Volume 2: Soaring! The Overlord of the Region Chapter 190: A Hundred Years of Journey is Halfway to Ninety (Part 1)
After the military parade, it was naturally time for the grandparents and grandchildren to have a private chat.
"Dong'er, have you ever felt dissatisfied with Grandpa in your heart these days?"
"Well, I am definitely dissatisfied, but not towards Grandpa. I am dissatisfied towards...ah..."
Zhu Youdong was almost 12 years old this year. Thanks to the strengthening of his body by his ancestor, his height was close to 1.6 meters. In addition, due to his unremitting training over the years, his body looked particularly well-proportioned and agile.
Wanli looked at the young man sitting opposite him, who was full of health and vitality and had an extremely confident aura, and his heart was filled with emotions again.
Huh? What's wrong with me? I'm actually jealous of my grandson? Alas, the late emperor was weak and sickly, and I'm disabled. I don't even mention Chang Luo's health. How long has it been since my Zhu family saw such a healthy crown prince? Isn't this good? I am the emperor, but I am also a descendant of the Zhu family. It is my responsibility and mission to continue this country.
After calming down, Wanli said, "Dong'er, your father was just deceived by some treacherous officials. There is nothing wrong with him. So, don't take it too seriously. After all, you didn't lose anything in the end."
"Yes, Grandpa Emperor, don't worry. The Crown Prince is my grandson's father after all. I will never do anything to disobey him."
"Well, that's good, but you don't have to suffer any injustice. I have been too lenient to my ministers over the years, so these guys have become too bold! Humph, if you dare to alienate the feelings of the royal family, you must pay the price."
"Yes, grandson firmly believes that Grandpa Huang will handle this impartially."
Before returning to Beijing, Yuan Keli, Xiong Tingbi, and even Yang Hao strongly requested Zhu Youdong to kill people to establish his authority after returning this time: except for Xu Youzhen of the Tianshun Dynasty (who killed Yu Qian) and Yan Song of the Jiajing Dynasty (who killed many ministers including Xia Yan), the political struggles in the Ming Dynasty after Yongle were generally fought until the other party resigned and admitted defeat. In short, it was rare to take someone's life. But this time it was different. The people around the prince actually wanted to rob the prince's property! Isn't this going to abolish the prince's position as the crown prince? This is too much! Since you dare to do it on the first day, you can't blame us for doing it on the fifteenth. Come and die!
Therefore, when faced with Wanli's suggestion to kill a few people, Zhu Youdong did not dissuade him: he was also very angry, especially when two of the seven time travelers had already reached the summit, his sense of urgency was growing day by day. At this moment, he also wanted to kill a few people to vent his anger.
When it comes to killing people, the royal family is usually the decision maker rather than the participant. In front of Wanli, Zhu Youdong was very wise not to ask who was going to be killed: the emperor still had some doubts in his heart, and when it came to deciding other people's lives, it was better not to infringe on the power that only the emperor could have.
So the topic naturally turned to other aspects.
"Dong'er, after this matter is settled, what are you going to do when you return to Nanjing?"
"Grandpa Emperor, when I return this time, I will prepare to clean up the Huangce Library."
"Hmm." After twirling his beard for a long moment of thought, Wanli raised his head and said, "The Yellow Book Library is the foundation of the country. Grandpa naturally knows its importance. But if we want to rectify it, we will offend many people. It is possible that the country will be in turmoil because of it."
"Grandpa Emperor, it is impossible to expect everyone to accept things that involve their own interests calmly. Speaking of which, Grandpa Emperor just said that he wanted to kill people in Beijing. Hehe, once your grandson touches the Huang Book Library, the number of people to be killed is estimated to be tens of thousands!"
In the eyes of a traditional emperor like Wanli, if Zhu Youdong really had the ambition to usurp the throne, then he would definitely not touch the Huangce Library at this time: if he did so at this time, he would definitely lose his position as heir, and he might even die without a burial place. It can be said that Zhu Youdong's statement completely dispelled all doubts.
But after being completely relieved , he began to worry again: Qilin'er, who was so devoted to the country, healthy and capable, was going to do such a dangerous thing. If there was any mistake, the future of the Ming Dynasty might be gone!
However, without reorganizing the Yellow Book Library, the Ming Dynasty would have no future at all!
Oh, if only that bastard son of Zhu Changluo had half as much as this grandson.
