Of course Liu Sheng didn't dare to believe that his teacher was the grandson of the Ming Emperor. He didn't have such imagination.

In his opinion, he could at most become a top civil or military minister, such as the six ministers, or a military general or nobleman.

But Li Xiucai, who was standing next to him, had a look of horror in his eyes.

Li Xiucai was different from others. He was a native of the Ming Dynasty and had even experienced the chaos at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. He was one of the first scholars at the beginning of the Hongwu period.

Of course, compared with today's scholars, the first batch of scholars were actually a bit exaggerated, but in the first half of his life in the Ming Dynasty, Li Xiucai had no worries about food and clothing, and he had both wealth and reputation.

After committing the crime, he lived in poverty for a while before he finally arrived at Zhu Ying in the Western Regions.

So he knew better than anyone the significance of blank documents.

That was the post station where even the prince consort was beheaded, so he was considered a royal noble.

No minister of the second rank, or a duke or earl would dare to interfere.

The most important thing is that Li Xiucai suddenly remembered that Dongjia seemed to be the country's surname.

That……

Liu Xiucai's throat rolled over and he wanted to say something, but after looking at Liu Sheng's surprised expression, he hesitated for a long time and chose to keep silent.

After all, this kind of thing is really too bizarre. If I tell it out loud just because it is my own imagination, it will do more harm than good to the boss.

When Li Xiucai was immersed in his own speculation, when he came to his senses, he found that he was the only one left in the room.

Liu Sheng had gone out at some unknown time.

Li Xiucai's face showed ecstasy.

"If the boss is really..."

When Dan said the last few words, Li Xiucai covered his mouth with both hands, looked around subconsciously, and even ran to the door.

I opened the door and looked around. There was no one else in the yard except an old servant watering the flowers and plants.

Only then did he feel at ease to close the door, hang the bolt, and go back into the house.

Then he covered his mouth and tried to hold back his laughter.

At this moment, he really wanted to roar to the sky.

Because if his boss is really as he guessed, he will have the opportunity to return to the Ming Dynasty and be reused, or even have his injustice cleared.

Thinking of this, Li Xiucai's eyes turned cold, and he said viciously: "Lü Hui, Hou Ziyan, you two never thought that I, Li, will be back soon."

"This time, I will make you pay the price."

Thinking of the humiliation he had suffered, Li Xiucai clenched his fists and slammed them hard on the table next to him, venting his anger.

…

Tianjie Temple, a scripture repository.

"I'm sorry, Master. We have received an order from our superiors not to contact the Goryeo envoys." The young man from the Imperial Guard said to Yao Guangxiao.

Regarding Yao Guangxiao's last suggestion that he should report it, he has already received a response.

Yao Guangxiao frowned and asked, "His Royal Highness Prince of Yan has already left the capital, right?"

Almost everyone knew about this news, and the young man from Jinyiwei had no intention of hiding it, so he nodded in agreement.

Upon hearing this, Yao Guangxiao asked again, "Have you informed His Royal Highness Changsun of my request?"

The Royal Guard shook his head and said, "I don't know about that."

Yao Guangxiao paused, his face full of helplessness.

After hesitating for a while, he said again: "Could you please help me pass a message to His Royal Highness Chang Sun? I want to meet him."

"This... please don't make things difficult for me, Master." The young man from the Imperial Guard refused.

Yao Guangxiao's eyes flashed with a light, and he put his hands together with a slight sense of oppression and said: "Brother, you should have known at that time that I came to the capital from Beiping."

"It was when His Royal Highness Changsun was wandering in the wild that I found His Royal Highness Changsun and brought Him to the capital so that Your Majesty could meet him."

"Speaking of which, I have been very kind to His Royal Highness Changsun. It's just a small matter like sending a letter. Can't you help me deal with it?"

As Yao Guangxiao spoke, his tone became somewhat eerie.

In fact, Yao Guangxiao was extremely helpless to force a young man from the Imperial Guard in this way.

He had vaguely guessed what Zhu Ying was thinking, but over the past few days, Yao Guangxiao began to become impatient.

Although it is comfortable to stay here, he cannot get any information from the outside world. Yao Guangxiao also knows that he is getting old and there is not enough time in the future. The time left for him to realize his ambitions is getting less and less.

If I die before accomplishing my mission, I will die with hatred in my heart.

So Yao Guangxiao is now a little restless.

The young man from the Jinyiwei showed a hesitant look on his face, and it was obvious that he was intimidated by Yao Guangxiao.

After all, I knew about the news that His Royal Highness Changsun, Master Daoyan and His Royal Highness Prince of Yan came from Peking together. If he didn't know, he wouldn't have come here to guard.

"Young man, you have to think it over carefully." Seeing that the young man from the Jinyiwei was a little hesitant, Yao Guangxiao added quietly.

The young man from Jinyiwei was in a state of confusion, but he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I will help you once more, Master."

He quickly figured it out.

If I send the letter myself, at most I will be rejected or even reprimanded. If I don't send the letter, when the master in front of me ascends to a high position one day, it will be a disaster for me.

As for Daoyan being imprisoned here, the young man from Jinyiwei had his own thoughts after learning some of the circumstances.

