Ming Dynasty: Pick up attributes from the battlefield to create the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 273 Zhu Di panicked, he really panicked!
"So Miaojin and Muya found out too?"

Hearing his father's words, Zhu Biao was even more bewildered.

How come he didn't know any of these things?

Upon learning about Zhu Ying's situation, Zhu Biao ordered an investigation and instructed Lan Yu and Chang Mao to keep quiet and not divulge the information. He even said that his father, the emperor, should not be told until the truth of what happened back then was uncovered.

But now!
He was overthinking it; it seemed his father knew about it even before he did.
"Father."

"The news that Zhu Ying is Xiong Ying was not told to me by the Duke of Wei and my elder brother, but by the Duke of Liang and the Duke of Zheng," Zhu Biao said with a puzzled expression.

"Lan Yu and Chang Mao?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened in surprise. "How did they know?" he asked.

“Yun Tong told them, then they checked and then told me,” Zhu Biao replied.

"How did Yunhu know?" Zhu Yuanzhang was completely bewildered and asked, his expression mirroring that of Zhu Biao.

"This all started on the day Father invited Zhu Ying to the palace. I brought Zhu Ying back to the East Palace, and coincidentally, Yun Tong ran into him. Perhaps it was because his older brother had been taking care of Yun Tong since he was a child, or perhaps it was because the brothers were of one mind, but Yun Tong recognized Xiong Ying at a glance, and was very certain of it."

"But Yun-teng couldn't do anything by himself, so he told his maternal great-uncle."

Zhu Biao honestly explained the whole story.

However, when the topic of excavating the Xiaoling Mausoleum was about to come up, Zhu Biao still glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang with some trepidation.

Then he said, "Father, I have something else to tell you, and I hope you won't blame me. All of this is to confirm whether Xiong Ying is still alive."

Hear this.

Zhu Yuanzhang's heart stirred, and he immediately thought of the Xiaoling Mausoleum, but he did not speak.

"In order to confirm whether what Yun Tong said was true, the Duke of Liang, at his son's behest, secretly went to Xiaoling and dug up Xiong Ying's tomb."

"And that's exactly what led to this result."

“The coffin inside the tomb is empty; there is no body inside at all. All the burial objects are still there. Xiong Ying is still alive, and there is a high probability that Zhu Ying is Xiong Ying,” Zhu Biao said earnestly.

To protect Lan Yu and to prevent him from being punished for digging up the imperial tomb, Zhu Biao took the blame for ordering the excavation himself. After all, as long as it was his order, his father wouldn't blame him; at most, he would just scold him.

But as Zhu Biao finished speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang breathed a sigh of relief and then laughed, "Biao'er! Let me tell you the truth."

“We also sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to Xiaoling Mausoleum.”

"They also dug up U.A.'s grave, and the results were the same as what you found."

Hear this.

Zhu Biao's eyes widened: "Father, you sent people too?"

"If you dare to investigate, do you think we can't?"

"Moreover, we suspected Zhu Ying's identity much earlier than Yun Tong did," Zhu Yuanzhang said with a hint of pride.

"Your Highness."

"When Father Emperor hosted the banquet for Zhu Ying that day, he already discovered the location of the teeth mark that Miao Jin had left on Xiong Ying when she was a child. At that time, he began to suspect Zhu Ying's identity, and that's why he went to investigate later," Mu Ying said with a smile.

"Tooth marks?"

Zhu Biao thought back for a moment, and it seemed that such a thing really did happen back then.

"After all these years, the teeth marks are still there?" Zhu Biao asked in surprise.

"Biao'er, don't underestimate Miao Jin's bite back then, it was quite a hard one," Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile.

Now that his son had also learned about Zhu Ying, Zhu Yuanzhang was especially delighted.

"I originally planned to tell Father Emperor after I had thoroughly investigated the matter, but I didn't expect that Father Emperor already knew," Zhu Biao said with a touch of emotion.

"Hahaha."

"It's good that my son and I know."

"Next, we just need to wait for the news from back then to be verified."

"We must find out the truth of what happened back then and restore Xiong Ying's identity." Zhu Yuanzhang's expression gradually became serious.

This is one thing.

It is certainly feasible.

"Father has already sent people to investigate. With the capabilities of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, even if it's well hidden, they will surely be able to find some clues," Zhu Biao said in a deep voice.

"After the imperial examination, there is no need to keep Lü Benna's position as Minister."

"As for imprisoning the entire Lü family, let's leave that to Xiong Ying after we've investigated the truth of what happened back then."

"How to handle it is entirely up to Xiong Ying," Zhu Yuanzhang said slowly.

just now.

