Chapter 111: The origin of the matter, the building that rises and the house that collapses
Wuchang Prefecture, Huguang Provincial Government Office.

After assigning the task of searching Daye County and Xingguo Prefecture to the Embroidered Uniform Guards and the Imperial Guards, Li Zaiting still had a frown on his face, looking as if he was thinking about something.

Feng Shiyu, who had just signed the official document, saw this and couldn't help but comfort him, "Why should Yingfeng be so worried?"

"Although Daye County and Xingguo Prefecture have many mountains and dense forests, they are not big at all."

"Whether the news is true or false, there will be results soon."

Matters like searching mountains and seas require cooperation from local governments, both in terms of geographical location and human cooperation, and naturally cannot be concealed from the Governor.

Li Zaiting shook his head and did not answer.

Things have already been arranged, and the outcome cannot be changed by his worrying.

He was just still thinking about the situation in Chu Fan - he always felt that something was not right.

Regardless of the prince's motives, how did he know so clearly?

To put it another way, they have been in Huguang for some time. Why didn't they think of exposing his uncle Wang before?

Although it wasn't so strange that there was anything wrong, his intuition always warned him.

Li Zaiting turned his head and looked at Feng Shiyu, and asked, "I remember that after the sudden death of the King of Chu, the court clearly let the Prince of Wugang take charge of the government affairs. Why is it that the Prince of Dong'an is in charge of the Chu vassal state now?"

The King of Chu died in August of the fifth year of the Longqing reign, at the age of 31.

In November of the same year, the emperor and the Ministry of Rites issued an imperial decree to decide who would take over the Chu vassal state: "In the year of Guiyou, Xianhuai, the Prince of Wugang in the Chu vassal state, was ordered to manage the affairs of the vassal state, because Prince Gong was young and had not yet been named."

He personally copied the imperial edict and sent it to the six departments for filing, so he naturally remembered it clearly.

Unexpectedly, when he arrived in Huguang, he found that the Chu vassal was now called upon by the Prince of Dong'an.

The imperial edict became a piece of dead paper.

Feng Shiyu glanced at Li Zaiting, walked to the door of the duty room, looked around, and closed the door gently.

Then he extended his hand and invited Li Zaiting to sit down, saying, "When I first arrived in Wuchang, I also had this question, and even went to your house to verify the matter in person."

"The reason is that the King of Wugang has taken charge of the Chu Palace twice. The previous time, he offended many county kings, so now he is not worthy of the title."

He paused: "It's a long story..."

Afterwards, Feng Shiyu slowly told the story.

The story begins with the major case of the Chu Palace killing the king and usurping the throne.

The previous King of Chu during the Jiajing period, Zhu Xianrong, King Min of Chu, had two sons.

Among them, the crown prince was named Zhu Yingyao.

This prince is lewd by nature. Not only does he play with good women, he even looks for the King of Chu's concubines.

When he saw a pretty woman, he would let his trusted subordinates, eunuchs, and maids coax and deceive her into "luring her to Jixi Hall and committing adultery" - adultery between a son and his mother is called "committing adultery".

When the King of Chu found out about this, although he was furious, he did not want to make his family's disgrace public.

Only the followers of Crown Prince Zhu Yingyao were beaten to death, the palace maids were imprisoned, and the Crown Prince was scolded.

It is obvious that Zhu Yingyao has no reason to restrain himself with such indulgence.

As he grew older, he became more and more aggressive, often collecting women and having sex with them.

Every time the King of Chu would raise it high and then put it down gently.

Unfortunately, the King of Chu liked to protect his son, but his servants were not so lucky.

Those attendants and eunuchs who collected beautiful women were basically all beaten to death to warn the servants not to lead the prince astray.

However, not all servants will sit and wait for death.

It was another Jixitang exchange meeting. Perhaps because the noise was too loud, the news leaked out and happened to be known by the King of Chu.

The King of Chu was so furious that he wanted to beat to death Liu Jin, the servant who organized the exchange conference.

Liu Jin was not going to tolerate him, and when death was imminent, he would use all his tricks. When he got the news, he immediately "secretly told the crown prince Zhu Yingyao: 'The king is very angry and wants to depose the lord, so it is better to act first.'"

Your father is furious and wants to depose the crown prince! Let's rebel!
Most people wouldn’t believe it.

But the eccentricities of the royal family cannot be viewed with the eyes of ordinary people.

Zhu Yingyao believed it on the spot! He was panic-stricken and didn't know what to do. Then he swore an oath of blood with Xu Jingrong, Liu Jin and others!

