The morning light breaks and the sun rises.

Li Jinglong rushed here to Zhu Ying's residence on the Qinhuai River after finishing his morning court session.

His Majesty was here last time, so I won’t say much. It’s impossible that he will be here this time.

"Come to think of it, I also met His Royal Highness Chang Sun when I was a child, and we were quite familiar with each other."

In Li Jinglong's mind, he recalled the scene of himself being bullied by Zhu Xiongying more than ten years ago.

As the saying goes, even dogs hate seven or eight-year-olds. Before he fell ill, Zhu Xiongying was the most energetic at that age. He jumped up and down in the palace every day, causing trouble everywhere he went.

Because Zhu Yuanzhang had to go to court to handle government affairs, places such as the palace, academy, and back garden were all Zhu Xiongying's hardest hit areas.

At that time, Li Jinglong's father Li Wenzhong was still alive. As Zhu Yuanzhang's nephew, Li Jinglong also studied in the imperial school.

Li Jinglong was handsome and looked very noble. He stood out among the imperial academy.

Unlike Zhu Yunwen's dependence, Zhu Xiongying's favorite thing for a while was to play tricks on Li Jinglong, which made Li Jinglong very helpless and angry at the time, but he could do nothing about it.

In Li Jinglong's current view, His Royal Highness Changsun is of such a high status that the fact that he can play with him means that he still has a certain status in his mind.

Thinking of this, without any hesitation, he went straight to the door and knocked on it.

Soon, the door was opened and Zhang Bo appeared from inside. Seeing Li Jinglong was a little confused, he couldn't help but ask, "Sir, is there anything I can do for you?"

"My name is Li Jinglong. I am the cousin of His Royal Highness Changsun. I am here to visit you specially." Li Jinglong said after bowing.

According to the normal procedure, servants are naturally required to deliver visiting cards, but His Royal Highness Chang Sun is of such a high status that it would only appear serious if he comes in person.

"This is really unfortunate. The boss went out with the Duke of Liang before dawn today." Uncle Zhang explained after hearing this.

However, since his boss was not around, he had no intention of keeping Li Jinglong.

Li Jinglong was a little surprised when he heard this. How could he have missed it again this time? He had no choice but to ask helplessly: "Can you tell me where Changsun has gone?"

Zhang Bo shook his head and said, "How can we servants interfere in the master's affairs?"

Of course Zhang Bo knew where his boss had gone, but he just wouldn't tell him.

Li Jinglong had no choice but to bow and leave.

After walking a few steps, a voice suddenly came from behind: "Duke Cao, please stay."

Hearing the familiar voice, Li Jinglong was stunned and turned to look in disbelief.

Sure enough, the owner of the voice was Yao Guangxiao, who had not been seen for many days.

"Master Daoyan, why...why are you here?" Li Jinglong exclaimed.

The last time Prince of Yan Zhu Di left, he did not see Yao Guangxiao seeing him off, and thought that Yao Guangxiao might have left first.

However, at this moment, Yao Guangxiao actually came out from the courtyard of His Royal Highness Changsun.

"Of course I can stay here. If Duke Cao has nothing to do, please come in and have a seat." Yao Guangxiao said with a smile.

Li Jinglong's mind was confused at the moment. Master Daoyan was the chief military advisor of his fourth cousin, Prince Yan.

Or did Master Daoyan receive orders to infiltrate His Royal Highness Changsun's place?

While he was daydreaming, Li Jinglong had already followed Yao Guangxiao into the mansion.

When Zhang Bo saw that it was Yao Guangxiao who brought him here, he didn't say much.

In the front yard, Yao Guangxiao and Li Jinglong sat opposite each other, and Zhang Bo ordered someone to bring tea.

"Master, what's going on?" Li Jinglong was treating the patient while drinking tea. He lowered his head slightly, looked around, and seeing that there was no one around, he asked softly.

He and Yao Guangxiao were very familiar with each other. For many matters, his cousin Zhu Di asked Yao Guangxiao to be in charge of contact.

Especially regarding the tea-horse trade, when Li Jinglong was in charge, he got a lot of good horses for Zhu Di. The overall arrangement of the journey from Xifan to Beiping was handled by Yao Guangxiao.

So when he saw Yao Guangxiao here, Li Jinglong did not think that Yao Guangxiao had already followed Zhu Ying.

The first thought was that my cousin Zhu Di was really generous, as he actually let Master Daoyan sneak into His Royal Highness Changsun's place in person, so he didn't have to worry about any accidents.

But then I thought, ordinary people really can't get in here at His Royal Highness Changsun's place, except for Master Daoyan.

Yao Guangxiao guessed what Li Jinglong was thinking just by looking at his micro-expressions and the look in his eyes.

Without pretending to be reserved, Yao Guangxiao said directly: "I have already entered the residence of His Royal Highness Changsun."

Facing Yao Guangxiao's confession, Li Jinglong was stunned at first, but then he suddenly realized and said in a louder voice: "Congratulations, Master."

Yao Guangxiao smiled bitterly. He also knew that he had followed Prince of Yan for too many years, and the sudden change caused Li Jinglong to misunderstand.

