Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 319 Come out and see the founding emperor

Emerging from the passageway, a warehouse comes into view.

The warehouse was filled with shelves.

It was covered with all sorts of exquisite items.

There were porcelain, silk, tea, spices, brocade, antiques, and many boxes on the ground.

You can open any of them and see that they contain gold, silver, or calligraphy and paintings.

They emerged from the northeast corner of the warehouse, where the stone tablet sat quietly, stacked alongside some other stones.

When princes of the Ming Dynasty were enfeoffed, the rewards they received varied depending on how much favor they were given.

But no matter how unfavored they are, they still receive basic regulations and privileges.

In addition to bestowing land as rewards, the palace would also collect items from the imperial treasury, such as porcelain and jade.

The stone tablet was one of the stones that Emperor Zhu Qizhen took from the palace storeroom when his seventh son, Zhu Jianjun, was enfeoffed as the Prince of Ji and went to Changsha to assume his fiefdom.

However, it is clear that the Prince Ji's Mansion did not use this stone later. It was left to gather dust in the warehouse until the chaos at the end of the Ming Dynasty, when it was taken away by Zhu Yunfeng's ancestor, Zhu Cibei.

The warehouse, which covers an area of ​​more than one acre, was quiet at this moment. There were many camphor trees placed around it, and together with the warehouse's original fragrance, the aroma filled the air.

Old Zhu looked around and then had Mao Xiang and Jiang Huan check the doors and windows.

This is the storeroom of Prince Ji's mansion, which contains a large amount of valuables. The mansion's accountant comes to inspect it every day, and the doors and windows are locked.

There were even a large number of royal guards watching over and patrolling the area.

The commotion inside quickly attracted the attention of the guards at the door. One of them asked in bewilderment, "Sixth Brother, did you hear that?"

"What's the noise?"

There's movement inside the house.

"No, it's probably a cat."

Another guard said absentmindedly.

Work is tiring enough as it is; who wouldn't want to slack off? Why take so many things so seriously?

Moreover, the warehouse doors and windows were tightly closed, and guards were stationed and patrolled around the perimeter for twelve hours a day, so no one could enter without alerting them.

"Click."

Just then, the window on the side of the warehouse entrance was forcibly torn open, revealing Mao Xiang's fierce face.

The four guards at the door suddenly turned around and stared at him.

Two seconds later, the guards of the Prince's Palace suddenly woke up and shouted, "Thief!"

As he spoke, he pointed his spear at the window and shouted loudly.

The patrolling guards were immediately alerted.

Mao Xiang glanced indifferently out the window, picked up his assault rifle, and fired at the wooden pillar by the door.

"Da da da da da da da da da da da!~"

Flames shot from the muzzle.

In an instant, the massive log pillar, which required one person to encircle, was blown away, leaving more than ten gaps and wood chips scattered everywhere. The guards outside were so shocked that they retreated one after another, standing there in disbelief.

The patrol guards who had gathered outside were all dumbfounded. Mao Xiang shouted, "Stand still! Anyone who comes up here will die. I don't want to kill anyone."

"Bold."

Despite his fear, the guard still shouted sternly, "Who are you, daring to steal from the Prince's residence!"

"alert!"

Mao Xiang didn't waste any words with the other party; he simply said one sentence and then climbed out the window.

His gun was always pointed at the guards, though he tried not to kill them, but only when their lives were not in danger.

If the other side insists on advancing, then they will have no choice but to open fire.

As Mao Xiang went out, many guards followed him out in succession. Not far away, more and more guards gathered around due to the commotion.

"Bandits! Help!"

"Dong dong dong dong!"

"Don't run, robbers, come with me!"

Groups of soldiers swarmed in, accompanied by the incessant clanging of gongs and drums.

Princes in the Ming Dynasty had ceremonial guards, and these guards were not recruited locally, but rather selected from the imperial guards of the garrisons in Beijing.