And followed Liu Jin's plan.

He set up a banquet in Jixi Hall with lanterns and invited the King of Chu to come, saying that he wanted him to admit his mistakes in person and mend his ways from then on.

When the King of Chu heard this, he was so happy.

Not only did he go there happily, he also brought his younger brother, Wugang King Zhu Xianhuai, to be a witness.

Then came the much-loved part of the swordsman: "Gathering his followers, holding copper melons and wooden sticks, wearing masks, they ambushed Xitang and ordered to raise a cannon as a signal."

The process was natural and smooth.

The King of Chu was doted on for the last time by his own son, who cracked his head with a copper melon.

The Wugang King Zhu Xianhuai who was traveling with them managed to escape the disaster but was only locked up - "the Wugang King was imprisoned in a separate room and was not allowed to leave."

Now that there was a survivor, the King of Chu finally did not die of illness.

Although the prince and his gang sealed off the royal city and guarded the palace gates, somehow the news still reached the governor, the provincial inspector and others, and then reached the emperor.

When Emperor Sejong learned about this, he was furious and immediately sent an imperial envoy to investigate thoroughly.

The lineup is similar to the current imperial envoy team, with eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department, inspectors, the commander-in-chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the son-in-law of the emperor. Well, even the son-in-law is Wu Jinghe.

The King of Chu died, killed by the Crown Prince, and the throne naturally fell to the second son.

But the second son was only four years old, so he naturally could not inherit the throne.

It was natural for Emperor Shizong to let Zhu Xianhuai, the King of Wugang, who had suffered and made great contributions this time, take charge of the Chu vassal state.

This was the first time that King Wugang took charge of the clan.

Unfortunately, this King of Wugang offended all the princes of the Chu vassal state as soon as he came to power.

First, he ignored the overall situation and reported the case that the King of Chu had covered up for many years, namely, the case of King Chongyang Zhu Xianxiu murdering his cousin - the King of Chu loved to cover up cases, not just his sons.

The result of the report was that King Chongyang was ordered to commit suicide by Emperor Sejong for his crime.

There were some complaints in the palace, some people thought that King Wugang was too cruel. When it came to the lives of his own brothers, he couldn't even protect himself.

In addition to this incident, there was also the issue of the division of land and estates later. At that time, Zhu Yingjun, the King of Tongcheng, received less land and estate than before, so he felt it was unfair and had a dispute with the King of Wugang.

The most fatal thing was that King Wugang Zhu Xianhuai wrote a letter to the emperor proposing policies for the vassal state.

He requested the establishment of clan schools and "supervise and examine the children of the princes and below. Every three years, the supervisory envoys will examine their performance. If they fail five examinations, they will be dismissed and given two-thirds of their original salary."

After this matter was approved by Emperor Sejong and the Ministry of Rites, King Wugang almost offended half of the royal family.

Depose? Reduce salary? You, the King of Wugang, are not worthy of being a human being. You violate the interests of the clan and still want to be the boss! ?
Therefore, now that the King of Chu has passed away, the court has once again let the King of Wugang take charge of the Chu vassal state. The resistance within the clan can be imagined.

Li Zaiting listened silently to Feng Shiyu's explanation.

After hearing this, he sighed and said, "So, the year before last, when the King of Chu passed away, the King of Wugang was ordered to take charge of the government, but he couldn't control the Chu vassal at all?"

Feng Shiyu nodded: "Not only are the princes of various prefectures dissatisfied, even the dowagers and princesses do not want any setbacks."

"In the end, all the princes and concubines were willing to compromise, so they asked the Prince of Dong'an to come forward and mediate."

Upon hearing this, Li Zaiting looked at Feng Shiyu and frowned, "Did you ask the King of Dong'an to come forward?"

How come he doesn't know that these royal family members can still be humble?
Shouldn't we be eager to seize power and not be left behind?

There are quite a few princes in the Chu vassal state.

Feng Shiyu shook his head and seemed to be unaware of the situation.

He thought for a moment and added, "It is said that Princess Gong supports it."

Princess Gong is the biological mother of the current eldest son of the King of Chu, and therefore the biological mother of the next King of Chu. Her importance is naturally self-evident.

Li Zaiting nodded. It seemed that they were still fighting for power. However, this approach was reasonable.

As if he had gained something, he slowly said, "So, the current King of Dong'an took over the position of King Wugang and was able to take over the Chu vassal state."

If this is the case, then the two princes have probably been fighting for some time.

The motives of the Prince of Wugang and the source of his information are also plausible.

