Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 330 Completing the final piece of the puzzle for the imperial court

If we're talking about those who act perversely and oppress the people, none surpass the feudal lords.

The target chosen by the bodyguard.

Or rather, someone instructed the bodyguards to choose the target, which was indeed excellent.

Before long, a steady stream of intelligence was transmitted from Wuchang to the capital.

It's not just about training a navy, privately manufacturing weapons and armor, and sorcerers spouting nonsense.

The King of Chu's attendants even addressed him as "Long Live the King."

Moreover, the official correspondence also frequently corresponded with Jiangling in Southern Zhili.

This is no ordinary vassal king!
Must hit hard!

Finally, under the diligent investigation of the secret guards, Jiajing's expression became increasingly ferocious.

Despite his background as a prince who ascended the throne, he showed no mercy to any prince who dared to follow his path; on the contrary, he would be even more ruthless.

Those who boarded first welded the doors shut to prevent others of the same kind from boarding as well.

Moreover, the imperial clan had indeed become a cancer on the country. Not only did they require a large amount of money to support them every year, but the key issue was that those princes acted perversely and did nothing right. Not to mention the common people, many officials were also humiliated and killed, which caused widespread resentment.

Over time, the "Regulations on the Imperial Clan" were finally introduced, which strictly limited the privileges of the princes.

The number of wives and concubines a prince could have was limited, and the Ministry of Rites had to approve any marriage a prince would take.

Cut salaries, conduct financial accounting of the expenses of the princes, and reduce fixed salaries.

As such.

However, these measures were ultimately aimed at the lower and middle-ranking members of the royal family, which led to another problem.

The lower and middle-ranking members of the imperial family were different from the princes. Their income came from the stipends from the imperial court, but now, with various restrictions in place, many of them were truly unable to make a living.

Zhu Yuanzhang originally intended for the Ming Dynasty to support his descendants, but he did not allow members of the imperial clan to make a living on their own. As a result, some members of the imperial clan starved to death, while others took risks and even rebelled.

The Zhu family rebelled against the Ming Dynasty.

There's nothing wrong with that.

Even before the "Regulations on the Imperial Clan" have been promulgated, the King of Chu already harbors such disloyal intentions. What are we waiting for?
"Summon Lu Bing!"

As dusk settled over the Forbidden City, the palace lanterns in the Qianqing Palace lit up one by one, casting swaying shadows inside the hall.

When Lu Bing entered the hall, he saw Zhu Houcong leaning against the dragon-patterned imperial couch, playing with a warm and smooth mutton-fat jade paperweight in his hand, but his eyes were as cold as ice.

"Wenfu, are you aware of the King of Chu's recent actions in Wuchang?"

Lu Bing knelt before the emperor, his heart skipping a beat upon hearing this.

He was initially unaware that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was already struggling to monitor local areas.

In fact, each princely mansion also had its own Imperial Guards. For example, his ancestors were Imperial Guards from the Xing Prince's mansion, and the Chu Prince's mansion also had similar personnel.

Clearly, those people were more loyal to the King of Chu than to the court.

Therefore, the King of Chu's movements were obtained through the secret guards' investigation, which was clearly a disgrace to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Lu Bing was also unwilling, but he carefully chose his words and slowly said, "I have already ordered men to go south to keep a close watch on them and will definitely obtain solid evidence..."

"Empirical evidence?"

Zhu Houcong's voice was cold and deep: "Wait until we have concrete evidence, aren't we afraid it will be too late? If the rebellion of Prince Ning is repeated, wouldn't the people of Huguang be innocent victims?"

The hall fell silent abruptly, and even the candlelight in the bronze crane palace lantern seemed to freeze for a moment.

Lu Bing's head immediately drooped.

He already understood His Majesty's meaning—

The King of Chu must be captured!
Whether he was truly plotting rebellion or merely engaging in some presumptuous acts within the Prince's residence, he could not be forgiven.

What His Majesty desires is a means to intimidate the vassal kings of the land.

Especially now that he is living in seclusion in the deep palace, he is even more sensitive to such behavior and will not tolerate the slightest disloyalty!

"Go to Wuchang yourself!"

As expected, Zhu Houcong's voice was unhurried but carried an undeniable authority: "Those in the Prince of Chu's mansion who have incited unrest and plotted rebellion, leave no one alive, imprison them all."

Lu Bing sighed inwardly.

He had heard of the King of Chu's infamous reputation when he went to Guangdong in his early years; the King was truly hated by both men and ghosts.

Such a vassal king is not worth regretting.

But Lu Bing's mind was no longer on the capital; instead, he returned to the border.

According to military reports from the northern border, Altan Khan's cavalry is patrolling the Xuanda area, indicating that a major war is about to begin.

Lu Bing had already devised a plan and was prepared to personally go to the border to use the elite Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) to cooperate with the border army and teach the Mongols a lesson, thus becoming a Jinyiwei commander who would be remembered in history.

The result was that a regional prince rebelled, which was truly bad luck.

"The minister obeys the order!"

But he knew all too well that any hesitation in front of this emperor was a grave taboo, so as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he had already given his answer.

Zhu Houcong seemed to see through his thoughts and smiled slightly: "Wenfu, are you worried about the war in the north?"

Lu Bing's heart trembled slightly, and he quickly bowed his head: "Your Majesty is wise and insightful, I will obey your command!"

"You too have grown distant from me..."

Zhu Houcong sighed softly.

From what he learned, Lu Bing's ambitions had grown wild; he was no longer willing to remain in charge of the Northern Garrison Command in the capital, but instead frequently inquired about news from the border, seemingly wanting to return to the Hetao region. This was not entirely incomprehensible, but it was absolutely unacceptable.

