The Great Ming Demon Pill: Your Majesty, please address me as the Crown Prince!

Zhu Di, who was not far away, was also exhausted from listening.

He went out incognito for a private visit, but unexpectedly he was framed.

Haters are like your own grandson.

He was just showing off in front of Yang Rong and Huang Huai, saying that his grandson was definitely studying diligently at the Bowen Museum.

This is a slap in the face that happened way too fast.

Just as he was about to call out to the little monkey...

Suddenly, a commotion arose in the distance, accompanied by screams.

The commotion came from the entrance of the Danfenlou. Zhu Di and his entourage looked in the direction of the sound and saw a short, stocky man dressed in a traditional Japanese style with a short sword at his waist, tugging at the sleeve of a courtesan and speaking in a strange-sounding Chinese.

"...A mere songstress dares to refuse my master's invitation?"

"My master, Ashikaga Yoshikatsu, is an envoy sent by Japan to the Ming Dynasty, representing my King! To have you serve wine is an honor!"

The songstress, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with delicate features, was now deathly pale. She struggled and said, "My lord, let go... I only perform, I don't serve wine..."

"Baka!" The Japanese envoy who had spoken flew into a rage, raising his hand to slap him across the face. "How dare you, a lowly person, defy an envoy from a superior nation!"

With a sharp "smack," the songstress staggered back two steps, her cheeks immediately swelling and reddening, tears welling in her eyes, but she bit her lip, not daring to cry out.

A commotion arose among the surrounding crowd; some looked indignant, but no one dared to step forward.

After all, everyone here is just an ordinary citizen, while these people are Japanese nobles, and no one dares to provoke them.

At this moment, two constables patrolling the streets of Yingtian Prefecture rushed over upon hearing the commotion. The one in the lead was a middle-aged head constable, who immediately bowed upon seeing the situation.

"My esteemed envoy, let's talk this out. Why resort to violence..."

The envoy glanced at the constable and said arrogantly, "A Ming Dynasty constable? You've come at the perfect time! This woman was disrespectful to my master; according to Japanese law, she deserves twenty slaps!"

"However, I'll give you Ming Dynasty some face today." He pointed to the songstress, "Have her come to my seat immediately, pour wine for my master as an apology, and we'll call it a day."

The head waiter looked troubled and said in a low voice, "Your Excellency, this Danfenlou is under the jurisdiction of the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment district). The girls there each have their own rules. If they are unwilling to drink with us, we can't force them... How about I apologize on their behalf?"

"Insolence!" A follower behind the Japanese envoy stepped forward and shouted in broken Chinese, "Your Excellency is a distinguished guest representing Japan to pay tribute! Is this how you, the Great Ming, treat your guests? Believe me, we'll go to the Court of State Ceremonies tomorrow and demand an explanation from your Ministry of Rites!"

The squad leader was sweating profusely. He knew that the court was now adopting a policy of appeasement towards foreign countries, especially Japan. Although there were occasional raids by Japanese pirates, the Ministry of Rites always required local authorities to treat Japanese envoys with courtesy and not to cause trouble when the government sent them to the court.

If this really escalates to the Court of State Ceremonial, I, a mere lowly clerk, will certainly suffer the consequences.

He had no choice but to turn to the songstress and lower his voice to persuade her, "Miss, please bear with it and have a few drinks with the vice envoy. Let's not cause any diplomatic trouble..."

Tears streamed down the singer's face as she desperately shook her head: "I...I'm registered as a musician, I only play the zither and sing, I've never served drinks..."

Having frequented the sixteenth floor, she naturally knew that being a hostess involved in drinking was more than just drinking.

Given the nature of these Japanese envoys, their innocence might be ruined here.

"You don't know what's good for you!" The leader of the messengers was even angrier when he saw this, and he reached out to grab her bodice again.

The songstress turned pale instantly and instinctively stepped back.

Zhu Zhanjun, who was not far away, frowned and was about to step forward.

