The morning light breaks, and the rising sun rises in the east.
At Zhu Ying's residence on the banks of the Qinhuai River, Li Jinglong rushed over after the morning meeting.
His Majesty was here last time, so I won’t say much more. There is no way he will be here this time.
"Speaking of which, I also met His Highness Changsun when I was a child, and we are very familiar with him."
In Li Jinglong's mind, he recalled the scene when he was bullied by Zhu Xiongying more than ten years ago.
The so-called seven-year-old and eight-year-old dogs think that before he got sick, Zhu Xiongying was the most energetic at that age. He would jump up and down in the palace every day and cause trouble everywhere.
Because Zhu Yuanzhang had to go to court to handle government affairs, places such as the palace academy and the back garden were among the hardest-hit areas for Zhu Xiongying.
At that time, Li Jinglong's father Li Wenzhong was still there, and Li Jinglong, as Zhu Yuanzhang's nephew, also studied together at the Imperial Palace Academy.
Li Jinglong looks handsome and looks very noble. He stands out among the imperial palace students.
Different from Zhu Yunwen's dependence, Zhu Xiongying's favorite thing for a while was to tease Li Jinglong, which made Li Jinglong very helpless and angry at the time, but there was nothing he could do about it...
In Li Jinglong's view now, what kind of identity is His Highness Changsun? Being able to play with him means that he still has a certain status in his mind.
Thinking of this, without hesitation, he went directly to the door and knocked on the knocker.
Soon, the door was opened, and Uncle Zhang appeared from inside. Seeing that Li Jinglong was a little confused, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with this young master?"
"Your Excellency, Li Jinglong, is the cousin of His Highness Changsun. I would like to pay you a special visit." Li Jinglong bowed and said.
According to the normal procedure, servants are naturally required to send greeting cards, but given the status of His Highness Changsun, it would only appear solemn to come to the door in person.
"This is really unlucky. Before dawn today, my boss and Liang Guogong went out together." Uncle Zhang heard this and explained.
But his boss was away, and he had no intention of keeping Li Jinglong.
Li Jinglong was a little surprised when he heard this. Why did he miss it again this time? He had no choice but to ask: "Can you tell me where your Highness Changsun has gone?"
Uncle Zhang shook his head when he heard this and said: "How can we, the servants, interfere with our boss's affairs?"
Of course Uncle Zhang knew where his boss had gone, but he just didn't tell him.
Li Jinglong had no choice but to cup his hands and turn around to leave.
After walking a few steps, a voice suddenly came from behind: "Mr. Cao Guo, please stay."
Hearing the familiar voice, Li Jinglong was stunned and turned around in disbelief.
Sure enough, the owner of that voice was none other than Yao Guangxiao, whom he hadn't seen for many days.
"Master Daoyan, why are you here?" Li Jinglong exclaimed.
When King Yan Zhu Di left last time, he did not see Yao Guangxiao seeing him off, and thought that Yao Guangxiao might leave first.
However, at this moment, Yao Guangxiao actually came out of His Highness Changsun's courtyard.
"Of course the poor monk can stay here. If Cao Guogong has nothing to do, why not please come in and sit down?" Yao Guangxiao said with a smile.
Li Jinglong was confused at the moment. Master Dao Yan was the chief military advisor of his fourth cousin, King Yan.
Or is it that Master Daoyan was ordered to infiltrate His Highness Changsun?
In his wild thoughts, Li Jinglong had already followed Yao Guangxiao into the house.
Seeing that Yao Guangxiao had brought him here, Zhang Bo 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 received a consultation on the tea-drinking technique. He lowered his head slightly, looked around, and asked softly when he saw no one was around.
He and Yao Guangxiao were not unfamiliar with each other. For many things, his cousin Zhu Di asked Yao Guangxiao to be responsible for contacting him.
Especially regarding the tea and horse trading market, when Li Jinglong was in charge, he got many good horses for Zhu Di. Yao Guangxiao was responsible for the overall arrangements from Xifan to Beiping.
So when he saw Yao Guangxiao here, Li Jinglong didn't think that Yao Guangxiao had already followed Zhu Ying.
The first thought was that cousin Zhu Di was really willing to let Master Daoyan sneak into His Highness Changsun's house in person, so he didn't have to worry about anything happening.
But when I turned around and thought about it, ordinary people really couldn't get in with His Highness Changsun, and only Master Dao Yan could do it.
Yao Guangxiao could guess what Li Jinglong was thinking just through his micro-expressions and the look in his eyes.
Without pretending to be reserved, Yao Guangxiao said directly: "The poor monk has now entered the residence of His Highness Changsun."
