King of Han Dynasty of Ming Dynasty

"Boss, wait a minute."

Wait until everyone has left.

The prince originally sat on a high platform, like a mascot and didn't say much.

When Zhu Gaochi was about to get up and leave, he heard Zhu Gaoxu's voice asking him to stay.

Zhu Gaochi was slightly stunned when he heard this, then he turned his head with a hint of curiosity and asked:

"Second brother..."

"Do you have anything else to do?"

Zhu Gaoxu was not polite either. He stood up, reached out and pulled the prince over, put his right hand on his shoulder, and nodded slightly at him with a smile.

See this situation.

Zhu Gaochi frowned, and his eyes narrowed involuntarily. He broke free from Zhu Gaoxu's hand on his shoulder and subconsciously took several steps back to keep a certain distance from him. A hint of vigilance emerged in his expression.

About it.

It’s no wonder that Zhu Gaochi acted like this.

In fact, he is the younger brother who grew up with him. He can tell what kind of shit he is going to poop just by looking at his butt.

Judging from Zhu Gaoxu's appearance, he definitely had nothing good to say.

Who knows, he might be planning something bad and preparing to assassinate someone!
In this situation, how could Zhu Gaochi not be vigilant?

Moreover, during this period, Zhu Gaoxu's skillful means of plotting against people were extremely unpredictable, and had gone several levels higher than before.

Not to mention that he was afraid in his heart, just ask all the civil and military officials in the court, who would not be afraid of Zhu Gaoxu?

Those bloody lessons, the blood shed by those who didn’t believe in evil, hasn’t dried yet!

"hey hey"

"No, no, no, no, second brother."

"Stay away from me you bastard."

"Just your attitude and actions make me feel uneasy."

"If there's anything, let's just talk about it."

"If it can be done and it can be done, and it is beneficial to the court, I have no objection."

"Okay?"

"Are you satisfied? That's quite nice of you!"

Zhu Gaoxu: "???????"

No?

What the hell?
What's wrong with him?
It seems like nothing has been done and nothing has been said. Is it necessary to react so big?
It made him look like he had no good intentions.

Isn't he so bad and so unbearable?
Do you want this?

Heaven and earth conscience.

Although he used some small tricks to deal with many people, he also cheated many people.

But let me ask myself, among those who fell into the trap, which one of them was not harmful and treacherous to him or to the entire Ming Dynasty, and which one of them was not a parasite in the court.

As long as it is beneficial to the court, he should be worthy of the officials and people of the court.

Even those people who have no reason to annoy him, or who have embarrassed him, or even took the opportunity to slap him in the face.

As long as they didn't go too far, when would Zhu Gaoxu ever care about those individuals?
Not
After all the twists and turns, he ended up being blamed and was put in an unjust position.

Too much!

To tell the truth.

The Crown Prince's behavior and performance really disgusted Zhu Gaoxu.

Although the words were not excessive.

But these actions and expressions are not those of a fool.

It really made him speechless and extremely aggrieved.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but take a few deep breaths, suppressing the uneasiness in his heart. He glared at the prince who was keeping a sufficient distance from him and was still a little wary, and said quietly:

"Okay okay okay"

“Keep your distance, keep your distance.”

"Is this all right now?"

While speaking, Zhu Gaoxu took several steps back as if in a huff, and the distance between the two was widened again.

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward and depressing.

For a moment.

The prince also realized that his actions just now were indeed a bit too much.

Then, an awkward smile flashed across his face, and he walked towards Zhu Gaoxu with a laugh, without dwelling on or explaining too much about this matter. For him, no matter how much he said at this moment, it would be meaningless. He then changed the subject and said with a smile:
"Second child"

"You left me here alone, but what's the important matter you need to discuss?"

"Say it!"

"We are all ears."

While speaking, he also pretended to reach out and pick his ears with his fingernails. Combined with his fat hands, his behavior seemed a bit funny.

Zhu Gaoxu, who had originally had a stern face and was very unhappy, couldn't help laughing when he saw his look. He no longer insisted on figuring out who was right and who was wrong in what had just happened.

After all, Zhu Gaochi's attitude has softened, which can be regarded as another degree of admitting defeat and mistakes.

