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

Chapter 377 The Emperor Has No Sons!

With a soft creak, the door of the Qianqing Palace opened, and Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, looked up to see Yang Shiqi, Yu Qian, and Fan Zhong walking in from outside the palace with their heads slightly bowed and expressions of respect.

To the surprise of Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, the three men, Yang Shiqi and his companions, who stepped into the hall from outside, showed no fear or annoyance whatsoever. Instead, they appeared inexplicably relaxed, and even a hint of joy!

This discovery immediately made Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, even more furious!

"Your subject, Yang Shiqi~"

"Your subject, Yu Qian~"

"Your subject, Fan Zhong~"

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!" Upon entering the main hall, Yang Shiqi and his companions were immediately struck by the sight of Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, seated on the main throne, clad in a black robe embroidered with dragons. The three of them then stepped to the center of the hall and respectfully knelt, kowtowing to Emperor Xuande to pay their respects.

Dead silence!

After Yang Shiqi and his two companions knelt down to pay their respects to Emperor Xuande (Zhu Zhanji), they did not receive any response from him.

On the contrary, Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, was currently scrutinizing Yang Shiqi and his two companions with eyes as sharp as knives. His expression was as if he were examining prey about to be devoured! It sent chills down one's spine!

Seeing that Emperor Xuande did not speak, Yang Shiqi and the other two had no choice but to continue kneeling respectfully with their heads bowed, quietly waiting for Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, to speak.

At this tense moment, with his head bowed to the ground, Yu Qian suddenly had an unexpected thought.

That is, Yu Qian suddenly realized that the angry and furious appearance of Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, and the atmosphere at the scene were far less terrifying than the pressure emanating from the anger of Prince Han, Zhu Zhanhe! They were also far less intimidating than the terrifying sense of oppression that Prince Han, Zhu Zhanhe, exuded when he was angry!
Was this just my imagination? Or was the Prince of Han far more majestic than the Xuande Emperor?! For a moment, Yu Qian, who had been kneeling on the ground waiting for the Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji to unleash his nameless rage, unexpectedly started daydreaming!

"I need an explanation!!!" After a moment, as Yu Qian's mind raced with wild thoughts, and the silence in the hall lasted for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, finally spoke.

Furthermore, the very first thing Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, said was to demand a reasonable explanation from Yang Shiqi and the other two!

After all, Yang Shiqi and the other two ministers under the Xuande Emperor had actually bypassed the emperor and secretly traveled to the fiefdom of a vassal king!

Without his consent, the emperor issued a series of imperial edicts appointing officials to the Han Prince's office!
Furthermore, he privately gave the lands of Guangdong and Guangxi to the Prince of Han's residence as a fiefdom in the form of a lease!
Upon closer examination, any one of these acts would be a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family! And Yang Shiqi and his accomplices were incredibly audacious, actually committing all of these acts at once! Their boldness was undeniable!
Clearly, it was Yang Shiqi and others' actions that caused Emperor Xuande to fly into a rage!

"Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, what do you require us to explain?" Yang Shiqi was now incredibly stubborn. He knew perfectly well that every single thing he had done was a capital offense! Each one would absolutely provoke the Xuande Emperor's wrath, and he might even be executed by the emperor. However, Yang Shiqi also had his own compelling reasons, and tragically, he couldn't voice them. Therefore, after much deliberation, Yang Shiqi decided to confront the Xuande Emperor head-on! He wanted to draw the emperor's wrath upon himself, and in doing so, protect Yu Qian and Fan Zhong. After all, from beginning to end, the stability of the court had always been Yang Shiqi's top priority!

Therefore, Yang Shiqi, who had been bending over, straightened up completely when answering the Xuande Emperor's question! Because he felt he had done right by the court!

At this moment, Yang Shiqi raised his head to face the furious eyes of the Xuande Emperor! At the same time, Yang Shiqi also harbored the thought that the Xuande Emperor should kick him out of the cabinet as soon as possible! After all, only when a vacancy appeared in the cabinet would Yu Qian have a chance to enter it!
"..." Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, seated high on the dragon-carved wooden chair in the main seat, initially showed a hint of surprise in his eyes after hearing Yang Shiqi's words. After all, Emperor Xuande had never expected Yang Shiqi to question him in such a way! In fact, Emperor Xuande had assumed that in his current state of fury, Yang Shiqi and the others would panic and reveal everything!

But reality was like a slap in the face, landing hard on Emperor Xuande's cheek! Upon realizing what had happened, Emperor Xuande felt a burning pain on his face! In an instant, Emperor Xuande Zhu Zhanji's originally sharp eyes turned ferocious.

"Slap~~"
Grand Secretary Yang!

I'm asking you a question!

Where have the three of you gone this time?!

"What is it?!" Looking at Yang Shiqi's calm yet resolute gaze, Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, felt offended. At that moment, he disregarded his image, slamming his hand hard on the chair he was sitting on, and stood up abruptly. Then, Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, stared at Yang Shiqi with a ferocious gaze and posed a question laced with murderous intent.

At this moment, the murderous intent on Emperor Xuande's face could no longer be concealed.

Faced with Zhu Zhanji's murderous intent, Yu Qian lowered his head, his face, which could not be seen, was full of resentment and unspoken words!
Fan Zhong's face also carried an unyielding melancholy.
After all, they were all working for the stability of the court! And now, they're being treated like this by the emperor!!
In contrast to the complex emotions of Yu Qian and Fan Zhong, Yang Shiqi appeared remarkably calm, his face showing no fear whatsoever. Perhaps this was the composure befitting the Grand Secretary of the court!
"Your Majesty."

This time, we are escorting the body and coffin of King Zhuang of Han to his fiefdom in Yunnan.

He also issued an imperial edict to the Prince of Han's residence, bestowing upon Princess Wei the title of Dowager Princess; conferring upon the Crown Prince Zhu Zhanhe the title of Prince of Han; and bestowing upon his wife, Princess Xia, the title of Princess of Han. Simultaneously, he bestowed upon the imperial court a golden seal and a series of rewards.
Afterwards, at the invitation of Prince Zhu Zhanhe of Han, we went to Annam and jointly inspected the army and navy of the Prince of Han's palace.

Finally, with the help of the Prince of Han's naval vessels, the three of us were escorted back to Beijing. Facing the enraged Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji, Yang Shiqi calmly recounted their entire journey since departing from Beijing.
Of course, Yang Shiqi only briefly recounted their itinerary; he wouldn't be foolish enough to tell the Xuande Emperor about their encounter with the alligator dragon. After all, the consequences would be far too great for them to bear!

"Hahahaha~~" After hearing Yang Shiqi's account, Zhu Zhanji, who was standing while holding onto a chair, was first stunned, then burst into laughter, almost falling over. However, the violent look in the Xuande Emperor's eyes and his wild laughter revealed his furious state of mind!

"To be enfeoffed as Prince Zhuang of Han?!"
Prince of Han?!
To be made a royal consort?!
She's been made Princess Consort of Han?!
how?

Is there no one else in the Prince of Han's residence?
Why not just appoint another heir apparent to the Han dynasty?

"That man, doesn't he already have a son?!" Emperor Xuande roared, his face contorted with rage, as he recounted the contents of the imperial edict bestowed upon the Prince of Han's residence by Yang Shiqi and his two companions.

In the final moments, Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, even brought up Zhu Zhanhe's son. Clearly, besides his dissatisfaction with the additional titles bestowed upon the Han Prince's lineage, Emperor Xuande also harbored some envy and jealousy towards Zhu Zhanhe for having a son.

After all, in feudal dynasties, if an emperor had no son, he could only be bullied by others!
(End of this chapter)