Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 235 Yang Shiqi Prepares to Visit Yunnan Again

"Your Highness, I wish to travel to Yunnan again to discuss this matter with the Crown Prince of Han in person."

Although negotiations are unlikely to make much progress, the court still needs to maintain a certain stance towards the outside world.

Otherwise, at this time of turmoil between the two princes, if the court does nothing to address the reckless actions of the Han crown prince, it will damage the court's prestige and cause great unrest among the other princes.

"If someone with ulterior motives were to incite further chaos, it could easily escalate into a cataclysmic upheaval!" Yang Shiqi was considering many things at this moment. He clearly told Crown Prince Zhu Zhanhe that the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao were currently in rebellion. If the Crown Prince of Han were to capture the capital cities at this time, what would the regional princes think?
If the imperial court does nothing now, wouldn't the other princes think that the court has tacitly agreed to this?
Will other princes follow suit? If someone with ulterior motives were to speak up and incite unrest among the other princes, the court would truly be in danger!
The current situation is one where a single move can have far-reaching consequences!
Zhu Zhanji knew that, under the current circumstances, the harm that the Crown Prince of Han posed to the court was far more severe and more unsolvable than that of the rebellious Prince of Han and Prince of Zhao!
"Alright! Then I'll trouble you to make the trip, Your Excellency."

"Your Excellency, on this journey, please be sure to inform the Crown Prince that the court owes no one anything. Please make sure he understands this and takes good care of himself." There's no time for peace talks! There's no time to send troops! Even if we send troops, we might not be able to win! After considering the pros and cons, Zhu Zhanji finally agreed to Yang Shiqi's request to go to Yunnan again.

After all, Yang Shiqi was right. Under the current circumstances, the court had no choice but to admit defeat and preserve its dignity as a matter of face.

However, Zhu Zhanji's words clearly told Yang Shiqi that the court would definitely build the ship and return it to the Crown Prince of Han. He instructed Yang Shiqi to tell the Crown Prince that when the ship arrived, he should not forget to return it to Guangdong and Guangxi!
"Your subject obeys the Crown Prince's decree!" Yang Shiqi bowed respectfully to Zhu Zhanji.
On the other side, Zhu Zhanhe was reviewing the information about Guangdong, Guangxi, and Annam that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had collected and sent to him: Wang Ao, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the thirteenth year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, was initially appointed as the Left Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and was later demoted to a lower-ranking official.
The document in Zhu Zhanhe's hand contained the current list of officials in Guangdong and Guangxi, as well as some basic information about Lu Chenzhi, the military commander of Annam, and Fang Zheng, the deputy military commander. It also included some recent events in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Annam, including more than a dozen Japanese pirate invasions that have occurred along the coast since the founding of the Ming Dynasty!

"Your Highness, my sister asked me to bring you some soup." Just as Zhu Zhanhe was looking at her intently, Jian'er suddenly walked in carrying a bowl of soup. Her lightly swaying dress was so graceful that it caught Zhu Zhanhe's eye.

"Put it here." Looking at the broth that Jian'er brought over, Zhu Zhanhe put down the documents in his hand with a smile and said softly to Jian'er.

Recently, perhaps due to the influence of pregnancy hormones, Princess Xia has developed a fondness for making soup, and even insists on making a different kind of soup for Zhu Zhanhe every day. This makes Zhu Zhanhe feel both distressed and helpless, but he still drinks all the soups diligently every day, just to make his wife happy.

"Your Highness, Princess Zhao has come to the manor with two princesses. My sister and the princess are talking to them." Jian'er put down the lunchbox in her hand, carefully ladling soup while quietly explaining what was happening in the manor and why the Crown Princess hadn't come to deliver the soup today.

"Hmm, phew~" Zhu Zhanhe took the broth that Jian'er handed him, took a small sip, put down the bowl, looked up at Jian'er, smiled slightly, and put his arm around her.

"Tell the Crown Princess to arrange for my aunt's two younger sisters to come to the Prince's residence as soon as possible, so they can study and live with the other sisters. Treat them the same as the other sisters in the Prince's residence." Feeling the soft body in his arms and smelling the faint fragrance, Zhu Zhanhe whispered in Jian'er's ear.

"Your Highness~, I understand. I'll go back and tell my sister right away." Jian'er was so engrossed in the warm embrace that she didn't want to let go until she sensed the abnormality in Zhu Zhanhe's body. Only then did she realize what was happening. She hurriedly ran away, grabbing the soup container that Zhu Zhanhe had been drinking and running off.

"Phew~" Zhu Zhanhe picked up the soup on the table and took another sip. Only then did he realize that his hands were filled with the fragrance of a young girl.

