My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 249 The Banquet of the Ming Dynasty's Feudal Princes!

Zhu Yao, a member of the imperial clan, was so embarrassed by the insults that his face turned red. He was spoiled and arrogant, and he could not bear such humiliation.
He was instantly enraged, veins bulging on his forehead.

Without the slightest hesitation, he abruptly changed direction, gripped the wooden spear handle tightly with both hands, his eyes wide like copper bells, and charged madly towards Cao Bianjiao.

He was screaming wildly from his mouth:

"You scoundrel, how dare you humiliate me like this! Today, it's either you or me who dies!"

Upon seeing this, some of the surrounding members of the imperial clan were startled and involuntarily took several steps back.

Some watched from the sidelines, their eyes filled with amusement and their faces showing a hint of schadenfreude.

At this moment, the scorching sun above the training ground grew even more intense, making the tense atmosphere even more pronounced.

Cao Bianjiao was a border soldier who had fought countless battles and had extremely rich combat experience. Therefore, he didn't even bother to lift his eyelids when faced with Zhu Yao's attacks, which were like those of a mad dog.

His eyes narrowed, and he easily dodged Zhu Yao's thrusting spear tip by turning to the side.

Zhu Yao missed his first strike, and his body lurched forward a few steps due to inertia, almost falling over.

Having finally regained his footing, he turned around abruptly and once again swung his flintlock pistol at Cao Bianjiao.

Cao Bianjiao sneered, his body moving with the agility of a ghost, easily dodging the attack once again.

Immediately afterward, he seized the opportunity, took a step forward, and his right hand shot out like lightning, grabbing Zhu Yao's wrist that was holding the sword and twisting it forcefully.

With a "crack," Zhu Yao felt a sharp pain in his wrist, and the flintlock pistol fell to the ground.

Zhu Yao was in so much pain that he was sweating profusely, but the anger in his heart made him lose his mind.

Ignoring the pain in his wrist, he raised his left hand, clenched his fist, and slammed it towards Cao Bianjiao's face.

Cao Bianjiao slightly tilted his head to the side, easily dodging the punch. Then, he turned sideways and raised his right leg, slamming his knee into Zhu Yao's abdomen.

Zhu Yao suddenly felt a sharp pain, his whole body arched like a shrimp, he groaned in pain, staggered back a few steps, and then sat down on the ground with a thud.

Even so, he was still not giving up and struggled to get up from the ground to rush over again.

But before he could rush over, several Imperial Guards rushed forward and pinned him down.

Zhu Yao struggled while cursing loudly:
"You bunch of lackeys, let me go! I am a fourth-rank Assistant General of the Ming Dynasty, how dare you treat me like this?"

Just then, the leader of the Imperial Guards said coldly:
"By order of His Majesty, any member of the imperial family who fails to train diligently shall be dealt with according to military law!"

After saying this, he looked at Cao Bianjiao.

"General Cao, how should this person be punished?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Bianjiao sneered:
"For slacking off in training and attempting to assault his superior, he shall be given fifty strokes of the cane!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yao was instantly struck dumb, his arrogance vanished immediately, and a look of extreme fear appeared on his face.

Because he understood that this group of Imperial Guards had come on Emperor Chongzhen's orders!
And he's about to get fifty lashes!
After fifty strokes of the cane, how could he possibly survive?
Thinking of this, his body began to tremble violently, and his voice trembled with tears:

"My lords, spare my life! I know I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again! I am a member of the imperial family, please spare me for His Majesty's sake!"

However, he was met only with the cold stares of the Imperial Guards and Cao Bianjiao.

The next second, Cao Bianjiao waved his hand, and the Imperial Guards dragged Zhu Yao to the side and made him lie face down. Then one of them raised a board and struck him hard.

Each time the board struck, Zhu Yao let out a piercing scream.

"Ouch! That hurts so much! I'll never do it again!"

"Spare me! Spare me!"

