The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

The capital city, the Leopard Chamber.

March in the north is still somewhat cold and gloomy, and there was even a snowfall just a few days ago. However, after the snow, everything in the capital is showing signs of recovery.

Inside the Leopard House, Zhu Houzhao was sitting on a tiger-skin chair prepared just for him, anxiously waiting for news from inside.

"Well, haven't you figured out the result yet?" Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but look at Qian Ning, who was standing to the side.

At this moment, four people stood beside the emperor.

Besides Qian Ning, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, there was Jiang Bin, the commander of the garrison, and standing to the side were Zang Xian, the eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, and Zhang Zhong, the eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration.

These four, arranged by the most favored Qian Ning, invited the Imperial Observatory and some so-called great figures in Beijing to predict the fate of the nation for the emperor. They solemnly conducted divinations through star observation and other means, and Zhu Houzhao was not allowed to watch.

Qian Ning smiled and said, "Your Majesty, why don't we send someone in to urge them?"

"Why didn't you do this earlier?" Zhu Houzhao glared at Jiang Bin beside him and said, "Go ahead!"

Jiang Bin looked puzzled.

This wasn't my arrangement, so why did I have to go in and inquire? Can predicting the fate of the nation really yield results? Can a task with no outcome be completed to the emperor's satisfaction?

"Let Eunuch Zhang go instead," Jiang Bin said, directly declining the offer.

The matter was initiated by Qian Ning, and the people were found by you, Zhang Zhong. Of course, the matter was handled by your subordinates. Now, the "Three Zhangs" brothers are at the height of their power within the imperial palace system, and have formed a force that can rival Zhang Yong and others. Isn't this your chance to make a name for yourselves in front of the emperor?

I don't think this is a good thing, nor do I want to disturb your efforts to claim credit before the Holy Spirit.

Zhang Zhongdao said, "This servant will go in and ask."

Zhang Zhong then jogged inside.

Zhu Houzhao said somewhat impatiently, "I thought it would be something interesting, but it's turned out to be so boring. Eldest son, what are the plans for today?"

"Your Majesty, there is a beast fighting performance today. There are heroes who claim to be from Kunlun Mountain who want to compete with jackals. It will definitely be very exciting." As the emperor's beloved eldest son, Qian Ning always did his best in everything he was entrusted with by his adoptive father.

Zhu Houzhao grinned, his eyes narrowing into crescent moons, and said like a young lady, "That's great! It's no fun fighting one beast by oneself. Send up three or four."

Jiang Bin, standing nearby, asked, "Can they win?"

Qian Ning said, "Don't spoil Father's mood. Let Father say what he wants. At worst, a few jackals will tear him apart. Who can blame him for showing off?"

"That makes sense..." Zhu Houzhao continued to laugh.

Just then, Zhang Zhong ran out, holding a note in his hand, and excitedly said, "Your Majesty, we have the results."

"Quickly, let me see it." Zhu Houzhao immediately snatched the note away.

He glanced at the note by the light of the newly lit candle, then looked impatient and slapped it into his eldest son Qian Ning's arms, saying, "Don't call me for such trivial matters next time! I need to go eat first, so I won't miss the animal fight tonight."

……

……

Qian Ning held the note in his hand, not feeling sad at all, and even smiling smugly.

Jiang Bin was about to leave when he saw Qian Ning grinning foolishly, so he went over and asked, "Brother, why are you laughing?"

They were all adopted sons of the emperor, so they naturally addressed each other as brothers to show their close relationship.

"What's it to you? You're just making trouble for no reason." Qian Ning naturally looked down on Jiang Bin at this moment.

Until the twelfth year of Zhengde's reign, Jiang Bin was completely overshadowed by Qian Ning. Jiang Bin himself only got the chance to rise to power by bribing Qian Ning. At that time, even if Jiang Bin knelt down to wipe Qian Ning's shoes, Qian Ning would still look down on him.

Jiang Bin said, "What you did, brother, doesn't seem very elegant."

"So you're the only one who likes to tell the truth, huh?" Qian Ning rolled her eyes at him and said, "It's one thing to be honest in front of His Majesty, but why are you pretending in front of me? Just because His Majesty has put you in charge of the troops in the four outer garrisons, do you think you can meddle in everything just because you have military power?"

Jiang Bin originally had no power whatsoever in the capital.

However, after the Liu Liu and Liu Qi uprising was quelled, due to the heavy losses of the Beijing garrison, coupled with the long-standing problems of embezzlement and low combat effectiveness, Jiang Bin proposed to transfer the border troops of the four outer garrisons to the capital to strengthen the capital's defenses in order to consolidate his power.

It was he who proposed the matter, and after Zhu Houzhao agreed to the troop deployment, he naturally handed over the military power to command the troops of these four garrisons to Jiang Bin.

This gave Jiang Bin the leverage to challenge Qian Ning.

Jiang Bin said, "My sworn brother also wants to learn more from his elder brother."

"That's a pretty good attitude." Qian Ning kicked the note into his arms and said, "Let's put it this way, it's best to lay some groundwork before doing something, so that it shows that you're methodical in your work."

"Huh?" Jiang Bin asked, looking completely bewildered. "What do you mean by that, brother? Please forgive me, but I'm just a martial artist and don't understand those complicated matters."

"Learn more."

