Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1043 Inquiry
"The Supreme Emperor doesn't think that I'm here to take your life, does he?" Zhu Shenzhui smiled and shook his head, then spoke.

Zhu Youjian was slightly stunned when he heard this, and looked at Zhu Shenzhui with a strange expression: "Are you planning to let me go today?"

"Why not?" Zhu Shenzhui walked over and sat down next to Zhu Youjian. "This case has been verified. You and the prince were not involved. It was just Wang Chengen, the servant, who did it privately. In this case, what crime can be said? Moreover, if you want to do this, why do I have to come here in person?"

Zhu Youjian was skeptical, his face full of disbelief: "Are you serious?"

"Hahaha, why would I use such words to deceive you? There is no need at all."

"This..." Zhu Youjian was stunned. That's right! If Zhu Shenzhu really wanted to kill him, why would he tell such a lie? There was no need for that. And just as Zhu Shenzhu said, if he wanted to kill him, there was no need to come to Changchun Palace in person. He was already a prisoner of the other party. Wouldn't it be easy to just send someone to kill him?
Although Zhu Youjian was mentally prepared, he was relieved when he heard that he didn't have to die. After all, being alive is better than being dead, and he is not alone. The queen and concubines are fine, but he has several princes and princesses. How innocent are they? Once he is executed by Zhu Shenzhu, I am afraid they will not be able to escape.

Since he has let me go now, the lives of several children will be saved. Zhu Shenzui doesn't even intend to kill me, so he won't attack them again, right?

Thinking of this, Zhu Youjian stood up, bowed to Zhu Shenzhui for a rare time, and expressed his gratitude.

Seeing him like this, Zhu Shenzhui was also very moved. You know, since he came to Beijing, he has met Zhu Youjian quite a few times. The former Ming emperor has always been unruly in front of him. In the past, he was always sarcastic when he spoke, and he had never done this before. But today, Zhu Youjian thanked him solemnly, with sincerity in his expression, which was rare.

"You don't have to thank me. Although this case does not implicate you and the prince, it is a serious case with many people involved. Although I did not implicate others and only exiled those whose crimes were not serious, the mastermind cannot be let off and must be severely killed."

Zhu Youjian nodded silently after hearing Zhu Shenzhui's words. Zhu Shenzhui was right. It was impossible not to kill people in such a case of treason. No emperor in history could tolerate it. If it were him, Zhu Youjian would probably be more ruthless than the other party. At least he would not let him go easily.

It is human nature to root out the evil at its roots. Now Zhu Shencui has done his best by showing mercy to himself and his family. As for the others, Zhu Youjian understands the fate they will face, including Wang Chengen, who has been with him for many years.

When thinking of Wang Chengen, Zhu Youjian had complicated feelings in his heart. On the one hand, Wang Chengen was the closest person to him. After more than 20 years of companionship, he had long been accustomed to having Wang Chengen around him. Moreover, Wang Chengen's loyalty to him was self-evident, which was irrefutable.

But the source of this crisis was precisely him, Wang Chengen. He never thought that Wang Chengen would secretly make such a plan. Although the other party's plan was good for him, it also dragged him into this vortex. If he really didn't know about this matter and had never been involved in it, and Zhu Shenzui didn't really intend to kill him, otherwise everything would be irreversible.

"Just kill them. Killing a group of people will make the world much more peaceful. When this case is over, your throne will be completely secure, and you won't have to worry about anything else." Zhu Youjian agreed with Zhu Shenzhui's opinion and said with a sigh.

After all, he was a former emperor, so no matter how stupid he was, he still had some political wisdom. After calming down, Zhu Youjian also understood the meaning of Zhu Shencui's words to him. It was nothing more than telling him that this was the first and last time, and that he should stay in Changchun Palace and not do anything small. If there was a next time, Zhu Shencui would not let him off easily.

Zhu Shenzhui smiled and looked at Zhu Youjian: "It's ok for the others, but there are two people I have to tell you."

"Who?" Zhu Youjian asked.

"Mr. Jiading, Zhou Kui and his son!"

When he heard Zhou Kui's name, Zhu Youjian's expression changed slightly, but he soon felt relieved.

Yes, even Wang Chengen was involved in this case, let alone Zhou Kui? You know, Zhou Kui is the father of Queen Zhou and the father-in-law of the Ming Dynasty.

When Zhu Youjian was the emperor, Zhou Kui was granted the title of earl as a relative because of Empress Zhou. Zhou Kui was of ordinary family and poor in his early years. He relied on his daughter to become a royal relative. After becoming an earl, he became successful and was known for his greed. Relying on his status, he did many illegal things. After Zhu Shenzhu came to Beijing to control the government, Zhu Youjian was placed under house arrest and lost his imperial power. Zhou Kui's status plummeted. Although he barely kept his title, his power was not as strong as before.

Zhou Kui was greedy and short-sighted, so he would not be willing to do so. If anyone instigated Zhou Kui, he would definitely hope that Zhu Youjian would be restored as emperor again. Because once Zhu Youjian was restored, Zhou Kui would still be the powerful father-in-law, and he would be able to get whatever he wanted. He would not be just an ordinary nobleman like now, and he had to live in Beijing with his tail between his legs.
Not only Zhou Kui, but also Queen Zhou's brother Zhou Jian and his father were such people. The pursuit of money and power by the king's uncle was unimaginable, and the change in their status made them unable to tolerate such a gap, so they participated in the case and became one of the core figures in planning the treason.

