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

Chapter 333 The Body of the King of Han Arrives in Yunnan
What puzzled Yu Qian even more was that Emperor Renzong, knowing everything, actually agreed to the Han prince and his family going to their fiefdom! Shouldn't an emperor have taken back the secret? Or, if that wasn't possible, confined the Han prince to Beijing? Why let them leave? Surely Emperor Renzong wasn't confident he could keep the Han prince's family?!
Given Yu Qian's understanding of Emperor Renzong's character, this situation could only mean that the plot hidden in the Prince of Han's residence was absolutely beneficial to the Ming Dynasty, both now and in future generations! That's why Emperor Renzong, despite the risk of rebellion by the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao, still accepted Emperor Taizong's edict and personally signed it!

Furthermore, before his death, Emperor Renzong specifically instructed the cabinet that the true secrets could only be revealed when the current Emperor Xuande had matured and become more stable!
Upon realizing this, Yu Qian knew that this was a secret that could have a huge impact on the future of the Ming Dynasty!

In order to ensure the smooth succession of this plan or this secret, Emperor Renzong even allowed Fan Zhong, who knew the secret and might be a member of the Prince of Han's mansion, to continue to protect the palace!

At the same time, Emperor Renzong was willing to continue to allow the rebellions of the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao to grow stronger, and was even willing to give up the capital to appease the Prince of Han's family!

Before he knew it, Yu Qian was drenched in sweat! Because he realized that this matter was not as simple as he had initially conceived!
On the contrary, Yu Qian discovered that this matter seemed to be a huge abyss, swallowing everything!
Meanwhile, in the Han Prince's Mansion in Yunnan, after several days of close communication, just one day before Yang Shiqi and his party arrived in Yunnan, Zhu Zhanhe learned an unexpected piece of news from his father: Yu Qian, the Vice Minister, had actually become his brother-in-law!
Zhu Zhanhe's lips twitched slightly at this. Was this how things were going to unfold? This plot twist seemed a bit off. What? Even Yu Qian, the giant band-aid of the Xuande Emperor, had become connected to him? And strangely, he'd even become his brother-in-law? Was he always getting such good treatment as the protagonist? Were plots always this absurd? Was the next step to have everyone bow down to him, and then he'd become a powerful and all-powerful ruler?! Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help but indulge in these wild and unrealistic fantasies.

"Your Highness? Your Highness?" In Chengyun Hall, Xia Yuanji, who was reporting important matters to his son-in-law, noticed that his son-in-law, who had been speaking, was now lost in thought. So, Xia Yuanji quickly spoke to wake Zhu Zhanhe, who had been daydreaming during the meeting.

"Oh? Lord Xia, please speak." Zhu Zhanhe, who was in a daze, was caught by his father-in-law slacking off during work. He was a little embarrassed and had to let his father-in-law continue to speak in order to cover up his embarrassment.

"Your Highness, I am saying that Yang Shiqi, the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Court, along with Yu Qian, the Vice Minister of War, and General Fan Zhong, the Commander of the Imperial Guard, have come to deliver the news of the prince's death, escorting his body!"
"The funeral procession has already reached the city gate!" Xia Yuanji, seeing his son-in-law's dazed and confused appearance, assumed that the news he had reported was too shocking and disturbing, causing his son-in-law to be startled. So, filled with grief, Xia Yuanji spoke to his son-in-law again. In fact, at this moment, besides the deep sorrow in Xia Yuanji's heart, there was also a secret joy that he himself was unaware of.

After hearing what Xia Yuanji said again, Zhu Zhanhe knew that now that Yang Shiqi and the others had arrived, a big show was about to begin!