During the Hongwu era, this team consisted of three guards, each with 5600 men, theoretically totaling 16800 men.

After Zhu Di successfully launched the Jingnan Rebellion with the help of the Three Guards, he weakened the guards of the princes, changing them from the original Three Guards to about two thousand households, generally between 1500 and 3000 people.

During the Zhengde era, Prince Ning rebelled.

Although the rebellion was quickly quelled by Wang Yangming, the consequence was that the Prince's Guard was further weakened and changed to a thousand-household unit, but in reality, it was often understaffed, usually around 600-800 men.

Therefore, there are now hundreds of guards in the Prince Ji's mansion. They are well-trained, and in no time, dozens of them rushed over.

Seeing this, Mao Xiang worried that he might not be able to intimidate the other side, so he took out a grenade and turned to Zhu Yuanzhang, saying, "Your Majesty, I will use a stun grenade to scare them."

"Ah."

Old Zhu nodded.

Mao Xiang then pulled the pin and threw the stun grenade.

The soldiers of Hongwu quickly turned around, closed their eyes, and covered their ears.

"boom!"

In an instant, as the flashbangs emitted a bright light and a deafening roar, dozens of guards outside the warehouse screamed in agony.

"I can't see. I can't see."

"I can't hear anything, what's wrong with me?"

"Ah ah ah ah ah!"

While the guards outside were subdued, Mao Xiang and his men opened the warehouse door.

Old Zhu went outside.

It was actually noon, and the sun was shining brightly outside; the air was fresh.

What comes into view is a small garden outside the warehouse.

Old Zhu and his entourage visited the Prince Ji's Mansion during the Chongzhen era.

The Prince Ji's Mansion covered a very large area. According to the "Changsha Prefecture Annals", it should be 2 square kilometers, or about 3,000 mu.

In addition to guards and members of the royal family, the mansion also housed servants, household servants, and even palace maids and eunuchs.

The storeroom was located in the northeast corner of the Prince's mansion, and only a few dozen guards from the surrounding area and some servants responsible for cleaning the backyard came over.

They are all under control right now.

Mao Xiang stood there, waiting for Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunfeng to emerge surrounded by numerous guards before looking down at the guards who were slowly recovering and shouting, "I am Mao Xiang, the Earl of Loyalty and Bravery and Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. His Majesty the Great Ancestor is here in person. Where is Prince Ji?"

Many of the guards were in tears at this moment, but some who were a little further away from the stun grenade slowly came to their senses, looking at each other in bewilderment, not knowing how to respond.

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

Upon seeing this, Mao Xiang fired another shot into the sky, frightening the surrounding guards into shrinking back.

"Didn't you hear my question? Where is Prince Ji?"

Mao Xiang shouted, "I do not wish to kill anyone, but to disregard His Majesty the Great Ancestor is a grave offense, and your entire family will be doomed!"

The crowd looked at each other, and finally someone said, "We will go and report immediately."

After saying that, everyone slowly retreated, leaving a group of people in the courtyard outside the warehouse.

Jiang Huan then found a pear wood chair in the storeroom and brought it over. Old Zhu sat there quietly and waited.

After a long time, the noise came from afar again.

Immediately afterwards, a nanny entered. Upon seeing her, everyone hurriedly bowed and greeted her, saying, "Nanny Long."

The old woman, surnamed Long, was about fifty years old. After entering the courtyard, she glanced at Old Zhu, and Mao Xiang angrily said, "How dare you look directly at His Majesty!"

Granny Long frowned but did not lash out. She simply bowed slightly and said, "I am a palace maid in charge of the Prince's Palace. Since you all claim that His Majesty the Great Ancestor has descended, what evidence do you have?"

She had actually seen the dragon robe on Old Zhu's body, but she couldn't say it directly, so she naturally had to ask about the situation. Old Zhu waved his hand.

