The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

After Zhu Yi sent Qian Ning away.

Gongsun Jin, still visibly excited, said, "Young Master, I never imagined things would go so smoothly. From now on, you will be under the Grand Clan's name, and you may even inherit the throne. The Ning family's generations of perseverance may finally find hope in you."

Zhu Yi asked, "Does Mr. Gongsun really believe this matter is a done deal?"

Gongsun Jin smiled and said, "It's better to have hope than no hope at all. I must quickly inform the Prince of this good news."

"Um."

Zhu Yi nodded and said, "It is time to send a message back, but I have a few things to do right now that require Mr. Gongsun's help."

"Please give your orders, young master."

Zhu Yi was not particularly surprised that he was about to be raised in the palace.

After all, there were already signs of this in history.

Given the precedent of Emperor Renzong of Song raising members of the imperial clan in the palace, ministers such as Lin Jun and Zhang Jin had submitted memorials to Zhu Houzhao proposing this idea. In particular, Zhang Jin explicitly mentioned in the twelfth year of Zhengde the suggestion that "the most virtuous members of the imperial clan should be raised in the inner court." However, Zhu Houzhao thought it was unnecessary at the time, and the matter was dropped.

This time, because of the Battle of Zhangjiakou, and the fact that the emperor is now very keen on fighting in the northwest, he may have loosened his grip on certain matters.

But for now, he has only been given the additional status of the emperor's adopted son. He has not been made a prince, nor has he been made the crown prince. He is still a long way from ascending to the throne.

Zhu Yi said, "To stabilize the situation, we must first follow Empress Dowager Zhang's lead. We need to build a good relationship with her and keep her satisfied."

Gongsun Jin frowned slightly and said, "Why the Empress Dowager in the palace? Young Master, are you saying that if something really happens to the emperor in the future, the person who decides who will succeed to the throne will be this Empress Dowager? For example, the incident you mentioned before, which happened in the sixteenth year of Zhengde..."

"Yes." Zhu Yi said frankly, "In matters of imperial succession, the empress has very little say. Whether it is now or after the Tumu Crisis, it is the Empress Dowager who makes the final decision. Although sometimes it is just a formality and the decision is still made by the ministers, who succeeds to the throne is also a family matter."

Gongsun Jin nodded thoughtfully.

He seemed to be able to sense that his young master was already making efforts to succeed to the throne through legitimate means.

"The Empress Dowager has lived in the deep palace for a long time. What does she like? It won't be easy to pave this path." Gongsun Jin seemed to be raising difficulties, but in fact, it also meant to shirk responsibility and be perfunctory.

He wasn't really keen on fully cooperating.

If Zhu Yi helped Prince Ning rebel, he fully supported him, after all, it was something he had fought for half his life.

But if I were to help Zhu Yi become the crown prince... it seems to align with my ideals, but I always feel like I'm letting down the Prince Ning's mansion.

Zhu Yi said, "After cultivating a good relationship with the Empress Dowager, we should start with the two imperial brothers-in-law. We need to give them some incentives, and also use them to establish connections with some powerful families in the capital."

"These two brothers... are not simple. Young Master, you are new here, I'm afraid you... might not be able to handle the situation well."

Gongsun Jin seemed quite wary when he mentioned these two men.

Clearly, the Zhang brothers were a taboo subject to him.

Is that a person?

They are simply two money-devouring beasts, and the kind of people who have no conscience and no morals or etiquette. Cooperating with them is like asking a tiger for its skin.

Even when Prince Ning was sending the most gifts, he never mentioned wanting to follow the path of these two brothers, simply because that path was impossible.

Zhu Yi laughed and said, "The more difficult it is, the more I want to try."

Gongsun Jin sighed, "No matter how much silver you give them, it won't satisfy their appetite; it's practically a bottomless pit. So it's best to avoid getting involved with them. Even if you are formally adopted into the main branch, they are only your nominal grandmother's brothers, and your relationship with them is still very distant."

Zhu Yi had his own ideas.

It's unrealistic to expect Empress Dowager Zhang to treat him, her "grandson," differently without bribing her two younger brothers.

Empress Dowager Zhang's shortsightedness was clearly reflected in her two younger brothers.

Empress Dowager Zhang's miserable later years were also related to her lack of knowledge. If she had given her son an adopted child while he was still alive, she would not have ended up causing the Zhang family to decline.

Zhu Yi said, "What I want to do is not to directly give them benefits, but to attract their attention. We can make money together. I will use my methods, and they will use their connections. We will complement each other, rather than one party constantly providing financial support to the other."

