Prince Yan's Mansion.
Zhu Gaochi sat tiredly in his study and summoned the eunuch Su Shun: "There should be news from my father."
Su Shun was already prepared. He took out three letters from the secret compartment of the study and respectfully presented them to the desk: "Your Majesty, two letters were sent ten days ago, and another letter arrived three days ago. They’re all here.”
Zhu Gaochi nodded.
Because he served in the Ministry of Household Affairs, Zhu Gaochi rarely had time to return to the mansion. Especially after the Ming Dynasty was conquered, the imperial court sent troops and generals. In addition to the busy work of the Governor's Office of the Fifth Army, the Ministry of War, and the Navy, the Ministry of Household Affairs was also extremely uncomfortable. There are a bunch of documents for allocating grain, opening warehouses, writing off accounts, and receipts, all of which need to be handled by the officials of the Ministry of Accounts.
Especially recently, there was a fire in the granary outside Jinchuan Gate, and there was a food crisis in Jinling. Zhu Gaochi didn't even have time to take a bath, not to mention returning home, and he was all rotten.
Xia Yuanji had specially approved this trip back home. As for whether Xia Yuanji couldn't stand the smell of sweat on Zhu Gaochi's body, it's hard to say.
Zhu Gaochi did not allow family letters to be sent to the Ministry of Household Affairs. There were many people there, and if his father Zhu Di wrote two inappropriate sentences in the letter and someone read it, it would probably cause a lot of trouble.
Zhu Di was away on an expedition, so sending a letter was usually not an urgent matter, and it didn't matter if it took a while.
Zhu Gaochi opened the letter and looked at it carefully. There was not much content, it was quite short, and there were even breaks. It could be seen that it was written during the march.
Zhu Di told Zhu Gaochi in his letter that the army passed through Xuanfu, came out of Yehuling, and was looking for the main Tatar force.
According to intelligence, the main Tatar force gathered near Hetao to peek at Datong. ..
The army is moving towards the Hetao direction, preparing to join Datong, and attack Benyasili and Alutai from two sides.
Zhu Gaochi could feel that his father was in a good mood. The morale of the army was strong and the logistics were stable, enough to support a long-distance pursuit. This time, the Tatars were likely to lose all their capital on the grassland.
The letters were either about military matters or family matters, asking me to take good care of my mother and younger brother.
Zhu Gaochi put down the letter and looked at Su Shun: "Is Prince Gaoyang at home?"
Su Shun bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Gaoyang has not returned home for a month."
The flesh on Zhu Gaochi's cheeks trembled, and his eyes narrowed into thin slits: "I haven't returned home for a month. People in Jinling were panicked a few days ago, and he didn't come back home either?"
"No."
Su Shun replied truthfully.
Zhu Gaochi picked up the letter from his father Zhu Di, read it, and asked in a deep voice, "Where is he?"
Su Shun said: "Outside Jiangdong Gate, Chuchun Courtyard."
Zhu Gaochi slammed the table and stood up: "It's already autumn, what is he trying to do in Chuchunyuan? Food crisis, people's hearts are unstable, and many large households have closed their doors and windows for fear that people will come in and rob, so he doesn't care about the safety of his home. Are you having fun outside?"
Su Shun grinned, lowered his head and dared not speak.
Who is Zhu Gaoxu and who can afford to offend him? You, Zhu Gaochi, can still restrain him at home, but if you are not here and the prince is not here, who can control him?
Princess Yan has been busy eating fast, chanting Buddha's name, praying for King Yan and the Ming Dynasty. She occasionally says a few words, but Zhu Gaoxu doesn't listen at all, so why don't she just beat him up?
Zhu Gaochi called Liang Zaifang, the leader of the guards in the mansion: "Take five guards and follow me to Chuchun Courtyard."
Liang Zaifang looked at Zhu Gaochi in shock.
Even if you want to go to a brothel, you should keep a low profile. If Zhu Zhanji hears this, why won't he make a fuss for you?