Jiang Huan took out a large seal and proudly said, "This is the jade seal used by His Majesty to confer titles upon the Crown Prince and the princes, a treasure of the Ming Dynasty! Now that the Prince of Ji's residence has been conferred titles, we can take a copy of the seal for comparison."

"Forehead"

Since Granny Long was a member of the Prince's Mansion, she was naturally knowledgeable and experienced. Seeing that the jade seal was made of green jade with a coiled dragon knob, she knew it was indeed a royal item. She hesitated for a moment, then bowed slightly before taking the jade seal with both hands and leaving.

At this time, the Prince Ji's residence was actually under the control of the Dowager Consort Long.

Because the previous Prince Ji, Zhu Zaijun, had just died, his eldest son, Zhu Yizhen, was only 11 years old, so the real power naturally fell into the hands of Zhu Zaijun's principal wife, the princess.

She is now waiting in the hall south of the storeroom.

When her trusted nanny returned with the imperial seal, she examined it for a while before sending someone to compare it with the jade seal.

Although the Imperial Seal of the Ming Dynasty was destroyed in a palace fire in the 40th year of the Jiajing reign, it had been passed down in Beijing for many years before that, and this seal had to be affixed every time a prince was conferred a title.

It can be said that apart from the emperor, the vassal kings, and their close associates, it was almost impossible for anyone to have seen the seal of this jade seal.

The Ji Prince's Mansion has now been passed down through four generations and five generations, namely Prince Ji Zhu Jianjun, Prince Ji Ding Zhu Houxuan, Prince Ji Duan Zhu Zaijun, and the current Prince Ji Zhu Yizhen.

The reason it is the fifth generation is because Zhu Jianjun's son, Zhu Houxuan's father Zhu Youfu, died young and did not inherit the title.

Therefore, there are currently four imperial edicts in the palace conferring titles upon the lineage of Prince Ji, all of which bear the imperial seal.

After comparison, it was confirmed to be a genuine imperial seal.

However, this kind of thing still raises questions.

After all, this is the ancestor of the founding emperor descending to earth. If someone were to impersonate the ancestor, and they foolishly believed it, they might be cheated out of some money, at most becoming the subject of ridicule.

If it involves treason, it would be a serious crime that would implicate the entire royal family.

So after hesitating for a long time, Madam Long did not rush to a conclusion. She sent Granny Long over to the treasury, where she found a well-preserved portrait of Old Zhu and took it out.

Old Zhu was actually getting a little annoyed, but he still patiently continued to wait.

His portrait with the pig's kidney-shaped face only began to circulate widely among the people after the Jiajing era. Before the Jiajing era, the portraits that circulated were all of round face and upright features. Many copies were made in the palace and were taken out by some princes.

Granny Long compared the images again and became increasingly alarmed.

Although the portrait was not exactly the same, it was seven or eight parts similar in both spirit and appearance. After looking at it, she knelt down and said, "This servant greets the Emperor Taizu."

"Summon the person in charge of the household."

Old Zhu said calmly.

"Yes."

Granny Long hurriedly went back to find the Dowager Princess.

After learning about this, the Long family hesitated for a long time before finally coming over.

The main reason was that she had asked the guards and knew she couldn't win, so she thought she would take it one step at a time and find out more about the other side before making a decision.

Upon approaching, Lady Long did not kneel, but merely squatted slightly to pay her respects, saying, "Before my identity is proven, I dare not acknowledge you as the founding emperor. I hope you will forgive me, sir."

"It doesn't matter."

Old Zhu waved his hand and said, "I have no intention of having any dealings with you. This time I am going to Beijing to find Jiajing. You dismantle this warehouse and move everything out of it. I am bringing a flying magic weapon with me and will leave on it."

"what?"

The Long family was a little dumbfounded.

The guards around them exchanged glances.

This statement is utterly absurd.

But after a moment, Madam Long said, "The warehouse is too big. Please wait two days, sir."

