The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

His words carried weight and authority.

It seems that Zhu Yi fully understands the Prince of Ning's rebellious behavior and is of one mind with the Prince of Ning.

In fact, Zhu Yi just felt that the rebellion of the imperial clan was just about vying for fame and fortune, and there was no need to dwell on right and wrong.

But to Gongsun Jin and Liu Yangzheng, it seemed that Zhu Yi regarded himself as a member of the Prince of Ning's mansion, which was why he spoke of rebellion so lightly, as if it were an inevitable historical event.

Gongsun Jin said, "Brother Zhu, could you explain the Prince of Ning's uprising in more detail?"

Not only Gongsun Jin, but even Liu Yangzheng, who was standing next to him, was very curious to know what roles they played in this fabricated story.

This also concerns how they will relay the message to Prince Ning after they return.

Zhu Yi replied indifferently, "Failed in forty-two days? What's there to say?"

"this……"

Gongsun Jin hesitated for a moment, then, after gathering his thoughts, asked, "Who was involved?"

Zhu Yi said, "When Prince Ning rebelled, his followers, besides the collateral relatives and nobles of the Ning family, were mainly local gentry from Jiangxi. Speaking of Zhu Chenhao..."

"Zhu Chenhao?" Gongsun Jin blurted out.

"Oh, it's still the Chenghua era, right? This is the next Prince Ning. Speaking of which, he's been born by now, hasn't he? Let me calculate, he should have been born in the twelfth year of Chenghua, and he would have inherited the title in the tenth year of Hongzhi. He would have been over forty when he rebelled. He rebelled in June of the fourteenth year of Zhengde. The Left Chancellor he appointed was Li Shishi, and the Right Chancellor was Liu Yangzheng, one a Jinshi and the other a Juren..."

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Jin couldn't help but glance at Liu Yangzheng sitting next to him.

Liu Yangzheng was also completely bewildered.

Did the gossip of the gossip end up affecting me?

Enraged, Liu Yangzheng immediately interrupted Zhu Yi, shouting, "You scoundrel! You've slandered a member of the Ming imperial family for plotting a rebellion, and... you've made outrageous statements, implicating local gentry in the crime! Do you know the extent of your offense?"

Gongsun Jin tried to stop him with her eyes, but to no avail.

"What are you so excited about?" Zhu Yi already felt that the man in front of him, who claimed to be surnamed Wen, was arrogant, and now he felt that this man was quite good at putting on an act.

Do they really think they're from the Ming Dynasty?

This is neither materialism nor idealism!

That's bullshit!

Gongsun Jin said with a forced smile, "Brother Zhu, let's talk about how this rebellion was quelled. Since you said the imperial troops hadn't even set off yet, how could it have been suppressed? Could it be that Prince Ning was outnumbered and lacked sufficient troops?"

Zhu Yi said, "That's really not the case. Prince Ning has been preparing for his rebellion for many years. Even if his army numbered less than 100,000, it would still be over 60,000 or 70,000. They are well-trained and well-supplied, but alas..."

"What can we do?" Gongsun Jin asked anxiously.

You little rascal, why are you panting so much while telling a story?

"Unfortunately, Prince Ning was short-sighted, and he also encountered Wang Shouren, who seemed to appear out of nowhere. How could he not be defeated? If he had been more decisive and had abandoned Nanchang earlier and focused on attacking Nanjing, or if he had never encountered Wang Shouren, he would have had a chance... It can only be said that he was born at the wrong time."

Zhu Yi offered what he considered to be fair assessments of the incompetent Prince Ning.

Gongsun Jin asked, "Who is this Wang Shouren?"

"A historically renowned figure, the founder of Yangming's philosophy of mind, never heard of him?" Zhu Yi smiled and said, "Well, who told you to say this is the Chenghua period? By the way, his father, Wang Hua, was the top scholar in the imperial examination in the seventeenth year of Chenghua. Two outstanding figures from the same family."

Wang Shouren, for his merits in suppressing the rebellion of Prince Pingning, was granted the title of Earl of Xinjian in the early years of the Jiajing reign, becoming the third person in the Ming Dynasty to receive such a title as a civil official. Oh, the second was Earl of Weining, Wang Yue, a military genius during the Chenghua reign. The Battle of Weininghai took place at the beginning of the sixteenth year of Chenghua's reign. Has it arrived yet?

