Di Ming

Chapter 276 "Kneel down!"

Zhu Yin is undoubtedly a star of the nation these days; whenever he appears, he immediately becomes the center of attention. Moreover, he is the protagonist of today's victory celebration banquet.

However, Zhu Yin was experienced in large-scale events and remained calm and composed under the watchful eyes of the crowd, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.

"Young Marshal!"

"Lord Zhu!"

"Brother Zhihu!"

"General!"

Many officials took the initiative to greet Zhu Yin, who was well-liked, but they all used different forms of address.

Civil officials mostly addressed him as Junior Sima, while military officers mostly addressed him as Grand Tutor (Crown Prince's Grand Tutor). Zhu Guozhen and others from the same year called him Brother Zhihu. Military officers such as Xiong Tingbi, Cao Wenzhao, and Li Rubai still habitually called him Commander-in-Chief.

The fact that he was addressed by these different titles alone shows that Zhu Yin had a wide circle of friends.

Zhu Yin greeted everyone with a beaming smile, bowing respectfully. Even his political enemies, with whom he secretly clasped hands, were greeted with smiles, showing no sign of hostility.

Seeing familiar or friendly faces, Zhu Yin felt very at ease.

Among these civil officials, there were dozens of Zhu's key figures! Not to mention the trusted military generals such as Xiong Tingbi, Cao Wenzhao, Mao Wenlong, and Qin Liangyu.

"General," Zhu Yin said, bowing to Qi Jiguang as he walked to the office of the Five Armies Commander-in-Chief in the right corridor. "I haven't seen you since returning to the capital. How are you, General?"

Qi Jiguang had already reached the pinnacle of military rank, so he could certainly be called a great general.

Qi Jiguang, dressed in the official robes of a first-rank official, casually crossed his hands in return and said, "This old general is merely a military officer and dares not accept the salute of a Grand Commandant."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Zhu Yin said, "General, you flatter me. You have made great contributions. In this Northwest campaign, there were more than a dozen battles, large and small. It was all thanks to your strategic deployment and command that you were able to win. You truly deserve to be called the greatest general in the past two hundred years of our ancestors' dynasty."

Qi Jiguang said calmly, "General, your praise is too much. Are you trying to make this old general feel ashamed? In the past two hundred years, our ancestors have produced many famous generals. What merit or ability do I have? This great victory is only due to the Emperor's good fortune, the soldiers' bravery, and the General's strategic planning. As for my own insignificant contributions, they are really not worth mentioning."

Zhu Yin nodded indifferently, but his eyes held a closeness that only Qi Jiguang could understand.

In the eyes of many, Zhu Yin was quite familiar with Qi Jiguang because they had fought side by side in the Northwest for half a year, but their relationship was only so-so, and they were rather distant from each other, just colleagues.

Otherwise, the two wouldn't have been so polite.

Very few people know that the two are as close as father and son.

After Zhu Yin finished exchanging pleasantries, the drums and music sounded from the Five Phoenix Tower, and the group immediately filed into the Meridian Gate. After crossing the Golden Water Bridge, they headed west to the Wuying Hall.

The bronze crane incense burners on both sides of the steps emitted wisps of smoke, and the gates of the Wuying Hall opened one after another.

Amidst the solemn and elegant music, civil and military officials, dressed in official or auspicious robes, along with envoys from foreign vassal states, stood in two rows on the square, their jade pendants gleaming in the afternoon autumn sun.

However, the Wuying Hall is not the Zhongji Hall, one of the three main halls, and the square there is relatively small. Although only meritorious individuals, officials of the fifth rank and above, and censors participated, there were also envoys from foreign vassal states, bringing the total to seven or eight hundred people, making it quite crowded.

The officials stood according to their ranks. Zhu Yin's highest official title was Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince (a first-rank official), so he should have stood in the first-rank ranks. However, he knew when to be discreet and chose to stand in the third-rank ranks.

Zhu Yin inwardly resented Wanli. The victory banquet should have been held in the Zhongji Hall, but you, out of personal motives, arranged it in a side hall like the Wuying Hall.

