Chapter 1115
Growth
Chapter 1115 Growth (Part Two)
Pan Yun tapped him on the head: "Idiot, you're the one who set up this line. If you just let go completely, aren't you just handing over the credit to someone else? Besides, this is entrapment. Do you really want to catch them all in one fell swoop?"
"How about that?"
What is our ultimate goal?
Zhu Jianji thought for a moment and said, "The world is at peace, with no wars or rebellions."
“The Oirats and Tatars plotted a rebellion, and we conquered this land. This was a peace treaty by force, but their hearts were not truly convinced, and the rebellion would not stop. Therefore, our ultimate goal is to win over the hearts of the people, not only by curbing the war through institutional means, but also by curbing it through the hearts of the people.”
Zhu Jianji instantly understood: "So, the teacher didn't let me lead the troops to wipe them out in one fell swoop, but rather to let me win over the hearts of the people?"
Pan Yun gave him a look that suggested he was a promising young man.
“But,” Zhu Jianji said with a troubled expression, “they believe me because I am a prince of the Oirat tribe. If they knew I was the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, would they still accept me? Besides, they are plotting rebellion, and I control this force…”
Just thinking about it gives me a headache.
Zhu Jianji quickly glanced at the Embroidered Uniform Guards.
Although he was only ten years old, he was not a child who knew nothing. As the crown prince, was he making contact with a group of foreign forces that wanted to rebel because he felt that his position as crown prince was too secure?
Pan Yun pressed his shoulder and said, "As long as the emperor trusts you, you will be a hero in quelling the rebellion."
What if you don't believe me?
Zhu Jianji didn't dare to ask, after all, apart from his teacher, everyone around him was his father's spy.
【Don't believe it, and don't be afraid.】These words exploded in Zhu Jianji's mind, and Zhu Jianji stared wide-eyed at his teacher.
Pan Yun had already withdrawn her hand, as if the secret voice from just now had never existed.
Zhu Jianji suddenly lost much of his energy to think about swindling money. Did his teacher want to teach him...?
Thinking of his father, his face turned pale, and he quickly shook his head. No, his teacher is not that kind of person. Besides, his father has always respected his teacher. How could his teacher want to teach him to seize the throne?
Zhu Jianji was lost in thought and no longer felt guilty about swindling money from the various tribes. By the time he came to his senses, he had already swindled five cartloads of goods and a cartload of gold and silver jewelry from three tribes.
Zhu Jianji: "...I asked for all of this?"
Pan Yun nodded, her face full of approval: "You tricked us into giving it all away."
Pan Yun didn't hold back her praise, giving a thumbs up and saying, "Amazing."
The Imperial Guards all gave a thumbs up, agreeing that His Highness the Crown Prince was impressive.
He simply sat in front of those people with a troubled expression, and when he talked about the difficulties in procuring weapons, they automatically took out their money.
"Your Highness, we've calculated it. What we've recovered today is more valuable than the gifts we gave them. We've recouped all our initial investment and are even making a profit."
Zhu Jianji: ...Without realizing it, he has evolved into a big liar?
Pan Yun urged him, "Let's go, head south, and scam the other two along the way."
Zhu Jianji hesitated and said, "Isn't this inappropriate?"
"Are you going to favor one over the other?"
Zhu Jianji became serious in an instant and said earnestly, "You're right, we should treat everyone equally. Let's go!"
Zhu Jianji finally experienced the thrill and joy from it.
After they traveled east from the grasslands into Heilongjiang and returned to Wuzhewei, they had already built a caravan using the goods they had obtained through deception.
Pan Yun served as his accountant, while the Imperial Guards automatically acted as caravan protectors and drivers, along with spies from various tribes.
There was no other way; they had given him too much. They weren't afraid the little prince would cheat them out of their money, but they were worried he would misappropriate it. Besides, they also wanted to see the abilities of this newly joined little prince. After all, although his ancestors had been listed in order, they hadn't appeared for many years.
It is said that when the Yuan Dynasty was destroyed, their ancestors led them to migrate to the Northern Desert. Now that they are powerful, they have returned to reclaim their ancestors' territory. But who can know how determined they are or how capable they are?
Pan Yun didn't object to them following along, since everyone was now calling Zhu Jianji "Your Highness" or "Little Prince," and no one would be so foolish as to call him "Crown Prince," so their identities wouldn't be exposed.
This matter was naturally reported to the emperor.
Without avoiding the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Pan Yun pointed to Zhu Jianji's parents' palace and said, "I dare to let you get involved in this matter because your parents' palace is perfect. As long as you trust your father, he will definitely trust you too."
Ten-year-old Zhu Jianji listened with tears welling up in his eyes.
In the capital, the emperor, upon receiving the secret records from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was moved to tears.
Zhu Qiyu had few children, and Zhu Jianji was not only his eldest son, but also his personally chosen successor. Before being made crown prince, Zhu Jianji had survived a near-death experience. How could he doubt the son he had personally chosen?
The imperial advisor said that he would surely become a wise and benevolent ruler for all time!
He will not only be a wise ruler of his generation, but also the father of wise rulers throughout the ages!
Zhu Qiyu immediately wrote a letter to his son filled with longing and anticipation.
He was only ten years old, but it has been more than three months since we left him.
Zhu Qiyu missed Zhu Jianji, so he couldn't help but talk about him to Yu Qian, who knew where he was and what they were doing.
Yu Qian comforted him for a few words, and when he turned to leave the palace, his expression was somewhat somber.
An outsider's perspective is clearer; he didn't think that someone of Pan Yun's intelligence would believe that a father and son from the imperial family completely trusted each other.
In the short eighty years of the Ming Dynasty, were there not enough struggles and suspicions among uncles and nephews, brothers, fathers and sons, and grandfathers and grandsons?
Her willingness to be so open with the emperor's spies not only made the father and son trust each other more, but also made her certain that they would never fall into suspicion.
Under what circumstances could they trust each other so much that they wouldn't fall into suspicion?
Yu Qian suppressed the constant stream of speculations, but his intelligence and understanding of history kept his brain working non-stop, even when he tried to stop it.
As Yu Qian walked to the palace gate, he couldn't help but turn back to look at the Taiji Hall standing high on the steps.
There's only one possibility: the father had already passed away before the son grew old...
Only under such circumstances would the emperor be glad that the crown prince had grown up and place high hopes on him, without suspecting him.
The emperor...
Yu Qian clenched his fists, feeling very upset.
He liked Emperor Jingtai very much because he was humble enough and listened to his ministers' advice.
After eighty years, the Ming Dynasty had come to a standstill and was even slowly regressing. However, thanks to reforms, this vast empire started moving again and even took great strides forward.
He could already see a beautiful picture of the future that he had never seen before, but the dangers beneath the picture were gradually becoming apparent. His abilities were already stretched thin, and the Ming Dynasty needed more intelligent and virtuous people to govern it.
No matter how many powerful figures emerge, they all need a leader.
The emperor is the one who steers the ship, but what about the crown prince?
After he takes the helm, will the ship still be able to move forward as he and the emperor have hoped?
Pan Yun, we have trained the current prince to be of the same mind and with the same goal; can you prevent the prince from changing his mind?
If not, why focus on cultivating a crown prince instead of prolonging the current lifespan?
Yu Qian kept all his questions to himself, tacitly avoiding asking Pan Yun. He kept them hidden in his heart, not even daring to dream about them, for fear of revealing them and ruining the current favorable situation.
(End of this chapter)