The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

A private residence located to the east of the Prince Ning's Mansion.

After listening attentively to Prince Ning's account of the development of the "Rebellion of Prince Ning," Li Shishi became restless.

Listen to this, is this even human language?

I abandoned my family and risked the extermination of my entire clan to plan your rebellion, and yet you listened to your son and said that our rebellion would fail in 42 days? And you even had the audacity to tell me that?

What is this? Are you trying to scare me? To make me jump ship and escape?

"Mr. Li, I invite you to attend a hearing tomorrow. You may also ask questions via note regarding specific details, so that we can better control the future situation." Prince Ning seemed quite enthusiastic.

In Li Shishi's view, Prince Ning's behavior in this matter was very abnormal.

He was clearly bewildered by the father-son relationship.

Li Shishi immediately refused, saying, "I have already mentioned to Your Highness that we should avoid making public appearances as much as possible. Besides... do you really believe what your son described? To accomplish great things, one cannot simply listen to the idle talk of a child."

Prince Ning looked thoughtful. After a long while, he said seriously, "In my opinion, if one can truly foresee future events, one can take precautions in advance and eliminate all hidden dangers. I never accept fate, and I am absolutely capable of defying destiny."

Li Shishi said, "I have no doubt about that. It is inconvenient for me to come forward, but I can still offer my advice to Your Highness and see how to be more confident in future matters."

He was too embarrassed to say, "I'll ask you a few questions to expose your son's lies all at once."

Although many of the things your son said sounded fancy and seemed true.

But these are all things that will happen in the future and cannot be verified. So I will use some information that I know but he could not possibly know to expose his lies once and for all.

This is the time for me to demonstrate my value.

"What is your intention, sir?" Prince Ning inquired.

"Your Highness, I have some connections in the court. I can obtain some information about personnel changes and the secrets of the emperor, things that ordinary people cannot know," Li Shishi said. "I will list these things down. When you return, just ask your son about them. If he can answer them fluently, then you can trust his speculation and use it as a precaution. Otherwise, you should remain still to avoid alerting the enemy."

Prince Ning said with satisfaction, "Then I'll trouble you, sir. Do you have any general direction in mind?"

Li Shishi said, "The first thing is what I learned from Minister Lu of the Ministry of War: he is likely to be promoted to Minister of Personnel, and Minister Wang of the Ministry of Revenue will take over his position..."

Wang Qiong succeeded Lu Wan as Minister of War in April of the tenth year of the Zhengde reign.

It was precisely because Li Shishi had connections in the court that he was able to learn about it in advance.

In his view, Zhu Yi's lies could be exposed simply by using similar news.

……

……

In the small courtyard.

Zhu Yi finally met the two maids that Gongsun Jin had found for him.

I don’t know, I’m scared.

He had assumed she was the mature and composed "head maid" who was trying to act young in front of him, saying she was under the age of fifteen, and that she might even have dragon and phoenix carvings on her body. After all, he couldn't imagine that there could be any girls from good families in such a sinful place.

But when he saw the person... he was dumbfounded.

They were two very young girls, with innocent and adorable eyes, as if they had never been tainted by the filth of the world. As soon as they arrived, they picked up brooms and swept the yard. Later, they busied themselves around the stove, not giving Zhu Yi a chance to meet and talk with them alone.

"Is this a case of 'misery loves company'? They were also kidnapped? The person behind this must have incredible connections. I would be impressed if you sent one, but you sent two? Why do these two women look...so similar? They're not twins, but they seem like they were made from the same mold?"

Zhu Yi felt somewhat uneasy.

He waited until sunset, and just before dinner time, he prepared to take the opportunity to discuss the escape plan with the two women.

But at this moment, Gongsun Jin shamelessly appeared in front of him again.

"Mr. Gong, is there something you need?" Zhu Yi tried his best to appear calm, after all, he knew that the other party might want to make a move against him.

Gongsun Jin stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying, "The matter of changing your residence that I mentioned before has been decided by the higher-ups. They have selected a nice house for you and will send you there first thing tomorrow morning."

Zhu Yi said, "You've finally decided to make your move! If you're going to break off all pretense of civility, why give me advance notice? Aren't you afraid I'll run away?"

Gongsun Jin said with trepidation, "Please don't say that. The higher-ups have treated you with great courtesy. You saw it, didn't you, maid? That's a testament to their sincerity."

Zhu Yi thought to himself, "It seems that the person who covets me is a big shot. They are so generous. They not only gave me a theater and hired people to act with me, but they also sent me women."

"I won't bother you." Gongsun Jin seemed to realize that he was not popular with Zhu Yi, so he immediately bowed and took his leave.

Once the person leaves.

Zhu Yi immediately shouted, "Isn't dinner ready yet?"

Before long, a commotion came from the courtyard, and the two girls came into the room, each carrying a wooden tray with two dishes of food, rice, a teapot, a teacup, and other items.

"Close the door. I want them to serve me my meals," Zhu Yi shouted at the old servants and others at the door.

When the door closed, the two girls were still helping him prepare the food, even setting out the bowls and chopsticks for him, clearly serving him.

"Don't be afraid." After Zhu Yi was finally alone with the two girls, he whispered, "I will find a way to get you out of here. I was also kidnapped by them, so we can confide in each other."

The two girls stared at each other, the shorter one glancing at the taller one next to her, as if asking for help.

It's as if it's saying, "Listen to what this madman is saying."

Zhu Yi asked, "Can you...hear me?"

"Young master, this servant does not understand what you mean," the tall girl said timidly.

Her voice wasn't particularly clear, but it was very gentle, and its melodious tone seemed to penetrate straight into Zhu Yi's heart.

It evokes a strong protective instinct in people's hearts.

Such a charming young woman is trapped in a difficult situation. Any man should step forward and help her through this crisis.

and many more……

Zhu Yi immediately realized that he was just meat on someone else's chopping board.

Zhu Yi asked, "Have you gone to school? What grade were you in? Why did you come here? Where are you from?"

The tall girl said, "I am from Suzhou. I have lived with my mother and younger sister since I was a child. I was sold here two years ago and have never been to school."

"Never been to school? How old are you?" Zhu Yi seemed very surprised.

Suzhou?

Is that some remote corner at the foot of the mountain? In such a sunny place, how could such a tragic incident happen—a mother and her two daughters being kidnapped and trafficked?

Are you staging a Sin City drama here?

"This servant is fourteen, and my sister is thirteen," the tall girl said.

"She...is your sister? What are your names?" Zhu Yi continued to press.

"My name is Xiaotang, and my sister's name is Xiaomei." The girl was a little scared.

They probably thought the young master in front of them was too strange, and their way of asking questions was also unusual.

Based on their life experience, it seems that the more abnormal a person is, the easier it is for them to hurt them.