Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 322 Yang Shiqi: It's better than losing the throne!

"Grand Secretary Yang, you've gone mad!" After a moment of seemingly restrained silence, Yu Qian couldn't hold back his temper and shouted, pointing a finger at Yang Shiqi. At this moment, shocked by Yang Shiqi's words, Yu Qian completely disregarded any semblance of etiquette. After all, in Yu Qian's eyes, Yang Shiqi's ideas were utterly inhumane.

In Yu Qian's view, how could the mighty imperial court cede territory to a vassal king? Even if the court had made a mistake, as long as it was willing to admit its error and offer some compensation, it would at least be on the side of righteousness. If it ceded territory, how could it explain itself to the princes of the realm?! How could it explain itself to its ancestors?!
"Lord Yu, Yang Shiqi isn't insane! Yang Shiqi is perfectly clear-headed! He knows what he's saying! As long as the Crown Prince of Han doesn't raise an army, Yang Shiqi can bear the blame for the mere lands of Guangdong and Guangxi!" Yang Shiqi's face was filled with a heroic and tragic expression, ready to face death. Little did they know, Yang Shiqi's words had already left everyone else speechless.

"Is Grand Secretary Yang going to talk to His Highness Prince Han in person?" At this moment, unlike the stunned and astonished expressions of the others, Fan Zhong still had a cautious expression, as if he was worried that the Prince of Han would not agree to exchange the lands of Guangdong and Guangxi for peace, a condition that the court considered humiliating and harsh.

"I'll go and negotiate myself!" These words seemed to have drained all of Yang Shiqi's energy, perhaps leaving him utterly exhausted. He even swayed uncontrollably.

"Grand Secretary Yang!" Yu Qian cried out to Yang Shiqi with a face full of grief and indignation. He couldn't believe that the Grand Secretary would actually consider ceding territory in exchange for the peaceful coexistence of local vassal kings. What had become of this world? Yu Qian's worldview was crumbling.

"I won't agree! The court officials won't agree either! The Emperor certainly won't agree!" In his grief and indignation, Yu Qian came to Yang Shiqi, stared into Yang Shiqi's eyes, and loudly retorted indignantly.

"Yu Qian, this time, you will come with me to Yunnan to meet the Crown Prince of Han."

"I'm getting old, it's time for me to step down from the cabinet." Facing Yu Qian's grief-stricken gaze, Yang Shiqi seemed unfazed. Instead, he calmly told Yu Qian that after returning to Beijing from Yunnan, he would step down from the cabinet, and Yu Qian would take over as Grand Secretary. In reality, Yang Shiqi's reason for taking Yu Qian to Yunnan was to let him know the terrifying trump card held by the Crown Prince of Han!

"Your Majesty, this old minister is incompetent. This is the best solution I can think of."

In any case, even if this old minister were to risk his life, he would still persuade the Crown Prince of Han to agree to the court's conditions.

It's better for the Ming Dynasty to lose two provincial administrations than for the emperor to lose his throne!

As for whether what the old minister said was true or false, Yang Shiqi would explain it to the Emperor and Empress Dowager in person after Qian returned from Yunnan. Yang Shiqi knew that he had to give Empress Dowager Zhang an explanation. Because the court's appointment of the heir apparent to the throne of the King of Han required the court's approval. And now that the Emperor was not present, the Empress Dowager's permission was needed to issue an imperial edict.

However, Yang Shiqi couldn't be too direct, so he had to use this method to tell Empress Dowager Zhang: "The Crown Prince of Han is truly powerful! The Ming Dynasty simply cannot stop him!" "I beg Your Majesty to find a way to get the Emperor to attend court as soon as possible. This old minister will return to prepare immediately; I will depart for Yunnan tomorrow." After saying this, Yang Shiqi seemed to have lost his backbone, his expression dazed, and he staggered towards the exit of the hall. Watching Yang Shiqi's desolate figure as he left, everyone felt a pang of pity. They didn't know what secret Yang Shiqi was hiding. The thought of something that could make even the Grand Secretary feel despair was truly chilling!