Giving timely assistance is far more important than adding icing on the cake.

After all, he had been a small flag officer for many years and wanted to move up.

"Thank you, little brother."

Yao Guangxiao clasped his hands together, bowed slightly and said.

…

Spring and Harmony Palace.

Li Jinglong looked somewhat helpless. He ultimately failed to escape and was called here by Zhu Yunwen.

After leaving the house on the Qinhuai River, he returned to the Left Army Governor's Mansion. After all, as far as the Ming Dynasty is concerned, every day is working time.

Civil and military officials holding official positions are not allowed to wander around.

Even if you have nothing to do, you have to stay in your office area. It’s okay to go out for a walk occasionally, and no one will care.

But if the boss is busy or even the emperor summons someone but no one can be found, then the person will be charged with dereliction of duty.

As soon as Li Jinglong arrived at the Left Army Commander-in-Chief's Mansion, he saw a eunuch who had been waiting for a long time.

Even if Zhu Yunwen sent someone over, the eunuch didn't find the person and didn't dare to go back, so he could only wait here.

Li Jinglong could not refuse, so he had to go with them to Chunhe Hall, with Zhu Yunwen in front of him and Huang Zicheng next to him.

"Cousin, where have you been? I winked at you at the morning court."

Zhu Yunwen asked with some confusion. He certainly didn't know that his cousin was deliberately not coming in order to avoid suspicion.

When Li Jinglong heard Zhu Yunwen's question, he was a little surprised and said, "I thought my cousin wanted me to find out about His Royal Highness Prince Yu."

"After the morning court session, I hurried out to investigate. Last night, I sent someone to find the house where he might be."

After hearing this, Zhu Yunwen immediately no longer had any complaints about Li Jinglong not coming. He was originally a little angry, but he didn't expect that his cousin had misunderstood him.

After just a little thought, Zhu Yunwen felt that it was impossible for his cousin to deceive him. After all, he and his cousin were brothers who grew up together, and this brotherhood could not be fake.

If I can't even trust my cousin, who else can I trust?

Thinking of this, Zhu Yunwen asked, "Cousin, did you find out any news?"

Li Jinglong frowned slightly and said, "It can be considered as found, but it can also be considered as not found."

Hearing this, Zhu Yunwen hurriedly asked: "What does this mean, cousin?"

Li Jinglong paused for a moment, took a sip of the tea on the table, and then slowly said:

"After I finished my morning court session, I quickly headed towards the Qinhuai River according to the news I received yesterday. However, when I arrived near the house where the news came from, I was stopped by the Jinyiwei."

"Jinyiwei?" Zhu Yunwen couldn't help but exclaimed, and then said: "How could Jinyiwei stop you, cousin?"

"Yes, that's what I thought at the time. Although the Jinyiwei doesn't have a very good reputation, we are royal relatives after all. We are not within the jurisdiction of the Jinyiwei," said Li Jinglong.

Zhu Yunwen nodded.

The Jinyiwei had a great reputation, but the emperor had also issued an edict that no one was allowed to investigate members of the royal family without permission.

Therefore, no member of the royal family was afraid of the Jinyiwei.

Although my cousin is the Duke of Cao, he is also the emperor's nephew, and naturally a member of the royal family.

"These Jinyiwei are getting bolder and bolder. They even dared to stop my cousin. Don't worry, I will tell the emperor about this tomorrow. They must be punished."

Zhu Yunwen said with dissatisfaction. In his heart he felt that his cousin had been wronged and wanted to stand up for him.

Upon hearing this, Li Jinglong hurriedly said, "You must not do this. My cousin, please do not tell your Majesty about this."

At this moment, Li Jinglong felt like he was shooting himself in the foot.

Looking at Zhu Yunwen's serious look, Li Jinglong had no doubt that he would really do that, which would kill himself.

Although he is your Majesty's nephew, he is still somewhat self-aware compared to your Majesty's eldest grandson.

"What's going on, cousin?" Zhu Yunwen asked, somewhat confused.

"My cousin, you don't know that the Jinyiwei who stopped me are none other than His Majesty's personal guards." Li Jinglong said with a wry smile.

"This... How is it possible? This... So this is true."

Zhu Yunwen exclaimed at first, then immediately remembered what his cousin had said before and reacted.

"It's true. I'm afraid Your Majesty already trusts him very much. I recently heard the news that Duke Liang is already on his way back to the capital." Li Jinglong said again.

When Zhu Yunwen heard the three words "Duke of Liang", he suddenly felt unwell.

Zhu Yunwen felt uncomfortable when he thought of that rude barbarian. If you force a relationship between them, he could be considered his uncle, after all, he was his father's brother-in-law, but his mother was Lu.

In fact, there is no contact at all.

Lan Yu was a very famous figure in the court, and now the emperor summoned him back at this time, the meaning was very obvious.

Obviously, he is supporting the big brother.

Brother, brother, you have been dead for ten years, why do you want to come back, and at this time.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yunwen suddenly felt weak and his body became a little limp.

Faced with his elder brother's powerful return, he felt that he had no chance of winning at all.