Li Zaiting thought for a moment and asked one last question: "According to Huazhi, what is the character of the Prince of Dong'an?"

The nature of the question is actually to ask how likely it is that the case in Linxiang County was committed by Prince Dong'an.

Feng Shiyu looked thoughtful.

After a long while, he spoke: "The King of Dong'an is a very generous man, often helping refugees and the people."

"The affairs of the Chu vassal state were handled harmoniously, and were praised by the royal family."

"Even when officials delayed the salary of the Chu vassal, he never made things difficult for the governor."

Li Zaiting silently remembered it in his heart, recruited refugees, showed kindness to the people, united the royal family, and had other sources of income...

The more you talk, the more similar it is!
As for whether we should arrest him if we find any clues now...

Li Zaiting weighed the pros and cons again.

At this moment, Feng Shiyu suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, right, Zhang Chucheng went to the Prince Chu's Mansion and met the Prince of Dong'an."

……

In the city of King Chu, Hai Rui followed Zhu Yingqi and entered the city gate easily.

Now that Ding Wei was gone, the two of them continued with their previous topic.

"Zhang Jieshizhong came to the Chu residence? What was the matter?"

Hai Rui looked a little surprised and asked back.

He originally came here for the Zhang Chucheng case. Although he had to investigate the case from a high level, he did not let go of any clues.

It is impossible to pull down Zhang Chucheng's whereabouts.

Why haven't I heard that Zhang Chucheng had been to the Prince of Chu's Palace before?

Zhu Yingqi walked in front to lead the way, with his neck bent forward, his back a little hunched, and his posture extremely poor, which made Hai Rui look uncomfortable.

The former was unaware of it, and continued with a sneer: "Of course I have been here! As for why..."

"You are here to reprimand me, Chu Fan!"

Hai Rui frowned and said, "Reprimand?"

Zhu Yingqi snorted, "Reprimand our Chu Mansion for stealing mineral deposits and minting copper coins privately."

"It was all done by my uncle Wang!"

He muttered, and finally got back to the point, saying seriously, "Let's talk business. Didn't the imperial envoy ask me for the evidence of my uncle's murder of Zhu Yingyan of the Yueyang Palace?"

"The day before Zhu Yingyan died, he secretly came to the Chu Mansion and met my uncle Wang!"

"The two conspired for a long time, but finally parted on bad terms. When Zhu Yingyan left, it was my uncle Wang's men who drove him off!"

"Zhu Yingyan died that night after returning home! Could it be possible that Prince Dong'an could escape responsibility?"

Hai Rui listened carefully, and seeing that the Prince of Wugang spoke with certainty, he immediately believed it a little.

He asked, "Did anyone see it with their own eyes?"

Zhu Yingqi raised his head proudly: "The witness is the deputy eunuch who serves beside my uncle!"

After all, the Wugang Palace was once the head of the Chu Clan, so it has some experience in placing people there.

Hai Rui did not respond immediately, but fell into deep thought.

Judging from the performance of the Prince of Wugang, I am afraid it is not a frame-up or attack.

This King of Dong'an... could it be that he is the real murderer of Zhang Chucheng?
Just now, it was mentioned that Zhang Chucheng had come to the Chu Mansion and reprimanded people for stealing minerals and minting copper coins privately.

There is motivation too.

So, should we put the King of Dong'an under house arrest immediately or even arrest him?
Just as he was thinking.

Suddenly, three eunuchs, one big and two small, came jogging towards them from afar.

Zhu Yingqi was the first to shout to the chief eunuch: "Hey, Qin Fengcheng? Why are you here if you are not serving the imperial concubine?"

The eunuch Cheng Fengzheng was panting and grabbed Zhu Yingqi, saying, "Oh, my prince, the old illness of the King of Wugang has come back and he is looking for you urgently. Come back with me!"

Zhu Yingqi was stunned for a moment, then immediately believed it.

Subconsciously, he said, "My father's old illness has relapsed? Is he seriously ill?"

Just as he was about to take a step, he hesitated again: "Eunuch Qin, I have something important to do... How about letting my father wait?"

He has already brought the imperial envoy into the royal city. If he doesn't act now, wouldn't that alert the enemy?

He must be arrested by Prince Dong'an first!
The eunuch Cheng Fengzheng was unmoved: "Don't be stubborn, my lord! The prince is seriously ill, please return to Wugang Palace!"

After saying this, he asked the eunuch who was accompanying him to carry him back.

Zhu Yingqi was unwilling to give in, but he was unsure how seriously ill his father was, so he was half-heartedly carried away.

