Daming: I can’t kill such a greedy prince-in-law?

Ouyang Lun suddenly thought of something and turned to look at Zhu Biao: "Your Majesty, you also know?"

Zhu Biao coughed lightly and looked away awkwardly: "This. When Anqing came to the palace to pay respects a few days ago, he mentioned it to my mother."

"Great!" Ouyang Lun laughed angrily, "I was wondering why the princess kept going to the palace recently. It turns out she was going to tip off the emperor!"

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the table and said, "How can you talk like that! Our daughter is filial and will tell her parents if she has any worries. But you!" He pointed at Ouyang Lun's nose, "You have been planning to kidnap our daughter to some deserted island overseas all day long. What are you thinking?!"

Ouyang Lun didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Your Majesty, I am..."

"What is it!" Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted him, "We have checked it out. That Anning Island is far east of Ryukyu. It takes half a month to get there by boat! What if there is a storm? Is there a doctor on the island? Are there any guards? You want our daughter to follow you and become a savage?"

Ouyang Lun was about to explain when Zhu Biao suddenly interrupted: "Actually, I think that island is pretty good."

Zhu Yuanzhang and Ouyang Lun turned their heads at the same time: "Hmm?"

Zhu Biao smiled and said, "Didn't my brother-in-law say that? The climate there is pleasant and the people are simple and honest. Moreover," he looked at Ouyang Lun meaningfully, "I recently received a report from the ruler of Ryukyu, saying that merchants from the Central Plains have been building a lot of houses in the Penglai Islands."

Ouyang Lun immediately broke out in a sweat.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened: "Good for you, Ouyang Lun! You've already started preparing?!"

Ouyang Lun waved his hands quickly: "Your Majesty, I understand. I am right."

"What are you talking about!" Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that his beard stood up, "You are committing the crime of deceiving the emperor!"

Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was about to get angry, Ouyang Lun thought of a solution: "Your Majesty, calm down! I am doing this for the Ming Dynasty!"

"Oh?" Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, "Kidnapped the princess for the Ming Dynasty?"

Ouyang Lun said solemnly: "That's right! I built a house overseas to test the strategy of 'sea post station'. In the future, when Ming merchant ships sail far away, they will need a place to replenish supplies along the way. I am taking risks to explore the way for the court!"

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao looked at each other and burst out laughing at the same time.

"What a sharp-tongued Ouyang Lun!" Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and laughed, "Forget it, forget it. Since you have worked so hard for the Ming Dynasty, I will spare you this time."

Ouyang Lun was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he heard Zhu Yuanzhang change the subject: "However, we have to leave a yard for the house on the island!"

“Ah?” Ouyang Lun was dumbfounded.

Zhu Biao also came over and said: "Leave one for me too. It's nice to go there occasionally for a vacation and go fishing."

Ouyang Lun opened his mouth and smiled bitterly after a while, "I obey your order."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction, and suddenly remembered something: "Oh, you just mentioned the one billion population thing."

Ouyang Lun was startled and said, "I'll do it right away!" Then he was about to run away.

"Stop!" Zhu Yuanzhang called him, smiling, "Remember, we want both a billion people and Anning Island!"

Ouyang Lun wiped the sweat off his face and bowed deeply: "I will do my best."

"By the way, I was carried here, can I be carried when I leave as well?"

Seeing Ouyang Lun's expectant look, Zhu Yuanzhang gritted his teeth and finally blurted out one word, "Get lost!"

"Good Le!"

Ouyang Lun nodded and left quickly.

When he walked out of Taile Palace, Ouyang Lun looked up at the sky and suddenly felt that his dream of living in seclusion on an island with his lovely wife seemed to be becoming more and more distant.
As soon as Ouyang Lun stepped out of the gate of Taile Palace, he was shocked by the scene in front of him -

Outside the palace gate, there was a huge crowd of civil and military officials, including the six ministers, vice ministers, censors, Hanlin scholars... almost half of the court had come, and they all stretched their necks, staring eagerly at what was happening in the Taile Palace.

"The Prince Consort is coming out!" Someone shouted, and the crowd suddenly became agitated.

"My Lord! What is the matter that the Emperor has urgently summoned you for?" Minister of Revenue Guo Zi was the first to rush forward, grabbing Ouyang Lun's sleeve and asking in a low voice, "Is there a disturbance at the border?"

"Your Majesty, does His Majesty want to adjust taxes?" The Minister of Works Shan Anren also squeezed over, looking nervous.

"Lord Ouyang, everyone in the court now knows that you were carried into the Taile Palace. What happened?" Wu Jingzhi, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, had a solemn expression on his face.

Ouyang Lun was surrounded, his ears buzzing, and all he could see were anxious faces. He blinked, then suddenly covered his chest, and bent over in pain: "Ouch...hiss..."

When the officials saw this, they were immediately panicked.

"What happened to the Prince Consort?!"

"Quick! Call the doctor quickly!"