Zhu Gaochi didn't explain at all, got on the carriage and took people to Jiangdong Gate.
Hatsuharuyuan.
Zhu Gaoxu admired the graceful dancing posture, hugging her left and right, enjoying the pleasure of indulgence. When the song ended, the woman bowed down lightly, and Zhu Gaoxu applauded her repeatedly, throwing out a stack of treasure notes as a reward.
There was a knock on the door, and then a woman in black walked in.
Zhu Gaoxu waved away the others and asked the maid who came over: "Han Lu, there is news, right?"
cold dew
Salute: "Master, Emperor Jianwen made an appointment with King Dai at Zhongyi Tower. Our people can't find out what exactly they said, but observing King Dai's expression when he left, there seems to be no danger."
"Is there no crisis?"
Zhu Gaoxu breathed a sigh of relief: "I thought the security bureau discovered something, and Zhu Yunwen wanted to arrest the acting king. Haha, it seems that Zhu Yunwen missed his last chance."
Han Lu smiled and said, "No, if the emperor had been more decisive, our affairs would have had many twists and turns. But now, things are irreversible and Emperor Jianwen is about to die."
Zhu Gaoxu took a deep breath: "Yes, it's getting closer."
Han Lu remembered something and said, "When I was inquiring about news today, I met someone who hadn't been seen for a long time."
"Oh, who?"
Zhu Gaoxu was a little surprised.
Han Lu's eyes revealed murderous intent: "Bai Yiyi!"
Zhu Gaoxu frowned slightly.
Bai Yiyi's name, Zhu Gaoxu, knew that a traitor betrayed the Yin soldiers and the White Lotus sect, causing great losses to the Yin soldiers and the White Lotus sect.
"Have you told Envoy Zhou?"
"Not yet."
"Send the news to him, he might be interested in solving Bai Yiyi."
Zhu Gaoxu said seriously.
Han Lu thought for a while and said uncertainly: "Isn't Zhou Mishi going to cause trouble in this joint?"
Zhu Gaoxu laughed and said, "It depends on how much envoy Zhou hates Bai Yiyi. If it's ordinary hatred, he won't care. He will just deal with Bai Yiyi when the matter is done. But if it's overwhelming hatred, haha, how about Bai Yiyi?" It's easy to leave the protection of the Security Bureau. He may not wait any longer. I'm very curious about Zhou Mishi's skills."
Han Lu understood and asked, "But what if Zhou Mishi fails?"
"The situation is settled. The death of one or two people will not affect the overall situation. Zhou Mishi is just an insignificant guard and killer. His life has nothing to do with the overall situation."
Zhu Gaoxu said confidently.
Han Lu agreed, and just as she was about to turn around and leave, she heard a knock on the door from outside, followed by a hurried announcement: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is here with his guards."
Zhu Gaoxu frowned and glanced at Han Lu. Han Lu walked to the window, turned over and fell into the backyard, and left immediately.
Clang.
Kicking the door open with one foot, Zhu Gaochi limped into the room, looked at Zhu Gaoxu who was playing chess with Shi Fu, smelled his breath, and sneered: "Why, such a big position in Prince Yan's palace cannot accommodate you. chessboard?"
Zhu Gaoxu looked at Zhu Gaochi and stood up disapprovingly: "Brother is busy with the household department all day long. He already owns the household department, so why should he care about where I play chess?"
Zhu Gaochi cupped his hands toward the north and said, "I am busy with the household department for state affairs. Why are you playing chess in this land of warbirds and swallows?"
"Private matters, don't bother me, big brother."
Zhu Gaoxu couldn't stand the fat man in front of him for many years.
You were born earlier than me, but you don’t look at yourself. You are so fat that you have lost your appearance, your legs and feet are not good, and you walk unsteadily. Look at me, I am charming, powerful, courageous and resourceful. Why? Being oppressed by you all my life?
