Chapter 34: Why Is It So Similar to What Xu Jingchang Taught?

Zhu Gaoxu took decisive action and captured Jing Qing.

"My dear brother, I’ve caught him! I’ve actually caught him!" Zhu Gaoxu felt as if he were bathed in a spring breeze, as if he had drunk the finest nectar; he felt light as air, as if he were transcending into an immortal.

Setting aside his IQ, his emotional intelligence had truly blossomed. He had once again taken to calling Xu Jingchang "dear brother."

"This beast, Jing Qing, was sharpening his blade in secret, carrying a lethal weapon with the intent to assassinate! I have apprehended him, and I will hand him over to Father the Emperor later to have him ground to dust," Zhu Gaoxu said gleefully. "With this merit alone, all my previous mistakes will be wiped clean. I’m back in the game!"

Xu Jingchang looked at the smug man and couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"I say, Your Highness the Prince of Han, with your capacity for holding secrets being about as small as a dog's belly, do you really think coming back to life won't lead to an even worse death?"

Stung by Xu Jingchang’s harsh rebuke, Zhu Gaoxu didn't fly into a rage this time. Instead, he furrowed his brows and asked, "Dear brother, please speak plainly. My brain is a bit slow to grasp these things right now."

Xu Jingchang sighed. "I won't bother leading you on; I'll be blunt. His Majesty raised his army to 'clear the Emperor's side' and purge treacherous officials. Now, the four great villains—Qi Tai, Huang Zicheng, Lian Zining, and Chen Di—have already met their ends. His Majesty has successfully cleared the Emperor's side; that is a settled matter. Emperor Jianwen was deceived by these treacherous ministers, and when the city fell, these scoundrels committed arson and murdered their sovereign, acting in a state of madness. Even if there are rumors outside that Jianwen is still alive, they are nothing but lies."

Zhu Gaoxu blinked in surprise. "That’s not right. I saw it with my own eyes that day—it was a charred corpse. There are indeed rumors that Jianwen escaped, and I was even thinking of tracking him down to present him to Father!"

"Are you an idiot?" Xu Jingchang was so frustrated he felt like slapping him. "Zhu Gaoxu, if you lost a dog and offered a reward of a thousand gold pieces, what do you think would happen the next day?"

"Would... people bring the dog back?" Zhu Gaoxu asked. "After all, there are always brave men under heavy rewards."

"Pah! There would be ten thousand people dragging dogs over, demanding the reward," Xu Jingchang scoffed. "Use your head! Jianwen is dead because he is dead; even if he were alive, he would still be dead. If the court keeps searching for him—openly or secretly—and the word gets out, people will keep producing 'Emperor Jianwens.' Examples of people using the 'orphaned heir of a previous dynasty' to start rebellions are everywhere. Don't hand the knife to others, understand?"

Zhu Gaoxu was stunned. "I... I think I understand, but I also think I don't... If that's the case, what should we do?"

"What to do? Total oblivion. Ignore it, downplay it, and avoid mentioning it as much as possible. But don't issue an edict stating it explicitly, because people are naturally curious; trying to cover it up only makes it more obvious. Since you are compiling the official history, just select some ridiculous anecdotes and spread those instead. Focus on the wickedness of the likes of Qi and Huang, and the childishness of Jianwen. That is all."

Zhu Gaoxu pondered this earnestly for a long while before giving a thumbs up, marveling, "Damn, you really are devious! So, what about Jing Qing right now? Should we still kill him?"

Xu Jingchang snorted. "That depends on whether he fears death."

Zhu Gaoxu replied, "He intended to assassinate Father during the Mid-Autumn Festival; he certainly doesn't fear death."

"If he doesn't fear death, what is the point of killing him?" Xu Jingchang asked. "You must understand one principle: the Jianwen era had foolish emperors, treacherous ministers, talented generals who died in obscurity, and loyal nobles who couldn't turn the tide. But it must not have martyrs who stop at nothing. Do you understand what I mean?"

Zhu Gaoxu followed Xu Jingchang’s line of reasoning, and only after a long time did he say, "If Jing Qing stops at nothing to avenge his former master, people will think the Jianwen era wasn't entirely without merit. Otherwise, why would someone be willing to die for a final strike?"

"Exactly," Xu Jingchang said. "The records regarding Jing Qing should only state that he was a Censor-in-Chief of the Jianwen era who once swore with Fang Xiaoru to die for the country. Fang Xiaoru died, yet Jing Qing's rank remained unchanged... Stop there. Not a single word more."

Zhu Gaoxu took a deep breath and slapped his own forehead. "My dear brother, how is your brain wired? This is simply brilliant."

