After Li Jinglong came out of Chunhe Hall, he went straight out of the palace.

He no longer lives in the palace. After inheriting the title of Duke of Cao, he has his own mansion in the capital.

However, after leaving the palace, Li Jinglong did not go directly home, nor did he go to the Left Army Commander-in-Chief's Office where he was currently working.

Instead, he went straight to Prince Yan's Mansion.

Just as Zhu Yunwen admired him, he also admired Zhu Di, with whom he grew up.

How could he not understand the meaning of the conversation he had just had with Zhu Yunwen?

Zhu Yunwen's purpose was simple, which was to get him to support him.

Of course Li Jinglong would not refuse directly, but just gave Zhu Yunwen the illusion that he had already agreed.

What Zhu Yunwen didn't know was that a few days ago, Yao Guangxiao, on behalf of Zhu Di, had already had a detailed talk with Li Jinglong.

The content of the conversation is unknown, but judging from the current actions, the meaning is already quite obvious.

Just when Li Jinglong arrived at Prince Yan's Mansion.

In the Prince of Jin's mansion.

Prince of Jin, Zhu Gang, called his eldest son, Zhu Jihui, and asked, "Have you been in touch with your elder brother recently?"

Zhu Jihui was a little confused and asked, "Father, which elder brother are you talking about?"

"You bastard, in this Ming Dynasty, who else can be your elder brother?" Zhu Gang scolded.

Zhu Jihui was reprimanded and quickly recalled, then said: "Father, are you talking about the owner of the Qinhuai River Teahouse, Zhu Ying?"

"You have no respect for your elders. Do you have the right to call your elder brother by his name?" Zhu Gang was so angry that he would have kicked Zhu Jihui if they were not far away.

"But, has my eldest brother's identity been confirmed? The emperor hasn't even brought him into the palace yet." Zhu Jihui took a step back subconsciously after being glared at by his father.

My father has a bad temper and beating people is no joke.

My younger brother Zhu Jiye, who is only thirteen years old this year, was too naughty. At the beginning of this year, he was beaten with a whip by his father. His skin was torn and he had to lie in bed for half a month.

"After the news of Xiaoling Mausoleum spread, your elder brother's identity has been confirmed by your grandfather. The reason why he has not entered the palace is because your elder brother is weak."

"But your eldest brother is really good. He is very nice to me, his third uncle."

After Zhu Gang explained, he finally said with a smile.

Zhu Jihui's eyes lit up and he asked, "Could it be that my elder brother helped my father become the commander-in-chief of the Western Route to pacify the Japanese?"

Zhu Gang was somewhat proud and said, "Of course, otherwise, your father, whose fiefdom is in Shanxi, how could we possibly go to the coastal areas to suppress the Japanese without the special permission of the emperor?"

"I think this is actually your eldest brother's arrangement. This is to give me a chance to redeem myself in front of your fourth uncle."

After he finished speaking, Zhu Gang instructed, "Your father will be leaving for war in a few days. Don't even think about going back to your fiefdom. Stay well in the capital, especially visit your eldest brother more often and get close to him."

"If nothing unexpected happens, your eldest brother will be in charge of the Ming Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jihui immediately understood what his father meant and said quickly, "Don't worry, father. I will definitely follow your lead."

Zhu Gang nodded in satisfaction, with a slight blush on his face, and then said: "As a younger brother, you should also bring some good things when you go to your eldest brother's house for the first time."

"It just so happens that your elder brother has helped me a lot. When the time comes, you can select ten fine war horses from the mansion and send them to your elder brother."

Zhu Jihui quickly replied: "I understand, my son."

The war horses that Zhu Gang talked about are not comparable to ordinary good horses, especially the ones that Zhu Gang brought from Shanxi to the capital. Even if they are not one in a thousand, they are at least one in a hundred, and are extremely rare.

The reason why Zhu Gang chose to send horses was that he saw that some of the people under Zhu Ying had no horses available in the capital.

…

Ming Imperial Palace, Chunhe Hall.

"Sir, with the support of my cousin, I think our strength will be much greater."

After Li Jinglong left, Zhu Yunwen said to Huang Zicheng with a smile.

"Duke Cao and Your Highness grew up together. With such a strong brotherly love, Duke Cao will naturally choose to stand on Your Highness' side."

After Huang Zicheng finished speaking, he added: "Just relying on Duke Cao alone is probably not enough. In my opinion, His Royal Highness Changsun has not yet been announced by His Majesty, and in the eyes of the ministers, His Royal Highness is still the Crown Prince."

"That is the case. I think Your Highness should take the initiative and win the support of the ministers."

After listening to this, Zhu Yunwen nodded, not quite understanding, and asked, "Then how can I gain the support of the ministers?"

Huang Zicheng said confidently: "Your Highness, don't worry. I have already contacted two Confucian scholars, Liu Sanwu and Fang Xiaoru."

