The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

The entrance to the courtyard.

When Gongsun Jin and Liu Yangzheng came out, even Liu Yangzheng, who had always been very critical of Zhu Yi, became silent.

"As instructed by the master, I gave those two maids some instructions so they could go and serve the master inside without worry." A woman in her thirties was negotiating with Gongsun Jin.

Gongsun Jin asked, "Are you sure they're unaware of the current situation?"

The woman said, "These two young girls haven't fully grown up yet. They came from Suzhou through trade and know nothing about worldly affairs. Sir, you can rest assured."

Gongsun Jin then waved his hand, signaling the woman to step back.

Liu Yangzheng then asked, "Are you really going to report the truth to His Highness Prince Ning?"

Gongsun Jin's gaze fell on the two young girls who had just alighted from their carriage at the street entrance, and he intentionally reminded them, "Sir, the one inside is, after all, our young master. If she achieves great things in the future, her status will be above ours."

Liu Yangzheng looked displeased.

Following you in your rebellion, besides obeying Prince Ning's orders, I also have to treat this fabricating brat as my master? What am I, a scholar who passed the imperial examinations, doing this for?

Gongsun Jin said, "Judging the truth is the prince's job. We are simply fulfilling our duty by reporting the facts without concealment."

Liu Yangzheng sounded indignant as he spoke: "According to what he said, what about the Great Rites Controversy and the forty-two days? If we really told Prince Ning these things, wouldn't Prince Ning be furious? We shouldn't have limited ourselves to those three questions in the first place. If we had asked a few more questions, he would have definitely given himself away."

"Sir, please don't say that."

Gongsun Jin leaned closer and whispered a reminder, "We've come this far, the matter is of great importance, and we're no longer in a position to ask questions. Even if we want to delve deeper, His Highness Prince Ning must be present."

In one sentence, it was as if Liu Yangzheng had been awakened.

Since Zhu Yi could so bluntly say that the Prince of Ning's rebellion was bound to fail, regardless of whether it was true or not, as his subordinates, they still had to investigate further. What would the Prince of Ning think if he found out?

You yourselves said you wanted to ask him a few more questions to expose him.

However, it could also be interpreted as you wanting to verify the truth, and if you find that the future situation is unfavorable to you, you might jump ship and betray the government...

The less you know, the safer you are.

Liu Yangzheng said, "Then why did you call me here?"

Gongsun Jin smiled wryly and said, "Sir, I really didn't know that the young master could say such things. If I had known earlier, even I wouldn't have been involved. But then again, if he really can... foresee the future, his help would be of great benefit to Prince Ning's success."

"Hmph!" Liu Yangzheng said, "Still trying to get the truth out of him? In my opinion, it's someone behind the scenes who taught him his wolfish ambition. Such a person deserves to be torn to pieces."

At this moment, the two young girls had arrived at the door under the guidance of the woman. Although they were not graceful and elegant, they were still pitiful to behold, and even Gongsun Jin could not help but take a second look.

After everyone had passed by, Gongsun Jincai gave Liu Yangzheng a warning look.

It's as if they're still thinking of punishing the person behind the little prince? They should first consider what tone to use to relay this to Prince Ning in a way that will appease his anger!

……

……

South Lake, Zhuque Pavilion.

Prince Ning was holding a copy of the "Meeting Records" compiled by Gongsun Jin. The part involving Prince Ning's rebellion was not recorded to prevent leaving evidence of his crimes.

However, the records regarding matters such as the Great Rites Controversy are very detailed.

"The junior branch of the family is succeeding the main branch, inheriting the lineage and the throne, and the great rites are being discussed... How did my son come up with this?" Prince Ning even sighed a little when he saw this.

It seems that only those who scrutinize history can have such a clear understanding of things. Even those who have personally experienced history cannot see the whole picture because they are in the midst of it.

The scope of the discussion immediately broadened.

Liu Yangzheng said earnestly, "Your Highness, don't you think that the description of the Great Rites Controversy is too hasty?"

Prince Ning put down the scroll in his hand and asked, "Oh? Please enlighten me, sir, is there anything that is not rigorous enough?"

Liu Yangzheng pointed out: "His words say that Zhang Cong was a newly appointed Jinshi, yet he was able to gain the emperor's favor, confront a retired old minister Yang Yiqing, and many cabinet ministers and ministers in the court, and in the end, the old minister was defeated. This in itself... does not make sense."

