The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 707 Inviting the King into the Trap: The Prince Enters the Capital
Emperor Wanli actually issued an imperial edict ordering all princes and dukes to come to the capital to attend the Crown Prince's wedding!
This left the local princes and dukes completely dumbfounded.

They dared not disobey the imperial decree.

This is because it is very likely that Wanli was looking for an excuse to weaken the power of the princes.

Anyone who dares to defy the imperial decree will have their fiefdoms reduced!
That guy is really capable of doing it.

There was nothing they could do but prepare their congratulatory gifts and reluctantly board the navy's flying dragon ships to head to the capital.

Emperor Wanli's imperial edict required them to arrive in the capital before December 15th, but they all arrived by the end of November.

It's not because they wanted to rush over and curry favor with you.

The key point is that they don't want to suffer on the road.

The naval officers and soldiers who were to pick them up said that once the north was frozen over, they would be unable to travel by boat to the capital and would have to travel by carriage themselves.

They were all used to living in luxury, and in the Prince's mansion they were like local emperors, served by countless people. They couldn't stand traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles by carriage in the freezing cold.

As for their return, the naval officers and soldiers said that if they wanted to travel back by carriage through the freezing cold, they would arrange carriages for them.

If they don't want to suffer, they can stay in the Tenth Prince's Mansion in the capital. The Tenth Prince's Mansion is heated, so it's not cold at all.

Emperor Wanli actually ordered people to renovate the Tenth Prince's Mansion and install heating inside.

The princes and dukes all had their own rooms, which were decorated in an extremely luxurious manner, and they were served by palace eunuchs and maids.

They ate delicacies prepared by the imperial chefs every day, even better than what they ate in their own vassal states.

Before the princes and dukes came to the capital, they were somewhat apprehensive.

This was because they all believed that Wanli wanted to take the opportunity to weaken the power of the princes.

If Wanli Emperor intended to use this opportunity to weaken the power of the princes, they would likely not fare well once they arrived in the capital.

However, they felt relieved after staying at the Tenth Prince's Mansion for a few days.

It seemed that Wanli was genuinely inviting them to attend the Crown Prince's wedding and to celebrate in a grand manner, with no other intentions.

Some of the princes and dukes even suggested going out for a stroll. The commander of the Imperial Guard guarding the Ten Princes' Mansions simply reminded them to be careful and arranged for a team of Imperial Guards to accompany and protect them. Then they left them to their own devices and wander around as they pleased.

Now they felt much more at ease.

Did Emperor Wanli really have no other intentions?

That is of course impossible.

He's waiting for the entire north to be covered in ice and snow.

In early December, heavy snow fell in the capital, and the entire capital region was soon covered in white, cutting off waterway transportation.

At this time, the kings of vassal states far from the Ming Dynasty had not yet arrived, but the princes and dukes who came to attend the wedding had already arrived.

The soldiers of the Beijing garrison seem to be braving the heavy snow to drive horse-drawn carts to the capital to transport supplies needed for the wedding, while the soldiers of the border towns seem to be braving the heavy snow to drive cattle and sheep to the capital.

All of this seemed normal; it appeared that Wanli was preparing to hold a grand wedding for Crown Prince Zhu Changxun.

It was already the sixth day of December, and the heavy snow started to fall.

Early that morning, around 7 a.m., Wanli sent over a thousand imperial guards in hundreds of carriages to the Ten Princes' Mansion Street, saying he wanted to bring all the princes and dukes to the palace for a discussion.

By this time, these princes and dukes had already let down their guard. They all thought that Wanli was inviting them into the palace to discuss how to make the marriage of Crown Prince Zhu Changxun more grand.

Soon, they were taken into the palace and brought to the legendary Hall of Supreme Harmony.

These princes and dukes had never seen the Hall of Supreme Harmony before, because more than a hundred years ago, the princes and their families had been confined to their fiefdoms and were not allowed to come to the capital.

When they arrived at the newly renovated Hall of Supreme Harmony, they were truly amazed by its beauty.

