The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

At the entrance of a small courtyard, the road was very muddy. Gongsun Jinli stood there waiting for a long time, glancing at the mud on his boots from time to time, already showing signs of impatience.

He was waiting for his men to bring Xiaotang and Xiaomei's mother over.

"Mr. Gongsun." A carriage stopped in the distance, and a man got out. It was Liu Yangzheng who greeted Gongsun Jin.

Gongsun Jin was displeased, but still took the initiative to greet him, saying politely, "It's true what they say, life is full of unexpected encounters. How did you manage to find me here, seeking peace and quiet?"

Liu Yangzheng sensed a hint of disagreement in Gongsun Jin's words, but he still patiently asked him to step aside.

Then he revealed the purpose of his visit: "...I was summoned by Prince Ning earlier and read a memorial he had drafted, which mentioned major events that would occur in the country in the next two years. Prince Ning wanted to submit this to the Emperor...in Tang Yin's name."

Is this true?

Gongsun Jin found it unbelievable after hearing this.

"Prince Ning also inquired about you. Knowing that you were working for the young prince, he did not send anyone to find you, but only asked for my opinion." Liu Yangzheng said, a look of regret on his face.

Gongsun Jin said, "If Mr. Liu feels this method is inappropriate, he should report it to the Prince in a timely manner. However, I suppose the Prince must have his reasons for doing this?"

"Yes," Liu Yangzheng said. "Prince Ning said this was to lower the court's guard against the Ning family and to make the emperor believe that we are wholeheartedly dedicated to serving the country. But why... in Tang Yin's name?"

Gongsun Jin then understood the source of Liu Yangzheng's regret.

They actually felt that Prince Ning gave such a good opportunity to show off to Tang Yin, but not to Liu Yangzheng?

Gongsun Jin chuckled and said, "Mr. Liu, do you really think that peeking into the secrets of heaven is a good thing? To report to the emperor in Tang Yin's name is, at worst, deceiving the emperor and losing one's head. Isn't the purpose of falsely attributing the name to Tang Yin to link him to this? After all, there are only a handful of people who know the young master's identity, and Tang Yin is the only one who isn't on our side."

Liu Yangzheng frowned upon hearing this.

Who's in the same boat as you?

Liu Yangzheng said, "Are you willing to let someone who isn't loyal to the Prince's Mansion rise above us in status in the future?"

One sentence seems to have revealed Liu Yangzheng's true intentions.

What he cares about most is fame and fortune.

The reputation for prying into the secrets of heaven, even if it's just stealing Zhu Yi's skills, as long as it can make him famous throughout the world, gain the trust of Prince Ning, and pave the way for future rebellion, Liu Yangzheng felt that he should come to me.

Who made me so skilled in Feng Shui and Xuan Kong Feng Shui?

I'm not willing to give this reputation to Tang Yin!

Gongsun Jin, being astute, saw through Liu Yangzheng's rebellious attitude and said, "Sir, don't be anxious. Why don't we take it one step at a time? If Tang Yin really gains fame because of this, he will surely be valued by the emperor and may be summoned to the capital. He will not be able to stay in Nanchang and will naturally be unable to assist the prince in achieving his great cause."

Liu Yangzheng said, "You mean, His Highness wants to get rid of him?"

"Your Highness must have a far-sighted approach to everything you do. So, if there's anything, I'll go and find out for you. That Tang Yin is nothing but a petty, scheming rat. Can he possibly live up to such a huge reputation? I'll inform you of any news as soon as possible," Gongsun Jin tried to reassure him.

Liu Yangzheng seemed to know that he was powerless to do anything about it, so he could only nod and say, "Then I'll leave it to Mr. Gongsun."

……

……

"Who is this person? They dare to accept such a prestigious title? No matter who's used as a front, in the end, won't they all rely on that young master to pull the strings behind the scenes? Really..."

Gongsun Jin looked in the direction Liu Yangzheng's carriage had left, a sneer on his face.

In his view, he would not compete for this reputation.

That's not just a hot potato, it's a death sentence.

"Master, the people have arrived." The woman who had brought Xiao Tang and her sister earlier appeared behind Gongsun Jin once again.

Gongsun Jin abandoned his previous disdain, turned to look at the woman, walked over even beyond the normal social distance, and asked with a smile, "Was it all right?"

"Things have been a bit unsuccessful," the woman said. "The person had already been betrothed to a wealthy family in the city, and they were supposed to pick him up before the end of the month. It was only by mentioning the name of the Prince's Mansion that we managed to scare them away. The government also had to go through some trouble."

This basically means that we need to add money to the budget.

Gongsun Jin said with displeasure, "She's just a laundry maid, not some young, unmarried woman. Does anyone really have designs on her?"

The implication was clear: as familiar as we are, don't even think about taking my money. Don't even think about swindling me or the Prince's mansion out of our money!

"Sir, you'll understand once you've seen it," the woman said with a smile.

