Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 8 Duke
Although the Xincheng Earl's Mansion is only an earl, Zhao Zhilong of this generation is in charge of the military affairs of Yingtian Prefecture, and his influence is no less than those dukes.

How could a place like this be entered by someone as poor as Chen Si?

Seeing that the Crown Prince and Lord Xu were a little surprised, Chen Si proudly explained in detail.

The mansion of a noble is extraordinary, and ordinary people naturally cannot enter, but who are Chen Si and the others?

The big trust that monopolizes the coolie industry in Yingtian City!

The residence of the nobles has been growing continuously since the founding of the country. Although there have been occasional separations and individual residences, over the past two hundred years, the huge residence has already been fully populated.

There are so many people and the consumption is high, so the huge amount of supplies needed every day needs to be transported into the mansion by Chen Si and his team.

Over the years, no one has ever heard of these honest and simple people causing any trouble in any mansion, so after transporting the goods, if they want to take a walk in a secluded place, the servants in the mansion are too lazy to say anything.

After Chen Si finished speaking, Zhu Cilang's joy was beyond words.

Originally, he thought that even if Chen Si could get in, it would take a lot of effort. If not, he would find another way to fill the gap in the plan, but who knows.

"Fourth brother is truly a lucky star sent down from heaven!"

Chen Si regained his confidence. If the high-ranking official in red robe had not been present, he would have definitely boasted about himself.

"Fourth brother, select some brave and reliable brothers to sneak into the Earl's mansion. If anyone really wants to surrender to the Tartars, we will make him bleed first."

Just as Zhu Cilang was expecting Chen Si to agree, he heard him hesitantly say, "Yes, they are all noble people."

For the first time, Chen Si's performance surprised Zhu Cilang.

Originally, he thought Chen Si was a tyrant, but who knew he was just a reckless man who acted on his whims. If his status as the crown prince had not been denied, he might not have dared to break into the Ministry of War prison even if he had ten times the courage.

"Brother Chen, why are you so confused?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Wang Fuping, who was standing in the distance, walking towards them.

"I have seen you in my humble position, sir."

Xu Yu raised his hand slightly, and Wang Fuping stood up and continued, "Which of the honors of the officials in the court was not given by the court? Since they want to surrender to the Tartars, they are no longer our officials!"

"That's right. If we want to surrender to the Tartars, what does the honor of our Ming Dynasty have to do with them?"

Xu Yu gave his affirmation in time, and Chen Si finally gritted his teeth and finally overcame the obstacle in his heart.

"I am confused. Anyone who surrenders to the Tartars is like Qin Hui. If I kill them, I, Chen Si, might even be able to get a storyteller to tell a story!"

Zhu Cilang was speechless, but he couldn't complain at this time so he turned directly to Wang Fuping.

"Brother Wang..."

"Your Highness, please just call me by my name. I really can't stand it."

"If you hadn't saved me, how could I have met Mr. Xu? You deserve this title, Brother Wang."

Xu Yu nodded slightly, and the others looked envious.

Chen Si glanced at the expressions of the crowd and couldn't help but mutter in his heart: Isn't he just a brother? The prince still calls me Fourth Brother.

"Brother Wang, since it is the Ministry of War, it should have weapons, right?"

"I understand the humble position!"

Seeing that Wang Fuping was still as smart as ever, Zhu Cilang said no more.

Then he took two steps back, bowed to everyone in the hall and said, "I'm leaving the people and the country in your care."

Zhu Cilang's plan is only feasible in theory. If you carefully examine the loopholes in it, you may not be able to count them all even if you spend an entire night.

But the situation is like this, and we don't have enough power. What else can we do except try our best?

Yingtian Prefecture should have been full of flowers and birds in May, but perhaps due to the constant man-made disasters in recent years, the heavens were angry and it was still a bit cold at this time of year. In the study room of Duke Wei's mansion, Xu Yinjue was holding a tea bowl in his hands in a daze.

