Chapter 135

"Your Majesty has issued an edict; do you think the Prince of Yan will acknowledge it?! Will the nobles of Great Ming acknowledge it?"

"Kings of every dynasty have all claimed to be the Son of Heaven, stating they alone hold the reins of power, yet is there a single matter in the world that the Son of Heaven decides by a single word?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's chest heaved violently.

"Su Qiao, are you plotting rebellion?!"

"From the shores of the land, all officials and their power originate from the sovereign; how can the Son of Heaven not be said to hold the reins of power alone?"

Su Qiao, yielding not an inch, gazed at Zhu Yuanzhang and smiled.

"If so, why did Lord Shang suffer the punishment of being torn apart by chariots?"

"If so, after Duke Huan of Qi died, did the various young masters leaving the corpse unattended and binding their armor to attack each other also constitute Duke Huan's last will?"

"If so, how did Wang Anshi's reforms end without a cause?"

"Do you mean all these were the Son of Heaven's edicts?"

"Setting aside the Five Surnames and Seven Clans, even the entire court of Great Ming, does Your Majesty truly believe they are so obedient?!"

Su Qiao's words continued to echo in the vast hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression had already twisted.

Su Qiao took a deep breath.

"If Your Majesty insists on passing the throne to the Crown Prince, not only will the Crown Prince be unable to hold the imperial seat."

"Whatever 'the flying dragon in the sky,' 'the dragon fighting in the wild,' or 'the arrogant dragon will have regrets' are, they will all become prophecies fulfilled by a single word."

"Brothers quarreling within the walls; is this what Your Majesty wishes to see?!"

Having spoken.

Su Qiao removed his official hat and stood aside, saying,

"I have finished speaking. If Your Majesty wishes to kill or flay me, I have no complaints."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Su Qiao with a solemn expression, his body trembling slightly.

"Good, very good! We will..."

Before Zhu Yuanzhang could finish speaking.

Zhu Youjian in the chat group immediately cried out urgently.

"Great-Grandfather, you must be calm."

"If you execute Su Qiao now, he will be remembered for eternity, but what about you?"

"You must know that what Su Qiao said in the hall today will all come true in the future. By that time, even if only a few words leak into the common folk, Great-Grandfather, you will have to bear this blame whether you want to or not!"

Emperor Chengzu Wen:

"That's not right, Father. What happens on your end shouldn't affect my side."

"You are just passing the throne to me on your side."

"The trouble on the Second Prince's side is my trouble too!"

The words of Zhu Youjian and Zhu Di awakened Zhu Yuanzhang.

If he killed Su Qiao like this, he would feel satisfied now.

But in the future, all those things like 'the flying dragon in the sky,' 'the dragon fighting in the wild,' and 'the arrogant dragon will have regrets' would all come true.

By that time, the world would remember the words Su Qiao spoke in the hall today.

And he would become a foolish ruler who, knowing he would harm his own kin, still stubbornly persisted.

In contrast, Su Qiao would then become the second famous minister of Great Ming to rival Zhuge Liang after Liu Bowen!

Wanting to buy fame directly!

Zhu Yuanzhang, whose heart had been burning with rage, suddenly came to his senses.

Wasn't this exactly what those civil officials played at, wanting to buy fame directly?

Zhu Yuanzhang sat in the hall and could not help but snort twice.

"Good, very good."

"You are waiting for us to kill you?"

"We will not kill you!"

Hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words.

Su Qiao was stunned.

Old Zhu saw through it?!

Thinking of this, Su Qiao's heart immediately panicked.

Even if Old Zhu does not chop me down today, I cannot let you realize I am seeking death!

"Wanting to buy fame directly?"

"We tell you, we will not kill you. We will sideline you and not use you. Not a single word from today in the hall will leak to the common folk; this blame of being a foolish ruler will not fall on us!"

"We now ask you only one thing, and it is your last chance."

"Now we refuse to establish the Fourth as the heir; tell us, how should we deal with the Fourth!"

As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking.

Zhu Di in another timeline immediately perked up his ears.

After all, the Prince of Yan in this timeline faced almost the same situation as the Prince of Han on his side.

Su Qiao's method of handling the situation.

Might be directly applicable to Zhu Gaoxu.

Hearing Old Zhu's words, Su Qiao finally reacted sharply.

So Old Zhu was treating him as a remonstrance official?

Isn't that just buying a name outright?

Then today I will show you whether I am buying a name outright!

Having understood this point,

Su Qiao's expression gradually calmed down.

Looking at Zhu Yuanzhang before him, he smiled and said,

"Naturally simple."

Having spoken, Su Qiao shifted his argument.

He squeezed out two words from between his teeth.

"Divide the land!"

"Your Majesty can simply pass the throne to the Crown Prince; Your Majesty need only divide the land north of the Yangtze River to Prince Yan, permit him to proclaim himself Emperor, and establish two Great Mings, north and south, side by side."

"The Northern Ming would guard the southern capital and defend the borders for the Southern Ming, while the Southern Ming would send wealth and goods to the Northern Ming to resist the barbarians."

"Even if Prince Yan were to lose the Jiangshan in the future,"

"he would not dare to shamelessly march south!"

The moment his words fell,

the pride on Zhu Yuanzhang's face vanished in an instant.

Could this be buying a name?

This is inciting chaos throughout the world!

How could this be buying a name outright?

Some people trade their lives for a legacy that endures for a hundred generations.

Who has ever seen someone trade their life for infamy that lasts ten thousand generations?!

Huang Zicheng, standing to the side, was the first to lose his composure.

"Su Qiao, how dare you!"

"Is the world the property of an ordinary commoner's household? Do you think you can divide the land whenever you wish?"

"There are not two suns in the sky, nor two rulers in a nation! Do you not fear being cursed by the world for ten thousand generations?!"

Su Qiao looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, smiled, and clasped his hands in a bow, saying,

"Cursed? Mr. Huang, what is cursing?"

"If Prince Yan proclaims himself Emperor in the north, and if the northerners invade, the Great Ming would still have the Southern Ming to protect the Jiangshan, leaving but a sliver of land for all Han people in the world."

"Moreover, with the Northern and Southern Mings as close kin, one could launch expeditions north into the vast desert and expand south into Jiaozhi, perhaps achieving a hegemony never before seen in history."

"Your Majesty, this is my heartfelt advice. Whether to discard it or use it rests entirely on Your Majesty's single thought."

Zhu Yuanzhang stared fixedly at Su Qiao.