"I really know I was wrong!"

Before long, his skin was torn and bleeding, and bloodstains were left on the ground.

Before he had even reached the thirtieth mark, Zhu Yao completely passed out.

However, the Imperial Guards responsible for administering the beating did not stop and continued to strike.

Just kidding, how could we possibly go less than fifty strokes of the cane?

However, the Imperial Guards who were administering the beatings knew what they were doing, so the next twenty strokes only looked forceful, but in reality, they didn't use much force.

He had no choice; he was afraid of accidentally killing someone.

Just then, a breeze blew by, but instead of bringing any coolness, it carried the stench of blood into the air.

The other members of the imperial clan were so frightened by this shocking scene that they dared not even breathe.

At the same time, they finally realized something.

That means the imperial court is serious this time!

If they don't train properly, they'll be the ones lying here next!
As a result, in just a few days, the atmosphere of the entire new city underwent a dramatic change.

In the school, the imperial family members dared not misbehave and instead obediently studied and wrote.

On the training ground, shouts of battle filled the air as the imperial clansmen drilled in unison, following the training methods of Cao Bianjiao, Huang Degong, and others.

Whether it was the way they held their guns or their marching steps, they gradually became more and more professional, and at first glance, they really did have the air of soldiers.

Looking at these changes, Cao Bianjiao and the others couldn't help but show a hint of relief in their eyes.

Because they knew that these former spoiled brats were gradually transforming, and perhaps soon they could truly become useful soldiers for the Ming Dynasty, contributing their own strength to defend the Ming Dynasty.

On this day, the sky over the capital seemed to be gently shrouded in a thin veil.

The usually scorching sun was unusually gentle today, and the occasional strong winds brought a rare coolness to the sweltering capital.

At the city gate, the crowd surged like an endless tide, bustling and lively.

Street vendors shouted their wares at the top of their lungs, their cries mingling with the clamor of carriages and horses, and the cheerful laughter of pedestrians, creating a lively atmosphere.

Just then, a group of people, like a long, winding snake, slowly approached the city gate from afar.

The crisp, melodious sound of horses' hooves echoed rhythmically as they trod on the ancient stone path.

The two leaders did not ride in sedan chairs, but each rode a horse.

One of them was dressed in a brocade robe, with a jade belt inlaid with dazzling gemstones around his waist, making him look exceptionally noble.

This person was none other than Zhu Cunji, the Prince of Qin, who had come to the capital from Shaanxi.

At this moment, he sat steadily on a tall and strong chestnut horse, his posture as upright as a pine tree, but his gaze was fixed on the tall, majestic, and imposing city gate.

His eyes were filled with seriousness and unease.

From the moment he received the imperial edict, his heart felt as if it were being crushed by a heavy boulder, and he never had a moment's peace.

Because he knew that this matter was extremely important and could very well affect the future fate of the Qin royal family.

Countless speculations and worries weighed heavily on his heart, refusing to dissipate.

As for the other person beside him, he was not from the lineage of the King of Qin, but from Zhu Shihong, the Prince of Su, who came from Lanzhou, Gansu.

Prince Su, Zhu Shihong, was only in his forties this year, but his face was as thin as a withered branch in autumn. His cheekbones were slightly protruding, which made his face look even thinner. His eyes revealed a bit of restraint and unease.

He wore a very simple, plain-looking robe, which made him seem somewhat out of place with the King of Qin beside him.

Logically speaking, the King of Qin's fiefdom was in Shaanxi, while the King of Su's fiefdom was in Gansu, so it was impossible for them to enter the capital together.

The reason this happened was because Prince Su was simply too poor!

Not only were there few guards, but even the number of members of the royal family was pitifully small.

When he received the imperial order to go to the capital, he was filled with worry, because he knew that the journey was not only long but also fraught with all sorts of dangers.

After all, he knew about the peasant army's massacre of the Ming imperial family. If he accidentally encountered the peasant army on the road and was killed, he would be doomed!

