Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 25 Zhu Di’s proposal!
Zhu Di came to see me?

Zhu Yunxun's heart moved, and he hurriedly said, "Please come in!"

Then he stood up and went to greet him.

Zhu Di is his uncle after all, and in this era of etiquette and law, he should be given enough respect.

At least you have to do enough work to save your appearance.

"Nephew greets fourth uncle!"

As soon as he saw Zhu Di, Zhu Yunhuan saluted him enthusiastically.

Zhu Di took his hand and said, "Hu'er, why do you have to be so polite?"

"You were crowned the King of Wu. I should have come to congratulate you earlier, but I was tied up with some mundane affairs these days, so I didn't have time until today."

"I came here at night and disturbed your peace. Please don't blame your fourth uncle!"

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "What are you talking about, Fourth Uncle? I always go to bed late. Now that Fourth Uncle is here, we can have a good chat."

He noticed that there were two people following Zhu Di.

One of them is a monk wearing a black robe, with triangular eye sockets and a very unique facial feature.

Zhu Yunhuan's heart moved, guessing that he was most likely the legendary black-robed prime minister Yao Guangxiao in history, so he said: "Could this be Master Daoyan? I have heard of your great name for a long time, and it is well-known!"

"Amitabha, it is me." Yao Guangxiao clasped his hands together and bowed his head slightly. "I never thought that Your Highness the King of Wu, who has lived in the palace for so long, would have heard of my name. I am ashamed to be worthy of it."

At this time, Yao Guangxiao was not very famous.

Apart from Zhu Di who valued him, few people outside knew him.

Yao Guangxiao was deeply surprised that Zhu Yunhuan could reveal his Taoist name so easily.

Zhu Yunxun turned his gaze to the other person next to him.

The man was dressed very ordinary, in a blue shirt with long sleeves, and had an ordinary appearance.

But when he saw Zhu Yunhuan, his face was full of disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Who is this?" Zhu Yunxun asked with a smile.

The man came back to his senses from the extreme shock after hearing this, and before Zhu Di could speak, he said, "I am a commoner, and my humble name is not worth mentioning."

You don't even want to say your name?
Zhu Yunhuan looked at him deeply and did not ask any more questions.

He led Zhu Di back to the room and sat down.

The maid served tea and exchanged pleasantries.

Zhu Di said: "I have lived in the north for many years, but I am not used to the climate in the south."

"The humidity is unbearable. I just want to return to Peking as soon as possible and take the soldiers to the front line to fight the Tartars. It would be much more comfortable there."

"But without the Emperor's order, I dare not make the decision on my own and leave the capital without permission."

"Hu'er, do you know what the old man means? Why doesn't he let us brothers return to our respective fiefdoms as soon as possible?"

Zhu Di returned to attend the funeral of his elder brother Zhu Biao.

The funeral is now over.

Normally, as a vassal king, he should go back, but Zhu Yuanzhang just kept delaying the decision.

The position of crown prince had not yet been decided, and the princes were stranded in the capital, which caused many rumors.

"Uncle Four is joking."

Zhu Yunhuan shook his head and said, "Grandpa Emperor's heart is hard to predict. Even you, Fourth Uncle, don't know. How can I, as his grandson, know?"

He raised his head and looked at the man in blue next to Zhu Di again.

The man had been looking at him.

The direct gaze seems somewhat rude and makes people feel uncomfortable.

However, the surprise and shock on that person's face became more and more intense.

Faintly, there seemed to be a hint of fear and terror.

Zhu Yunxun asked with a smile: "Why is this gentleman staring at me?"

The man in green was startled, and quickly stood up, bowed deeply, and said in a serious voice: "Your Highness the King of Wu is mighty, like an immortal or Buddha!"

"This is the first time I have seen such a dignified and elegant person like the King of Wu. I admire him so much that I couldn't help but want to look at him a few more times. However, this is a bit rude. I hope Your Highness the King of Wu will not blame me."

"It doesn't matter!"

Zhu Yunhuan smiled faintly.

He always felt that this person's identity was extraordinary.

But I can’t remember who it is?
Besides Yao Guangxiao, were there any other extraordinary people around Zhu Di?

"Hu'er, you are deeply loved by the emperor, but it's different from me."

Zhu Di said in a very sincere tone, "I came here today just to have a heart-to-heart talk with you, Hu'er."

Zhu Yunhuan said sternly: "Fourth uncle, if you have anything to say, just speak up."

Zhu Di looked at the eunuchs and palace maids serving beside him, and Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand, signaling them to all leave.

There were only four people left in the room.

Zhu Di said: "Both of them are people I can absolutely trust."

Zhu Yunxi nodded slightly.

Zhu Di lowered his voice and said, "To be honest, when I returned to Beijing this time, my father summoned me to discuss your great uncle, Duke of Liang, Lan Yu."

"Although you didn't say it explicitly, the meaning of your words is probably similar to what you said in the court that day."

Is Old Zhu going to take action against Lan Yu?
Zhu Yunhuan was shocked.

He had no doubt about what Zhu Di said.