What's wrong, brother? I just don't want to convince you.
Zhu Gaochi walked towards Zhu Gaoxu, lowered his head and glanced at the chessboard, grabbed the chess jar, and slammed it into Shi Fu's face. Shi Fu was stunned by the sudden blow and fell straight to the ground, looking at Zhu Gaochi in confusion.
"He is the king of the county, how can he sleep in the flower house! As a literati staff beside the king of the county, you don't even understand this rule? If you don't do enough to persuade, you should be beaten!"
Zhu Gaochi got angry.
Shi Fu felt aggrieved. If you want to hit him, what does it mean to hit me? He chose the land. Is my advice useful?
Zhu Gaochi held the chess jar, looked at Zhu Gaoxu, and said coldly: "Go home!"
Zhu Gaoxu's Adam's apple moved.
I have to say that Zhu Gaochi, who is usually honest, is not scary, but when an honest person gets angry, it puts an unspeakable pressure on people.
"Brother, I want to stay here."
Zhu Gaoxu took a step back and refused.
Zhu Gaochi dropped the chess pot in his hand and looked sideways at the guard leader Liang Zaifang: "Take him back to the mansion. If he dares to resist, his legs will be broken. Now that the father is not here, I have the final say in Prince Yan's mansion!"
When Liang Zaifang saw this, she felt bitter: "Prince Gaoyang, we are also under orders, don't make things difficult for us."
Zhu Gaoxu didn't expect Zhu Gaochi to be so strong. Looking at the guards around the mansion, his expression changed, and he finally nodded: "Okay, I'm going back to the mansion, but there are a few things I need to explain. Can the eldest brother wait for the younger brother for a moment?"
Zhu Gaochi said nothing, turned around and walked out, standing at the door.
Eunuch Su Shun hurriedly walked to Zhu Gaochi's side and whispered: "There are people guarding the backyard, and no one is allowed to enter. In this early spring courtyard, in addition to the brothel girls, there are also many thugs, some of whom seem to have retired from the guards. Sergeant, you don't look like an ordinary ruffian."
Zhu Gaochi narrowed his eyes: "This matter is not allowed to be mentioned to outsiders."
"yes."
Su Shun stood aside and closed his mouth.
Zhu Gaochi took out his handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead, but just as he finished wiping it, he felt sweat seeping out again.
Zhu Gaoxu exchanged a few words with Shi Fu, then walked out of the room, looked at Zhu Gaochi with a gloomy face, and said with a smile: "Since the eldest brother asked me to go back to my hometown, then let's go back."
Zhu Gaochi opened his mouth slightly, then stopped talking, and led Zhu Gaoxu down the stairs. As soon as he reached the first floor, he felt extremely quiet. All the noisy people were gone, and it was just so empty that it was scary.
Liang Zaifang stood in front of Zhu Gaochi, staring at the door and shouting: "Who is here?"
Snap, snap, snap!
As the applause spread, an arrogant figure appeared at the door, with a sword at his waist. He glanced at Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaoxu with sharp eyes like an eagle's eyes, and said coldly: "Mei Zhiyun from the Security Bureau has been ordered to invite Yan." Is it okay for Prince Wang and Prince Gaoyang to go have a cup of tea and say a few words?"
Zhu Gaochi turned sideways and looked at Zhu Gaoxu, who was frightened and his face was pale.
Oops!
Zhu Gaochi never expected that when he came here, people from the Security Bureau would also come here. In this way, what Zhu Gaochi did became his own doing, and even jumping into the Yangtze River would not clean him up!
"Mei Zhiyun, now is not the time to drink tea. I want to go back to Prince Yan's Mansion now. Please get out of my way."
Zhu Gaochi said deeply.
Mei Zhiyun chuckled, put his hand on the hilt of the sword, and suddenly pulled out the sword: "The Security Bureau invites people to tea, and I'm afraid they won't tolerate rejection."