This Huangji Hall is far more magnificent than the main hall of their royal palace. Moreover, with the addition of golden nanmu wood doors and windows and golden glass, it appears even more splendid and grand.

Moreover, many heating pipes have been installed inside, so even when it's freezing outside, it's still warm and cozy inside.

They were just thinking about installing these things in their own palace to show off their grandeur when a notification sound suddenly rang out.

"His Majesty has arrived."

All the princes and dukes had no choice but to kneel down and shout in unison, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

There was no other way; this was the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the most formal occasion in the entire Ming Dynasty, and they had to kneel.

In other places, they would only need to bow and greet the current emperor.

Soon, Wanli strode in, followed closely by Crown Prince Zhu Changxun, Eastern Prince Zhu Changluo, and Northern Prince Zhu Changxu, who all entered the warm pavilion.

He slowly sat down on the dragon throne, then had Crown Prince Zhu Changxun sit down on a chair to the side, and had the Eastern Prince Zhu Changluo and the Northern Prince Zhu Changxu stand on either side before he looked up and carefully examined them.

There were so many princes and dukes in the Ming Dynasty at that time.

There were twenty-two vassal kings and over a hundred county kings. Just these guys must have been squandering a fortune of the people's wealth.

These guys have over 100,000 princes and royal relatives under their command. If he hadn't expanded his territory all these years, the Ming Dynasty would have been ruined by them.

He slowly scanned the room before solemnly saying, "No need for formalities, rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The princes and dukes breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got up from the ground.

Many of them were so fat they looked like maggots; they would get tired after walking just a few steps, let alone crawling on the ground or kneeling.

Wanli slowly scanned the area again, then suddenly said coldly, "You are all quite something, receiving stipends and rice from your imperial relatives while frantically annexing land."

Furthermore, you deliberately fail to create tax and labor registers for your subjects, ensuring they are enslaved by you for generations to come, never able to rise up.

Even worse, some colluded with traitors who betrayed the country, helping them evade the court's pursuit and stealing and selling lamp oil with them to make money.

Do you think there are no laws in the Ming Dynasty? Do you think the imperial family and relatives can act with impunity?

what?
Upon hearing this, all the princes and dukes trembled with fear.

Now they finally understood that Wanli had used the Crown Prince's wedding as an excuse to summon them to the capital to deal with them! Wanli slowly glanced around again, then took out a list and coldly read it aloud: "Prince Jin Zhu Minchun, Prince Qin Zhu Yichang, Prince Qing Zhu Shuaixin."

He read through the list, naming dozens of princes and dukes.

Those princes and dukes who were mentioned were all horrified, some even trembling with fear.

After Wanli finished reading, he slowly glanced around before coldly saying, "You all know what you've done, and you also know where the remnants of the three powerful clans of Puzhou are."

Now, I'm giving you a chance.

If you honestly write down the names and current addresses of the remnants of the three powerful clans in Puzhou, I will spare you.

Otherwise, he will be subjected to brutal torture in the imperial prison, and after the trial, beheaded and his head displayed to the public!

what?
Those princes and dukes whose names were mentioned all looked terrified upon hearing this.

Torture awaits in the imperial prison!
Can they handle it?

Without even thinking about it, that's definitely unbearable.

So, will they hire or not?

There seems to be no need to even think about it. If you don't confess, then you'll be subjected to the cruel tortures of the imperial prison!
They couldn't withstand the torture in the imperial prison and still had to confess. After they confessed, they were beheaded and their heads were displayed to the public!
Now that they've confessed, Wanli might actually spare them.

After they had thought for a while, Wanli waved his hand and said, "Bring me writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone."

Soon, hundreds of Imperial Guards carried in dozens of small tables for the Palace Trial, each table complete with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

They set up a small table in front of the princes and dukes whose names were called, and then all retreated.

