Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 23 Just do as you say!
After coming out of the palace, Zhu Yunwen invited Fang Xiaoru to the Prince's Palace, and he was still filled with joy.

Although he already had Huang Zicheng as his teacher and was very satisfied with him, how could he be dissatisfied with having another teacher?

In this era, the relationship between teachers and students is of great importance.

Given Fang Xiaoru's lofty status in the hearts of scholars all over the world, if I could have him as my teacher, those scholars would be even more supportive of me.

Today, Zhu Yunhuan won the favor of the Emperor by presenting him a drum mimeograph machine, but he also did not suffer any loss by getting such a good teacher.

Zhu Yunwen felt very happy and was particularly respectful to Fang Xiaoru.

After entering the mansion, Huang Zicheng heard the news and came to greet him.

The three of them exchanged some pleasantries before sitting down inside.

Zhu Yunwen bowed and said, "I hope you can teach me more in the future."

Fang Xiaoru returned the greeting and said, "Now that I have been appointed as a scholar of the Imperial Academy by Your Majesty and have become Your Highness's teacher, I will naturally do my best to assist Your Highness."

"Your Highness Prince Xian is the eldest grandson of the Emperor. He will surely ascend the throne and rule the Ming Dynasty in the future."

"I assist Your Highness, which means I assist the future emperor of Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yunwen was very pleased with these words and said, "My third brother is now very favored by the Emperor, and today he has received a reward."

"Grandpa Emperor has made each of us kings, and all of my uncles are stuck in the capital and have not returned to their fiefdoms. It's hard to say what the future holds!"

Fang Xiaoru shook his head and said, "No."

"Since His Majesty has made both of your brothers kings, the position of crown prince will only be chosen from between the two of you."

"The King of Qin, the King of Jin, the King of Yan and others may have ambitions in their hearts and intend to fight for the throne."

"But as long as His Majesty is alive, they can't turn the tables."

"In my opinion, the only person Your Highness should worry about is King Wu."

Huang Zicheng also echoed: "What Mr. Fang said coincides with what I think in my heart."

"But I wonder if Mr. Fang has any way to help His Royal Highness Prince Xian seize the position of crown prince and stabilize the Ming Dynasty?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Xiaoru stroked his beard and pondered in silence.

After a long while, Fang said, "I heard that the commander of the Jinyiwei, Jiang Li, was recently fined three months' salary by the emperor's decree. Is this true?"

Although he had never been an official before, he had a high reputation among literati and had many friends.

Jiang Li was fined three months' salary, but not many people knew about this.

But no matter how secretive it is, it is impossible to hide it from the Ministry of Revenue, which is responsible for distributing salaries.

After all, the matter has to be handled by the Ministry of Revenue.

The Ministry of Revenue was controlled by civil servants, and the news reached Fang Xiaoru's ears.

"It's true!"

Zhu Yunwen nodded and said, "I heard from the eunuch beside the Emperor that Jiang Li wanted to become my third brother's disciple and encouraged him to collude with the Duke of Liang and other military generals to do something illegal... Later, my third brother refused and reported him, so the Emperor punished him for this."

Fang Xiaoru laughed and said, "If Jiang Li really had this idea, then according to your majesty's temper, you would have cut him into pieces long ago. How could you keep him alive until now and only fined him three months' salary?"

Zhu Yunwen and Huang Zicheng looked at each other and said, "Teacher, you are indeed very perceptive. Mr. Huang and I also think so."

"As the commander of the Imperial Guard, Jiang Li is the most trusted confidant of Grandpa Emperor."

"If he really has second thoughts about Grandpa Huang, how can Grandpa Huang tolerate him?"

"I think his so-called joining Third Brother's sect is just a test under the Emperor's order."

Fang Xiaoru nodded slightly and said, "Not bad!"

"The King of Wu openly asked for the position of crown prince in the court. How can Your Majesty not have any suspicion towards him?"

