Regarding Zhao Junchen's reaction, Prince Zhu Heyu seemed to have expected it, and replied solemnly: "If Zhao Junchen has any doubts, just ask him directly. I will definitely tell you everything I know!"
After hearing Zhu Heyu's reply, Zhao Junchen first cleared his throat slowly, then picked up the tea cup and took a sip, as if he didn't care about the next question and answer.
When Zhao Junchen asked questions, his tone was slightly casual, but his eyes were full of solemnity and seriousness.
"I want to know, is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince determined to keep his position as Crown Prince at all costs? His Majesty has now made up his mind to make the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian the new Crown Prince! And His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince are
We are from the same mother and we have always had deep feelings! Therefore, if you want to secure your position as Crown Prince, His Highness the Crown Prince will not only have to find ways to fight against His Majesty, but also turn against His Highness the Seventh Prince... You are prepared for this.
Prepare?"
During the inquiry, Zhao Junchen's eyes were sharp and he did not miss any changes in the demeanor of Prince Zhu Heyu.
This question can be said to be of vital importance, not only to further test the degree of change in Prince Zhu Heyu's temperament, but also to find out Prince Zhu Heyu's true views on Emperor Deqing and the seventh prince Zhu Hejian.
In particular, Zhu Heyu's true views on the seventh prince Zhu Hejian, and whether Zhu Heyu has discovered Zhu Hejian's true background, will be the key factors affecting Zhao Junchen's final decision.
Before that, Zhu Hejian was a perfect brother and relative in Zhu Heyu's eyes. Not only did he trust Zhu Hejian's words extremely, he would not hide any secrets from Zhu Hejian.
It was precisely because of this situation that Zhao Shancai had so many difficulties when dealing with Zhu Hejian and had nowhere to start!
Today, seeing that Zhu Heyu is about to lose power, Zhu Hejian will soon become the new prince, and Zhao Junchen's friend-enemy relationship has also changed. It is not only Zhu Heyu who wants to form an alliance with Zhao Junchen to keep his position as prince.
, Zhao Junchen also had the option in his mind to support Zhu Heyu and suppress Zhu Hejian.
In this way, if Zhu Heyu's attitude remains unchanged and he still confides in Zhu Hejian without any precautions, Zhao Junchen will face the same predicament as Zhao Shancai once did. Even if Zhu Heyu has Zhao Junchen's full assistance
, and will still be toyed with by Zhu Hejian.
Of course, Zhu Heyu's change in attitude towards Emperor Deqing - whether he was firm in his stance against Emperor Deqing - was also an important consideration for Zhao Junchen.
On the other side, Zhu Heyu seemed to have guessed that Zhao Junchen would ask similar questions, and did not show too much surprise or confusion. He answered directly: "The wind of Zhenguan is still sung today... Therefore, Zhao Junchen
Don’t doubt my determination!”
Zhao Junchen's ancient writing skills were very average, so he didn't know that the sentence "The wind of Zhenguan is still sung today" comes from the "Old Book of Tang" and is a sentence that evaluates the "Xuanwu Gate Change".
However, Zhao Junchen was a smart man, and at least he understood that Zhenguan was the reign name of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty, and he was also very aware of Li Shimin's methods to seize the throne, so he quickly guessed the implications of Zhu Heyu's words.
In short, Zhu Heyu said that in order to stabilize his position as prince, he would not hesitate to launch a coup like Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty!
Therefore, after hearing this answer, Zhao Junchen could no longer control his expression for a while, and a look of shock flashed across his face.
Zhao Junchen guessed that Zhu Heyu would change after experiencing this period of setbacks. He had initially witnessed the changes in Zhu Heyu just now, but it was not until now... that Zhao Junchen discovered how huge Zhu Heyu had changed. He said
It’s not an exaggeration to say it’s a makeover!
At the same time, Zhu Heyu's candid statement can be regarded as part of his sincerity in seeking an alliance with Zhao Junchen.
Zhao Junchen took off some of his disguise and showed a solemn expression, which was considered as a reward for Zhu Heyu's sincerity. He asked again: "I...I never expected that I haven't seen the prince for several months.
