Chapter 1041 Father and Son Conspiracy
Wen Tiren and others finally left.

After they left, Crown Prince Zhu Minlan asked Zhu Shenzhui in confusion why he gave in. Considering what these people had done, it would not be excessive to confiscate their property and exterminate their entire clan. Once the case was handed over to the Three Judicial Departments, given the behavior of these officials, although there was supervision by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they might be a little relaxed in the process of handling the case.

"Let me ask you, what do you think if we kill all these people, even punishing their entire clans?" Zhu Shenzhui asked back.

"Kill the traitors, since they dare to do such a thing, why not kill them?" The prince said with a resolute look, "Use thundering means to suppress the rebellion. These people are intolerable under the national law. Even if they are sentenced according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, they will be sentenced to death!"

"Hahaha, well said!" The prince originally thought that his words would make Zhu Shenzhui frown, but unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Shenzhui burst into laughter and clapped his hands to cheer for the prince.

"Dad, since you have this idea, why do you...?" This made Zhu Minlan puzzled. Obviously, his father had this plan, so why did he give in just now?

"Your father is not a soft-hearted person, otherwise I would not be sitting in this position." Seeing the prince puzzled, Zhu Shenzhui patted the armrest and said, "This case is indeed not a small one. Even if it is judged according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, these people are guilty of death! Killing them all is of course no problem, and implicating the three clans is also appropriate. Moreover, being ruthless can also deter those evil spirits and let the people of the world know what they can do and what they cannot touch."

"But then again, what Qian Qianyi said is not without reason. Once you act like this, there is no room for redemption. Moreover, on the surface, this case is about someone trying to restore the monarchy, but in reality it is just a struggle for power. The essence is completely different."

"Dad, what you mean is that these people don't want you to take control of the power and put the imperial power above them?" The prince was a smart man and immediately understood the meaning of Zhu Shenzhu's words.

Zhu Shenzhui nodded and chuckled, "When Zhu Youjian was in power, how the country was under his rule, and what the current Ming Dynasty is like, anyone with a little knowledge can see clearly. Moreover, after I became the emperor, my attitude towards court officials was different from Zhu Youjian's. Zhu Youjian was stubborn and self-righteous by nature, suspicious by nature and never trusted people. Under him, even if the officials were capable, they could not play a role. During the Chongzhen period, the cabinet chief and cabinet elders were replaced like a revolving lantern, and the officials of the six ministries were even more so. The government orders were issued every day and changed every night, making the officials overwhelmed. If there were any problems, Zhu Youjian would not take any responsibility. The officials who did things either lost their jobs or lost their lives. Who would not be trembling with fear under such an emperor?"

"But your father is different from him. Let's not talk about others. Just talking about the cabinet, since the regent took office, the cabinet has only replaced one person, and the chief minister Wen Tiren has a stable seat in the cabinet. The officials in the various departments of the court are not replaced frequently. Apart from the previous Beijing inspection and Jiangnan case, most officials will basically not be moved as long as they are competent."

"For a monarch, the most important thing is to employ people, and talent is the most important thing. The emperor is not a gentleman of morality, so there is no need to pay attention to the personal morality of his subjects. It doesn't matter if their personal morality is good or bad. The most important thing is whether they have ability or not."

"At the end of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of Wei promoted people based on their talents instead of their virtues. This laid the foundation for the Cao Wei Dynasty. If Emperor Wen of Wei had not later changed the system and replaced Emperor Wu's way of appointing people with the Nine-Rank System, which made it possible for aristocratic families to fill the court, and for the poor to have no chance to make a name for themselves, the Sima family would have become increasingly powerful, and eventually no one would be available. How could the Cao Wei Dynasty have ended up like this?"

"When Taizu founded the country, he was able to annex China and drive the Yuan Dynasty north because of this. Later, as the Ming Dynasty was founded, the nobles declined, and the civil officials gradually became more powerful. In addition, due to the Confucian teachings, virtue was more important than talent, and thus things gradually changed."

Listening to Zhu Shenzui's explanation, Zhu Minlan concentrated and thought carefully, combining it with what he had learned from reading history, and gained some understanding.

Zhu Shenzhui continued, "Fifty years after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the situation changed. After the Battle of Tumu, the civil service group occupied a major position in the court, and the imperial power fell. In order to balance power, the emperor had no choice but to set up the Inner Court Silijian to restrain the inner cabinet and the outer court. Although this created a three-way balance of power, eunuchs are still eunuchs after all, and the emperor's seizure of power in this way was not the right way."

"This is also the reason why several emperors of our Ming Dynasty were criticized. Let's not talk about the distant past. Emperor Tianqi used Wei Zhongxian as a knife to rectify the government, and he was criticized as a tyrant and favored the eunuch party. You are the crown prince of Ming Dynasty, the heir to the throne. To judge the truth of a matter, you must not look at the surface, but look at the essence. In your opinion, is Emperor Tianqi really a tyrant?"

"Of course not!" Zhu Minlan blurted out, "When I was in school, I studied the affairs of the previous dynasty. When I was in the Eastern Palace, I often went to pay my respects to my mother. I also met Concubine Li. From Concubine Li, I also learned some things that outsiders don't know."

