My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 118 Are you the Crown Prince's concubine? What a coincidence! I am the Crown Prince!

Li Ruolian, Li Hu, Fang Zhenghua and others beside them were all trying to hold back their laughter at this moment, because they had already seen that the prince seemed to really have feelings for that girl.

However, due to the previous incident in Xuanfu, they dared not do anything this time.

Not long after, the food and wine were served. Zhu Cilang asked the three people around him to sit down and then began to taste the delicious food.

On the other side, the waiter who had helped Zheng Sen buy the Daming Monthly Newspaper also delivered the newspaper Zheng Sen wanted.

Zheng Sen glanced through the Ming Daily in his hand and was shocked.

It's not that he had never seen the Beijing News and the Imperial Gazette, but the Ming Daily in his hand far surpassed them in both content and quality.

He never expected that the imperial court would come up with such a novel thing!
While Zheng Sen was reading the Daming Daily, Zheng Xiaomei and Dong Yougu were chatting in low voices beside him, and no one knew what they were talking about.

At this moment, there was a sudden noise from downstairs, which caught Zhu Cilang's attention.

Immediately afterwards, a familiar face appeared in his sight. It was Zhang Shize, the prince of the Duke of England, followed by a group of followers.

Zhang Shize also saw Zhu Cilang on the second floor at this moment. He knew it was not convenient to call Zhu Cilang "Prince" in such a place, so he shouted from a distance:
"Sir, you are here. I have something important to discuss with you."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded to the Jinyiwei downstairs and asked them to let him pass.

Soon, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, Zhang Shize appeared on the second floor.

And at this moment, Zhu Cilang had already roughly guessed why Zhang Shize came to him.

Previously, Zhu Cilang found Zhang Shize and wanted him to help find a talented person who was good at business.

After all, when it comes to preparing for such a major event as the Royal Chamber of Commerce, neither the eunuchs nor the Embroidered Uniform Guards can be relied upon, and a professional must be found.

Zhang Shize's family has many shops and extensive connections, so he will surely be able to find a suitable candidate.

In fact, he guessed right. This was exactly what Zhang Shize was doing this time!

He originally went to the East Palace, but Zhu Cilang was not there. So he wandered around the street, and unexpectedly he met Zhu Cilang.

"sit down!"

Zhu Cilang pointed to the seat in front of him and said.

Zhang Shize didn't hesitate and sat down immediately.

"Anyone found?"

Zhu Cixiang asked.

Zhang Shize nodded.

"This man's name is Xia Dewu. He used to be the ordinary shopkeeper of one of my family's shops. The business of this shop has always been bad and was on the verge of bankruptcy."

"After it was handed over to Xia Dewu, it became very prosperous within a few months and made a lot of money."

"Then I gave him a few more shops and let him do what he wanted. Unexpectedly, he did quite well, and the business of these shops is booming."

"I think he has a good business mind and can definitely be used by the young master!"

When Zhu Cilang heard this, he nodded casually.

"When you have time, bring him here so I can meet him in person!"

After saying this, Zhu Cilang's eyes drifted towards the street again.

At the moment, he really didn't have the heart to care about these things. The only thing he cared about now was his upcoming brother-in-law Zheng Chenggong and his prince's concubine.

And what does his prince's concubine look like?

According to the previous information from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they should have entered the city by now.

Zhang Shize also noticed Zhu Cilang's abnormality at this time, and then looked at Li Ruolian beside him and asked in a low voice:
"Old Li, the prince looks unhappy. Who provoked him?"

Li Ruolian was not aware of what was going on between Zhu Cilang and Zheng Zhilong, and thought that Zhu Cilang was a little unhappy because he had just been criticized by Zheng Sen.

So, he subconsciously looked in the direction of Zheng Sen.

Zhang Shize looked in the direction of his gaze, and suddenly a nameless fire rose in his heart.

He thought Zheng Sen was the culprit who offended Zhu Cilang!
As the eldest son of the first nobleman of the Ming Dynasty and the future Duke of Ying, Zhang Shize has always been a typical playboy.

