The teahouse's afternoon tea business is also good.

As the storyteller told the tale, many people clapped and cheered, making it quite lively.

But after the arrival of Crown Prince Zhu Jihui, the excitement disappeared without a trace.

The Crown Prince is the most important figure in the capital. When the guards arrived, they cleared the area immediately.

Many guests were angry but dared not say anything, and left one after another.

The shopkeeper was somewhat helpless, but had no other choice but to come over to pay his respects.

"This is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Jin," the guard introduced.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." The shopkeeper and many servants bowed and saluted.

"No need to be so polite. I came here to look for your boss. Your boss is right here."

Crown Prince Zhu Jihui spoke gently, without being arrogant.

Even if he was facing only some merchants who were of low status in the current Ming Dynasty.

"Reporting to the prince, the boss went out half an hour ago and is not in the store now." The shopkeeper replied respectfully.

Hearing the prince's tone, he felt relieved, thinking that he was not here to cause trouble.

But when the prince arrived, the boss was not there.

Zhu Jihui frowned slightly. He didn't expect that the boss was out. It was really an unfortunate time for him to come.

He certainly didn't think that the shopkeeper would dare to deceive him. After all, this was the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

"Do you know where he went?" Zhu Jihui asked again.

The shopkeeper was a little hesitant when he heard this, and said hesitantly: "The boss should be out for a stroll, and he didn't tell us about this matter, but where is he now?"

"How dare you deceive the prince? Do you know what crime you should be punished for? Do you need to be whipped a few times to teach you a lesson so that you can understand the pros and cons of this?"

The chief guard next to him was sharp-eyed and saw through the shopkeeper's hesitant expression and shouted at him.

The shopkeeper was so frightened that he trembled and said hurriedly, "Sir, I really don't know where the boss has gone. I am just a small shopkeeper of this teahouse. It is not my place to ask where the boss has gone without permission."

"Okay, don't scare others." Crown Prince Zhu Jihui said with some displeasure.

This head of the guards is my father's personal guard. His personality, temperament, and behavior are somewhat similar to my father's.

But he was somewhat disgusted by this.

Seeing this, the chief guard slowly stepped back half a step and said no more.

After all, he is the crown prince, the heir to the Prince of Jin's Mansion, and is deeply loved by Prince of Jin Zhu Gang. Naturally, he must obey and not disobey.

"How about this, I'll wait here and you send the servant to look for it, how about that?" Zhu Jihui said to the shopkeeper with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper dared not disobey and immediately arranged for more than ten servants to go outside to look for the boss.

He himself asked the Crown Prince Zhu Jihui to go upstairs to the private room and wait.

After all, being in this lobby would not only lose the prince's dignity, but also affect the reputation of the teahouse.

However, this business obviously could not be done before the prince left, and the servant who stayed behind, under the arrangement of the shopkeeper, also hung a sign outside the teahouse saying it was closed.

Among the many servants who went out, there was one who was obviously much more intelligent.

After going out, he did not search around like a headless fly like other servants, but went straight to the courtyard that Zhu Ying had purchased earlier.

In the yard.

Zhu Ying was discussing with Zhang Bo the layout of the entire capital.

For example, the situation of several market towns, the defense of the city gates, and the patrol movements of the Five Cities Army.

It's certainly not for any big cause.

This is just a habit of Zhu Ying. No matter where he goes, he always makes a map first.

Including some simple division of power.

Only when you are adequately prepared can you remain calm and confident when encountering problems.

Zhu Ying has always attached great importance to intelligence information. Perhaps a small piece of intelligence can play an unimaginable role.

In order to thrive in the border areas of the Ming Dynasty, the Western Regions, and the deserts and grasslands, sufficient intelligence information is an indispensable part.

For now, the entire intelligence system is Zhu Ying's biggest source of financial resources.

It can be said that for every ten taels of silver Zhu Ying earned, three taels were spent on intelligence gathering.

It seems like only one third, but in fact, as a warlord, even if Zhu Ying himself does not live a luxurious life, there are indeed many places to spend money.

Especially the construction of light cavalry, which almost emptied Zhu Ying's family fortune.

Zhu Ying's light cavalry were very different from those of the Ming Dynasty. They were real professional soldiers.

They do not engage in production, but train every day and have extremely high combat effectiveness.

The Ming Dynasty currently mainly has a hereditary military system. Military households need to farm to support their families most of the time, and their training level is not very high.

