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

Chapter 245 The Heart-Pounding Moments of Yin Shi and His Companion

"To explain this in detail would be quite a long story."

"I hope you two gentlemen won't find me long-winded." Zhu Zhanhe put down his teacup, stood up, and said softly to Yin Shi and the other man.

"When my grandfather, Emperor Taizong, was alive, he bestowed upon me a Golden Dragon Token because I had made a great contribution by chance, and ordered the Ministry of Works to build an entire ocean-going fleet as a reward for me."

"Everything that's happening now started with this ocean-going fleet." Zhu Zhanhe said to Yin Shi and the other man with a smile, but he didn't tell them what his great achievements were.

Of course, Yin Shi and his companion wisely refrained from pressing the matter. After all, Emperor Taizong had been dead for a year, yet not a single word of news about the great achievement the Crown Prince of Han had mentioned had emerged from the court. It seemed that either the Crown Prince had fabricated it, or it was a genuine royal secret! Compared to the former, the two were more inclined to believe the latter. Therefore, Yin Shi and his companion wisely chose to selectively ignore the truth.

But the key point is that when Yin Shi and the other man heard that the late emperor had bestowed a golden dragon token upon the Crown Prince of Han, they couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines!
As local officials, how could Yin Shi and the other two not know about the Golden Dragon Token, which was personally supervised and ordered by Emperor Taizong?
However, from the time the Golden Dragon Token was created until the death of Emperor Taizong, there was never any news about it in the court. Therefore, everyone selectively ignored the matter.

Unexpectedly, the Golden Dragon Token is now in the hands of the Crown Prince of Han and has reappeared in Guangxi!
Furthermore, when Yin Shi and the other man heard that this matter involved the late Emperor Taizong, they knew that this was a very serious matter!
Because even Emperor Renzong has passed away, let alone what happened during the reign of Emperor Taizong! Yin Shi and the other man couldn't help but exchange a silent glance, both seeing a solemn expression in each other's eyes.

But Zhu Zhanhe didn't care what Yin Shi and the other man thought, and continued talking on his own.

"Back then, not long after my grandfather, Emperor Taizong, bestowed upon me a fleet of ships, I went with my grandfather, my father, my third uncle, and others to conquer the barbarians on the grasslands, so I had no time to take care of shipbuilding."

My grandfather then passed away, and my eldest uncle succeeded him, so there was still no progress on the matter of my grandfather bestowing me a fleet of ships.

"Of course, I believe you two can find out whether my grandfather, Emperor Taizong, issued an edict to build ships." Perhaps worried that Yin Shi and the other man might not trust his words, Zhu Zhanhe came to the two men and politely extended his hand, indicating that they could check for themselves whether Emperor Yongle had issued such an edict when they had the opportunity in the future.

"Your Highness, please continue!" Yin Shi's heart sank after hearing Zhu Zhanhe's words, and a bad premonition was already rising in his mind. But for the sake of the people of Guangxi, he suppressed his panic and calmly asked Zhu Zhanhe to continue.

"Before my family and I came to Yunnan to take up our fiefdom, I went to meet my uncle, Emperor Hongxi. At that time, my uncle promised me that the court would definitely keep its word and not break its promise regarding the fleet."

After I arrived in my fiefdom, I wrote to the court again as the heir apparent, requesting that they fulfill the late emperor's edict and send me the fleet as soon as possible. But at that time, the court still didn't send me a single ship!

Enraged, I made it clear to the court that if they still wouldn't give me ships, I would lead my army to conquer the Guangdong and Guangxi regions and build my own ships! Zhu Zhanhe said fiercely to Yin Shi.

Only then did Yin Shi finally understand why the Crown Prince of Han wanted to attack the Liangguang region: because the Crown Prince of Han wanted to force the court to fulfill the edicts issued during the Yongle Emperor's reign! At this moment, Yin Shi's heart sank to the bottom, and his face changed color from pale to ashen.

"When the imperial court learned that I was going to lead troops to attack the Guangdong and Guangxi regions because of the fleet,

To put my mind at ease, and also for the sake of the stability of the court, the imperial court sent Grand Secretary Yang to Yunnan to meet with me in person.

