Lan Yu took the booklet from Zhu Ying and read it carefully.

There were a lot of names listed above, and he was very familiar with these names, as each of them had a close relationship with him.

In just a moment, Lan Yu felt cold all over, he didn't even feel the fine lines on his back, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

The moment he finished reading it, he immediately understood that this was the intelligence from the Jinyiwei investigation. As for why they were investigating him, he knew the reason without even thinking about it.

Gradually, Lan Yu's breathing became heavy.

He once thought that His Majesty would take action against him, but in his opinion, the biggest possibility was that he would be stripped of his military power.

After seeing this information, he realized that the matter was far more serious than he had imagined.

"Your Highness, I..." At this moment, Lan Yu looked at Zhu Ying in front of him, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.

Zhu Ying had been carefully observing Lan Yu's expression and was very satisfied with Lan Yu's reaction.

In a sense, showing the booklet to Lan Yu was actually equivalent to poaching the old man and making Lan Yu determined to follow him without any way out.

Only in this way can Zhu Ying completely suppress Lan Yu.

"Uncle, don't worry. The moment grandpa handed the book to me, you don't have to worry too much. After all, I'm back."

Zhu Ying said with a smile.

The calm and composed smile made Lan Yu feel relieved, and at this moment Lan Yu felt somewhat fortunate.

Such a long list cannot be found in a short time even for the Imperial Guards, which means the investigation has taken a long time.

It is not difficult to guess that His Majesty must have issued an order to investigate within a few days after the death of Crown Prince Zhu Biao.

His relationship with Zhu Yunwen was neither good nor bad, and he was appointed as the general and the left commander-in-chief of the Central Army Commandery, which made him a stumbling block to Zhu Yunwen.

To be honest, at this moment Lan Yu felt a little scared, but also very disappointed.

It was disappointment in His Majesty, because in his heart, he had never thought that there would be a day when he would be held accountable by His Majesty. However, even so, Lan Yu still thought in his heart.

Your Majesty probably cannot execute him, and it is more likely that he will be stripped of his title and demoted to a commoner. Most of those who are involved with him will probably be dismissed and investigated.

Fortunately, Zhu Ying appeared, and the generals of his group now had a new object of loyalty, so they were not too scattered.

Thinking of this, Lan Yu suddenly stood up, took two steps back, knelt on one knee facing Zhu Ying, bowed his head and said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, I, Lan Yu, will swear to be loyal to you until death."

"Uncle, what are you doing? Get up quickly. You are my family. I have always trusted you. Why do you have to be so serious?"

Zhu Ying also stood up and hurried to help Lan Yu, while speaking in a very surprised tone.

Lan Yu stood up, of course not daring to let Zhu Yingzhen help him, and then said seriously: "Your Highness is my lord first, and then a relative by marriage. This is how it should be according to etiquette."

Zhu Ying was satisfied when she heard Lan Yu's explanation, and said, "If there were no outsiders around, it would be more intimate to call her by her mother's family. You don't need to care too much about that."

When Lan Yu heard Zhu Ying's rather intimate tone, she immediately felt relaxed.

Then he handed the booklet in his hand to Zhu Ying.

Zhu Ying pushed it back and said, "Since I'm back, why keep this thing? Uncle, just take it away and burn it."

Hearing this, Lan Yi was quite moved and said seriously: "Thank you, Your Highness."

"Okay, let's not talk about this. It's about the same time now. It's a good time to go and check out the 5,000 guards that my uncle selected for me." Zhu Ying changed the subject.

Lan Yu immediately said, "Your Highness, rest assured. These five thousand men are all elites who can ride horses and shoot arrows. When I select them, I will give priority to those who use firearms. Among the five thousand men, at least three thousand are very familiar with firearms."

Hearing this, Zhu Ying became even more interested.

He originally wanted to form a musketeer army of a thousand men, preferably one that could ride horses and shoot.

If we could form a team of musket cavalry, we would be truly powerful.

However, this also requires very high basic qualities of the soldiers. They must master very superb riding skills and be able to control their horses with just their legs, leaving their hands free to operate them.

Apart from anything else, with two or three hundred personal guards reaching this level, at least if there is a war in the future, Zhu Ying's personal safety will definitely not be a problem.

Zhu Ying was actually afraid of death. The Ming Dynasty was very different from later times. Nowadays, when there were no specific medicines, even a cold had a certain chance of causing death, not to mention the brutal fighting on the battlefield.