"I don't quite understand."

Gongsun Jin really couldn't figure out what his young master was up to.

Zhu Yi smiled and said, "In the end, I have my own ideas. In addition, I need to go through the relationships with the other meritorious officials in the capital, including Lu Wan, Wang Qiong, Zhu Fu and others that Qian Ning mentioned before. I also need to visit their families."

"That's true."

Gongsun Jin also seemed very curious and said, "Qian Ning mentioned that it is already unbelievable that these people could support the adoption of the young master during the secret discussions in the inner court. They seem to be very supportive of our Prince's Mansion."

Zhu Yi said, "They support the emperor, but historically, they will all be implicated because of what happened four years later."

"Ugh!"

Gongsun Jin sighed.

He was single-mindedly trying to help Zhu Chenhao rebel, but Zhu Yi had already said that the Prince of Ning's rebellion would ultimately become a joke.

Since Zhu Yi said that Lu Wan, Wang Qiong, and Zhu Fu would all be implicated in the Prince of Ning's rebellion in the future, it shows that there are still ministers in the court who have a good relationship with the Prince of Ning's mansion. If the rebellion four years later in history had been fought more decisively and Nanjing had been occupied, it is hard to guarantee that a situation of division between the North and the South would not have occurred. In fact, it is not that the Prince of Ning had no chance of winning at all.

……

……

Inside Juyong Pass.

The secret message was brought by Zhang Yong and passed to Jiang Bin, who then personally delivered it to Tang Yin.

"Mr. Tang, this is wonderful news! That little prince will soon be a prince. His Majesty has discussed it with his ministers and decided to adopt him into the inner court. This matter will likely be made public soon."

Jiang Bin was also very happy.

He had previously opposed the emperor's adoption of Zhu Yi.

After all, Qian Ning was the one with close ties to the Prince Ning's Mansion, but he had no conflict of interest with the Prince Ning's Mansion.

But the situation is different now... because we were once comrades in the same trench, which adds to the intimacy. What could be more direct than going through life and death together and winning battles together?

Tang Yin asked curiously, "Did it go so smoothly?"

Jiang Bin said, "Didn't you bring this up? You said that this little prince would go on a campaign with His Majesty in the future? I can also see that the little prince is really brave and good at fighting. He was able to lead more than a dozen soldiers and personally kill the Tatars when he first came out of school. This is something that ordinary people can't do."

Tang Yin asked, "Is this why His Majesty favors him?"

"Well... it's hard to say." Jiang Bin also seemed quite anxious when facing the neurotic Tang Yin.

Is this old guy a charlatan, or does he really possess great supernatural powers?

Why do I always feel that his attitude and intentions are complicated when I talk to him?

It's like everyone owes him something?

Tang Yin asked, "If he is adopted into the inner court, how long will it take before he is made a prince?"

"How...how can I find out?" Jiang Bin seemed even more embarrassed.

Tang Yin then asked, "When will the rewards and honors for the Battle of Zhangjiakou begin? And what about Governor Jiang's title...?"

Jiang Bin leaned forward and whispered, "There's some progress on this. His Majesty really wants to take this opportunity to reward the army. He also intends to personally lead the troops in the Northwest. Otherwise, what would be the point of sending us here? But some things... are just difficult to handle. Determining merits and promotions... can't be explained in just a few words."

Tang Yin said, "The Tatars have suffered a setback at Zhangjiakou, and they certainly won't give up easily. We've been waiting here, but it feels like we're stuck in a rut. We should quickly report to His Majesty and make the next steps."

Jiang Bin said helplessly, "I also want His Majesty to arrive as soon as possible. Do you have a better idea, sir?"

After pondering for a moment, Tang Yin said, "The situation in the Northwest is becoming increasingly tense. We should report more border information instead of trying to cover it up as before. If the people in the court can also sense the Tatars' aggressiveness, believe that they have the ambition to invade the Ming Dynasty from the south, and understand that Batu Mongke is not just a steppe overlord, then... His Majesty may have a reason to personally lead the expedition."

Jiang Bin, quick-witted as ever, immediately replied, "I understand. Even without enemy intelligence, I can fabricate it. His Majesty is more eager than anyone to nip the Tatar prince's ambitions in the bud! Don't worry, sir, I'll go back and study the battle reports now!"

"you……"

Tang Yin watched Jiang Bin's hurried figure, still wondering, "What did I say? Why are you so agitated?"

I didn't tell you to fabricate battle reports; I told you to state the facts.

Don't misunderstand my intentions.