So he said again: "Duke Cao has misunderstood. There is no one else here. I am the one who really entered His Royal Highness Changsun's place. As for Prince Yan, I can no longer take care of him."

When Li Jinglong heard this, he was shocked and looked at Yao Guangxiao with some disbelief in his eyes.

His throat rolled and he remained silent for a long time, but Li Jinglong didn't know what to say.

"I am old now. If it weren't for His Royal Highness Chang Sun, this wouldn't have happened. But Duke Cao knows that His Royal Highness Chang Sun was introduced to His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan by me."

"I have already fully revealed my identity to His Royal Highness Changsun. After His Royal Highness Changsun realized his past, the first thing he did was to have the Royal Guards send me to the Tianjie Temple to serve as the manager of the Sutra Library."

"This Sutra Library is located in the back hills of Tianjie Temple. It has been abandoned for a long time. Not only are there two Jinyiwei guards accompanying it day and night, but there are also people hiding in the dark at any time."

"In this case, I have no choice but to submit to His Royal Highness Changsun. Your Majesty has suppressed the world, so even if His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan knows about this, what can he do?"

Yao Guangxiao explained. This is indeed what he thought in his heart.

If you can't fight, then you can only join, which is also the only option.

After listening to this, Li Jinglong sighed softly. He felt the same way about Yao Guangxiao's choice.

Just like his cousin Zhu Yunwen, he wanted to compete with Zhu Xiongying for the position of Crown Prince, but he did not see any hope at all.

Of course, although Li Jinglong had a good relationship with Prince of Yan Zhu Di, for now, they were just helping each other and had no intention of helping him seize the throne.

It was impossible for Zhu Di himself to express this thought and let others know.

In fact, Li Jinglong came here to meet Zhu Ying, with the intention of joining His Royal Highness Chang Sun.

He could see clearly that the position of the Crown Prince would belong to His Royal Highness Chang Sun, and the future ruler of the Ming Empire would naturally also be His Royal Highness Chang Sun.

Although the reason why he is in a hurry to take sides now has something to do with His Majesty, the most important thing is that Li Jinglong learned about Zhu Ying through the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce.

In the capital of the Ming Dynasty, people don’t know much about the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce, and even few people have heard of it. However, outside the border of the Ming Dynasty, or in the north and west of the Ming Dynasty, there is a lot of information about the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce.

The name of the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce is really famous, and the number of small countries and nationalities involved is unimaginable.

Even the overseas merchants were very obedient to the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce.

A terrifyingly huge group of interests. It is hard to imagine how such a powerful combination of forces can exist.

According to Li Jinglong's in-depth understanding, these forces in the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce are still hostile to each other, but they work together to safeguard the interests of the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce. This really makes Li Jinglong a little confused.

And the person behind the creation of this miraculous Heroes Chamber of Commerce is a legend among legends.

It was precisely because of this that Li Jinglong had a premonition that no matter how his cousin Zhu Yunwen tried, he would never be able to take the position of Crown Prince.

I know some details about the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce, so the Jinyiwei will definitely be able to investigate it. Your Majesty may even know more than I do.

Even if His Royal Highness Changsun has been in opposition for ten years, isn't this the best answer to Your Majesty? There is no need for even a test.

If the situation were not different, even if it was Your Majesty versus His Royal Highness the Changsun, it would be a 50-50 match.

Such a person, who is the eldest grandson of Your Majesty and was raised by him personally, what other thoughts could you have?

When the Ming Empire was handed over to His Royal Highness Zhang Sun, Li Jinglong could imagine its future glory. After all, His Royal Highness Zhang Sun's talent in business was simply unparalleled.

Li Jinglong had lived for so many years, but he had never seen or heard of anyone like His Royal Highness Changsun.

Thinking of this, Li Jinglong came to his senses and said to Yao Guangxiao awkwardly, "Master Daoyan, I wonder when His Royal Highness Changsun will return. Please introduce him to him."

Hearing this, Yao Guangxiao smiled slightly. They were all smart people, and everyone understood some things.

Except for the forces on the border, His Royal Highness Chang Sun has no control over the court. It would be more likely for him to have more opportunities if he surrenders earlier.

This is also why Yao Guangxiao only stayed in Tianjie Temple for two days before he hurriedly tried every means to seek refuge.

This is really the best time.

"Today, His Royal Highness Changsun and Duke Liang went to the Gunpowder Department early in the morning. His Royal Highness is very capable and is said to have developed a new type of firearm. The finished product has already been manufactured and it may not be long before it can be used regularly in the army."

Yao Guangxiao said directly.

After all, strictly speaking, Li Jinglong is not an outsider, but the cousin of His Royal Highness Changsun.

The most important thing is that His Royal Highness Changsun had no intention of keeping this matter secret and told me directly.

New firearms need to be manufactured on a large scale and then equipped to the military, so there is little point in concealing them.

"Your Highness is actually proficient in firearms manufacturing?" Li Jinglong said in disbelief.

He didn't have too many thoughts about the new firearms. After all, the Gunpowder Bureau developed new firearms every now and then, and everyone was used to it.

