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

Seeing Ouyang Lun so calm, Guo Zi and others' tense expressions finally relaxed a little.

Wu Jinzhi bowed and said, "Since the Prince Consort is confident, we can rest assured. If you need anything, just let me know!"

Zhu Wenhai, Jiao Ren and others also echoed: "We are willing to serve the prince consort!"

Ouyang Lun waved his hand lazily, as if to shoo away a fly: "Alright, alright, go do what you need to do, and stop bothering me."

Guo Zi was at a loss for words: "Prince Consort, we are worried about you."

"What are you worried about?" Ouyang Lun glanced at him, "If I can't even handle this, what's the point of being a royal consort?"

"Or do you think that besides the Emperor and His Majesty, who else can threaten me now?"

Hearing Ouyang Lun speak so confidently, Guo Zi and others were stunned at first, and then they all understood.

Yes!

The current son-in-law Ouyang Lun is the chief minister of the cabinet, the general of the military cabinet, the richest man in Ming Dynasty, and the leader of the son-in-law party. It can be said that he has power, connections, and money!
Seeing his reckless look, everyone knew that it was futile to persuade him further, so they just bowed and left.

Just as Guo Zi and his party were sent away, the doorman came to report: "My Lord, Minister Lu of the Ministry of Rites and Mr. Song of the Ministry of Personnel are outside the gate asking to see you."

Ouyang Lun raised his eyebrows: "Oh, my door is about to be broken tonight."

A moment later, Lu Chang and Song Lian came in together.

The two old ministers looked solemn. As soon as Lu Chang entered the room, he lowered his voice and said, "Son-in-law, this is not appropriate!"

Song Lian was also worried: "The matter of the Prince of Xiang involves so many people, why would the son-in-law wade into this muddy water?"

Ouyang Lun personally poured tea for the two of them and said with a smile, "You two elders came to visit me late at night just to talk about this?"

Lu Chang said anxiously: "Don't take it lightly, Prince Consort! Although the Emperor has not lost his temper today, if something goes wrong,

"Old Lu," Ouyang Lun interrupted him, suddenly changing his expression to a serious one, "Do you think I'm that kind of reckless person?"

Song Lian stroked his beard and pondered: "The prince consort has always been full of tricks, but this time..."

"Don't worry," Ouyang Lun patted Song Lian on the shoulder, "Since I dare to take it, I am sure of it."

He suddenly lowered his voice and said, "It's the affairs of the court. I'm going to trouble you two to take care of them while I'm away from Beijing."

Lu Chang understood and nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, Prince Consort, I will do my best to run the six ministries."

Song Lian was still worried: "How does the Prince Consort intend to deal with the King of Xiang? If he uses force, innocent people may be harmed."

Ouyang Lun smiled mysteriously: "Who said I was going to resort to violence?" He took out two jars of wine from the cabinet, "Come, try the newly arrived Maotai."

Lu Chang took the wine jar and didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "It's already this late, and the prince consort still has thoughts in his mind."

"Old Lu," Ouyang Lun broke the mud seal, and the aroma of wine immediately filled the study, "sometimes solving a problem does not necessarily require bloodshed."

Song Lian thought for a moment: "The meaning of Fu Ma is"

Ouyang Lun poured a glass for each of them. "The King of Xiang and I have a good personal relationship. There must be some hidden reason for his rebellion this time." He raised his glass and sipped. "I will go there in person. Maybe I can solve the problem without bloodshed."

Lu Chang and Song Lian looked at each other and finally felt relieved.

The three of them drank for a while, and then the two old ministers said goodbye.

Princess Anqing came over slowly, holding a cup of tea. Amid the aroma of tea, she had a worried look on her face: "My husband, I know the character of my twelfth brother very well. Although he is a little arrogant, he is definitely not a traitor. There must be another hidden reason for this rebellion. If you can..."

Ouyang Lun took the teacup and gently stroked the princess's hand with his fingertips: "Madam, don't worry, I know what's going on." He took a sip of tea, a gleam in his eyes, "The matter of the King of Xiang may not be as simple as it seems."

Princess Anqing heard this and relaxed her brows a little: "My husband means..."

"He intercepted the army and issued a manifesto. It seems that he is coming with great force, but in fact, there are some strange things going on." Ouyang Lun put down his teacup and sneered, "If he really wanted to rebel, why would he do it so loudly? It seems more like..."

"Like being pushed out as a target?" Princess Anqing continued.

Ouyang Lun looked at his wife with admiration: "Madam is indeed smart." He stood up, looked out the window with his hands behind his back, "I suspect someone deliberately provoked him to rebel in order to disrupt the government."

Princess Anqing bit her lower lip and said, "Then my husband will go..."

"Don't worry," Ouyang Lun turned around and held his wife's hand, "I will find out the truth first. If my twelfth brother is really being used by someone, I will give him a way out."