Many of the Ming Dynasty's twenty-four famous Huaixi generals died suddenly in the army, and many died on the battlefield.

Now only a handful are left.

Zhu Ying doesn't want anything to happen to him, safety comes first.

This is also the reason why many people don’t even know the name of the owner of the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce.

After the power under his command began to improve, Zhu Ying used the nickname "Dong Jia" and hid behind the scenes. Except for the core members, the peripheral members had no contact with Zhu Ying at all.

His personal fighting power is indeed very strong, but if he were to be left alone and besieged by a dozen elite soldiers who were willing to risk their lives, he would die with hatred in his heart.

No matter where he went, Zhu Ying would always have at least 20 to 30 people around him to protect his life and create opportunities for escape. He himself was also very cautious.

…

Ming Dynasty Palace, Harem.

Lu was embroidering with many concubines.

There were dozens of eunuchs, palace maids and servants serving him around.

Many times, the concubines would hang out together in the harem, which allowed them to exchange feelings and relieve their loneliness.

Among the dozen or so concubines was Concubine Ning.

"The Qiqiao Festival is coming soon. It's only half a month away. Sisters, you have to prepare in advance."

"Regarding this year's Qiqiao Festival, I have already consulted His Majesty. The Qiqiao Market will be held in a grand manner, and many small tributary states will come to participate."

"But don't lose the dignity and prestige of our Ming Dynasty. Let those barbarians open their eyes."

Concubine Ning spoke.

The Qiqiao Festival was as important a festival as the New Year's Day for the Ming Dynasty. The Qiqiao Market was unprecedentedly lively every year.

People start to prepare items for the Qiqiao Festival from the first day of July. The Qiqiao Market is bustling with people and vehicles. When it is close to the Chinese Valentine's Day, the Qiqiao Market has become a sea of ​​people and it is difficult for vehicles and horses to pass through.

What's more, Nanjing, as the capital of the Ming Dynasty, is so lively that it is beyond imagination.

Moreover, the Qiqiao Festival, which takes place on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, is also an important festival related to women.

For the unmarried women in the Ming Dynasty, this day is even more important, because according to traditional customs, this is the only day of the year when they can dress up and go out, meet up with three or five close friends, or meet their lovers in private.

It is on this day that a large number of women can be seen walking on the streets of all counties and prefectures of the Ming Dynasty, and the entire street becomes filled with fragrance.

This is also a great stimulation for men. Even the poorest scholar will wear the most appropriate clothes, perhaps to get the favor of a rich lady.

Married ladies also attach more importance to this day, and the items they present for begging for cleverness are one aspect.

On the day of Chinese Valentine's Day, there is also a traditional program: threading a needle to pray for dexterity.

It is equivalent to a competition of the most grand scale. Even the concubines in the harem will go out to participate in the competition on this day.

Moreover, this event is also organized by the government. The winners of the competition will receive certificates issued by the government, which is a great honor for women.

When all the women in the Ming Dynasty start to move, naturally all the men in the Ming Dynasty will also start to move.

There are many activities such as literary poetry gatherings and Qinhuai courtesans.

On this day, even Zhu Yuanzhang would wear imperial robes and inspect the capital on a dragon sedan chair so that the people could see the emperor.

"In our palace, the one with the best craftsmanship is Sister Ning Fei. By then, we will just be the background for her."

"Yes, but seeing your sister's unique skill of threading a needle is also an eye-opener for us sisters."

"Where else in the world can you find someone as skillful as your sister? I have never seen one."

As Concubine Ning finished speaking, many concubines began to chatter and flatter her.

Concubine Ning smiled brightly. She was very confident in herself in threading a needle and begging for dexterity, but she just smiled and waved her hand and said:

"I am almost fifty years old. Maybe I would have fought for it when I was younger, but now I will leave the opportunity to you."

"Don't underestimate people outside the palace. The identity of the concubine will not be revealed at that time. It is all based on her skills. There are so many talented people in the world, who dares to claim to be the best?"

Hearing this, several concubines who were quite confident in themselves couldn't help but flash a hint of joy in their eyes.

Concubine Ning is in charge of the harem. Although she is not the queen, there is actually not much difference in power between them. If she were to participate, those female officials who are in charge of the selection would not dare to take the risk of making Concubine Ning lose the election. She would definitely be the first.

"Sister, what are you talking about? From my perspective, you look no more than thirty years old. No one can tell your age."

"Sister has taken great care of her skin. I don't know what method she uses, but she looks like a 16 or 17-year-old girl."