So after much thought, he decided to write a letter to Prince Zhu Cunji of Qin, who was far away in Shaanxi, hoping that the prince could come to the capital with him.

In Prince Su Zhu Shihong's view, the Qin King's lineage had been flourishing in Shaanxi for nearly three hundred years. If they were not as wealthy as a country, they would certainly be rolling in money. They would have more guards than he did, so if he went to the capital with the Qin King, his safety would definitely be guaranteed.

Prince Qin, Zhu Cunji, mindful of their shared kinship and seeing that Prince Su was indeed in dire straits, agreed to travel with him.

So, after Prince Su, Zhu Shihong, and his clan arrived in Xi'an, they set off from Xi'an.

After traversing mountains and valleys, passing through Shanxi and Hebei, we finally arrived in the capital.

They brought more than 3,000 members of the imperial clan this time. Since ordinary members of the imperial clan were not allowed to enter the capital, they were arranged to stay outside the city.

Only Prince Qin, Zhu Cunji, and Prince Su, Zhu Shihong, led dozens of princes into the capital under the guidance of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Moreover, by this time, all the surviving Ming princes had come to the capital.

The Imperial Guards responsible for receiving them led Prince Qin and his entourage along the wide and clean streets of the capital directly to the temporary residence arranged for them.

Along the way, Prince Qin, Zhu Cunji, and Prince Su, Zhu Shihong, were frequently drawn to the bustling scenes of the capital.

Shops lined the street, one after another, their signs swaying gently in the breeze.

The store was filled with a dazzling array of goods, so many that it was hard to take it all in.

The cries of vendors came one after another, and the crowds of pedestrians jostled and jostled, creating a bustling and prosperous scene.

This was like two completely different worlds compared to their respective fiefdoms.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Their fiefdoms only had tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people at most, while the capital city had a full 1.2 million people. That's a difference of ten times!
Before long, the group arrived in front of a massive royal palace. Although not newly built, the palace was well-maintained, with solemn and imposing vermilion gates and majestic stone lions in front of them, showcasing the imperial majesty.

This is the palace prepared for Prince Su, Zhu Shihong.

Just a few miles away, there was another similar palace, prepared for Prince Qin, Zhu Cunji.

As soon as the two princes settled in, the Imperial Guards delivered all the copies of the "Da Ming Daily" up to date.

Prince Zhu Cunji of Qin had seen this newspaper by chance when he was in his fiefdom, so he was not surprised by it.

However, some of the princes in the group had never seen the newspaper before, so when they received it, their eyes lit up instantly, their faces filled with curiosity, and they couldn't wait to sit down and read it carefully.

Seeing the focused expressions on the faces of these princes, Prince Zhu Cunji of Qin felt a surge of emotion.

These young members of the imperial family were filled with a sense of novelty about everything in the capital. Little did they know that the capital was rife with undercurrents, like turbulent currents hidden beneath a calm lake, far beyond their comprehension.

If you're not careful, you could be swallowed up by the undercurrents!

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was evening.

After a long day's journey, Prince Zhu Cunji of Qin was quite tired and was about to rest when a servant suddenly entered.

"Your Highness, someone outside is requesting an audience. They say they were sent by several other princes to invite you to a banquet to welcome you back."

The servant spoke as he respectfully handed over a card.

The King of Qin was taken aback at first upon hearing this, and then he was greatly alarmed.

You must know that for the princes to gather in private in the capital is a major taboo of the court. Isn't that courting death?

The King of Qin did not agree directly. Instead, he reached out and took the invitation from the servant. Upon opening it, he found that it was indeed an invitation from several other vassal kings.

This made the King of Qin even more puzzled. Logically speaking, these vassal kings should also understand the principle that vassal kings should not have private relationships, so why would they so blatantly invite him to the banquet?