The development of the situation in the south of the Yangtze River was far beyond people's expectations. First, there was a fight for the throne, then a fight for cabinet elders. Then there were three major cases, four towns rioting over food and pay, Zuo Liangyu sent troops to rescue the prince, and then the Tartars crossed the river.

The situation is even more outrageous now. The Tartars are nowhere to be seen, but the emperor, the commander-in-chief, has fled first. This series of events has made Xu Yinjue, who had just inherited the title, somewhat disheartened.

"My dear nephew! The matter is so urgent, why are you still daydreaming?" Seeing his look, the wealthy old man sitting opposite him was obviously a little impatient.

"So what if I'm not in a daze? Can you drive the Tartars back to Jiangbei?"

Xu Yinjue called him "Uncle" reluctantly, as his family was a legitimate founding duke and he had nothing to say to this lucky guy in front of him.

But the situation was stronger than the person. Zhu Guobi was credited with the support and succeeded the Duke of Baoguo, who had lost his lineage, and became a favorite of the emperor.

If it were just that, it would be fine. After all, Yingtian City is so big, with a population of nearly one million. If he feels disgusted, he can just stay away from him. But now he actually comes to persuade me to surrender to the Qing Dynasty?

If he hadn't taken care of the more than a thousand people in the mansion, he really wanted to stab him to death.

"How can I have such ability? There have been many famous ministers and generals in recent years, but they couldn't even wipe out a bandit, let alone the fully-fledged Tartars?"

After saying this, Zhu Guobi sat back in the armchair, obviously very dissatisfied with Xu Yinjue's negative attitude.

He knew that old nobles like the Duke of Wei looked down on him, and now that he was the one trying to persuade them to surrender, he didn't know what to think in his mind.

But the situation was like this. What else could he, a figurehead duke with no soldiers or money, do except try his best to gain the greatest benefits for his family?
If I surrender to the Tartars, I will certainly lose this title. If I can play some role in preserving my property and live the rest of my life as a rich man, I can escape unscathed from this chaotic world.

The study was silent for a long time, and in the end, the safety of his family prevailed in Xu Yinjue's heart.

"Uncle, what exactly are you planning?"

"The military power of Yingtian is in the hands of Zhao Zhilong. He must have been the first to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. He might even be promoted to a higher position. But what about us?"

Zhu Guobi glanced at the tightly closed door and continued, "If we don't accomplish anything, I'm afraid it will be difficult to maintain peace."

"What achievements can you make without military power?"

"What a fool! The military power is in the hands of Zhao Zhilong, but who among us nobles doesn't have a few old friends in the army? If..."

Just as Zhu Guobi was about to elaborate, he heard a servant at the entrance report: "Sir, Master Xu from the Imperial College is here to visit."

Xu Yinjue was full of confusion. His old master had some friendship with Xu Yu in his early years, but due to their identities, they only managed to avoid breaking off contact.

Now at this critical juncture...

"Just say I have a cold and am unwell..."

Xu Yinjue refused decisively, but Zhu Guobi quickly stopped him, saying, "Meet him! You must meet him! Just tell him that your master is waiting for you in the study."

Then he added, "Ah, my dear nephew! Xu Yu is in charge of the Imperial College. Although his students are all over the world, he still has some reputation among the scholars."

"Shilin?"

Xu Yinjue is naturally not as smooth and clever as Zhu Guobi, who has made his way up on his own, but that doesn't mean he is stupid.

Scholars cannot lift anything with their hands or carry anything on their shoulders, and are of no use in fighting a war. However, if one wants to keep the country stable, they are indispensable.

If the two of them could convince Xu Yu and then help the Tartars gain the support of the scholars, then this achievement would be more than enough to save their family business.

Can..

Looking at Zhu Guobi's slightly excited expression, Xu Yinjue always felt a little sick in his heart.

"Three hundred years of family business cannot end in my hands." He comforted himself over and over again, but the turmoil in his heart did not ease for a moment.

Just when Xu Yinjue felt that he could no longer bear it, two figures, one old and one young, appeared outside the study door.

(End of this chapter)