The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

As the sun rose, Zhu Chenhao appeared in the villa with Tang Yin and Liu Yangzheng.

Gongsun Jin and Zhu Yi went to greet them together.

Zhu Yi didn't notice Tang Yin, who was dressed neatly but had a vacant look in his eyes, as he came up. He focused his gaze on Zhu Chenhao.

He felt that this person looked familiar.

They are very familiar with each other.

Zhu Chenhao carried the same temperament as his father, and was very similar to the father in his memory, except that he was not as wealthy, nor as dignified... On the contrary, his father, who passed away from illness when he was in elementary school, seemed more like an ordinary person struggling to make ends meet, and did not have such radiance.

"This is my master, Mr. Wei," Gongsun Jin introduced them. "You've already met Mr. Wen. Young Master Zhu, this is Mr. Song..."

Finally, Gongsun Jin pointed to Tang Yin.

Tang Yin made no response to Zhu Yi.

He pretended to be listless and unable to understand, but in reality, he was wondering what was going on. Why were they being so secretive from the start? What was with all this talk about Mr. Wei and Mr. Wen? Were they playing tricks?

This young man doesn't look very old, so how could he be so proficient in Feng Shui and Xuan Kong Feng Shui? What qualifications does he have to be personally received by Prince Ning?

Could this be some kind of master from Longhu Mountain?

I don't know them either.

Why did you have to call me here?

……

……

After exchanging greetings, the group was invited to the main hall.

Two adjacent tables were set up, but there were only four chairs for five people.

Zhu Chenhao and Zhu Yi sat facing each other at the main table, while Liu Yangzheng and Tang Yin sat side by side on the other side, and Gongsun Jin was standing.

Zhu Yi didn't think too much about the seating arrangement; his plan for today was for him to have a direct confrontation with the master behind Gongsun Jin.

But Tang Yin was pondering the intricacies of the matter… He and Liu Yangzheng were both Juren (successful candidates in the provincial examination), so sitting next to Prince Ning was not a problem. Gongsun Jin was only a Xiucai (successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination) and a student of the Imperial Academy, so his status was lower than theirs and standing was not wrong…

But why should that young man sit at the same table as Prince Ning?

Is Prince Ning really so courteous to scholars?

Why does this boy look somewhat like Princess Ning?

After they were seated, Zhu Chenhao spoke first: "I heard everything you said yesterday in the back hall, and it moved me deeply. I have come to see you today specifically to inquire further about the rise and fall, glory and disgrace of the Ming Dynasty."

The way he addressed him was very casual, and he didn't give Tang Yin any further opportunity to explore.

Zhu Yidao said, "Mr. Wei, may I ask if you currently serve in the imperial court, or are you outside of it?"

"Hehe." Zhu Chenhao chuckled.

Tang Yin was even more surprised.

This young man doesn't even know who Prince Ning is?

Also.

Judging from his attire, he doesn't seem to have any official rank or title. If he knew the identity of Prince Ning, how could he not bow deeply?

"I am someone outside the court, yet I always keep track of court affairs." Zhu Chenhao did not let Gongsun Jin speak; he summarized the matter himself.

"And what about them?"

Zhu Yi then looked at the two people at the other table.

It wasn't quite clear, but the implication is that you're just letting random people listen in on such an important matter as this? And the number is increasing every day?

Zhu Chenhao seemed to greatly approve of his son's caution, saying, "I can guarantee that what you mentioned these past two days will not be leaked to anyone unrelated. Moreover, since it is a prophecy about the future and cannot be verified, it will only be regarded as a closed-door discussion about court affairs. There will be no words of caution, and no one will hold it against you."

Zhu Yi nodded and said, "I'll believe it for now."

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Jin quickly smiled and smoothed things over, saying, "Discussing important matters naturally requires caution. The main reason for inviting Mr. Song here today is to assess the situation. He has many insights into the current affairs. In fact, he's no ordinary person."

Tang Yin turned his head to one side, feeling very awkward, thinking to himself, "What does this have to do with me?"

Prophecy?

Could this kid enjoy speculating about the future? Given Prince Ning's status and abilities, would he believe such nonsense?

Or did it come from the mouth of a teenager?

Clearly, Tang Yin was completely unaware that he was at the center of this vortex today.

"Let's begin," Zhu Chenhao said.

Gongsun Jin smiled and said, "Mr. Wei, you are the host, so it's your turn to ask the questions today. I believe Young Master Zhu will do his best to cooperate."

……

……

The talks finally began.

No one present had brought paper and pen, meaning that the meeting would not be recorded in writing and passed down.

Zhu Chenhao said, "What I am most concerned about is the root cause of the Ming Dynasty's demise."

One question nearly made Tang Yin's jaw drop. Even though he tried his best to play dumb, thinking he could fake it without leaving a trace, this question almost ruined his act and exposed him directly.

He then looked at Liu Yangzheng and Gongsun Jin's reactions and found that the two of them had normal expressions, as if this was a serious topic.

Gongsun Jin glanced at Tang Yin and explained on his behalf: "It's like this, Brother Zhu made a prediction about the future of the Ming Dynasty yesterday. The prophecy says that in 160 years, the Ming Dynasty will be destroyed by bandits and the Jurchen barbarians of Liaodong."

Is this really that fantastical?

Tang Yin thought to himself.

He says when it will be destroyed, and he says who it will be destroyed by.

You, Prince Ning, have someone predict the future; shouldn't you be more concerned about whether your rebellion will succeed?

Or perhaps you haven't had a chance to ask that question yet?

He couldn't help but re-evaluate Zhu Yi.

Don't let his unassuming appearance fool you; this kid is quite adept at finding the right remedy! How superstitious is Prince Ning? Saying things that seem plausible or ambiguous is sure to attract his attention.

