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

Chapter 162 The Chaotic Battle of the Grand Hall
Zhu Xiong Ying then turned his gaze to Liang Guo Gong Lan Yu.

"Lord Lan, what do you think?"

Lan Yu lowered his head and said in a deep voice.

"Your Highness, some of these people have connections with me. We should avoid suspicion in this matter. Please forgive me!"

Zhu Xiong Ying then turned his gaze to Hu Zhen, the Minister of Justice.

This matter should be handled by the Ministry of Justice. Hu Zhen knew he couldn't escape and was sweating profusely.

The way to handle this matter is very simple, but all matters cannot be handled solely according to the law; personal relationships must also be considered. The powerful nobles of Huaixi behind these people are not ones I can contend with. If I offend them all, I fear I will never have a peaceful life again.

"Your Highness, in my opinion, these unruly servants must be severely punished. As for those involved behind the scenes, those nobles are all veterans who have followed Your Majesty in the southern and northern campaigns, and they also have imperial edicts in hand. I really don't know where to begin!"

Minister of Justice Hu Zhen's meaning was very clear: the group of people involved all held imperial edicts, which would exempt them from the death penalty even if they committed crimes, so there was probably no point in trying them.

Zhu Xiong Ying gave a cold laugh.

"Indeed, they have the imperial edict in their hands, and I cannot do anything to them. But I have also said before, 'I will share the golden goblet with you, but I will not spare you with a sword!'"

"Since you gentlemen do not know what to do, then you may leave!"

After the ministers left, Zhu Xiong Ying gave a cold laugh.

Among the founding nobles, almost everyone possessed a "golden certificate" (a certificate granting immunity from death).

If they were truly disregarded and punished according to the imperial edict...

On the one hand, it wouldn't be right to tell Zhu Yuanzhang; on the other hand, these people would probably feel insecure.

Tie Xuan, who had been standing to the side the whole time, felt a chill in his heart.

After working so hard for so long, are you just going to let these guys go? If it were just about killing them, there would be no need to bring them all the way back to Yingtianfu.

These people are just small fry; even if they're gone, there will be many more criminals.

"Your Highness, this?"

Zhu Xiong Ying waved his hand, signaling him not to speak yet.

"Rest assured, since I said I would investigate this matter, I will certainly not go back on my word!"

"However, this matter requires a different approach. I entrust Tie Xuan's case to you. The Ministry of Justice will not interfere; you will have full authority to handle the trial. As for the subsequent actions, I believe you have your own methods!"

Tie Xuan gritted his teeth.

"The minister obeys the order!"

Zhu Xiong Ying sighed as he watched these people leave.

As expected, we still don't have enough manpower.

Although the court is not short of talented people, most of them belong to various political parties, and there are probably not many who are truly loyal to the court.

At this moment, a young eunuch rushed over.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Several princes and grandsons of the emperor have started fighting in the main hall!"

Zhu Xiong Ying frowned; these guys were proving troublesome at this point.

By the time Zhu Xiong Ying arrived at the main hall, the matter had already been resolved.

Several princes and grandsons were standing outside as punishment.

The group saw Zhu Xiong Ying arrive with a look of grievance on his face.

"Xiongying, it's so good that you're here! You must stand up for your uncles!"

"These gentlemen are just awful!"

"They only know how to protect that brat Zhu Yunwen, I'm not having it!"

……

These people were chattering away.

A roar suddenly erupted from inside. "What's all this noise about? This is the main hall, a quiet place for learning the ways of the sages. What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket?"

The person who came out was Huang Zicheng.

When Huang Zicheng saw Zhu Xiong Ying arrive at this place, his body trembled slightly, but he quickly calmed down.

"So it's His Highness the Crown Prince. May I ask what brings His Highness to the Great Hall? Could it be that you've come to finish your studies?"

Zhu Xiong Ying curled his lip. He had forgotten where he was looking for those things himself, so why bother learning them? "I heard that the royal family members were fighting in the main hall, so I came to see what happened."

Huang Zicheng said irritably.

"This is no trouble for Your Highness, it's just a small matter. Some people are jealous of others' excellence, it's nothing serious!"

At that moment, a short man ran out from the crowd.

"Brother, it was clearly Zhu Yunwen who spoke arrogantly and disrespectfully first. We couldn't stand it, so we taught him a lesson!"

"The gentlemen didn't punish him, they only punished us!"

Zhu Xiong Ying looked in that direction and discovered that the person speaking was Zhu Yun Tong.

Huang Zicheng gave a cold laugh.

"Imperial Grandson Yunwen was merely stating the truth. Besides, Imperial Grandson Yunwen is intelligent, studious, and respectful of his teachers, unlike some who only know how to be mischievous and troublesome!"

Zhu Yunwen held back his anger, keeping his head down and not saying a word.

Zhu Xiong Ying looked at his own younger brother with a furrowed brow.

Historical records don't describe this prince in much detail, only stating that he was weak-willed and unfit for important tasks.

If this person were useful, Zhu Yunwen would probably have to be ranked lower.

"Yunhu, what exactly happened? Look up and speak!"

Zhu Yunwen was stunned for a moment, then raised his head somewhat timidly.

Huang Zicheng's face was gloomy.

“Your Highness, since His Majesty has entrusted this Grand Hall to us, although Your Highness has the power to oversee the country, this involves the Way of the Sages, so it would be best if Your Highness did not interfere!”

Zhu Xiong Ying seemed not to hear, and simply looked at Zhu Yun Tong.

Huang Zicheng's face turned red with anger. This person was truly despicable, not taking him seriously at all.

Zhu Yunwen mustered his courage and explained the matter.

It turns out that Zhu Yunwen's reputation plummeted after that incident during the hunting trip.

Even many of the gentry families in Jiangnan distanced themselves from him.

Under Lü's tutelage, Zhu Yunwen always felt that he was the most suitable person for that position, and now this disparity made him extremely distressed.

The weak, in their anger, draw their swords against the even weaker.

Then Zhu Yunwen saw Zhu Yuntong, who was timid and often couldn't even speak, always hesitant and submissive.

In addition, he had never studied properly and had always been an insignificant figure among the princes and grandsons of the emperor. Furthermore, this person was Zhu Xiong Ying's younger brother.

This led Zhu Yunwen to speak sarcastically to Zhu Yunwen whenever he had the chance.

Zhu Yunwen was already used to it, so he didn't resist at first, he just kept his head down.

Zhu Yunwen was still somewhat indignant, so in front of all the princes and grandsons of the emperor, he bluntly stated that Zhu Xiong Ying was bloodthirsty, disregarded moral education, and violated the way of the sages.

They even believed that a monarch should rule by doing nothing, giving power to ministers and letting virtuous scholars govern the country, while Zhu Xiong Ying's actions were those of a tyrant.

Such words naturally pleased Huang Zicheng, Lian Zining, and the others greatly.

Zhu Yunwen was extremely resentful. Other matters were fine, but this matter involved his brother, and Zhu Yunwen was extremely angry.

(End of this chapter)