"Um."

Prince Ning pondered for a moment, but did not directly refute him.

In Prince Ning's view, he originally envisioned himself as the protagonist of this historical event.

Now let me analyze who will win in the struggle between the young Prince Xing, who is currently just a child, and the veteran ministers of the court.

Do I have the time or inclination for that?

Gongsun Jin then said, "Your Highness, Mr. Liu, I have a different opinion. Although Zhang Cong and Yang Yiqing seem to be outnumbered and isolated, they represent the backbone of the court and emerging forces. With the old and new united, they can fight against some old and conservative ministers. Moreover, with the new emperor eager to consolidate his power backing them up, victory is not difficult."

"Hmm." Prince Ning simply nodded slightly.

It seems they don't want to participate in the discussion.

Liu Yangzheng glared at Gongsun Jin, then said aggressively, "Your Highness, the person who instigated the young master to say these words is truly treacherous, especially mentioning that in the fourteenth year of Zhengde... you raised an army, but it only lasted for forty-two days before being defeated by a man named Wang Shouren. This shows they don't take you seriously."

Prince Ning didn't seem to care much about this and didn't fly into a rage as Liu Yangzheng had expected.

He looked at Gongsun Jin and asked, "Who exactly is this Wang Shouren?"

"Your Highness, he is the son of Wang Hua, a former Hanlin Academician from Yuyao. He passed the imperial examination in the year of Jiwei during the Hongzhi era and is currently serving as the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies in Nanjing. Apart from that, he is a versatile official with mediocre political achievements. However, according to what the young master said, this man will become a famous figure in the Ming Dynasty and be remembered in history." Gongsun Jin reported truthfully. "At present, there have been civil unrest in southern Jiangxi and other places. It is possible that the court will send a governor or censor-in-chief to supervise the army in the future. Everything seems to make sense."

"If the imperial court were to send someone, would it be the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies from Nanjing?" Prince Ning asked, frowning.

"Your Highness, it is said that Wang Hua and his son have a very close personal relationship with Wang Qiong, the Minister of Revenue. Moreover, Minister Wang has previously praised Wang Shouren in public, saying that he has the talent to govern the army," Gongsun Jin added.

Even Liu Yangzheng couldn't help but look at him with new respect.

When Gongsun Jin heard about Wang Shouren's suppression of the rebellion of Prince Ning, he was just as clueless as Gongsun Jin about the existence of Wang Shouren.

However, in less than an hour, Gongsun Jin had already gained a preliminary understanding of Wang Shouren's situation.

This shows that... Gongsun Jin was indeed a capable general of Prince Ning.

Prince Ning suddenly remembered something and asked, "Tang Yin also took the exam that year, right?"

"Yes," Gongsun Jin replied with a smile, "If Mr. Tang hadn't developed hysteria and everything was normal, we could have learned quite a bit about Wang Shouren from him. But right now..."

Prince Ning waved his hand and said, "Very well. Tell me, is what my son said believable?"

By this point, the three of them had to re-evaluate the value of Zhu Yi's existence.

As previously agreed, the purpose of the conversation with Zhu Yi was to find out who was behind Zhu Yi and expose his conspiracy.

But right now, the task is to verify the truth or falsehood of what Zhu Yi said.

Gongsun Jin said, "Your Highness, there is something I must mention. The young master emphasized that when you... raise an army in the future, the Left Chancellor will be none other than Li Shishi, the former Censor-in-Chief and Vice Minister, whom you have sought to meet many times but have been unable to do so. Does that mean... this person might be of use to you in the future?"

The muscles on Prince Ning's face twitched twice.

Even his trusted confidant Gongsun Jin was unaware that he had already established connections with Li Shishi, as Li Shishi was extremely afraid that outsiders would know that he had ties with the Prince of Ning.

But his son, Zhu Yi, could speak with absolute accuracy!

"Your Highness, if we still want to investigate the truth or find a workaround, we must have your personal involvement."

Gongsun Jin then offered his suggestion.

We've reached the limit of our ability to have private contact with your son.

We're all getting a chill down our spines because you haven't held a grudge after all this time. If we want to find out the truth from now on, we'll have to get your personal attention!

Prince Ning pondered for a moment, seemingly having grasped the key. His men dared not investigate further, as he also wanted to know what his son had gone through to utter such shocking words.

"Make arrangements so as not to alarm others. I will only listen in and need not personally intervene."