"...Okay, Dong'er, just do it boldly. Grandpa will give you a promise. As long as I am still here, no matter how much trouble you stir up because of the Huangceku incident, I will cover it for you!"
Humph, I'd be foolish to believe that! If you hadn't wavered in your heart, how could you have delayed the impeachment initiated by the Donglin Party for several days? However, what I want to do is what I must do. I will do it with or without your support. Otherwise, I can live now, but I will die without a burial place in the future!
"Yes, thank you , Grandpa Huang. I am always grateful for your support and trust, and I always use it to motivate myself."
"Well, before you go to Nanjing, Grandpa would like to hear your opinion on the Liaodong matter."
Just as the grandfather and grandson began to have an in-depth exchange of views on the personnel deployment in the Ming Dynasty officialdom, inside the Dongchang prison.
"Wang An, are you going to recruit him or not?"
"Huff~~Huff~~Li En, you are the remnant of Feng Bao, what are you going to accuse me of? The Crown Prince is indeed completely unaware of this matter, what else do you want me to accuse you of?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? I was sent to the inner study hall by Feng Bao. Aren't you the same? Also, when did I ask the crown prince if he knew about it? What I'm asking is which concubines and eunuchs in your Ciqing Palace knew about it!"
As a person who could hold the seal of the Imperial Household Department, Li En had a very high IQ and EQ. He knew very well that His Majesty was really angry this time and wanted to teach the Crown Prince a lesson. But no matter what, His Majesty had no intention of abolishing the Crown Prince - how could he pass the throne to the Crown Prince? Therefore, Wang An must die. But the Crown Prince must not be involved.
However, it seems that the power of the grandson will be further expanded. Besides, he has received so many benefits from Wei Zhongxian. Therefore, no matter from which aspect, he must please the grandson through this matter.
However, if the prince cannot be implicated, it is indeed impossible to please the grandson directly. Then the only way is to please the grandson's biological mother: the anger and resentment of the prince's wife for the prince's various affairs all day long and not coming to her room for a long time are no secret in the palace. So after Li En informed Wei Zhongxian, he wanted to involve several concubines who were currently favored by Zhu Changluo through Wang An: You dare to compete for favor with the grandson's biological mother? Then go to the king of hell first.
Who would have thought that Wang An would be so stubborn that he would not even bother to attack such an insignificant person? This made Master Li feel very embarrassed.
"Torture! Keep on torturing! Don't you bannermen claim that there is no confession you can't get? Then continue to entertain Eunuch Wang!"
Just as blood-curdling screams were echoing in the East Factory prison, on the other side, the home of Minister of Rites Guo Zhengyu was also shrouded in an atmosphere of misery and despair.
"Sir, do you really want to do this? Haven't you always been on good terms with Shen Li and Lu Kun? They are all the crown prince's teachers. Can't you save your life by asking them to intercede?"
"Hahaha, ma'am." Guo Zhengyu was standing on a wooden stool at this time, holding a circle of white cloth hanging on the roof beam in his hand. "The so-called three great sages of the Wanli period were all hyped up by the young people below. Besides, since ancient times, there has been no first in literature and no second in martial arts. Since they are the three great sages, who is the first? The relationship between my husband and those two is far from a life-and-death friendship. Moreover, this time it involves the dispute over the throne. Those two are the teachers of the crown prince. Just like my husband is a member of the crown prince's party who can never change his position, those two are also the crown prince's party who are doomed to be. When encountering this matter, it is already a gentleman's demeanor for them not to give a push, how could they lend a hand to rescue."
"Sir, even so, can't we kneel outside Xinghua Palace and admit our mistakes? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince promoted sweet potatoes and taught the people to plant smallpox, claiming that thousands of families have Buddhas..."
"Hahaha~~ That's a woman's opinion! Madam, the Crown Prince is going to be the emperor in the future, so it's natural for him to be kind to the people. But this time I tried to take his throne, and he won't let me go. Moreover, the ones who really want me to die right now are not the Crown Prince, but the Donglin Party!"
After saying this, Guo Zhengyu put his neck into the circle without any explanation and said, "Madam, I must go, otherwise you and the children will die! The royal family has a bottom line, but the Donglin Party has no bottom line. After I am gone, you just need to report to the Ministry of Rites that I died of domestic violence. Only in this way can you and the children be saved! Tell the sons to just take the imperial examination and never enter the government, never enter the government!"
