Li Zengzhi was the second son of Li Wenzhong, Prince of Qiyang, and Li Wenzhong was Zhu Yuanzhang's own nephew. By that connection, Li Wenzhong and Zhu Di were first cousins.
Thus, Li Jinglong and Li Zengzhi had to address Zhu Di as their uncle.
In his youth, Zhu Di had learned warfare under Li Wenzhong, so naturally he was close to Li Jinglong and Li Zengzhi.
Traveling from Beiping to the capital, Jinling, Zhu Di was naturally pleased to encounter "family" in Yangzhou Prefecture. Li Zengzhi also knew how to handle matters: he arranged for Zhu Di and his party to enter Yangzhou Prefecture, booked an entire restaurant, and ordered soldiers to guard it, allowing no one to approach.
After three rounds of drinks, Li Zengzhi dismissed his attendants. Without betraying any emotion, Zhu Di raised a hand and had Qiu Fu and the others withdraw as well.
Seeing that only he and Zhu Di remained in the room, Li Zengzhi relaxed. He raised his cup in a toast to Zhu Di and said, "Uncle, we're one family, so there's no need to speak as outsiders."
Zhu Di nodded silently.
In terms of blood ties, calling them one family was indeed correct.
Li Zengzhi asked in a low voice, "Uncle, His Majesty's thoughts have become unfathomable. A while ago, he introduced the Grand Secretariat. Before long, he brought out the New Recruit Policy, and just a few days ago, he established the Great Ming Security Bureau. Everyone inside and outside the court is on edge."
"Oh? How so?"
Zhu Di looked at Li Zengzhi as he asked.
Zhu Di had heard about Zhu Yunwen's measures and supported them.
Even if he took the throne himself, he would certainly have to entrust important duties to a group of people to work on his behalf. Otherwise, if the emperor personally managed the central administration and reviewed every matter, great or small, he would be driven mad by the aggravation, if not worked to death.
Zhu Di considered the establishment of the Grand Secretariat a stroke of genius.
As for the New Recruit Policy and the Great Ming Security Bureau, Zhu Di could accept both. He did not believe these measures would leave everyone on edge.
Li Zengzhi sighed and said, "Now all the power at court has been gathered into the Six Ministries and the Grand Secretariat. Officials can see His Majesty only twice a month. Even if they submit a memorial to impeach someone, the Grand Secretariat may withhold it. If this continues, Great Ming's realm will become the Grand Secretariat's realm."
Zhu Di calmly sipped his wine.
Zhu Di knew exactly how much power the Grand Secretariat possessed. Li Zengzhi's words were far too alarmist.
Seeing that Zhu Di remained silent, Li Zengzhi continued, "Implementing the New Recruit Policy requires discharging a hundred thousand soldiers, and all those cuts have fallen on us hereditary nobles. In particular, some officers and soldiers with close ties to us have been stripped of their posts outright and have left the Capital Garrison with their brothers."
"When these brothers come knocking at our doors, should we help them or not? If we do, we can't look after so many, nor can we defy His Majesty's decree. If we don't, we leave them to wander the streets. As their former comrades-in-arms, how can we bear that?"
"His Majesty cares only about implementing the New Recruit Policy, yet he has shaken the very roots of the Capital Garrison. It is a sign of impending disorder. And that Great Ming Security Bureau is plainly the Embroidered Uniform Guard. How long has His Majesty held supreme power? Yet already he has defied Taizu's wishes and revived the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Clearly, His Majesty has failed to grasp Taizu's principles of governance."
Zhu Di looked at Li Zengzhi. Those words, "failed to grasp Taizu's principles of governance," flashed through his mind like a thunderclap.
This was the perfect justification!
Taizu had abolished the chancellorship, while Zhu Yunwen had established the Grand Secretariat to replace it.
Taizu had expanded the Capital Garrison, while Zhu Yunwen was cutting it back.
Taizu had abolished the Embroidered Uniform Guard, while Zhu Yunwen had established the Great Ming Security Bureau.
Judging by Zhu Yunwen's recent series of actions, both his style and his methods clearly ran counter to Taizu's!
