Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 334 We can no longer let the emperor run rampant!

"I want to see my father! I want to see my father!"

"You can't..."

"Ahhh-"

Accompanied by a piercing scream, Zhu Zaiyi was forcibly dragged out by two strong men.

The servants of the Prince's mansion, unaware of the situation, thought it was the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but in fact, the leader was Zhang Zuo, the head of the secret guards.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards don't do that kind of work anymore.

The dirtiest jobs are then passed down to these secret guards.

Zhang Zuo knew perfectly well that if things continued this way, his fate would be absolutely tragic.

But since I did it, at least nothing bad will happen now.

He has no choice.

So, having come this far, he showed no mercy to the entire Prince's residence and ordered, "Take them all away!"

The reason he left no room for compromise was because in the Qianqing Palace, he heard that master comment on the Second Prince in an extremely cold tone: "He imitates me in everything, but he imitates me poorly in everything!"

Admittedly, the eldest son of the emperor, Zhu Zaiji, was severely suppressed.

But in fact, because he was the eldest son of the emperor and the first son born after Jiajing had not had a child for more than ten years, he was already special in Jiajing's heart.

The later sons received even worse treatment.

Just as in history, after Prince Jing died, Jiajing actually said to Xu Jie, "This son always plotted to seize the throne, and now he is dead."

The father's cold response to the news of his son's untimely death was as if it were a good thing he died, or that he deserved to die.

No wonder that when Wanli was born, Prince Yu at the time did not dare to report it and made his son an unregistered resident until after his father's death, when he was formally admitted into the clan.

The same applies to the current second prince, Zhu Zaiyi.

Zhang Zuo, being a trusted confidant of the emperor, was well aware that His Majesty's feelings for the other princes were much weaker than those for the crown prince.

Now Zhu Zaiji is lying in the Eastern Palace, with imperial physicians surrounding his bedside, ready to announce his death at any moment, and they have also discovered that heinous crime.

Therefore, this Prince De is completely finished.

Amidst pig-like screams, everyone in the Prince's mansion was taken to prison.

Zhu Zaiyu was, after all, a prince, and was placed in a separate room. The servants, however, were in a miserable state, their cries echoing from afar.

The teenage second prince turned pale and, initially restless, quickly became trembling.

As Jiajing commented, this man, who wanted to learn everything, could never compare to his father, who at the same age was able to compete with Yang Tinghe.

Zhang Zuo observed silently, gaining more confidence, and then appeared at the opportune moment: "Does Your Highness know why I invited you here?"

Zhu Zaiyi said in a low voice, "I...I certainly didn't know!"

Zhang Zuo said coldly, "This concerns His Highness the Crown Prince's safety. Has His Highness not yet remembered?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

Zhu Zaiyi's expression changed drastically: "How could I do such a thing?"

Zhang Zuo shook his head secretly, then waved his hand: "Bring your men over here!"

The dying Granny Du was dragged out.

Zhang Zuo's gaze suddenly turned fierce, its coldness like a blade as he swept over her, his voice carrying the chilling edge of torture: "You lowly servant, confess the truth now!"

"Old servant...old servant..."

Granny Du trembled all over, a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth spreading dark red on the brick floor. A broken, mournful moan escaped her throat, like a trapped beast being strangled: "This old servant...this old servant really didn't want to..."

Du Mama never expected that the eldest prince would fall seriously ill and never recover; the consequences would be so severe.

She was initially assigned to the Second Prince's side and carried out his orders accordingly.

Both of them wanted to put an end to the eldest prince's hopes and make him rely on them wholeheartedly.

This mentality seems contradictory, but as a nanny, one can't expect her to be able to consider everything very thoroughly.

So when the battered and bruised Granny Du was dragged before her, she spilled the beans, daring not to hide anything: "This old servant...this old servant initially served...the Queen...and later took orders from the Second Prince..."

"His Highness the Crown Prince is seriously ill... because this old servant informed him... that Lady Yama hanged herself in the Cold Palace..."

"Actually, this was ordered by the Second Prince... This old servant had no idea about the Cold Palace... the Cold Palace..."

Hearing this, Zhang Zuo turned around and looked at Zhu Zaiyi with a deep gaze: "Second Prince, is there anything else to say?"

His tone was laced with disdain.

The drama of princes vying for the throne and brothers killing each other is a common occurrence in all dynasties.

But the fact that someone so young could be so vicious still made him feel contempt.

Your mother was also banished to the Cold Palace, yet she used such methods to force your brother to his death—how wicked!
"It's over!"

Zhu Zaiyi collapsed like a rag doll, his first thought being: "I regret not heeding Mr. Hai's advice and becoming a wise and virtuous prince!"

The second thought was: "I never imagined that my struggle with my eldest brother would result in me giving up the position of crown prince to the third and fourth brothers for nothing!"

Among the princes, the eldest son Zhu Zaiji and the second son Zhu Zairi were the most prominent, because they were the oldest and their mothers were both imperial concubines.

However, the third prince, Zhu Zaiyuan, and the fourth prince, Zhu Zaizhen, were also eligible.

Now that the top two have perished together in this absurd way, isn't the third-ranked person the biggest beneficiary?
Perhaps because of the palace coup that year, when Consort Li did her best to save the emperor, the third prince was disfigured and neglected, losing the emperor's favor. In that case, the fourth prince would also have a chance.

As for the fifth child, the age difference is too great.

Zhu Zaiyi was filled with regret. If he had listened to Hai Rui's advice, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation. The more he regretted it, the more resentful he became. He had spent more than a year scheming, only to end up like this.

