pjbooks Chapter 589 Prince Zhu Bai of Xiang
Chapter 589 Prince Zhu Bai of Xiang
"And then there's this plan to reduce the power of the princes. The biggest victim is Prince Xiang, Zhu Bai. It's understandable that Zhu Yunwen would target others, after all, many of his eldest sons have done wicked things."
"But Prince Xiang is different. He's just a young man who loves literature, maybe a bit interested in Taoist things, and most importantly, he has no children. Is it really necessary to mess with him?!"
"The reason given was still the same—'plotting rebellion,' coupled with charges of counterfeiting paper money, etc. Taking advantage of the Prince of Xiang's unpreparedness, Zhu Yunwen surrounded his residence."
"Already distraught over his father's passing and the inability to visit him, Zhu Bai was enraged upon hearing the false accusation: 'As the son of the founding emperor... today I am to be humiliated by servants... how can I live in such a state...'"
"So, after bidding farewell to his family with a drink, he burned down his palace, and his entire family followed him to their deaths. After such a tragic act, Zhu Yunwen even gave him a derogatory posthumous title, 'Li' (戾). This is hardly a reduction of the power of the princes; it's practically the arrival of a deposed uncle!?"
"Two months later, the work of weakening the princes could not stop. It was the turn of the Prince of Min, who was demoted to a commoner. Zhu Pian, this brother lived a long time. He actually lived into the Jingtai era. He probably witnessed the absurd event of the Great Ming's God of War studying in the grasslands!"
"Hey, I must say, the classic song of the Great Ming War God—Standing on the Grassland and Gazing at Beijing—is dedicated to the Ming Dynasty family members today!"
Lin Ke fiddled with her fingers a few times, and the catchy music immediately started playing.
"...I stand on the grassland, gazing towards Beijing..."
Liu Che of the Western Han Dynasty couldn't live anymore. What grudges and hatreds did he hold? Later generations have made fun of him, and the Ming Dynasty is being whipped again!
Fortunately, the Liu family had already lost all the face they deserved. However, what did the disgrace of his descendants have to do with Liu Che?
To be honest, the song is quite nice. The Zhu family is indeed full of oddballs. Throughout history, no emperor, even when he was a prisoner, managed to maintain good relations with the Oirat people like he did!
.......
Meanwhile, during the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty
Zhu Di was speechless. Couldn't they just leave the Ming Dynasty alone? He thought they were going to tell him about his heroic deeds of fighting on horseback and governing the country on foot, but instead they started playing songs, and those songs by that traitorous grandson of his!
Zhu Gaochi, who was initially feeling a bit bored, suddenly brightened up. They were all participants in the old man's Jingnan Rebellion, and no one knew more about it than them. But if you were to mention the Great Ming War God, he would be wide awake!
“Nephew, do you think this song is good?! Does it have the ‘heroic bearing’ of your eldest son?” Zhu Gaoxu leaned closer to Zhu Zhanji, looking like he was watching a good show.
Zhu Zhanji: ? ????…Do you think I want to talk to you? ? !
........
The 24th year of the Hongwu reign in another timeline
Zhu Yuanzhang glared angrily at Zhu Yunwen. This bastard! He'd taken down five brothers in one fell swoop, even driving the twelfth prince to his death. What was he trying to do? Did he think everything would be alright after killing all his uncles?!
Our Biao'er, our Xiong Ying, our sister, if they were still alive, why would they choose such a grandson?
The other princes and nobles present, especially the few who had been persecuted, glared at the trembling Zhu Yunwen with eyes that seemed to be blazing with fire. Fine, fine, they treated him as their nephew, but he treated him as an enemy!
He always uses the same excuse; doesn't he get tired of it?
Let them wait, this isn't over yet!
At this moment, feeling like he was being pricked by thorns, Zhu Yunwen immediately knelt on the ground. He knew that these uncles would definitely not let this go! But he hadn't executed them, had he? They were all quite capable of surviving!
Prince Xiang, my twelfth uncle, how could you be so fierce? He never said he wanted to kill him, so how did it come to this self-immolation? Are you alright?
His father, who had protected him, was gone; his grandmother, who had restrained his grandfather, was also gone; and his elder brother—a name he didn't want to mention—if he were still alive, he probably wouldn't be in this position...
Now that Grandfather knows all this, will he still let him be the Crown Prince?!
For a moment, Zhu Yunwen's thoughts were in turmoil. He dared not argue or speak. He felt that for this episode, he should just keep a low profile and minimize his presence!
……