Although Zhu Youjian didn't have much affection for his father-in-law and brother-in-law, he understood Zhu Shenzhu's meaning. But the problem was that Empress Zhou was his wife after all. Although Zhou Kui and his son were not good people, Empress Zhou was a virtuous queen and gave birth to several legitimate sons for him. The couple had a deep affection. Zhu Youjian certainly couldn't save Zhou Kui and his son with his ability, and he couldn't save them. He was just worried that once the news reached Empress Zhou's ears, Empress Zhou would not be able to bear such a blow. "Zhou Kui and his son had such an end, and it was their own fault. It's not a pity that they died, but..." Zhu Youjian hesitated and said to Zhu Shenzhu, "Can you keep the Zhou family bloodline for my sake?"

"Are you doing this for Queen Zhou?" Zhu Shenzhui asked.

Zhu Youjian nodded silently, looking a little unnatural.

Zhu Shenzhui thought for a moment and said frankly, "Zhou Kui and his son are one of the masterminds. According to the law, they cannot escape death, and the entire Zhou family cannot escape death either. Although I do not want to implicate relatives, it is the law of the country to punish relatives for such crimes. For such a serious crime of treason, not killing three generations of the family is already an exception to the law."

"But since you have spoken, I will naturally give you this face. Besides, Queen Zhou is well known for her virtue. For the sake of both of you, I will leave Zhou Jian's three-year-old son, but I will not let anyone else go. If I don't kill them, I will have a hard time explaining myself."

Relieved, Zhu Youjian thanked Zhu Shenzhu again. Zhu Shenzhu was able to spare Zhou Jian's young son, which was a great favor. He could not expect more. Moreover, the child could be saved, and he could explain to Queen Zhou anyway. This was the only thing he could do for Queen Zhou.

"This case will be completely resolved in the next few days. It is fortunate that the emperor is not involved in this case. I wonder what your subsequent plans are?"

Zhu Youjian smiled bitterly and said, "As a person living in Changchun Palace, what plans do I have? Besides, for me, this place is not bad. Compared with when I was the emperor, life in Changchun Palace is leisurely and not difficult."

"Don't your Majesty want to go out for a walk?" Zhu Shenzhui asked with a smile.

"Go out for a walk?" Zhu Youjian was stunned and looked at the other party in confusion: "What do you mean? You don't want to let me out of the palace, do you? Aren't you afraid that someone will use my name to rebel again? Or do you want to use me as bait to plan something?"

"Hahaha! What the hell are you talking about, Your Majesty? How could I have such an idea?" Perhaps because Zhu Youjian had been imprisoned for too long, and because his mind had become particularly sensitive during this incident, he actually came up with this idea, which made Zhu Shenzhui burst out laughing.

Shaking his head, Zhu Shenzhui said, "Although Changchun Palace is nice, it is only a small world after all. Wouldn't you feel bored living in Changchun Palace for a long time? Besides, even if you are willing to stay here, don't you think about the princes and princesses? The last time I came to Changchun Palace, I met your princes. Your eldest son and second son are not young anymore, and the eldest princess is about to get married. Do you want them to continue to accompany you in Changchun Palace? Live a miserable life and eventually die?"

"So what?" Zhu Youjian asked back, "At least staying here will keep you safe, which is better than going out and losing your life. As for the children, you don't have to say much. Since they are my children and were born in the royal family, they have no control over their own affairs."

"That's true." Zhu Shenzhu nodded, acknowledging that what Zhu Youjian said was true.

Zhu Shenzhu thought for a moment and said, "Since you don't want to leave the palace, I won't force you. But it's not appropriate for your eldest son, second son, and princess to stay in Changchun Palace. The children and adults can't stay here with you any longer. As a father, you need to think about the children."

"What do you mean? Just say it!" Zhu Youjian asked cautiously. Zhu Shenzhu's words implied that he intended to let his prince and princess leave the palace. This move was really strange. Don't forget their different identities. Because of him, the princess was better. After all, there was nothing wrong with two weak women. But the eldest son Zhu Cilang and the third son Zhu Cihong were different. They were his own princes. In addition, the fourth son Zhu Cizhao and the sixth son Zhu Cican, born to Concubine Tian, ​​were young, but they had the same identity as their brothers.

Isn't this conspiracy case just a restoration under his own banner? This case has just ended, and now Zhu Shenzhu wants to let several princes leave the palace. Zhu Youjian thinks there is a conspiracy and becomes more vigilant.

Noticing Zhu Youjian's vigilance, Zhu Shenzhui sighed inwardly, thinking that Zhu Youjian had wrongly accused him. He had no ill intention in talking to Zhu Youjian today, nor did he have any secret plans to use the princes to plot intrigues.

After the treason case, there was basically no possibility for Emperor Zhu Youjian to restore the throne. Moreover, Zhu Shenzhu used this case to clean up the court again, completely eliminating the possibility that anyone outside the court would continue to use Zhu Youjian's identity.

Even Zhu Youjian was like this, not to mention his several princes. The reason why Zhu Shenzhu said this to Zhu Youjian was that he had no ill intentions in his heart. Instead, he was really thinking about the several princes and princesses. After all, they were all children. They couldn't stay in Changchun Palace with Zhu Youjian forever, right? It was too cruel for them to stay in Changchun Palace in their prime years and eventually die of old age there.

(End of this chapter)