Ming Dynasty: The Jingnan Rebellion has just been successful, and Zhu Yuanzhang has been resurrected

"Ok?"

Pei Boqi was stunned when he heard Chen Tianping's words. He had never considered the angle from which Chen Tianping spoke.

After pondering for a while with his head down, his eyes gradually brightened: "Your Majesty, what you say makes a lot of sense. If we are sincere, the powerful Emperor of the Ming Dynasty might really help us."

In many people's eyes, helping the Chen family intervene in Annam now is like walking into a quagmire. However, these are mostly the thoughts of people who lack ability. If they were capable enough, would the current turmoil in Annam be a big deal?
If it's not a big deal, then why talk about a quagmire? If there's no quagmire, then whether or not to help the Chen family is entirely up to the Ming emperor's whims.
Chen Tianping couldn't hide his joy: "It seems that our decision to come and stroll around the streets this time was absolutely correct."

Upon suddenly learning of the possibility that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty would help them, he was extremely excited. Given the current situation, coupled with his previous conspiracy with Xia Yuanji and others, he felt that the probability of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty ultimately helping him was very, very high. Of course, he did not lose his mind and knew very well that everything still depended on him being sensible and being able to please the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

“Yes!” Pei Boqi nodded, feeling very happy about the situation.

"Shhhhh!"

At this moment, the crowd on the street dispersed, and Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, and others led the court officials, hurrying along the street toward the city gate.

"His Majesty is coming back!" someone shouted from the crowd, and instantly, the crowd began to gather towards the city gate.

The emperor has returned, and in a great victory at that. This is an exciting moment that no one wants to miss, and everyone wants to be the first to welcome Zhu Yunwen.

Enough of the rest, if they personally participated in this grand event, it would be a huge topic of conversation when drinking with others in the future. Although the event itself has little to do with them, just witnessing the spectacle would make them drink a few more glasses of wine.

"Your Majesty, let's go over there too." Pei Boqi looked at the scene before him. At this moment, he was filled with curiosity about Zhu Yunwen. He had found out a lot about Zhu Yunwen, but the more information he found out, the more curious he became about Zhu Yunwen.

Although Zhu Yunwen has now returned victorious from his northern expedition to the grasslands, not long ago, before he even learned of this news, the people's undisguised admiration for him was palpable.

What kind of emperor was he that enjoyed such high prestige among the people?
“Okay!” Chen Tianping nodded. At this moment, he was just as curious about Zhu Yuntong as Pei Boqi. In addition, he also wanted to see Zhu Yuntong in advance so that he could better please him when they met.

The two followed the crowd toward the city gate.

A moment later, the two arrived at the city gate, which was now packed with a dense crowd of people. The roads were completely blocked, and soldiers were shouting and cursing, trying to disperse the dense crowd, but at this moment, it was obviously very difficult to carry out this idea.

Normally, these soldiers might have resorted to violence, but now that the emperor has returned victorious, no one dares to act recklessly, especially since these people have come to welcome the emperor's triumphant return. If things escalate, the problem will become very difficult, and many people will suffer greatly.

"Boom!"

At this moment, a violent tremor came from the ground, as if thousands of horses were galloping. As time passed, the tremor became more and more intense.

"Look, His Majesty is back!"

"Long live your Majesty, long live your Majesty!"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

"His Majesty is back! Waaah! I saw His Majesty off to war not long ago, and now, in the blink of an eye, His Majesty is back. It feels like a dream!"

"."

The crowd erupted in a frenzy, a cacophony of sounds filling the air, creating utter chaos as everyone pushed forward, eager to greet Zhu Yunwen.

"If I could have even half of that prestige, I would be content." Chen Tianping looked at the fervent crowd before him, feeling an indescribable envy. Such popular support was something he couldn't recall ever seeing in any other king in Annam.