Princess Anqing's eyes welled up with tears, and she nodded solemnly: "Well, I will go and prepare your luggage now."

She was about to turn around when Ouyang Lun grabbed her.

"What's the hurry?" Ouyang Lun suddenly leaned in and whispered in her ear, "I'll go to your room tonight."

Princess Anqing's ears instantly turned red, and she hit him lightly: "It's already this hour, and you're still..."

"It is precisely because I am going on a long journey that I have to..." Ouyang Lun smiled evilly and winked, "After all, I will not see my wife for several months."

Under the candlelight, the princess's pretty face became more rosy, and she whispered, "Then I'll ask someone to prepare some wine and food."

Ouyang Lun laughed: "Great! It's a good opportunity for us to drink Maotai."

A night of spring supper.

noon the next day

Inside the Taile Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang was reviewing memorials when he suddenly looked up at Wang Zhong and asked, "That kid hasn't left yet?"

Wang Zhong's forehead was sweating, and he whispered, "Reporting to the Emperor, the Prince Consort is still resting." "What?!" Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the table and stood up, the teacup on the table jingled, "It's already noon! Does Ouyang Lun think this is a trip to enjoy the mountains and rivers?!"

Wang Zhong was trembling with fear: "The Prince Consort said that they discussed military affairs until three o'clock last night."

"Bullshit!" Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that his beard stood up. "We can see that he was 'discussing' in the princess' room until the third watch!" The old emperor paced back and forth in the hall, the hem of his dragon robe whizzing. "The Prince of Xiang has been rebelling for three days, and he, the commander-in-chief of the rebellion, is still sleeping!"

After scolding for about half an hour, Zhu Yuanzhang finally got tired of scolding and sat down on the dragon chair: "Go! Keep an eye on him! Report immediately if that kid makes any movement!"

It was not until 3:30 pm that Wang Zhong came running over in a hurry: "Grand Emperor! The Prince Consort has left the palace!"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly: "Finally you're willing to give it up?" He grabbed a casual coat and put it on, "Come on, let's go and see what this kid is up to."

When Zhu Yuanzhang and Wang Zhong came to the palace wall, they saw a huge crowd of people gathered outside the Meridian Gate. The old emperor narrowed his eyes and suddenly froze.

I saw a team stretching for miles, ready to go. In the front were three hundred cavalrymen wearing bright silver armor, and their horses were all tribute horses from the Western Regions, glowing red in the sun. Behind the cavalry were five hundred musketeers, whose brand-new flintlock rifles gleamed coldly in the sun.

In the middle were thirty-six four-wheeled carriages, the first of which was gilded with gold, and on its roof was a large apricot-yellow banner with the words "Imperial Order to Suppress the Rebellion". Behind it followed vehicles loaded with military equipment, all covered tightly with oilcloth.

There were two hundred accountants in brocade robes on both sides of the team, each with an abacus on his waist. What was even more outrageous was that there were ten cooking cars following behind, with a dozen cooks chopping meat and vegetables on the chopping board.

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned: "Is he going to war or hunting?!"

Wang Zhong whispered: "The Prince Consort said that this is a 'standardized march'."

The most eye-catching thing was the back of the team - a hundred carriages loaded with silver boxes, each with a flag of "Nanyang Commercial Bank". The silver boxes were open, and the white silver inside was so dazzling in the sun that people couldn't open their eyes.

"Why does he carry so much silver?!" Zhu Yuanzhang's voice changed.

At this time, Ouyang Lun lazily walked out of the gate of the clan residence. He was wearing a moon-white brocade robe, with an imperial sword casually hanging around his waist, and a half-eaten meat bun in his hand.

"Are all of them here?" Ouyang Lun asked casually.

A general stepped forward and said, "Sir, three thousand elite soldiers, five hundred firearms officers, two hundred accountants, eighty cooks, and one million taels of silver are all here. In addition, as you ordered, we also brought..."

"Alright, alright," Ouyang Lun waved his hand and stuffed the last bite of the bun into his mouth, "Tell the brothers that this time on a business trip, no, this time to suppress the rebellion, the food will be based on three taels of silver per day. There will be a generous reward for meritorious service!"

The whole army burst into cheers: "Thank you, Prince Consort!"

On the palace wall, Zhu Yuanzhang was shaking with anger: "Is he going to fight or to enjoy himself?!" But looking at the well-equipped and high-spirited team, the old emperor had to admit that this was probably the most lavish expedition lineup since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

Wang Zhong asked cautiously: "Grand Emperor, do you want to send someone?"

"Why are you going?" Zhu Yuanzhang threw his sleeves, "Let him do whatever he wants! Let's see if this kid is planning to kill the King of Xiang with so much silver!"

Under the palace wall, Ouyang Lun looked up and saw Zhu Yuanzhang. His eyes lit up and he immediately trotted over and bowed with a smile: "Oh, why did the emperor come to see me off in person? I am so embarrassed!"

