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

Chapter 337 The Court's Compensation and Conditions
"It seems you really do have something to say!"

"In that case, please speak, Grand Secretary Yang!" Zhu Zhanhe seemed completely unconcerned about the death of the Prince of Han. He gently raised his hand, picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and then urged Yang Shiqi to get straight to the point.

"Your Highness, the death of the Prince of Han in Beijing is of great importance to the imperial court, and it is something the court cannot escape responsibility for."

Therefore, the imperial court is willing to offer sincere compensation to the Prince of Han's residence, hoping that His Highness the Crown Prince of Han can quell his nameless anger. Yang Shiqi stared intently at Zhu Zhanhe's face, carefully observing and speaking cautiously, as if he were very worried that Zhu Zhanhe might get angry at any moment.

Yang Shiqi's concerns were not unfounded; the next second...

"Smack! Extinguish the nameless rage~!?" After hearing Yang Shiqi's words, Zhu Zhanhe slammed down his teacup with a loud smack, spilling tea everywhere. Zhu Zhanhe tilted his head and looked at Yang Shiqi with great interest, repeating Yang Shiqi's words.

Yu Qian was anxious because he saw that Grand Secretary Yang was speaking slowly. He was thinking about when he could interrupt and quickly explain things so that Grand Secretary Yang would not be so irritating.
In that instant, Yu Qian, who had been staring at the Crown Prince of Han, ready to interrupt at any moment, once again experienced the terrifying scene he had felt in the cave on the grassland!
"Ugh~~~" An inexplicable pressure, like Mount Tai pressing down, instantly swept over Yu Qian's entire body. This made Yu Qian, who was standing, feel dizzy and almost fall over! The air in the study seemed to have been sucked out in an instant, making it difficult for Yu Qian to breathe! This series of terrifying effects combined, causing Yu Qian to unconsciously let out a difficult groan as he almost fell over.

What horrified Yu Qian even more was that, in a moment of casual turning his head, he discovered that some of the curtains in the study were actually swaying without any wind!

Yu Qian was stunned. He clearly remembered that the door to the study was closed! Even the windows were closed. This was the result of Yu Qian's careful observation before entering the room!

But at this moment, the terrifying pressure and the curtains moving without wind were telling a terrible story: the Crown Prince of Han was able to influence the surrounding environment simply by virtue of his own power!

What a terrifying Han prince! Yu Qian, who was originally ready to interrupt at any moment, couldn't help but feel that the Han prince's terrifying nature had reached its peak!
Because even the Xuande Emperor, the Renzong Emperor, and even the Taizong Emperor, whom Yu Qian had met, did not possess such terrifying power!

"Continue!" After a moment, Zhu Zhanhe seemed to have suppressed the nameless anger in his heart, his expression returned to calm, and he spoke again. At that very moment, the suffocating feeling in the surrounding air suddenly disappeared, and the overwhelming pressure vanished without a trace, as if the dazed feeling from before had never existed at all.

"What a magnificent transformation!" Yang Shiqi couldn't help but admire the Crown Prince's masterful control over his aura. After all, a Crown Prince capable of such control over his emotions was no ordinary person!

"Your Highness." Now that the atmosphere in the room had eased, Yang Shiqi stepped forward, respectfully cupped his hands in greeting to the Crown Prince of Han, and spoke directly.

"The imperial court can offer some compensation to the Prince's residence; please consider it, Your Highness."

Firstly, His Highness the Crown Prince shall immediately inherit the throne of the King of Han and be granted a golden seal; His Highness the Crown Princess shall be granted the title of Queen Consort and a golden seal; His Highness the former Queen Consort shall be granted the title of Queen Dowager and a golden seal.
Secondly, the court will no longer pursue the matter of the rebellion of the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao, and will posthumously grant the Prince of Han the title of Prince Zhuang.
Thirdly, the imperial court is willing to lease the lands of Guangdong and Guangxi to the Prince of Han's residence for the duration of the lease until His Highness the Great ascends to the throne of the Prince of Han, with the rent set at the price proposed by His Highness last time.

