Chapter 213 The real and fake prince

Before Sun Chuanting and a group of Nanjing honorees made any moves, another major event happened in Nanjing!

Almost overnight, notices were posted inside and outside the city of Nanjing, with eye-catching large characters saying "Unfilial, abused, interfering with the officials, greed, lust, alcoholism, and alcoholism", and "Seven cannot be established". For a time, the entire Nanjing city was full of controversy, and even the peddlers and the strippers in the Xiaoyao Fairyland were talking about this.

This incident immediately pushed King Fu Zhu Yousong to the forefront of public opinion.

As mentioned earlier, speech was very free in the Ming Dynasty, and it was common for folk voices to point out the government. This phenomenon was particularly common in Jiangnan where the literary style was soaring. Soon, the notice of King Fu's "Seven Unable to Be Established" was spread to Yangzhou, Changzhou, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Songjiang and other places around Nanjing.

With the support of Donglin Fushe, scholars from all over the country jointly wrote letters, firmly opposing the support of King Fu.

A scholar's words may not be enough to change the overall situation, but thousands of scholars jointly wrote a letter, and the influence was extraordinary. Shi Kefa was also a scholar. Of course, he valued the entire Shilin's attitude towards this matter. His attitude immediately turned 180 degrees and turned to King Lu.

Shi Kefa met with Ma Shiying several times and tried to discuss the change of the establishment of Lu Wang, but Ma Shiying's attitude was very firm, believing that Fu Wangxian was not inferior to Lu Wang, and that "Seven Unable to Enact" was a matter of Zi Wuxu. Yingtian Prefecture should file a case and resolutely punish those who spread rumors and cause trouble.

On the third day after the incident of King Fu's "Seven Unable to Be Established" incident, Shi Kefa once again summoned Nanjing officials to discuss the support of the new king. What the people in the Donglin Fushe unexpectedly was that Gao Hongtu and Sun Chuanting had both arrived this time, and the honorary relatives in Nanjing came without invitation.

Shi Kefa quickly asked someone to add a seat and asked King Jian'an Zhu Tongzheng and other honorary relatives to sit down.

After everyone sat down, Shi Kefa stood up and said, "It is said that the Taoist country cannot have a monarch for a day. The people of Jiangnan urgently need the new emperor to lead everyone to resist the thieves and restore the Central Plains. Today, all officials of the sixth rank and above in the officialdom of Liudu have arrived. Dear princes, marquis, princes and uncles are also here, and they just settled the matter of supporting the new emperor."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Daqi, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of War, stood up and said, "The lower officials think that King Lu should be established."

Gao Hongtu, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, suddenly stood up and said tit-for-tat: "I think the King of Blessings should be established!"

Zhang Pu, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, said: "King Fu is 'unfilial, abused his subordinates, interfered with the officials, greed, lustful, and alcoholic, and seven things that cannot be established!"

Fengyang Governor Ma Shiying slapped the table and said angrily: "That's something that Zi Wuxu has."

Zhou Biao, the head of the Ministry of Rites, said: "How can you get the wind? Can these things be fabricated just by making up?"

"You!" Ma Shiying said angrily, "I suggest that you immediately hand over this matter to Yingtian Mansion for thorough investigation. You must find out the truth and find out the mastermind behind it."

"Master Ma!" Zhou Biao said sternly, "100,000 Jiangnan scholars have written together and firmly advocated supporting King Lu. Lord Ma said that King Fu's "Seven Unable to Be Established" was manipulated by the mastermind. The subordinate officials would like to ask, who has the ability to make the 100,000 Jiangnan scholars bow their heads?"

"My dear sirs!" Zhou Biao continued to say, "What is the heart of the people? This is called the heart of the people! What is the will of the god? This is called the will of the god! The heart of the people is irreversible, and the will of heaven cannot be violated! The King of Blessings is greedy, lust, unfilial, abused, and drunken. If such a person is allowed to sit in the country, our Ming Dynasty will be over!"

"Bastard!" Ma Shiying said angrily, "I have said a long time ago that the saying of 'Seven cannot be established' is something that Zi Wuxu has!"