"Someone come here!" Zhu Zhanhe put down the empty bowl and prepared to get down to business.

"Your Highness, this servant is here." Chief Steward Hu, who was guarding the entrance of Chengyun Hall, immediately bowed and ran in.

"How is the navy's progress?" Zhu Zhanhe asked casually. "Your Highness, according to General Wang Jinghong's report at sunset yesterday, the crew of all 263 ships of various sizes in the ocean-going fleet will be fully replenished today."

The ships were originally planned to have around 27,000 personnel, but according to His Highness's request, all technical positions were to be staffed with two people, so the current number of personnel on board is estimated to be around 50,000. "Chief Steward Hu is indeed a seasoned steward; he handles the basic affairs of the Prince's residence with ease and is fully capable of meeting Zhu Zhanhe's daily work requirements."

"very good!
Chief Steward Hu, in the name of the Prince's Mansion, send a batch of wine, meat, and supplies to the navy today, as my congratulations. Tomorrow morning, the navy will be on its way to Annam, and all personnel will set sail!
"Once it's finished, send another batch to the three major camps. After all, we've mobilized quite a few of their troops this time. Help me appease them properly," Chief Steward Hu's reply made Zhu Zhanhe's eyes light up. So, Zhu Zhanhe instructed Chief Steward Hu to go and comfort the soldiers in his own name, instead of going himself. One reason was to maintain the mystery and hold back a big event later, and the other was to prevent his presence from overshadowing Xiao Xizi and his brother-in-law, allowing them to win over hearts and minds more quickly and establish their own confidants within the navy!

At the same time, Zhu Zhanhe did not forget to have the navy borrow the ship in Annam again! It can be said that Zhu Zhanhe had put a lot of thought into this.

"Yes, Your Highness!" Upon hearing this, Steward Hu was overjoyed and quickly and respectfully agreed. He knew this was a golden opportunity for him to completely integrate himself into the Crown Prince's inner circle, and how could he miss it! Therefore, Steward Hu bowed deeply, slowly backed out the door, and then strode away with his head held high and chest out.
At night, after Zhu Zhanhe finished washing up, he had just arrived at his bedroom when he saw the Crown Princess Xia being helped by Yun'er and Jian'er to remove her makeup and comb her hair.

"Your Highness, my third aunt brought her two younger sisters to the manor again today. You said you wanted the two younger sisters to come to the manor to study together, but I don't know why?" Princess Xia was very puzzled by her husband's actions. After all, her third aunt, Mu, was the legitimate daughter of the Mu Prince's manor, and she had been sent back to her parents' home by her third uncle, Prince Zhao, to reflect on her actions. Why did she still frequently visit Prince Zhao's manor?
"Sir, please let me explain this matter." Zhu Zhanhe tiptoed behind his wife, took the comb from Yun'er's hand, and gently combed his wife's hair himself.

"Your Highness~" Princess Xia, seeing her husband actually combing her hair in the bronze mirror, instantly felt a surge of emotion in her eyes, her gaze becoming hazy. If it weren't for the two maids watching over her, and her need to maintain her dignity as the first wife, she might have already instinctively fallen into her husband's warm embrace. Even so, the intense, lingering look in Princess Xia's eyes still made Zhu Zhanhe gasp.

"Yunnan's current development is inseparable from my third uncle's support."
Currently, some of the soldiers in my three major camps in Yunnan were originally my third uncle's troops.

Yunnan's current intelligence system was also provided by my third uncle.

"My father's uprising was also greatly supported by my third uncle." Zhu Zhanhe briefly recounted the help that Prince Zhao had given him and the Han Prince's Mansion, but his hands did not stop; he continued to gently comb his wife's hair.

"My third uncle once approached me privately, offering to fully support all of my father's actions in exchange for the promise that if I became successful in the future, I would give my brothers Zhanyi a life of wealth and honor."

Unexpectedly, the Zhan brothers died young.

My third uncle once had three sons, but the youngest died young. Therefore, he now only has one son.

"This time, Uncle San asked Aunt San to bring their two legitimate daughters to Yunnan, probably as a precaution." Zhu Zhanhe explained his uncle's motives for asking Aunt San to bring their two legitimate daughters to Yunnan while combing his wife's hair.

"Yunnan is both my third aunt's maternal home and the territory of my Han Prince's Mansion."

"Third Uncle is entrusting his son to someone!" After hearing her husband's analysis, Princess Xia was shocked. She couldn't believe that the dignified Prince Zhao was actually entrusting his son to someone!

(End of this chapter)