"The actions of Emperor Tianqi back then were quite meaningful. Although he seemed to ignore state affairs and favored Wei Zhongxian, allowing Wei Zhongxian to do whatever he wanted in the court, in fact, Emperor Tianqi had a tight control over state affairs during his reign. Wei Zhongxian's actions were instructed by Emperor Tianqi, and his purpose was to seize power from the civil officials and rectify the government..."

At this point, Zhu Minlan's eyes suddenly lit up, and he slapped his forehead and said, "Dad, I understand. This case is just as you said. On the surface, it is for restoration, but in fact it is to seize power from you. As for Zhu Youjian, he is just a cover for some people. What happened when Zhu Youjian was the emperor? What happened to the world? How did he treat his subjects? Are they all blind?"

"These people are smart. If they want to do such a thing, they need a reason. Zhu Youjian is the best reason. Wang Chengen is loyal to Zhu Youjian and is resentful that Zhu Youjian abdicated in Changchun Palace. He is eager to be the master. Driven by interests and temptation, he has become a pawn in the hands of others." "Once they succeed, Zhu Youjian will be nothing more than a puppet even if he ascends the throne. By then, the power of the government will be transferred from the imperial power to these civil servants. This is their real purpose! Dad! These people disregard the country for their own interests and actually do such things. It is really abominable!"

Seeing Zhu Minlan gritting his teeth, Zhu Shenzhui smiled with relief. It seemed that his prince finally understood. With his age and experience, he could figure these things out under his guidance. He lived up to his teachings.

"The world is bustling with people because of profit, and the world is bustling with people because of profit." Zhu Shenzhui said slowly, "The emperors of the Ming Dynasty have been trapped in this situation, but they have never been able to change it. But your father is an exception. Not only do I hold military power, I have also made drastic reforms to the military system and changed the structure of the court. Such an approach is naturally unacceptable to these people."

"They are not stupid. They know that once I accomplish this, the previous situation where the civil servants were the only ones in power will be broken. By then, it will be even more difficult to seize power."

"Today, we have the three judicial officials involved in this case. In addition to political concessions, the key is to stabilize the political situation. Once this case involves too many people and a lot of heads are really killed, everyone in the court will be in danger. It may be possible in peaceful years, but now we can't afford to make trouble. The Jiannu in the north are still there, and the situation in Korea is even more complicated. As for the south, Zheng Zhilong has not been resolved, the attitude of the Mu family in Yunnan is ambiguous, the military system reform is being implemented, and the political reform has not been completed. Once a major chaos breaks out, many things will be difficult to handle, so it is not a bad thing to slow down appropriately."

"If that's the case, shouldn't we just let them go?" Zhu Minlan said indignantly.

"Of course not!" Zhu Shenzhui said sternly, "Since I took the initiative, I was prepared. The main culprit must be punished. I can't give in. And those who were deceived or used must also be punished. But whether to kill or not is just a matter of words."

Zhu Shenzhui paused, looked at the prince and said, "Do you know why I asked you to participate in this case just now?"

"Didn't you ask me to supervise the three judicial departments and push this case forward? No! Does Dad mean...?" Zhu Minlan blurted out, but as soon as he finished the previous sentence, a flash of inspiration suddenly came to his mind, as if he thought of something.

"Dad, you won't let me play the villain, will you?"

"Haha, my son is smart!" Zhu Shenzui laughed. Zhu Minlan finally understood his arrangement. Just as he said, Zhu Shenzui let the prince participate in this matter just to let him play the good guy.

The stage was set, and as the emperor himself, Zhu Shenzhui was naturally the white-faced one. But even if the three judicial officials intervened and the cabinet was involved, they could not be the red-faced one, and the crown prince Zhu Minlan was the most suitable person to play this role.

In fact, Zhu Shenzhui's initial tough attitude was all an illusion. He had no intention of raising his butcher knife and killing everyone. Killing people was necessary, but it was not necessary to kill them all. It was enough to kill the main culprits and direct participants, and there was no need to kill those who were implicated without knowing the truth.

Of course, not killing them does not mean letting them off so easily. Since they have committed such a crime, it is absolutely impossible to let them off easily. Therefore, the fate of these people is not only to lose their official positions, but also to be exiled to a remote place. As for the students and scholars who caused trouble, not only will they be stripped of their official titles, but they will also never be able to take the imperial examinations. This is already an extra mercy.

However, Zhu Shenzhu would not voluntarily give in, nor would he easily give in because of the persuasion of his ministers. He decided to let the crown prince do this. Since the crown prince was involved in the case as the heir to the throne, he was the most suitable person to "admonish" the emperor.

At that time, the father and son would act out a drama, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, and they might even argue over the final verdict. The prince might even force himself to beg the emperor for mercy, and Zhu Shenzhui would finally give in under "helplessness". In this way, the prince would inevitably win the reputation of a "benevolent monarch" and would be able to take this opportunity to gather a group of loyal ministers and subordinates, thus consolidating his position.

It has to be said that Zhu Shenzhui thought a lot for the prince, and also considered a lot, or paved the way for the prince. After understanding these, the prince not only admired his father very much, but was also moved. Although there is no family affection in the royal family, it is not easy for Zhu Shenzhui, as an emperor, to do this. Even ordinary fathers and sons are no more than this.

(End of this chapter)

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