Since the palace coup, the guard commander he trusted most was still his younger brother, and there was no shortage of generals on the front lines, so why would he be willing to let Lu Bing go into battle?
However, suppression alone is not an option, and this trip south to Wuchang presents an opportunity for travel.

After expressing his feelings, Zhu Houcong offered some words of comfort, concluding that he had done more than enough for this most trusted confidant.

However, as Lu Bing left the Qianqing Palace, his official boots made a dull sound as they stepped onto the white marble steps.

He looked up to the north, where war was about to break out, a place where he should have been able to make his mark.

Now, however, he had to head south to deal with a clownish vassal king, and his expression finally turned grim.

Zhu Qi, who was accompanying them, came up behind them, looking for instructions.

Lu Bing took a deep breath, his expression returning to normal: "Pass down the order, we'll set off tomorrow. Send the elite troops of the Southern Garrison first... no! It's you brothers who will suffer and head south ahead. Don't alarm the Southern Garrison. Surround the Chu Prince's residence, don't let a single fly escape!"

"Yes!"

Zhu Qi hurriedly went to take care of it, but Lu Bing's mood was still not very good.

As soon as I left the Forbidden City, a familiar figure was waiting on the street, looking at me with a smile.

Lu Bing was stunned for a moment, then revealed a long-lost joyful smile: "Shall we take a walk?"

Let's go for a walk!

Haiyue stepped forward, and the two walked side by side.

Since returning to Beijing, Lu Bing has followed his mother's advice and stopped seeing Hai Yue. Hai Yue has also stopped seeing him. Even if they happen to bump into each other in the Forbidden City, they only nod slightly in greeting, and their friendship is no longer what it used to be.

Fortunately, the two sides still maintained a tacit understanding. Qiu Luan's previous scapegoating was an unspoken cooperation.

But at this moment, the two sides met directly.

Lu Bing had been vaguely sensing something lately, and now his suspicions were completely confirmed. He found it both funny and absurd, and said softly, "I never thought that His Majesty, who is so shrewd, would be deceived by his subjects."

He was somewhat surprised and somewhat moved.

There was no shock or anger.

The brotherhood and loyalty of the past have long been worn away by endless suspicion.

As a result, Lu Bing now only feels a sense of pleasure.

There is no perfect plan in this world. Even the most meticulous plans will have flaws. Only by treating each other with sincerity can we earn true loyalty!

Haiyue also laughed.

This appearance at this time is a decision made after long observation.

Even Lu Bing, who was once the most loyal and devoted, tacitly accepted this situation.

The final piece of the puzzle in the imperial court has been completely completed.

Zhu Houcong is now in a state of semi-parallel rule.

Similar to later periods in history, Yan Song and Xu Jie figured out the riddle master's temperament and, taking advantage of the emperor's seclusion in the Western Garden, turned the tables and manipulated his emotions.

Jiajing mistakenly believed that his decrees were entirely of his own volition, but in reality, he was largely guided by them. In the end, his cleverness backfired.

Haiyue's appearance has affected too many people and things, inadvertently advancing this process by twenty years. As soon as Jiajing neglected his duties, everyone tacitly began to sideline him.

The reason why he was only partially in power was that, unlike other puppet emperors, if Zhu Houcong were to truly return from behind the scenes to the forefront and become the diligent and capable emperor again, he could quickly take back imperial power from his ministers.

After all, the monarchical power of the Ming Dynasty was too strong, and the Jiajing Emperor's previous methods and prestige had deeply penetrated the hearts of the people.

The problem is that it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. Since the Prince of Chu was suspected of rebelling, Zhu Houcong did not attend court. He only sent Lu Bing to make an example of him. His laziness can be imagined.

That's why Haiyue was able to come out and see Lu Bing.

Lu Bing remained calm and walked alongside him, just as always.

Of course, Haiyue's appearance also had an important matter to explain: "Wenfu's trip south this time is really focused on Southern Zhili."

Lu Bingqi asked, "Why is that?"

"This matter concerns the mutiny that is brewing in Southern Zhili!"

After hearing the whole story, Lu Bing's expression immediately became serious: "Could this mutiny be a prelude to a rebellion by the vassal kings? Does the Prince of Chu really have such methods?"

"It's not the King of Chu."

Haiyue smiled and said, "To be precise, it may not necessarily be the King of Chu."

The King of Chu was the most harmful to the people among the vassal kings, but if we're talking about rebellion, he really wasn't the one.

He was chosen only because he does incompetent things.

Just like Qiu Luan back then.

Your past evil deeds deserve no mercy; if not you, who else would we choose?

Lu Bing quickly understood the mystery. On the one hand, he was amazed that even the secret guards had been subtly influenced by this person, and were able to use him to transmit such crucial information. On the other hand, he also felt the predicament: "Southern Zhili is not like the Chu Prince's Mansion. It will be difficult to find out who the traitor is behind it!"

The princes are one thing, their targets are obvious, but the gentry and powerful families in Southern Zhili who collude with each other may not dare to openly confront the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but they know how to collude with each other and cover up their mistakes. Even if he leads his elite troops south, he will probably find it difficult to find any dirt on them.

Haiyue agreed, noting that Xu Jie had been in Southern Zhili for many years without success, and Lu Bing's journey south would be even more difficult.

Fortunately, there was still a chance: "We can rescue one person first and use him to thoroughly investigate the truth behind the chaos in the South."

"Who?"

"Sun Weixian, the former commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is under house arrest! I suspect he deliberately leaked the information, waiting for us to rescue him!"

(End of this chapter)