Sun Chuanting suddenly stood up and said with the opportunity: "What Lord Ma said is very true. The saying of King Fu's 'Seven Unable to Be Established' is indeed strange. If King Fu really has these bad deeds, why have he never heard any rumors before? If the person who posted the notice was not a person with ulterior motives, why should he adopt such a ulterior motive trick?"

Shi Kefa's expression suddenly became solemn. Ma Shiying and Sun Chuanting joined forces, and this matter was difficult to deal with.

Gao Hongtu slapped the table and said in a deep voice: "I suggest that Yingtianfu thoroughly investigate the case of posting notices. I want to see who was secretly fanning the flames and destroying the reputation of King Fu? In addition, before the case of posting notices is revealed, I suggest that the matter of supporting the new king be postponed."

Ma Shiying said: "I agree with Lord Gao's proposal."

A thorough investigation into the case of posting notices and restoring the reputation of King Fu is beneficial to Ma Shiying, and of course he will not object.

To Ma Shiying's expectations, the people in Donglin Fushe, led by Lu Daqi and Qian Qianyi, also agreed. In fact, this is not surprising. The people in Donglin Fushe are secretly contacting Liu Zeqing, Gao Jie and Liu Liangzuo, and are preparing to give Ma Shiying a knife to remove the firewood. It is beneficial to them to postpone the matter of supporting the new king.

Shi Kefa had no choice but to agree to postpone the matter of supporting the new king.

That night, Zhang Pu’s residence and people from Donglin Fushe gathered again to discuss.

Zhang Pu complained to Zhou Biao and said, "Zhong Yu, it's all your bad idea. If you ask someone to post a notice of the "Seven Unable to Be Established". Now, Ma Shiying and Sun Chuanting have joined forces. If you really want the prefect Yingtian to find out something, then our reputation as Donglin Fushe will be over!"

"Brother Tianru (Zhang Pubiao's name is), don't be anxious first." Zhou Biao took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Don't talk about whether the little prefect Yingtian has the courage to investigate thoroughly. Even if he has the courage to investigate thoroughly, when he finds out the truth, King Lu has ascended the throne. At that time, the overall situation has been decided. Who dares to overturn the verdict for King Fu, huh?"

Zhou Biao's words are not without reason. As long as King Lu takes office, King Fu's "Seven Unable to Be Established" is fake and must become real!

Qian Qianyi said: "Zhong Yu is right. The most urgent task is to contact Liu Zeqing, Gao Jie and Liu Liangzuo as soon as possible, and jointly write a letter to put pressure on Ma Shiying and the Nanjing officialdom!"

"There is another thing that we must not be careful." Zhou Biao suddenly said, "Today, Gao Hongtu, Sun Chuanting was abnormal and even gathered the honors and qi in Nanjing to make a big fuss, which reminded me of one thing, that is, the prince!"

Zhang Pu said: "Why are you getting involved in the prince again?"

Zhou Biao said: "Brother Tianru, Mr. Mu, you think that Gao Hongtu and Sun Chuanting originally insisted on waiting for the prince to come to Nanjing to succeed the throne, but why did they say good things for King Fu today? He proposed to postpone the support of the new king, which is beneficial to our plan, so we agreed, but have you ever thought about it? If they had already found out about the whereabouts of the prince in secret and sent someone to bring the prince to Nanjing? Don't forget that there is a key figure who has not yet appeared yet!"

Qian Qianyi said horrifiedly: "You mean Nanjing Admiral Wang Pu!?"

"This matter is unlikely, right?" Zhang Pu said disapprovingly, "How can the thief go to Beijing and let the prince go? If the late emperor had already made arrangements before the thief enters Beijing, the prince should have arrived in Nanjing long ago, but the fact is that there is no news about the prince yet. There is only one possibility, that is, the prince has suffered misfortune."

"No, if you are not afraid of ten thousand, you are afraid of something!" Zhou Biao shook his head, "If Gao Hongtu and Sun Chuantingzhen brought the prince to Nanjing, then all our efforts will be wasted. At that time, our Donglin Fushe people will not be said to be in the cabinet and preside over the government, and may even be ruined."

Zhang Pu said: "What should I do?"

Zhou Biao said: "If Gao Hongtu and Sun Chuanting really want to bring the prince to Nanjing, they will definitely go by water. We can secretly inform Liu Zeqing from Huai'an and Gao Jie from Yangzhou, and let them intercept them halfway, if necessary..."