A bitter look appeared on his face. He shook his head and looked at Pei Boqi beside him, his eyes full of hope: "General Pei, do you think I will be able to achieve half the prestige of the Ming Emperor in Annam in the future?"

Pei Boqi was taken aback upon hearing this, then felt a strange sensation in his heart, and opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.

Having lived most of his life, the level of support the people of the Ming Dynasty had for the emperor had completely shattered his understanding. Now, what was Chen Tianping saying? To achieve half the support of the Ming emperor? What a joke, he must be dreaming.

It's no exaggeration to say that Chen Tianping would be extremely happy if he had even one-fifth of Zhu Yunwen's current level of support in Annam, let alone half.

Chen Tianping was completely unaware of how inappropriate his words were. Looking at the enthusiastic crowd in front of him, his eyes were filled with deep envy, and he thought to himself, "If only I could achieve that in Annam someday."

With such popular support, how could he possibly fear a usurper like Hu Jili? He would probably kill him on the spot. Of course, although he was very envious, he also knew that the probability of achieving such popular support was extremely low, almost impossible.

Looking at Chen Tianping's appearance, Pei Boqi felt conflicted. Finally, he said quietly, "Your Majesty, let alone half, if you can achieve one-fifth, that would be amazing. At that time, your throne will be as stable as a mountain."

Although he knew this would be a psychological blow to Chen Tianping, he still had to say it. After all, he couldn't just stand by and watch Chen Tianping lose his way, could he?

The current situation is definitely not something that can be solved by one or two things. He had carefully studied Zhu Yunwen and knew very well that Zhu Yunwen was shrouded in mystery, but he could not let Chen Tianping fall into the trap of trying to improve his prestige among the people.

Although Chen Tianping was quite good, it depends on who he was compared to. Compared to the Ming emperor, he was simply mediocre. In other words, if Chen Tianping were to follow Zhu Yunwen's example and try to improve his prestige among the people of Annam, he would definitely fail in the end.

"Uh..." Chen Tianping was taken aback, then fell silent. He understood the meaning behind Pei Boqi's words, which told him not to think about learning from Zhu Yuntong.

He wasn't a stubborn person. Although he was somewhat disappointed, he quickly figured out the reason. A ruler's prestige in the hearts of the people doesn't need to be deliberately enhanced. When the dynasty's national strength grows, the ruler's prestige in the hearts of the people will naturally increase.

For example, the current emperor of the Ming Dynasty conquered the grasslands in one battle, achieving something that is hard to believe in the eyes of ordinary people. Such a situation shocked not only ordinary people but also the emperor himself.

In front of the city gate!
Zhu Yunwen led his troops to the city gate. Looking at the large, excited crowd in front of him, he smiled faintly and waved to the crowd.

These are all his people, and now that he has won a great victory in his northern expedition, they have come to welcome him.

"Look, His Majesty is waving at me!" "Yes, I see it! His Majesty is waving at me too!"

"Long live your Majesty, long live your Majesty!"

"Thank God, His Majesty looks perfectly healthy and uninjured."

"What nonsense are you spouting? His Majesty is the Son of Heaven, protected by Heaven. How could he possibly be injured!"

"Oh, that's right, that's right. His Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and it's impossible for him to get hurt. I misspoke, I'll slap myself."

"."

Zhu Yunwen simply waved his hand, and the people went completely mad, shouting loudly.

Zhu Yunwen looked at the scene before him, a smile on his face, and dismounted.

"Swish swish swish!" As Zhu Yunwen dismounted, Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Gaosui, Li Jinglong and others also dismounted and followed behind him.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects!" Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, and other court officials stepped forward and bowed.

Zhu Yunwen waved his hand and said, "Alright, get up. You have done a good job in guarding Yingtian Prefecture. I am very satisfied and will reward you later."

"Your Majesty flatters us; this is our duty."

"That's right, that's right. Your Majesty is the one who has worked hard while fighting on the front lines. We have only done some insignificant little things."