Lan Yu had led troops for many years and enjoyed a very high prestige in the army.

If Old Zhu really wanted to take action against him, he would definitely have made arrangements in advance.

Zhu Di was also a general commanding troops. It was normal for him to discuss things with him and give him some hints.

And Zhu Di had no need to lie to him about this matter. "Thank you, Fourth Uncle, for telling me."

Zhu Yunhuan said: "Rain, dew, and thunder, are they not the grace of heaven?"

"How Grandpa Huang wants to act is not something I can stop."

"Besides, my great uncle...he..."

He sighed softly.

Lan Yu's rebelliousness was indeed a bit excessive.

Old Zhu has tolerated him for a long time.

"Huer is the one who dared to openly ask the emperor for the throne in the court!"

Zhu Di smiled and said, "I don't think there is anything you dare not do."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled bitterly and shook his head.

That day in the court, he was forced into a desperate situation and had no choice but to risk his life.

It's definitely not always like that.

"Fourth Uncle also heard that recently the commander of the Imperial Guard, Jiang Li, was fined three months' salary by His Majesty."

Zhu Di stared at him with a sharp gaze and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this matter should be related to you, right?"

Zhu Yunhuan pondered and said, "It was indeed because I went to sue him that Jiang Li was punished."

"Fourth Uncle still wants to remind you that unless you have no choice, it is better not to get too close to the Jinyiwei people."

His words were evasive, as if he was hinting at something.

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but frown slightly.

Suddenly, something moved in his heart.

Jiang Li was testing himself. If it was really arranged by Zhu, it would be too obvious.

The only bright spot was that he took advantage of the moment when the enemy was in a state of confusion after having just raided their house and killed someone, and suddenly launched an attack.

This can indeed increase the probability of testing out one's true inner reaction, but it is far from enough.

Later, Zhu Yuanzhang only punished Jiang Li by deducting his salary for three months, and almost told him explicitly that Jiang Li was acting on orders to test him.

No concealment at all!

But why did Lao Zhu do this?

What benefit will it bring to Mr. Zhu other than making his grandson feel that his grandfather doesn't trust him?
This is not normal!

Lao Zhu’s plan won’t be that simple!
If Zhu Di had not reminded him at this moment, although he had felt something was wrong a long time ago, he had never thought about it deeply.

I just buried my doubts in my heart.

really.

He is still not good enough in playing conspiracy and political struggle with these people!

At this time, Zhu Di stood up and said, "It is getting late today, so I will not bother you any more. I will take my leave now."

Zhu Yunhuan also stood up and said, "I'll see Fourth Uncle off."

As they walked forward to the gate of the mansion, Zhu Di suddenly whispered again: "Hu'er wants to fight for the throne, and Fourth Uncle is willing to lend a helping hand to Hu'er."

"From now on, I will serve you at your service!"

Zhu Yunhuan was startled when he heard this, and looked sideways at Zhu Di, only to see that he was also looking at him. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Fourth Uncle is really a joker. Don't you feel tempted by the throne at all?"

Zhu Di looked sincere and shook his head, saying, "Father intends to pass the throne to my eldest brother's son. What are we brothers fighting over?"

"What's more, what you said in the court that day was absolutely correct."

"I have two older brothers above me, so it's impossible for me, the fourth oldest, to take the throne."

"The future emperor of the Ming Dynasty must be chosen between you and Yun Wen."

"My second and third brothers may still be able to fight for it, but it is impossible for me."

"It would be better for me to become your disciple sooner. When you ascend the throne and become emperor in the future, you can also take care of me, the one guarding the border hammer."

His words were full of true feelings and sincerity.

Zhu Yunhuan only felt a chill creeping up his back.

If he didn't know history and knew that Zhu Di would never be willing to be under someone else's control, he would probably have believed it.

Are all the people in the imperial family such excellent actors?

"Huer, believe me!" Zhu Di said, "Everything that Fourth Uncle tells you today is top secret."

"If I didn't really support you, I wouldn't have easily revealed it."

Zhu Yunhuan looked at him and suddenly laughed.

"Uncle, you are too kind. I trust you."

"Then according to Fourth Uncle's opinion, what should I do next?"

He posed a question.

"Cooperate with Grandpa Emperor with all your strength to eliminate Lan Yu!" Zhu Di's eyes flashed with brilliance, and he said, "Don't think that just because he is your uncle, you can rely on his help to fight for the position of crown prince."

"You should think clearly. It is precisely because of your relationship with him that the emperor is unwilling to make you the crown prince."

"If not, as my eldest brother's legitimate son, you should be the natural heir to the throne."

"As long as Lan Yu dies, there will be no more obstacles when you are made the crown prince."

Zhu Yunhuan's expression changed slightly as he did not expect Zhu Di to say this.

Zhu Di continued, "Father asked Jiang Li to try to control you because of your special relationship with Lan Yu."

"With Lan Yu's death, my father's doubts will disappear, and the fight for the throne will be settled."

"This is a serious matter. You should think about it carefully and make a decision early!"

(End of this chapter)