Fourth, the imperial court tacitly approved all military operations by the Prince's Mansion for external expansion, but the Prince's Mansion was not allowed to use military force against any region in the direction of the imperial court;

Fifth, the imperial court can appropriately compensate the Prince's residence for some tax revenue. Your Highness can have Lord Xia and Lord Mu discuss this condition with us in detail.” Yang Shiqi listed several compensation conditions offered by the imperial court to the Prince of Han’s residence.

"Heh~, Grand Secretary Yang! Our Xuande Emperor probably wouldn't approve of such conditions, would he?"
Is this a decision your cabinet could make? Or did you get my aunt's opinion?
"Besides, the imperial court wouldn't just compensate my Prince's Mansion without making any demands, would it? Grand Secretary Yang, let's make things clear once and for all." Zhu Zhanhe said to Yang Shiqi with a mocking smile. At the same time, he took another sip of the hot tea that Xiao Xizi had just changed, his expression inscrutable.

Zhu Zhanhe knew perfectly well that the proud and arrogant Xuande Emperor would absolutely not agree to such conditions! Because, for the Xuande Emperor, this would be an absolute humiliation! Not only the Xuande Emperor, but even Zhu Zhanhe himself would have considered it a humiliation!

However, the fact that Yang Shiqi and others could offer such terms for negotiation indicates that they must have received the support of someone in the court who could suppress the Xuande Emperor. And in the court, the only person who could suppress the Xuande Emperor was Empress Dowager Zhang.

However, to be honest, Zhu Zhanhe felt that the compensation offered by the imperial court was indeed the result of considerable effort. It must be said that Zhu Zhanhe was tempted!

The first point is about succeeding to the throne; this is beyond question, and even if the court is unwilling, it cannot stop it.

The second point, regarding the posthumous conferment of a title upon the Prince of Han, was clearly a measure taken to win over Zhu Zhanhe. However, at the same time, the court also settled all of the Prince of Han's past misdeeds. Moreover, the title "Zhuang" was acceptable, not considered an inauspicious one.

The third point, regarding the reassignment of the Guangdong and Guangxi regions to Zhu Zhanhe, is purely a means of winning him over. They even extended the lease period to the day Zhu Zhanhe died, which is simply a huge financial drain!

The fourth point concerns the court's tacit approval of Yunnan's military operations abroad, which means it will no longer manage the military forces of the Prince of Han's residence. This point can be considered the most favorable news for Zhu Zhanhe.
Article 5, concerning the court's further compensation for the taxes levied on the regions under the Han Prince's jurisdiction, in Zhu Zhanhe's view, meant that the court would exempt Yunnan and Guangdong from taxes. It must be said that this article was also good, because in this way, Zhu Zhanhe could devote all his energy to shipbuilding and construction.

Overall, the compensation provided by the imperial court was quite generous. It not only relaxed the military restrictions on the Prince of Han's residence but also provided financial support. Finally, the court completely ignored any external expansion efforts by the Prince's residence!
The Xuande Emperor might be so angry he'd die! Could it be that part of the reason for his early death was this compensation, that he was so angry he died?! Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help but think to himself.

"His Royal Highness is wise.

After the Prince of Han died in Beijing, the emperor felt extremely guilty and secluded himself in the ancestral temple to reflect on his actions.

These measures were the result of discussions between your ministers and Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. Seeing that the Crown Prince of Han had guessed that the decision to compensate the Han Prince's residence was approved by the Empress Dowager, Yang Shiqi was not surprised. After all, Yang Shiqi knew that the Crown Prince of Han was not merely a warrior, but a peerless genius skilled in both literature and martial arts!

"Brilliant? Heh~~"
Would Xuande feel guilty? He was just worried that the oath would take effect and he would die young!

"Grand Secretary Yang, why don't you tell me the conditions the court has proposed?" Zhu Zhanhe scoffed at the Xuande Emperor's self-reproachful words about locking himself in the ancestral temple to reflect on his actions. Then, Zhu Zhanhe waved his hand, signaling Yang Shiqi to continue with the conditions the court had proposed.

"Your Highness, the court has only one request; but I have two other requests, which I hope Your Highness will grant." Yang Shiqi looked at Zhu Zhanhe's face, gritted his teeth, and still stated that there were three conditions in total: two for himself and one for the court.

(End of this chapter)