Although he has become much more restrained since following Zhu Cilang, that is only in front of Zhu Cilang.

In front of outsiders, he is still an arrogant playboy!

Then, he suddenly stood up, strode towards the table where Zheng Sen was, pointed at Zheng Sen and shouted angrily:
"Boy, were you the one who offended my young master just now?"

Zheng Sen was looking at the Daming Daily in his hand at this time. He didn't want to pay any attention to Zhang Shize at all, so he just sneered:

"What happened just now was your son's fault. What does it have to do with me? What right do you have to blame me?"

Zhang Shize was furious when he heard this. He cursed loudly:

"Why don't you ask where this place is? This is the capital! It's my young master's territory!"

"My young master has his reasons for everything he does. How can you be so nosy?"

"Kowtow to my master and apologize immediately, otherwise you will never leave this inn today!"

As he spoke, Zhang Shize glanced at the two women beside Zheng Sen and immediately understood.

If he guessed correctly, the prince had a conflict with the man in front of him just now because of these two women, right?

Zheng Sen became furious when he noticed that Zhang Shize's eyes were looking at something he shouldn't be looking at.

Then he slammed the table, stood up, and was about to grab Zhang Shize's collar.

But although Zhang Shize was a playboy, he was quite skilled and dodged Zheng Sen's grabbing hand with a quick move.

Then he sneered:
"If you dare to hurt me, you may not be able to leave the capital alive!"

Zheng Sen also sneered:
"Then I'd like to give it a try!"

Not far away, Zhu Cilang also looked over, but he was speechless.

Why does Zhang Shize have to cause trouble for others for no reason?
Just when Zhu Cilang was about to speak to stop Zhang Shize, the door of a room not far away was suddenly pushed open, and a group of guards with knives rushed out like a tide and headed straight towards this side.

These people were the guards brought by Zheng Chenggong. When they saw their master being bullied, they couldn't help but stand up.

When Li Ruo Lian saw this scene, his pupils constricted instantly, and he shouted loudly:

"Somebody come!"

In an instant, countless Jinyiwei rushed up from downstairs and surrounded the group of guards and Zheng Sen and others.

The situation suddenly became a little complicated.

Just when Zhu Cilang was curious about the identities of these people and how they could actually go out with guards, he heard them suddenly shout:

"I am the son of Zheng Zhilong, the general of Fujian. My sister is the Crown Prince's concubine, appointed by His Majesty himself. Who dares to be so presumptuous?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was stunned.

For a moment, the air was eerily quiet.

No one knew who started it, but everyone on Zhu Cilang's side suddenly looked at Zhu Cilang, as if they wanted to know what was going on.

How come the Crown Prince suddenly has a concubine?
Haven't they heard of this?

At the same time, Zheng Sen was also a little confused by this weird atmosphere.

He thought to himself, after he revealed his identity, shouldn't these people be scared to the point of kneeling down and begging for mercy?
Why are you all standing there in a daze now?
Just when everyone was unsure what to do next, Zhu Cilang quickly walked over, looked at Zheng Sen with a smile, and asked:

"Are you Zheng Sen, the son of Zheng Zhilong, the general of Fujian?"

Zheng Sen was stunned for a moment, with a suspicious look in his eyes, and asked:

"who are you?"

Zhu Cilang grinned.

"I am Zhu Cilang."

As soon as these words came out, Zheng Sen's eyes suddenly narrowed, full of disbelief.

Li Hu, who was standing by, saw this and without saying a word, he took out a badge from his pocket. It was the badge of the Eastern Palace.

At the same time, several Jinyiwei around him also ripped open their clothes, revealing the Feiyu suits underneath.

Seeing this scene, no matter how stupid Zheng Sen was, he knew that the young man in front of him was the prince!

After all, in this capital city, who would dare to bring the Jinyiwei to pretend to be the prince?

At the same time, Zheng Xiaomei and Dong Yougu on the side were also shocked. They never expected to meet Zhu Cilang here.

After realizing what was happening, Zheng Sen and Dong Yougu quickly knelt down.

