Chapter 168: Grandson is Wronged

Lao Zhu had long guessed that Li Hao would impeach him today.

When it comes to political sensitivity, Zhu Gaoxu is indeed inferior to his own father and Lao Zhu.

Yesterday, he also did not tell his father about what happened in the Military Camp.

Mainly, he felt it was unnecessary.

And Lao Zhu did not remind him either.

Who could have imagined that after sleeping, someone would impeach him.

Yet at this moment, Li Hao paid no attention to Zhu Gaoxu.

Instead, he continued, saying: "Zhu Gaoxu's first crime: accepting bribes from the envoys of various countries."

"His second crime: trafficking our Great Ming's divine weapon, the Daming Gun!"

"His third crime: falsely conveying an Imperial Edict!"

As soon as Li Hao's voice fell, everyone felt a shock in their hearts.

These charges were not small.

Any one of them, taken out casually, was a capital crime punishable by beheading.

But Li Hao, despite all his calculations, had miscalculated two points.

First, Zhu Gaoxu's status is different.

He is a member of the imperial family, and Lao Zhu had previously explicitly stipulated in the "Imperial Ming Ancestral Instructions," this Ming Dynasty "ancestral family law," that:

"If imperial relatives commit crimes, the reigning monarch shall decide. For minor offenses, consult with the various relatives in the capital; for major ones, consult with the various princes abroad and the relatives in the capital, all subject to the Emperor's final decision. The judicial authorities may only report the crimes of such households and are not permitted to arrest or interrogate them without authorization."

To put it plainly, it means that no matter how great a crime a member of the imperial clan commits, it must ultimately be handed over to Lao Zhu for judgment.

And Lao Zhu had also said earlier.

For minor offenses, reduce the rank according to the crime; for major ones, demote to commoner status. But clarify rewards and punishments, and do not impose corporal punishment!

This means that no matter how great a crime he commits, at most he would be demoted to a commoner.

To be an ordinary commoner.

Is Zhu Gaoxu afraid of this?

He wishes he could be an ordinary commoner.

But whether Lao Zhu would let him go is another matter.

Based on this point alone, let alone Li Hao establishing three major crimes against him, even if he established three hundred, he would already be in an invincible position.

To put it bluntly, you, a servant who is a minister, spend your days thinking about accusing your master's family; even if you are right, what can you do?

Therefore, the clear-headed ministers at this time all remained silent, lowering their heads and saying nothing.

The second point, don't forget that the one Li Hao wants to impeach is Zhu Gaoxu.

If it were another member of the imperial clan, there might be some trouble.

But Zhu Gaoxu is not afraid of this.

As long as you dare to show your head, who is right and who is wrong is not yet certain.

Thinking this, Zhu Gaoxu stood out directly from the ranks of the ministers.

Then he knelt directly toward Lao Zhu.

"Imperial Grandfather, your grandson is wronged; I ask Imperial Grandfather to make the decision for your grandson!"

As he spoke, Zhu Gaoxu even squeezed out two tears.

Combined with his young age, those who did not know the truth would think Zhu Gaoxu had suffered a great grievance.

Unfortunately, this trick of his did not work very well on the civil and military officials present.

After all, he is too famous in the imperial court now, and everyone would certainly not be deceived by Zhu Gaoxu's appearance.

And Lao Zhu, upon hearing the words of Li Hao and Zhu Gaoxu, did not rush to express his stance; stroking his beard, Zhu Yuanzhang said: "It just so happens that I have nothing to do today, so let's listen carefully to what you have to say; Li Hao, you speak first!"

Zhu Yuanzhang letting Li Hao speak first appeared impartial.

And Li Hao, after hearing this, did not dawdle, directly cupping his hands and saying: "The Nanyang Commandery Prince yesterday met with the Goryeo envoys together with this minister, killed one of the Goryeo envoys with a single palm, and caused the friendship between our two countries to break."

"Subsequently, he gathered the envoys of various countries in the military camp outside the city, used means to forcibly coerce the envoys of various countries to bribe him, and then, in order to make these envoys obedient, sold our Great Ming's divine weapon, the Daming Gun, to various countries for one copper coin per gun, and even gifted strategic resources such as gunpowder and lead bullets."

"Furthermore, he spoke wildly in the military camp's main tent, claiming it was the Emperor's will!"

After saying this, Li Hao closed his mouth and spoke no more.

And the other ministers, upon hearing Li Hao's words, all gasped.

Killing a Goryeo envoy with one palm is a matter that can be said to be big or small.

Actually, it is fine.

But a Daming Gun for one copper coin, and giving away so many things.

This matter is huge.

It would not be an exaggeration to call it treason.

The gazes of some ministers toward Zhu Gaoxu changed instantly.

This kid has become increasingly lawless, relying on the Emperor's favor; now he actually dares to openly traffic Daming Guns, and the key is that he sold them so cheaply!

Quite a few ministers had even begun to scan back and forth between Lao Zhu and Zhu Gaoxu.

They wanted to see if Lao Zhu would still protect Zhu Gaoxu this time.

But Lao Zhu did not easily express his stance as the ministers had hoped.

Instead, he said to Zhu Gaoxu: "You little monkey, Li Hao says this, do you have anything else to say?"

Zhu Gaoxu was still kneeling at this time.

Lao Zhu did not let Zhu Gaoxu rise, and Zhu Gaoxu did not dare to stand up easily at this moment.

He secretly cursed: "Damn, I knelt too early."

Zhu Gaoxu knelt and shuffled toward the direction of Lao Zhu.

Not until he reached the very front did Zhu Gaoxu speak: "Grandfather Emperor, your grandson is wronged!"

As he spoke, tears fell from Zhu Gaoxu's eyes once again.

It was as if he had truly suffered a great grievance.

Zhu Di happened to be standing to the left of his son.

Seeing this scene, his complexion turned somewhat dark.

He truly had not expected that this brat could give him such a big surprise today.

Today, Zhu Gaoxu had thoroughly interpreted for him what the hell a surprise was!

The morning court was almost over, and he had gone and pulled this stunt.

Zhu Di could clearly feel the gazes of many officials landing upon him.

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