As he spoke, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a piece of paper with a few sentences written on it, carefully rolled it up, stood up, handed it to Zhu Ci.
As soon as Zhu Ci took it and was about to open it, his hand was pressed down by Zhu Ci, he looked up in confusion.
Zhu Ci leaned forward slightly and said with a look of sincerity, "I suggest you don't look."
Author's Note:
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Zhu Ci: Cousin, you have to pull yourself together and take down that old geezer! *Cat-paw-holding-face-full-of-hope. jpg*
Happy Valentine's Day, cuties~ There are holiday red envelopes in this chapter~
PS: The next chapter will be the first paid chapter. The update time will be moved to midnight. After the paywall, if there are no accidents, the update times will be 6:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 6:00 PM, with three updates a day. The bonus updates for nutritional liquid will be announced in the author's notes~ Mwah~
By the way, I'd like to recommend my next historical derivative web novel, "Transmigrated as Cannon Fodder, Forcibly Seizing the Protagonist [Transmigration]". It features a cheerful little sun from the southern borders as the shou and a ruthless, gloomy gong, featuring childhood friends. See the synopsis below ↓
Ya Chuixing had transmigrated into a book, specifically into a historical novel set during the late Southern Song Dynasty, becoming one of the minor cannon fodder characters eliminated by Long Aotian in the early stages of the story.
Long Aotian's Qin Shize was the son of an exiled official of the Southern Song Dynasty, a man of both literary and martial talent, who relied on his exceptional skills to drive out the Yuan Army and restore the mountains and rivers.
As for Ya Chuixing, he was a rebellious Shengli, with his biological father having just died, the surrounding tribes were eyeing him hungrily because they did not respect his youth.
He immediately prepared to team up with Long Aotian while he was still alive, becoming an ally.
He rubbed his hands together in anticipation: had he traveled to the time when Long Aotian had just started his uprising, or to the time when he had already occupied Qiongzhou to launch a counteroffensive against the Yuan Army? With his vast knowledge of both astronomy and geography, he would surely join forces with the protagonist to sweep through the Yuan Army.
As a result, he turned his head only to find that Qin Shize was about to marry the son of the local Shuli leader.
Ya Chuixing pondered for two seconds, grabbed his weapon, led his men to snatch Qin Shize back.
As for forming a team, why not just form one?
PS: Shengli and Shuli are both Li tribes; Shengli refers to the tribes living in the heart of the Wuzhi Mountains who maintain autonomy, while Shuli refers to the tribes living in the coastal plains alongside the Han people.
Chapter 22
Zhu Ci stared at him intently for a long while before asking, "You won't act against the Great Ming, will you?"
Zhu Ci withdrew his hand and said, "Rest assured, even if the entire court of civil and military officials betrays the Great Ming, I will not. Setting aside everything else, just based on my surname being Zhu, I would certainly die if I fell into the hands of the Tartars. I am different from you; you have utility to them, whereas I.. I have nothing, my father wouldn't come to save me anyway."
Zhu Ci thought that was true.
It had to be said, he was starting to feel a bit of sympathy for this cousin now.
The two were only a year apart in age, yet their lives were worlds apart.
Zhu Ci said, "Alright, I'll send them out immediately."
After he stood up, Zhu Ci instead said, "No rush, the time is about right. The Hangzhou Prefect said he's arranged some kind of welcome banquet. Let's go; let's go eat something first, I'm hungry."
Zhu Ci was slightly taken aback, then nodded. "Very well."
Releasing carrier pigeons in broad daylight was indeed quite eye-catching, not to mention that the sudden emotional roller coaster just now had been mentally exhausting; he urgently needed some food and drink to recover.
When Zhu Ci walked out together with Zhu Ci, the people waiting outside all breathed a sigh of relief.
Whether it was the Donglin Party or the Grand Secretary's Party, both were terrified that these two Crown Princes would cause a bloody incident inside.
During the banquet, Zhu Ci and the other Crown Prince sat together, occasionally exchanging a few words. Their demeanor appeared incredibly intimate, much to the astonishment of the onlookers.
After the banquet ended, Zhu Ci said with bleary eyes, "Prefect, stay a moment, I have something to say. Cousin, you come along too."