"I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! I didn't know His Royal Highness was coming. I'm sorry for the offense I caused earlier. I hope His Royal Highness will forgive me!"

"This humble woman pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Zheng Xiaomei, who was standing by, also knelt down hurriedly.

"I, my concubine, meet His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Zheng Sen called himself a commoner because he was not an official at the moment and was just a commoner.

Zheng Xiaomei called herself a concubine because she was already the prince's concubine when Zheng Zhilong received the imperial edict of enthronement.

So there is nothing wrong with their names.

As for the guards brought by Zheng Sen, they all knelt down at this moment, trembling with fear.

They really didn't know that the person in front of them was the prince. If they knew, they wouldn't dare to draw their swords even if they had ten thousand courages.

However, at this moment, Zhu Cilang was in a very good mood, because he no longer had to worry about the things he had been worried about.

Zheng Xiaomei completely met his psychological expectations!
As for what I was thinking just now, those words like "I can't marry a vixen"
Please!

That was just a careless remark!

Now, he suddenly felt that he should be able to control such a vixen!

His thoughts came back to him, Zhu Cilang laughed, and then helped Zheng Sen up.

"Brother-in-law, there's no need to be polite. You and I have been family since the time our father issued the imperial decree to confer the title. Why should we be so polite?"

"My beloved, please stand up too!"

As Zhu Cilang spoke, he also reached out to support Zheng Xiaomei.

Just kidding, she is already your wife, what is there to be embarrassed about!

Zheng Xiaomei felt her face turn red immediately. Although the prince in front of her looked a year or two younger than her, he was extremely experienced in his behavior.

Seeing that the misunderstanding was resolved, Li Ruo Lian reacted and waved his hand.

Immediately afterwards, the Jinyiwei who had been on the verge of a fight just a second ago retreated one by one.

Although Li Ruolian and others didn't understand what was going on, there were some things that were beyond their control.

On the other side, Zhang Shize, with a confused look on his face, was still standing there in a daze.

He really didn't know what was going on. Why did the crown prince marry the daughter of Zheng Zhilong, the general of Fujian, as his concubine?
This is not in accordance with etiquette!
At this moment, Zhu Cilang also saw Zhang Shize standing aside with a confused look on his face.

He called Zhang Shize over, and then said to Zheng Sen:

"Brother-in-law, this person is none other than Zhang Shize, the son of the Duke of Ying. He is one of us." "He just misunderstood what happened between us, so he spoke rudely. Don't bother with him."

At this moment, Zheng Sen no longer dared to argue with Zhang Shize, and hurriedly bowed and said:
"Greetings, Your Highness. I was rude just now. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Zhang Shize felt a little embarrassed when he heard this, and then he hurriedly bowed and said:
"Your Highness is right. It was all a misunderstanding. Don't take it personally, brother."

Zhang Shize knew in his heart that the title of Prince of England was quite impressive, but this person was the Crown Prince's elder brother-in-law, so this title was also quite prestigious.

If I offend him, and he tells his sister, and lets her whisper something in the Crown Prince's ear, I'll be in trouble!
So Zhang Shize also appeared extremely polite.

Just like that, all the previous misunderstandings were finally resolved.

As a perceptive person, Zhang Shize knew that it was not suitable for him to stay here under the current circumstances, so he whispered to Zhu Cilang:

"My Lord, I will take my leave now. I will bring that person to see you tomorrow."

Zhu Cilang nodded, which was considered as his agreement.

Afterwards, Zhang Shize hurried away.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang took Zheng Sen and his family to the Eastern Palace.

Along the way, Zhu Cilang rode his horse side by side with Zheng Sen, chatting with him intermittently.

This made Zheng Sen extremely moved. After all, he had never thought that one day he would be on par with the prince and chat with him like a friend.

At this moment, Zhu Cilang seemed to have thought of something, and then asked:

"Brother, do you have any words?"

Zheng Sen hurriedly said:

"Your Highness, I have a courtesy name, Mingyan, which was given to me by my teacher at the time."

Is that Zheng Mingyan?