But Prince Ning wasn't stupid, and his advisors were even more astute. Would a mere boy really be able to play him like that?

Zhu Yi nodded slightly, seemingly pondering the question as well, and then said, "The fundamental reasons for the fall of the Ming Dynasty have been summarized by later generations, and they can be summarized as follows."

From the perspective of the imperial court, the problems stemmed from the emperor's neglect of his duties, the eunuchs' monopoly of power, and the factional strife among civil officials. This made it impossible for the court to achieve continuous and effective policy implementation, and it was impossible to appoint people based on merit. Suspicion between the emperor and his ministers and factional attacks were rampant. This made it difficult to trust the people in important matters, especially wars, and policies and military strategies were changed frequently.

In the countryside, from the Song Dynasty onwards, land policies remained unchanged for hundreds of years. Coupled with the expansion of the power of the vassal kings and the increasing number of people receiving government stipends, this led to severe land annexation and a gradual decrease in the number of self-cultivating farmers in the north. However, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, due to changes in the weather, the north suffered from continuous natural disasters and man-made calamities. Droughts, floods, locust plagues, and plagues successively ravaged the Ming Dynasty, resulting in poor harvests. The exorbitant taxes imposed by the court became increasingly severe, forcing people to flee or even be coerced by bandits to rebel against the court.

From a military perspective, the Ming Dynasty's garrison system, after nearly three centuries of evolution, had long since become rigid. The lower-ranking soldiers lived in abject poverty, and daily training, supplies, and weaponry were inadequate, leading to low combat effectiveness. Furthermore, the rise of the Jurchens in Liaodong forced the Ming Dynasty to engage in battles against both bandits and foreign raids, severely depleting its national strength. Ultimately, this resulted in exhausted troops and horses, and a growing sense of discontent among the troops.

Zhu Yi started by giving a general summary.

Zhu Chenhao nodded slightly upon hearing this, clearly indicating that such an explanation was not enough to satisfy him.

Sitting nearby, Liu Yangzheng seemed unconvinced and said, "Aren't the circumstances roughly the same at the end of every dynasty? What Young Master Zhu said doesn't sound particularly insightful or significant. What do you think, Mr. Song?"

Tang Yin was still lost in thought when he heard this, and suddenly came back to his senses.

How does this have anything to do with me?

You expect me, a person who has lost my mind and is so seriously ill that I can't even take care of myself, to come here and listen to you discuss how the Ming Dynasty perished?

Am I the one who's sick, or are you guys the ones who're sick?

Or should I just bang my head against a wall right here and now?

never mind!

Anyway, Prince Ning had already said that today was the last time I would represent the Prince Ning's Mansion to receive guests. I just need to wait out until the meeting is over, and then my mission will be complete. I can go back to Suzhou and live a peaceful life.

Even feigning madness requires choosing the right moment and knowing how to assess the situation.

Acting out of line in front of Prince Ning would offend him and cause unexpected trouble.

"Hmm...hmm hmm..." Tang Yin kept humming, as if he were humming a tune.

"Continue," Zhu Chenhao said, looking at his son with expectant eyes.

This look would also make Zhu Yi lose his composure, because he saw his father's shadow in Zhu Chenhao's face. Although more than ten years had passed and his memory was somewhat blurred, it seemed that his father also had this look in his eyes when he had expectations for his studies.

Zhu Yi thought to himself, "People with power and influence are different; they can give you such a sense of warmth."

I can't fall for your tricks.

I'll say what I want to say, and I won't say what I don't want to say.

Zhu Yi immediately looked away and said, "Yes, at the end of every dynasty, what they experience is nothing more than internal and external troubles. How can a dynasty suddenly collapse when it's perfectly fine?"

Tang Yin was secretly pleased after hearing this.

Hey, is this kid trying to get Ning Wang to join the party?

The Ming Dynasty isn't exactly in its final years right now, is it? It doesn't have that many internal and external troubles either. How dare you, Prince Ning, plot a rebellion at this time?

"In my opinion, the fall of the Ming Dynasty was more due to the court's improper governance," Zhu Yi offered a more direct viewpoint.

Zhu Chenhao said, "In your opinion, the root cause lies with the royal family and the court?"

"Yes," Zhu Yi sighed. "Starting with the Zhengde Emperor, the subsequent emperors were all incompetent rulers. Not a single one of them sought the well-being of the people; they were all only focused on their own immediate interests. Within the court, civil officials, military officers, and eunuchs were constantly fighting for their own interests. How could such a court not perish?"

Tang Yin continued to glance towards the door, as if to say, "I didn't hear anything, and this has nothing to do with me."

Zhu Chenhao wholeheartedly agreed, as his ambition was to overthrow Zhengde and transfer the throne to his own family. He pressed further, asking, "Then, in your opinion, what should the emperor do to change all of this?"

Zhu Yidao said, "Naturally, it's about improving people's livelihoods."

"How can we improve people's livelihoods?" Zhu Chenhao insisted. "Empty words are not enough to change the overall situation. I mean, if you... were in charge of this court, what would you do?"

Now, not only Tang Yin, but also Liu Yangzheng and Gongsun Jin were staring at each other in disbelief.

They were thinking about it too.

Oh no, Prince Ning is getting too into character.

For someone else to say such a thing is treason, a grave disrespect, and warrants the extermination of their entire clan.

Although neither Prince Ning nor his son were qualified to speak.

But they originally wanted to rebel, to overthrow the current emperor, and to become emperor themselves...

Are the father and son discussing how to govern the country in the future?

No wonder Prince Ning immediately asked his son about the lessons of the Ming Dynasty's demise. It seems they were planning to discuss how they could go up there and play by themselves, taking control of the Ming Dynasty.