My father is Jiajing

Jin Yiwei ordered him to prison.

This Jinyiwei prison, which once frightened countless people, has not detained high-ranking court officials for a long time.

Gradually, people almost forget how powerful the Jinyiwei once were!

The walls of the imperial prison were seeping with water, giving off a chilly vibe in the hot summer day.

Dong Fen curled up in a corner, his silk prison uniform soaked with cold sweat. The former Left Vice-Minister of the Metropolitan Censorate was now like a lamb to be slaughtered, counting the days in the dark.

“It’s been eleven days.”

Dong Fen muttered to himself, blood oozing from his cracked lips.

Dong Fen hated Xu Jie so much that he racked his brains during these eleven days, but he could not figure out why Xu Jie would betray the Dong family and send him to prison.

You have to know that both the Dong and Xu families are prominent families in Jiangnan, and their children are in-laws. They can be said to be natural political and interest allies with extremely close relations.

But now, he has become a prisoner in the Jinyiwei prison.

Moreover, ever since he was imprisoned in this dark imperial prison by the Embroidered Uniform Guards, no one has come to interrogate him.

This abnormal silence was more terrifying than torture.

Dong Fen didn't know what went wrong. No matter how hard he shouted, trying to get any information from the outside world, no one responded to him.

"Censor Dong, please get ready. We will interrogate you shortly!"

Just when Dong Fen was confused, a sudden sound rang out in the corridor of the imperial prison.

To Dong Fen, this voice sounded like heavenly music!
Dong Fen couldn't help but get excited. Being interrogated meant he had a chance to speak.

If you have the opportunity to speak, you may have the chance to escape danger!
Prince Jing's Mansion.

Today, Zhu Zaigui had nothing to do, so he brought Concubine Chen to visit Prince Jing's mansion.

The summer sun poured down on the vermilion gate of Prince Jing's mansion like molten gold, and the two stone lions looked particularly majestic under the scorching sun.

Zhu Zaigui's carriage slowly stopped in front of Prince Jing's mansion. He opened the curtain of the sedan chair, squinted at the dazzling sunlight, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Your Majesty, we have arrived at Prince Jing's Mansion."

The attendant eunuch Meng Chong bent down respectfully beside Zhu Zaigui's carriage and reminded him.

Zhu Zaigui straightened his clothes, then turned around to look at Concubine Chen who was traveling with him. He then reached out and held Concubine Chen's hand, and the two of them got on the carriage together.

Zhu Zaigui was wearing an indigo-colored brocade robe with a cloud pattern and a white jade belt tied around his waist, making him look handsome and tall.

Chen Fei, who was standing beside him, was also wearing a light-colored, dignified gauze dress, which made her skin look white as snow. The golden hairpins on her bun swayed gently with her steps, making pleasant sounds.

"Your humble servant greets your third brother and your third sister-in-law."

Prince Jing Zhu Zaizhen had been waiting in front of the mansion gate. When he saw them arrive, he immediately came forward with a smile on his face.

Zhu Zaizhen looked at him and laughed, "This is your palace. Your sister-in-law and I are the guests. Why are you being so polite?"

Zhu Zaizhen smiled and said, "Third brother is the prince of the regent, and he is also my elder brother. For both public and private reasons, I must strictly follow the etiquette when meeting you."

Zhu Zaigui laughed again, "Okay, let's go in. The sun is so strong outside. If we stand there for a while longer, we'll get melted."

When Zhu Zaigui arrived at Prince Jing's mansion, he was not polite at all, as if he had returned home.

Zhu Zaizhen immediately nodded, and then welcomed Zhu Zaigui and Concubine Chen into the palace.

At this moment, Princess Jing was also standing at the gate of the inner courtyard to greet them.

She was wearing a lake blue double-breasted long dress today, with only a white jade hairpin pinned in her hair, which exuded nobility in its simplicity and elegance.

When her eyes met Zhu Zaigui, a barely perceptible fluctuation flashed across her autumn-water eyes, and then returned to calm.

"Your humble servant greets your third brother and your third sister-in-law."

Princess Jing bowed and saluted, her voice as pleasant as a clear spring.

Zhu Zaigui nodded slightly, his eyes lingering on her face for a moment before turning to King Jing: "Let's go, let's not go through the formalities here, fill the ice jars in the mansion with ice, and start the steam fans. This is what summer should be like."

Zhu Zaizhen listened to Zhu Zaigui's words and laughed along, saying, "Third brother is absolutely right. If I hadn't copied the air-conditioning method of the steam fan from Third brother's house, I wouldn't have been able to survive this summer."

Several people chatted and laughed as they entered a cool and comfortable living room.

