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

Chapter 254 Yang Shiqi's Escape
"Your Highness, I will discuss this matter with His Highness the Crown Prince as soon as I return." Yang Shiqi's brows twitched as he heard Zhu Zhanhe's threatening words. He wanted to struggle a little more, but Zhu Zhanhe did not give him the chance at all.

"Grand Secretary Yang is unwilling?!" Zhu Zhanhe gently removed his glasses, and as his white nictitating membrane opened and closed, Yang Shiqi saw those ferocious, imposing vertical pupils. Although he had seen this scene once before, it still made Yang Shiqi tremble.

"But Your Highness, please refrain from bloodshed!" Upon seeing this, Yang Shiqi knew he couldn't refuse. He dared not gamble—he dared not gamble that the Crown Prince of Han would unleash a massacre on Guangdong! Nor did he dare gamble that the Crown Prince of Han would, on a whim, release the alligator dragon for a stroll.

After all, Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji has not yet ascended the throne, and Prince Han is still rebelling. If Prince Han were to release the dragon now, Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji would have no hope of ever having the throne again! Prince Han would instantly become the most legitimate heir to the throne! Without a doubt! Even if Prince Han were to ascend the throne and become emperor rightfully at the place where he started his rebellion, the court officials would recognize and agree to it!

This was the consequence of that terrifying alligator dragon, a fact Yang Shiqi was well aware of. Therefore, faced with the threats and unreasonable demands of the Han prince, Yang Shiqi reluctantly relented once again.

"Bring me pen and ink!" Seeing that Yang Shiqi had agreed, Zhu Zhanhe finally nodded in satisfaction, silently put on his glasses, and at the same time turned to instruct Xiao Xizi to prepare pen, ink and paper for Yang Shiqi.

"Yes!" At this moment, Xiao Xizi's eyes were shining as he looked at Zhu Zhanhe, his admiration was beyond words, and he loudly accepted the order and left.

In fact, not only Xiao Xizi, but also many officials in Yunnan looked at Zhu Zhanhe with unparalleled shock and admiration. After all, to put it bluntly, their side had essentially rebelled, yet the Crown Prince not only made such unreasonable demands for the court to negotiate, but also managed to get the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet to personally help persuade him to surrender. The shock this brought to everyone was simply unparalleled.

Soon, Xiao Xizi returned to the scene respectfully with several sheets of paper, placed them respectfully in front of Yang Shiqi, and then slowly retreated to a corner.

The room was silent except for the clear sound of Yang Shiqi writing.

"Your Highness, I must take my leave." After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yang Shiqi gently put down his brush, bowed respectfully to Zhu Zhanhe, and fled as if escaping.

"Second brother, Xiao Xizi, send someone to see Grand Secretary Yang off. Make sure he returns to the capital safely." Seeing Yang Shiqi escape from the room, Zhu Zhanhe shook his head and smiled slightly. He then immediately arranged for someone to see Yang Shiqi off and escort him back to the capital safely. After all, Yang Shiqi now represents Zhu Zhanhe's future fiefdom in Guangdong and Guangxi!
"Yes!" Upon hearing Zhu Zhanhe's instructions, Zhu Zhanqi and Xiao Xizi immediately followed Yang Shiqi out the door.

"General Hu!" Zhu Zhanhe looked at the letter written by Yang Shiqi, blew on the still-wet ink, and called out to Hu Tian.

"Your subordinate is here!" Hu Tian responded and bowed to Zhu Zhanhe.

"You choose someone to deliver this letter to the Guangdong Provincial Administration Office."

"The people we send must be of sufficient importance and sincerity. We should also send two officials from the Guangxi Provincial Administration Commission along with them." After checking that the letter in his hand was in order, Zhu Zhanhe immediately arranged for it to be sent to Guangdong. He also instructed Hu Tian to select two envoys to go with him, along with officials from Guangxi.

"Yes!" Hu Tian was taken aback for a moment after hearing Zhu Zhanhe's words, but he quickly understood. His eyes swept back and forth between the people in the room. After all, the Second Prince and Xiao Xizi had already gone out to work, so the only people left to choose from were a few.