Then, he frowned, pondered for a moment, his expression became extremely serious, his face became a little gloomy, and he asked quietly:
"Boss"

"Today, the Japanese envoys came to the palace to discuss this matter."

"Do you feel that this is going a little too smoothly?"

"When did those arrogant Japanese people become so easy to talk to?"

"In the face of such unreasonable demands made by me, it should not be said that they are extremely excessive."

"Eleven million taels of silver were handed over as soon as they said they would. Apart from the necessary bargaining, there was no objection at all."

"It feels so unreal, it's hard to believe."

"As a result, I feel a little uneasy in my heart."

"I always feel that the plot of these people in Japan is not as simple as it appears."

"It gives people the feeling that the drunkard has other intentions than drinking."

"I have to doubt that the purpose of these Japanese bastards' trip is probably not just as simple as buying refined salt."

"The so-called refined salt cooperation seems to be a smokescreen put forward by these Japanese people to cover up their real purpose. The real purpose has not yet been revealed, or these bastards have been quietly carrying out it in secret."

"Boss"

"Do you feel that way?"

After hearing this.

The prince, who originally had a playful look on his face, turned visibly gloomy. His brows were slightly wrinkled until they curled together, leaving a few wrinkles. His expression also became extremely solemn without him noticing.

About it.

He really hadn't thought much about it before.

In his view, the Ming Dynasty was the Celestial Empire with abundant resources.

Moreover, in recent years, Japan has imported many items from the Ming Dynasty.

The benefits brought by the introduction of refined salt are so huge that anyone can feel it unless they are a fool.

It is normal for Japan to do this in order to curry favor with the Ming court for the sake of profit and try to obtain the sales rights of refined salt, even though Japan paid 10 million taels of silver to purchase the sales rights.

but.
You know, refined salt is coming out.

The Ming Dynasty only imposed price limits on salt merchants within its territory, preventing them from exceeding the limit set by the court.

When we were discussing the matter just now, no one had made such a request to Japan, which means that once the refined salt leaves the territory of Ming Dynasty, the Japanese can do as they please. No matter what price they set, Ming Dynasty will not care, intervene or ask questions.

And salt is a necessity for everyone.

For those who have tasted, refined salt.

Let it eat coarse salt again, that bitter taste.

I'm afraid it will be difficult for people to accept it.

in this way.

As long as the price is kept at a reasonable level, the amount of money that can be made from refined salt is simply unimaginable.

Even now Zhu Gaoxu reminded him.

But Zhu Gaochi still didn't think there was anything wrong or bad about it.

A chain of interests has been established, and the amount of interests is huge.

Even though Japan took out 11 million taels of silver first, with this amount, it would be very easy to earn it back as long as the operation was proper. It was not a big problem at all.

After a brief pause, Zhu Gaochi could not help but frown. He slowly raised his head and shook his head with a slightly hesitant look, saying:
"No way!"

"Second child"

"I'm afraid you're thinking too complicated about this matter."

"The small country of Japan is just a tiny country. What kind of storm can they stir up?"

"And according to what I just thought, the chain of interests in the middle is complete, everything is reasonable, and I can't find anything suspicious!"

"Second brother, maybe you are worrying too much."

Say it.

Zhu Gaochi told Zhu Gaoxu everything he had thought about and analyzed.

He attempted to dispel Zhu Gaoxu's concerns and prove that he was overthinking.

After hearing this.

Zhu Gaoxu's originally gloomy expression unexpectedly became even gloomier without him noticing.

It is undeniable that the prince's words, logic and interests are all clear, and everything seems so normal, with no clues or suspicious points at all.

But. I don't know why.

Zhu Gaoxu always had a vague sense of uneasiness in his heart, and this feeling became even stronger when he thought that the leader of the Japanese envoys this time was Ashikaga Yoshimochi.

then.

He shook his head, flatly denied it, and continued in a decisive tone:

"This matter."

"Boss, you are right."

"but."

“But it doesn’t dispel my concerns.”

“I always feel like there’s something in this.”

In this regard.

Zhu Gaochi originally wanted to say something else, but when he thought about how Zhu Gaoxu had experienced life and death over the years and had survived in the ever-changing battlefield, and had also made many outstanding achievements and saved Emperor Yongle from danger several times.