If Zhu Di used the charge of "disrespecting Taizu and arbitrarily changing his principles of governance" to prove that Zhu Yunwen was unfit to succeed to Great Ming, then when he raised his army, he could rally under the slogan "Secure the foundations of the state, restore the ancestral institutions." He could tell everyone under heaven that he, Zhu Di, was the true Son of Heaven, the one who best understood and could best uphold Taizu's principles of governance!
Li Zengzhi saw the sharp gleam in Zhu Di's eyes and the desire he left unspoken. He tapped the table lightly with a finger and said, "Uncle, we are one family."
Li Zengzhi spoke the word "we" very slowly, conveying its veiled meaning through his gaze.
Zhu Di was an intelligent man. How could he fail to understand what lay beneath Li Zengzhi's words?
Li Zengzhi was telling Zhu Di that if he had such ambitions, they would become his strength and help him accomplish his great undertaking.
Zhu Di set down his wine cup and chuckled. "These past few days of travel have left me quite weary. Now, after a little wine, I find I can barely hold my liquor."
"Changing the wine isn't difficult. All it takes is..." Li Zengzhi raised an eyebrow, picked up the wine jug beside him, and casually poured its contents onto the floor. Looking at Zhu Di, he said slowly, "Once the wine has been poured out, fresh wine must be brought in."
Zhu Di narrowed his eyes. The sound of wine spilling onto the floor seemed to him like the neighing of horses amid vast armies. He gathered his thoughts and said, "When the wine is about to spill, plenty of people will try to set the jug upright."
Li Zengzhi fixed his gaze on Zhu Di and asked softly, "Many souls perished beneath Taizu's blade. Who can stand before the Prince of Yan's horse?"
Zhu Di took the wine jug from Li Zengzhi, poured himself a cup, and drained it. "I wonder how strong the winds are in the capital. If the weather is fair, I would like to take a stroll on Purple-Gold Mountain."
Li Zengzhi nodded solemnly. "Your Highness will surely have your wish."
Through their conversation, Li Zengzhi had discerned Zhu Di's thoughts. It was not that he had no desire to rebel; he simply had not made up his mind. On one hand, he feared encirclement by the court's armies. On the other, he feared Zhu Yunwen might suddenly move against him in the capital.
But thanks to Zhu Yuanzhang, Great Ming's founding meritorious officials, especially its military commanders, had almost all been slaughtered. Among the princes and generals who could lead great armies into battle, only a handful remained.
They included Zhu Di, Prince of Yan, Zhu Quan, Prince of Ning, and Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing.
As for the rest, Li Zengzhi surveyed Great Ming and found them nothing remarkable.
Zhu Di understood Li Zengzhi's words and knew this was an opportunity.
But although the opportunity existed, the challenges were enormous.
Zhu Yunwen was the emperor. He could mobilize troops from across the country to encircle and destroy him. Those forces could number well over a million.
Moreover, Zhu Yunwen was in Nanjing, while Zhu Di's army was in Beiping, more than two thousand li away. Even if Zhu Yunwen did not send a single soldier against him, the journey alone would take nearly a month at the fastest. If logistics and replenishment of supplies had to be arranged, it would take several months.
Even if Zhu Yunwen had no generals capable of fighting, the sheer size of the armies under his command was enough to make Zhu Di exercise the utmost caution and weigh his options again and again. If Zhu Yunwen became ruthless, or if Zhu Di made a single mistaken decision, he could very well be killed.
Zhu Di did not want to die.
Rebellion was a venture with enormous rewards, but equally enormous risks.
If he succeeded, he would reign over all under heaven.
If he failed, he would perish and descend to the nine springs.
Li Zengzhi escorted Zhu Di to his quarters and smilingly took his leave at the door. Before leaving, he added, "Uncle, we'll meet in the capital."
Hazy with wine, Zhu Di lay on the bed and pondered what he should do next.
Yangzhou Prefecture was less than two hundred li from the capital. Riding swiftly, he could arrive by the following evening. What Zhu Yunwen would do was what Zhu Di most wanted to know.
Yet the present Zhu Yunwen seemed different from the Zhu Yunwen he knew.