"Your Highness, please accept our condolences!" In the Chengyun Hall, Mu Sheng, Xia Yuanji, and the officials from various departments, standing below the high platform, felt a pang of heartache seeing their prince once again lost in thought. They all knelt down, loudly urging Zhu Zhanhe not to grieve and to take care of his health. What they didn't know was that Zhu Zhanhe wasn't secretly grieving, but rather plotting his future gains and losses!
"Contact the royal physician, inform the royal family and all members of the royal household to go to the city gate to welcome the Prince back to the palace!" Zhu Zhanhe slowly stood up in Chengyun Hall, calmly arranging the preparations for welcoming the Prince of Han's coffin. He also specifically arranged for a physician to ensure everyone knew whether the Prince of Han was truly dead.

"Your Majesty, we receive the imperial decree!" Xia Yuanji and the others looked at the calm-faced Crown Prince, but everyone could hear the deep sorrow in his tone. The officials of the Prince's residence quickly bowed and accepted the order.

"Vice Minister of Rites, prepare the appropriate funeral rites!" Zhu Zhanhe looked at the many subordinate officials kneeling on the ground and once again gave instructions to the Vice Minister of Rites.

"Your subject obeys the imperial decree!" Upon hearing the instructions from His Highness the Crown Prince, the Vice Minister of Rites stepped forward, bowed respectfully to Zhu Zhanhe once more, and firmly accepted the order.

Then, Zhu Zhanhe ignored the many officials in Chengyun Hall, flicked his sleeves, and strode quickly towards the door. "Lord Xia, the Prince is dead? How could that be?" Immediately after Zhu Zhanhe left the hall, Chengyun Hall became lively. Officials asked Xia Yuanji in disbelief, clearly unable to believe the death of the Prince of Han.

"Yes, Lord Xia. The court only placed the Prince under house arrest; how could he have suddenly died?" Clearly, even the officials in Yunnan knew about the Prince of Han's imprisonment. However, the news of his sudden death was difficult for them to accept, and they were unwilling to believe it. After all, nominally, the Prince of Han was the head of the Han Prince's Mansion! Now that the head of the household was dead, how could they not be anxious?

"Could it be that the court is settling scores?" Some quick-thinking officials immediately guessed that the sudden death of the Prince of Han might be the court settling scores for the rebellion.

"What? How could this be?" Immediately, some officials became anxious. If the court was going to punish the Prince of Han, wouldn't they also punish them, the officials? After all, even the high and mighty Prince of Han was dead; wouldn't they, these insignificant figures, be easily crushed?!
"Alright, everyone, stop speculating. Get ready, let's go to the city gate together to welcome the Prince's carriage!" Seeing that the Chengyun Hall was gradually becoming noisy, Xia Yuanji couldn't help but stop the commotion and told everyone to hurry up and welcome the body of the Prince of Han!

"Let's go, let's go." Seeing Xia Yuanji frowning unhappily, the officials quickly and hastily left the hall.

"Lord Xia, I'm afraid something bad is about to happen."

"The prince suddenly died in Beijing. If His Highness the Crown Prince were to launch an attack on Beijing under this pretext, it would likely lead to another Jingnan Rebellion!" Mu Sheng said to Xia Yuanji with a worried expression as he watched the departing officials.

"The Prince's death is indeed suspicious! Otherwise, Yang Shiqi, Yu Qian, and Fan Zhong wouldn't have come to pay their respects. However, since they dared to come, they must have shown sufficient sincerity to appease His Highness!" Xia Yuanji certainly knew the importance of the matter, but he still harbored some hope. The Prince of Han's unexpected death in Beijing couldn't possibly mean that these high-ranking officials were merely there for the funeral, could it? If they didn't come up with a suitable explanation, they wouldn't be able to get past this hurdle!

Xia Yuanji didn't dislike having his son-in-law become emperor; he simply didn't want his son-in-law to cause further devastation in the Central Plains, allowing foreign tribes to take advantage of the situation. Xia Yuanji believed his son-in-law shared this sentiment; otherwise, he wouldn't have abandoned the fertile Central Plains to conquer remote, barbarian lands!

"Let's go to the city gate. His Highness needs us now." Xia Yuanji looked at Mu Sheng beside him, then took the lead and walked out of Chengyun Hall. Mu Sheng quickly followed Xia Yuanji's footsteps.

(End of this chapter)