Although Zhu Ci was somewhat confused, he still nodded instinctively.
At this moment, even though he hadn't realized it himself, he had already subconsciously begun to rely on Zhu Ci as his psychological pillar; at least in this situation fraught with danger, he was more willing to believe Zhu Ci.
The Hangzhou Prefect was somewhat confused, but he still led the two princes to the Small Flower Hall.
After entering the Small Flower Hall, Zhu Ci's gaze instantly cleared, no longer showing any signs of intoxication. He turned to look at the attendants and maids within the Small Flower Hall and said, "Everyone, dismiss yourselves."
The Hangzhou Prefect's heart skipped a beat, thinking to himself that things had gone wrong and he might be dragged into something he shouldn't.
While his heart was racing with anxiety, he quickly made a gesture for everyone to withdraw.
Once only the three of them were left in the Small Flower Hall, Zhu Ci turned to look at the Hangzhou Prefect and said, "Wait a moment, I will issue the order to depart at noon tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, the Hangzhou Prefect felt as if he wanted to kowtow to Zhu Ci immediately. He was very reluctant to get involved in this matter, but since Gao Mengji had done him a favor, given that the Crown Prince's safety was of paramount importance, he could only protect Zhu Ci for the time being.
Now that the hot potato was finally leaving, he felt a great sense of relief.
However, he relaxed too soon.
Zhu Ci followed up immediately, "Before noon tomorrow, you will provide us with two sets of identities. The names and ancestral homes must have no connection to each other, they must come with complete travel permits and household registrations. Do you understand?"
The Hangzhou Prefect froze for a moment. "Your Highness.. what do you mean by this?"
Zhu Ci waved his hand. "Don't worry about that. Knowing too much won't do you any good; just do as I say."
The Hangzhou Prefect hesitated for a moment but ultimately agreed; such matters were nothing to them.
If the Great Ming were not in chaos, it would certainly be difficult to handle, but now that the Great Ming is in total disarray, even a large-scale inspection cannot be carried out, so no one cares whether there is one more person or one fewer.
Zhu Ci nodded in satisfaction and said, "Go and summon the Jinyi Guard Commander for me."
The Hangzhou Prefect immediately withdrew. As soon as he left, Zhu Ci asked, "What do you need a false identity for?"
Zhu Ci said in a low voice, "I want to split the forces into three routes: the ceremonial procession will take one route, you and I will take the others separately."
Zhu Ci reacted immediately: "Will there be danger on the road?"
Zhu Ci nodded. "Didn't I say my father the Emperor has already arranged for assassins? He doesn't just want me dead; he wants you dead as well."
Zhu Ci frowned. "Is he not afraid of the public outcry?"
Zhu Ci reminded him, "My Imperial Father was not raised to be a Crown Prince, besides, the assassins he arranged were disguised as mountain bandits. Now that the entire Great Ming is in chaos and some places are suffering from disasters, it is quite normal for mountain bandits to appear."
Zhu Ci gritted his teeth. "Rebellious traitors!"
Zhu Ci said, "I am telling you this so that you can be more careful. Even if you arrive safely in the Capital, do not let your guard down. Even if you dislike the Donglin Party, you must align yourself with them; they are your most reliable allies."
Zhu Ci knew in his heart, of course, that the only people he could rely on now were the Donglin Party and his cousin standing before him.
He had even already decided that once he ascended the throne, he would confer a princedom upon this cousin and grant him a portion of actual power.
Relying on the Donglin Party was one thing, but once he became the Emperor, he absolutely could not allow a single faction to dominate. As for balancing the imperial court, his Imperial Father had taught him about such matters long ago.
As soon as the two of them finished speaking, Shen Fangxin arrived.
Shen Fangxin found Zhu Ci to be quite a difficult person to deal with, his heart was certainly inclined toward Zhu Ci.
He did not understand Zhu Ci's character, nor did he know his temperament, even though throughout this journey he believed he understood the Crown Prince quite well.
In short, subordinates would find it much easier to work under such a superior.
However, even if he held biases in his heart, he still treated him with meticulous fairness when performing the salutation.