Although nothing was done to Lü Ben.

It's only because he still has some use. After all, although Lü Ben is evil, he still has the ability. Moreover, the imperial examination has already started under his supervision. It would not be a good thing to replace Lü Ben at the last minute.

To exploit him to the fullest extent of his value before taking any action against him would be to destroy his spirit.

After all, the things that the Lü family did were enough to implicate the entire clan, and it was not an overreaction to punish them.

Moreover, Lü Ben also learned about Lü's situation. Now that Zhu Yuanzhang was delaying in dealing with him, he was living in fear and anxiety. Waiting to die was more painful than dying directly.

As for what kind of tricks he's planning?

The Imperial Guards have been keeping an eye on things!
He can't cause any trouble.

This is no longer the time when Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial power was divided among his ministers. Now, he holds absolute power over the Ming Dynasty, with the power of life and death.

"Father is wise." Zhu Biao nodded in agreement.

……

Beiping Prefecture!
"Your Majesty."

"The caravans have suffered enormous losses recently. It's not just the caravans leaving Beiping Prefecture, but also those from other prefectures entering Beiping Prefecture. The losses are devastating," Zhu Neng reported to Zhu Di with a grim expression.

"Now that the entire army is stationed here and escorting the troops, can't this solve the problem?" Zhu Di frowned.

“Our Beiping army is stationed in key locations throughout the prefecture, especially in the mountains and forests. Caravans leaving and entering the prefecture are escorted by the army and protected closely. However, those mountain bandits seem to come and go without a trace. If they can't kill anyone, they burn things. Although some caravans are safe and sound, the soldiers are also exhausted and can't defend against them.”

"Many merchants simply gave up their businesses in Beiping Prefecture."

"This has also caused the prices of many ordinary civilian items in my Beiping Prefecture to rise significantly, making life even more difficult for ordinary people," Zhu Neng said bitterly.

So much time has passed.

Even with the massive force of the Beiping Army mobilized, they were still unable to resolve the bandit problem. Despite killing many bandits, these bandits showed no fear of death.

"All right."

"Go back."

Hearing this, Zhu Di's face turned ugly, but he managed to remain calm. He waved his hand at Zhu Neng and said no more.

Zhu Neng could only retreat in frustration.

"My nephew is indeed decisive and ruthless."

"Now that you've made me suffer such a great loss, you still don't intend to let me go," Zhu Di said slowly, as if speaking to an empty hall.

But then...

"Although he had been living among the common people for many years, the training he received in the army and the killing of countless enemies made him even more useful than the teachings he received in Yingtian."

"He already regards the prince as an enemy."

Yao Guangxiao walked slowly out of the inner hall, his face also showing a serious expression.

"Yes."

"enemy."

Zhu Di chuckled, but his face showed a sense of urgency.

“During this period of time, ever since he returned to Yingtian, I have felt increasingly uneasy.”

"Although what I did to him seemed to leave no trace, he actually guessed it was me. In Yingtian, he was favored by his father and elder brother, who not only granted him a hereditary marquisate but also entrusted him with many important tasks. Even his son was directly adopted by his elder brother as his godson."

“I always felt that these things were not accidental.”

“If he is really recognized and becomes the Crown Prince, I’m afraid I won’t have a good time.”

"after all……"

Zhu Di's face showed a thoughtful and wary expression: "He seems to be able to see through my thoughts."

"Given Your Highness's understanding of the current Emperor and Crown Prince, what would they do if they knew that Zhu Ying was Zhu Xiong Ying?" Yao Guangxiao countered, staring intently at Zhu Di.

"Of course we'll investigate." "We'll investigate with all our might."

"This concerns the royal bloodline, and especially the eldest grandson of the emperor. Such matters are not so easy to investigate," Zhu Di said in a deep voice.

"Has Your Highness cleaned up the place where Zhu Ying used to be?" Yao Guangxiao asked with a faint smile.

"What do you mean by that?"

Zhu Di frowned.

"Since they are already enemies, then we must go all the way."

“If he were to regain his identity, the prince might survive, but he would likely be imprisoned,” Yao Guangxiao added, fueling the fire.

Hear this!

Zhu Di fell silent, clearly weighing his options.

At this moment!

"Your Majesty."

"This servant requests an audience."

A soft, feminine voice came from outside the hall.

"Come in."

Zhu Di said in a deep voice.

echoed.

A young man dressed as a eunuch walked into the hall.

Upon seeing Zhu Di, she immediately knelt down: "This servant greets Your Highness."

Upon seeing Yao Guangxiao, he recognized him immediately.

"What is it?" Zhu Di asked in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty."

"We received the message from Yingtian."