Zhu Cilang pretended to mutter a few words, then said:
"I don't think this word suits you. When I saw you, for some reason, the word 'success' suddenly came to mind."

"If you don't mind, how about changing the word to 'success'?"

success?

Zheng Chenggong?
Zheng Sen silently repeated this new name several times in his mind. For some reason, he felt that this name suited him very well.

Then he bowed and said:
"In that case, I thank Your Highness the Crown Prince for the gift of a given name! From now on, I will be known as Zheng Chenggong."

Originally in history, Zheng Sen was given the name "Chenggong" by Emperor Longwu during the Southern Ming Dynasty.

Not only was he given a name, he was also given the national surname "Zhu", which means "Zhu Chenggong".

But now!
There is no need to give a surname, just give a character!

After chatting for a few more words, Zheng Chenggong suddenly thought of something and said:

"Your Highness, before I came here, my father asked me to bring you a letter."

After saying that, Zheng Chenggong took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Zhu Cilang.

Zhu Cilang opened the letter and took a glance at it. He saw that the letter was about the annihilation of the Jiannu navy.

Zheng Zhilong said in the letter that when Zheng Chenggong arrived in the capital, he should also arrive at the Shandong port, and then he would join forces with the local navy to attack the Jiannu navy.

Anything that happens during this period will be reported immediately.

Zhu Cilang knew in his heart that this letter was actually dispensable.

The reason why Zheng Zhilong asked Zheng Sen to bring this letter was just to make Zheng Chenggong gain more of his favor.

However, it was obvious that his father-in-law's worries were a bit unnecessary, because Zhu Cilang liked his brother-in-law very much.

He put the letter away, looked at Zheng Chenggong and asked:
"So what are your plans next? Do you want to continue studying or do something else?"

Zheng Chenggong replied:

"I did think about studying to save the country before, but now my sister has become the Crown Prince's concubine, so I don't want to go down this path anymore."

"I would like to first serve as a guard beside His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and then pursue the path of a military commander."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded and said:
"In that case, you will first serve as a fourth-rank General of the Central Army in the Eastern Palace. When the opportunity arises, I will send you to the battlefield to gain some experience. I will also grant you a mansion."

When Zheng Chenggong heard this, he hurriedly thanked him again:

"I thank His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Zhu Cilang smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Brother-in-law, I told you not to be so polite, why are you still so polite?"

Zheng Chenggong just smiled and said nothing more.

Soon, the group finally arrived at the East Palace.

And along the way, Zheng Xiaomei's eyes were always on Zhu Cilang.

She now finally believed what her father said. This prince seemed to be really extraordinary!

Just as everyone was about to enter the East Palace, they suddenly saw a girl dressed in Mongolian clothes walking out. It was Qiqige.

Qiqige just stood at the door, staring at Zheng Xiaomei behind Zhu Cilang with unfriendly eyes, and said:
"Your Highness, where did you snatch this woman from?"

Zhu Cilang's old face flushed and he said:
"What do you mean by robbing her? She is my Crown Prince's concubine, and was personally appointed by His Majesty. Don't talk nonsense!"

When Qiqige heard this, she curled her lips in disdain and said:
"Tsk, if you say so then it is so."

After saying this, Qiqige turned her head and left, making Zhu Cilang feel a little embarrassed.

Since returning to the capital, Qiqige has been living in the East Palace.

After all, she is now a hostage and needs to be well protected, so the East Palace is naturally the most suitable place.

Of course, apart from not being able to access the Firearms Research Institute, Zhu Cilang did not restrict Qiqige's freedom, and she was secretly protected by the Jinyiwei.

After all, if something really happened to her in the Ming Dynasty, it would be difficult for Abunai to explain.

Looking at Qiqige's leaving figure, for some reason, Zheng Xiaomei suddenly felt a sense of crisis in her heart.

Although on the surface it seems that the Crown Prince doesn't like this woman very much, but the fact that she can appear in the Eastern Palace openly means that this woman's identity is definitely not simple.

Of course, Zhu Cilang had no idea that his young wife, who had just become the prince's concubine, had begun to feel jealous.

