The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Inside the Prince Ning's Mansion.

Zhu Chenhao was discussing with Li Shishi the details of how to win over high-ranking officials in the court when Gongsun Jin came in to report on the matter, appearing quite secretive.

"Minister Li is no outsider, so please speak freely." Zhu Chenhao's face displayed the magnanimity of someone destined for greatness.

Gongsun Jin then smiled and said, "The news I just brought back from the capital says that Duke Zhang Mao of Yingguo suffered from chest pain on March 29th, but thanks to the medicine bestowed by the Prince, he was out of danger. Now he is lively and energetic, just like before. Even His Majesty is amazed."

Zhu Chenhao stood up and said, "Oh? It really happened? Good, good!"

At this point, Zhu Chenhao suddenly felt a surge of confidence.

Previously, he had only unilaterally believed in his son. The only evidence that his son came from the future was those few poems. As for the prophecy about the future, it had not been verified.

But things are different now.

If Zhu Yi can predict the life and death of a contemporary figure so clearly, doesn't that prove that these things truly exist in Zhu Yi's mind as knowledge?

Li Shishi's expression, however, was not so pleasant.

If it is proven that the little prince came from the future and was familiar with history...

Doesn't this prove that Zhu Chenhao's defeat had already occurred in history? And Li Shishi also died a tragic death after the defeat of the Prince of Ning?

"Furthermore," Gongsun Jin added, "Qian Ning, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, has sent a secret letter saying that His Majesty has tentatively agreed to send a prince to the capital, and also wants us to send Tang Yin to the capital. It is estimated that His Majesty's decree will be officially delivered in the next few days."

"Hmm." Zhu Chenhao's expression became cautious.

Tang Yin was not used by him, and it was his son who decided to place everything on Tang Yin.

As for whether there were any improprieties, he himself did not carefully consider them.

"Minister Li, what do you think?" Zhu Chenhao asked, looking at Li Shishi.

Li Shishi asked, "Has Tang Yin become more sensible now? Has Your Highness seen him recently? Or had an in-depth conversation with him?"

"No," Zhu Chenhao said. "A person who pretends to be crazy in front of me is not enough for me to trust, let alone discuss raising an army with him. It was my son who communicated with him. Gongsun Jin, tell me, did my son make things clear to him?"

"this……"

Gongsun Jin thought to himself, "That Tang Yin is so cunning, he's probably still figuring out how to escape."

That little prince was quite shrewd.

I can't figure out how these two clever people get along, and this isn't even my responsibility.

Zhu Chenhao seemed to have guessed something, and then said, "Go tell my son to expose this as soon as possible. If Tang Yin is really so ignorant, it's time to give him a proper treatment."

If Tang Yin is sensible, then we'll continue using him; if he isn't, treating his illness is secondary, killing him as quickly as possible is more important.

"Understood, I will go and inform the young master immediately." Gongsun Jin said with a smile.

Previously, he had already highly praised Zhu Yi, so now he had to wholeheartedly submit to him and serve him faithfully.

Zhu Chenhao said, "Also, bring my good-for-nothing son... my second son, along as well. We'll hold a meeting at the manor tomorrow to decide who goes to the capital. As for how to decide, I will inform you in advance."

"Yes."

Gongsun Jin and Li Shishi exchanged a glance.

The two of them immediately understood.

Prince Ning is now determined to send his third son, Zhu Yi, to the capital, but in order to appease the emotions of his second son, Zhu Gonggui, he still has to pretend to be running a fair and just election.

But everything was pre-arranged.

They were just putting on an act.

……

……

Princess Jutan's Mansion.

That day, Zhu Yi was treating his aunt Zhu Ye, with his mother Lou Suzhen standing beside him.

Zhu Ye was bedridden and looked extremely haggard. Years of tuberculosis had ravaged her, leaving her barely recognizable as a human. Her face was covered in a dark aura, and she was practically skin and bones.

"After taking the medicine, you need to take good care of yourself." Zhu Yi brought over the herbal antibiotic he made, namely Houttuynia cordata oral liquid, and also used his simple Xiao Chai Hu Tang.

Even though this thing will have almost no effect hundreds of years later.

But in an era when no one had ever used antibiotics, the effects were remarkable, far surpassing those of traditional Chinese medicine.

Zhu Ye said, "Everything is in the hands of fate. I have no more desires for being alive until now. I never thought that I would also get the same disease as my father."

Tuberculosis is a traditional condition in the Prince Ning's residence.

The previous Prince Ning, Zhu Jinjun, died of tuberculosis. Because the disease is contagious, those who have it suffer greatly, and those around them often show disgust towards them.