As he said that, Zhou Biao made a behead gesture. Qian Qianyi, Zhang Pu, Liu Zongzhou and others became furious. No matter what, they have received Confucian education since childhood. The Confucian creed is the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues. Killing the Crown Prince is equivalent to the crime of regicide for these ministers, and they are going to kill the nine clans!

But as Zhou Biao said, there is no other choice in Donglin Fushe.

After taking over the case of posting the "Seven Unables" notice, Yingtian Prefecture Wei Daben did not dare to neglect and rushed to the Zhejiang Governor General's headquarters overnight to visit Sun Chuanting. In fact, Wei Daben originally wanted to visit Wang Pu, but unfortunately Wang Pu was not there, so he could only retreat and visit Sun Chuanting. After all, Sun Chuanting was Wang Pu's godfather.

Meeting and talking about the ceremony.

Wei Daben asked straight to the point: "Sir, should we investigate the case of posting notices?"

Sun Chuanting said: "We need to investigate thoroughly, but we cannot investigate thoroughly now."

In fact, these eight words were told by Liu Rushi to Sun Chuanting that posting a notice is an excellent opportunity to crack down on Donglin Fushe. Of course, this case must be thoroughly investigated and all the people hidden behind the scenes are brought out. But now is not the time to thoroughly investigate, because the overall situation is not decided! Only when the prince arrives in Nanjing and continues the Grand Principal, is the time to truly thoroughly investigate the case.

Wei Daben was confused when he heard this and said in confusion: "Sir, what do you mean..."

"That's these eight words." Sun Chuanting smiled, "This is what Wang Pu means, you should think about it carefully when you go back."

"Yes." Wei Daben quickly hugged his fists and bowed, "The official is leaving."

The matter of supporting the new king stopped like this, and the pause lasted for another three days.

Yingtianfu thoroughly investigated the case of posting notices without any progress, which made Ma Shiying very angry. However, before Ma Shiying could run to Yingtian Prefecture to put pressure on him, a joint letter from Liu Zeqing, Gao Jie and Liu Liangzuo, the generals of the three towns was sent to his desk.

As Zhou Biao expected, Liu Zeqing and others only had interests in their eyes and were not loyal to Ma Shiying at all. The people sent by the people in the Donglin Fushe were very talented, and they made King Fu's seven bad deeds as exciting as storytelling. Liu Zeqing, Gao Jie, and Liu Liangzuo were furious when they heard this, and repeatedly claimed that if such a person was made emperor, what else could the Ming Dynasty have to expect?

In addition, Donglin Fushe secretly promised that once King Lu ascends the throne and becomes emperor, the three towns in Jiangbei will have a decisive contribution, and it is not impossible to be granted a marquis and a king in the future. What is the plan of military generals? Isn’t it that the king is granted a marquis and a wife and a son? Liu Zeqing, Gao Jie and Liu Liangzuo stabbed Ma Shiying in the back without hesitation.

The situation took a sharp turn, and Ma Shiying quickly changed his attitude.

It would be impossible for Ma Shiying to change his attitude. Liu Zeqing, Gao Jie, and Liu Liangzuo, the generals of the three towns had bypassed him, the governor of Fengyang, and directly put pressure on the Nanjing officialdom. Moreover, the weight in their hands was a heavy army of 200,000! If Ma Shiying did not change his position, then there would naturally be meat to eat at Donglin Fushe, and he would not even be able to drink soup.

In the Nanjing Ministry of War, Shi Kefa once again summoned officials from the sixth rank or above in Nanjing to discuss the support of the new emperor.

Shi Kefa looked around the hall and said loudly: "Everyone, you can't delay the support of the new king anymore. It's time to make a decision. I think that King Lu is wise and can be a wise ruler."

Shi Kefa made a statement in public. This was the first time. As the highest official in the remnant Ming Dynasty, his words were quite important.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Donglin Fushe Party members led by Lu Daqi expressed their agreement. Shi Kefa asked Ma Shiying again: "Master Ma, what do you mean?"

Ma Shiying said helplessly: "I also think that King Lu can be established."