Gongsun Jin and Liu Yangzheng exchanged a glance.

Everyone was wondering why these words sounded so sinister.

"Brother Zhu, according to what you've said, how could Wang Shouren, a mere civil official, be involved in suppressing a local rebellion?" Gongsun Jin suppressed the turmoil in his heart and asked in a calm tone.

Zhu Yidao said: "Wang Shouren was originally sent to southern Jiangxi as governor to quell banditry. However, he happened to encounter the rebellion of Prince Ning at this time. This man is very famous in Chinese history. He was both a military strategist and a thinker. Suppressing the rebellion of Prince Ning was just a small part of his life and not his greatest achievement."

Gongsun Jin thought to himself, "You little rascal, you're really up to no good."

To actually elevate Wang Shouren to such a high position? Are we supposed to be his foils? That's utterly despicable!

"Then..." Liu Yangzheng was about to ask a question.

However, Gongsun Jin, who was standing nearby, was quick-witted and stopped Liu Yangzheng from asking the question.

He was clearly very worried that Liu Yangzheng would ask inappropriate questions, which would arouse Zhu Yixin's suspicion and be detrimental to the overall plan.

"Let's put that aside for now," Gongsun Jin said with a smile. "Let's talk about the third issue."

"Hurry up and ask," Zhu Yi said, sounding somewhat impatient.

Gongsun Jin said, "This is also the last question. Brother Zhu said that when Emperor Wuzong passed away, why didn't he pass the throne to Prince Xing, but instead to Prince Xing's son?"

This is a very relevant question.

Even Liu Yangzheng couldn't figure it out in a short time. How could a child possibly explain it clearly?

When it comes to matters of legal system, it is easier to test the truthfulness of Zhu Yi's words.

"Why are we bringing this up again? If the emperor dies, is there still a way to pass the throne to his uncle?" Zhu Yi said. "Even if Emperor Wuzong wanted to pass it on, his uncle died of illness in the fourteenth year of Zhengde, just a few days after the Prince of Ning's rebellion."

"Huh? Are these two things related?" Gongsun Jin asked.

After Prince Ning rebelled, did he kill Prince Xing first?

Zhu Yi said, "The Prince of Ning rebelled, taking the route to Nanjing, not to Huguang in the west. What connection could there be? On a side note, before Zhu Houcong ascended the throne, no one would associate him with the succession to the throne. He was also a very filial son. After arriving in the capital, he devoted himself to securing the titles of emperor and empress dowager for his father and mother, which led to the Great Rites Controversy."

"The Great Rites Controversy?" Gongsun Jin really didn't understand this time.

"Yes, this was a major event that occurred in the early years of the Jiajing reign. It was proposed by Zhang Cong, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the fifteenth year of the Zhengde reign. The main issue was whether the new emperor should regard the Hongzhi Emperor as his father or his uncle, which involved the question of succession or succession to the throne."

The succession faction was mainly composed of senior officials such as Yang Tinghe and Jiang Mian, who initially advocated for succession by a younger brother, allowing Emperor Shizong to ascend the throne. The succession faction, led by Zhang Cong and Yang Yiqing, was also divided between the two sides.

It is primarily a struggle for power and the right to speak.

The situation escalated, and it wasn't until the third year of the Jiajing reign that Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe retired, bringing the matter to a preliminary conclusion. Concerning the proper conduct of a minor branch of the imperial family adopting a major branch, the incident had a significant impact, allowing Emperor Shizong to quickly consolidate his power and solidify his position.

Although Zhu Yi only mentioned it briefly, and it was something that had not yet happened to Gongsun Jin and Liu Yangzheng, it sounded more like a fantasy.

However, the underlying principles made the two of them ponder deeply for a long time.

A very simple question.

If, as Zhu Yi said, a prince from a minor branch of the family were to inherit the throne of the main branch, would that be succession or continuation of the lineage?

If Zhu Yi really had a "master" guiding him through all of this, what level of skill would he possess to fabricate such a lie, to consider every aspect so thoroughly, and to make it sound so convincing?

Could it be that this kid...?

Is it really from 500 years in the future?