Then, Zhu Zhanhe sat upright in his chair, watching how Hu Tian arranged the personnel. This could be considered a test from Zhu Zhanji for Hu Tian. "Your Highness, this humble general plans to have General Qian lead troops to escort us, the Mu brothers to deliver the message, and the two provincial governors of Guangxi to accompany us." After a moment, Hu Tian had selected the personnel and respectfully reported to Zhu Zhanhe. As Hu Tian called out the names, Qian Zhongcai and the Mu brothers, Mu Lin and Mu Bin, all stood up and stood respectfully before Zhu Zhanhe.

"Well arranged." Zhu Zhanhe was very satisfied with Hu Tian's arrangements.

Qian Zhongcai was not only a trusted confidant but also commanded light and heavy cavalry, possessing both the status and strength to serve as his bodyguard. The Mu brothers, on the other hand, represented the Guangdong Provincial Administration Commissioner in informing them that the Mu family of Yunnan had submitted to the Prince of Han's court, serving as a deterrent to Guangdong. As for the two provincial governors of Guangxi, they were chosen because they were willing to go to any lengths for the people, making them the best candidates!
"Go and have a proper talk. If the Guangdong Provincial Administration is willing, bring them here to see me." Zhu Zhanhe clearly told everyone that if the officials of the Guangdong Provincial Administration were willing to make peace, then they should come to see him in person to show their sincerity. If they didn't come to see him, then he would not be so polite.

"Yes, sir!" Everyone preparing for the mission had no objections to Zhu Zhanhe's arrangements and immediately accepted the order.

"General Jiang, gather all the information about Annam!" Zhu Zhanhe, watching the group leave, didn't rest but spoke again to Jiang Xiaohu, giving him instructions.

"Your subordinate obeys!" Upon hearing Zhu Zhanhe's words, Jiang Xiaohu's pupils contracted instantly. With his keen senses honed over many years in charge of the intelligence department, he was certain that His Highness the Crown Prince would lead his army to occupy Annam on the return journey! Thinking of this, and then of the lands that were about to be allocated to him, Jiang Xiaohu happily accepted the order and left.

Looking at the increasingly empty room, Zhu Zhanhe saw the table where Yang Shiqi had written his letter, and the remaining letter paper. Suddenly, a surge of longing for his wife overwhelmed him. He deeply regretted ignoring his wife's advice to bring a maid from their household to the campaign, all for the sake of saving face. Now he slept alone every night, which was incredibly frustrating!
Immediately, Zhu Zhanhe chuckled and shook his head, then slowly sat down at the table, picked up a brush, grabbed a sheet of paper, and began writing a letter to his wife, expressing his deep longing for her.
Time flies, and Guangdong is not far from Guangxi, so the distance between Guilin Prefecture and Wuzhou Prefecture is not very far either. This allowed Yang Shiqi's handwritten letter to quickly reach the hands of the head of the Guangdong Provincial Administration Office.

It's unclear whether Yang Shiqi's letter truly had an effect; or whether the officials of the Guangdong Provincial Administration felt they were unable to cope with the Yunnan army and navy; or whether the Guangdong officials were worried about harming the people after the war started; or whether they sensed Zhu Zhanhe's sincerity in trying to persuade them to give up resistance.

In short, after Qian Zhongcai led his light cavalry to escort the Mu brothers to Guangdong, the officials of the Guangdong Provincial Administration Office obediently followed Qian Zhongcai and his men back to the Guangxi Provincial Administration Office.

This made everyone sigh, "Grand Secretary Yang is truly a great man, and his letters are really effective!"
That day, Zhu Zhanhe was listening to Jiang Xiaohu's report on the work of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince has ascended the throne and granted a general amnesty. However, the court has not sent any information about our situation."

Your letter to the Crown Princess has arrived. However, the Crown Princess has been experiencing severe morning sickness these past two days, so she hasn't been able to reply. She asked us to pass on a message to you to be careful and that everything is normal at the Prince's residence.

"Also, it seems the Crown Princess is currently selecting consorts for Your Highness." When Jiang Xiaohu said this, even Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help but look completely stunned.

Ancient society was so wonderful! Even though the first wife was pregnant and they had been intimate at home, she still personally found a concubine for her husband! My wife is so understanding! Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help but secretly praise the Crown Princess.

At the same time, Zhu Zhanhe decided that after he returned to the Prince's Mansion, he would definitely take good care of the Crown Princess and make up for the absence during her recent pregnancy!

(End of this chapter)