At this moment, Hai Rui, who had been standing aside and watching quietly, finally made a move.

He put his hands into his sleeves and said in an inexplicable tone: "The Prince of Dong'an really manages the Chu Mansion in an orderly manner."

The flattering eunuch was so shocked by this look that he immediately bowed and said with an apologetic smile, "I am sorry to have made the angel laugh."

"I don't know what the prince said to trick the angel into coming to the Prince Chu's mansion."

He lowered his voice slightly and said, "Prince Wugang is dull and his speech is nonsense. Don't take it to heart."

Hai Rui remained indifferent and ignored him.

He raised his head, looked at the two young eunuchs, and shouted, "Put him down!"

The two young eunuchs were startled and stopped their movements subconsciously.

Zhu Yingqi didn't understand what was going on and also looked over here.

Eunuch Qin was also caught off guard. He smiled awkwardly and simply lowered his head: "Angel..."

Hai Rui waved his hand to interrupt him.

He said in a cold voice: "Wugang Prince Zhu Yingqi has turned himself in. I have accepted his complaint!"

"According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, I must summon Prince Dong'an to the yamen now!"

"Go and tell Zhu Xianzhen that I will wait for him here for 25 minutes."

"If he follows me back to the governor's office obediently, then it'll be fine. If not, don't blame me for coming back with troops and prisoner and not giving him face!"

After saying that, he closed his eyes, ignored everything, and started counting the time while waiting.

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Qin tried to speak several times but stopped himself every time. He became more and more at a loss, and his expression was anxious as he walked back and forth.

Why did he have to do these things?

After hesitating for a while, he stamped his feet and trotted towards the Dong'an Palace.

Zhu Yingqi was confused and was hesitating whether to go back home to see his father.

Hai Rui's deep voice sounded again: "Prince, please don't leave. I will ask the governor's office to bring the witness later. You can come back to the governor's office with me later."

Zhu Yingqi let out a cry, his expression full of resistance.

I wanted to refute, but when I looked up at that stern and mean face, I finally shut my mouth.

The two of them stood on Zhongying Street and waited quietly.

Just over a quarter of an hour had passed.

A slightly plump figure appeared in their sight.

Eunuchs surrounded him, holding umbrellas and fanning him.

The palace's chief historian, ceremonial officer, and judge followed behind the figure, whispering.

The guards were wearing armor and carrying swords, looking at us eagerly.

A group of people came over in a large group.

Hai Rui was alone and moved his body.

He took a step forward and faced the group of people.

The confrontation took place on Zhongying Street.

Zhu Xianzhen, the Prince of Dong'an, wore a five-chapter robe and a jade belt ring. His demeanor and expression showed his majesty.

He frowned and looked at Zhu Yingqi, feeling somewhat disappointed: "My dear nephew, just for a little power, you framed and accused your uncle to the imperial envoy. Don't you know that such behavior is no different from that of a beast?!"

Zhu Yingqi was a little afraid of him. He shrank his neck and moved behind Hai Rui when he heard the words.

Zhu Xianzhen didn't have time to argue with him and turned to look at Hai Rui who was standing like a pen holder.

He sighed helplessly, "The angel was deceived by my unworthy nephew and went back and forth in vain. I really feel bad about it."

Hai Rui looked at the Prince of Dong'an for a while, then went straight to the point: "Prince of Dong'an, are you willing to go back to the Governor's Office with me?"

Zhu Xianzhen was silent for a while.

The officials of the royal palace behind them looked them up and down.

The guards are ready to move.

The eunuchs fanned themselves even harder with the palm-leaf fans in their hands.

The only sounds on the field were the chirping of cicadas and the waving of cattail-leaf fans.

Even Zhu Yingqi could sense the tense atmosphere and began to look forward to the possibility that his uncle Wang would have a falling out with the imperial envoy.

Just then.

The King of Dong'an smiled kindly.

He turned around and waved away the officials and attendants of the palace behind him, then took the palm-leaf fan from the eunuch.

Then he took two steps forward and fanned Hai Rui twice with one hand: "Angel, why don't you cool down a little bit."

He stretched out one hand to lead the way, and said with a smile: "This king can walk and sit upright, and I will do whatever the angel asks."

"Some villain has framed and slandered me, and I am asking the angel to investigate and clear my name."

Hai Rui looked deeply at Dong'an Prince Zhu Xianzhen, nodded, turned around and left.

Zhu Xianzhen followed closely behind, swaggering.

(End of this chapter)