"No need for that trouble, just have someone take the things inside away."

Old Zhu stood up and stepped aside.

"Yes."

Lady Long had no choice but to order everyone in the manor to come and help.

While moving things, Old Zhu called over Lady Long again and asked, "What year is it now, Jiajing?"

"The 45th year of the Jiajing reign."

"What month?"

"April."

"Oh, Hai Rui has already been included in the 'Memorial on Public Security'."

"It was published in February. He has already been imprisoned for defaming Saint Shanghai Rui, as everyone knows."

Mentioning this, Madam Long frowned.

Hai Rui's "Memorial on Governance" thoroughly criticized Emperor Jiajing, making him famous overnight. Now, who doesn't know him?
Old Zhu laughed and said, "Well said! This little brat, I'm going to slap him a few times this time and see what kind of immortal he's cultivating."

Zhu Yunfeng added from the side, "Ancestor, I'll say it again: those who call us Zhu bastards are not good for you."

"Humph!"

Old Zhu snorted coldly.

The Long family and others nearby pretended not to hear and remained silent.

After a while, with the help of hundreds of people in the mansion, everything inside was quickly cleared out and moved to the royal palace in Libie.

Once everything was completely empty inside, Old Zhu glanced at Mao Xiang and Jiang Huan, and the two understood each other and began their operation.

Then everyone moved away, a few hundred meters apart.

The Hongwu guards immediately pulled out mortars and bombarded the warehouse with a barrage of fire.

Everyone in the Prince's mansion was stunned for a moment. Many guards were glad they hadn't acted impulsively; if they had, they would probably be riddled with bullets by now.

The Long family and others were dumbfounded.

"Have someone clean it up."

Old Zhu gave the order.

"Yes."

The Long family's attitude instantly became respectful.

The shells can be dismantled very quickly.

The entire warehouse was destroyed by the bomb.

Hundreds of people rushed in, picked up the bricks, tiles, and wood, swept away the ash, and left a large open space.

Old Zhu naturally put the stone tablet away, but he made sure to keep it in its original position to avoid the bombing, and he drew an accurate location map before putting it back in place without moving it.

Mao Xiang then returned to the modern era, where the Blue Whale transport plane was already placed in the basement of Zhu Yunfeng's house.

To handle the transport of hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo every day, the underground facility has been built to an enormous size, comparable to a cargo port. The entire mountain has been leveled, and it can easily accommodate hundreds of transport planes, let alone one.

As Mao Xiang grabbed a corner of the transport plane and touched the stone tablet, a large airplane instantly appeared on the ground of the former warehouse of the Prince Ji's Mansion during the Jiajing era.

The Long family and the others remained dumbfounded, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Old Zhu did not delay any longer. He left ten guards to watch over the stone tablet, while he boarded the plane with the remaining twenty guards.

There are already two pilots on the plane, assigned to Old Zhu by Hyundai.

There's no need to worry about map navigation either, as there are navigation systems that don't require an internet connection. Fuel is also plentiful; the Blue Whale 10 has enough fuel for five flights from Changsha to Beijing, which is less than 1400 kilometers, or two and a half round trips.

"Beep beep beep beep!"

Once on board the transport plane, the wings immediately began to rotate.

The people from Prince Ji's mansion have all been dispersed, and they are now about 100 meters away from the plane.

At this moment, Empress Long could no longer care about anything else. She had someone bring 11-year-old Zhu Yizhen to her and shouted to him, "My son, come out and see the Emperor Taizu!"

There was actually something else she didn't dare say: she hoped her son could benefit from the dragon aura of the founding emperor, but she swallowed the words back.

Dragon energy is not something ordinary people can touch. What are you trying to do by letting your son touch dragon energy?
Zhu Yizhen's eyes widened.

The plane slowly took off. Above, Old Zhu calmly watched as the people below grew smaller and smaller until the entire Prince Ji's Mansion appeared before him.

(End of this chapter)