Even if it was to show off martial prowess to foreign vassals, shouldn't it have been arranged in the magnificent Zhongji Hall?

Among the assembled officials, a lady of high rank stood out. This woman, dressed in the robes of a fourth-rank noblewoman, was tall and graceful; she was none other than Qin Liangyu.

"A woman actually attended the victory celebration banquet..." Many moralistic ministers frowned and shook their heads upon seeing this, and some even glared at them coldly.

This was Qin Liangyu's first time entering the Forbidden City, and she couldn't help but feel a little nervous. On the battlefield, she was fearless in the face of enemy troops, daring to charge into battle in armor. But now, facing a court full of officials, she couldn't help but feel her legs go weak, as if she were sitting on pins and needles.

Qin Liangyu, being a woman without an official position, was not originally qualified to attend the victory celebration banquet. However, Zhu Yin strongly petitioned the Ministry of Rites, and considering that she was the wife of a chieftain and had made confirmed military achievements, she was granted an exception to attend the banquet.

Zhu Yin was incredibly observant; he immediately noticed Qin Liangyu's nervousness.

Indeed, in this day and age, men are superior to women and male power is incredibly strong. Even if Qin Liangyu were a heroine among women, she would not be able to remain calm in such a situation.

Zhu Yin stepped out of his ranks, came to Qin Liangyu's side, and smiled:
"General Qin represented the southwestern ministries in suppressing the rebellion in the northwest. Today, at this grand banquet celebrating the victory of the imperial court, please, on behalf of the southwestern ministries, drink a few more cups of imperial wine."

Qin Liangyu felt relieved and cupped her hands, saying, "The General has spoken, and I dare not disobey."

Faced with Zhu Yin's gentle and kind gaze, her nervousness in front of the court officials vanished instantly.

Seeing that Zhu Yin took the initiative to befriend Qin Liangyu and help her out of a predicament, and hearing the phrase "representing the various departments in the southwest," the crowd finally put aside their contempt for Qin Liangyu.

Nurhaci, who was in the envoy's party, felt a sense of kinship upon seeing Zhu Yin.

The little tiger brother is really something else. Having such a powerful backer in the court saves him so much trouble.

Zhu Yin had just returned to the queue when he heard three sharp cracks of the whip.

The seven or eight hundred banquet attendees immediately fell silent. Even the foreign envoys knew that once the whip cracked, no noise should be made.

Almost simultaneously, from the direction of Wenyuan Pavilion in the east, four Grand Secretaries and several eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, all adorned in magnificent robes and hats, arrived together at Wuying Hall.

The cabinet ministers and the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial walked past the procession, striding proudly into the foot of the steps. Then, the cabinet ministers stood solemnly on the left and the Grand Secretary on the right.

Then, we all looked towards the direction of the three main halls.

With three sharp cracks of the whip, an elephant-drawn carriage slowly approached from the direction of the Jinshen Hall, flanked by eighteen Imperial Guards and eighteen eunuchs carrying ceremonial guards.

Walking on either side of the elephant carriage was none other than Gao Cai, the chief eunuch in charge of the Emperor's presence at the Qianqing Palace!

The ministers all turned to look, their eyes filled with curiosity.

Was the person riding in this elephant-drawn carriage the eldest prince or the third prince? According to etiquette, princes should ride in elephant-drawn carriages, and the two princes should each arrive in their own elephant-drawn carriages.

However, I have heard that His Majesty has treated the eldest prince poorly, and that all his expenses and etiquette are inadequate, to the point that the eldest prince has no imperial carriage or ceremonial regalia, and not even a palanquin.

Therefore, this elephant carriage must belong to the third prince, Zhu Changxun.

As the courtiers were speculating, the lead eunuch loudly proclaimed:

"His Highness the Third Prince has arrived! All officials, make way to the left of the road—to greet him with the proper respect!"

