After that, apart from the power of the Lü family, absolutely no one else would support him to ascend to that position.

Thinking of this, Zhu Xiong Ying sighed.

“Aunt, I really can’t make the decision on this matter. I can only do my best to keep this news under wraps. As for Yunwen, we still need to find some tutors to teach him some manners properly, otherwise something bad is bound to happen!”

After thinking for a moment, Lady Lü turned her gaze toward the inner chamber.

"I heard that Mr. Liu Sanwu is in the Hall of Diligent Governance, and the Twelfth Prince has also received his guidance. I wonder if it would be possible for him to also guide Yunwen? That way, Yunwen will definitely help you after he completes his studies!"

Zhu Xiong Ying shrugged.

"I'm sorry, I really can't make that decision. Although Mr. Liu is famous throughout the land, he has an eccentric personality. He will only take people he likes as his disciples. Even when my grandfather personally went to invite him, he didn't come!"

"Moreover, Mr. Liu has already sworn never to take on any more apprentices, which might be a bit troublesome. Why don't you go and ask the Empress Dowager first? If she speaks to you personally, perhaps Mr. Liu will give her some face!"

Lady Lü was furious upon hearing this. What a joke! She was being told to beg Empress Ma.

If Empress Ma found out about this, she would definitely beat Zhu Yunwen to death.

Going there by yourself would be like walking into a trap.

Besides, he was just a concubine; what right did he have to ask Empress Ma for anything? Thinking of this, she left the place with great resentment.

After he left, a voice came from inside.

"It has been said since ancient times that doting mothers often spoil their sons, and now it seems that this is indeed true. With a mother like this, it's no wonder that Zhu Yunwen was raised to be the way he is!"

Zhu Xiong Ying looked in the direction of the voice and discovered that the person who said those words was none other than Liu Sanwu.

"I never expected Mr. Liu to say something like that!"

"I believe Mr. Liu can see that Zhu Yunwen is utterly incompetent. If he were to gain power in the future, he would be a major threat to our Great Ming!"

Liu Sanwu stroked his beard.

"Whether I can see it or not is important. Now that the Ming Dynasty has a grandson, Zhu Yunwen has absolutely no chance of rising to prominence!"

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled knowingly upon hearing this.

"I never imagined I would hear such flattery from your lips, sir!

Liu Sanwu shook his head.

"Throughout my life, I have acted with integrity and never told a lie. I dare to say this now because I truly believe it!"

Liu Sanwu's words were not just empty talk.

Now that Zhu Xiong Ying's influence has grown, he already had many followers in the court, and this time he has further disrupted the structure of the Ming army.

Given the current level of support for Zhu Xiong Ying within the military, it won't be long before he gains considerable real power.

It can be said that even the Crown Prince Zhu Biao did not have as much power as Zhu Xiong Ying in the entire Ming Dynasty.

As for Zhu Yunwen, although he had a lot of support from literati on the surface, these literati only had some influence on public opinion, and the effect was minimal.

In terms of strength, these people could not resist Zhu Xiong Ying, who wielded immense power. The next day in the imperial court...

The ministers were also discussing the events of the hunting trip the day before yesterday.

A group of assassins attempted to assassinate the crown prince, which was no small matter; it was the first time such an attempt had occurred since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

Hu Weiyong stood to the side with his head down, as if nothing concerned him.

At this moment, Marquis Lu Zhongheng of Ji'an quietly approached him and whispered something.

"Lord Hu, I wonder who the assassins were this time, and what their current situation is? Xu Da mobilized so many troops without reporting to His Majesty; what should be the punishment for such a crime?"

Hu Weiyong waved his hand and said in a low voice.

"The Duke of Wei made this decision entirely for the sake of our Great Ming. Although he was wrong, he deserves to be forgiven!"

"Moreover, the Duke of Wei is a rare talent among the nobles of Huaixi, and we will naturally do our utmost to assist him!"

When Marquis Lu Zhongheng of Ji'an heard this, he was extremely puzzled and even doubted his ears, wondering if he had misheard.

Has Hu Weiyong taken the wrong medicine today? He's actually trying every possible way to protect Xu Da.

Although Xu Da was a member of the Huaixi nobility like them, he had no contact with them since the founding of the dynasty.

In many matters, Zhu Yuanzhang was the one in charge, and he wasn't particularly close to his old brothers.

If Xu Da were willing to lead them, why would they need to submit to Li Shanchang, the Duke of Han?

In particular, Xu Da's refusal to associate with them led them to subconsciously believe that Xu Da looked down on them.

This made them all very dissatisfied.

More importantly, Xu Da wielded far too much power.

Now that the world is at peace, there are not many places where one can control military power, and most of these Huaixi nobles are kept in Yingtian Prefecture and have no real power.

If we can bring Xu Da down this time...

The resources and positions that were previously attached to Xu Da are now vacant, and they will definitely be able to get a share of the military power in Yingtian Prefecture.

They assumed that Hu Weiyong was one of them and would have similar thoughts, which is why they came to investigate him.

However, to everyone's surprise, when Marquis Lu Zhongheng of Ji'an heard that Hu Weiyong actually wanted to help Xu Da, he was furious.

This old fellow was not one of his kind either, and they couldn't agree on anything. With a cold snort, he flicked his sleeves and left.

Hu Weiyong felt extremely disdainful when he saw the appearance of Marquis Lu Zhongheng of Ji'an.

Given the relationship between Duke Xu Da of Wei and His Majesty, as long as Xu Da does not rebel, no matter how many troops are mobilized, nothing will happen.

Moreover, Xu Da has never done anything so reckless since the founding of the country. It is clear that this time he just wants to hand over the military power in his hands to Huang Shi.

It's even highly likely that Zhu Xiong Ying and Zhu Xiong Ying were tacitly aware of this matter.

At this point, trying to find fault with them is nothing short of courting death.

It's a pity that these guys couldn't see through such obvious efforts; it's utterly ridiculous.

The more harshly they criticize Xu Da, the more at ease Zhu Yuanzhang will feel. Conversely, if they support Xu Da, it will only make Zhu Yuanzhang feel that Xu Da's power and influence are so great that they are already threatening his position.

(End of this chapter)