"Sister, you are naturally beautiful and ageless. The younger sisters are all envious of you."

After Concubine Ning finished speaking, many concubines began to praise her, and each of them said a few words.

In a certain respect, Concubine Ning was the direct superior of all the concubines. The food, clothing and other expenses of all the concubines were arranged and coordinated by Concubine Ning, the master of the harem.

Although Concubine Ning is old, she is still favored by His Majesty. He has the power to send any disobedient and naughty concubine directly to the cold palace.

Some concubines who had just entered the palace had never even seen the emperor. If they wanted to sleep with him, they had to go through Concubine Ning first.

Including the sign that the eunuchs handed to His Majesty, the name on it was also arranged by Concubine Ning.

"Alright, you little mouths are always full of honey. If I didn't see myself in the bronze mirror every morning, I would really be fooled by you good sisters."

"That's all for today. The sun is getting a little hot. Let's all go back to the house and rest."

Concubine Ning smiled and said, looking at the sky, it was almost noon and the sun was high in the sky. The weather in June and July was a bit hot, so she asked the concubines to go back.

Maintenance is the biggest problem in the harem. No one wants to get tanned, and Concubine Ning naturally understands this.

Seeing that Concubine Ning had no intention of leaving first, the concubines stood up, bowed, and left one by one.

Soon, Concubine Ning and Lady Lu were the only ones left in the back garden.

Feeling Concubine Ning's gaze on her, Lady Lu hurried over and said, "Your Majesty, I have something I want to ask you."

Concubine Ning looked at Lu with a complicated and sympathetic look.

Lu's situation has many similarities with Concubine Ning.

First of all, neither of them was the legal wife, and he ascended to the throne only after Empress Ma and Chang died.

Although Concubine Ning had the power of a queen, she did not have the title of queen.

Although Lu succeeded as the Crown Prince's wife, she now has no husband and can only live as a widow at the age of over 30.

It can be said that we share the same suffering.

"If you have anything on your mind, just tell me." Concubine Ning said softly.

Hearing Concubine Ning's voice, Mrs. Lu, who seemed a little nervous, seemed to calm down, but she still looked a little hesitant. After hesitating for a moment, she said:

"I heard that your majesty slept in Kunning Palace two days ago. There are rumors that he slept with a young man. I have many doubts in this matter, so I would like to ask your majesty for advice."

When Concubine Ning heard what Lu said, a look of relief flashed across her face.

Concubine Ning was not surprised that Lu knew all this. After all, the matter had already spread in the harem, and Lu was able to ask her directly without hiding anything, which made Concubine Ning have a good impression of him.

It's just that in this regard, Concubine Ning felt a little sorry for Lu. Her biological son Yunwen had already been designated as the crown prince, but she didn't expect that Chang's eldest son would suddenly return.

Concubine Ning said directly without any intention of keeping it secret: "Yes, you must have heard about the general situation. The young man is the eldest grandson of His Majesty, Prince Yu Xiongying."

"Although this may sound a little bizarre, it is not impossible based on the Xiaoling Mausoleum incident."

"You should also know that Your Majesty personally raised Xiongying since he was a child. With Your Majesty's wisdom, there is no reason for him to admit his mistake, and there is sufficient evidence from all sides."

"The former Japanese prince also asked His Majesty, and His Majesty told me that when I see Xiongying, I will no longer have any doubts."

Having said this, Concubine Ning observed Lu's expression, which seemed a little shocked and surprised, and then a little sad.

As a mother, Concubine Ning could guess what was going on, so she frankly consoled him, "Yun Wen is a good child, but since Xiong Ying is back, you should also give him guidance and comfort. You should also understand His Majesty's love for Xiong Ying."

When Lady Lu heard this, she seemed to be surprised, but then she immediately reacted and said, "Why should I think too much? The eldest son has the right to rule, and these are all rules of etiquette and should not be violated."

"Yun Wen has a gentle personality and doesn't have much of a mind to argue, but if he gets this news, he will definitely be happy for his elder brother, after all, they are biological brothers."

After finishing speaking, Mrs. Lu added with some sadness: "I watched Xiongying leave at that time. It is naturally the best thing for him to be able to come back now, but..."

"It's just that I'm a little worried. I don't know how his heart disease is recovering. I've tried to get medical treatment for him, but unfortunately there wasn't a very good solution."

Hearing what Mrs. Lu said, Concubine Ning frowned and immediately remembered that Zhu Xiongying died of an incurable disease, heart disease.