Seeing the King of Qin's furrowed brows, the servant hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up:
"Your Highness, the messenger who delivered the invitation just now said that His Majesty once issued an imperial edict allowing these princes who came to the capital to meet privately. Before we arrived in the capital, the other princes had already met with them."

"In addition, that person also said that since the prince entered the capital, his every move has been under His Majesty's control, so there is no need to worry that His Majesty will become suspicious."

Upon hearing this, the King of Qin breathed a sigh of relief, but he still couldn't help feeling that it was absurd.

However, he still decided to attend the banquet, since the other princes had already met each other, so how could he be left out?
After making some simple preparations, the King of Qin headed to the banquet venue with mixed feelings.

The banquet was also held within a royal palace.

Inside the banquet hall, candlelight flickered, and dozens of antique-style palace lanterns hung high, their shades painted with flowers, birds, fish, and insects. The dim, warm light shone through the shades, casting shadows across the entire hall.

Wherever the light shines, a huge carved round table sits in the very center, laden with delicacies.

As soon as the King of Qin appeared, the dozen or so vassal kings who were waiting inside came forward to greet him and then gave brief self-introductions.

There was no other way; if they hadn't introduced themselves, the King of Qin wouldn't have known their names.

By this time of the Ming Dynasty, there were actually very few surviving princes left, probably only a dozen or so.

They are Prince Qin Zhu Cunji, Prince Su Zhu Shihong, Prince Jin Zhu Qiugui, Prince Dai Zhu Chuan, Prince Gui Zhu Youlang, Prince Lu Zhu Yihai, Prince Huai Zhu Changqing, Prince Lu Zhu Changfang, Prince Chu Zhu Huakui, Prince Shu Zhu Zhishu, Prince Rui Zhu Changhao, and Prince Tang Zhu Yujian, who has just had his princely status restored.

As for the other princes, most of them died at the hands of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong.

Logically speaking, even if a prince dies, his title should be inherited by his descendants. However, it should be noted that Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong always had the idea of ​​exterminating these princes.

Therefore, few of the princes killed by them had descendants who survived.

Even if they did, most of them were from remote collateral branches and had no right to inherit the title.

In addition, the imperial court also intended to reduce the number of vassal kings, which led to the current situation.

Upon seeing these vassal kings before him, the King of Qin couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.

Back in the early years of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, the Ming Dynasty had more than thirty princes, but now only a dozen or so remain.

Although the Prince of Qin and the other vassal kings did not know each other, they were all descendants of the founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, so after introducing themselves, the atmosphere gradually warmed up.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, everyone started talking freely.

As we chatted, the topic naturally shifted to the purpose of our trip to Beijing.

Then someone said:

"Now that most of the people have arrived, His Majesty should be able to receive us soon."

As soon as these words were spoken, someone immediately chimed in:
"Hmph, we've been here for so many days, yet His Majesty has yet to see us. Isn't this a clear sign that he doesn't respect us elders?"

The one who spoke was the King of Shu. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were glazed, clearly indicating that he was intoxicated.

His words, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly shattered the previously harmonious atmosphere.

After all, everyone knows this is the capital city. They have been under close surveillance by the Embroidered Uniform Guard ever since they arrived. There might even be Embroidered Uniform Guards eavesdropping outside the door right now!
It is clearly inappropriate to say such things here.

Suddenly, at that moment, a usually composed prince slammed his hand on the table, his face contorted with rage, and loudly rebuked the Prince of Shu:

"How much have you been drinking to utter such treasonous words! His Majesty is busy with countless affairs of state; how dare you presume to know his thoughts?"

This roar startled everyone, and then all eyes were focused on the two of them, as if time itself had frozen.

Suddenly, the atmosphere at the banquet became tense, and the princes who had been chatting noisily all stopped what they were doing.

Some people looked embarrassed, their eyes darting around, unsure of where to look.

Some people frowned slightly, displeased by the sudden conflict.