Looking at his cousin in front of him, Zhu Yunwen grabbed a life-saving straw and said in a pleading tone: "Cousin, help me."

Upon hearing this, Li Jinglong frowned.

How could he possibly help Zhu Yunwen now? That would be pushing himself into the fire pit.

But for now, he cannot offend his cousin Zhu Yunwen too much.

Even if Zhu Yunwen could not become emperor, he would at least be a vassal king.

Li Jinglong did not respond immediately, but seemed to be hesitating. After a moment, he said under Zhu Yunwen's expectant gaze:

"Cousin, this matter seems extremely sinister at the moment, especially since His Majesty's mind is probably obsessed with it. Any hasty advice from us will only backfire."

Zhu Yunwen was moved by what he said, and said, "Then according to my cousin's opinion, what should we do?"

Li Jinglong said solemnly: "We can only take it step by step, wait for the right opportunity, and respond to all changes with the same attitude."

"Well, am I just going to just wait?" Zhu Yunwen said unwillingly.

Seeing that his cousin Zhu Yunwen was not fooled by him, Li Jinglong thought about it hurriedly and said again: "That's not the case. My cousin currently has a good reputation among the civil officials. We can improve this aspect."

Zhu Yunwen nodded seriously, looked at Huang Zicheng who had been silent, and said, "The teacher also said so. It seems that this is the only way for now."

Hearing this, Li Jinglong and Huang Zicheng looked at each other subconsciously.

Just from this one glance, both of them could see the complexity in each other's eyes.

Suddenly, a feeling of mutual appreciation burst out from the eyes of the two people.

Zhu Yunwen felt somewhat helpless, but he still secretly encouraged himself in his heart, believing that there must still be a chance.

After all, the Emperor had already declared him the Crown Prince, and it would be legitimate only if he was enthroned in September.

Even if he wanted to depose him from the position of Crown Prince, the Emperor would have to hesitate for a while. He couldn't just depose him and change his mind every day.

Zhu Yunwen, who was deeply influenced by Confucian education, comforted himself in his heart.

My grandfather is the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the common ruler of the world, and a wise ruler. When it comes to matters like the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, he will not change his mind overnight. I definitely still have a great chance.

My cousin and teacher are my closest people and they would not lie to me. It seems that for now I should make friends with civil officials and scholars so that I can answer them when the emperor asks questions.

Just like Liu Sanwu, he speaks well of himself.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yunwen suddenly felt that there was hope and his spirits were lifted.

Li Jinglong always paid more attention to his cousin's micro-expressions. When he saw his cousin's eyebrows raised, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

My cousin has passed this hurdle for now.

However, I still have to think of a way to find an opportunity to meet with His Royal Highness Chang Sun.

Your Majesty can't go there every day.

…

The sun sets in the west and night falls.

Looking down at the capital from the sky, you can see the lights of thousands of homes.

On the banks of the Qinhuai River, there is a constant stream of melodious music, which is very touching.

Zhu Ying was not in the study, but sitting in the yard with the Four Books and Five Classics placed in front of him. He picked up one of the books and read it.

These books are not cheap, not because the paper is expensive, but because this set of Four Books and Five Classics all have personal annotations by great scholars.

Now the plan has been changed. Unlike the founding of Annan and taking over the Ming Empire, the concept is completely different.

This is an empire that is already very mature. What he needs to do is to carry out better reforms without causing any disturbance in the Ming Dynasty, just like boiling a frog in warm water.

Especially if you are about to go to the Hanlin Academy to compile teaching materials, you still need to familiarize yourself with the Four Books and Five Classics first, otherwise you have never even read them.

When you are in charge of the Hanlin Academy and don't even know the writing process, you will easily become a laughing stock.

But his status is different now. If he knew who was making fun of him, he would probably suffer a lot.

After all, the royal majesty cannot be violated.

Zhu Ying's majesty is even less likely to be offended in the slightest.

Soon, the stars in the sky became clearer. It was about eight o'clock in the evening. Zhang Bo came over and said:

"Master, the carriage is coming."

Zhu Ying nodded when he heard this, put down the book in his hand, stood up and walked out of the house.

Outside the gate of the mansion, a row of Jinyiwei were waiting respectfully. In front of the Jinyiwei was the eunuch Liu He, who held the seal of the Imperial Household Department, and was waiting with his head bowed.

Seeing Zhu Ying coming out, many Jinyiwei knelt on one knee and bowed their heads in salute.

Liu He clasped his hands, bowed his head deeply, and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."

Uncle Zhang next to him was already kneeling on the ground with his head touching the ground when Zhu Ying walked out of the yard.

He is one of the most honorable figures in the Ming Dynasty today, His Royal Highness the Emperor's eldest grandson, and no longer his former boss.

"Stand up."

Zhu Ying, wearing a white plain dress, spoke softly.

Everyone stood up upon hearing this.

"Your Highness, please get in the car." The eunuch Liu He, who was in charge of the seal, said respectfully with his head down.

Zhu Ying walked slowly down the steps and got into the carriage.

Under Zhang Bo's surprised gaze, the carriage drove towards the palace.