For elite soldiers, they usually exercise once every two days at most, while the rest may exercise once every three, five, or even ten days.

Zhu Ying's light cavalry, including some infantry, basically exercised twice a day and rested once every seven days.

This involves the expenditure of a large amount of money.

After all, the more you exercise, the more meat you need to maintain your nutrition, and the expense is not a small amount.

Soldiers' loyalty is also based on basic material conditions.

In this age of slow communication and information transmission, Zhu Ying was able to remotely control the forces under his command and prevent them from running into any problems. Naturally, there were many means involved.

At this time, the servant had already arrived in the yard.

"Boss, over at the teahouse, the Prince of Jin is here to look for you. I don't know what he wants, but he's still waiting in the teahouse." The servant reported hurriedly.

"Prince of Jin?"

Zhu Ying frowned slightly when he heard this. Of course he knew about Prince Jin, and he had a lot of information about him.

I also have some understanding of the Crown Prince Zhu Jihui.

But why did they come to find me?

He has no relationship with King Jin.

After a little thought, Zhu Ying thought of it.

Is it because of Prince of Yan Zhu Di?

The conflict between Prince of Yan Zhu Di and Prince of Jin Zhu Gang is known to everyone.

Perhaps it was because his teahouse was owned by Zhu Di, and that's why Prince Jin held a grudge against him?

That’s not the case.

Although the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Jin are not on good terms, this is the capital.

Under Zhu Yuanzhang's suppression, no matter how deep the conflicts between the princes were, they had to put on a superficial appearance of brotherly harmony.

"Master, this King Jin may have bad intentions. How about you avoid him first and let me test him first."

Zhang Bo said at this moment.

The King of Jin does not have a good reputation and his violent temper is well known.

This has a lot to do with the fact that he would whip soldiers whenever he disagreed with them.

However, Prince of Jin Zhu Gang obviously inherited the military talent of his father Zhu Yuanzhang.

Although he had a reputation for brutality, he was considered a great general when it came to marching and fighting.

"If it's a blessing, it's not a disaster. If it's a disaster, it can't be avoided. Your identity can be found out by anyone who is interested. If you offend King Jin because of it, it will be bad."

"I don't think it's a big deal. After all, this is the capital. Even the Prince of Jin has to be careful. If His Majesty really gets to know about it, I don't think he will have a good life."

Zhu Ying analyzed that the current capital is relatively orderly in terms of public security and other aspects.

The kind of behavior of playboys bullying men and women in later movies and TV shows is basically impossible to see in the capital.

You have to know that in the current Ming Dynasty, if local officials fail to perform their duties, the people can report them directly.

Even the arrogant and domineering Huaixi military generals group such as Lan Yu would be much more cautious in the capital.

For example, the second prince Zhu Chong.

Only when he was free from restraints in the fiefdom would he release his true nature.

When he was in the capital, he was very well behaved.

Zhang Bo wanted to say a few more words, probably something like "A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall."

But Zhu Ying interrupted him with a wave of his hand.

"Let's go and see what the King of Jin wants to talk to me about."

Since Zhu Ying had already made the decision, Zhang Bo could not object, and the group quickly headed towards the teahouse.

The private room on the second floor of the teahouse,

Zhu Jihui was sipping tea and quietly waiting for the owner of the teahouse to arrive.

Zhu Jihui actually had a very gentle temperament. Although this had something to do with Confucian education, he was also a quiet person by nature.

Zhu Jihui was influenced by Confucianism because of his father and because Confucianism was deeply rooted in his mind.

Perhaps it was also because of his good relationship with Zhu Yunwen.

He has always been dissatisfied with Zhu Di's usurpation of the throne.

Later, his younger brother, Pingyang King Zhu Jixun, took the opportunity to slander him in front of Zhu Di. Zhu Di issued an edict to strip him of his title of King of Jin, ordered him to guard his father's mausoleum, and made Jixun the King of Jin instead.

Zhu Jihui was imprisoned by Zhu Jihui for ten years. He was later rescued and died in the tenth year of Xuande at the age of sixty-one, which was considered a long life.

The fact that he could live to a ripe old age under such circumstances has a lot to do with his good mentality.

"Sir, the owner of this teahouse is back."

When Zhu Yingcai arrived at the entrance of the teahouse, he was stopped by the guards and then went upstairs to report to the prince.

