Chapter 43: We Can't Be Stingy Either

"Hahaha! Is that all? We thought it was something serious! So, it's just about money!"

"Yunsheng, you don't need to worry about this. We don't need to touch the national treasury. Since we are the ones recruiting soldiers for our own benefit, it is only natural that we should foot the bill ourselves."

Zhu Gui and the others slapped their chests with a resounding thud, their faces splitting into wide, foolish grins like the naive sons of wealthy landlords.

Zhu Yunsheng, however, continued his performance: "Ah! I don't think that's right! After all, you haven't even been enfeoffed yet. Where would you get so much money? You must realize that recruiting and training soldiers is no small expense."

"Pah! Yunsheng, you don't understand. We have been receiving stipends from the imperial court since we were ten. According to Father Emperor's rules, that’s ten thousand taels of silver every year, and we’ve kept all that money with our mothers. After all these years, we can easily pull out tens of thousands of taels. Even if it’s not quite enough to support three guard battalions, we can always ask our mothers for more. I’m sure that should suffice." Zhu Zhan, acting every bit the part of a wealthy landlord’s foolish son, began counting on his fingers for Zhu Yunsheng.

Of them all, Zhu Gui was undoubtedly the wealthiest. Not only did he collect his stipend, but it was rumored that many merchants had sought his patronage over the years. It was estimated that he could produce hundreds of thousands of taels of silver without breaking a sweat. As for the others, if their mothers were willing to contribute, supporting three guard battalions would likely pose no issue.

After all, it wasn't as if they were expected to foot the bill for years. Zhu Yunsheng intended for them to be off chasing their "dreams" within a year or eighteen months at most; he had no intention of keeping such a large force in the capital. Furthermore, only by venturing out could they set an example for the other feudal princes. Once those other princes saw their younger brothers occupying territories larger than their own, how could they have the face to linger in the heartland of the Ming Empire, living lives of idle indolence? Even if they did not care for themselves, they would certainly have to consider their descendants. The Ming Empire had a finite amount of land; what would they leave for their own sons in the future?

Thus, Zhu Gui and his brothers were merely the benchmarks Zhu Yunsheng had erected—a display for princes like Zhu Di.

"This... sigh! Since you are all so righteous and understanding, I cannot be stingy!" Zhu Yunsheng let out a heavy sigh, pondered for a moment, and then said through gritted teeth: "Very well! If you are truly willing to fund and provision your own armies, I will permit you to take your mothers and their clans with you when you leave for your fiefs. You may even take along any members of the nobility who are willing to follow you."

Though Zhu Yunsheng’s face was etched with feigned reluctance, his heart was blooming with joy. Their maternal clans were, after all, imperial relatives. As long as these people remained in the Ming Empire, any action he took against them would inevitably spark controversy, and these imperial relatives were mostly arrogant and domineering. If they could be taken away, it would be for the best, sparing Zhu Yunsheng from bearing the infamy of having to deal with them later.

Furthermore, there was the matter of their mothers. Since the Ming dynasty had abolished the practice of human sacrifice upon death, keeping them in the palace meant Zhu Yunsheng not only had to treat them with utmost respect but also bear a massive annual expense. It would be far better to simply allow them to reunite with their sons. As for the nobility... that was just a convenient afterthought. If anyone was truly willing to leave with the princes, it would save him from future confrontations where he might have to burn bridges.

Zhu Gui and the others, however, were thoroughly bewitched by the beautiful vision Zhu Yunsheng had painted and his masterful acting. They had no inkling of the web of calculations behind his words. They thanked him profusely for his "generosity," and had it not been for the constraints of rank, they would have likely knelt and kowtowed to him.

Amidst their chorus of gratitude, Zhu Yunsheng watched as the excited group walked off with their arms around each other's shoulders toward the inner palace. It didn't take a genius to guess what they were off to do. Just as Zhu Yunsheng couldn't help but let a smile touch his lips at the success of his scheme, Jiang Xun, standing to the side, found his gaze drifting restlessly.

An hour later, night had enveloped Yingtian Prefecture.

At the Duke of Xin’s residence, the main hall door creaked open. Chen Erniu’s shaved head poked in, and upon seeing Zhu Yuanzhang sitting there excitedly clinking cups and boasting with Tang He, he immediately wanted to pull his neck back in.

Unexpectedly, his movement was spotted by Zhu Yuanzhang, who frowned and scolded, "You dog, what is it? Does my dear grandson have another brilliant idea? Why haven't you presented it to me yet?"

"Ah! Yes!" Chen Erniu froze, then quickly pushed the door open and walked in. He approached Zhu Yuanzhang, handed over a note that had been sent from the palace, and then quietly retreated to a safe distance.

Old Zhu, naturally, noticed his behavior but paid it no mind. He flicked the note in his hand and chuckled at Tang He and Fu Youde, "Dingchen, Weixue! Guess what good thing for the nation and the people my dear grandson has come up with this time?"

"Tsk, tsk! I truly must have been blessed by the heavens. After losing Xiong-ying and Biao-er, the heavens have compensated me with Yunsheng."

"Hahahaha!" Tang He and Fu Youde could hardly bear to watch; they didn't know how many times they had complained in their hearts about Old Zhu's obsession with his grandson. Yet, on the surface, they had to play along: "Your Majesty, please don't keep us in suspense. Let us see what the Third Prince has done this time!"

"Tsk, tsk!" Zhu Yuanzhang took a satisfied sip of wine, then unfolded the paper and held it up to the candlelight.

He had barely read a few words before his brow furrowed. He muttered to himself, "The monk Daoyan? Why does my dear grandson want the Embroidered Uniform Guard to keep an eye on a monk? And he calls him a 'wicked monk.' Could this fellow have some ulterior motive staying by the Fourth’s side?"

"The monk Daoyan? The Prince of Yan..." Tang He and Fu Youde repeated the name as well.

The three of them memorized the name, thinking that since they would soon be traveling across the Ming Empire, they would stop by Beiping to see exactly what was so peculiar about this monk.

Beiping, outside the Prince of Yan’s residence.

A carriage was followed by hundreds of the Prince of Yan’s personal guards on horseback, swords at their waists. The procession was slowly heading out of Beiping, apparently bound for the south.

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, revealing a face etched with faint worry.

Seeing this, a rider on a swift horse galloped up to the carriage, grinning as he asked, "Mother, is something the matter?"

The woman shook her head lightly, a trace of anxiety in her eyes. "Nothing. I just felt a bit stifled and wanted some fresh air."

"Mother, are you thinking of Zhanji? I told you to bring him along, but Father just wouldn't agree." Zhu Gaoxu curled his lip, seemingly quite displeased with his father.

*Snap!*

No sooner had he spoken than a whip cracked sharply across his back. Before he could even flare up in anger, he heard the voice of Zhu Di ringing in his ears.

"You brat, how dare you sow discord between me and your mother behind my back! We are going to the capital to attend to serious business. Why would we bring Zhanji along?"