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

Chapter 253 Zhu Zhanhe: Please help me, Grand Secretary Yang
"Your Highness!" Yang Shiqi could understand the meaning behind Zhu Zhanhe's words, so he called out to Zhu Zhanhe with a look of grief and indignation, trying to awaken Zhu Zhanhe's sense of emotional identification with his own sorrow.

Just by listening to Yang Shiqi's sorrowful voice, everyone could feel the sadness and helplessness in his heart. But it was clear that, in the face of this incident, without sufficient external benefits, Yang Shiqi could not possibly awaken Zhu Zhanhe's sense of identification with anyone.

"Grand Secretary Yang, go back and speak with His Highness the Crown Prince."
Oh, no, not His Highness the Crown Prince, but our future Emperor.

Please, Grand Secretary Yang, return and discuss this matter thoroughly with our future Emperor. I, the Crown Prince, do not wish to make another trip to Beijing after his ascension to the throne; that would damage our relationship.

Besides, I don't have the time to make that trip, since the eldest grandson of my Han Prince's Mansion is about to be born.

"When you return, please ask Grand Secretary Yang to remember to tell our future Emperor that even after he becomes Emperor, he will still be the child's uncle. Tell him to remember to send the child a very generous gift." Zhu Zhanhe changed his address for Zhu Zhanji from Crown Prince to future Emperor.

This signifies that he, as the heir apparent of the Han dynasty, approves of Zhu Zhanji's future ascension to the throne. Furthermore, his words also convey to Yang Shiqi and Zhu Zhanji that he would absolutely not use his few powerful trump cards to cause trouble. However, Zhu Zhanhe's words also tell Yang Shiqi and Zhu Zhanji that they had better obey his demands and not force him to personally come to Beijing to settle accounts with them.

Moreover, since I, as the Crown Prince of Han, have shown you such sincerity, then as the imperial court, you must reciprocate with equal sincerity. As for what this so-called sincerity entails? For example, the ownership of the Guangdong and Guangxi regions would be quite a good deal!
As Yang Shiqi, a seasoned veteran of the imperial court, he naturally understood the meaning behind the Crown Prince's words, but he did not give Zhu Zhanhe any response.

It wasn't that Yang Shiqi was taking advantage of his seniority and didn't want to respond to the Crown Prince of Han, but rather that even as the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty, he wasn't qualified to decide the ownership of those two provincial administrations, which occupied almost a tenth of the entire Ming Dynasty's land!

Therefore, at this moment, even Yang Shiqi, as the Grand Secretary, could only choose to remain silent!

"By the way, Grand Secretary Yang, remember to remind our future emperor of the oath he once made. Don't forget it!" Finally, Zhu Zhanhe solemnly instructed Yang Shiqi to convey a message to Zhu Zhanji, telling him not to kill the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao, otherwise, as his son, he would not let it go!

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will certainly convey these words!" As Yang Shiqi, he naturally knew that under the witness of the Yongle Emperor, the Renzong Emperor, the Prince of Han, the Prince of Zhao, and the current Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji had sworn an oath not to kill their own blood relatives. Therefore, Yang Shiqi was not surprised by the Crown Prince of Han's blatant threat.

After all, as the heir apparent of the Prince of Han, Zhu Zhanhe was able to lead his family out of the vortex of his father, the Prince of Han,'s rebellion. From a moral standpoint, this alone was enough for the Prince of Han to help the court stabilize Yunnan and prevent it from being dragged into the vortex of rebellion, which was already a meritorious act for the court!
But what if the court later murders the Han Prince's biological father, the Prince of Han? Wouldn't that be blatantly giving the Han Prince a reason to rebel? Moreover, the Han Prince currently possesses the strength to raise an army! Therefore, Yang Shiqi, no matter what, must ensure the Han Prince's safety!

"Your Highness, the discussion has concluded. I must return to Beijing to consult with the Crown Prince on this matter, so I will take my leave now and will not disturb you any longer." Yang Shiqi stared at Zhu Zhanhe for a long time, the complex emotions in his eyes almost overflowing. After a moment, Yang Shiqi shifted his gaze and spoke calmly to Zhu Zhanhe.

