My father, Zhu Di, was granted a second life by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Chapter 8 The Case of Lan Yu

"Meat, meat, eat meat," Zhu Gaoxi did not forget the purpose of his trip.

If you go too late, there might only be one or two left.

Xu Zengshou then took him to the east courtyard to find Xu Miaojin.

The moment he smelled it, Zhu Gaoxi was completely captivated.

With delicious food in front of you, enjoy it to your heart's content.

Having eaten his fill, Zhu Gaoxi went to the courtyard to digest his food.

Zhu Yunwen quickly had Tian Qing follow.

Seeing Xu Zengshou sitting idly in the courtyard, Zhu Gaoxi staggered over, supported Xu Zengshou's leg, turned around and pointed at Tian Qing, saying in a cute but fierce tone, "No...don't."

Xu Zengshou gave a wink to the steward beside him.

The butler understood and politely invited Tian Qing to have tea and snacks.

Seeing Tian Qing being taken away, Zhu Gaoxi breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed affectionately against Xu Zengshou, leaving large amounts of drool behind.

By the time Zhu Gaoxi and his entourage were about to return to the palace, Xu Zengshou's men had already thoroughly investigated Tian Qing's background, so naturally they couldn't let him return to the palace with them.

Zhu Yunwen didn't see Tian Qing and was about to ask when Zhu Gaoxi rushed over, "Brother, hug me."

Xu Miaojin kept urging him, "Get in the car quickly, or you'll be punished if you get back late."

Tian Qing was always clever and wouldn't get lost, so Zhu Yunwen picked up his younger brother and got into the carriage.

As soon as they entered Donghua Gate, they saw Zhu Yuanzhang waiting there, with Zhu Yunwen beside him.

Zhu Gaoxi rushed over excitedly, but Zhu Yunwen picked him up first.

I was attacking the Emperor's grandfather, how dare you interfere?!

Zhu Gaoxi was furious and bit Zhu Yunwen's arm hard, refusing to let go.

As a result, the kid stubbornly held back and didn't make a sound.

you are vicious!

Zhu Gaoxi gave up the struggle and temporarily admitted defeat.

Over the next two days, Zhu Yuanzhang's condition seemed to worsen, and Zhu Gaoxi was once again sent to a side hall.

To encourage farming, the emperor would personally go to the outskirts of the city to offer sacrifices to the God of Agriculture and to cultivate the fields before the spring planting season each year.

The chosen date this year is February 15th.

This was an auspicious day chosen by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and could not be changed arbitrarily.

If Zhu Yuanzhang is unable to recover from his illness by then, it is very likely that Zhu Yunwen will take his place.

The imperial physicians were constantly coming and going, under immense pressure, and all of them had heavy expressions.

After all-out efforts to save him, Zhu Yuanzhang was finally able to eat.

On the eighth day of the second lunar month, Zhu Yuanzhang, despite his illness, went to court.

The old emperor sat on the dragon throne and slowly scanned the surroundings.

Among the assembled officials in the hall, Lan Yu was prominently featured.

Without saying a word, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately ordered his arrest.

There was no unnecessary chatter.

The ministers present were all stunned.

The eunuch Huang Liang then announced the end of the court session.

Zhu Yuanzhang was only focused on taking action and didn't even think about explaining.

In a few days, when the interrogation results are released, there will naturally be an explanation.

Back in the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the eunuchs to open the windows to let the medicine odor dissipate.

Then he went to the side hall and brought Zhu Gaoxi over to have dinner with him.

The way this kid wolfed down his food made me really hungry.

Lan Yu refused to accept the injustice and kept shouting his grievances while in prison.

Jiang Huan came to ask Zhu Yuanzhang for instructions.

"Throw him into the imperial prison," Zhu Yuanzhang said without looking up, continuing to drink his porridge and eat his steamed buns.

"What a pity," Zhu Gaoxi said after Jiang Huan left.

"What?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Zhu Gaoxi wanted to say that not everyone implicated by Lan Yu deserved to be punished.

However, I haven't figured out what to say yet, so I don't know how to persuade them.

"I know you're smart, but you're too young and don't understand many things. Once someone else takes control of the situation, you'll never have another chance. Without the strength to rely on, don't even think about turning the tide," Zhu Yuanzhang muttered, as if talking to himself. "If we really get sick these days, by the fifteenth of February, neither my grandson nor I will survive."

It turns out that Zhu Yuanzhang had been feigning illness all these days.