His Highness has changed so much! If it were half a year ago, such a thought would never have appeared in the heart of His Highness the Crown Prince! ...But I don’t know why His Highness the Crown Prince has undergone such earth-shaking changes? Seeing such changes in His Highness the Crown Prince
, I feel really uneasy in my heart! Or, what is it that makes His Highness the Crown Prince so determined to keep his position as Crown Prince at all costs?"
After Zhu Heyu was silent for a moment, he smiled bitterly.
Then, Zhu Heyu raised his hand and took off the crown prince's crown on his head, and then untied his hair, letting it fall down!
Suddenly, Zhao Junchen saw large patches of gray!
A rough estimate shows that more than 30% of Zhu Heyu's hair has completely turned gray!
After Zhao Junchen saw all this clearly, Zhu Heyu quietly tied up his hair and put on the prince's crown.
After doing all this, Zhu Heyu said slowly: "It's also my fault that I was too upright in the past. Since I became the crown prince, I have done some bad things, but I have never made any big mistakes that could be deposed! So,
After my father made up his mind to depose me, he must have felt very embarrassed in his heart. He wanted to depose me but could not find a suitable reason, so he came up with the idea of 'the prince loses his morality' and 'refuses to change despite repeated admonitions'!"
As he spoke, Zhu Heyu's expression remained calm, but his voice was full of bitterness, and he added: "In the past few months, I have been reprimanded by my father seven times and five times by his father.
He was imprisoned in the East Palace by decree, and was forced to admit his mistakes and accuse him four times in front of hundreds of officials, and once he was charged with "disloyalty and unfilial piety"!
Ha! I have really lost my face and lost all my prestige! It is not an exaggeration to say that I have become the laughing stock of the court! This makes me restless every day, tossing and turning every night, and full of sadness every moment.
...When I came back to my senses, I found that my hair was already full of white hair! Under such pressure and blow, my mentality naturally changed.
Especially the unwarranted crime of immorality and unfilial piety a few days ago was a huge blow to me! After my father accidentally caught a cold, when he summoned the princes to visit the palace, he deliberately omitted me.
The Crown Prince then sent an order to the East Palace and reprimanded me severely, saying that I was unfilial and unethical by not waiting at my sick bed. I fell seriously ill immediately after receiving the order...
Maybe it’s because I have had more contact with Qingliu people, and I have always been very concerned about my reputation in history and my posthumous reputation. When I think that I will be evaluated by history books as an immoral, foolish and useless prince in the future, my heart is full of pain! And my father
The emperor's partiality and ruthlessness make me even more painful... Therefore, I must keep my position as Crown Prince no matter what and clear my name! This is out of my selfishness!
However, in addition to this selfishness, my desire to keep my position as Crown Prince also stems from a public interest!"
After hearing Zhu Heyu's words, Zhao Junchen's expression showed half-true and half-false sympathy.
But after hearing Zhu Heyu's last words, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and asked: "Oh? But I don't know where the prince's public spirit comes from?"
Ever since Zhao Junchen and Zhu Heyu were alone together, Zhu Heyu's expression had always been calm and calm.
But at this time, after hearing Zhao Junchen's questioning, Zhu Heyu's demeanor finally changed again, full of indescribable complex emotions.
Then, Zhu Heyu said slowly: "This public spirit is - after thinking about it over and over during this period, I still think that I am the best candidate to inherit the throne! As for the seventh brother... he has been evaluated very well by all parties.
, almost everyone likes him and supports him, so if he is allowed to inherit the throne, the Ming Dynasty will definitely face a disaster!"
Hearing what Zhu Heyu said, Zhao Junchen's first reaction was that Zhu Heyu had discovered the true face of the seventh prince Zhu Hejian, so he rejected Zhu Hejian as the crown prince and was determined to keep the crown prince at all costs.
But after carefully savoring Zhu Heyu's words, it didn't feel like Zhu Heyu had discovered Zhu Hejian's true face. Zhu Heyu seemed to have other reasons for rejecting Zhu Hejian.
So, Zhao Junchen asked again: "Oh? The evaluations of the Seventh Prince are too good, so after he inherits the throne, the Ming Dynasty will be annihilated? Why does His Highness the Crown Prince say this?"
…
ps: There are not many words in the last three chapters, and the content is not complicated, but I did think about it for a long time before making a decision - this plot involves a question, that is, whether there should be a fundamental change in the character of Prince Zhu Heyu
changes, and...what price should be paid for the so-called "maturity" of Prince Zhu Heyu.