"Your Majesty, it is our honor to be able to assist you. We are too grateful to accept any reward."

"."

The ministers all spoke up.

To reiterate, none of the officials who managed to climb to the position of Fengtian Hall were fools; they all deeply understood the meaning of "retreating to advance."

When faced with an imperial reward, even if it is rightfully yours, you should refuse it immediately rather than accepting it casually. Otherwise, you will give the emperor the impression that you have no respect for hierarchy, and once that impression is formed, your career path will basically come to an end.

These are all lessons learned from the experiences of our predecessors.

Zhu Yunwen didn't dwell on it too much, and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, this isn't the place to talk. Let's go back to the palace first."

At this moment, the people had completely blocked the roads, and as news of his return spread, more and more people were surging toward the city gate.

People of this era may not feel it as deeply, but as a time traveler, Zhu Yunwen knows all too well that too many people can easily lead to big trouble, such as the classic case of a stampede.

With such a dense crowd in front of us, a stampede would be inevitable if a disturbance broke out. Moreover, blocking the city gate like this is really not a good idea.

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen decided to return to the palace first.

The crowd gathered at the city gate because of him, so once he leaves, the crowd will naturally disperse. Otherwise, no matter how the officers of the Five Cities Garrison try to control the situation, their efforts will be minimal.

There was no other way; this was a joyous occasion, and the officers of the Five Cities Garrison couldn't very well use violence to drive the people away, could they? That would undoubtedly be a slap in the face to Zhu Yunwen, so no one dared to do that.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Xia Yuanji and the others nodded.

At this moment, Li Jinglong stepped forward with a smile on his face and said to those around him, "Gentlemen, I am Li Jinglong, Duke of Cao. His Majesty has been traveling a long way and is quite tired. He is now going back to the palace to rest. Please make way for him. Thank you!"

With the Duke's name mentioned and Zhu Yunwen brought up, the crowd that had gathered in front of them initially made a commotion, but then orderly withdrew, clearing a path in the blink of an eye.

"Hmm?" Zhu Gaochi looked at the scene before him, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

As Zhu Di's eldest son, he had dealt with Li Jinglong before. In his impression, Li Jinglong was a rather slippery and unreliable person. He never expected that Li Jinglong could clear a path through the crowded street with just a few words.

This scene somewhat changed his image of Li Jinglong. It seemed that Li Jinglong was not as bad as his father said, and that he did have some abilities.

Zhu Gaoxu saw the surprise on Zhu Gaochi's face and said with a smile, "Brother, are you a little surprised? I also thought Li Jinglong was a good-for-nothing before, but after entering Yingtian Prefecture, I discovered his strengths."

Zhu Gaochi turned to look at Zhu Gaoxu, his eyes filled with curiosity.

He knew how arrogant Zhu Gaoxu was, but judging from Zhu Gaoxu's words now, he actually had some admiration for Li Jinglong, which made him very curious about what had happened to make Zhu Gaoxu like this.

Zhu Gaoxu said, "Brother, although Li Jinglong comes from a prestigious family, is the son of the Prince of Qiyang, and was personally taught by the Emperor Taizu, his talent in warfare is truly indescribable. What we know about him before is only his performance on the battlefield. However, after he joined His Majesty, his true strengths were developed. In terms of being an official, this kid is like a fish in water."

He carefully explained Li Jinglong's situation to Zhu Gaochi. In short, the general idea was that Li Jinglong had completely chosen the wrong profession.

A highly talented civil official was born into a military family and was trained as a famous general from a young age, which led to Li Jinglong wasting countless manpower and resources.

After listening to Zhu Gaoxu's explanation, Zhu Gaochi was speechless. The matter was a bit too surreal. However, after witnessing Li Jinglong's performance, he felt that what Zhu Gaoxu said was probably true.

Putting everything else aside, just based on Li Jinglong's performance just now, even if he were in his place, he definitely couldn't have done any better. (End of Chapter)