King of Han Dynasty of Ming Dynasty

"What happened today."

"No matter what the prince and I were busy with from beginning to end, Commander Ji was always with us."

"Although the prince and I didn't say anything, we also didn't communicate with Commander Ji at all."

"But I think this matter depends on Commander Ji's wisdom and ability."

"The prince and I don't believe that Commander Ji didn't understand something contained in it."

"Commander Ji, what do you think?"

Zhu Gaoxu narrowed his eyes slightly, staring straight at Jinyiwei commander Ji Gang who was sitting beside him. An intriguing look emerged on his face. He looked at him with a smile, quietly waiting for Ji Gang's answer.

After hearing this, Ji Gang's slightly angry expression suddenly disappeared, and was replaced by an extremely solemn expression. He looked at the Crown Prince and Prince Han who were sitting beside him and staring at him with a half-smile, and couldn't help but complain in his heart:

"coming."

"After so many things and so many detours, we are finally getting to the point."

"Show him what's really in your mind."

"to be honest."

"After all the preparations, I was given a stick and a sweet date."

"It's to prepare for this."

"They just want to get hold of something that can blackmail him and make him shut up and do things for them loyally."

Thinking of this, Ji Gang's gaze towards the brothers Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaochi changed, and for a moment he didn't know how to answer this question.

Could it be that I know nothing?
Obviously this is unlikely and unrealistic.

Since others have already said this, no one will care how he answers this question, or whether he really has not figured out anything, or is pretending to be ignorant. In the hearts and eyes of others, they will inevitably believe that Ji Gang must know something and have guessed something, and they will not listen to him at all, let alone believe any of his sophistry and excuses.

So there is no point in denying it.

But!
As for the current situation, he cooperates with the two people in front of him and pretends that he knows nothing about what is happening. Is this realistic?
Obviously that’s not realistic!
Although the control of the Jinyiwei is in the hands of Ji Gang, it does not mean that Ji Gang can really control the Jinyiwei 100%, or that he can have the final say in the Jinyiwei. This is definitely not realistic.

Although no one in the Jinyiwei had ever revealed this, Ji Gang knew better than anyone that the Jinyiwei, who seemed to be under his firm control, were definitely not limited to his people, or in other words, not everyone in the Jinyiwei listened to him.

After all, the Jinyiwei are the emperor's personal guards and close ministers. If Ji Gang were to say that there were no people of Emperor Yongle among them, serving as Emperor Yongle's eyes and ears, he would not believe it even if he was beaten to death, because that was not Emperor Yongle's style.

so.
Ji Gang did not dare to rashly agree to the requests of the Crown Prince and Zhu Gaoxu, because he always remembered that when Emperor Yongle left the capital, he issued an imperial order to him to pay close attention to the actions of the Crown Prince and the King of Han.

If the two of them do anything unusual, they must be reported as soon as possible.

Therefore, if he really did that, agreed to the request of the Crown Prince and the King of Han, concealed the truth for them and did not report it, what difference would this be from deceiving the emperor? According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, deceiving the emperor is a real capital crime! !

It can be said that compared with what he has done in recent years, his crime is several times more serious.

Whichever is the lesser of two evils.

As long as you are not a fool, you will know what to choose.

If you deceive the emperor, you will surely die; but if you honestly admit your mistake to someone else, you may still have a chance of survival.

For this reason, there was a brief silence for a moment, and Ji Gang's anxious and frightened expression suddenly subsided, replaced by a solemn expression, and replied in a deep voice:

"This matter."

"I may disappoint the prince and the crown prince."

"I am deeply favored by your majesty and have your majesty's trust. Although I have violated the laws of the Ming Dynasty and failed to live up to your majesty's grace, I admit my guilt and accept the punishment. Even if I have to die, I will never do anything to deceive your majesty."

"Please understand, Your Majesty and Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"I'm sorry, I can't agree to this, and I have no way to agree to it."

Say it.

Ji Gang was about to stand up from his chair and make a gesture of admitting his guilt and accepting punishment.

One has to admit that Ji Gang's actions were not those of an ordinary bachelor, and his words were not ordinary sincere.

Regarding this move and Ji Gang’s recent remarks.

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaochi were very smart brothers. Naturally, they guessed what was in Ji Gang's mind. Then they couldn't help but look at each other and laugh. At the same time, they also knew that Ji Gang was overthinking.

Concealing the truth from Emperor Yongle?

Please, do the two of them need to hide this from him?
Why did the old man insist on following the emperor in person and going to the northern desert to fight this time?
To put it bluntly, even though there is an undeniable warlike spirit at work, the most important point is to leave Kyoto, a place of trouble, and to leave the two brothers enough room to operate in the capital.

Do you really think the old man knows nothing?
Therefore, regarding what Ji Gang had just said, he would definitely not say anything to express his loyalty in order to deceive Emperor Yongle.

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaochi both sneered at this completely.

Does he need to hide it from Ji Gang?

Or does this matter need to be kept secret?
Are the two of them doing all these things because they are worried that he will submit a memorial to the old man?
Please!
They don't have that intention at all!
What really worries them and what really makes them fearful is not whether Emperor Yongle dares to do it?

What really made the two brothers fearful were those corrupt scholars in the court, those court officials who came up with Confucian teachings, and the entire Confucian school.

They were afraid that this bastard Ji Gang would expose what they had done in advance.

Their plan, which had not even started yet, was discovered by some people with ulterior motives.

This is what both of them are really worried about and don't want to happen.

As for Emperor Yongle, as far as the two of them were concerned, Ji Gang could say whatever he wanted and report however he wanted, and no one would stop him.

to this end.

After a brief silence, Zhu Gaoxu smiled, reached out and gently patted Ji Gang's shoulder, shook his head at him, and said:
"Sit, sit, sit..."