Suddenly, a voice shouted, "Stop!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a boy of about thirteen or fourteen years old walking out from the crowd.

He was rather thin, wearing a faded blue cloth robe, but his spine was ramrod straight, his face was handsome, and his eyes were surprisingly bright as he stared directly at the Japanese envoy without any fear.

"In broad daylight, right under the Emperor's nose, how dare you, foreign envoys, bully the people of my Great Ming!" The young man's voice was not loud, but each word was clear and carried an awe-inspiring righteousness. "The Great Ming Code states: 'Any soldier or civilian who assaults another without cause shall be punished with sixty strokes of the cane and one year of penal servitude.' This woman is a registered musician in the Imperial Music Bureau, performing according to regulations, not a prostitute serving drinks. You dared to slap her in the street when your attempts to force her failed. What do you consider the laws of my Great Ming?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the constables, his tone turning stern: "You are constables of Yingtian Prefecture, paid by the emperor, and responsible for protecting the people. Seeing a vulnerable woman being humiliated, instead of stopping the perpetrators according to the law, you encouraged the victim to submit—this is dereliction of duty! If foreign envoys can abuse our people through appeasement, what will become of our nation? How can the people find peace?"

These words, full of classical allusions, reasoned and righteous, immediately drew silent applause from many of the surrounding people. Even Zhu Di, hiding behind the carriage, nodded slightly, his eyes showing approval.

Yang Rong and Huang Huai both showed expressions of admiration.

Huang Huai said in a low voice, "Although this child is young, his insight and courage are extraordinary."

the other side.

The Japanese envoy was publicly rebuked by this teenager, and his face turned bright red with embarrassment.

He was fluent in Chinese and understood that the other party was accusing him of breaking the law and scolding the police for dereliction of duty, which made him feel greatly insulted.

"Baka! Where did this little beast come from, daring to interfere in my affairs!" The Japanese envoy, enraged, waved his hand at his two attendants behind him, "Teach this arrogant brat a lesson!"

The two burly men immediately turned fierce upon hearing this, drew their short swords from their waists, and surrounded the boy.

The surrounding people gasped in surprise and retreated.

The constables hesitated, wanting to step forward to stop them but fearing it might actually cause a diplomatic incident, so they remained indecisive for a moment.

Just as the two fierce henchmen were about to rush towards the boy, the boy, though his face was slightly pale, remained standing still.

At this critical moment...

"Let's see who dares to make a move!"

A crisp sound rang out.

Zhu Zhanjun stepped out from the crowd, his small figure blocking the young man's path.

Behind him, Zhu Zhanqi, Zhang Mao, Liu Zhong, and a group of his younger brothers followed in a row.

Zhu Zhanjun looked coldly at the Japanese envoy.

"An envoy from Japan, is that right?"

"You stand on the land of the Ming Dynasty, and you stand under the sky of the Ming Dynasty."

"Here, you must abide by the rules of the Ming Dynasty."

The Japanese envoy was taken aback, not expecting an even younger child to appear, who also looked quite old-fashioned.

He sneered, "Where did this little brat come from, trying to be a hero? Get out of my way, or I'll beat you up too!"

"Hit me?" Zhu Zhanjun laughed, revealing a set of small white teeth. "You can try. But before you do it, you'd better think about the consequences."

He pointed to himself, then to his brothers behind him, "If any one of us loses a single hair, can you, and your so-called Ashikaga envoy, bear the consequences?"

His tone was calm, and the Japanese envoy was stunned by his imposing manner. Upon closer inspection of the group of children, although their clothes appeared ordinary, the quality of their clothing and their demeanor clearly indicated that they were not from ordinary families.

Zhu Yi, standing to the side, raised her head and snorted coldly.

"My squad leader is renowned throughout the Great Hall and parts of Nanjing, and is known in the martial arts world as the Jade-Faced Little White Dragon."

"You bunch of envoys from small countries, if you know what's good for you, get out of here!"