"At that time, I reached an agreement with Grand Secretary Yang, stating that the court would transfer all existing old ships and all personnel of the fleet except the soldiers to me as compensation, in exchange for a one-year grace period for the court to build ships," Zhu Zhanhe told Yin Shi and the other man. "I had already reached an agreement with the court." "Uh..." When the impatient Inspector Liu heard Zhu Zhanhe's words, he immediately widened his eyes and was about to get up to speak to Zhu Zhanhe. However, Yin Shi grabbed him tightly and shook his head vigorously, preventing Inspector Liu from speaking.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhanhe didn't say much, only smiled slightly at the two of them, showing no sign of mind. Without a doubt, Zhu Zhanhe knew what Inspector Liu was going to say; he would definitely ask why Zhu Zhanhe was still attacking the Guangdong and Guangxi regions since Zhu Zhanhe had already reached an agreement with the court!

However, Zhu Zhanhe saw that Yin Shi, the provincial governor, had a very unpleasant expression and his brows were twitching nervously, clearly indicating that he had guessed something bad had happened.

"I had already reached an agreement with the imperial court on this matter."

But ultimately, an unexpected event occurred. Zhu Zhanhe clearly told Yin Shi and Inspector Liu that the originally agreed-upon matters had encountered an unexpected turn of events, which ultimately led to his continued attack on Guangxi. Upon hearing this, Inspector Liu frowned, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.

"Some time ago, the imperial court sent people to deliver the old ships, but when I sent people to receive the fleet, I discovered something interesting."

The agreement with the imperial court was that they would send me all shipwrights and other personnel, except for soldiers. But what I received was merely a small group of less than a thousand elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people! I'm not stupid; I know the ocean-going fleet has over 27,000 people in total!
These elderly and infirm men could barely manage to get the fleet moving and deliver the goods! There were no other crew members at all!
Furthermore, on the old ship sent by the imperial court, they dismantled all the cannons, compasses, telescopes, and other supplies that could be disassembled, leaving not a single item behind!
In other words, the imperial court sent me more than two hundred empty ship frames! Zhu Zhanhe came to Yin Shi and Inspector Liu with a strange smile on his face and slowly told them the general course of events.

But beneath Zhu Zhanhe's calm and smiling face, Yin Shi and Inspector Liu keenly sensed the terror and ferocity that preceded the storm!

"It's over!" Yin Shi and Inspector Liu exchanged a glance, both seeing despair in each other's eyes. They knew that what they had just witnessed was truly a major disaster!

"Of course, I believe that with your abilities, you two are capable of finding out whether Emperor Taizong issued an edict."

"And the only proof I can offer right now is this thing on my person." Zhu Zhanhe slowly turned around, took out a golden token from his waist, and leisurely handed it to Xiao Xizi, who was standing beside him, indicating that Xiao Xizi should show the token to Yin Shi and the other person.

The moment the token appeared, not only Xiao Xizi, but also Wang Jinghong and Xia Xuan, who had been sitting upright in the corner, suddenly stood up and then knelt down.

Xiao Xizi knelt on the ground, respectfully raising both hands above his head to receive the golden token that Zhu Zhanhe had placed down.

Then, Xiao Xizi slowly got up, bent over, and bowed, as if holding a rare treasure in her hands. She took small steps to the chairs where Yin Shi and Inspector Liu were sitting, bent down and presented the token in her hands to the two of them so that they could see it clearly.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" The moment Yin Shi and Liu, the Inspector General, saw the token in Xiao Xizi's hand, they felt as if their heads had been smashed with a hammer, and they lost the ability to think.

But they still subconsciously struggled to get up from their chairs, then knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" to the token in Xiao Xizi's hand to show their respect.

"My lords, you are indeed my grandfather's trusted advisors. Please rise." Zhu Zhanhe looked at Yin Shi and Liu Ancha Shi, who were kneeling in a daze, sighed inwardly, and said softly to them. Then he quickly went to Yin Shi and Liu Ancha Shi and helped them up.

(End of this chapter)