Zhu Yuanzhang said with a dark face: "We are here to see how long you are going to sleep!"

Ouyang Lun scratched his head, looking innocent: "We are going on a long journey, so we need to conserve our energy."

"Recue?" Zhu Yuanzhang glared angrily, "Let's see if you are going to 'recue' with the princess!"

Ouyang Lun said calmly: "Your Majesty, I am doing this for the sake of the Ming dynasty's heirs."

"Get lost!" Zhu Yuanzhang kicked him. "If you can't solve the problem of the King of Xiang within three months, I will show you how I will deal with you!"

"Okay!" Ouyang Lun dodged quickly, turned around and jumped onto the gilded carriage, "Let's go!"

The convoy set off in a grand manner, attracting people to stop and watch along the way.

The team moved very slowly, only covering 30 to 40 li a day. Whenever they arrived at a county, Ouyang Lun would book the largest restaurant in the area and treat the people to a meal and drinks.

"Come on, come on, don't be polite!" In the largest Zuixianlou in Jinan Prefecture, Ouyang Lun stood on the table with a wine glass in his hand, "This prince consort is treating us! Shopkeeper, bring out your best wine and food!"

The people were surprised and delighted, and they all sat down to eat. Ouyang Lun drank and chatted with the people: "Fellow villagers, what do you think of the railway?"

"That's great!" an old farmer said excitedly, "It used to take two days to get to the provincial capital, but now it only takes half a day by train!"

Ouyang Lun laughed and filled the old farmer's glass again: "So what do you think of the King of Xiang?"

The restaurant suddenly became quiet. A bold businessman whispered, "My Lord, the Prince of Xiang seems to be recruiting soldiers recently."

Ouyang Lun's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked the accountant to write down the merchant's name: "Okay! I'll give you 10 taels of silver!"

Ouyang Lun shook the wine pot, looked at the silent people, and suddenly slapped the table and laughed, "Don't be afraid! This prince consort is just chatting casually, just treat it as a casual chat!" He waved to the waiter and added another plate of braised beef on the table, "Come on, everyone, eat more, and then we can continue chatting after eating."

A young hunter gritted his teeth and moved forward with his wine glass in hand: "My Lord, a group of soldiers suddenly came to the forest behind our village last month, saying that they wanted to enclose the land to raise horses." He lowered his voice, "But we see that the soldiers are not holding horse ropes, but iron bows!"

"Oh?" Ouyang Lun raised his eyebrows, rubbing the edge of the wine glass with his fingertips, "Iron bows for raising horses? This is new." He winked at the accountant, "Brother Hunter, I'll give you 20 taels of silver - by the way, what's the name of your village?"

The hunter reported the place name, his hand holding the silver trembling slightly. At this time, an old scholar in the corner pushed his glasses, coughed twice and said: "Do you know that 'a harsh government is more ferocious than a tiger'? Under the rule of the King of Xiang, last autumn, the county suddenly increased the grain tax by 30%, saying that they wanted to build a 'forbidden garden'. The grandson of the old man was so hungry that he cried, and had to sell his oxen for corn."

Before she finished speaking, a cloth-selling woman at the next table suddenly interrupted, "My husband went to Changsha to deliver goods last month, and he was so scared when he came back! He was told that the guards at the city gate searched everyone one by one, even the soles of their shoes were scratched for inspection, and if they hesitated for a moment, they would be dragged away and beaten with a stick!" Her eyes were red, "Who dares to go to Changsha now? Business is almost going out of business!"

Ouyang Lun nodded repeatedly, and suddenly pointed out the window and asked, "Those flags on the hilltop in the distance, are they the soldiers of the King of Xiang? Why do they look several times more than last year?"

Everyone followed his gaze and saw a large flag with the Chinese character "朱" fluttering on the mountain ridge in the distance, and densely packed tents under it extended all the way to the foot of the mountain. A strong man pushing a cart selling oil said in a muffled voice: "There are more than just many flags. Last month, when I passed by the posthouse, I heard a few soldiers drinking and bragging, saying, 'When the prince gives the order, we can go straight to Yingtian Prefecture.'"

With a clang, Ouyang Lun's wine glass hit the table hard, and a few drops of wine splashed out. He seemed not to notice it, and suddenly stood up and climbed onto the bench, clasping his fists towards the audience and saying, "Thank you all for speaking the truth! So -" He took out a stack of banknotes from his sleeve, "Anyone who can tell the unusual things in the territory of the King of Xiang will be rewarded, no matter how big or small! How about we meet here at this time tomorrow?"

The people looked at each other, and suddenly someone asked in a low voice: "Your Highness, why are you asking these questions? Are you trying to..."

"Of course, we want to let the emperor know about the sufferings of the people!" Ouyang Lun laughed, "Just don't worry, this prince consort came here this time to..." He paused deliberately, his eyes swept across the tense faces of the crowd, "- to seek justice for you!" (End of this chapter)