The banquet had already been prepared in the hall, and the four of them sat down as host and guest.

The palace maids and servants came in one after another, offering a variety of exquisite dishes and fine wines.

Zhu Zaizhen raised his glass to toast each other, and Zhu Zaigui also raised his glass in response. After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became very harmonious and natural.

Concubine Chen and Princess Jing sat together, talking in low voices about needlework and raising the emperor's grandson in the palace, and they seemed particularly cordial.

Zhu Zaigui chatted with King Jing about the latest developments in the court.

However, there were no sensitive topics. They were just some old and commonplace issues that would not attract special attention. They were just topics for drinking when brothers gathered together.

So on the surface, this was just an ordinary gathering of brothers, but during the meal, Zhu Zaigui was keenly aware that whenever his eyes inadvertently swept across Princess Jing, he could always catch the fleeting complex emotions in her eyes.

Obviously, these are Princess Jing's feelings of missing him.

Zhu Zaizhen and Zhu Zaizhen drank a few more glasses of wine, and then they found a topic to talk about: "The wine today is quite strong, I am a little drunk."

Zhu Zaizhen, who was standing by, immediately asked with concern, "Brother, do you want to rest for a while? I will arrange a bedroom for you right away."

Zhu Zaigui laughed and said, "It's okay, it's okay. No need to go to such trouble. I'll just go out and get some fresh air. You guys sit down first."

At this time, Concubine Chen also looked at him with concern: "Does Your Majesty want me to accompany you?"

Zhu Zaigui smiled and waved his hand, saying, "We should be more restrained in my brother Zhen's house. You go first and I will talk to my brother Zhen about some important matters in the court."

Concubine Chen nodded sensibly. She would not cause any trouble to Zhu Zaigui. Besides, there were already many things to do in Prince Yu's mansion. As the princess, she had to deal with a lot of household affairs every day.

So after Concubine Chen reminisced about the past and talked about family matters with Princess Jing, she asked Meng Chong to arrange the carriage to go back first.

Zhu Zaigui was walking alone in the corridor of the back garden of Prince Jing's mansion. He seemed to be walking aimlessly, but in fact he was walking firmly towards a secluded courtyard in the mansion.

There is a pavilion facing the water, surrounded by lush flowers and trees. It is an excellent place with a cool and breezy breeze.

Even in the hot summer, it is still refreshing and natural here. Zhu Zaiqi skillfully pushed open the carved wooden door of the pavilion, and saw a beautiful and familiar figure sitting inside the wooden door.

This person was none other than Princess Jing, who had been sitting and chatting with Princess Chen earlier.

Princess Jing sat with her back to the door. She turned around only after hearing the sound of the door being pushed open. Her eyes were full of mixed emotions.

"You came."

She whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

Zhu Zaigui looked at Princess Jing, who was filled with longing, and sighed in his heart. Logically speaking, the ill-fated relationship between him and Princess Jing should have ended after Zhu Yi Zhong was born.

But after so much time has passed, the two are still unable to resolve their relationship.

What made Zhu Zaigui even more sad was that every time he met Princess Jing in private, it was almost always arranged by Zhu Zaizhen. He had no idea what kind of changes had taken place in his psychology to make him become like this.

Zhu Zaiqi closed the door with his backhand, took two steps forward, stretched out his hand and pulled Princess Jing up and held her in his arms, "What's wrong?"

Zhu Zaiqi looked into Princess Jing's eyes. Princess Jing trembled slightly in his arms and held his clothes tightly with both hands: "We shouldn't keep doing this."

"Do not say it that way."

Zhu Zaigui tried to calm Princess Jing. He stroked her long hair, smelled the faint scent of jasmine in her hair, and said softly, "This is all fate. Although you and I are not husband and wife in name, we are husband and wife in reality. Although Zhong'er is the prince of the Jing Palace, I will still treat him as my own child."

"Besides, I have not allowed Brother Jing to be a vassal for many years. In addition to political considerations, the biggest reason is that I want to be closer to you and Zhong'er."

Zhu Zaigui's words also made Princess Jing feel much more at peace, and she no longer felt the same conflict as before.

At this moment, she just wanted to be a woman, a woman who belonged only to Zhu Zaigui.

Princess Jing raised her head, her eyelashes trembling slightly, her breathing quickened, and her eyes sparkling with tenderness, "My Lord, I want to..."

Zhu Zaiqi smiled slightly, gently scratched Princess Jing's nose, and said gently, "Okay."

The two hugged each other, blending into each other, and never separated again.

At the same time, at this time, the cicadas outside also started chirping, adding to the warm atmosphere of summer.

After a long time, perhaps because they were tired or something else unexpected happened, the cicadas finally stopped chirping.