"Why is Grand Secretary Yang in such a hurry?"
"It's almost noon now, why don't we have lunch together before you leave?" Even though it was just a polite formality, Zhu Zhanhe, as the host, invited Yang Shiqi to stay for lunch. After all, he couldn't neglect his guest!
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. But the matter is urgent, and I'd better not waste any more time." Yang Shiqi wanted to leave as soon as he finished his business. He didn't want to stay any longer. He was worried that the Crown Prince might cause some trouble again.

But things often don't go as planned.

"To be honest, Grand Secretary Yang, I do have another matter that I need your assistance with." Seeing that Yang Shiqi was determined to leave, Zhu Zhanhe stopped beating around the bush and directly told Yang Shiqi, "I have another matter that I need your help with." "Please give your orders, Your Highness." Upon hearing Zhu Zhanhe's words, Yang Shiqi had a bad feeling. His heart immediately started pounding, and his expression became tense.

"Grand Secretary Yang also knew that the peace in the two Guang provinces over the years was hard-won."

"The land of Guangxi has now come under the control of my Prince of Han, and the process was not particularly complicated. As it stands, the people of Guangxi are living peacefully, without any major disturbances or mishaps." Zhu Zhanhe told Yang Shiqi very politely, "Although we from Yunnan led our troops into Guangxi, we did not cause any bloodshed and treated the people well." He was practically telling Yang Shiqi in a blatant way, "We are good people!"
But no matter how Yang Shiqi listened to Zhu Zhanhe's words, he felt his anxiety intensify. Looking at Zhu Zhanhe with a face full of panic, Yang Shiqi thought to himself: "Don't talk nonsense, okay? You don't mean for me, the Grand Secretary, to help you persuade Guangdong to surrender, do you?!"

However, what people fear most often comes to pass. This law has never failed to hold true.

"This time, I, the Crown Prince, would like to request that Lord Yang write a letter to the Guangdong Provincial Administration Commissioner, so that the land of Guangdong may also be spared from the chaos of war!"
"After all, the common people are innocent." Zhu Zhanhe said to Yang Shiqi with an expectant look.

"What?!" When his suspicions came true, Yang Shiqi was completely stunned. He couldn't understand what the Crown Prince of Han was thinking. He, Yang Shiqi, was, after all, the Grand Secretary! The Crown Prince of Han actually wanted him to help persuade Guangdong to surrender?!
Furthermore, if you, the Crown Prince of Han, care about the people of Guangdong and are worried about their safety, why don't you just not send troops to fight them? Why are you trying to frame an old man like me?! I'm already so old! At this moment, Yang Shiqi felt completely helpless and devastated.

"Please, Grand Secretary Yang, do not be stingy with your ink; I, the young master, am willing to pay for your writing."

After all, I believe that both the imperial court and Yunnan should prioritize the lives of the millions of people living in Guangdong! Zhu Zhanhe told Yang Shiqi to think carefully about the hundreds of thousands of people living in Guangdong and not to drag them into the quagmire of war because of a momentary impulse.

"Your Highness!" Yang Shiqi was utterly devastated. He wished he could smash open the Crown Prince's skull with an axe to see what was inside! He kept muttering to himself: Do I need your writing fees?! You're blatantly threatening me with the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Guangdong! Should I agree or not? If I don't agree, I can't live with myself if the people are killed. But if I agree, I can't face the court!

On the other side, Zhu Zhanhe's subordinates were also dumbfounded as they watched their young master trick Grand Secretary Yang. Who would have thought that their young master would get the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Cabinet to help persuade the officials of the court to surrender? This operation was just too brilliant!

"Is Grand Secretary Yang finding this difficult?" Zhu Zhanhe certainly knew Yang Shiqi's predicament; he was doing this on purpose! So, Zhu Zhanhe began to probe Yang's mind again.

"Your Excellency Yang, our Yunnan soldiers have been out on the battlefield for over a month, and we haven't even had a proper battle yet! You say it's only right for soldiers to receive pay, but there's been no resistance in Guangxi, and the soldiers don't have any money to spare."

"If the soldiers and civilians of Guangdong put up a stubborn resistance, then the morale of our Yunnan soldiers will be high, and if bloodshed ensues, we will all be in big trouble." Zhu Zhanhe continued to threaten Yang Shiqi, forcing him to help persuade Guangdong to surrender.

(End of this chapter)