"The Eastern Palace underwent a major upheaval. Consort Lü, who was once deeply favored by the Crown Prince, was stripped of her title and banished to the Cold Palace. Moreover, the entire Eastern Palace was subjected to a bloodbath, but not openly. Instead, she was taken to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for secret disposal."

"From now on, all the servants and palace attendants in the Eastern Palace will be selected from within the palace, by the Emperor's personal chief eunuch," the kneeling eunuch respectfully reported.

Hear this.

Zhu Di's expression suddenly changed drastically: "Lady Lü has been stripped of her title as a concubine and banished to the Cold Palace?"

This news.

This was no small matter for Zhu Di. He knew very well how much his elder brother doted on this concubine. Even when the Crown Princess Chang was still alive, this Lady Lü had already received a great deal of favor.

Now that her title of concubine has been revoked and she has been banished to the Cold Palace, it is clear that this is no small matter.

This must be something very serious that has happened in Yingtian.

"Tell me more about it."

"Why was the Lü family punished?" Zhu Di asked urgently.

He could tell that this was definitely a big deal, and it might even be related to Zhu Ying.

"Go back to your lord."

"The palace spies didn't find out all the information. They only said that after the Crown Prince Zhu Yunwen entered the palace to meet the Emperor, Lady Lü was dealt with on the same day, and the Crown Prince's palace was also massacred," the kneeling eunuch immediately said.

"Zhu Yunxun?"

Upon hearing this unfamiliar yet familiar name, Zhu Di frowned.

Obviously.

Zhu Yunwen was not taken seriously by the Lü family from the beginning, and naturally, he was not seen as a threat by Zhu Di.

Therefore, Zhu Di paid almost no attention to Zhu Yunwen.

"The Lü family has been banished to the cold palace. What has become of the Lü family?" Zhu Di asked again.

"Reporting to the prince."

"Lu Ben is still in court and has not been punished in any way. Moreover, he is still in charge of the imperial examinations and seems to have been unaffected," the eunuch replied respectfully.

I received this news.

Zhu Di became even more suspicious.

"The Lü family was punished, but the Lü clan was not?"

"Why?"

"Shouldn't it?"

Zhu Di looked doubtful, then turned his gaze to Yao Guangxiao.

The latter was also done with deep thought.

After a moment of silence.

"When Zhu Yunwen entered the palace to pay homage, he must have said something to the emperor, and the punishment of Lady Lü must have been because of something she did."

"The Emperor's failure to deal with Lü Ben immediately is surely a long-term strategy to catch a bigger fish."

"Perhaps they intend to use Lü Ben, or perhaps there are other reasons."

“However, I can assure you that this matter is definitely related to Huai Xi. Zhu Yunwen has always been cowardly. If it weren’t for Huai Xi’s support, he would never dare to enter the palace to meet the Emperor,” Yao Guangxiao said with certainty.

"Yes, my lord."

"One more thing."

"Regarding Huaixi," the kneeling eunuch said again.

"Continue, what happened in Huaixi?" Zhu Di asked, staring intently at the eunuch.

"After being granted the title of Duke, Lan Yu of Huaixi underwent a dramatic change in personality. He not only abandoned his previous arrogance but also took the initiative to apologize to the Marquis of Champion's mansion and frequently tried to curry favor with him."

"Not only Lan Yu, but also Chang Mao."

"They are all currying favor with the Marquis of Champion, and the previous speculation in the court about a conflict between the Marquis of Champion and Huaixi no longer exists," the eunuch immediately added.

Hear this.

Zhu Di and Yao Guangxiao exchanged a glance.

Both of their expressions changed drastically.

"You... continue to gather information about Yingtian, and don't let any news or disturbance slip by."

"Report any news to me immediately," Zhu Di said to the eunuch before him.

"This servant obeys the decree." The eunuch immediately withdrew.

But at the moment.

Zhu Di, however, looked uneasy: "This is bad!"

"What kind of arrogant and domineering person is Lan Yu?"

"Besides Father and my elder brother, only Xiong Ying could make him bow his head and admit his mistakes and apologize."

"He has already recognized Xiong Ying's identity," Zhu Di said with extreme seriousness.

"inevitable."

"Something bad has happened here."

“Once Lan Yu finds out, he will definitely not hide it and will report it to the Crown Prince.”

“In that case, Zhu Xiong Ying’s identity is probably already under investigation.” Yao Guangxiao’s expression also changed drastically.

For Yao Guangxiao...

The various grand pronouncements made to Zhu Di in the past.

It can be done here.

He too felt a sense of powerlessness, utterly powerless in the face of the once deeply entrenched eldest grandson of the emperor.

……

(End of this chapter)