A busy day of political affairs was nothing out of the ordinary for Zhu Yunying; there was nothing to be surprised about.

But just as Zhu Yunying was about to return to the palace to rest, Wang Chengen came over with small steps and said, "Your Majesty, Song Zhong, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, requests an audience."

“His name needs to be changed! Song Zhong, Song Zhong, it sounds unlucky.” Zhu Yunying suddenly got angry and said irritably, “Should we announce it? Something must have happened.”

Wang Chengen kept his head down and remained silent. His name was bestowed by His Majesty, so it was naturally the best. As for Song Zhong, his surname or given name was fine, but the combination of the two names might only have a slight meaning, a bit of bad luck.

However, this is also a characteristic of the commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The first commander was Mao Xiang. The second commander, Jiang Huan, was unlucky; this core member of the Zhu family had to be replaced due to the Zhu family's untimely death. The emperor's henchmen naturally needed to be the emperor's trusted confidants.

Upon arriving at the Wuying Hall, Song Zhong immediately knelt down, saying, "Song Zhong, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, pays his respects to His Majesty the Emperor."

Wang Chengen kept his head down and remained silent. Having served His Majesty the Emperor for nearly twenty years, he considered himself the one who understood the Emperor best. However, Song Zhong, a confidant who had served the Emperor for over a decade, also possessed a deep understanding of the Emperor's personality.

It was no secret that the emperor was fond of martial arts. Unless it was in the court, Song Zhong was basically a subordinate to Zhu Yunying, because he had accompanied Zhu Yunying on his northern tour and was considered one of Zhu Yunying's generals.

Zhu Yunying said irritably, "Get up. If you have something to say, say it. If it's nothing, we'll have to deal with you."

Although he appeared to be threatened and complained about by the emperor, Song Zhong showed no sign of nervousness. For a henchman of the emperor like himself, losing the emperor's favor would be the most dangerous thing. Moreover, what seemed like a complaint from His Majesty was also a sign of closeness.

Emperor Ying Shi's attitude only pleased Song Zhong, who knew he was still one of the emperor's closest confidants, and not necessarily inferior to his companion Ru Chang or his grand attendant Wang Chengen.

"Your Majesty, the envoy went to Ryukyu and rebuked King Wu Ning of the Zhongshan Kingdom in person. Although Wu Ning expressed his fear, he had no intention of going to Yingtian Prefecture to apologize." Song Zhong did not hide anything and immediately reported the important intelligence. "The envoy also privately summoned the ministers and said many things to persuade Wu Ning to go to court to apologize."

Zhu Yunying remained expressionless, though he was actually quite displeased. It seemed that the prestige of the Ming Dynasty was still somewhat insufficient, as the Chuzan Kingdom, one of the three Ryukyu Kingdoms, was disregarding some of the Ming Dynasty's edicts.

It's definitely not a big deal. Otherwise, Wu Ning wouldn't have gone five or six years after his father's death without sending anyone to the Ming Dynasty to deliver the obituary. This kid is just busy becoming the ruler of the country first.

Wang Chengen and Song Zhong could understand the emperor's displeasure, and could even be said to share a sense of camaraderie.

The idea that "a subject should die when his ruler is in distress" resonated even more with Wang Chengen and Song Zhong. They were the emperor's servants and lackeys, and compared to ordinary civil and military officials, the emperor's influence was more obvious on them, even undisguised.

Now that the tiny Zhongshan Kingdom dares to disregard the edict of the Ming Emperor, they naturally have every reason to feel angry, but it's not their place to express too many opinions yet.

Zhu Yunying simply looked at Song Zhong and casually asked, "When will the envoy be able to return to the Ming Dynasty?"

Song Zhong immediately replied, "Your Majesty, the envoy has likely already returned and should arrive in Fujian within ten days."

Zhu Yunying nodded and said, "Alright, the Embroidered Uniform Guard should keep an eye on things. As soon as the envoy lands, we need to make sure the Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonial receive a report. Do you understand?"

Song Zhong naturally expressed his understanding; in fact, he didn't think it would be difficult at all. The Embroidered Uniform Guard would definitely handle the matter entrusted to them by His Majesty and would absolutely not delay the important affairs of the court.

Since Ryukyu was mentioned, Zhu Yunying naturally also cared about Annam, which had been overthrown in a coup. "Have you found any members of the Trần dynasty's royal family in Annam? Especially that deposed emperor Trần An?"

Although the Ming Dynasty was currently preoccupied with military affairs with Goryeo, and was also preparing for action in the northwest, Zhu Yunying remained very concerned about Annam, as it was a crucial link in his strategy for managing the northern and southern islands and controlling Southeast Asia.

Hu Jili deposed the young emperor and established himself as king, founding the Hu Dynasty. This naturally gave Zhu Yunying an excellent excuse. As long as the opportunity was right, Zhu Yunying could bring up this old matter and calmly begin to raise an army.

Song Zhong hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the false king Hu Jili has deposed the young emperor and established himself as emperor, and the young emperor's whereabouts are unknown. Hu Jili has sent people everywhere to search for supporters of the Chen dynasty's royal family, and has even sent his confidants disguised as bandits to plunder under the banner of supporting the Chen dynasty's royal family. I believe that although there are supporters of the Chen dynasty in the court, they are very few."

Zhu Yunying nodded slightly and said, "Order the Embroidered Uniform Guard to continue searching for the deposed emperor's whereabouts, and it would be best to find a few people who are related to the Chen Dynasty's imperial family and protect them."

Zhu Yunying certainly wouldn't generously help the Chen Dynasty restore its kingdom; he wasn't that noble. But he could find one or two servants of the Chen Dynasty's royal family and have them come to the Ming Dynasty to file a complaint, thus making his military expedition more legitimate.

It may seem like an unnecessary step, but Zhu Yunying also understands the ways of the world. Sometimes, a sense of 'righteousness' is necessary, even if it is often contradictory. But having a name or justification is better than having none at all.

Song Zhong naturally understood this principle, and this was indeed part of his job. In fact, Song Zhong had already planned ahead for this.

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