Wanli and the others closed the palace doors again before coldly saying, "I've given you a chance. Those who are willing to confess, sit down and write it down within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Those who are unwilling to confess, throw them into the imperial prison after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

Furthermore, don't even think about writing down names to fool me. If you do, I'll order your arrest and investigation. If it's discovered you've fabricated names to deceive me, your entire family will be executed!

what?
And their entire family was executed!
This guy is notoriously ruthless; he's capable of doing something like this.

Upon hearing this, the princes and dukes whose names were mentioned all knelt down, picked up their pens, and quickly wrote.

Moreover, they confessed to being the true remnants of the three major powerful clans of Puzhou.

They had no choice.

Right now, the entire north is covered in ice and snow. Once they enter the capital, they won't be able to escape.

When the time comes, Wanli will send people to brave the wind and snow to search and arrest people in their vassal states, and then everything will be clear.

Who would dare risk having their entire family executed to protect the remnants of the three powerful clans of Puzhou?

Emperor Wanli watched them write coldly without uttering a sound. After more than half an hour, when the last prince finished writing, he ordered the imperial guards to come in and collect the list. He then set up small tables with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones in front of all the other princes and dukes.

What does this mean?

The other princes and dukes were dumbfounded.

Although they had committed many lawless acts, they did not protect the remnants of the three powerful clans of Puzhou.

Wanli slowly scanned the area again before coldly asking, "None of you are willing to relinquish the land you've annexed, is that it?"

What exactly do you mean by that?
You'll cut us all down if we don't give up the land we've annexed?

You probably don't dare, do you?
Upon hearing this, all the vassal kings and princes wore complex expressions and remained silent.

Unexpectedly, Wanli's expression softened immediately, and he solemnly said, "If you are unwilling to relinquish the land you have annexed, I will exchange it with you."

As you all know, the Ming Dynasty's territory is now vast. I have found you a wonderful place with mild winters and cool summers, with over a billion acres of farmland. I will exchange that farmland with you.

"I won't investigate how much land you've annexed. I'll exchange whatever land you have for me, how about that?"

Is this just a problem with the fields?
Farmland needs to be cultivated to produce food.

Moreover, once grain is converted into money, it must be enough to buy fine wine, gourmet food, and even beautiful women.

If you move us to some godforsaken place, who will cultivate our fields, and where will we buy fine wine, delicious food, and beautiful women?
These princes and dukes were not stupid.

They understood immediately upon hearing this: the place they were going to was most likely deserted!

They certainly wouldn't agree to something so easily.

Seeing that they remained silent, Wanli snorted coldly, "You still need to consider, huh? Fine, I'll give you a cup of tea's worth of time to think it over."

If you are willing to exchange the land of the Nanyang Commandery, then issue an edict to me within a quarter of an hour, ordering all the members of the imperial clan under your command to bring out all their land deeds for the exchange.

"If anyone fails to issue the imperial edict within fifteen minutes, their property will be confiscated and they will be exiled to the same location as the Southern Sea Commandery, without a single acre of land!"

what?
Upon hearing this, all the vassal kings and princes were filled with despair.

They shouldn't have come to the capital. Once they did, they would be at the mercy of others.

The problem is, they dare not disobey the imperial decree and refuse to come.

Or rather, they all felt at the time that there was no need to defy the imperial decree.

Emperor Wanli had only invited them to his wedding banquet. Was it worth defying the imperial decree for something like that?
At the time, they naturally felt it wasn't worth it.

Many people now feel that they should disobey the imperial order and not come.

However, it's too late to think about all this now; they've already arrived.

Now they're all trapped, who would dare not issue the imperial edict?

If they dared not issue the imperial edict, then their property would be confiscated and they would be exiled. Wanli was absolutely capable of doing such a thing.

When they have nothing left, they will still have to be exiled to Southeast Asia.

At this point, they had no choice but to sit down and obediently sign the edict.

After all the princes and dukes had signed the edicts, Wanli raised his hand and said loudly, "Guards, take them back to the Ten Princes' residences and keep them under strict guard. Anyone who dares to escape will be executed without mercy!"

(End of this chapter)