"Commander Ji! Commander Ji!"

"There's no need to be so excited or react so strongly."

"We will not let you deceive His Majesty."

"Regarding what we are doing now, you can report it to His Majesty in any way you like. The two of us will definitely not stand in the way.
"So...if Commander Ji is worried about this, you can put your mind at ease."

This is said.

Now it was Ji Gang's turn to be confused. He had no idea what these two gentlemen were up to.

Doesn't he need to hide it from Your Majesty?

So what was the purpose of these two people doing so many things to control him?
has no meaning?
Apart from reporting to His Majesty, can he also report to others?
Report to others?
Thinking of this, Ji Gang's face changed instantly, his mind was shaken violently, and he almost couldn't help swearing.

Damn it!
No way? No way?
They have been going around in circles for a long time. Are they still worried that he will leak the news to others?

Please!
This, this, this, this... How is this possible? He is the emperor's personal soldier, a true minister to the emperor!
He was also recognized as a lone minister by the whole court, and he hardly treated any officials in the court well.

How could he possibly inform those who were already hostile to him?

Moreover……

The things he did in the court left a stereotyped impression on everyone in the court.

Even if he actually leaked the news to those individuals, even if he spoke honestly, he understood the deep meaning of the actions of the Crown Prince and the Prince of Han, and what kind of plans they had.

Will those people really believe him?

is it possible?
Realistic?
In the end, after thinking about it, he would definitely think that it was a trap set by him or Emperor Yongle for those people.

No one would believe him, and he might even be mercilessly ridiculed.

He is not a fool, nor a stupid person, nor a shameless person.

How can I possibly put my warm face in front of those people's cold butts?

For this reason, how could he do this, how could he do such a thing?
Isn't this a complete insult to him?

As he thought about it, Ji Gang raised his head in surprise, looked back at the Crown Prince and the King of Han, and asked tentatively:

"I'm really not deceiving Your Majesty?"

"Really, there's no need to deceive Your Majesty?"

Hearing Ji Gang's tentative question, Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaochi couldn't help laughing, shook their heads at him, and replied in unison:
"This is absolutely true."

"Really, no need."

"Is this answer satisfactory?"

Dele.

Such an affirmative reply.

Ji Gang's heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled down at this moment, but he was also extremely curious as to why the two masters in front of him were worried that he would tip off those people who were completely unfriendly to him and get involved with them.

Then, Ji Gang simply sorted out his thoughts, a smile uglier than crying appeared on his face, and he asked:

"Could it be that Your Highness the Crown Prince and the King of Han are still worried that I would be involved with those people?"

"I'm afraid that the prince and His Highness think too highly of me in this matter."

"Based on my image in the court, even if I have this intention, do you think those people will really trust me, Your Highness?"

"I am a lone minister in the court. What good will this do me?"

"Do you think that after all the things I have done over the years, I can still repair my relationship with those people?"

"I'm afraid those people would like to eat my flesh and drink my blood. Their relationship is like fire and water. How can they be connected with each other?"

"If your Highness and the Prince are concerned about this matter, then you don't have to worry or think too much about it."

"If I really dare to do that, what difference does it have with seeking death?"

"If that's the case, I'm afraid my final fate will be worse than anything else. Although I don't think I'm a smart person, I can still see this simple truth clearly."

This is the truth.

That's what I meant.

However, if Zhu Gaoxu did not know Ji Gang's later fate and what kind of ambitions he had in his later years, he would never have thought like this and would not have done what he did.

It is also because of knowing certain things that we know what Ji Gang will be thinking in the later timeline.

What they are doing now cannot afford to make the slightest mistake, so Zhu Gaoxu has to treat it with caution.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaoxu looked at Ji Gang, who seemed a little indignant. He was not angry at all. The smile on his face did not change at all. He still looked smiling and asked:

"Commander Ji."

"Do you think that the prince and I are insulting you?"

"Did I underestimate you?"

Although Ji Gang did not answer this question, the expression on his face said it all.

In response, Zhu Gaoxu smiled noncommittally and asked:

"Commander Ji! Commander Ji!"

"Today it may seem that I look down upon you, it may seem that I underestimate you, but have you ever thought about one thing?"

"Human desires are infinite and can never be fully satisfied."

"When a person has enough money and a certain amount of power, and when money and power are combined, over time, do you think some people's mentality will undergo irreversible changes?"

"Don't tell me that I can't. Commander Ji, you have dealt with a lot of things in the world."

"How did those people who were on their way to the end of their lives get to the top step by step?"

"Did they think about it from the beginning? Did they have that in mind from the beginning?"

"Or is it that ambitions and desires gradually expanded, leading to a dead end?"

"If the situation really evolves step by step, can Commander Ji really guarantee that his mind won't change at all?"

“Can you really be content?”

"Is it really possible to be content with the present moment and not have other thoughts?"

"Commander Ji, please think carefully about this issue."

"In this matter, it seems that the two of us brothers are threatening you, but in a sense, aren't we saving you and giving you a warning in advance?"

Is it really possible to keep one's true heart and not become arrogant?

As soon as these words came out.

Ji Gang's heart suddenly panicked, as if he suddenly thought of something in his mind. His face suddenly turned pale, as pale as paper without any blood. He suddenly raised his lowered head, and his eyes changed when he looked at Zhu Gaoxu.

With a plop, Ji Gang knelt down without any hesitation. His expression was not as arrogant as before, nor did he have any resentment. He looked frightened. Others knew that Ji Gang knew better than anyone what he had been thinking and what he had hidden.

Don't tell me yet.

Ji Gang was really unsure if this was really as the King of Han said, so he became very serious and bowed to express his gratitude:
"I will teach you."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for the reminder." (End of this chapter)