But these days, this disease is incurable, and even hundreds of years from now, it will not be easy to treat. Prevention and treatment will rely more on the BCG vaccine. Zhu Yi himself happened to have been vaccinated.

He believed that his body was his own body and that he was not the so-called third son of Prince Ning.

Lou Suzhen said, "Princess, please take good care of your health. You are still young and should not be so pessimistic."

"Sigh!" Zhu Ye's eyes held a hint of sadness.

Her husband is dead, and she has no children of her own. She is a typical unfortunate woman, and now she is tormented by illness. Perhaps in her heart, death would be better.

……

……

As the mother and son were preparing to leave the princess's residence, Tang Yin, who had come with them, was still standing at the gate.

But was Tang Yin particularly shrewd?

There was a patient inside who absolutely refused to go in.

Moreover, he did not think he should visit a widow; Tang Yin still held himself in high esteem at this time.

"Your Highness, Young Master." When they arrived at the door, it was Gongsun Jin who greeted them first.

Lou Suzhen said, "Is there something you need? I won't bother you any longer. Go and do your work."

"See the Princess off." The group bowed to Lou Suzhen and took their leave.

As the carriage drove away, Gongsun Jin took the opportunity to whisper a few words in Zhu Yi's ear.

Tang Yin, who was standing next to him, looked over with a strange gaze, not understanding what these people were up to.

"Mr. Tang, let me take you somewhere," Zhu Yi said politely.

"Where?" Tang Yin asked, sounding slightly impatient.

Gongsun Jin then arranged for two carriages to come over.

Tang Yin reluctantly boarded the carriage, and although he rode with Zhu Yi, they remained silent throughout the journey.

He didn't realize until the carriage stopped that he had left the city and arrived at a very strange courtyard.

After going inside, I found that there was nothing special about it, except for a strange bottle and jar in the room.

"Are they all made of glass?" Tang Yin asked curiously.

The glass jars, though oddly shaped, had very flat bottoms and could stand stably. They contained strange liquids and didn't look like anything proper.

Gongsun Jin closed the door and stood there, staring at the two people inside.

Tang Yin asked, "What do you want to do?"

Zhu Yi smiled and said, "Mr. Tang, the imperial court wants to summon you to the capital."

"What did you say?" Tang Yin was genuinely startled.

"Hehe," Zhu Yi said with a smile, "Have you ever considered what value you still have to the Ning Prince's Mansion? What makes my father forgive your deception, release you, give you freedom, respect you enough, and even allow poems created by later generations to be attributed to you?"

Tang Yin had suspected something was amiss, but he hadn't thought about it carefully.

Zhu Yi's words suddenly sent a chill down his spine.

Yes.

Have the people of the Ning Prince's Mansion gone mad? Why would they use someone who once betrayed the Prince's Mansion?

"What is it?" Tang Yin asked nervously.

Zhu Yi said, "Because I've applied some things to you."

"What do you mean?" Tang Yin frowned.

Zhu Yi gestured to Gongsun Jin, who then walked over and handed Tang Yin a draft document that Prince Ning had previously submitted.

Tang Yin took the document and glanced at it quickly, his face filled with terror. "What are you trying to do? A meritorious official in the capital has died of chest pain? And it happened on March 29th? And there are foreign barbarians invading the border in April? Isn't this utter nonsense?"

Zhu Yi said, "That's not the point."

"Cough cough!" Tang Yin almost went crazy.

No need to pretend.

This kid is driving me crazy.

Gongsun Jin smiled and explained, "Mr. Tang, your prophecy is indeed accurate. Just now, a letter came from the capital saying that on March 29th, the Duke of Yingguo almost died of chest pain at his residence. It was only after His Majesty heard the Prince of Ning's report that he was given medicine and saved. Otherwise, the residence would have been preparing for his funeral."

"Impossible!" Tang Yin said. "Life and death are all in the hands of fate. You are in Nanchang, how could you know the fate of the Duke of Guo in the capital? There are so many famous doctors in the capital, why would you be the one to supply medicine? You must be trying to fit what just happened into this, trying to make me believe that you have seen some divine secrets."

Even now, Tang Yin is still trying to convince himself that Zhu Yi was just using some kind of smokescreen.

It's definitely not something that actually happened hundreds of years later.

Gongsun Jin said, "The imperial decree will arrive in Nanchang in the next couple of days, summoning Mr. Tang to the capital. At the same time, a prince from the Prince of Ning's mansion will also go to the capital. Mr. Tang should make good preparations."

Seeing the two men's confident expressions, Tang Yin felt extremely uneasy.

"Why are you trying to pin this on me?" Tang Yin was furious but dared not lash out, and could only suppress his anger and question her.