Zhu Gaoxi suddenly realized.

Zhu Yuanzhang arranged a stress test for Lan Yu, creating the illusion that he was about to die, which aroused Lan Yu's interest.

For Zhu Yuanzhang, even just having a thought was an unforgivable crime, let alone Lan Yu having already put it into action.

Jiang Huan, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, has been monitoring the actions of Lan Yu and his accomplices these past few days.

Zhu Yuanzhang turned to look at Zhu Gaoxi and said, "Your father is sick again. He's fallen ill at just the right time."

"It's difficult to expect him to do any work," Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and sighed.

What kind of work did the Emperor want his adoptive father to do? Zhu Gaoxi didn't ask.

It's definitely not a good thing, otherwise the cheapskate father wouldn't have pretended to be sick.

Offending people and destroying one's own foundation is something that one's cheap father would naturally avoid if possible.

Lan Yu has led the northern expeditions many times. If it is found that the generals of the northern garrisons are involved with Lan Yu, should his father arrest them or not?

If we arrest him, we will lose the trust of our soldiers; if we don't arrest him, we will betray the Emperor's grace.

Therefore, getting sick at the right time is also a strategy.

Zhu Gaoxi was deeply impressed.

One stone stirs up a thousand waves; memorials flew in like snowflakes, piling up like mountains on the emperor's desk.

Some pledged their loyalty, some exposed Lan Yu's crimes, some tried to subtly plead for Lan Yu's accomplices, and others probed the emperor's attitude by bringing up trivial matters...

However, the trial progressed very slowly. Lan Yu vehemently denied the treason, and his accomplices continued to grit their teeth and endure the torture inflicted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Jiang Huan, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, came to ask Zhu Yuanzhang for instructions.

Zhu Yuanzhang directly ordered, "Execute him in the marketplace and exterminate his three clans."

Lan Yu's daughter was the principal wife of Zhu Chun, the Prince of Shu.

Zhu Chun was the eldest son of Consort Guo Hui.

Zhu Gaoxi thought that Consort Guo Hui would plead for his in-laws, but when Consort Guo Hui met Zhu Yuanzhang, she said nothing and gently served him soup.

After Lan Yu was executed by the Ming Dynasty, the psychological defenses of Lan Yu's accomplices gradually collapsed, and interrogation records were continuously sent to the Qianqing Palace.

During the northern expedition, he raped the Northern Yuan's queen, causing her to commit suicide out of shame; on the way back, he allowed his troops to break through the pass; he complained incessantly about not becoming the Grand Tutor. These are all Lan Yu's past mistakes, and based on these alone, he cannot be convicted.

The direct reason for Lan Yu's execution was that he conspired with his troops to rebel.

This charge has been brought against multiple people.

Who did Lan Yu contact? This was what Zhu Yuanzhang was most concerned about.

The fourth brother has left; will the third brother also shirk responsibility?

Zhu Yuanzhang issued a decree ordering the Prince of Jin and his son to assist in the arrest, and that the low- and mid-ranking generals involved should not be escorted to the capital but executed on the spot.

Zhu Yuanzhang was always straightforward when writing imperial edicts, sometimes using just two words: "Chop him up."

Although Zhu Gaoxi was young, he could read those words and knew the bloody truth behind those imperial edicts.

He couldn't care less about anything else; he had to save people.

He grabbed his grandfather's hand and pleaded, "Think about it again."

What he meant was that they shouldn't be executed immediately; they should wait and see if a better solution could be found after some time.

Zhu Yuanzhang picked him up, took him outside, and sat him on a stone bench under the shade of a tree. With a kind and gentle expression, he asked, "Xi'er, which characters do you recognize?"

Zhu Gaoxi didn't know how to answer, and just kept repeating the two words, "What a pity."

A thousand soldiers are easy to find, but a good general is hard to come by. If managed properly, these generals are valuable talents who can protect the country.

Zhu Yuanzhang was well aware of these things.

However, since she had chosen Yunwen, she had to eliminate all potential threats for him.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't know how much longer he had to live; he only wanted to resolve the problem as soon as possible.

Zhu Gaoxi looked at his grandfather with pleading eyes, hoping that he would change his mind.

Xu Miaojin appeared inappropriately, and Zhu Yuanzhang got up and walked away, leaving Zhu Gaoxi behind.

"Grandpa!" Zhu Gaoxi called out loudly.

Zhu Yuanzhang paused for a moment, then continued walking forward.