Xu Jingchang laughed. "Regardless of what Jing Qing actually thinks, what a man like him wants most is for the history books to record his refusal to submit and his quest for vengeance. Even if he fails and is captured, if the insults he hurled are written in the annals, he considers it a success. He would have his name among the scholars for generations to come. And the more such people there are, the more it implies the Jianwen era had redeeming qualities. People will speculate, dig through old papers, and all sorts of strange theories will emerge, which will be disadvantageous to His Majesty. Therefore, the best way to deal with such people is silence."

"If they can repent and speak out, pointing out the flaws of the Jianwen era, then we should promote that vigorously. If they cannot, we must ensure they remain silent. Never help them build a reputation. That is why we captured Jing Qing early. If he had actually brandished a blade before all the officials, it would have been a 'King of Qin circling the pillar' moment—do you understand?"

"I understand! I truly understand!" Zhu Gaoxu nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining. "My dear brother, you are truly a great talent. If I had known you were this capable, I should have had you as my advisor. Do you think I could become the Crown Prince?"

Xu Jingchang was too frustrated to speak. With a brain like that, he still wanted to be Crown Prince!

"My second cousin, you’ve just performed a service and finally managed to recover a bit of your image. You go asking for the throne now? You're far too impatient. This time, when His Majesty asks, just say you want to protect your father and serve the Great Ming. One extra word, and it’s a mistake. Understand?"

"Understood!"

In this one night, Zhu Gaoxu had "understood" more times than he had in the previous twenty years.

*The biggest mistake of my life was getting mixed up with idiots like Qiu Fu and Wang Ning. If I had had my dear brother by my side earlier, how could things have ended up like this?*

The next day was the Mid-Autumn Festival. The grand banquet was set for the evening, and Zhu Gaoxu wanted to invite Xu Jingchang to the palace to discuss the Jing Qing matter, but Xu Jingchang refused.

"I've told you everything you need to know. Please, Your Highness, take the trouble to handle it. I need to hurry and deliver some mooncakes; we can talk tonight."

With that, Xu Jingchang took his leave. There weren't many people worth his gifts: that old bald scoundrel Yao Guangxiao needed one, and Duke of Cheng Zhu Neng needed one—he could just let Zhu Yong take it back.

Then there was his uncle, Xu Huizu; sending a few was the least he could do.

That left only his little aunt.

Xu Da had four sons and four daughters in his life. The eldest, Xu Huizu, went without saying; the second, Xu Yingxu, was away leading troops and had no presence whatsoever. The third son died young, and the fourth was Xu Zengshou.

As for the daughters, the eldest married Zhu Di, the second married the Prince of Dai, and the third married the Prince of An.

That left the youngest, Xu Miaojin. This girl was a bit strange; she had loved Zen and meditation since she was small. After her parents passed away, she lived permanently in a temple, chanting sutras and praying for blessings.

Because of this, the turmoil of the Xu family had not touched her at all.

After Empress Xu arrived in the capital, she had visited her sister twice.

Xu Jingchang didn't feel much for this elder relative; just going through the motions was enough, as she was likely to remain an outsider to the world.

While he was making his arrangements, Zhu Gaoxu had already told Zhu Di everything about Jing Qing, detail by detail!

"Kill him! Have him executed immediately!"

Zhu Di was furious. "I gave them face and did not start a mass slaughter, yet they harbor treacherous hearts. They are simply not to be kept alive!"

Facing the enraged Zhu Di, Zhu Gaoxu felt a strange sense of superiority... he hurriedly knelt. "Father, please observe clearly; your son has something to report."

Zhu Di suppressed his anger. "Speak."

Zhu Gaoxu cleared his throat and spoke eloquently, from the original intent of the Jingnan campaign to Jing Qing's motives, from downplaying Jianwen to the necessity of not creating martyrs for the Jianwen era.

This grand discourse left Zhu Di dumbfounded.

"Second son, your scholarship has improved!"

"Thank you for your praise, Father."

"Father should reward you with something."

Zhu Gaoxu almost agreed, but remembering Xu Jingchang’s words, he held back. "Your son only wishes to protect you and help flourish our foundation. Aside from that, I have no other requests."

Zhu Di was deeply moved and nodded repeatedly. "A truly good child." He stepped over to Zhu Gaoxu, leaned close to his ear, and whispered suddenly: "Why does this sound so similar to what Xu Jingchang taught you?"

Zhu Gaoxu froze and blurted out, "Father, did he tell you that too?"

As soon as these words left his mouth, he saw Zhu Di's face turn pitch black. Zhu Di gave him a fierce kick and cursed, "You are truly a blockhead who cannot be molded!"