Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

After being stunned for several tens of seconds, Gao Mingqian's eyes finally cleared.

What followed was a burst of ecstasy!

If it weren't for the shop owner and Eunuch Feng, the head eunuch of the Prince Lu's mansion, being outside the hidden door, Gao Mingqian would probably have already burst into wild laughter.

After obtaining Lu Chen's meticulous portrait painting, Gao Mingqian originally considered sending a trusted confidant to take it to the capital, or bringing it with him when he went to the capital to report on his duties next time.

Gao Mingqian, who had served in the capital for two years, knew several officials who had met the emperor in person.

However, after careful consideration, Gao Mingqian abandoned the idea.

This matter is too confidential; sending a trusted confidant to inquire would risk a leak, so I must handle it personally.

However, unless there are special missions, Gao Mingqian only needs to go to the capital to report on his duties once every three years during the "Grand Plan".

It will be about two years before the next "big plan" is launched.

As the highest-ranking officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Linqing, it was certainly impossible for him to secretly go to the capital without any reason.

In fact, there are people in Linqing who have certainly seen the emperor's true face.

That was the Linqing tax supervisor who was sent directly from the Directorate of Ceremonial.

This eunuch was a sixth-rank official, considered a mid-level eunuch in the palace. Moreover, he served in the Directorate of Ceremonial, the head of the twenty-four directorates, so it was almost impossible that he had never had close contact with the emperor.

However, Gao Mingqian didn't dare to ask the eunuch at all.

If one cannot go to the capital in person and does not want to disturb the tax supervisor of Linqing, there are other ways to find someone who has seen the emperor up close.

Those were the eunuchs in the prince's residence, especially the chief eunuch, Cheng Fengzheng.

During the Ming Dynasty, princes were not allowed to leave their fiefdoms without imperial decree. Leaving their fiefdoms without permission was a serious crime with severe punishment, potentially resulting in the stripping of their titles and their demotion to commoner status.

In the early stages, the control over the vassal kings was relatively loose. As long as they did not leave their fiefdoms, at least when they went out of the city for hunting, no one cared.

However, after the rebellion of Zhu Gaoxu, the Prince of Han, during the Xuande reign, "leaving the palace without permission" and "leaving the city without permission" became crimes.

Even when a prince leaves his palace to visit the city, he must report to the local prefecture in advance; otherwise, he may be impeached, reprimanded, or even have his salary deducted.

If one wishes to leave the city where the Prince's residence is located, prior permission must be obtained.

Therefore, during the three major festivals of the year—New Year's Day, Winter Solstice, and Emperor's Birthday—the princes would usually send eunuchs from their palaces to the capital with tribute to offer congratulations.

These eunuchs actually had the opportunity to meet the emperor.

Moreover, the chief and deputy chief servants of the Prince's Palace Service Department were originally selected from the palace and assigned to serve in the prince's residence.

As a sixth-rank eunuch, the possibility of him never having seen the emperor in the palace is extremely small.

Yanzhou Prefecture was the fiefdom of the Prince of Lu, and it was only a little over a hundred li away from Linqing Prefecture, which could be reached in a day.

Gao Mingqian had also served in Yanzhou in his early years, where he commanded the Embroidered Uniform Guard to secretly monitor the Prince of Lu's mansion.

The owner of this antique and calligraphy shop in Yanzhou City was actually a spy for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and one of Gao Mingqian's old subordinates.

Feng, the chief eunuch of the Prince Lu's mansion, was a great lover of painting and a regular customer of this shop. This provided a perfect opportunity to subtly show him Lu Chen's portrait.

To make it more realistic and to convince Eunuch Feng that the shop owner had acquired it by chance, Gao Mingqian even aged the portrait to make it look like a painting from at least ten years ago.

Moreover, the emperor at that time was much younger than he is now, and was not even much older than Lu Chen, making him a more suitable person for comparison.

Gao Mingqian had originally made two preparations.

One possibility is that Eunuch Feng showed no reaction whatsoever when he saw Lu Chen's portrait.

Another approach is to pause and observe for a while, then either hesitate to speak or point out the resemblance between the person in the painting and the current emperor.

This sixth-rank eunuch was sent from the palace to serve in the Prince of Lu's residence in the third year of the Jiajing reign. The emperor was seventeen years old that year, not much different from Lu Chen's current age.

This portrait of Lu Chen appears to be a work from at least ten years ago.

However, Eunuch Feng bluntly declared that this was the true face of the Emperor!

What does this mean?

In the eyes of this eunuch of the Prince's mansion, this portrait was actually a true portrait of the emperor painted more than ten years ago!

Lu Chen and the current emperor look more than just a few parts alike!

Instead, he looks almost exactly like the young emperor from fourteen years ago!

You made the right bet!

They actually got a "leopard"!

Without a doubt, Lu Chen, who now lives in the garden that I gave him, is the Emperor's eldest son and the future Crown Prince!

. . .

At the same time, outside Xuanwu Gate in the capital.

Sun Dexiu, the newly appointed head of the Eastern Depot, dressed in plain clothes and the head of the Eastern Depot's secret agents in Linqing Prefecture, also mounted his horse and galloped south.

. . .

a few days later.

Linqing Prefecture, near Aotouji.

"Greetings, Commander-in-Chief!"

Fifty officers in brocade uniforms, dressed in turquoise satin robes and with embroidered spring knives at their waists, bowed to Lu Chen, led by five junior officers.

After a long period of doing nothing, Lu Chen finally received his fifty-five subordinates, who were his own as a seventh-rank military officer.

After exchanging greetings, Lu Chen, following the example of the movies and TV dramas he had watched before his transmigration, began to inspect his soldiers.

Yes, Commander Shen was right. This group of people are all tall and strong young men, and none of them are old, weak, sick, or disabled.

However, after inspecting the queue, Lu Chen felt that something was not right.

The clothes and appearance of my subordinates are far too good!

Although Lu Chen had a lot of free time for the past two weeks, he still made sure to visit the Baihu Office and the Customs Wharf every day.

Lu Chen was already familiar with the Imperial Guards under Commander Fan, as well as the five junior officers under him.

Although those people's uniforms looked similar to those of his subordinates, they were far less sophisticated.

The difference is like the difference between regular ready-to-wear and haute couture suits.

Only those five little flag bearers are somewhat comparable.

Are all my subordinates from such well-off families?

"Qin Fang, Tang Zhe, Miao Feng, you take the men to the customs office to relieve General Fan's men."

After the inspection, Lu Chen gave instructions to his five junior officers.

"Shen Zhui, Gao Ruopu, come back to the Hundred Household Office with me. I have some questions for you."

. . .

The Embroidered Uniform Guard's Customs Office.

"Where on earth did these people come from?!"

Inside the guardhouse, Lu Chen looked at the two sons of high-ranking officials in front of him.

"I demand the truth; there must be no concealment whatsoever!"

Lu Chen knew the backgrounds of these two junior officers. Shen Zhui was the nephew of his superior, Shen Xuan, the centurion, and Gao Ruopu was the youngest son of the Gao family, the thousand-household commander.

Just last night, Gao Qianhu, whom I hadn't seen for many days, once again hosted a banquet for me at Lanyue Tower.

This time, the scale was even higher than before, with the entire brothel, one of the top-tier establishments in Linqing Prefecture, being booked out.

Besides Lu Chen, Gao Qianhu, and Shen Baihu, who were invited to the banquet, there were also two young men around twenty years old attending the banquet.

It was Gao Ruopu and Shen Zhui.

These two superiors, Commander Gao and Commander Shen, actually put their own nephews and nieces under their command!

The obsequiousness and fawning are written all over his face!