"We'll have to see..."

Gongsun Jin was also very curious.

He had initially found the sisters very appealing, and he wanted to know what kind of mother could give birth to such daughters.

When the others alighted from the carriage, they saw a simple woman dressed in plain clothes, carrying a bundle in her rough hands. She had a world-weary look on her face and walked over to greet Gongsun Jin: "This servant greets you, sir."

"I'm not your grandfather, I'm just here to guide you. Look up and let me see you." Gongsun Jin even lowered himself slightly to get a clearer view of the woman's face.

The woman beside her laughed and said, "Miss Yu, you're so lucky to have given birth to such a beautiful daughter. Your master has taken a liking to you and brought you here. You'll be living a life of luxury in the Prince's mansion from now on. This is Mr. Gongsun, the head steward of the Prince's mansion. You'd better serve him well. When you become rich and powerful, don't forget that these people helped you when you were in trouble."

Gongsun Jin waved his hand, signaling the woman to stop talking, and also shooed Yu Niang aside.

"She is a bit old, but she is quite beautiful. Surely she shouldn't be sent to hard labor?" Gongsun Jin asked, frowning.

In this day and age, women who are still of childbearing age are a resource.

Gongsun Jin felt it was unreasonable for someone so young to be assigned to the work of an old woman.

The woman smiled and said, "Who told her she'd bring bad luck to her husbands? It's said she was once a boatman's daughter, later sold to a wealthy family as a concubine. When the master died, she was sold along with her two daughters. They eventually ended up here... and now... someone has already taken a liking to her? It's about the money..."

The implication is that you've seen her; she's attractive and certainly has the potential to be noticed.

Is it reasonable to charge extra money?

If you don't give me extra money, do you still want me to work properly for you in the future?

You can't just take advantage of someone and leave, can you?

"From now on, the Prince and the young master will inevitably have to give you orders. How could they possibly treat you unfairly? Here's what we'll do: take my note and get an extra five strings of cash from the account. That's all." Gongsun Jin's expression was unfriendly, completely devoid of the enthusiasm and ambiguity he had shown when they first met.

The woman covered her mouth with a handkerchief and said with a smile, "That's enough, that's enough. To repay your kindness, I'll have someone prepare wine and food as soon as I get back. Why don't you... stay at my place tonight?"

"No need!" Gongsun Jin harbored resentment towards the woman who had just tricked him, and at least for now, he wouldn't forgive her. "I've been quite busy lately and don't have time to go. I'll repay the favor later! Give me the indenture and all that; I still need to take her to see the young master!"

The woman smiled and said, "Young Master, you are so proud and arrogant, why would you bring a woman like this into the courtyard?"

After being glared at by Gongsun Jin, she wisely stopped gossiping.

……

……

Gongsun Jin first settled Yu Niang in a nearby courtyard, and then immediately went to inform Zhu Yi, as if to claim credit.

"Everyone is settled in, and it's just a few steps from here. You can go and take a look anytime," Gongsun Jin said.

Zhu Yi was writing and drawing there when he heard this, he said, "Okay, thank you for your help, sir. I'll come and take a look when I have time."

Gongsun Jin seemed to want to say something, but hesitated and stopped.

"Sir, please speak freely." Zhu Yi didn't even look up, but he knew that Gongsun Jin had a lot of questions.

"It's like this. Mr. Liu came to see me earlier and mentioned that His Highness is drafting a memorial that will include your... prophecy in the name of Tang Yin..." Gongsun Jin tentatively began to recount.

"I know, it was I who suggested that my father do it," Zhu Yi said.

Gongsun Jin said, "Then why Tang Yin? This man is cunning and will demean himself in order to escape. If we push him to the forefront, things may get out of control."

Zhu Yi laughed and said, "I won't hide it from you. Actually, my mother came to see me and asked me to help Tang Yin."

"what?"

Gongsun Jin thought to himself, "Do you do things so casually and arbitrarily?"

Your mother came to you begging for mercy, and you just helped her?

Zhu Yi said coldly, "Tang Yin is in the know. If we don't let him go, who else is more suitable? Sometimes, it's easier to control a nobody like him who's desperate. Those who are single-mindedly pursuing fame and fortune may not have such a firm will on matters of principle!"

Gongsun Jin was taken aback.

He then realized something terrible.

A man like Liu Yangzheng would not hesitate to rebel against Prince Ning for fame and fortune... But once he becomes famous for his espionage and the emperor appoints him to important positions, it's hard to guarantee that he won't turn around and sell out Prince Ning's mansion.

On the contrary, it was Tang Yin...

Timidity, loneliness, and no hope of achieving fame... all these factors combined make him the perfect candidate to be a front man.

"Young Master's ability to recognize and utilize talent is truly admirable," Gongsun Jin immediately flattered. "But will this Tang Yin comply?"

Zhu Yi casually remarked, "With a knife to his throat, he has no choice but to comply."