Chapter 341: The Duke Yansheng Arrives in Jining

Soon, Xu Guangqi was the first to finish eating. After all, he had been busy all night and was long since famished.

Seeing that everyone had eaten their fill, Chen Hong waved to the attendants behind him and had tea brought up.

"Gentlemen, please rest well here." After leaving these words, Chen Hong returned to Zhu Youxiao's side.

Zhu Youxiao gently set down his chopsticks, rinsed his mouth with tea, took the silk handkerchief from Chen Hong's hand to wipe his mouth, and only then slowly rose to his feet.

"I hear it was quite lively outside last night." Zhu Youxiao looked at Chen Hong and asked with a smile.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Last night..." Chen Hong naturally dared not conceal anything, and recounted everything that had happened the night before, not daring to omit a single detail.

As His Majesty's trusted confidant, Chen Hong knew that His Majesty was undertaking a great matter this time, and he certainly did not want any mistakes on his own end. Handling the task well was only to be expected; if he botched it, he would have to bear the consequences.

Nodding lightly, Zhu Youxiao asked: "Have Grand Secretary Xu and the others finished eating?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, they have finished." Chen Hong quickly said: "They are drinking tea right now."

"Then let's go see them." Zhu Youxiao nodded and turned to walk outside.

By the time Zhu Youxiao arrived, Xu Guangqi and the others had indeed already finished their breakfast.

Having been busy all night, they only felt somewhat better after eating breakfast, and were now drinking tea to refresh themselves. There was too much to do — there was simply no way to rest, and besides, they would soon be granted an audience with His Majesty, so they could not show signs of fatigue.

Seeing Zhu Youxiao walk in, Xu Guangqi and the others quickly rose to their feet and bowed respectfully: "Your subjects salute Your Majesty."

Even as they spoke, Xu Guangqi and the others secretly stole glances at their sovereign from the corners of their eyes.

After all, His Majesty had been attacked by assassins yesterday. Although Chen Hong had said His Majesty was unharmed, Xu Guangqi and the others still could not rest easy.

Now that they saw His Majesty was indeed unharmed, Xu Guangqi and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing their expressions, Zhu Youxiao said with a smile: "My ministers need not worry. If anything had truly happened, I would not have concealed it from you. You are all my trusted ministers; there is nothing I cannot tell you, and you are worthy of the great matters I entrust to you."

These words carried great weight, and made clear Zhu Youxiao's trust in Xu Guangqi and the others.

Xu Guangqi and the others quickly said: "Your subjects thank Your Majesty."

"Sit down and speak." Zhu Youxiao waved his hand casually and sat down himself first.

Only after Xu Guangqi and the others had all taken their seats did Zhu Youxiao continue: "The city has calmed down now, has it not?"

Xu Guangqi said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, it has calmed down. Grand Secretary Huang led men to capture the rebels, and they have now all been handed over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The Guard is interrogating them, and I believe results will come soon."

"The city is also stable, and officials at every level are reassuring the people. The soldiers in the city are calm as well — the Duke of Ying has already inspected the entire city, and there are no problems."

Zhu Youxiao nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile: "My ministers have worked hard."

"This is all the proper duty of your subjects." Xu Guangqi and the others quickly said.

"No need for pleasantries. Since the situation has stabilized, you should all return and rest." Zhu Youxiao looked at Xu Guangqi and the others and said with a smile: "They were merely a few deluded fools — no need to make such a great fuss over them."

Zhu Youxiao's tone was very light, as if he had never taken the matter to heart at all.

This stirred the hearts of the several ministers, and they too breathed a sigh of relief. Truly worthy of His Majesty — this breadth of mind and courage showed the bearing of an emperor.

"You have all been busy all night. Go back, take a good bath, and get some sleep. You are all pillars of the state, and none of you are young anymore — do not ruin your health over such petty scoundrels. That would be the true loss for our Great Ming. You are far more important than they are." Zhu Youxiao said with concern on his face: "If anything feels amiss, I will have the imperial physicians examine you at once."

"Your subjects thank Your Majesty for your concern." Xu Guangqi and the others quickly said.

Although they still felt somewhat unwilling and wanted to keep working, since His Majesty had spoken thus, Xu Guangqi and the others naturally had to comply. Besides, the situation had indeed stabilized, so they could return and rest.

"Then your subjects will take our leave. If anything comes up, we will return." Xu Guangqi and the others quickly said.

"Go on, go on — go back and rest well." Zhu Youxiao said with a smile.

After watching Xu Guangqi and the others leave, Zhu Youxiao rose to his feet, turned to look at Chen Hong, and said: "Has the Prince of Lu arrived?"

The Prince of Lu still had to be dealt with — otherwise, the Prince of Lu would be scared to death.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Prince of Lu is already waiting." Chen Hong nodded.