Qian Ning, with a mysterious and inscrutable expression, said, "You'll understand when I present this to His Majesty tomorrow."

……

……

Jiang Bin was filled with great confusion, and that night he was so restless that he could neither eat nor sleep. He even refused when Zhu Houzhao summoned him to "serve him in bed".

With Zhu Houzhao, one can speak frankly without beating around the bush, and Jiang Bin has always cultivated a persona of being straightforward in his words and deeds, which is something that the cheerful Zhu Houzhao appreciates.

"Brother..." When Jiang Bin saw Qian Ning the next day, he had dark circles under his eyes, looking like he hadn't slept well.

Qian Ning looked him up and down and said, "I heard His Majesty summoned you last night and said he would bestow upon you several beautiful women, but you didn't go. How come... you've ended up in such a miserable state?"

Jiang Bin said helplessly, "I can't understand what my sworn brother is saying, it's just..."

Qian Ning rolled his eyes at him and said, "Why bother with that? Come on, let's go see His Majesty."

Jiang Bin then eagerly followed.

When the two met Zhu Houzhao, it was past noon. Zhu Houzhao was yawning, and two women were helping him wash and groom himself.

"Alright, alright, I'll eat first. You all go outside," Zhu Houzhao said impatiently.

"Your Majesty, are you referring to me as well?" Qian Ning asked with a smirk.

"Didn't you have something to do?" Zhu Houzhao glared at him and said, "After you've finished, get out of here! What was that arrangement yesterday? People went up and were gone. It was bloody, but not exciting at all."

Qian Ning laughed and said, "Your Majesty, I have something interesting here. Guess what? The Prince of Ning... that is, the Prince of Ning from Nanchang, Jiangxi, has submitted another interesting memorial."

Zhu Houzhao said, "Now you're even getting involved in matters concerning memorials to the emperor?"

Clearly, in Zhu Houzhao's view, Qian Ning had overstepped his authority.

You, a mere commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, are reporting matters concerning the Directorate of Ceremonial?

"Your Majesty, it is so, you will know once you have read it." Qian Ning then handed Zhu Chenhao's memorial to his father, the Emperor.

When Zhu Houzhao opened it to check, he annotated under Jiang Bin's puzzled gaze, "He said that there was a guy named Tang Yin who went mad a few days ago and couldn't be cured no matter what he tried. He even tried to drown himself in the lake in the dead of winter and almost died."

Jiang Bin thought to himself, "Is this really worth reporting to the emperor?"

"But after he got a little better, he said he dreamed about the future. Isn't that amazing?" Qian Ning continued to ramble on.

Zhu Houzhao said, "Anyone can talk nonsense. Jiang Bin, what do you say?"

"Your Majesty, this... I don't know the details." Jiang Bin didn't dare to offer his opinion casually.

Qian Ning said, "If it were just wild speculation and some unfounded prophecies, I wouldn't have bothered to report it to Your Majesty. But he mentioned two things that will happen in the future... You see, he said that on the 29th of this month, an important minister in the capital will suddenly suffer from chest pain and may die a violent death. He even sent medicine to prepare for the worst."

"Huh?" Jiang Bin exclaimed in surprise.

Those charlatans who make prophecies, is that even possible? Precisely specifying the exact date?

Zhu Houzhao laughed and said, "Jiang Bin, you also think something's not right, right?"

"This..." Jiang Bin looked at Qian Ning, unsure of what Qian Ning was up to.

"He also said," Qian Ning added immediately, "that in the middle of next month, the Tatars will invade Zhangjiakou with overwhelming force, looting for several days before withdrawing. I'm thinking, with both an important military officer in the court falling ill and an enemy invasion, to put it bluntly, this is... utter nonsense. But if one or two of these things prove true, wouldn't it... allow Your Majesty... to acquire an important alchemist?"

Zhu Houzhao asked, "Can such a thing be believed?"

"Your Majesty, you may not know this, but Tang Yin was originally a down-on-his-luck scholar from Jiangnan. He was not allowed to take the imperial examination, but surprisingly, he actually saw a poem written by a person from the future in his dream. I copied that poem and even had it appraised. Everyone said it was unparalleled in the world."

Qian Ning then handed over a slip of paper.

It was not a formal memorial to the throne, but merely his record of the verses from the poem "Linjiangxian".

Zhu Houzhao took it and looked at it, then exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, it's quite good. Was it written by Tang Yin?"

"Yes," Qian Ning said. "It was precisely because of this poem that Prince Ning felt something was amiss, which is why he submitted a report. He also felt that if there really was such a talented person, his Ning family would not dare to employ him, so it would be better to... recommend him to the court."

Jiang Bin asked, "Can we trust Commander Qian?"

"Believe it or not, we'll just have to wait and see," Qian Ning said with a smile. "Anyway, the end of the month is almost here. Why doesn't Your Majesty just watch the show?"

"Hehe, yes, I enjoy watching the show."

Zhu Houzhao, with a nonchalant air, said, "I also want to see if there are really any unlucky souls in the capital who will suffer from some kind of chest pain. If such a thing really exists..."

Qian Ning added with a smile, "Then I wish that Your Majesty could find a... demigod?

"Forget it, let's just treat it as a joke for now." Zhu Houzhao didn't seem to have high hopes for it.