Li Jinglong also had military power. As he often trained troops, he was very familiar with the control and use of various firearms.

Hearing Li Jinglong's words, Yao Guangxiao smiled and said, "Your Highness is not only doing this, even the current work-for-relief policy, I think Duke Cao has heard of it, it is actually a strategy proposed by Your Highness."

"What!"

Li Jinglong exclaimed, this was totally beyond his expectations.

When he first heard the announcement of "work-for-relief", Li Jinglong was still wondering which minister could come up with such a fantastic idea.

Anyone who could come up with this strategy must be extremely well versed in domestic affairs, or even have many years of political experience. Only by personal experience can one understand the profoundness of it.

It is a time of famine. Li Jinglong has seen too many famines along the way from Xifan to the capital, and has long been numb to them.

However, when they entered the heartland of the Ming Dynasty, the sudden change in the famine made Li Jinglong, who knew about the implementation of work-for-relief, greatly admire it.

I didn't expect that after going around in circles, this strategy was proposed by His Royal Highness Zhang Sun.

At this moment, Li Jinglong was suddenly very curious about His Royal Highness Changsun. He wondered what kind of person he was to have such a fantastic idea.

"Master, do you know how long it will take for His Royal Highness Changsun to come back?" Li Jinglong asked.

Yao Guangxiao shook his head and said, "I don't know about this. In a few days, I will follow the order of His Highness and go to Goryeo."

This was Zhu Ying's arrangement for Yao Guangxiao.

Zhu Ying knew very well that people like Yao Guangxiao could not stop for even a moment and were always thinking about realizing their ambitions.

But then again, Yao Guangxiao is not young anymore, and it is not a good idea to keep him in the capital all the time.

Fortunately, Zhu Ying simply let Yao Guangxiao follow the Goryeo envoy team and go to Goryeo together. Although Zhu Ying had been planning there for a long time, he himself had never actually been there.

Although Yao Guangxiao is good at domestic affairs, in Zhu Ying's current plan, he still has to lay a solid foundation for the Ming Dynasty first.

At least within a few years, there will be no major fighting, at most some small-scale local battles will be arranged.

And they would not take action until the army was equipped with muskets.

This can avoid the Ming Empire from being in turmoil to the greatest extent. Even if Zhu Ying dominates the Ming Empire, it is impossible for him to win every battle.

In Zhu Ying's opinion, no matter how big the battle is, it must be controlled within the range that the Ming Dynasty can afford to fail before it can be launched. Only in this way can it avoid causing unrest within the Ming Dynasty.

Li Jinglong nodded, but did not ask Yao Guangxiao why His Highness sent him to Goryeo.

"In that case, I will come again tomorrow." Li Jinglong drank the tea in the cup and said to Yao Guangxiao.

He actually still felt a little uncomfortable facing Yao Guangxiao.

Because Yao Guangxiao knew the secret between him and his cousin Zhu Di, although Yao Guangxiao had no intention of dealing with him, he was still a little afraid.

"Don't worry, Lord Cao. I know what should and shouldn't be said. I will be on my way in about three or four days."

Yao Guangxiao looked at Li Jinglong deeply and spoke.

Although it was His Highness who first proposed going to Goryeo, it was also Yao Guangxiao's own idea to show up immediately.

He knew too many of Yan Wang Zhu Di's deployments and secrets, which was indeed a bit bad.

The situation of Li Jinglong is naturally the same for others.

It was impossible to hide the fact that he had surrendered to His Royal Highness Chang Sun, and His Royal Highness Chang Sun would not let him hide it, so Yao Guangxiao could only leave for a while to avoid giving many people inappropriate thoughts.

Having said that, Yao Guangxiao has followed Zhu Di for so many years after all. If it does not involve His Royal Highness Chang Sun's planning, there is no need for him to turn against him so quickly.

In fact, he didn't care much about these things in his heart, but he cared about what His Royal Highness Changsun thought.

If he had betrayed his former master so thoroughly right after joining the alliance, he would not only fail to gain a good reputation, but would also make His Royal Highness Changsun have other ideas.

That's why he explained everything clearly to Li Jinglong and then quickly left the capital. This was the best of both worlds.

After hearing what Yao Guangxiao said, Li Jinglong calmed down a little.

I couldn't help but look up to Yao Guangxiao, and at the same time, I also felt some understanding for him.

Sometimes, certain things are simply not something you can choose.

Yao Guangxiao stood at the gate of the house, watching Li Jinglong leave, and a flame gradually burned in his eyes.

Touching the thick list booklet in his sleeve, he felt full of strength.

Before Li Jinglong arrived, His Royal Highness Changsun handed this booklet to him when he left in the morning.

This booklet contains the latest list of potential lurkers in Goryeo.

When Yao Guangxiao saw the densely packed positions and names on the list, he began to get excited.

Zhu Ying did not give too many instructions for this trip to Goryeo. He just asked him to familiarize himself with the situation in Goryeo and contact the personnel from various departments, and also to lay some groundwork for the future.

But it was obvious that Yao Guangxiao didn't want to just go on this trip.

If you don't do something, you'll be wasting your time.