"It would be logical to use Jiang Li to test him."

Huang Zicheng sighed and said, "It's a pity that King Wu was so alert that he didn't find anything."

Fang Xiaoru said: "This boy is reckless and rebellious, but he is very smart and talented, otherwise he would not be able to write such poems and articles."

"However, if a person has evil intentions and lacks moral integrity, then even if he has great talent and knowledge, what good is that? On the contrary, he can only cause greater harm!"

"Your Highness, although you and him have a brotherly relationship, the royal family is selfless and the world is for all. Your Highness cannot have any personal feelings for him." "He openly stood up and competed with Your Highness for the position of crown prince. Your Highness should no longer regard him as a brother, but as an enemy."

"He recommended me to be your highness's teacher in front of Your Majesty today, but it was just a pretense."

"I have an open mind and will never sacrifice public interests for personal gain because of his recommendation. Your Highness must not harbor any kindness or righteousness towards him."

Zhu Yunwen stood up, bowed deeply, and said, "Teacher, your teachings are very true."

"I know this in my heart."

"Since the day he requested to be made the crown prince in the palace, the brotherhood between him and me has been completely severed."

"It's just that the Emperor doesn't want to see us brothers turn against each other. As the eldest son, I have to act gentle and humble to make the Emperor happy."

"That's just pretending to be nice to him."

Fang Xiaoru nodded gently and praised: "Your Highness Prince Xian is so young, but he has such a character. He has the demeanor of an emperor!"

"The Ming dynasty should be inherited by His Majesty Prince Xian."

He changed the subject and said, "Your Majesty, the princes are already old, and many of them have been commanding troops outside for many years, such as the King of Qin, the King of Jin, the King of Yan, etc. They are not easy to deal with."

"The other princes may not be completely without ideas about the throne."

"As long as the crown prince position is not determined, all the princes will covet it."

"Add to that the competition between Your Highness and the King of Wu, and the many princes and grandchildren of the emperor, which will inevitably lead to instability in the government."

"In my opinion, your majesty will not let the position of crown prince remain undecided for long."

"In one or two months at the fastest, or three to five months at the slowest, the position of crown prince will be determined."

"And now is the most critical moment."

Fang Xiaoru analyzed: "Your Majesty asked Jiang Li to test the King of Wu, which means that he still does not trust him."

"We can make a great article on this."

Zhu Yunwen leaned forward slightly and asked hurriedly, "What should we do?"

"Two lines of light and dark!"

Fang Xiaoru said: "On the surface, we can have people create momentum and promote the idea that His Royal Highness the King of Wu is the reincarnation of the real dragon and should inherit the throne."

"Didn't the King of Wu openly demand the Ming Dynasty in front of all the officials in the court?"

"If we join in the fun, he can't refuse, right?"

“The bigger the noise, the better.”

"If this happens, not only us, but also the King of Qin, the King of Jin, the King of Yan and other princes will all turn their spearheads against him."

“He will become a target of public criticism.”

Fang Xiaoru smiled coldly: "Secretly, we can quietly collect evidence of the King of Wu's crimes and his collusion with the Duke of Liang, the Duke of Kaiguo and other generals to plot a rebellion."

"As long as we are determined, we will be able to find clues."

"Even if it doesn't exist, we can still create it."

"Then present the evidence secretly to your majesty."

"With one light and one dark, great things can be decided!"

Huang Zicheng clapped his hands and praised, "I have heard that Mr. Fang is a man of great talent. After seeing him today, I find that his reputation is well-deserved."

"With this one in the light and one in the dark, working on both ends, why worry about not accomplishing great things?"

Zhu Yunwen was even more overjoyed and stood up and bowed deeply again.

"My getting you, sir, is like Liu Xuande getting Zhuge Kongming. From now on, the rain has cleared and the clouds have cleared. I can rest assured that I will have a worry-free future."

"Just do as the master says!"

……

(End of this chapter)