Chapter 65: Heading to the Fief of the Prince of Yan

"Your Majesty! Perhaps... perhaps it has something to do with the Crown Prince's inspection of the Ministry of Works today."

Just as the three of them were filled with puzzlement, Chen Erniu spoke up to remind them.

"The Ministry of Works? What did our good grandson go there for?" Zhu Yuanzhang immediately asked.

Chen Erniu smiled and replied, "The news was just sent over by the Commander of the Jinyiwei. The Crown Prince went because..."

After hearing the sequence of events regarding Zhu Yunxun's visit to the Ministry of Works, the three of them fell silent.

After a long while, Tang He suddenly stood up, bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang, and said, "Ha! Congratulations, Your Majesty, congratulations! His Highness the Third Prince is truly a man of great talent! Moreover, he possesses a benevolent heart. I fear it won't be long before the wish we had when we first rose in rebellion can be fulfilled."

"The wish from back then!" Zhu Yuanzhang murmured, his gaze turning distant as if sinking into memories. "To let all the common people of the realm have enough to eat and wear warm clothes... Can... can that really be achieved?"

"Your Majesty, whether it can be achieved or not, we shall see it with our own eyes once we travel around after a while," Fu Youde chimed in with a smile.

Heaven knows what he felt when he just heard Chen Erniu say that Zhu Yunxun intended to ensure that no one in the Great Ming would freeze to death in the snow this coming winter.

Back then, which of them hadn't been driven to a dead end with no other way to survive, forcing them to join the rebel army?

At the beginning, each of their wishes was nothing more than for themselves and their families to have enough food and warm clothing.

If there had been an emperor like Zhu Yunxun back then, who would have risked their lives gambling with their heads?

Later, as they gradually gained power, that wish evolved into hoping that all the people of the world could also eat their fill and dress warmly.

It was just a pity... after striving for so many years, that wish remained merely a wish.

Never had they expected...

"Hahaha! Weixue is right. Whether it is true or not, we will know once we travel and see for ourselves."

Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have unlocked a knot in his heart, laughing heartily. "In that case, let us head north first."

"Your Majesty, are you planning to visit the Prince of Yan?" Tang He immediately inquired.

He certainly didn't believe that Zhu Yuanzhang merely wanted to take a casual trip to the north.

One must know that this sworn brother of his always left a fallback plan no matter what he did.

"Indeed!" Zhu Yuanzhang made no attempt to conceal it, nodding as he said, "Although our good grandson now appears worthy of that throne, he is still too young after all, and he has never been trained in the arts of statecraft since childhood. I worry that he might make mistakes in the future, or lose his head once he holds supreme power, so I must make preparations in advance."

"Among the other vassal princes, only the fourth one still meets with my approval..."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not finish the rest of his sentence.

Yet how could Tang He and Fu Youde fail to understand what he meant?

Tang He immediately shook his head and said, "But Your Majesty, if the Prince of Yan he..."

Upon hearing this, Fu Youde's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly reached out to pull the sleeve of his old brother.

Meddling in imperial family affairs and speaking of it so boldly—Tang He dared to say it, but Fu Youde didn't even dare to listen.

He was not Old Zhu's sworn brother...

However, the explosive rage from Zhu Yuanzhang that Fu Youde had anticipated did not happen.

Instead, Zhu Yuanzhang very calmly waved his hand and said, "Dinchen, I understand everything you are worried about."

"Although I believe the fourth one would not dare to do anything to me, your concerns are completely valid. Therefore, I plan to let Weixue stay in the capital. When the time comes, I will personally write an imperial edict of abdication. If the fourth one truly harbors any ambitions, Weixue, you can simply produce the edict then. Backed by the righteous authority of the state, the fourth one will be able to stir up no waves at all. Furthermore, we still have Lan Yu and the others in the imperial court..."

"Your Majesty, your minister..."

"Enough! There is no need to say more. I will leave a copy of the same edict with Jiang Huan as well, so you needn't feel pressured." Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand to cut Fu Youde off.

In truth, this remark was not only meant to comfort Fu Youde, but also served as a warning to him, lest he lose his head and do something irrational.

Understanding the implication in his heart, Fu Youde fell silent.

Tang He continued, "Your Majesty, although leaving behind the edict can indeed make the Prince of Yan hesitate to act, I am afraid that alone is still not insurance enough, is it?"

"Mm! It is somewhat risky," Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, but then quickly smiled brightly. "However, I trust the fourth one. Even if you gave him a hundred guts, he would not dare to commit any treasonous acts."

"Sigh! Very well, then!" Tang He sighed, then seemed to recall something as he smiled, "Right, Your Majesty, might I bring that girl Xiuning to the capital?"

"Hahaha! You old rascal!" Zhu Yuanzhang laughed heartily upon hearing this.

After the laughter subsided, he waved his hand and said, "I won't concern myself with this matter, nor can I manage it now. Arrange it however you see fit. When the time comes, I will have Jiang Huan send a letter to Lady Guo. Whether it works out depends entirely on the fate between the two children."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, haha." Tang He laughed along heartily.

Fu Youde watched the two of them for a moment, a sudden sense of relief welling up in his heart.

Since he did not have to follow Zhu Yuanzhang on his travels and could remain in the capital, it meant he would be able to re-enter the imperial court. When that time came, whose daughter would end up together with Zhu Yunxun was truly anyone's guess.

In high spirits, Zhu Yuanzhang had Chen Erniu buy wine and food. The three old brothers drank together, exchanging cups, before finally dispersing to rest.

The next day.

Morning court session at the Fengtian Hall.

Zhu Yunxun had just taken his seat beside the imperial carriage, and before Ma Sanbao could even speak, someone stepped out from the ranks of officials.

"Your Highness, this minister heard that yesterday a place called 'Heaven on Earth' appeared in Yingtian, earning tens of millions of silver taels for the Great Ming in a single day..."

No one expected this person to bring up the matter of Heaven on Earth. Although the sum mentioned was inaccurate, it made the eyes of quite a few officials who were usually ill-informed turn red with envy.

After finishing his account, the official bowed and requested, "Your Highness, this humble minister believes that such merchants, who only know how to fleece the populace without ever giving back to the people, should not be allowed to exist in the Great Ming. I implore Your Highness to dispatch the Jinyiwei to thoroughly investigate them."

Boom!

As his words fell, the imperial court instantly erupted into a clamor.

Some believed this official was entirely in the right, arguing that Heaven on Earth was nothing more than a pleasure house, and accumulating wealth on such a scale meant it must not be allowed to continue.

Others felt that the money earned by Heaven on Earth was a result of genuine capability, and if the imperial court interfered, it would simply be out of jealousy toward others.

"Hump! Gu Jiaoji, you have quite some nerve."

Just as everyone was arguing back and forth, Lan Yu let out a cold snort and stepped out from the ranks of officials, his gaze piercing like knives as he glared at the official.

Gu Jiaoji was not a person of great renown, merely a seventh-rank minor official in the Censorate.

Yet as a censor, he possessed the prerogative to submit reports based on hearsay; regardless of whether his accusations were correct or not, as long as he voiced his opinions, he would not be punished.

Meeting Lan Yu's gaze, Gu Jiaoji shrank his neck instinctively, but the integrity of a 'pure-stream' censor quickly caused him to straighten his back once more.

Looking defiantly at Lan Yu, he retorted, "Lord Minister of the Bureau of Military Affairs, what do you mean by this? His Highness has not even spoken yet, and you are so impatiently pointing fingers at this official. Could it be that the person behind Heaven on Earth is none other than you, Lord Minister?"