The officials looked at each other in bewilderment, then immediately took large strides to retreat to the left side of the road, and the delicate tinkling of jade pendants immediately rang out on both sides of the bluestone imperial road.

The cabinet ministers and the Grand Secretaries of the Directorate of Ceremonial all wore indifferent expressions, their eyes fixed on the approaching imperial procession.

Amidst peaceful music, the imperial carriage slowly came to a stop. Two eunuchs approached together, lifted the tasseled curtain, and bowed, saying, "Young Master, we have arrived."

Gao Cai stepped forward with a smile and extended his hand, "Young master, slow down, we've arrived at the Wuying Hall. The ministers are all waiting."

"Young Master?!" Upon hearing this address, most of the officials frowned, some even showing anger.

A test! This was a deliberate act by the Emperor and Lady Zheng to test the bottom line of the court officials, resorting to such underhanded tricks to create public opinion for the third prince!
"Young Master" is a common term used in the palace to refer to the Crown Prince. Although the official laws do not stipulate that "Young Master" should be called the Crown Prince, it has been a custom in the palace for over two hundred years that only the Crown Prince is referred to as such.

Other princes cannot use this title; they can only be addressed as Your Highness or Youhai.

Even Wang Xijue, the chief minister who had secretly and reluctantly agreed to the emperor's request to make the third prince the crown prince, was somewhat annoyed at this moment.

His Majesty is confused, putting himself in a difficult position. It's clearly not an option for him to remain silent and correct the situation. But if he does intervene, His Majesty will assume he's siding with the eldest son. Losing His Majesty's trust will make it much harder for him to accomplish what he wants.

Many people couldn't help but look at Zhu Yin, the eldest prince's tutor, only to see that Zhu Yin's face was already filled with anger. Zhu Yin was the eldest prince's tutor, that is, the eldest prince's elder, and he was the one who should have stepped forward.

Shen Yiguan gave Zhu Yin an encouraging look.

At that moment, a boy wearing a hat with the insignia of the Six Harmonies and dressed in a ceremonial robe descended from the elephant carriage in a somewhat impatient manner.

It is none other than His Majesty's beloved son, the third prince, Zhu Changxun!
Zhu Changxun was quite clever, but he was pampered by the emperor from birth and was extremely spoiled in the palace. He was given everything he wanted and had long been spoiled so much that he lost his sense of awe.

He stepped down from the carriage, his small face showing impatience and disdain. His gaze swept unabashedly over the faces of the assembled officials as he shouted:

"Where's my uncle? I can't find him."

His three maternal uncles, Zheng Guoxiang, Zheng Guotai, and Zheng Guowang, were all reprimanded by imperial decree for instigating others to impeach Zhu Yin and were not allowed to attend the celebration banquet.

Gao Cai said with a forced smile, "Young master, please calm down. My esteemed brothers-in-law..."

Just then, a clear voice said:

"Lord Gao, please be careful with your words! In my opinion, the title 'Young Master' is an honorific for the Crown Prince. However, His Majesty is in the prime of his life and has not yet established a Crown Prince, so how can he be referred to as 'Young Master'?"

"Please, Lord Gao, change your address and take the initiative to apologize to His Majesty!"

This minister who stood out from the crowd was still a young man, yet he possessed a refined and noble demeanor, standing out from the crowd. He was none other than the renowned Mr. Zhihu.

Zhu Yin knew very well that even if he didn't step forward, other ministers would, and not just one or two, so he would never be alone. But by stepping forward first, he could seize the initiative and gain the greatest reputation.

He wasn't afraid of offending a vicious person like Gao Cai.

When Shen Yiguan saw that his disciple understood his signal and stepped forward without hesitation, he couldn't help but secretly praise him.

Tian Yi glanced at Zhu Yin with a sense of satisfaction. Zhihu had never disappointed him.

Even Wang Xijue, the chief minister who disliked Zhu Yin, found Zhu Yin much more agreeable at this time.

"Zhu Zhihu!" Gao Cai exclaimed in shock and anger, "What are you trying to do! I've always been who I am, this is utter disrespect!"

