The Great Ming Demon Pill: Your Majesty, please address me as the Crown Prince!

The ministers looked at each other, but they were finally relieved.

Yang Rong cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Prince of Jiyang's actions are truly a timely help!"

"At a time when the imperial granaries are strained and the nation is in dire straits, Your Highness has single-handedly provided relief to 30,000 disaster victims. This not only alleviated the immediate crisis but also demonstrated the benevolence of the imperial family. Your contribution to stabilizing public sentiment and pacifying displaced people is immeasurable! I congratulate Your Majesty and the Ming Dynasty!"

Huang Huai nodded in agreement: "His Highness Prince Jiyang is intelligent and kind. He stepped forward in this time of crisis and performed this great act of kindness, which shows his love for the people as if they were his own children. It is truly rare for a young man to have such a sense of responsibility."

Hu Guang stroked his beard and smiled: "Your Highness's actions have not only saved countless lives, but also set an example for the officials and people of the capital. If all the nobles and members of the imperial family can follow Your Highness's example and generously donate to help alleviate the national crisis, then this disaster will surely be overcome smoothly."

Immediately, praises and accolades filled the hall.

The ministers all praised Zhu Zhanjun for his benevolence, wisdom, and courage in taking on responsibilities.

Hearing the praises from his ministers, Zhu Di felt extremely pleased, and his anxiety of the past few days was greatly relieved.

In the corner, Zhu Zhanji's lips twitched slightly, and he muttered to himself.

Why hasn't Old Man Wu arrived yet?

At that moment...

Meng Ji strode into the hall.

He bowed in greeting.

"Your Majesty, Wu Changjiang, the Director of Studies at the Imperial Academy, requests an audience outside the palace gates, claiming that he has important matters concerning the Prince of Jiyang and the imperial family's decorum, and that he must appear before Your Majesty immediately to present his case."

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

Everyone looked at each other.

Royal decorum?

Does this concern the Prince of Jiyang?

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di frowned.

Director of Studies at the Imperial Academy?

He was lost in thought.

Those people there are all old Confucian scholars. Why would they come to see him at this time?

And Guan Zhanjun?

What exactly happened?

His mind raced, and he said calmly.

"Let him in."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Meng Ji respectfully withdrew.

After a while.

Wu Changjiang appeared in the hall and respectfully bowed to Zhu Di.

"Your subject Wu Changjiang greets Your Majesty."

Zhu Di waved his hand, his gaze fixed intently on Wu Changjiang.

"You said you had something to report, is it related to Zhanjun?"

Wu Changjiang nodded and said in a deep voice.

"I have come here today specifically to discuss the disaster relief efforts undertaken by the Prince of Jiyang in the western part of the city!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di smiled.

"I am already aware of this matter."

"That's a good thing."

Wu Changjiang frowned and spoke righteously.

"Your Majesty is mistaken."

"His Highness the Prince of Jiyang distributed bran and chaff to disaster victims, treating the people like livestock."

"Your Majesty, please be wise! What have the disaster victims done? They have traveled thousands of miles, enduring hunger and cold, and all they ask for is a mouthful of food to survive."

"His Highness Prince Jiyang, a grandson of the Emperor, is revered by the people. Yet, at this critical moment, he offers the people only animal feed. This is not disaster relief; it is an insult to the people!"

"This act not only chills the hearts of the disaster victims, but also damages the royal family's benevolence and tarnishes His Majesty's holy name!"

Wu Changjiang kowtowed heavily, his voice filled with grief and indignation.

"Since childhood, I have studied the classics and know that 'the people are the most important, and the state comes next.'"

"If saving money and grain is used to mistreat the people, how is that any different from tyranny?"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you investigate this matter thoroughly and severely punish such acts that disrespect the people and corrupt moral principles!"

"Otherwise, with the people's hearts scattered, how will the world view our Great Ming imperial family? And how will the iron-willed pen of history record this day?"

The hall was deathly silent, with only Wu Changjiang's mournful voice echoing between the beams and pillars.

Zhu Di was dumbfounded.

What the heck?

Bran and chaff to be used as disaster relief food?

He subconsciously looked at Chen Ying.

Chen Ying also looked completely bewildered.

He noticed Zhu Di's gaze and immediately trembled.

Damn it, after he learned about Zhu Zhanjun's affairs, he immediately came to flatter Zhu Di without stopping. How could he have time to know so much?