Zhu Jihui didn't think much about it and went downstairs directly.

Seeing that it was getting late, he had to hurry back to report to his father.

朱棡虽然疼爱长子，不会揍他。但要是事情没办好，一顿训斥却是难免。

Zhu Ying stood at the door of his own teahouse but was unable to enter, his expression calm and composed.

Uncle Zhang next to him had a face full of anger; he was a Jurchen.

As a nomadic people, although they have been highly assimilated into the Han culture, some of the ideas they have acquired since childhood are still deeply rooted.

In Zhang Bo's view, Zhu Ying is his master.

He is Zhu Ying's servant.

It is more painful to humiliate the master than to kill him.

Zhang Bo was tall and strong, with a thick boned body, which put a lot of pressure on the guards.

The two guards kept a close eye on Zhang Bo to prevent him from making any unusual movements.

Zhu Jihui walked downstairs and saw Zhu Ying at the door, and suddenly he felt a familiar feeling.

But at this moment, he didn't think much about it. He walked and said with a smile: "This host, however, clasped his fists. I am here on the orders of my father to invite you to the Prince of Jin's mansion."

"Don't worry, Boss. I...you...I..."

Zhu Jihui talked as he walked, and after a few steps, Zhu Ying's face became clear.

At a distance of about three or four meters, Zhu Jihui could see clearly and got stuck before he could finish his words.

Pointing at Zhu Ying, he couldn't utter a complete word.

"My name is Zhu Ying, nice to meet you, Prince Jin." Zhu Ying bowed slightly.

Only after hearing Zhu Ying's voice did Zhu Jihui calm down, take a deep breath and suppress the shock in his heart.

His voice was still trembling as he asked, "What's your name?"

Zhu Ying frowned slightly and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "I am Zhu Ying."

While they were talking, Zhu Jihui walked up to Zhu Ying and carefully observed his appearance.

Only then did he realize that there was a big difference between him and his uncle Zhu Biao upon closer inspection.

The reason why he was stunned at once was mainly because Zhu Ying not only looked similar to him, but also had a similar figure and temperament.

Zhu Jihui opened his mouth slightly, but no sound came out. At this moment, he didn't know how to address Zhu Ying.

After hesitating for a while, he said, "Master, I wonder if it's convenient for you now. My father loves delicious food. After trying the breakfast in your teahouse, he couldn't forget it and wanted to meet him in person."

"I wonder if you would be so kind as to go with me to the Prince of Jin's mansion. This would also fulfill my father's wish."

Zhu Jihui was extremely polite when he said this.

In his heart, Zhu Ying is absolutely inseparable from his uncle Zhu Biao.

They look so similar, even their expressions and temperaments are the same, it is very likely that Zhu Ying is the uncle's illegitimate child.

With a quick glance before, Zhu Jihui thought his uncle had been resurrected.

Zhu Jihui was born in April of the eighth year of Hongwu, and Zhu Xiongying was born in October of the seventh year of Hongwu.

The age difference is not that big.

However, when he was a child, Zhu Jihui seldom played with Zhu Xiongying.

Because Zhu Xiongying has always lived with Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma.

When he first started school, Zhu Xiongying's enlightenment education was taught personally by a teacher arranged by Zhu Yuanzhang.

The eldest sons of the king, such as Zhu Jihui, were given concentrated education.

Ten years had passed since this incident. Zhu Jihui was only seven years old at the time and had little contact with him. Apart from knowing his name, he did not have a deep impression of him.

So I just thought of my uncle Zhu Biao's illegitimate son.

"I will naturally obey the orders of the King of Jin." Zhu Ying replied, with some surprise in his eyes.

He felt very strange about Zhu Jihui's attitude.

He was just a businessman, although according to his intelligence, Prince of Jin Zhu Jihui was considered a humble person.

But this attitude is far from humble.

In Zhu Ying's opinion, Crown Prince Zhu Jihui was extremely respectful, and even his words and expressions were extremely polite.

Zhu Ying followed Zhu Jihui towards the direction of Prince Jin's Palace.

Along the way, Zhu Jihui seemed like a different person, speaking very little.

It was not until they reached the gate of Prince Jin's mansion that he politely said, "Master, please come in."

"Thank you, Prince." Zhu Ying bowed slightly.

After entering the mansion, Zhu Jihui walked in front to lead the way and felt the sound of footsteps.

I sighed in my heart: "Father, please don't be scared."