In fact, many people in the palace called Zhu Changxun "Young Master" to flatter Consort Zheng, so it was nothing new. The palace servants didn't care, since no one pursued the matter and the Emperor didn't blame them either.

Therefore, Gao Cai's public address of Zhu Changxun as "Young Master" was not only a way to test the attitude of the court officials on behalf of his master, but also a matter of habit, and he did not feel there was anything wrong with it.

"Who is the one who is so disrespectful? It is you!" Zhu Yin stepped forward and bowed to the third prince, Zhu Changxun, saying:
"Your subject, Zhu Yin, Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, pays respects to His Highness the Third Prince!"

The words "Third Prince" were emphasized with particular force. The meaning was clear: you are only the third prince, not some young master!

Although Zhu Changxun was only seven years old, he had been exposed to the world around him in the palace and had been instigated by his mother, so he already knew what the young master meant.

He may be young, but he's not stupid.

"You're Zhu Yin?" Zhu Changxun's voice was childish, but his tone was somewhat aggressive. "Who asked you to interfere! Get out of here!"

At this moment, he regarded Zhu Yin as a eunuch by his side, thinking that he could scold him at will.

Zhu Yin ignored the brat and turned to stare at Gao Cai, speaking with righteous indignation and a stern tone:

"You're always by His Highness the Third Prince's side. Are you up to no good and have instigated him to do this? You call the Third Prince 'Young Master,' but my Huangming Dynasty doesn't even have a Crown Prince yet! Who gave you the right to call him that?"

"In our ancestral dynasty, there was no such rule! There is an order of seniority, and the foundation of the state has its own family laws. Even if Your Majesty were to establish a crown prince, it should be the eldest son! Your Majesty is wise; how could you so easily depose the eldest son and establish a younger one?"

"Only titles and positions should not be lightly bestowed! Gao Cai, you have stirred up trouble, misled the emperor, and committed adultery. What is your punishment?!"

His imposing presence as a civil official was so overwhelming that Gao Cai felt somewhat flustered. Gao Cai hadn't expected Zhu Yin, who had previously been so humble in his presence, to be so arrogant today.

Seeing Zhu Yin's demeanor, many of the officials couldn't help but applaud.

Zhu Zhihu is truly a minister of state!

Nurhaci was even more excited. In such a grand occasion, with so many high-ranking officials and the emperor's son present, his little tiger brother actually dared to directly criticize the treacherous ministers around the emperor. He was truly a Han Chinese hero blessed by Lord Cuohachan!

What they didn't know was that Zhu Yin dared to be so upright and honest today because he understood the history of the succession struggle and knew Wanli's character better than anyone else.

What kind of person was Wanli? He was hypocritical, lacked accountability, and always made those around him take the blame. He was also indecisive and had an escapist personality. Since he was in the right this time, and had a large group of court officials supporting him, he couldn't possibly risk public anger and punishment for the sake of a lackey like Gao Cai.

He would simply pretend not to know and completely shift the blame onto Gao Cai.

It may seem like the one who sticks out gets rotten first, but in reality, the benefits far outweigh the costs.

As Zhu Yin finished speaking, the curtain of the imperial carriage suddenly trembled slightly, as if there was another person inside. Zhu Yin immediately noticed this and couldn't help but think to himself, "Could it be that Luo'er came with Chang Xun? Is he still in Chang Xun's imperial carriage?"
Enraged, Gao Cai couldn't help but shout, "Zhu Yin! How dare you!"

"You're the one who's being insolent!" Sure enough, no sooner had Gao Cai finished speaking than the Censor Yuan Keli stepped forward, pointed at Gao Cai, and shouted:

"What do you mean, young master? Everyone in the court knows! Today, you addressed the third prince as 'young master' in public, disregarding the laws of the state! Is the foundation of the nation a child's game?"

I want to impeach you face to face!