Zhu Yi laughed and said, "That's a question for you. Why did you have to feign madness to escape? If you had told my father the truth—that you didn't want to stay on this ship—he would have understood your predicament, and with your reputation, you would certainly have been able to leave safely. Unfortunately..."

"How come?" Tang Yin seemed to realize that he had dug a big hole for himself.

Zhu Yi said, "Alas! I don't know how far Mr. Tang's madness has progressed. We are afraid that when the court sends people to pick him up, you will not be able to concentrate on the journey, or something bad might happen to you... or your condition may relapse on the way north, and you may jump into the water or throw yourself into a well..."

Upon hearing this, Tang Yin slammed his fist on the table.

Many bottles and jars were spilled.

"Be gentle," Zhu Yi warned. "There's a lot of corrosive solution in here. If it touches you, it might turn you to bones."

Even if Tang Yin was furious, upon hearing these words, he would have to quickly take two steps back.

He wouldn't even bother to respond if someone else said that.

What could turn me into bones?

But if it's what Zhu Yi said... he'd have to think it over.

A guy who claims to have traveled hundreds of years into the future, witnessed its prosperity, and is exceptionally capable—who knows what kind of tricks he usually plays?

"I'm only telling you today to prevent you from being unable to adapt immediately," Zhu Yi said. "When it's time to make a decision, you must make one. Mr. Gongsun will send someone to take you back. If your condition does relapse in the next couple of days, perhaps my father can... send you back to Suzhou. The decision is yours."

Tang Yin frowned and said, "The imperial court wants people; can you refuse?"

Zhu Yi smiled but didn't offer any further explanation.

Tang Yin was also a clever man.

Considering Zhu Yi's statement that "my father will send you back to Suzhou," would Prince Ning let him off so easily? He was to be sent back to Suzhou, but he didn't say he would be sent back alive.

As long as he dies, it will both appease the court and fulfill the promise to send him back to Suzhou.

This is a blatant threat!

Gongsun Jin laughed and said, "Mr. Tang, you are truly enviable. Liu Juren and I both envy you for gaining the young master's favor. This has not only brought you literary fame but also given you the opportunity to enter the court and serve in the government, earning the appreciation of His Majesty and the entire court. Isn't this exactly what you've always wanted?"

Tang Yin was so angry that he trembled all over, but he couldn't utter a single word.

"His Highness also instructed that if you can serve the Prince's Mansion and make some contributions to the Ming Dynasty, he will send you a generous gift as a parting present. After all, you will be working for His Majesty from now on, and the Prince's Mansion will have no further involvement with you."

Gongsun Jin was also a wise man.

He was using some methods to remind Tang Yin.

You didn't want to join Prince Ning's rebellion, did you?

Although you're now being put in charge of some things and made to act as a charlatan, and you're not happy about it, at least you've gotten away from the control of the Prince's mansion, just as you wished!

Aren't you going to the capital to serve the emperor? So even if the Prince of Ning's mansion rebels, what does it have to do with you?

Tang Yin asked, "Then why did you choose me?"

Zhu Yi sighed, "I can only say that you are quite famous, and you have no intention of working for the Prince's Mansion. I'm just giving you a chance."

"You want me to cover for Prince Ning?" Tang Yin immediately understood that if he were to portray himself as a charlatan, the Prince's Mansion would definitely want him to tell the Emperor that Prince Ning's Mansion would not rebel in the future.

If Prince Ning rebels, wouldn't that prove that he, who once served Prince Ning's household, is protecting his former master?

Regardless of whether Prince Ning's rebellion succeeded or not, he, being in the capital, was more likely to die sooner and more directly.

Perhaps it would be better to stay at the Prince Ning's residence and join the rebellion; maybe then one could at least be buried with a whole body.

Zhu Yi said, "It's impossible to predict everything in the world. Didn't my father's memorial to the court say that you dreamt about the future? If Heaven didn't let you dream about things related to my royal family, how could you report to the court? And what's the point of talking about concealing anything?"

Tang Yin was speechless for a moment.

As for prophecies about the future, they are "heavenly secrets that must not be revealed." The more they are revealed, the shorter one's lifespan will be.

Some things can be left unsaid. For example, it might be said that there might be unrest in the future. Just like the "Tui Bei Tu" or similar books, they can be written in a vague and ambiguous way, leaving the emperor and the court officials to guess and make their own interpretations. That's not impossible.

Zhu Yi essentially showed him a way out.

You can talk about Prince Ning's rebellion, but you can't say it outright. As long as you can prove afterwards that you had no intention of protecting him, you will not only not be a criminal, but you may even be trusted and valued by the emperor more.