Zhu Di: My fourth son is a great emperor of all time?

Chapter 38: Intercepting Zhu Zhanji and Winning Over Yu Qian!
Zhu Di's roar also frightened Yu Qian, who had come here with great courage to seek death.

That shout immediately sobered him up considerably.

In her terror, she immediately fainted.

Yu Qian lay sprawled on the ground in a sorry state, but no official dared to step forward to help him up.

They admired Yu Qian, but without Zhu Di's orders, no one wanted to lose their life.

Zhu Di's expression was solemn at this moment.

The courtiers all thought he was just saying this in a fit of anger.

After all, Zhu Di had previously been absolutely unwilling to let Zhu Gaoshuo take up his fiefdom, precisely to prevent Prince Qi from gaining military power.

But now they're letting Zhu Gaoshuo lead the troops north, which is tantamount to handing the army over to him.

How could the emperor feel at ease?

How will the Crown Prince and the Prince of Han view this?

This could potentially cause political instability.

But the fact is, Zhu Di did want Zhu Gaoshuo to lead the troops on a northern expedition.

Of course, it wasn't a solo northern expedition.

Instead, she went with him.

Since Qiu Fu's defeat in the sixth year of Yongle's reign, the military power of the Northern Expedition had been firmly in Qiu Fu's hands. How could he easily allow the fourth prince to take over?

Moreover, it's hard to say whether Zhu Gaoshuo is capable of fighting now.

Zhu Di was naturally not at ease either.

He not only wanted to take Zhu Gaoshuo with him, but also Yu Qian.

We need to let this pedantic scholar go to the battlefield himself and see if the world is as simple as he thinks.

"Since Yu Qian trusts you so much, then you can carry the person away!"

Zhu Di was too lazy to argue with Yu Qian anymore.

He would not kill Yu Qian, nor would he let him go easily. Zhu Di decided to make Yu Qian the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses.

Zhu Gaoshuo was happy to lend a hand to Yu Qian.

However, despite his best efforts, he was unable to help Yu Qian up.

Ultimately, his body was still that of a child, even a few years younger than Zhu Zhanji, and he simply couldn't withstand Yu Qian's strength.

I almost fell after walking only a few steps.

Zhu Di frowned slightly upon seeing this.

I couldn't help but feel regret.

Is the fourth brother really that weak?
Isn't it too risky to let him lead troops to fight the Mongols now?
"Boss, help me!" Zhu Gaoshuo had no choice but to ask for help.

Zhu Gaochi jogged up and whispered, "Fourth brother, don't be nervous. You're still young and can't carry it all, but your father won't blame you!"

He thought Zhu Gaoshuo was afraid that Zhu Di would see his vulnerable side.

I can say I empathize with them.

He was disliked by Zhu Di because of his weak physique.

Zhu Gaoshuo realized his eldest son had misunderstood and quickly explained, "Of course I'm not afraid of being scolded, I'm just afraid of killing Yu Qian and harming the people of the Ming Dynasty!"

Although it was said in a joking tone, it was the truth.

He really wanted to do something for the people of the Ming Dynasty.

Nine years of education made him unable to bear seeing human suffering, but due to his social status, he could only endure it.

But Yu Qian has the ability to make life better for the people of the world.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaochi smiled and said nothing more. Instead, he and Zhu Gaoshuo carried Yu Qian away.

With Yu Qian and Zhu Gaoshuo leaving, the farce came to a temporary end.

However, through the argument between Zhu Di and Yu Qian just now, the ministers could see that the emperor already had the idea of ​​launching a northern expedition.

Everyone has their own thoughts.

The civil officials of the Crown Prince's faction certainly did not want Zhu Di to launch a northern expedition.

Because everything Yu Qian just said is true.

The King of Han, however, showed a look of delight.

"The old man's belligerence is my opportunity!"

Zhu Gaoxu understood this perfectly. If the old man were to launch a northern expedition, he would definitely need someone to lead troops into battle, and this would be his chance to regain military power.

We must make it happen no matter what.

Zhu Di was now too lazy to care what the Crown Prince's faction and the Prince of Han's faction thought.

The curtain of events hadn't ended yet, and he couldn't wait to see the fourth son teach this unfilial grandson a lesson!
"As we said before, Zhu Qizhen, this young man, has lost his kindness. The deaths of Yu Qian's cronies are just the beginning. It's not just that important officials of the Jingtai era have been demoted or imprisoned."