At last.

"This was not done by me alone..."

Zhu Zaiyi spat out these chilling words through gritted teeth, his eyes swirling with venomous hatred.

"Ok?"

Zhang Zuo's expression suddenly turned serious.

Any unexpected gains?

But then the prince suddenly grinned maliciously, his five fingers digging deeply into his palms, and one sentence made him change color completely: "The third prince and the fourth prince were both involved!"

……

"Brother!"

Haifu Study Room.

Hai Rui rushed in and said in a deep voice, "Something has happened to the Prince of De. Is it related to the Crown Prince's serious illness?"

Since the eldest son of the emperor was named the crown prince, Hai Rui was no longer a lecturer in the Prince of De's mansion, but entered and exited the Wenhua Hall and directly confronted Jiajing.

It has become a habit for both sides.

Emperor Jiajing could not out-argue Hai Rui, but he never gave up and always came up with new tricks.

Hai Rui could not change Jiajing's mind, but he never gave up and repeatedly offered new advice.

Like the yang below Qian, it always keeps the ruler above Qian in mind.

Hai Rui was slow to realize what had happened at the Prince of De's residence, and his brows were now furrowed with regret.

No matter what, the Second Prince was his student, and now he had committed the crime of fratricide. He felt that he could not escape the blame!

"This matter is not that simple!"

Haiyue knew immediately what her younger brother was thinking, and reassured him with a single sentence: "According to the interrogation by the secret guards, the number of prisoners is expanding, and it's not just the Second Prince who's involved!"

The British intelligence agency had already intercepted some of the spies and informants of the secret guards in the capital.

Therefore, Haiyue was able to know the results of the interrogation in prison in advance, unlike other court officials.

To be honest, he thought it was some ingenious scheme or cruel calculation, but the case turned out to be unbelievably simple.

It means that the servants around him were bribed and told a devastating lie.

The Crown Prince didn't even bother to find a trusted confidant to inquire about the situation in the Cold Palace and confirm whether Consort Yan had truly passed away before he completely collapsed...

Are the murderers Granny Du and the Second Prince?
Do not!
In Haiyue's opinion, the murderer is Jiajing!
It was Jiajing's relentless pressure and constant humiliation that pushed the eldest prince to the brink of despair.

This young man, who had not yet reached adulthood, lived each day as if walking on thin ice, his heartstrings stretched to the point of breaking.

When the devastating news struck, his last shred of hope was extinguished, and he finally succumbed to his illness, which struck like a landslide.

Similarly, Jiajing's oppression of the princes was consistent.

Therefore, the second prince Zhu Zaiyi's accusation, though seemingly unexpected, was actually normal.

"His Highness Prince De said that the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince were also involved?"

Hai Rui, however, found this completely unacceptable: "Without evidence, this is just baseless accusation!"

Haiyue said, "I'm afraid His Majesty will really let the case continue to be investigated like this. When the day comes that the Crown Prince dies, the three older princes will also be deposed."

"Isn't this going to repeat the case of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's three commoners?"

Hai Rui resolutely replied, "Absolutely not!"

The "Three Commoners Case" refers to the infamous case of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang killing three sons in one day. In the 25th year of the Kaiyuan era, Li Longji, under the instigation of Consort Wu Hui, first deposed Crown Prince Li Ying, Prince E Li Yao, and Prince Guang Li Ju, reducing them to commoners, and then ordered the three of them to be executed.

As for the specific process, the Old Book of Tang does not record the scene of entering the palace in armor, only saying that the three "resented Consort Hui". The New Book of Tang and Zizhi Tongjian, on the other hand, designed it to be full of ups and downs. Consort Hui falsely claimed that there were thieves in the palace, which lured the Crown Prince and the two princes to put on armor and lead troops into the palace to rescue the emperor. As a result, Consort Hui immediately reported to Emperor Xuanzong that the Crown Prince was plotting a rebellion, which finally brought down the three princes.

The situation is certainly different now than it was then, but the core logic remains the same.

"His Majesty has long been wary of the princes vying for power. Now that the brothers are fighting amongst themselves, it is the perfect opportunity to silence any dissent."

"On the issue of establishing an heir, he wants... to solve it once and for all!"

Before Jiajing established a crown prince, he was genuinely eager to do so. Since his eldest son was no longer a threat and the court officials had repeatedly urged him to have a heir apparent, choosing a clay figurehead crown prince was not out of the question.

But now that Zhu Zaiji is about to die, the remaining princes are not at ease. Taking the opportunity, they demoted three of their older sons to commoners, leaving only their youngest son. So for at least ten years, the emperor can rest easy and continue to indulge in pleasure and idleness in the harem.

It violates human ethics, yet it is perfectly suited to political maneuvering.

Can you punish your subjects, but not your sons?

"It suits that person's temperament perfectly, but this day has come much earlier than I expected..."

Haiyue murmured, her tone gradually hardening: "We can no longer allow the Emperor to act so recklessly!"

Hai Rui was immediately moved.

That's a very important statement.

Although his elder brother supported his submission of a memorial to the throne, advising against blindly pandering to the emperor, he himself had never directly opposed the emperor.

Now it's time to prepare...

He took a deep breath, a sudden surge of indescribable excitement welling up inside him, his chest heaving with emotion: "So, what should we do?"

Hai Yue suddenly raised her head, her words carrying immense weight: "Let us use this case to quell the chaos, restore order, and allow the world to enjoy true peace!"

(End of this chapter)