I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 581: Candidates from the South

"Yes, he wasted a great opportunity. If the treacherous king had made good use of these years, we would have been passive everywhere and he would have had a huge advantage. But it is strange that the treacherous king actually acted like this." Gu Zhongfu also said.

"Actually, I have heard some opinions." Kong Wendian suddenly said.

"Mr. Kong, what did you hear? Please feel free to give us your advice," Gu Zhongfu and Hong Wendi said hurriedly.

"I also heard this from an elder not long ago. That elder just retired from the capital and returned to his hometown to retire. I talked about this with him." Kong Wendian continued.

Although the coup in the capital was treated coldly, it was no secret to those who were well-informed. To a certain extent, what the southern gentry wanted to do was no longer a secret.
"My elder has been in the capital for more than ten years. According to his speculation, the treacherous king probably wanted to protect your majesty's reputation and did not want to cause war during the Zhengde period to avoid a repeat of the events during the Tianbao period of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang," said Kong Wendian.

"That seems to make some sense. I heard that the treacherous king and Your Majesty have a relationship as good as brothers. It is understandable that the treacherous king gave up such a good opportunity for the sake of Your Majesty's reputation," Hong Wendi said thoughtfully.

"Mr. Kong is right! This is a very important piece of information!" Gu Zhongfu said seriously.

"So the treacherous king is also pedantic. He actually gave up such a good opportunity because of the so-called brotherhood, and delayed the fight for the world. This is not what a wise man does!" Kong Wendian said, shaking his head.

Gu Zhongfu and Hong Wendi nodded repeatedly after listening.

Chinese people believe in making a final judgment after one's death, which means that a person's merits and demerits can only be concluded after his death. Especially for the emperor, his life will be evaluated after his death, and then his posthumous title will be determined. Kong Wendian meant that Zhu Houxuan was trying his best to avoid war when Zhu Houzhao was alive and during the Zhengde period, and wanted to delay the war until Zhu Houzhao died.
The most typical example is Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji. He created the Kaiyuan Prosperity, but the Anshi Rebellion broke out in his later years, which led to a decrease in various evaluations. If he had died before the Anshi Rebellion, his evaluation would have been much higher.
"What Mr. Kong said makes sense. It is said that your majesty's health will not last much longer. The treacherous king probably does not want the Ming Dynasty to fall into war in your majesty's last days, and to have an imperfect ending to the prosperous Zhengde era." Hong Wendi continued.

"No matter what, the later the treacherous king starts the war, the better it is for us. We can connect more people, make more preparations, and accumulate more strength. It is also most beneficial for us to start the war after your majesty's death. In this way, we will not have the problem of having no legitimate reason to fight." Gu Zhongfu said.

"It seems that the treacherous king is indeed pedantic!" Hong Wendi continued.

Then the three of them laughed heartily together. So far, all the good news they received was favorable to them.

"However, we need to continue to be patient as Duke Yansheng. The Kong family should not migrate to the south at this time, so as not to provoke the treacherous king. We should wait until the time is ripe to migrate south," Hong Wendi suddenly said.

Gu Zhongfu also looked straight at Kong Wen.

"The old man, Duke Yansheng, will definitely understand this, and we need time to prepare for the migration to the south. During the time when the Kong family is in the north, we will also pay attention to the developments in the capital and pass on the news to you." Kong Wendian said. "Good! The Kong family is righteous! They are worthy of being the descendants of the saints and the role models of the world." Gu Zhongfu said with admiration, "When the great event is accomplished and the new monarch ascends the throne, the new monarch will definitely not take credit for the Kong family's contribution."

After seeing Kong Wendian off, Hong Wending suddenly asked, "Has there been any news from Anlu Prefecture?"

"Yes, but I still didn't agree." Gu Zhongfu's face didn't look good.

"Let's ask some more people to persuade him." Hong Wendi sighed and said, "Prince Heng is gone, Prince Yi is old, and among the grandsons of Emperor Xianzong, except for Your Majesty, he is the oldest, and he is the most suitable candidate."

"Well, now that the treacherous king has not started a war, we still have time to persuade him slowly. If the treacherous king started a war now, we would have to directly put the yellow robe on him if we didn't have time." Gu Zhongfu said lightly.

"It would be best to persuade him, after all, he is the future emperor." Hong Wendi nodded and said.

Gu Zhongfu nodded.

The rebellion in the south was only to oppose Zhu Houxuan, not to oppose the Ming Dynasty, let alone to change the dynasty, so they needed to elect a royal family member to lead the way, to call on the people of the Ming Dynasty in the south, and to reduce the resistance of the people in the north.
The most enthusiastic person for this position was Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao. He showed great enthusiasm in front of the gentry who came to connect. After knowing the subsequent plans, he made many overt and covert statements. He even said that he had secretly trained an army of nearly 10,000 people and even went to Qizhou to get a group of craftsmen to make military equipment for him.
Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao's enthusiasm gave the gentry a surprise. The surprise was real, and the joy was also real.
What was surprising was that Prince Ning Zhu Chenhao had been planning a rebellion for a long time and had secretly organized so many troops.
I was also happy that Prince Ning was so enthusiastic in supporting the fight against Zhu Houxuan that he actually organized so many troops in secret.
Prince Ning Zhu Chenhao was even prepared to become the royal family member who took the lead in opposing Zhu Houxuan and then ascend the throne.

Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao almost made his idea clear to the gentry, which gave them a headache.
The truth is that the Ning Wang faction has no appeal at all! What's the point of letting Ning Wang take the lead in starting a rebellion? There is no righteous cause at all!

King Ning was dreaming about this kind of grand dream alone, but they couldn't refuse King Ning's enthusiasm, so they could only give him a heads up and then contact the person they had in mind.
Anlu Prefecture, Prince Xing’s Palace.

In a quiet courtyard, the morning light shines through the mottled leaves and onto the bluestone-paved courtyard. A young man in a plain Taoist robe is sitting cross-legged on a cushion in a quiet room, closing his eyes and meditating. The room is filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, and ancient Taoist scriptures and paintings are hung on the walls. His mind is immersed in deep thinking, exploring the mysteries of Taoism.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a long breath, and said: "This time the elixir is good, the medicinal power is very strong! Which Taoist priest made it? I want to ask him for advice."

This young man has a handsome face and looks to be in his twenties.
"Your Highness, it's Taoist Priest Zhang!" a fat eunuch replied.

(End of this chapter)