Leaving that room, Zhu Youxiao returned to his bedchamber.

The Prince of Lu was already waiting at the door.

Seeing Zhu Youxiao walk in from outside, the Prince of Lu fell to his knees with a thud, utterly terrified, tears and snot streaming down his face as he cried: "Your Majesty, your subject is guilty! I truly never thought of rebelling, Your Majesty!"

Last night the Prince of Lu had still slept soundly, thinking the matter was over. Who could have imagined that when he woke up this morning, everything had changed?

His two closest subordinates had turned out to be rebels who actually dared to assassinate His Majesty — they simply had no regard for their own lives!

When he got up this morning, everyone's gaze toward him had changed. Those Embroidered Uniform Guard officers and soldiers looked as if they wished they could swallow him alive.

Wherever he went, all he saw were fierce, hostile stares.

This truly frightened the Prince of Lu out of his wits. What sin had he committed?

Seeing the Prince of Lu so terrified his legs had gone weak, Zhu Youxiao felt helpless inside, but he still walked over and personally helped the Prince of Lu to his feet.

Once the Prince of Lu was standing, Zhu Youxiao comforted him in a soft voice: "The Prince of Lu need not carry on so. I do not distrust you. I know your character — you could never do such a thing."

Zhu Youxiao knew of the Prince of Lu's foolishness, but he also knew that the Prince of Lu was willing to offer half his family fortune to him, and had even thought of collecting fine treasures to present to him, feeling that His Majesty eating four dishes and one soup was too plain.

If properly cultivated, the Prince of Lu might even become a talent. It was just that the Great Ming had raised so many princes, essentially keeping them like pigs.

They had no authority over their own princely establishments — everything within the household was decided by the Grand Administrator. If a prince involved himself too deeply, he would instead be impeached.

So the princes concerned themselves with nothing at all, spending their days in eating, drinking, and pleasure, treating themselves as pigs to be fattened. As time went on, whatever wisdom they had faded away, and whatever understanding of officialdom vanished too.

They had been raised from childhood within high walls, and as for the hardships of the common people, they likely knew nothing of them. "Why not eat meat porridge?" — for the princes of the Great Ming, that was probably not an isolated case, but something many of them would actually say.

Under such circumstances, Zhu Youxiao truly had no heart to blame the Prince of Lu.

What would punishing the Prince of Lu accomplish?

He could hardly deal with every prince in the Great Ming.

One had to understand — this was a feudal society. The Emperor was not only the sovereign of the realm, but also the patriarch of the imperial clan. In this era where clan consciousness was extremely strong, as patriarch he naturally had to take good care of his clansmen.

Otherwise it would invite criticism, and he might even be ostracized by others. Such were the values of this age.

Even if one wanted to do something, it had to be done in secret — absolutely not in the open.

If Zhu Youxiao truly cracked down hard on the princes, he would very likely lose the people's support, just like Zhu Yunwen who had reduced the fiefs of the princes back in his day.

Was Zhu Yunwen not the Emperor? Did he not hold the moral high ground?

But so what?

Zhu Yunwen was too harsh on his own uncles, which led to him losing the people's support.

After the Prince of Yan rebelled, he swept through and seized the realm with overwhelming force.

Aside from Zhu Yunwen's lack of ability, the greater factor was that he had lost the people's hearts.

In the eyes of the world, none of the princes had any intention of rebelling. Rather, it was Zhu Yunwen treating his own uncles this way—for the people of the realm, if an emperor treated his own uncles like that, how cold and heartless was such a sovereign? What hope was there to be had?

A while ago, Zhu Youxiao confiscated the old Prince Fu's farmland, and the people said nothing. After all, the old Prince Fu had a poor reputation, and most importantly, Zhu Youxiao had brought the old Prince Fu into the capital, stripped him of his title, yet passed that title on to his son—this was something the public could readily accept.

If Zhu Youxiao were to kill the old Prince Fu now, there would likely be an uproar of public opinion. At that point, people would say all sorts of things about Zhu Youxiao, and none of it would be kind—he would be packaged as a cold and ungrateful emperor.

Although Zhu Youxiao had done quite a few things since ascending the throne, he still had ministers loyal to him, and a large part of the reason was that Zhu Youxiao used them to handle affairs and used them to take the blame, but never used them as scapegoats to be thrown under the cart.

When trouble truly arose, Zhu Youxiao would protect them—this point was crucial.

The Prince of Lu needed to be dealt with and taught a lesson, but he could not be exterminated to the last.

Watching the Prince of Lu weep, Zhu Youxiao said with a smile: "There's no need for this. How could I blame the Prince of Lu for what your subordinates have done? Besides, the senior administrator is a court official—if anything, it's my own failure in appointing the right man."

Hearing these words from Zhu Youxiao, the Prince of Lu quickly said: "It is your subject's fault!"

