Old Zhu was undoubtedly excited and thrilled, because he was about to become a great-great-grandfather, and his beautiful dream of four generations living under one roof was about to come true. If he could hold his great-grandson in his arms in the future, even after he passed away, he could give the Empress and the Crown Princess an explanation.

I must try my best to live a long time, and I must see my great-grandchild born!

The imperial physicians were rushing off to welcome the Crown Princess, along with a number of palace maids and nannies. Guo Ningfei had just volunteered, and Emperor Zhu immediately agreed, ordering her to lead the group and ensure the Crown Princess's well-being.

The saying "love me, love my dog" might be true, but most people also see things more clearly. The Crown Prince's wife was married through proper channels and entered the Zhu family ancestral hall, which is different from ordinary concubines. Xu Miaoqing is carrying the eldest son of the Zhu family!

Zhu Xiong Ying had no idea he was about to become a father, but thinking about it, it made sense. Becoming a father at nineteen wasn't early or late in this era; it was perfectly normal. He and Xu Miao Qing had been married for almost two years, so it wasn't a big deal.

Looking at the messenger sent by Yi Seong-gye, Zhu Xiong Ying casually asked, "I heard that there was a great Confucian scholar in Goryeo named Jeong Mong-ju, who was beheaded in the marketplace and had his family's property confiscated by Yi Seong-gye?"

Jeong Do-jeon clenched his fist. From a young age, he was well-read and, after entering the service of the Goryeo Dynasty, championed reforms, standing in opposition to the conservative aristocratic families as a representative of the emerging scholar-officials. After joining Yi Seong-gye's faction, he assisted him in overthrowing the Goryeo Dynasty and establishing the Joseon Dynasty.

However, the fact that the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty was now speaking with such contempt left Zheng Daochuan feeling incredibly frustrated.

Although frustrated, Zheng Daochuan did not forget his mission: "Reporting to the Crown Prince of the Upper Kingdom, this traitor Zheng is a fame-seeker. He cannot offer loyal advice to the king, nor can he make sound judgments on matters of principle. He often colludes with the Mongol Yuan. This scoundrel is a scourge to the country and its people!"

Jeong Mong-ju, this great Confucian scholar of Joseon, is now portrayed as an absolute scoundrel and degenerate in Jeong Do-jeon's words—all because Jeong Mong-ju lost. Moreover, Jeong Mong-ju and Jeong Do-jeon did indeed have a history of feuds; Jeong Mong-ju had previously attacked Jeong Do-jeon for his family's corrupt practices, among other things.

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded, then asked, "Who is Li Chenggui, the son of the commander of the Dongqianhu Office and Darughachi?"

Zheng Daochuan immediately became agitated and hurriedly denied it, "Your Highness, the King comes from a military family. When the Mongol Yuan Dynasty caused chaos in the Central Plains, the King endured hardship and bided his time in hopes of restoring order! Xin Wu acted perversely and disobeyed the orders of the Ming Dynasty, incurring the wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people!"

History is written by the victors, and in the current Korean historical records, Wang U is now the son of the powerful minister Shin Don. In other words, Wang Jeon has become a king who has lost his country, because the Goryeo Dynasty has been usurped by the illegitimate son of the powerful minister.

Zhu Xiong Ying simply smiled and didn't say much. In truth, whether it was Wang Zhuan or Wang Wu, they had both had some unpleasant experiences with the Ming Dynasty, and they had both wavered between the Ming and the Yuan Dynasty. Even Yi Seong-gye, although a staunch supporter of the Ming, had his own ideas and wouldn't truly be just a puppet of the Ming Dynasty.

Both Jeong Mong-ju and Jeong Do-jeon were Confucian scholars and relatively close to the Ming Dynasty. They knew that the Three Han Kingdoms were heavily influenced by the Ming. The Three Han Kingdoms currently lacked their own script, relying solely on Classical Chinese (Hangul). The so-called Korean script invented by King Sejong was actually invented by the descendants of Yi Seong-gye.

Modern North Korea, including the former Goryeo Dynasty, except during the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, has largely taken pride in speaking Chinese and considered Confucianism as the orthodox tradition.

Zhu Xiong Ying's expression suddenly turned cold as he asked, "Oh, if that's the case, then why do the Japanese pirates mostly use Goryeo as their base to harass our Great Ming?"

They came to demand an explanation. In fact, both Yi Seong-gye and Jeong Do-jeon were well aware of some of the reasons why the Ming Dynasty occupied Busan. The Ming Dynasty's ships came and went, constantly deploying troops, all for the purpose of cross-sea warfare.

It is said that some fishermen told me that there is an island called Tsushima Island between Busan and Japan, which was occupied by the Ming Dynasty long ago. In fact, it was also a springboard for the Mongol Yuan Dynasty to launch two attacks on Japan.

Tsushima Island was first recorded in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Wei, written by Chen Shou during the Jin Dynasty. It served as a gateway between Japan and the Korean Peninsula. Originally, there was a samurai shogunate there, but it was completely wiped out.

Jeong Do-jeon began to wail and cry foul, arguing that the Japanese pirates were a major threat to Korea, but the previous Goryeo rulers lacked ambition and allowed the pirates to grow stronger. He also claimed that the Ming army's campaign against them was a mistake, as the Goryeo ruler was dead and the current king of Korea was wise and would surely strike at the Japanese pirates, no longer allowing them to set out from Korea and harass the Ming Dynasty.

Now that I've already occupied Busan, I can't easily give it up, especially since I have Tsushima Island as a base. Busan is an extremely important springboard, and it can be considered a fallback plan.

Jeong Do-jeon's visit to Zhu Xiong Ying as an envoy was naturally due to his defeat in battle, and it was time for him to express his stance. It was clear that Yi Seong-gye was now aware of the gap between himself and the Ming army, not to mention the possibility of being attacked from both sides.

Zhu Xiong Ying felt that the cooking time was not yet sufficient and that it needed to be simmered and stewed a little longer. The main reason was that he hoped Yi Seong-gye would become his henchman. The Ming Dynasty would have many places to deploy troops in the future, and naturally, the Ming Dynasty could not be the only one to send troops to Japan.

Since the Japanese pirates had always been a major threat to the Three Han states, sending troops was something Yi Seong-gye had to consider. If you don't consider it, I'll attack you, oppress you, and refuse your tribute!

Might makes right, no matter how you look at it!

Zhu Xiong Ying knew that some things couldn't be rushed, and she didn't know if Li Cheng Gui would be sensible.

However, while he was stationed in Busan, he was also closely monitoring news from Japan. Previously, Japan had two emperors during the Northern and Southern Courts, each with their own succession, making it an undeniably period of division.

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