Chapter 414 You are the one I trust most.
The King of Lingnan stared intently at Zhu Huai'an for a while, until Zhu Huai'an became restless, before finally looking away. He sighed inwardly and asked again, "Have the printed silver notes arrived in Nanyi?"
Zhu Huai'an sensed the King of Lingnan's displeasure towards him, so he sat up straight to appear more energetic. "He should arrive in the next couple of days."
The King of Lingnan nodded, "Strengthen contact with Yu Chenfeng and try to get those silver notes into the treasury of the Southern Barbarians as soon as possible."
"...Yes." Zhu Huai'an wanted to ask about the next steps after the silver notes were deposited into the Southern Barbarian treasury. But seeing the impatience on the King of Lingnan's face, he could only swallow his words.
"Hmm, if there's nothing else, you can go out," the King of Lingnan said in a somewhat indifferent voice.
Zhu Huai'an pursed his lips, rose, bowed to him, and then walked out. The Prince of Lingnan watched his figure disappear through the doorway, then sighed again. His son's lack of excellence was a constant worry for him.
Thinking that the current Duke of Chu was a woman who had accomplished things that most men could not, he thought of his daughter, Zhu Junning. Of all his children, none could rival her in intelligence.
However, while the old Duke of Chu could pass his title to Jiang Yu, he could not groom Zhu Junning as his successor. His goal was rebellion, to one day ascend the throne. His Zhu family's empire could not be ruled by a woman.
"Father." Zhu Junning's voice came from outside the door. The Prince of Lingnan snapped out of his thoughts and said, "Come in." Then Zhu Junning, dressed in crimson, walked in.
“Father.” Zhu Junning bowed to the Prince of Lingnan.
The King of Lingnan smiled and said, "Please sit down."
Zhu Junning sat down opposite him, skillfully brewed tea, and said, "My daughter just ran into my brother, and he didn't look too good."
The King of Lingnan snorted, but did not respond to Zhu Junning's words. Instead, he said, "News has come from the capital that Marquis Chengen used new weapons to suppress bandits. Those weapons blasted several holes in the mountain."
Zhu Junning looked shocked. "Do you know what kind of weapon it is?"
The King of Lingnan frowned. "There is no definite news, but it is confirmed that it was made of gunpowder. Also, the Duke of Chu was assassinated a few days ago, and he also used firearms in the moment of crisis, killing three or four assassins in one go."
Zhu Junning held the teapot and pondered for a moment before saying, "So, the new firearms are easy to carry?"
The King of Lingnan's eyes revealed approval. "That should be true. However, the firearms used by the Marquis of Chengen may be different from those used by the Duke of Chu."
“They are trying to intimidate us.” Zhu Junning picked up the teapot and poured tea for the King of Lingnan. A thin stream of brown tea flowed from the spout and into the porcelain cup, creating light brown ripples.
The Prince of Lingnan leaned back in his chair, his hand tapping rhythmically on the armrest. Seeing the teacup Zhu Junning offered, he took it and asked, "How do you think we should respond?"
Zhu Junning frowned slightly, lowered her eyes, and poured herself another cup of tea. Once the blue-and-white porcelain teacup was filled with steaming tea, she picked it up and slowly sipped it…
After a while, she raised her eyes and looked at the Prince of Lingnan opposite her and said, "They have achieved their goal. We cannot act rashly now. Perhaps those firearms have already been transported to the imperial army stationed in Lingnan."
The Prince of Lingnan tightened his grip on the teacup; this was what he feared most. Just then, Zhu Junning's voice rang out again, "Father, let's ease tensions with the Emperor."
The King of Lingnan frowned even more deeply, his entire demeanor exuding a solemn aura that made Zhu Junning sit up straight. She put down her teacup and said, "This is also to buy us time."
“What you can think of, the emperor can think of too.” The Prince of Lingnan sighed. He had thought of many strategies to confront the emperor, but he never expected that Prince Rui would develop such a weapon with such destructive power.
“But the emperor is also afraid that we will fight to the death.” Zhu Junning leaned back in his chair, shifting to a more relaxed posture, and continued, “The emperor is more cautious than we are, otherwise he would not have threatened us first, but launched a surprise attack.”
The Prince of Lingnan drooped his eyelids in deep thought, and Zhu Junning remained silent, quietly sipping his tea. After a while, the Prince of Lingnan said, "Didn't your grandmother want to return to the capital? Let's go back to the capital together... to pay tribute to the emperor."
He spoke the last four words through gritted teeth: Lingnan had not paid tribute to the imperial court for many years. This tribute would mean that he was bowing down to the current emperor.
As Zhu Junning put down his teacup, he lightly tapped the table with his fingertips, his tone full of agreement: "Father's ability to swallow this insult shows true foresight. For now, we should follow the court's wishes, which will not only relieve the immediate threat but also allow us to secretly investigate the details of firearms."
This momentary bowing is not an admission of defeat, but rather the accumulation of strength for Lingnan to maneuver in the future.
The King of Lingnan was pleased to hear this and laughed a few times. Then he said, "Doing this will give us time to negotiate and also give the Southern Barbarians time to prepare."
Zhu Junning's eyes lit up. "The Southern Barbarian royal family is willing to cooperate with us?"
"That depends on how it's done." The King of Lingnan gave a shrewd smile. "The princes of the Southern Barbarians are fighting tooth and nail for the throne. The more I help one of them, the greater their chances of ascending to the throne."
Zhu Junning smiled and asked, "Which prince has Father taken a fancy to?"
The Prince of Lingnan picked up his teacup and took a sip. “The Fifth Prince, his mother is a Noble Consort, and his maternal family are Marquises. His status is high enough that he has a great chance of success. Moreover, this Fifth Prince is extremely ambitious.”
Zhu Junning nodded, "From this perspective, the Fifth Prince is indeed a very suitable partner."
The King of Lingnan let out a long sigh of relief. "Our Zhu family and the Qin family have been fighting for so many years, and it's very likely that the outcome will come here. If we win, we'll ascend to the highest position. If we lose, our entire clan may be wiped out."
He stared intently at Zhu Junning across from him, his eyes deep and serious. "Are you afraid? If you are, your father will make preparations for you in advance."
Zhu Junning shook her head firmly, "Your daughter swears to follow your father to the death."
"Good!" The King of Lingnan smiled and said to her, "I know you have great talent and ambition and want to show your skills. I'll give you this opportunity."
Zhu Junning was stunned, and it took her a moment to find her voice. She rose and knelt before the King of Lingnan, straightening her back and speaking firmly:
"Thank you, Father King, for your trust and kindness in granting me this opportunity to realize my ambitions! I hereby swear that I will dedicate myself wholeheartedly to this cause, even unto death, and will never fail you, Father King!"
If I succeed, I will serve my father with unwavering loyalty; if I fail, I will not live on in disgrace, but will stand with my father and with Lingnan through life and death! My heart is clear as day, heaven and earth bear witness, I swear to follow my father to the death, with no second thoughts!
"Hahaha..." The King of Lingnan laughed heartily. He bent down to help Zhu Junning up. "You don't need to do this. We are father and daughter. You are the one I trust the most."
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