From this we can see that Zhu Gaoxu's intuition is so accurate that it is unmatched by ordinary people.

Afterwards, he simply sorted out his thoughts and suggested:
"Fine!"

"Actually, second brother, your worry is not wrong."

"When it comes to countries, it's always better to be cautious."

"That's it."

"Inform the Imperial Guards to place the Japanese envoys under strict surveillance and observe their every move."

"If these bastards dare to do anything extreme."

"Don't ask why, just take it down first."

“This is the only way to be absolutely sure.”

"Under the strict surveillance of the Jinyiwei, even if the Japanese have any evil intentions, they will be unable to escape and will have nowhere to act."

"Is this all right?"

This seemingly seamless arrangement that fills in the gaps is extremely reasonable and compliant.

However, this was not the result Zhu Gaoxu wanted to see.

After a brief silence, Zhu Gaoxu shook his head and said:
"Boss"

"not enough."

"Just being a Jinyiwei is not enough."

"There are some things that are known to us, brothers and even the old man."

"Boss, you have to let your people contribute more to this matter."

"The Imperial Guards are responsible for closely monitoring all Japanese who come to see the emperor today."

"But no one knows whether Japan has deployed personnel in advance to arrive in Yingtian Prefecture before them."

"So just to be safe."

"I hope that you can help check all the docks of Ming Dynasty. Recently, Japanese envoys have arrived outside the border of Ming Dynasty. Are there other people arriving during this period? Even if the people entering and leaving the docks are citizens of Ming Dynasty, they must still be strictly screened."

"There can be no slacking off."

"If there are any unusual or abnormal situations, report them immediately."

"I'll wait here so we can discuss countermeasures."

"Boss"

"What do you think?"

"Are you willing to cooperate?"

Zhu Gaochi: “???????”

Oh, no.

What the hell?
The Royal Guards have been dispatched and the most stringent surveillance has been initiated. Is this not enough?

He also needs to put the power hidden in the dark into it.

For a moment, Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but doubt Zhu Gaoxu's motives.

He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Will the second brother, this mix-up, deliberately exaggerate so that he can mobilize the hidden people in the dark and take the opportunity to explore the power in his hands in an attempt to find clues?"

Otherwise, is Japan, which has already been put on the agenda and is about to be destroyed by troops, worthy of such serious treatment?
Moreover.

Having said that, it turns out that the prince has hidden power in his hands.

What about the second child?
Why didn't he use his own people and insisted on asking him to cooperate?

Isn't this simply going the far way?

In this way, it is really hard not to doubt its intention.

For a moment, the field fell into an eerie silence. No one spoke and the two looked at each other.

After a while.

Zhu Gaoxu withdrew his gaze from him and took in the Crown Prince's expression. He could probably guess his concerns and worries, so he waved his hand and said:
"rest assured."

"I'm not as dirty as you think."

"I don't even have the idea of ​​taking over your business."

"I have sent a lot of people to investigate the refined salt in various places and collect evidence. A small number of people have also quietly sneaked into Japan under my command to draw topographic maps to help us in the later stages of our campaign, so that we will not be so passive in the battle and can also reduce unnecessary losses."

"so."

"You don't have to wonder why I didn't send my own people, but asked you to send someone to cooperate."

"With this, you can rest assured and don't have to worry."

"As for why I treat the small country of Japan so seriously, the reason is simple. It is because we are preparing to go on an expedition. It would be best if nothing unexpected happens at this time."

"Otherwise, once something happens, some clues will be revealed."

"It may be discovered by the Japanese envoys, or something unexpected may happen."

“That’s definitely not what we want to see.”

"These things may also cause us unimaginable losses."

"So the closer we get to this point, the more we need to be cautious and not make any mistakes. We need to take everything into consideration as much as possible."

That's what I said.

Zhu Gaochi was stunned on the spot.

A trace of embarrassment flashed across his chubby face. Facing Zhu Gaoxu's gaze, he was too embarrassed to meet his gaze for a moment, and subconsciously reached out to shake his head to ease the awkward atmosphere.

Then, his expression suddenly changed, and he replied with a smile:

"Hahaha"

"Second brother, look at what you said."

"I will cooperate. Isn't it okay to cooperate?" (End of this chapter)