The Ming Dynasty: A Modern Return, Building an Overseas Empire

Under the night sky, in the eastern monks' quarters of Jiming Temple.

Zhu Gaoxu chatted with Zhu Gaosui for a while, and then Zhu Gaosui got up and left.

Even after Zhu Gaosui's figure disappeared into the night, Zhu Gaoxu's smile remained unchanged.

"Third brother, if you hadn't asked those questions later, I would have preferred to believe that you still genuinely cared for us as brothers."

Zhu Gaoxu was filled with mixed feelings. In fact, as long as Zhu Gaosui didn't say those things later, he was truly willing to believe it.

But now, the stark reality forces him to stay sober and not allow him to indulge in the slightest bit of complacency.

The fact that Zhu Gaosui simply came to offer him comfort is so absurd that it's almost unbelievable.

Zhu Gaosui couldn't accept his departure from the Ming Dynasty to take up a fiefdom overseas, and now he's offering him help. If there's nothing fishy going on behind this, he really doesn't believe it.

"Father, I've already made myself very clear, but it seems you still don't believe me and want to use the third son to test me?"

However, since you sent the third son to test me, does that mean you indirectly agree to my going to sea to take up my fiefdom?

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaoxu's smile widened.

Whatever Zhu Di's purpose was, what he saw was that Zhu Di's attitude had finally softened.

Even though Zhu Di had not explicitly agreed, at least he saw hope.

Zhu Di's nod was not enough; he needed Zhu Di's imperial edict for his departure to his fiefdom at sea to be considered fully implemented.

After all, the mobilization of the three guards, the relocation of their families, and the corresponding money, food, supplies, ships, and so on all required Zhu Di's edict to resolve.

This is also why he had to get Zhu Di to agree that he himself could not go to sea.

Even though he is now practically the third most powerful person in the Ming Dynasty, only an imperial edict from Zhu Di could make this possible.

Exhaling a breath of stale air, Zhu Gaoxu was filled with energy.

"Someone come here!"

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

As Zhu Gaoxu finished speaking, a strong and muscular man approached him.

Zhu Gaoxu looked at him with gentle eyes.

This is his confidant, now the commander of his royal guards, and the absolute confidant who stayed with him until the very end in his previous life.

Upon seeing each other again, Zhu Gaoxu felt an extraordinary sense of warmth.

Having lived through his previous life and now in this modern one, Zhu Gaoxu knew perfectly well who his absolute confidants were.

"Niu Cheng, you've been by my side for fifteen years now."

"Your Highness, it has been fifteen years, three months, and twelve days."

Hearing Niu Cheng's answer, Zhu Gaoxu was momentarily lost in his past memories.

This Niucheng is not the same Niucheng who was executed by Zhu Yuanzhang in the seventeenth year of Hongwu (1388), but it is just a city with the same name.

From the time he began to command the army and assist Zhu Di in suppressing the rebellion, Niu Cheng followed him and was promoted to a personal guard because of his bravery in battle.

It can be said that Niu Cheng was always by his side from his peak to his twilight years.

Niu Cheng, along with Wei Da and Sheng Jian, were known as the brave warriors in his army during his rebellion in his previous life; they were all staunch supporters of him.

Stop thinking about it and Zhu Gaoxu slowly spoke.

"That's right, by dawn it will have been fifteen years, three months and thirteen days."

"Please give your orders, Your Highness, and your men will obey to the death!"

Niu Cheng didn't give any further reply. In his view, Zhu Gaoxu must have given him some important and arduous task.

He didn't deny it at all; everything he had now, including his life, was given to him by Zhu Gaoxu.

As long as Zhu Gaochi gives the order, anything must be done under his supervision.

Moreover, Zhu Gaoxu at this moment felt extremely different from before.

He didn't know if it was just his imagination, and he couldn't quite put his finger on what was different, but in his mind, Zhu Gaoxu was just different now.

Hearing these familiar words, Zhu Gaoxu felt a warm current flow through his heart.

These trusted confidants who risked everything for him and were still willing to follow him—in his previous life, he was unable to lead them out of this mess.

It can be said that he personally ruined the future of these people, as well as their families, all of whom were implicated.

In this life, I absolutely cannot repeat the same mistakes.

These people were the very reason he dared to tell Zhu Di that he should go overseas to establish his fiefdom.

"Niu Cheng, go back immediately and tell Wang Bin and Zhu Heng to wait for me at the Prince's Mansion tomorrow."

"Immediately dispatch fast horses to notify Wei Da, the Right Guard Commander of the Prince of Han's Palace; Sheng Jian, the Left Guard Commander of the Prince of Han's Palace; Qian Xun, the Central Guard Commander of the Prince of Han's Palace; Luo Li, the intelligence chief; and Mei Qing, the person in charge of the Prince of Han's Palace's farmland estate. Upon receiving this message, they are to return to the capital immediately!"

As soon as Zhu Gaoxu finished speaking, Niu Cheng's pupils contracted, and he couldn't help but look at Zhu Gaoxu in shock.

After a moment, he quickly looked around carefully to make sure no one was nearby, and then mustered up his courage to speak.

"Your Highness, should we secretly instruct Mei Qing to bring the people from the manor back to the capital? As for the other three guards, should we also secretly instruct them to set off for the capital?"

Upon hearing Niu Cheng's words, Zhu Gaoxu burst into laughter, a truly hearty laugh.

Niu Cheng's meaning was quite clear: Niu Cheng thought he was going to overturn the table and stage a coup at Xuanwu Gate in the capital, which is why he asked this question.

Zhu Gaoxu was relieved that Niu Cheng did not advise him to be calm and rational, nor did he tell him about the dangers involved or the final outcome.

What Niu Cheng was worried about was whether he had missed any orders.

These are the men he trained. With a single order, they'd fight without hesitation!

What consequences? Winning will naturally have its results.

If we lose, we're already dead, so what does it matter if the waves are raging?

In an instant, Zhu Gaoxu's smile vanished, and he shook his head with a serious expression.

"Niucheng, it's not what you think. You can send people there openly and honestly, and let them come back openly and honestly."

"I will wait for them at the palace."

Zhu Gaoxu's eyes burned with fervor. These were his most trusted confidants, his absolute wealth.

In fact, he had other people, but they had already been transferred by Zhu Di to serve as officials in various places.

Although there were those who rebelled with him in his previous life, now is not the time to inform them.

Moreover, this trip was for settling overseas, not for that last gamble.

Those people were willing to join him in rebellion, but whether they would go to the small islands at sea was another matter entirely.

This time, he should also take a look at his trusted confidants, who are both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar.

With such a large-scale operation, Zhu Gaoxu was already somewhat looking forward to seeing how Zhu Di would react when he found out.

Over the years, many of his confidants were transferred away by Zhu Di, or secretly manipulated by Zhu Gaochi, and those who left gradually became estranged from him.

Even so, he still had many trusted confidants and a large army.

Zhu Gaoxu believed that this move would be enough to make Zhu Di see the reality and make Zhu Di's fear of him rise again.

When fear arises, wouldn't it be a natural progression for him to propose settling in Haiyuan?

And when he gathered the troops without permission, if Zhu Di wanted a reason, he provided one.

Either agree to let him go to sea, or pray that he really won't give up and cause another Xuanwu Gate Incident during the Yongle reign of the Jingnan Rebellion!