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

Chapter 267 True Dragon Treasure Scripture
"Your Highness is brilliant!" Upon hearing her husband's words, Princess Xia's eyes lit up. In an instant, she thought of the feasibility of bestowing marriages upon the selected young ladies.

Even now, Princess Xia, the Crown Prince's wife, intends to maintain this practice indefinitely. She plans to select more women each time a new imperial concubine is chosen, using some to replenish her husband's harem and others to win over noble men from humble backgrounds—this is her absolute winning strategy!
This not only maintains the husband's rule but also provides considerable political resources for her future son! After all, the influence of a wife's pillow talk is not to be underestimated!
Thinking of this, Princess Xia Xia's eyes lit up several degrees as she looked at her husband. Her bright eyes were full of watery light, as if they could really drip water.

"Your Highness~" The Crown Princess Xia's sweet voice made Zhu Zhanhe's body stiffen and his mouth go dry.

"Sir, say something nice for me to hear." Zhu Zhanhe lowered his head silently, gently plucked the round earlobe of the ear, savored it carefully, and said in a soft tone.

"Mmm~~, Master~~." The Crown Prince's wife, Xia, stiffened instantly when her earlobe was suddenly bitten, and she squinted and hummed softly. But she still stretched out her slender arms and tightly hugged her husband's neck, letting out a sweet, coquettish cry.

"Hiss~~~" His wife's cry made Zhu Zhanhe gasp involuntarily.
"Master~, I keep my word, please lie down~" Just as Zhu Zhanhe's scalp was tingling, his wife suddenly pushed him down, and then his scalp tingled even more.
On his first night back home, Zhu Zhanhe thoroughly enjoyed himself. So much so that the next morning, when the sun was high in the sky, he reluctantly got up and went outside to exercise, while the young wives inside were still catching up on sleep.

"Your Highness, the Immortal Master is waiting for you in Chengyun Hall." Zhu Zhanhe had just gotten up to exercise when Xiao Xizi hurriedly came forward to report.

"The teacher is here? Let's go take a look." Zhu Zhanhe, who was originally preparing to relax, perked up when he heard that the old Taoist priest had arrived, and quickly walked towards Chengyun Hall.

"Teacher." As soon as Zhu Zhanhe entered Chengyun Hall, he saw the old Taoist priest holding a scripture, reading it with great interest, and the teacup beside him was a little cold. Zhu Zhanhe immediately guessed that the old Taoist priest had probably been there for some time, so he quickly stepped forward to greet him.

"You little brat, behave yourself before I, the Daoist!"
"Come, see the scriptures!" The nearly eighty-year-old Taoist priest was still very perceptive. He saw Zhu Zhanhe, who had just entered, trying to bow to him, and immediately scolded him. He also casually tossed a brand-new scripture over to him.

"Teacher, you have excellent skills." Seeing the old Taoist's sharp eyes, Zhu Zhanhe caught the flying scripture and couldn't help but praise him.

"True Dragon Treasure Scripture! Master, what a fine name." Zhu Zhanhe took the scripture, glanced at its title, and praised it without even reading the contents. Upon hearing this, the old Taoist rolled his eyes arrogantly, looking up at the sky and not wanting to pay any attention to Zhu Zhanhe.

"Master, I have something to say." Zhu Zhanhe knew that the scriptures were definitely not wrong, so he didn't dare to open them to see the contents. Instead, he smiled obsequiously at the old Taoist priest and said.

"You'd better think this through before you speak!" The old Taoist's originally arrogant expression instantly darkened upon hearing Zhu Zhanhe's words. He spoke to Zhu Zhanhe with a gloomy face and annoyance. He had already guessed that this cheap student probably wouldn't say anything nice!

"Ahem, teacher, the Annam we are about to occupy has a population of about three to four million, according to incomplete statistics! Most of them believe in Mahayana Buddhism, but they are also influenced by the Central Plains. A small number of people believe in Taoism, while their scholar-officials believe in Confucianism. Of course, they also have a few other local beliefs."