Zhu Zaigui in the room breathed a long sigh of relief, let go of the slightly trembling Princess Jing, and gently lifted up the black hair that was scattered on her rosy face.

Zhu Zaigui said, "You take a rest first. I will go to talk to my brother Prince Jing about some things."

Princess Jing, who was lying there exhausted, showed a satisfied look and hummed weakly, "I have nothing to do. Your Majesty, please go and do your business."

Zhu Zaigui looked at the sensible Princess Jing, and the smile on his face seemed very gentle. He helped Prince Jing pull up the gauze dress that had fallen on the ground, then stood up, put on his clothes, and left here refreshed.

Once outside, Zhu Zaigui was not in a hurry to leave Prince Jing's Mansion, but went directly to the study where Zhu Zaizhen was currently.

When Zhu Zaizhen saw Zhu Zaigui coming back, he immediately stood up and saluted, "Third brother."

Zhu Zai hummed, "No need to be polite."

Then Zhu Zaigui sat in the main seat that originally belonged to Zhu Zaizhen.

Zhu Zaizhen looked at Zhu Zaizhen and asked, "How is the situation in Jiangnan?"

Zhu Zaizhen immediately reported: "The matter of the Dong family has been settled. I have also arranged for the Jinyiwei spy who completed the matter to go out to the overseas station in Taiwan."

Zhu Zaiqi hummed and corrected, "Taiwan is the land of our Ming Dynasty. Although it is on the sea, it is not an overseas place. From now on, whether in writing or speaking about this place, you must not add the word overseas."

Although Zhu Zaizhen did not understand the meaning of this, he still bowed back honestly: "I understand!"

Zhu Zaigui nodded with satisfaction. There were some things that Zhu Zaizhen and the others didn't understand, or even care about, but Zhu Zaigui was different.

He knew what a key location Taiwan Nest was.

Moreover, it is indeed a sacred land of vital importance and indivisibility to the Ming Dynasty. Only with Taiwan can the Ming Dynasty's navy swim freely in the Pacific Ocean with endless resources like a dragon entering the sea and maximize the Ming Dynasty's maritime interests.

On the contrary, without Taiwan, the Ming Dynasty would be like a giant dragon trapped in shallow water. Even if it wanted to fly into the sea and roam in the boundless ocean, it would not be able to do so.

Therefore, Taiwan is a key island that must be controlled by the Ming Dynasty!

When the Ming Dynasty's Oriental Navy becomes completely powerful and is equipped with two or three "Yongle" class treasure ships, it will be able to completely drive out the red-haired foreigners entrenched in the southern part of Taiwan in one fell swoop.

If they want to come to Ming Dynasty again in the future, they can only come on merchant ships without heavy weapons, abide by the rules of Ming Dynasty honestly, and do normal business legally and in compliance with regulations.

As for those arrogant ocean-going warships, as long as they dare to come, the Ming Navy will sink them completely and make them part of the marine cultural relics.

When Zhu Zaigui heard that the Dong family's affairs had been settled, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The fire at the Dong family was not an accident, nor was it caused by the Xu family as Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng and Hai Rui suspected, but was done by Zhu Zaizhen under the secret order of Zhu Zaizhen.

Although such a method is not glorious, it was not Zhu Zaigui's first move.

At the beginning of the year, when Zhu Zaigui and Emperor Jiajing were staying at the Xingwang Palace in Anlu, the palace caught fire.

If Zhu Zaigui had not been familiar with water and had not opened the window and jumped out of the pond to swim away, who knows what consequences the fire would have caused?
So Zhu Zaigui and Emperor Jiajing used the same trick and set up a maze to try to find out the mastermind behind the incident.

But unfortunately, these people hid too deeply and could not be found out at all.

However, even Zhu Zaigui was able to find some clues and confirmed that the fire in the Prince Xing's palace that day was caused by human beings.

Now Zhu Zaigui used this trick on the Dong family, which was just "returning pain in their own way".

Although there may be some "accidental injuries", there will definitely be no mistakes in the general direction.

Because Zhu Zaigui was also very clear that his new policies in recent years had indeed infringed on the interests of some conservative interests.

Since these people dared to take risks and secretly plan to burn the palace, then don't blame Zhu Zaigui for using such means to punish and deal with some matters and problems that are difficult to handle using normal methods and channels.

Zhu Zaigui said: "Since the Dong family's affairs have been settled, we should now bring Dong Fen to trial and tell him about the tragedy of the Dong family, so that he can also feel the pain of the tragedy of a broken family. Otherwise, he will be eating and drinking for free in the imperial prison, and we will still suffer in the end."

Zhu Zaizhen bowed slightly: "I understand!"

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