"Enough, enough—we are all one family, no need for such talk." Zhu Youxiao reached out and patted the Prince of Lu, speaking with a smile, while leading him toward the interior of the building and gesturing for him to sit.

Only after the Prince of Lu had sat down did Zhu Youxiao speak: "This matter is of great importance. The Prince of Lu will likely face some criticism, but do not take it to heart."

"I know the Prince of Lu's character well—you would never commit such an act of treason. So the Prince of Lu may rest easy. I am not a fatuous ruler who cannot tell right from wrong."

"Your Majesty is wise and enlightened! Your subject is endlessly grateful for Your Majesty's grace." The Prince of Lu said hurriedly, tears streaming down his face in a cascade.

After such great joy and such great sorrow, his emotions could no longer be contained.

While Zhu Youxiao was comforting the Prince of Lu, another important figure arrived in the city of Jining.

This person had come from Qufu—none other than the current Duke Yansheng, Kong Yinzhi.

For Kong Yinzhi, who had only recently inherited the title, encountering such an affair this time left him without much confidence. However, fear was out of the question—the court would not do anything to him, so he could be considered emboldened by his security.

Upon arriving at Jining, Kong Yinzhi noticed that the atmosphere here seemed somewhat different—the entire city was tense and on edge.

The city gates had not been opened at all.

It was only around noon that the gates were finally opened. Even so, the inspections for those entering and leaving were extremely strict.

Kong Yinzhi sat in his carriage, looking around, and instructed his attendant: "Go and inquire—find out what has happened, why is Jining so tense?"

"Yes." The attendant acknowledged and immediately turned to go make inquiries.

By this time, people were already coming out of the city. As long as one made inquiries, news would naturally arrive quickly.

Soon, the attendant returned and recounted everything to Kong Yinzhi.

The young Duke Yansheng furrowed his brow, and a sense of foreboding suddenly rose in his heart.

If matters had been peaceful, perhaps there would be no great problem; but now that Jining had produced such a grave affair as rebellion and treason, this matter was quite serious.

For any emperor of any generation, rebellion was the most intolerable offense.

Most importantly, this affair implicated the Prince of Lu's household, and at the same time dragged in the White Lotus sect, and crucially, it also involved the embezzlement of disaster relief grain.

Although Kong Yinzhi had only recently taken over the Duke Yansheng's mansion, he understood many things well.

You see, Kong Yinzhi's eldest uncle had no offspring, so the family had been grooming Kong Yinzhi since childhood. While he could not be called a heaven-sent genius, neither could he be called a wastrel.

Under such circumstances, Kong Yinzhi quickly realized that matters were likely to become troublesome.

Because his family's involvement in this affair was not shallow either—if His Majesty truly set his mind on pursuing the matter, even the Duke Yansheng's mansion would find itself in deep trouble.

But now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. Whatever the outcome, he would only know after meeting His Majesty. It was time to think of a plan.

So Kong Yinzhi said: "Invite my father to my carriage—we shall enter the city."

The attendant acknowledged and hurried off to make arrangements.

Before long, a middle-aged man walked over and directly boarded the carriage.

Glancing at Kong Yinzhi, the middle-aged man, Kong Shangtan, said: "We're about to enter the city—what does your father need to be summoned for?"

"In reply, Father—something has happened in the city of Jining." Kong Yinzhi said hurriedly, and then, not daring to conceal anything, told his father all the news his attendant had gathered.

Finally, Kong Yinzhi said with some worry: "I fear that His Majesty's intentions in coming this time are not good."

Hearing his son's words, Kong Shangtan said with a smile: "I thought it was something serious. Even if His Majesty lays blame, it's nothing more than spending some money."

"Subordinates who handle matters carelessly and do such things truly disgrace the family name. Where you should confess your guilt, confess; where you should admit fault, admit. Punish these people severely. Where compensation is due, pay; where grain is owed, give grain. There is nothing more to it."

Kong Shangtan said with a smile: "We are the Duke Yansheng's mansion. Dynasties rise and fall, yet we have always stood firm. Besides, for a matter like this, you need not worry too much."

In Kong Shangtan's view, his son's worry was nothing more than a matter of youth. His son had just assumed the position of Duke Yansheng and had not yet adjusted. Once time passed, such problems would no longer exist.

Kong Shangtan knew the family's affairs very well. His elder brother had no sons and had grown disheartened in recent years, so the family's affairs had always been managed by Kong Shangtan.

Now that the elder brother was dead and Kong Shangtan's son had inherited the title of Duke Yansheng, Kong Shangtan was at the height of his satisfaction. Naturally, he would not take such a matter to heart, and so he spoke these words with a very relaxed tone.

Glancing at his father, Kong Yinzhi felt somewhat helpless.

He feared matters would not be as simple as his father imagined.