"Did you get hurt in Taile Palace?"

Ouyang Lun waved his hands and said weakly: "It's okay... It's okay... It's just that the matter entrusted by the emperor is too important. This prince consort is temporarily shaken and needs to rest..."

"What on earth is going on?!" Everyone stamped their feet anxiously.

Ouyang Lun took a deep breath, looked around, and lowered his voice and said, "This matter involves the country's foundation, so I can't say more..."

The hearts of all the officials suddenly rose to their throats.

"But..." Ouyang Lun suddenly stood up, patted Guo Zi on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "Old Guo, go back and prepare more silver. The court will soon make a big move."

"Ah?!" Guo Zi's face turned pale, "Are you going to increase taxes?!"

Ouyang Lun did not answer, and looked at Shan Anren again: "Master Yan, the Ministry of Works has recently prepared more craftsmen, and they will be of great use soon."

Shan Anren was confused: "Prince Consort, can you explain it more clearly?"

Ouyang Lun smiled mysteriously, cupped his hands and said, "Everyone, this prince consort has something important to attend to, so I'll go ahead!"

After saying that, he took advantage of everyone's distraction and slipped out of the crowd and left quickly.

All the officials stood there, looking at each other.

"This...is it over?"

"What on earth did the Prince Consort say? Why am I even more confused?"

"He said 'it involves the foundation of the country'... Could it be the matter of appointing a crown prince?!" someone exclaimed.

"No! He said the Ministry of Works needs to prepare craftsmen, and the Ministry of Revenue needs to prepare silver... This is clearly a war!"

"Could it be that the Northern Yuan Dynasty has violated the border again?!"

"..."

Everyone was talking about it, and the speculation became more and more outrageous. In the end, some people even suspected that the emperor wanted to depose the emperor and establish another one, which scared several old ministers so much that they almost fainted on the spot.

On the other side, Ouyang Lun walked a long way away, looked back at the officials who were still arguing there, and couldn't help laughing out loud.

"Your Majesty, it's not good for you to tease you gentlemen like this, right?" Little Leo who was following behind him couldn't help but remind him.

Ouyang Lun waved his hand, nonchalantly: "Don't worry, they will know the truth soon."

"Then the 'big move' you just mentioned..."

"Oh, that." Ouyang Lun said with a smile, "The emperor really wants to implement new policies to encourage childbirth, open up the sea ban, promote new agricultural tools... Which of these things does not require the Ministry of Revenue to pay money and the Ministry of Works to provide manpower? I didn't lie to them." Little Leo: "..."

The next day, in the court hall.

When Zhu Yuanzhang announced the new policy in public, Guo Zi and Shan Anren, who had been "advised" by Ouyang Lun yesterday, suddenly realized and could not help but glare at Ouyang Lun who was standing beside them.

Ouyang Lun blinked innocently and mouthed, "I have already warned you."

Guo Zi was so angry that his beard stood on end, while Shan Anren held his forehead and smiled bitterly.

The other officials looked confused - why did the people from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works seem to have been prepared?
After the court session ended, several ministers surrounded Guo Zi and Shan Anren and asked in a low voice, "Master Guo, Master Shan, did you get the news in advance?"

Guo Zi snorted and pointed at Ouyang Lun who was walking away leisurely in the distance: "My Lord, you made me sleep poorly all night!"

Shan Anren also said helplessly: "The Prince Consort did tell the truth, but he looked so mysterious. Who would have thought it was such a thing?"

Everyone looked at Ouyang Lun's back, feeling both angry and amused.

This prince consort really made fun of all the civil and military officials in the court!
At this time, Ouyang Lun had changed into casual clothes, humming a little tune, and walked leisurely towards the imperial garden.

From a distance, he saw Princess Anqing sitting in the pavilion making tea, so he walked over with a smile.

"Princess, you are in a good mood today."

An Qing looked up and saw it was him. He smiled and said, "I heard that the prince consort was carried into the Taiyue Palace yesterday. Is he causing unrest in the court today?"

Ouyang Lun sat down beside her, took a sip from the teacup, and said with a smile: "Life must always have some fun."

An Qing shook his head, his eyes full of doting: "You, aren't you afraid that your father will really be angry with you one day?"

Ouyang Lun blinked: "What are you afraid of? He is counting on me to help him realize his goal of 'one billion people'!"

An Qing couldn't help laughing and punched him lightly: "You, really..."

The breeze blows and the fragrance of tea wafts in the air.

Ouyang Lun looked at the palace wall in the distance and suddenly sighed: "Princess, you say... has our Anning Island been 'expropriated' by the Emperor and His Majesty?"

An Qing covered his mouth and chuckled: "Why? Do you regret building the house in advance?"

Ouyang Lun shrugged: "Not really... I just feel that our peaceful life will be difficult in the future."

An Qing leaned on his shoulder and said softly: "As long as I am with you, anywhere is a peaceful island."