"Your Highness, please do not underestimate these two. Although Fang Xiaoru does not hold an official position, he is well-known in Confucianism. Liu Sanwu is even more famous. He is in the Hanlin Academy with me, and he is a leader among the literati."

"If Your Highness can gain the support of these two, the other ministers in the court will certainly support Your Highness as well."

"Your Highness was named the Crown Prince because His Majesty said it in person in front of many ministers. Even if he wanted to change it, he would still be concerned about the impact. This is Your Highness's opportunity."

After hearing Huang Zicheng's story, Zhu Yunwen immediately understood the key.

He just asked hesitantly: "Even if many ministers support me, what should I do if Grandpa Emperor is determined not to choose me?"

Huang Zicheng explained helplessly: "Your Highness, the choice of His Majesty is not something that can be influenced by the civil and military ministers. Even if His Majesty insists on doing so, we can only accept it with peace of mind. There is nothing we can do."

"And now, the only way is to try to gain the support of more ministers, so that Your Highness can have a chance in front of His Majesty."

Huang Zicheng is just a scholar. As for the current situation in the Ming Dynasty, Your Majesty is supreme and has absolute power.

No matter whether it was right or wrong, the ministers in the court had no reason to argue.

Not to mention that in the current court, there is no concept of political parties at all. Under the surveillance of the Embroidered Uniform Guards and the majesty of His Majesty.

Forming a clique for personal gain?

Haha, kill as many as you can, and when they are all killed, replace them with another batch.

Those who have been able to stand in the court from the founding of the Ming Dynasty to now, the 25th year of Hongwu, are the objects of worship of other ministers.

"But I'm not familiar with Fang Xiaoru and Liu Sanwu. Will they support me?" Zhu Yunwen asked somewhat unconfidently.

Huang Zicheng understood what Zhu Yunwen meant. This support did not mean the current support.

But whether he will still support the speech when the throne is faced with a choice in the future.

Huang Zicheng said: "Your Highness may not know that when His Majesty asked the ministers, he originally wanted to choose His Highness the Prince of Yan. Only Liu Sanwu stood up and supported His Highness. After weighing the pros and cons in his heart, His Majesty chose His Highness."

"Is it true?" Zhu Yunwen asked with some joy.

"How dare I deceive Your Highness? It is indeed true." Huang Zicheng said firmly.

Hearing this, Zhu Yunwen immediately felt relieved and said casually: "Mr. Xizhi doesn't seem to be in the capital now."

Huang Zicheng said: "Your Highness doesn't know, he has already arrived in the capital and is living by the Qinhuai River."

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I will go find Liu Sanwu and Fang Xiaoru tomorrow, and then arrange a time for them to meet Your Highness. However, the imperial palace is an important place, so Your Highness may have to move out of the palace when the time comes."

Zhu Yunwen nodded and said, "Then I'll leave everything to you, sir."

"Please rest assured, Your Highness."

Huang Zicheng replied with a firm expression.

But at this moment, he felt mixed emotions.

The reason why Liu Sanwu firmly supported Zhu Yunwen was that he was the legitimate son of the dynasty, and his grandson would succeed him after his son died, which was the right way to rule.

However, if Zhu Xiongying's identity is confirmed and he is the true eldest grandson of the emperor, will Liu Sanwu and others still support Zhu Yunwen at that time?

It is hard to say about Huang Zicheng. He is your highness's confidant and will definitely support your highness.

If he is not, he can't say it.

Of course he couldn't say this out loud, as it would wear down His Highness's will too much, and then he would really have no chance at all.

…

Tianjie Temple, an abandoned scripture repository.

Yao Guangxiao was sitting in the yard reading a book.

Apart from anything else, the scenery here is beautiful, the air is mild, and the warm sunshine makes people feel comfortable.

It is almost July in Daming now. The weather is not cold, but for an old man like Yao Guangxiao, the heat under the sun is just right.

In the Sutra Repository at the back of the courtyard, two Jinyiwei were still cleaning up.

After all, it is the Sutra Library of Tianjie Temple. Even though it is abandoned, it still has seven or eight rooms and two courtyards in front and back.

It's not possible to clean up everything in one day.

The two Jinyiwei seemed to be suspected of imprisoning Yao Guangxiao, but if these two Jinyiwei were really missing, Yao Guangxiao would have a hard time living alone.

After all, although chores like fetching water, chopping wood, making fire to cook, and cleaning the house may seem simple, they are not something that a 57-year-old man like Yao Guangxiao can handle.

Just carrying water for a few miles was enough to make Yao Guangxiao feel difficult.

And Yao Guangxiao, who was sitting in the yard, seemed to have really settled down.

But is this really the case?

Yao Guangxiao visited Songshan Temple in his early years. The fortune teller Yuan Gong said to him: You are a peculiar monk! Your eye sockets are triangular, like a sick tiger. You are a natural killer. You are like Liu Bingzhong!

