Chapter 93 Fifth Rank Promotion

"I dare not even dream." Of course what Zhu Chong said was a lie.

Otherwise, why would he enter the palace? Was he missing Zhu Yuanzhang?

Stop kidding!

That time with Zhu Biao, he suffered a loss in silence, and of course it was also because he made mistakes while drinking.

However, at that time, Zhu Chong had already used retreat as a means of advance to minimize the damage to himself.

Then he clung to the prince's thigh, and then threw out the two bombs of Japanese pirates and Japan, and finally, in front of Zhu, he exploded the powerful weapon of treasure notes.

He did so many things, naturally not to please anyone, but purely for himself.

But from Zhu Chong's perspective, his current identity was too conspicuous. Sitting in the position of King of Qin, there were too many eyes staring at him.

Even if he didn't do anything, some people would always think something of him.

Therefore, Zhu Chong had long believed that he was not suitable, at least not for the position of King of Qin at the moment.

As long as the crown prince is in power, he will never have a chance to make a name for himself. Even if the crown prince dies, Zhu Chong will not have a good ending given Zhu's attitude towards the crown prince's descendants in history!

Therefore, retreating in order to advance was the strategy that Zhu Chong had decided on when responding to Tianfu. However, Zhu Biao simply used a banquet to help Zhu Chong complete most of the plan ahead of time.

Without the halo of King Qin, Zhu Chong is now at most the son of Old Zhu.

But in Yingtian Prefecture, except for the high-ranking royal family, almost no one among the common people, or even officials below the second rank, could recognize Zhu Chong. Could Zhu Chong in the small courtyard of Yingtian Prefecture be the prince?

Build high walls, store up food, and slowly become king!

Zhu Chong completely applied the strategy that Lao Zhu had used before to himself.

It is true that Old Zhu was completely deceived by Zhu Chong. Zhu Chong's previous and current performances have made him make up his mind.

This little bastard has too wild ideas. He is my son. If it were someone else, I'm afraid his head would have been chopped off several times!

"No matter what you think." Old Zhu now had a new idea about Zhu Chong. "You are our son, the prince. It is your responsibility to create welfare for the people. Zhu Chong, listen to the title!"

"I, Zhu Chong, the humble servant, accept the order!" Zhu Chong prostrated himself on the ground under Zhu Biao's delighted gaze.

"From now on, you are the Director of our Treasure Banknote Administration Bureau. From now on, you will be in charge of all matters related to the Treasure Banknote Administration Bureau. You must work hard for us and don't let us down again!"

"I accept your order, thank you!" As Zhu Chong stood up to express his gratitude, an inner court eunuch placed the written imperial edict on Zhu's dragon table. After Zhu Chong stamped its seal, the imperial edict came into Zhu Chong's hands.

From this moment on, Zhu Chong was the fifth-rank official in the Ming Dynasty's Baochao Supervisory Office, which was a rocket-like promotion!

"Come here, escort Zhu Tiju out of the palace." Old Zhu gave the order, and Zhu Chong obediently followed the eunuch out of the palace. Only Old Zhu and Zhu Biao, father and son, were left in the study.

After Zhu Chong left, the two highest-ranking consuls of the Ming Dynasty looked at each other in silence for a long time. Finally, it was Zhu who broke the silence.

"Prince, do you regret bringing the second child into the palace?"

"Your Majesty, my second brother has always been exceptionally intelligent and insightful. From what he just said, it's clear that what he thinks is very different from others, but..."

"It's just that he has a rather unruly personality. He relies on being the emperor's son to act freely and even arrogantly. It's a good thing he's under you, otherwise he might even want to rebel against us!"

"Your Majesty!" Zhu Biao kowtowed hurriedly. "My second brother would never dare to do such a disrespectful thing to his father and his majesty. His actions may be absurd, but not to that extent. I am willing to guarantee your safety. I beg Your Majesty..."

"Alright, alright!" Old Zhu interrupted Zhu Biao with a headache on his face. "I know you two are brothers, but tell me the truth, if you weren't brothers, based on what Old Two just said, if you were to take my position in the future, would you dare to use him?"

This was the first time Zhu Biao heard Old Zhu ask such a question. He was a little stunned for a moment and thought for a moment before he dared to answer.

"Father, if it was my second brother, I would dare to use him, and in a high position. But if it was another Zhu Chong, I would also dare to use him, but I would never dare to use him in a high position, and I would never let him hold an official position higher than the seventh rank!"

"You are telling the truth, but you are wrong." After hearing this, Old Zhu sighed slightly and shook his head.

Zhu Biao was stunned when he heard this, "Father, isn't that right?"

"Whether it's Zhu Chong or your second brother, your tutors and I have long told you that knowing how to use people effectively is the way to be a king!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was very attentive to Zhu Biao and conducted in-depth analysis on such issues.

"Let's not talk about recent events, let's talk about the distant past. Han Dynasty Liu Bang's subordinates, Han Xin, Xiao He, Zhang Liang, and Lü Zhi, are these people all perfect? Even Wei Qing and Huo Guang who came later were not necessarily better than our second son!"

"I understand, son." Zhu Biao suddenly realized that although Old Zhu didn't say it explicitly, he had been reminding him all the time.

No matter how Zhu Chong had angered Old Zhu before, or his current views on the Baochao issue, he had not and could not cause any harm to the Ming Dynasty.

On the contrary, as long as the things Zhu Chong mentioned are resolved, they will help the Ming Dynasty.

Such people, whether it is the King of Qin or Zhu Chong, are useful talents for the Ming Dynasty. As long as they do not commit unforgivable crimes, they can be tolerated. We should not be like Zhu Biao, who is afraid of them just because of their changed identities.

Seeing that the prince understood, Old Zhu nodded and said, "I won't beat around the bush with you. The second son has a very erratic personality and his identity is also sensitive. Because of this, he must be strictly disciplined!"

"This kid is a double-edged sword. When you and I are around, he can be more obedient, but there are always unexpected events. If something happens to you and I, and we are both gone, who do you think can control him?"

Zhu Biao was stunned when he heard this. He looked at Old Zhu behind the dragon case in disbelief, but saw Old Zhu with an expressionless face. He felt a chill in his heart and kowtowed again, "I understand. Please rest assured, father. I know what to do!"

"You know what to do best!" Old Zhu waved his hand without caring whether Zhu Biao really understood or not.

"The second brother has already been dethroned by me as the King of Qin. As long as I am in this position for one day, he will never be the King of Qin again."

"When I return after a hundred years, how you plan to place him is your business, not ours."

"Father!" Zhu Biao was a little angry, "What you said..."

"Alright, alright, you should learn from Old Two sometimes." Old Zhu interrupted Zhu Biao, "Go down, we're tired today. Go down and keep an eye on Old Two and don't let him get bullied!"

"Ah?" Zhu Biao didn't expect that Old Zhu would say such a thing. He even forgot the etiquette in front of the emperor for a moment. He didn't come back to his senses until Old Zhu left.