"This...I'm afraid this will not escape the eyes of the emperor!"

Ni Yuanlu smiled slightly: "Even if you know, what does it matter? Don't forget that His Majesty is also pretending to be sick."

Zhu Cilang quickly stepped forward and whispered a reminder: "Be careful with your words, be careful with your words!"

"It's okay. There are no outsiders here. If Your Highness doesn't tell me, how can others know?"

Zhu Cilang thought for a while and continued to ask: "What about the middle strategy?"

"Zhongce sent people to investigate the source of the rumor, but it was difficult to find out. So we could only pretend to do so, but we were unable to quell the rumor. The advantage was that we pretended to do so in front of others, but the disadvantage was that we fell into the trap of self-confirmation."

"What's the next best option?"

"The next best thing is to write a letter home to clarify the matter to His Majesty, and at the same time ask about His Majesty's health in the letter..."

Before Ni Yuanlu could finish her words, Zhu Cilang waved his hands repeatedly: "No, this is absolutely not possible!"

He didn't dare to ask about Chongzhen's physical condition when he knew that Chongzhen was ill.

That would make Chongzhen think he was in a hurry to take over.

Among the three strategies proposed by Ni Yuanlu, Zhu Cilang preferred the best one.

But he was also afraid that this move would cause chaos in Nanjing.

After thinking for a while, he asked Ni Yuanlu: "Sir, how should we deal with the Nanjing nobles and Zheng Zhilong of Fujian?"

"What does your highness want to do?"

"Help father relieve his worries."

"Your Highness, please do not have such thoughts."

"Why?"

"Because His Highness is ill and needs to recuperate."

"But..."

"No buts. Your Highness, please choose an auspicious time to start pretending to be sick. As for how long you will finish pretending, it depends on the situation on His Majesty's side."