Sun Chuanting frowned immediately, Ma Shiying's attitude was a little beyond his expectations.

Shi Kefa asked Sun Chuanting again, "What does Lord Sun mean?"

Sun Chuanting insisted: "I thought King Fu was the legitimate grandson of Emperor Wanli, while King Lu was just the cousin of Emperor Wanli. In terms of bloodline, King Fu should be appointed."

Zhou Biao retorted: "If you encounter a peaceful and prosperous era, you can be a blessing king. However, now you are in a chaotic era. If you are not a wise lord, you will not be able to revive the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, the new king should establish a wise king."

Sun Chuanting said in a hungry voice: "The case of 'Seven Unables' cannot be established' is inconclusive. How could Lord Zhou know that King Fu is not a wise lord?"

"Oh." Shi Kefa sighed and said to Sun Chuanting, "Mr. Sun, it is indeed not yet clear whether King Fu has committed the 'seven cannot be established'. However, if he cannot support King Lu today, he is afraid that half of the Jiangnan region of the Ming Dynasty will immediately suffer from war."

Sun Chuanting changed his mind and said, "What does Master Shi mean?"

Shi Kefa took out a letter from his sleeve and said, "Mr. Sun doesn't know that Huai'an General Liu Zeqing, Yangzhou General Gao Jie and Fengyang General Liu Liangzuo have sent an urgent letter together, insisting that the wise ruler should be established in troubled times, and that it is not Lu Wang to revive the Ming Dynasty. If we do not support Lu Wang, they will send troops south!"

"Send troops to go south?" As soon as Shi Kefa finished speaking, a passionate voice suddenly rang out of the hall, "What a send troops to go south! Is this a threat of force or a military admonition? Or do Liu Zeqing, Gao Jie, Liu Liangzuo and others want to rebel? Do they think that the 100,000 troops in the Yanziji camp were made of mud and paper?"

All the officials in the hall changed their faces suddenly and turned to look out the gate. A figure flashed, and Wang Pu, who was covered in dust, had already entered with great enthusiasm!

Hurry up and moved on land, Wang Pu finally arrived in Nanjing within six days!

"Mr. Wang!" Zhou Biao flashed out and shouted sternly, "The 100,000 new troops in Yanziji Camp are indeed powerful, but they are not used to join forces with the elite troops of the three towns in Jiangbei. I solemnly declare to you that the 100,000 new troops are the army of the court, the army of the Ming Dynasty, not your Wang Pu's personal army. They are used to fight against thieves, not to kill each other!"

A sharp look flashed in Wang Pu's eyes and he said in a deep voice: "This adult is so nervous, but he doesn't know where he currently holds?"

Zhou Biao shook his sleeves and said proudly: "I am the new head of the Ministry of Rites Zhou Biao!"

"Zhou Biao?" Wang Pu said coldly, "Zhou Zhongyu?"

Zhou Biao said: "It's my official."

Wang Pu said: "I asked Master Zhou, what kind of rank is the head of the Ministry of Rites?"

Zhou Biao said: "The sixth rank."

Wang Pu's voice suddenly became stern and he shouted: "Where is the prince-in-law?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Zhou Biao's face and said, "Super."

Wang Pu shouted sternly: "All the sixth-rank officials dare to openly roar in the hall of the court for the super-ranked princess Duwei. You are also a scholar who has read the books of sages. What about your ethics and orders, and what about your ethics and integrity?"

Zhou Biao's face turned red and white, and Wang Pu snatched it away for a long time and couldn't speak.

Qian Qianyi quickly came out to smooth things over and said, "Mr. Zhou is also anxious for a moment. Please don't have the same experience as him?"

Shi Kefa asked someone to set up a seat for Wang Pu, and then said: "Although Lord Zhou was reckless just now, what he said was reasonable. The new army of Jiangbei Sanzhen and Yanziji Daying were all the troops of the Ming Dynasty. They should fight against foreign enemies together and must not kill each other. Therefore, I think the opinions of the general of Jiangbei Sanzhen must be considered..."

"No need to think about it." Before Shi Kefa finished speaking, Wang Pu said coldly, "The prince is still there, King Fu, and King Lu are not qualified to succeed the throne!"

"ah?"

"What, the prince is still there?"
To be continued...