Zhu Ci said, "There is no need for such formality, Commander. I called you here to discuss the arrangements for returning to Nanjing; my cousin and I have discussed it and decided to depart tomorrow at noon."
Shen Fangxin was somewhat surprised. "So soon?"
Zhu Ci gave a response: "The night is long and dreams are many; it is better to leave early."
Shen Fangxin immediately said, "This general will issue the orders to prepare at once."
Zhu Ci immediately said, "No rush, I have one more thing to instruct you. Tomorrow, leave behind a few Jinyi Guards—not too many—to escort my cousin and me."
Shen Fangxin was momentarily confused. "Escorting the two of you?"
He quickly realized, "Is Your Highness planning to travel alone?"
Zhu Ci nodded in agreement. "That's right. This journey certainly won't be peaceful. There was an assassination attempt before, now I fear it will draw even more people to counterattack. Therefore, my cousin and I will return to the Capital in secret, while you lead the ceremonial procession to mislead the bandits."
Zhu Ci's mind shifted as he glanced at Zhu Ci.
He remembered his younger cousin had just said the troops would split into three routes, but now he was saying they would split into two. It seemed he did not trust this Jinyi Guard Commander much either.
But it was only natural; the Jinyi Guard had always been loyal only to the Emperor, so it seemed this Jinyi Guard Commander could not be fully trusted either.
Shen Fangxin said with some concern, "But.. this.. it's too risky, I beg Your Highness to reconsider."
Zhu Ci gave a light laugh. "The two of us disguising ourselves as wealthy young masters is much safer than staying in the main group. Besides, I've assigned you Jinyi Guards; what is there to fear?"
Shen Fangxin always felt that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. He could only discuss the matter in detail with the two Princes, only after confirming that everything was foolproof did he say, "Rest assured, Your Highness, this general will certainly select the most capable guards."
Zhu Ci nodded. "Mhm, as long as you have it under control."
After Shen Fangxin withdrew, Zhu Ci immediately lowered his voice and asked, "You don't trust him? He seems very close to you."
Zhu Ci glanced at Zhu Ci: "I only happened to protect him; he might help with trivial matters, but for important matters, he will definitely stand by his Imperial Father's side."
Zhu Ci understood; that man was indeed untrustworthy.
Zhu Ci asked in a low voice, "How were the martial skills of those two eunuchs who identified themselves to you today?"
Zhu Ci shook his head. "I am not well acquainted with them, but the selection of eunuchs for the Eastern Palace was extremely strict back then. Since they were able to enter the Eastern Palace, they must be quite capable."
Zhu Ci pondered for a long while before saying, "I'm afraid we'll still have to rely on them to deal with the Jinyi Guard when the time comes."
“What?” Zhu Ci was surprised. “You're going to make a move against the Jinyi Guard?”
The Jinyi Guard is only loyal to the Emperor. We are splitting up to save our lives; do you think they might take this opportunity to strike you?
Zhu Ci felt somewhat uneasy: "In that case, why must we split up?"
Zhu Ci thought to himself, if we don't split up, how am I supposed to escape?
However, not wanting to arouse Zhu Ci's suspicion, he said, "It is naturally because it would be more dangerous within the procession. Didn't I already say there would be an assassination attempt along the route? If we wanted to change the route.. do you think the Jinyi Guard would report it in time? What's more, they might even execute the order before reporting it, Father the Emperor would certainly not blame them for this matter."
Zhu Ci fell silent for a moment, then finally sighed and said, "Even if those two eunuchs were willing, how could they possibly be a match for the Jinyi Guard?"
Zhu Ci said in a low voice, "That will depend on you. If you can persuade those Donglin Party members, then there is no need to worry."
Zhu Ci replied confidently, "I'll give it a try."
His father had taught him about things like winning over court officials; back then, he could build good relationships even with officials who weren't particularly inclined toward him, let alone now, when the Donglin Party needed him and he needed the Donglin Party.
Zhu Ci handed over a piece of paper and said, "On this are the names I've noted down along with their official positions and backgrounds; pick a few of them."
After Zhu Ci took it and opened it, he said subconsciously, "This handwriting is far too ugly."
Only after saying that did he realize that Zhu Ci had just indicated he had written it himself.
This..