After the morning court session, Zhu Yunwen prepared to return to the Eastern Palace.

As soon as I stepped out of Fengtian Hall, I saw Qi Tai waiting there.

He then quickly came over, cupped his hands in greeting to Zhu Yunwen, and said:

"Your Highness, I have offended you in the past. I hope Your Highness can forgive me and not hold it against me."

Zhu Yunwen was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected Qi Tai to actually yield to him.

It seems that he was indeed afraid of death in the end and did not want to go to Goryeo. So after realizing the situation, he had no choice but to find Zhu Yunwen to apologize and hope that Zhu Yunwen would let him go.

Zhu Yunwen said with a slight smile:

"What do you mean by that, Minister Qi? As the Crown Prince, do you think I would be so petty as to hold a grudge?"

Minister Qi looked at Zhu Yunwen and thought:

"You're more than just holding a grudge, you're incredibly vengeful. You've practically killed yourself, and you still don't hold a grudge?"

But he could only complain to himself; he would never dare to say it aloud.

So all I could do was laugh and say:

"Yes, His Highness the Crown Prince has always been magnanimous and generous, and naturally would not hold my past offense against him. So, I have been worrying about it all by myself. However, in any case, I did do some things that were not very friendly to His Highness the Crown Prince in the past, and it is only right that I apologize to His Highness the Crown Prince now. I only hope that His Highness the Crown Prince can put aside past grievances and give me a chance!"

Zhu Yunwen said, "Oh? An opportunity? What kind of opportunity?"

Minister Qi rubbed his hands together and said with a smile:

“Of course I want the opportunity to follow Your Highness. I was blind before. Now I realize that Your Highness is the one I should follow. So I quickly pulled back from the brink and came to follow Your Highness. Please, Your Highness, give me this opportunity.”

Minister Qi spoke with utmost seriousness.

But Zhu Yunwen thought to himself, who would dare to take you in?

Historically speaking, after Zhu Yunwen became emperor, Qi Tai did a terrible job of assisting him, constantly instilling all sorts of shady practices in him.

It could be said that not only did it fail to do a good thing, but it also caused a lot of trouble.

If Zhu Yunwen hadn't had Qi Tai, he could have held out against Zhu Di's attacks for much longer.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yunwen said to Qi Tai:

"Minister Qi, it cannot be denied that you are a talented person."

Of course, he didn't specify what kind of talent he was.

Then Zhu Yunwen added, "But I really dare not accept you here!"

That's the truth. If we were to take in someone like a brilliant strategist or a promising talent, wouldn't that be a sin committed by our ancestors?

Qi Tai's face stiffened, and he said:

"Your Highness, what is the reason for this? Could it be that you look down on me?"

Zhu Yunwen smiled and thought to himself, "It's more than just that I look down on you."

So she said, "That's not it. It's just that I'm a cautious person. Since we haven't gotten along well before, it's better to stay that way. If I were to rashly accept you, I would feel uneasy."

Qi Tai paused for a moment, then said to Zhu Yunwen:

"Didn't you say you weren't so petty? Since you don't hold grudges, can't we just let bygones be bygones?"

Zhu Yunwen shook his head, then said to Qi Tai:

"Minister Qi, please just say what you have to say. Why beat around the bush like this?"

Qi Tai hesitated for a moment before speaking to Zhu Yunwen:

"Actually, the main reason I came to see Your Highness this time was to ask if it was possible to send someone else to Goryeo instead of me. I am too old to be sent on such a difficult journey."

Zhu Yunwen shook his head and said, "That won't do, it has to be you."

Qi Tai asked, somewhat bewildered, "Why must it be me who goes?"

Zhu Yunwen laughed: "Because of you, Minister Qi, you are so eloquent. When you were helping my second brother Zhu Yunwen to attack me in various ways, you were the one who delivered the strongest blow. Someone as good at talking and causing trouble as you is perfect for this mission in Goryeo."

Qi Tai paused for a moment, then said to Zhu Yunwen:

"Aren't you still holding a grudge?"

Zhu Yunwen frowned and said, "Minister Qi, please be careful with your words. How could I hold a grudge? Please stop bringing up the matter of holding grudges."

After saying this, Zhu Yunwen flicked his sleeve, turned and left, leaving Qi Tai standing bewildered in the wind, looking helpless and muttering to himself:

"Isn't that too much of a grudge-holding act? And you say you don't hold grudges? If you don't hold grudges, then no one in this world holds grudges."

Despite his complaints, Zhu Yunwen was indeed vengeful, so there was clearly no turning back for Qi Tai in his refusal to go to Goryeo.

He had no choice but to accept it.

So the imperial edict was issued that very day, ordering Qi Tai to take the edict of accountability and accompany the Goryeo envoy Zhao Pang to Goryeo.

Upon receiving the news at the Jianwen Prince's residence, Zhu Yunwen was furious.

Qi Tai could be considered his right-hand man, as he was in charge of the Ministry of War and held great power and a high position.

But now he has been sent to Goryeo by Zhu Yunwen, and his fate is unknown.

This truly angered Zhu Yunwen. He sat in his chair, his eyes cold, and said:

"Zhu Yuntong, what a Zhu Yuntong! He's planning to kill another one of my generals! We must not let him succeed. We must find a way to protect Minister Qi."

The woman next to her, surnamed Lü, said, "Of course. By the way, you met your fourth uncle last time. Since you've already secretly reached a cooperation agreement, why don't you also try to win over your second and third uncles?"

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