No, if you, Prince Jiyang, want to provide disaster relief, then do it properly!

Zhu Gaoxu, Yang Rong, Hu Guang, and the others were all completely bewildered.

Zhu Zhanji couldn't suppress a smile.

After a while.

Zhu Gaoxu jumped up, furious.

"You old fool, you're talking nonsense!"

"How could Zhan Jun do such a thing?"

Wu Changjiang raised his head and said in a deep voice.

"The King of Han is mistaken."

"The Prince of Jiyang's soup kitchen is located in the west of the city. How could I possibly deceive my sovereign?"

Zhu Gaoxu was speechless for a moment.

It was indeed unnecessary for Wu Changjiang to tell such a lie.

He had a headache for a moment.

Zhan Jun, what is he doing?

Zhu Di's expression shifted between light and dark.

He felt that Zhan Jun shouldn't do something so outrageous.

But Wu Changjiang probably wouldn't dare to lie to him.

Besides, this kind of thing is easy to expose.

Could it be that Zhan Jun really made a mistake for a moment?

At this moment, Zhu Zhanji, who had been standing quietly in the corner, slowly stepped forward.

He walked up to the emperor and bowed.

"Grandpa, please calm down."

Zhu Di looked up at him.

Zhu Zhanji lowered his eyes slightly.

"My third brother, Zhanjun, is still young, and his actions are inevitably not always well thought out."

"His act of opening soup kitchens to provide disaster relief demonstrates a heart of benevolence and sincerity that can be witnessed by heaven and earth."

"However, my third brother is young and impetuous, and is favored by the Emperor. He only cares about the result and ignores the rules, which is understandable."

"Your grandson begs Your Majesty to consider that my third brother was so eager to save lives and not to punish him severely."

"However, this incident may have damaged the royal family's reputation for benevolence. In the future, we must be more cautious and thorough in our disaster relief and assistance efforts."

"Your grandson humbly requests that Your Majesty summon my third brother Zhanjun back to the palace and give him a proper talking-to so that he may realize his mistakes and return to the right path."

The hall was silent.

Everyone looked at each other.

Those present were all seasoned veterans.

Although Zhu Zhanji's words were all in defense of Zhu Zhanjun, a closer look reveals something amiss. His words clearly implied that Zhu Zhanjun was immature and eager for quick success.

Zhu Gaochi's face twitched, and he gave his son a deep look before sighing inwardly.

too young.

Zhu Di gave Zhu Zhanji a deep look, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly spoke.

"Meng Ji, convey my decree: summon Zhan Jun to the palace to see me."

...................

About half an hour later.

Zhu Zhanjun entered the palace with Zhu Yi, Zhang Mao, Li Heng, Zheng Yu, Zhu Zhanqi, Liu Zhong, and others.

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

As soon as everyone entered, many ministers were somewhat bewildered.

Duke Zhang Fu of Yingguo, Duke Zhu Yong of Chengguo, Marquis Li Bin of Fengcheng, and Marquis Zheng Heng of Wu'an looked at each other in bewilderment.

Damn it, how did their son end up in there too?

Zhu Zhanjun led a group of brothers to pay their respects to Zhu Di.

After the ceremony, everyone's eyes immediately fell on Wu Changjiang.

Zhang Mao couldn't help but say.

"Hey, isn't that Jiang Zi?"

"So, unable to win an argument with us, you resort to complaining?"

Zhang Fu: "???"

Is his son that brave?

The other nobles were trying hard to suppress their laughter.

Even the civil officials couldn't help but chuckle.

Zhu Di raised an eyebrow.

He sensed something was wrong.

Has Wu Changjiang already gone to see Zhan Jun and the others? It seems there was even an argument?

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui were amused by the phrase "Jiangzi" and laughed heartily without any restraint.

Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji twitched their lips.

Being teased and ridiculed by juniors in front of so many people, Wu Changjiang's face immediately darkened, but he couldn't show it in front of the emperor.

Zhu Zhanjun frowned and reprimanded him.

"What the hell is Jiang Zi?"

"Zhang Mao, show some respect to great Confucian scholars."

"Other people are older than you are in school."

"You wasted your time going to school! How can you be so rude?"

"What the hell is Jiang Zi? That guy's called Wu Zi!"