The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

After another spring rain, Gongsun Jin arrived early in the morning at a banquet courtyard by South Lake, accompanied by his son Gongsun Mao.

"Remember to take good care of this distinguished guest from the capital. Let him tour around the city and don't delay him, so as not to delay his return to the capital." Gongsun Jin seemed to want his son to run errands, but in reality, he wanted his son to build connections.

Gongsun Mao, dressed like a young nobleman, sounded somewhat impatient upon hearing this and said, "Father, we've already delayed our drinking with the Second Young Master. Why don't we invite him to join us?"

"How can you be so dense? The second young master you're talking about is a prince. How can he be compared to you? Besides, this person can't associate with a prince. If the prince finds out, you'll be in big trouble." Gongsun Jin was very angry.

The Ning Prince's Mansion is now clearly shifting its course towards the third son, Zhu Yi, but his son happens to be in cahoots with the second son, Zhu Gonggui.

"Oh." Gongsun Mao was still somewhat unwilling.

"Alright, you go outside and wait. I'll explain things to this distinguished guest first, and then I'll leave the rest to you." Seeing that his son wasn't quite getting it, Gongsun Jin directly sent him to wait outside the courtyard.

……

……

Then a greasy man in his thirties, dressed in fine silks and satins and looking like a nouveau riche, appeared in front of Gongsun Jin.

"Mr. Kang, it's been a long time," Gongsun Jin greeted him warmly.

The man said with displeasure, "I came on Commander Qian's orders, and this is how you treat me? It seems the Ning Prince's Mansion doesn't intend to maintain a good relationship with Commander Qian in the future?"

Gongsun Jin was furious when he heard this.

Such people do not hold any high-ranking official positions; their patronage is the pretense of exploiting officials and gentry after arriving in the local area.

He keeps talking about who his backer is, as if he's afraid people won't know how he got his current position.

"Mr. Kang, please calm down. His Highness has been unwell recently and is unable to receive guests. Furthermore, upon learning that Governor Qian has been accompanying His Majesty on official business, he specially prepared some gifts... Originally, I wanted to raise more, but knowing that Mr. Kang is in a hurry to return to the capital, I specially asked him to send them over first," Gongsun Jin said.

Upon hearing this, the man's face lit up with a shrewd expression: "The gifts aren't all gathered yet? Then I can wait two more days."

"No, sir. The Prince has an important letter that he wants you to take back to Governor Qian, so he hopes you can return as soon as possible... As for yours, it's all prepared. Before you leave, enjoy the scenery around Nanchang. Everything that needs to be prepared... will be provided." Gongsun Jin had a beautiful smile on her face.

The man frowned and said, "It's not like they just let us stay at an inn and don't even pay for tea, is it?"

"Of course not, I was just being negligent the other day." Gongsun Jin leaned closer and said, "Since you've come all the way to Nanchang, how can you not experience the local culture and customs? Just relax and enjoy yourself, the Prince's residence will do its best to meet your daily expenses."

Not to fully satisfy, but to satisfy as much as possible.

The gist of it is to remind this person that we can guarantee necessary expenses, but if you really go too far, our Prince's Mansion reserves the right to turn our backs and ignore you.

The man said, "In that case, we should certainly experience it properly. May I ask who will be accompanying you?"

"It will be arranged," Gongsun Jin said. "How about this, sir, let's go inside first. I have something to ask you. I also need you to put in a good word for me with Governor Qian after you return to the capital."

"Is that so? Well, that depends on your sincerity." The man immediately became smug again.

Since you're asking for my help, don't blame me for demanding an exorbitant price and ripping you off.

……

……

Gongsun Jin dismissed the man surnamed Kang and then returned to report to Prince Ning.

But it wasn't until dark that Zhu Chenhao returned from outside.

"Your Highness, are you feeling better? Please take care of yourself." Gongsun Jin walked over, looking concerned, and even reached out to support him.

Zhu Chenhao waved his hand and said, "I'm old now, not like I used to be. That's why I can't wait any longer. But it's good, I was afraid that the younger generation wouldn't know the shame of the Ning family and would end up enjoying themselves and squandering the family's legacy, forgetting the teachings of their ancestors. Now... at least there are successors."

Gongsun Jin said, "But Your Highness, the one who will ultimately be a member of the Ning Prince's family is the Second Young Master."

This is a reminder to Zhu Chenhao that no matter how capable you think your third son is, according to the traditional rites and laws, the person who will be able to control the Ning Prince's Mansion's business in the future, or even carry out a rebellion, is your second son.

You're now placing all your hopes on a son who's not in charge of the household; isn't that "entrusting the wrong person"?

"Hmm..." Zhu Chenhao's expression also turned sour upon hearing this.

Although he was in charge of the Prince's residence, he could not directly decide who would inherit the family business. He could only depose the eldest son and establish the younger one if the eldest son was already dead... Both of his sons were legitimate sons, and it was impossible to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate sons. The final result was likely to be... the great cause of the Prince's residence would still be ruined by that good-for-nothing second son.

"Your Highness, I have given you my instructions. That man surnamed Kang is a greedy and lustful fellow, so he is easy to deal with. I just don't know if he can appease Qian Ning after he goes back." Gongsun Jin continued to report on his mission.

Zhu Chenhao said, "Didn't I say that we, the Prince's Mansion, should go to the capital to spread the word? Qian Ning's position has gradually been replaced by Jiang Bin. This time, I need to find someone with insight to go to the capital, and the best choice... is you."

"Your Highness, is that you?"

Gongsun Jin never expected that he would have to shoulder the task of personally going to the capital to persuade and give gifts, and even to spread the word that Tang Yin was incredibly powerful.

"I asked you to assist my son in his affairs, but when I saw him today, he said that you have already done a good job. You are going to the capital this time, and you may return in a month or two, or you may not return at all," Zhu Chenhao continued.

"Does Your Highness intend for me to meet the Second Young Master in the capital?" Gongsun Jin's mind was quick.

The main purpose of bribing Qian Ning was to get the Prince's heir, Zhu Gonggui, the second son, to come to the capital and try to be adopted by the emperor to become the nominal crown prince of the Ming Dynasty.

If he is sent ahead to pave the way, it must be to prepare for the Crown Prince's arrival in the capital.

"Not the second oldest, but the third oldest," Zhu Chenhao emphasized.

What time is it? Do you still think I would entrust the grand plan of the Prince's Mansion to my good-for-nothing second son?

"But from a legal perspective..."

"What etiquette? Didn't you say it yourself? The future foundation of the Prince's Mansion is to be handed over to the second son. So what is the third son for? Naturally, he is to inherit the Ming Dynasty." Zhu Chenhao said with an unfriendly expression.

Gongsun Jin couldn't help but smile bitterly.

I thought to myself, "You really are making things up."

In my opinion, it would be better to send your good-for-nothing second son to the capital and hand over the Ning Prince's Mansion to your third son. At least then I would have peace of mind.

"Your Highness, the capital is still far too dangerous." Gongsun Jin was also reminding Zhu Chenhao that no matter which son he sent to the capital, it would be tantamount to sending a hostage.

Shouldn't you keep the more capable ones around and train them to assist you?

Zhu Chenhao sighed, "The path of raising an army is not easy. If we can achieve it without bloodshed, that would be ideal. There is no room for discussion on this matter!"