Li Daozhao, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Rites, also stood up and shouted:

“I’m going to impeach you too! Even the most vulgar children in the capital know that I am the Crown Prince. As the folk song goes, ‘The Emperor sits on the throne, I sit in the Eastern Palace.’ How dare you address me as ‘I’m the Crown Prince’ in public! What are you thinking?”

Ren Yanni, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Personnel, shouted: "The palace lacks righteousness and has too much evil! Even if His Majesty flogs me to death at the Meridian Gate today, I will still speak out! Gao Cai's crimes are beyond redemption!"

In an instant, more than a dozen civil officials stepped forward, aggressively confronting Gao Cai, seemingly forgetting that they had come to attend a victory celebration banquet.

Some even shouted at the head of the Directorate of Ceremonial:
"Lord Tian! Lord Chen! A treacherous minister has emerged within the palace, and your Directorate of Ceremonies is failing in its duty to oversee this!"

"If Gao Cai is not executed, where is the law!"

As Gao Cai watched the civil officials who had suddenly appeared one by one, and Zhu Yin, who was gritting his teeth and sneering, he suddenly felt his legs go weak and his body tremble.

I need to pee!

For the first time, he personally experienced the terrifying nature of the civil officials in the outer court. Seeing that the bigwigs of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs remained silent and showed no intention of helping him out, the usually ruthless Gao Cai almost cried.

I was just following orders, and it was for my master's sake. Why are you all coming after me?
Suddenly a childish voice called out:

"What are you doing! I am who I am! I am who I am! Father Emperor knows, Mother Consort knows, Empress Dowager knows, everyone in the palace calls me that! Young Master! I am who I am! Who dares to stop me from calling you that!"

Everyone was stunned, staring at Zhu Changxun in disbelief. This third prince, his mouth is too sharp! And his audacity is astounding. Did Consort Zheng teach him?
It turns out that Zhu Changxun was furious when he saw his close companion, Gao Da, being "bullied" by Zhu Yin and a large group of officials who said he shouldn't be called "young master."

He may be young, but he has a terrible temper.

Spoiled as a child, how could he be afraid of these ministers? His mother had said that the world would belong to him in the future, and his father had even vowed to make him the crown prince.

"Zhu Yin! You are a treacherous minister!" Zhu Changxun, like Red Boy from "Journey to the West," pointed at Zhu Yin's nose, "You bullied Gao Daban! You bullied me because I'm young! I don't want this! I don't want this! I want my father to kill you and confiscate your property!"

Zhu Yin's face turned green. He never expected that Zhu Changxun, that brat, would dare to stand up for Gao Cai in such a grand setting.

"Your Highness, Third Prince, you..." Zhu Yin wanted to say something, but found that he couldn't reason with a child.

"Young Master! Waaah!" Gao Cai immediately feigned tears, "It doesn't matter if these treacherous officials bully me, I'm a nobody, that's alright. But they can't bully Young Master..."

Seeing Gao Cai cry, Zhu Changxun became even more agitated, shouting, "Zhu Yin! You treacherous minister! How dare you! Kneel down! Kneel down!"

At this moment, his mother's teachings instilled in him a sense of fearlessness.

Zhu Yin was bewildered in the wind. The prince was the ruler, and he was the subject. No matter how young the prince was, if he ordered him to kneel, then he would kneel!

Disobeying orders and refusing to kneel would be a grave disrespect, giving the emperor and Consort Zheng an excuse to punish him.

Kneeling down may seem like nothing, but it's a huge loss of face.

The cabinet ministers and the heads of the Directorate of Ceremonial were also quite helpless. Even when the prince ordered Zhu Yin to kneel, they couldn't stop him.

Even if Zhu Changxun ordered them to kneel, they had no choice but to kneel.

Zhu Yin said calmly, "Your Highness, I may kneel, but I must say, Your Highness is not a prince! The foundation of the nation is not a game!"

Just then, a voice, choked with sobs, suddenly came from inside the carriage:
"Third brother! You mustn't be rude!"