"Even those who had supported the restoration of Zhu Jianshen to the position of Crown Prince were all killed by Zhu Qizhen."

"After re-ascending the throne and establishing the Tianshun era name, Zhu Qizhen also began to purge the meritorious officials of the Tumu Crisis. Shi Heng was imprisoned and his entire family was executed. The eunuch Cao Jixiang was executed by slow slicing. The biggest beneficiary, Xu Youzhen, who had become the Grand Secretary, was exiled to the south and eventually died on the way."

"Zhu Qizhen wants to kill everyone!"

It’s over.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but blurt it out.

He wished he could slap Zhu Qizhen to death before he was even born.

Over the years, their family had been benevolently winning over the court officials, but now Zhu Qizhen had killed all those who supported him.
Who would dare to support their family after this?

The ministers present were speechless, wondering how the Zhu family emperors could be so murderous.

From the Taizu Emperor to the Yongle Emperor and then to the Oirat students studying abroad.

After dealing with the enemies in the court, Zhu Qizhen began to imagine enemies outside the court. The first person he thought of was Prince Qi, Zhu Gaoshuo.

"Zhu Qizhen, fearing the prestige of Prince Qi, secretly ordered the assassination of this powerful guardian of the Ming Dynasty who intimidated the northern grasslands. However, no sooner had the order been given than Zhu Qizhen mysteriously died on his imperial bed, and his death remains a mystery to this day."

died?

How could he have died so mysteriously?
A hint of doubt flashed in Zhu Di's eyes.

Although he also wished he could kill Zhu Qizhen.

But Zhu Qizhen's death was indeed very suspicious.

Zhu Di gradually realized that behind everything Tianmu said, the ultimate beneficiary was always the fourth prince.

Furthermore, the fourth prince clearly had the opportunity to directly pacify the northern deserts, but he gave it up for the sake of Zhu Qizhen's life.

This led him to a bold guess.

Could it be that the fourth prince deliberately let Zhu Qizhen go back?
That's unlikely; the fourth brother doesn't have the ability to predict the future.

Zhu Di believed that Zhu Qizhen's death was the work of court officials.

Because they would never allow Zhu Qizhen to act recklessly; the enemies surrounding the Ming Dynasty dared not make any rash moves because of the fourth prince's reputation.

Yu Qian can die.

But if the fourth prince dies, the Ming Dynasty will surely fall into internal strife again.

at the same time.

Zhu Gaoshuo and Zhu Gaochi carried Yu Qian to the inner palace together.

Curious about what Tianmu would say next, he hurriedly ran out.

To be honest, Zhu Gaoshuo wasn't particularly interested in Zhu Qizhen's affairs.

But because he got up too early, he planned to find a place to catch up on sleep. Just as he turned to leave, a strong voice called out to him.

Yu Qian had opened his eyes at some point.

Zhu Gaoshuo immediately realized that he had been faking being drunk.

"Young Master Yu, is there something you need?"

Yu Qian did not concern himself with the form of address, but humbly inquired, "Your Highness Prince Qi is very talented. I wonder what your opinion is on His Majesty's reckless conquest of the northern deserts? I come from Jiangnan, which was originally a prosperous land, but now the people of Jiangnan are so poor that they have to sell their food."

I understand, Yu Qian is here to offer his advice.

Yu Qian is indeed a very talented person, but he is still too young and inexperienced.

If I remember correctly, Yu Qian was a famous minister left to Zhu Zhanji by the old man.

Therefore, he would not mind recruiting Yu Qian to his service.

I'm sorry, nephew.

Zhu Gaoshuo plans to teach Yu Qian a lesson:
"You only see the people in Jiangnan suffering so much that they have to sell their food rations, but they are far from the battlefield and at least they can survive. What about the people on the border? If we don't launch a northern expedition now, how will the people on the border survive?"

"Your Highness, is there a way to have the best of both worlds?"

Yu Qian seemed to have caught Zhu Gaoshuo's hint, or perhaps he believed in the talent of this emperor who would be remembered for all time.

Zhu Gaoshuo did indeed have a way to achieve the best of both worlds.

(End of this chapter)