At this moment, Yang Shiqi, who staggered out of the main hall, looked up at the dazzling sun in the sky. Perhaps he had regretted it. If he had not disobeyed Emperor Taizong's decree and supported the Prince of Han to ascend the throne, the court would not be in such a difficult situation now!
But at this moment, Yang Shiqi knew it was too late! Even if he supported the Crown Prince of Han to ascend the throne now, Emperor Xuande would absolutely not compromise! After all, he hadn't given up even in the face of such adversity at Yumu River, let alone now that he had ascended the throne! If the Crown Prince of Han confronted Emperor Xuande, it would be another struggle for legitimacy, another war of rebellion! Another bloodbath!
Yang Shiqi understood all of this, so in order to maintain the status quo of the court and the stability of the Ming Dynasty, he could only continue down the current path!
"Grand Secretary Yang, this humble general will personally escort the body of the Prince of Han to Yunnan with you!" Watching Yang Shiqi leave, Fan Zhong spoke up. Even though Fan Zhong knew the Prince of Han's body had been burned to ashes, he still wanted to send him back. After all, he had promised Emperor Taizong to protect the Prince of Han's family, and now the Prince of Han had died in Beijing. He wanted to personally apologize to the Crown Prince of Han and beg for his forgiveness. At the same time, Fan Zhong also hoped that the Crown Prince of Han would not raise an army!

Empress Dowager Zhang watched Yang Shiqi's staggering figure as he left, her heart filled with inner turmoil. She knew, of course, that Yang Shiqi needed the imperial seal to cede Guangdong and Guangxi. Although she didn't know what Yang Shiqi and Fan Zhong were hiding, she and Yu Qian could see and understand that the Emperor's unauthorized killing of the Prince of Han had likely created a truly catastrophic disaster!

Empress Dowager Zhang knew perfectly well that the secret hidden in the Prince of Han's residence was an extremely important trump card left to future generations by Emperor Taizong and her husband, Emperor Renzong! This trump card, which was extremely important to the Ming Dynasty, obviously had to remain in the Prince of Han's residence for certain reasons and could not be moved at will! But now, this trump card, jointly reserved by the two late emperors, was destroyed by her own son!

Upon realizing this, Empress Dowager Zhang was torn with conflicting thoughts, unsure of what to do.

"Your Majesty, we take our leave!" Seeing Yang Shiqi depart, the remaining officials, including Yang Rong, Yang Fu, Yu Qian, and Fan Zhong, prepared to leave as well. After all, everything that needed to be said had been said, and the preventative measures, whether good or bad, had been taken. It was time to leave and find a solution to the problem, and also to reassure the court officials.

After leaving the main hall, Yu Qian glanced at Yang Rong and the others beside him and couldn't help but sigh. He had originally come to deal with a thorny issue, but unexpectedly, he had discovered an even bigger and more serious problem! For a moment, Yu Qian felt somewhat melancholy.

General Fan turned his head and saw Fan Zhong looking somewhat dejected. After a moment's thought, Yu Qian couldn't help but call out to Fan Zhong. He still wanted to know what was the reason that made Yang Shiqi, the Grand Secretary, and Fan Zhong, a veteran of many battles, so cautious, even fearful, towards the Crown Prince of Han! They didn't even have the slightest thought of resistance! Surely it couldn't just be because the Crown Prince was skilled on the battlefield!?

"Lord Yu, since you are Grand Secretary Yang's chosen future Grand Secretary, and we have gone to Yunnan together this time, once we arrive there, Grand Secretary Yang will surely do everything in his power to let you know the reason behind it all."

Hopefully, Mr. Yu will be able to remain calm at that time.

"This time, I only ask that the Crown Prince of Han quell his raging anger and not raise an army. I am willing to risk my life, just like Grand Secretary Yang!" Fan Zhong looked at Yu Qian blocking his way, and at Yang Rong and Yang Fu behind Yu Qian, who looked on with curiosity. He guessed what Yu Qian was thinking, but he didn't answer Yu Qian's words. He just said something in a low voice, and then turned and left, completely ignoring the shocked eyes and trembling bodies of Yu Qian and the others.

"My son~" On the other side, after Yu Qian and the others left one after another, Empress Dowager Zhang also rushed to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. When she opened the door and saw her son, Emperor Xuande, who was in a daze and looked confused, Empress Dowager Zhang's original anger softened and she couldn't help but call out to her son with heartache.
(End of this chapter)