Others shook their heads inwardly, feeling that this was truly improper.

For a moment, the air in the living room seemed to freeze, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

King Zhu Cunji of Qin felt quite helpless watching this scene.

But soon, someone stepped forward and said with a smile:

"Please don't take it to heart, everyone. The King of Shu was just drunk and didn't mean to blame His Majesty!"

"We are all princes of the Ming Dynasty, descendants of the Zhu family, how dare we blame His Majesty?"

At the same time, the King of Shu also sobered up a bit and realized that he had said the wrong thing, so he quickly apologized.

"Gentlemen, I am truly sorry. I had a few too many drinks and misspoke. I apologize to you all!"

As the King of Shu was speaking, he was about to pick up his wine cup when he suddenly remembered something and picked up the teacup next to him instead.

"I won't drink this wine. Drinking too much can easily lead to trouble. Let's drink tea instead!"

As the King of Shu spoke, he tilted his head back and drank the tea in his cup.

Seeing this, no one dared to say anything more, and the atmosphere gradually began to liven up again.

As they chatted, the topic turned to the Zhu Family Army of the Ming Dynasty.

Someone frowned, their face full of worry, and said:

"In my opinion, this so-called Ming Dynasty Zhu Family Army is clearly just sending members of the imperial family to their deaths. The court is trying to reduce the number of members of the imperial family through this."

These words immediately drew agreement from some people, who nodded and looked worried.

"That's true, after all, the royal family population is indeed a bit too large now."

However, some people disagreed with this view and righteously refuted it, saying:
"As a member of the Ming imperial family, receiving a salary from the state, I should serve the country."

"Now that the country is in trouble, it is the time for us to step forward. How can we be so cowardly as to utter such words?"

These words immediately resonated with several young feudal lords.

“That’s right. Rebels like Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong are massacring members of the imperial family. Are we just going to stand by and do nothing?”

"In my opinion, we should form the Zhu Family Army to fight them! Let them know that the men of the Zhu family are not to be trifled with!"

But soon another vassal king stood up to oppose it.

"What you said is true, but have you thought about one thing: after the war is over, how will these members of the royal family conduct themselves?"

"After all, this is no longer the time when the country was founded, and our relationship with His Majesty is really too distant now."

Upon hearing this, even the princes who had just supported the establishment of the Zhu Family Army of the Ming Dynasty were at a loss for words.

Prince Zhu Cunji of Qin sat to the side and did not participate in the discussion, because he did not know what to say.

To be fair, he knew that in the face of this matter concerning the survival of the nation, these vassal kings should work together and devote themselves to the Ming Dynasty.

After all, if the Ming Dynasty were to fall, how could these vassal kings possibly survive?
Even if they are lucky enough to survive, they will probably have no choice but to live out their lives in anonymity.

But what those princes said wasn't wrong either. If the Ming Dynasty's Zhu Family Army had really been established and then successfully defeated Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, how would the court have treated these Ming Dynasty imperial family members who had made great contributions?
Should they be granted kingships and noble titles again?
To be honest, the King of Qin thought it was impossible. After all, the Ming Dynasty had been around for almost three hundred years, and those three hundred years were enough to prove that the original enfeoffment system was actually wrong.

Because the state simply cannot afford to support the ever-increasing number of imperial clan members, the current imperial clan members are like bloodsuckers clinging to the Ming Dynasty, sucking its blood.

They will not only bring no benefit to the Ming Dynasty, but will actually drag it down!

Therefore, the King of Qin felt that it was impossible to confer titles of kings, but if he did not do so, how should he reward them?
We can't really let them all die on the battlefield, can we?

Upon closer examination, this was indeed a good solution, but it did not solve the problem of the royal family, because not all members of the royal family were qualified to go to the battlefield.

Some members of the imperial clan who were not of the right age or had poor physical condition would continue to reproduce until they dragged down the Ming Dynasty again!

(End of this chapter)