After he finished speaking, the carriage curtain was opened, and a young boy of eleven or twelve years old stepped down from the elephant carriage. His clothes were not as gorgeous as Zhu Changxun's, and he was clearly the eldest son of the emperor, Zhu Changluo.

What? The courtiers were all surprised. It turned out that the eldest prince was also in the imperial carriage, but had not yet disembarked.
Zhu Yin feigned surprise, "Your Highness is also in the carriage?"

Zhu Changluo looked at Zhu Yin with tears in his eyes, his expression full of filial piety and longing.

He wasn't provided with his own elephant carriage, so he had to ride in his third brother's elephant carriage to the Wuying Hall. He knew very well that his attendance at the victory banquet was thanks to his teacher's efforts.

Just now, when the third brother got out of the carriage, he still felt very awkward and did not immediately get out to meet the officials. Little did he know that he had just overheard the master reprimanding Gao Cai.

The gentleman risked rebuking Gao Cai to protect himself.

Apart from my mother, no one in the world has treated me better than my husband.

For a moment, Zhu Changluo was moved to tears, wishing he could get out of the carriage immediately to pay his respects to the Master, but he was also a little timid in front of so many ministers.

However, the teacher angered the third brother, who, relying on his status as a prince, publicly ordered the teacher to kneel down.

If the gentleman disobeys orders and refuses to kneel, it is a great disrespect, and the Emperor will have an excuse to punish him. If he kneels, it would be a loss of dignity for a minister.

Therefore, Zhu Changluo had no choice but to get off the car immediately.

"Changluo greets you, sir!" Zhu Changluo bowed deeply. "I am overjoyed to see you return to the capital safely today."

After saying that, tears streamed down her face.

Zhu Yin returned the greeting, saying with a pleased expression, "After half a year apart, I have missed Your Highness dearly. Today, I see that Your Highness looks radiant and has grown taller. I have no more worries."

The court officials were all deeply moved by Zhu Changluo's deep affection for Zhu Yin.

This shows the deep bond between the teacher and student!

Zhu Zhihu is truly a loyal and devoted minister, with a heart as clear as the bright moon, someone who can be entrusted with important matters.

Suddenly, a discordant voice broke the warm atmosphere between master and disciple:

"Zhu Yin! Kneel down! How dare you!"

Zhu Changxun stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at Zhu Yin. "Traitor! You've bullied me! Kneel down!"

"Third brother!" Zhu Changlu shouted, "You are not allowed to be disrespectful to the teacher!"

Zhu Changxun snorted coldly, and said in a cute but fierce tone:
"Who's your third brother! You're nothing! He's your teacher, not mine! You lowly bastard, do you really think you're my eldest brother? Get out of here!"

Zhu Changluo trembled with anger. Thinking of his father's favor towards Zheng and her son, and Zheng's power in the palace, he was terrified.

But then he suddenly remembered his teacher's previous teachings, and his courage returned. He looked up at his teacher and met his firm and encouraging gaze.

The gentleman is here! The gentleman is looking at me!
Zhu Changluo was immediately filled with courage, as if he had suddenly become a different person, and coldly said to Zhu Changxun:

"Zhu Changxun! Who gave you the right to speak to your elder brother like that? Do you know the ancestral precepts of the Ming Dynasty? Do you know the family laws of the Ming Dynasty? Do you know the principles of filial piety and brotherly love? Did your mother teach you to say that? Or did your father teach you to speak like that? How dare you!"

"Kneel down! Today, I, as your elder brother, will teach you a lesson on behalf of our father and our ancestors, so that you will know the rules!"

"Kneel down! Let's see who dares to speak up for you today!"

Zhu Changxun was stunned.

He looked at the stern-faced Zhu Changluo and couldn't believe his eyes.

For the first time, he felt the authority emanating from his elder brother.

With a loud "Wah—", Zhu Changxun finally burst into tears.

P.S.: Prince Fu was probably quite a mischievous child. While there's no historical basis for this portrayal, it's fiction, so we shouldn't be too literal. Thank you, goodnight!

(End of this chapter)