He no longer seemed as kind, benevolent, and indecisive as he once had. There was now a greater boldness in his ruthless decisiveness, along with the resolve of someone who held the pearl of wisdom firmly in his grasp.
What surprised Zhu Di even more was that this nephew of his seemed to possess considerable insight into governing, showing something of the bearing of an enlightened ruler.
Unable to unravel his confusion, Zhu Di drifted into sleep amid the drowsiness of fruitless thought.
In the brilliantly lit imperial palace, Zhu Yunwen was listening to a report from Liu Changge, the Great Ming Security Bureau's first commander.
Liu Changge had risen from humble beginnings and fought in several major battles. He had distinguished himself through his bravery during Lan Yu's desert campaign and was later selected by Zhu Yuanzhang to join the Imperial Guard.
This minor figure, whose name could not be found in history, had stepped onto history's stage because of Zhu Yunwen and become the Great Ming Security Bureau's highest official-its commander.
Zhu Yunwen had chosen Liu Changge not only because his loyalty was beyond question, but also because his abilities surpassed those of ordinary men.
Literate and well versed in strategy.
Able to discern the finest autumn hair and foresee autumn from a single falling leaf.
That was Zhu Yunwen's assessment of Liu Changge.
Since the establishment of the Great Ming Security Bureau, Liu Changge had devoted himself wholeheartedly to his duties. In just one week, he had selected three thousand capable men from the emperor's personal guard and scattered them throughout the capital and beyond to gather news and investigate intelligence.
Liu Changge reported to Zhu Yunwen, "Li Zengzhi and the Prince of Yan spoke in private for two hours. We were unable to discover the details of their conversation."
Zhu Yunwen thought for a moment and said, "Once a man harbors disloyalty, no matter how well you treat him, he will never appreciate it."
Liu Changge did not dare respond.
Zhu Yunwen smiled faintly and said, "You may withdraw."
Liu Changge bowed and departed.
After pondering for a long time, Zhu Yunwen said to Shuangxi, who stood at his side with his hands lowered, "Have the Grand Secretariat draft a decree appointing Zhang Bing as Beiping's provincial administration commissioner, and Regional Commander Ping An and Sheng Yong as Beiping's regional military commanders. Ping An is to take control of Beiping's defenses. Transfer Sichuan Regional Commander Qu Neng and Xu Kai to station troops at Shanhai Pass, Kaiping, and Linqing. Also arrange for Guo Ying, Marquis of Wuding, to take charge of the Datong Regional Military Commission."
"Tell Ping An, Sheng Yong, Qu Neng, and the others to treat their soldiers generously and ensure that the armies obey the court's orders. Anyone who refuses may be dealt with under military law! They may replace commanding officers at their discretion. I grant them that authority!"
Shuangxi solemnly committed the orders to memory and hurried to the Grand Secretariat.
That night, Xie Jin was presiding over the Grand Secretariat. Though the emperor's orders surprised him, they were also within his expectations.
Zhu Di, Prince of Yan, had always been the focus of the emperor's attention.
The sole focus!
Xie Jin did not understand what the emperor was thinking. He seemed certain that the other enfeoffed princes would make no untoward moves and focused his gaze solely on Zhu Di. Given the current circumstances, however, the Prince of Yan indeed posed the greatest threat among them.
Xie Jin drafted the decree, Zhu Yunwen affixed his seal, and the Office of Transmission dispatched the orders that very night.
Zhu Yunwen decided to make the first move and see how Zhu Di reacted.
Ping An, Sheng Yong, and Qu Neng were all generals who had performed well during the Jingnan Campaign. Zhu Yunwen sent all three north at once, specifically to keep watch on Zhu Di. He trusted that Zhu Di would understand the meaning of this military threat.
On the evening of the seventeenth day of the seventh month, Zhu Di arrived outside the capital, but chose not to enter. Instead, he rested outside the city for the night.
Early the following morning, Zhu Di's carriage crossed the river to the wharf at Three Hills Gate. Rather than displaying lofty arrogance, he wore white robes and a white sash, weeping bitterly as he cried out, "Father, your son has come too late!"
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