Liu Bingzhong is known as the designer of the Mongol Yuan Empire. He not only assisted Kublai Khan in his succession to the throne, but also established the name and system of the Mongol Yuan Empire, built the Mongol Yuan capitals Dadu and Shangdu, and formulated the etiquette and official uniforms for officials to meet the emperor.

So Yao Guangxiao was very happy at that time.

"Good job, Yuan Gong. I was looking for my lord. I originally thought it was His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan, but it turned out to be His Royal Highness Chang Sun. You are right either way."

Yao Guangxiao, who was reading in the yard, was not thinking about the book at all. Instead, he began to think about his life plan.

Some people may wonder why Yao Guangxiao did not choose Zhu Yunwen.

In fact, Yao Guangxiao's original idea was to assist Crown Prince Zhu Biao. After all, at that time, Crown Prince Zhu Biao's position was extremely stable and no one could compete with him.

Unfortunately, he was not appreciated by Zhu Yuanzhang. Moreover, Zhu Biao was surrounded by many civil and military officials, and he was an unknown monk. He did not even have the chance to talk to the Crown Prince Zhu Biao alone.

So after arriving at Tianjie Temple and observing many vassal kings, he chose Prince of Yan Zhu Di.

Perhaps there is still a question as to why Yao Guangxiao did not defect to Zhu Yunwen.

This is of course a matter of time.

First of all, when Yao Guangxiao followed Prince of Yan in the 15th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yunwen, who was born in the 10th year of Hongwu, was only five years old.

Who would pledge allegiance to a five-year-old?

Now that Crown Prince Zhu Biao has passed away, Yao Guangxiao has followed Prince of Yan Zhu Di for ten years.

Even if I surrender to Zhu Yunwen at this time, would Zhu Yunwen dare to accept me?

This option was never considered by Yao Guangxiao, or he had never thought about it. Even if he was shameless, Zhu Yunwen was not a wise leader in his mind.

Zhu Yunwen himself was brought up with Confucian education, and although he did not reject Taoism and Buddhism, he was not very close to them. Even if he went to the Buddhist temple, he would not necessarily accept the monk Yao Guangxiao.

Yao Guangxiao was also very capable in managing domestic affairs.

After Zhu Di successfully suppressed the rebellion, Yao Guangxiao was responsible for the relocation of the capital and planned the layout of the Forbidden City in later generations.

After Xie Jin's attempt to compile a book failed, he served as the chief compiler of "Yongle Encyclopedia" and "The Veritable Records of Ming Taizu".

Especially the "Yongle Encyclopedia", which is his greatest contribution to the history of Chinese culture.

In his later years, when Buddhism was gradually declining in the early Ming Dynasty, he took on the responsibility of protecting the religion and compiled the anti-Buddhist "Dao Yu Lu", which was a major event in the history of Buddhism.

After all, when Yao Guangxiao died, it was already the 16th year of Yongle, and he had served as a civil official for 16 years.

When Zhu Di conquered Mongolia, Yao Guangxiao stayed in Nanjing to assist the Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi in regulating the country, and was also ordered to teach the then Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji.

As long as Yao Guangxiao is in the capital, there will be no chaos.

Those who are good at fighting may not have great achievements. In a sense, Zhu Zhanji, the son of Zhu Gaochi, is almost equivalent to Yao Guangxiao's apprentice.

When Yao Guangxiao passed away, Zhu Zhanji had grown up to be 20 years old. As it turned out, the talent Zhu Zhanji showed did not disappoint Yao Guangxiao.

After all, the Yin-Yang School is not a military school.

The words Yin and Yang represent that if Yin can come, Yang can naturally come as well.

He was mainly the mastermind behind the entire Jingnan Campaign, changing the Ming royal inheritance and creating the first and only successful case of a vassal king's rebellion in history.

This achievement is so exaggerated that it has become a legend.

That's why people have such an impression of him, and it's easy to be limited to the Yin-Yang School's alliances and coalitions.

But he ignored his own talents.

"I have observed that His Royal Highness Changsun has been traveling around the borders of the Ming Dynasty for a long time. He has many tribes under his command. He is both civil and military, so he must have the heart to conquer."

"The Ming Dynasty has been established for 25 years, and its national strength has gradually stabilized. Your Majesty suddenly mobilized a large army to suppress the Japanese, and even dispatched the navy, which was influenced by His Royal Highness Changsun at the time."

Yao Guangxiao, of course, is still the Yao Guangxiao who wants to prove himself.

When he began to analyze Zhu Ying, he found that Zhu Ying was not a simple person. He seemed gentle and elegant, with a Confucian style, but in fact he knew nothing about Confucian classics, but was good at military strategies.

Thinking of this, Yao Guangxiao shouted to the Jinyiwei: "Brother, I want to read some overseas books. They are in the First Sutra Library in the temple. Thank you for your help."