After bringing everyone back to the Eastern Palace, Zhu Cilang ordered a welcome banquet for them.

After all, what happened just now made no one eat well.

After five dishes and three rounds of wine, it was getting late.

Zheng Chenggong immediately prepared to say goodbye, and Zhu Cilang did not force him to stay. He then asked the Jinyiwei to take him to the house that had been prepared for him.

As for Zheng Xiaomei, according to the rules, she also needs to leave with Zheng Chenggong.

After all, although she is only the prince's concubine, there is a series of procedures for marrying her. She cannot move into the East Palace directly after arriving, otherwise she will be criticized.

However, after hearing this, Zheng Xiaomei looked at Zhu Cilang and said with some grievance:
"Your Highness, can I not leave? I want to live in the East Palace."

As soon as these words were spoken, both Zheng Chenggong and Zhu Cilang were silenced.

Zheng Chenggong was a little embarrassed because his sister was too active.

Zhu Cilang was also embarrassed because he was still young and really couldn't do that kind of thing.

But when he thought about the fact that according to the rules, he had to take Zheng Xiaomei to see Chongzhen and Queen Zhou tomorrow morning, Zhu Cilang finally nodded and agreed.

"In that case, then stay. It just so happens that tomorrow the Imperial Palace will take you to see the Emperor and the Empress."

Having said that, Zheng Chenggong naturally had nothing to say, and immediately bowed and said:

"I will take my leave first."

"I'll give it to you!"

Then, Zhu Cilang sent Zheng Chenggong directly to the door.

After Zheng Chenggong left, Zhu Cilang summoned Ma Bao and instructed:
"Go, arrange a room for the Crown Princess and find some people to serve her."

It can be seen that Zhu Cilang no longer cares about the titles of Crown Princess and Crown Princess Consort, and just calls her Crown Princess directly.

This not only reassured Zheng Xiaomei, but also meant that Zhu Cilang didn't care much about these titles.

In Zhu Cilang's view, whether it was the future Crown Princess or the current Crown Princess, they were all his wives, and there was no need to distinguish them so carefully.

When Zheng Xiaomei heard this, she felt touched but also a little unwilling.

She originally thought that she would be able to sleep with him tonight, but unexpectedly she had to live separately.

Thinking of this, she suddenly raised her head, and tears were already rolling in her fox eyes.

Then she said in a trembling voice:

"Your Highness, could it be that you despise my background and are unwilling to live with me?"

Zhu Cilang looked at the vixen in front of him and almost lost control, but he finally held himself back.

He can only explain:

"Don't get me wrong, the reason I have to do this is simply because I'm too young."

After saying this, Zhu Cilang felt embarrassed.

Getting married at the age of thirteen, what a wicked ancient society!

Zheng Xiaomei still didn't believe it, and then asked:
"Who was that Mongolian girl just now?"

Zhu Cilang said nonchalantly:

"She? She's the daughter of the former Mongol Khan, Ligdan Khan, and the younger sister of the current Mongol Khan, Abunai. I brought her back to the capital as a hostage!"

After a pause, Zhu Cilang suddenly realized what Zheng Xiaomei wanted to say, and then said:

"Don't get me wrong, I have nothing to do with her."

After hearing this, Zheng Xiaomei finally felt relieved, and then she said with a wronged voice:
"In that case, I will follow the orders of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

This pitiful look really made Zhu Cilang feel itchy.

But fortunately, he can still hold on for now!

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was the next morning.

That day, Zhu Cilang did not go to court.

He was actually not very interested in attending court now. After all, he had already appointed a large number of loyal ministers and generals, and the cabinet was guarded by Xue Guoguan, a member of the imperial party.

Even if he went, it would just be a formality.

Moreover, Zhu Cilang has made up his mind that in the future, if not to abolish the morning court session, then to change it to once every three or five days.

Otherwise, who can stand getting up at four o'clock every morning?

If this continues, he might not live to be sixty!

Throughout the history of the Ming Dynasty, no emperor lived beyond the age of seventy except Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang. He did not want to die so early.

(End of this chapter)