"So, teacher, we estimate that we should start with the conversion of the barbarians into Taoist scriptures, winning over their local sects, and then fundamentally dismantling their barbarian beliefs and re-establishing a complete Taoist faith in Annam." Zhu Zhanhe first told the old Taoist priest that there were three to four million people there, a vast market. Moreover, they all believed in barbarian religions, while the number of Taoist believers was relatively small. He said, "We need you to fundamentally change their beliefs and bring them back to the right path!"
Looking at his shameless student, the old Taoist priest felt his blood pressure soar. He wished he could beg the Three Pure Ones to appear and strike this rebellious disciple dead with a bolt of lightning! "My precious scripture, painstakingly compiled by this old Taoist priest, has been wasted with your words?!" "Teacher, teacher, please listen to me. While that's what I said, it doesn't mean the True Dragon Scripture is useless." Seeing the old Taoist priest's ugly expression, Zhu Zhanhe knew his words had displeased him, so he quickly tried to explain.

Hearing Zhu Zhanhe's words, the old Taoist's expression softened a bit. After all, he had put a lot of effort into compiling the True Dragon Treasure Scripture, drawing on countless classic texts. If it were to be discarded, the old Taoist would be furious! So, at this moment, the old Taoist glanced at Zhu Zhanhe, wanting to see what kind of words his cheap student could use to deceive him.

"Teacher, with this True Dragon Treasure Scripture, I will spread this scripture widely in every territory I conquer in the future. At that time, with the blessing of my dragon form, I will be able to do so."

Think about it? At that time, wouldn't this be a huge help to both your missionary work and your students' pioneering efforts?

"This scripture of yours is the family heirloom of my Han Prince's Mansion." Zhu Zhanhe racked his brains and finally came up with a suitable reason. However, the more he spoke, the more ingenious he felt this method was. He immediately decided that this would be how it would be done from now on!

"Hmm! That makes some sense!" Upon hearing his new student's words, the old Taoist priest suddenly felt refreshed. His new student actually had a good eye!
"Teacher, you should hurry up and think about the plan for Annam."

After all, Annam is a land with two provinces, nine prefectures, and eleven counties. Even if each place only needs one person, that would still require twenty-two elite Taoist priests. Seeing that the old Taoist priest's expression had eased, Zhu Zhanhe quickly brought up the matter that the old Taoist priest was most concerned about in order to ease the tense atmosphere.

"And what about Yunnan?" To Zhu Zhanhe's surprise, the old Taoist priest directly asked a crucial question. Since you, the Crown Prince of Han, are planning so many things in Annam, why doesn't Yunnan, your fiefdom, receive the same treatment? What are you planning to do with Yunnan? The old Taoist priest's question was very direct.

“Teacher, Yunnan is relatively stable. We need to manage the newly occupied areas well.” Zhu Zhanhe was momentarily speechless, but he still stubbornly told the old Taoist priest that they should focus on the occupied areas first, since the situation there was unstable.

"You want to give up Yunnan, give up Guangdong and Guangxi, and even give up your identity in the Ming Dynasty!" The old Taoist priest seemed to know Zhu Zhanhe's thoughts perfectly; he saw through Zhu Zhanhe's true intentions in an instant.

"Master, I want to expand our territory, but my identity as a member of the Ming Dynasty makes me hesitant," Zhu Zhanhe told the old Taoist priest. He explained, "I want to expand our boundless territory, but my identity as a member of the Ming Dynasty makes me hesitant. I want to break free from the constraints of that identity and morality and expand with all my might! After all, what if, while I'm expanding, a document from the imperial court arrives and turns all my efforts into a joke? That would be the biggest joke of all!"

"If you're going to do it, then do it with even more ruthlessness! With the alligator dragon suppressing the world, why hesitate and look back!" After hearing Zhu Zhanhe's words, the old Taoist's eyes widened instantly, and he loudly told Zhu Zhanhe that if you're going to do something, you shouldn't be afraid of anything. Hesitating and looking back is not how you accomplish great things!

The old Taoist's words struck Zhu Zhanhe's heart like a bolt of lightning. In that instant, Zhu Zhanhe realized that ever since he arrived in this Ming Dynasty world, he had always lacked a sense of security, even relying on the alligator dragon for protection, ignoring his great advantages and instead focusing on stable development!
(End of this chapter)