Ouyang Lun felt warm in his heart, held her hand, and said with a smile: "That's right... Anyway, the emperor and his majesty can't go to the island every day."

As soon as he finished speaking, a light cough suddenly came from behind him.

Ouyang Lun froze and slowly turned his head——

He saw Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao standing outside the pavilion, looking at him with a smile.

Zhu Yuanzhang: "Ouyang Lun, I suddenly feel that your island... seems to be missing a dock?"

Zhu Biao nodded: "Well, it would be nice to build another imperial study."

Ouyang Lun: “…”

An Qing blushed and hid behind Ouyang Lun, whispering: "See, I told you not to talk nonsense..."

Ouyang Lun sighed to the sky——

His dream of a peaceful island was completely ruined! !

Capital City, Korean Government House.

Li Shanchang sat in the study, holding a secret report in his hand, frowning slightly. Huang Zicheng, Lan Yu, Hu Weiyong and other core members of the Huaixi Party sat on both sides, with different expressions.

"Everyone, I believe you have all heard that Ouyang Lun was summoned by the retired emperor?" Li Shanchang put down the secret report and spoke slowly.

Lan Yu snorted coldly: "Isn't it just being carried into the Taile Palace? What's the big deal?"

Huang Zicheng shook his head and said, "General, this matter is not that simple. As far as I know, after Ouyang Lun came out, the people in the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works were teased by him, but then the emperor announced a series of new policies involving population, maritime bans, agricultural tools, etc., all of which were proposed by Ouyang Lun."

"This is enough to prove that Ouyang Lun's importance in the heart of the Emperor is even greater than we thought!"

Li Shanchang stroked his beard and pondered: "Not only that. Did you know that Ouyang Lun secretly purchased an island overseas, intending to live in seclusion with Princess Anqing? When the emperor knew about this, he not only did not punish him, but instead..."

"On the contrary what?" Lan Yu asked anxiously.

"Instead, we ask Ouyang Lun to reserve a separate courtyard on the island for the retired emperor and Your Majesty." Li Shanchang smiled bitterly.

"What?!" everyone was shocked.

Lan Yu slammed the table and stood up: "What kind of magic potion did Ouyang Lun feed the emperor?!"

Huang Zicheng frowned and said, "This is strange. Logically speaking, the prince consort secretly purchased overseas land with the intention of taking the princess away from Beijing. This is a taboo! Not only is the emperor not angry, but he wants to go with him?"

Li Shanchang's eyes were deep: "This shows that what Ouyang Lun did must have been tacitly approved or even supported by the Supreme Emperor."

Li Shanchang nodded slowly: "That's right. So, if we, the Huaixi Party, act rashly, we will only bring shame upon ourselves."

Lan Yu said unwillingly, "Are we just going to watch Ouyang Lun continue to be so arrogant? His new policies are clearly meant to cut off our source of income!"

Li Shanchang raised his hand to stop him: "Duke Liang, please be patient. I am not saying that you should sit and wait for death, but I am reminding you that you should not act rashly before you are absolutely sure."

Huang Zicheng seemed to be thinking: "Mr. Li means... to be patient for the time being and wait and see what happens?"

"That's right." Li Shanchang glanced at everyone, "Ouyang Lun's new policy may seem promising, but there will be resistance in its implementation. We just need to observe secretly, wait for him to make a mistake, and then strike back!"

Lan Yu frowned: "But what if his new policy really comes true?"

Li Shanchang smiled slightly and said, "Then we should 'follow the trend' and get a piece of the pie."

Hu Weiyong suddenly realized: "Mr. Li is very smart! If the new policy succeeds, we will profit from it in the name of 'supporting the court'; if the new policy fails, we will unite with all officials to impeach Ouyang Lun!"

Li Shanchang nodded with satisfaction: "That's right. So, from today onwards, the Huaixi Party must not openly oppose the new policy, and can even 'appropriately' support it."

Huang Zicheng hesitated and said, "But in this way, aren't we helping Ouyang Lun?"

Li Shanchang sneered: "Help him? No, we are waiting for him to make a mistake. Ouyang Lun seems smart, but he is actually arrogant. The more proud he is, the easier it is for him to reveal his flaws."

Lan Yu finally smiled: "Okay! Let's follow Lord Li's plan!"

At the same time, in the Prince Consort’s mansion.

Ouyang Lun was lying in a rocking chair, flipping through an account book leisurely. Princess Anqing came over with a plate of fruit and said angrily, "My husband, you teased the officials yesterday, and you are lazy at home today. Be careful that the emperor will punish you if he finds out."

Ouyang Lun took the fruit with a smile: "Don't worry, Princess, the emperor is too busy with his business to take care of me now."

An Qing sat down beside him and whispered, "But I heard that there seems to be some movement from the Huaixi Party."

Ouyang Lun raised his eyebrows: "Oh? What's going on?" (End of this chapter)