Facing Yao Guangxiao's confession, Li Jinglong was stunned at first, then suddenly realized, and said in a louder voice: "Congratulations, master."
Yao Guangxiao smiled bitterly, he also knew that he had followed King Yan for too many years, and his sudden change made Li Jinglong misunderstand.
So he said again: "Cao Guogong misunderstood, there is no one else here, it is the poor monk who really entered His Highness Changsun, and the poor monk can no longer care about King Yan."
When Li Jinglong heard this, he was shocked and looked at Yao Guangxiao with some disbelief in his eyes.
His throat just rolled and he was silent for a long time, but Li Jinglong didn't know what to say.
"The poor monk is old. If His Highness Changsun hadn't appeared, he wouldn't have been like this. But Cao Guogong knew that His Highness Changsun was introduced to His Highness King Yan by the poor monk."
"The poor monk has long been fully exposed to His Highness Changsun. Ever since His Highness Changsun realized his life experience, the first thing he did was to have the Jin Yiwei send the poor monk to the Tianjie Temple to serve as the manager of the Sutra Pavilion."
"This Sutra Collection Pavilion is located in the mountain behind Tianjie Temple. It has been abandoned for a long time. It is accompanied by two guards in golden clothes day and night, and there are even more people hiding in the dark at any time."
"In this case, the poor monk has no other choice but to surrender to His Highness Changsun. Your Majesty suppresses Huanyu. Even if His Highness King Yan knows about this, what can he do?"
Yao Guangxiao explained. This is indeed what he had in mind.
If you can't fight, you can only join. This is 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 throne of grandson, but there was no hope at all.
Of course, although Li Jinglong has a good relationship with King Yan Zhu Di, for now, they are only helping each other and have no intention of helping him seize the throne.
It was impossible for Zhu Di himself to express this thought and let others know about it.
In fact, when Li Jinglong came here to meet Zhu Ying, he had the intention of joining His Highness Changsun.
He could clearly see that the position of the Crown Prince belongs to His Highness Changsun. The future ruler of the Ming Empire will naturally be His Highness Changsun.
The reason why he is anxious to take sides now is that although he has a certain relationship with His Majesty, the most important thing is that Li Jinglong learned about Zhu Ying through the Qunying Chamber of Commerce.
The capital of the Ming Dynasty does not know much about the Qunying Chamber of Commerce, and very few people have even heard of it, but it is outside the border of the Ming Dynasty, or in the north and west of the Ming Dynasty.
The name of the Qunying Chamber of Commerce is really resounding, and the number of small countries and nationalities involved in it is unimaginable.
Even the overseas merchants were very obedient to the Qunying Chamber of Commerce.
A terrifying and huge group of interests, it is hard to imagine how there could be such a powerful combination of forces.
According to Li Jinglong's in-depth understanding, these forces in the Qunying Chamber of Commerce are still hostile to each other, but they jointly safeguard the interests of the Qunying Chamber of Commerce. This really makes Li Jinglong a little confused.
And the people behind the creation of this magical and heroic chamber of commerce are even more legendary among legends.
It was precisely because of this that Li Jinglong had a premonition that no matter how much his cousin Zhu Yunwen performed, his grandson's position would definitely be gone.
If I know some details about the Qunying Chamber of Commerce, Jin Yiwei will definitely be able to investigate, and His Majesty even knows more than I do.
Even if His Majesty Changsun has been in opposition for ten years, isn't this the best answer for His Majesty? There is no need to even have an examination school.
If the current situation had not been different, even if His Majesty faced His Highness Changsun, it would be a 50-50 split.
Such a person was brought up by His Majesty's eldest grandson, so what other ideas could there be.
When the Ming Empire was handed over to His Highness Changsun, Li Jinglong could imagine its future glory. After all, in business, His Highness Changsun's talent was simply unparalleled.
In all the years he, Li Jinglong, has lived, he has never seen or heard of such a confrontational figure as His Highness Changsun.
Thinking of this, after Li Jinglong came to his senses, he couldn't help but said to Yao Guangxiao with some embarrassment: "Master Daoyan, I don't know when His Highness Changsun will return. Could you please introduce me to him?"
Hearing this, Yao Guangxiao smiled slightly. They are all smart people and everyone knows some things.
Now, except for the forces on the border, His Highness Changsun's subordinates are completely blank in the court. There will naturally be more opportunities to join him earlier.
This is why Yao Guangxiao only stayed in Tianjie Temple for two days, and he hurriedly tried his best to find refuge.
This is really the best time now.
"Today His Highness Changsun and Duke Liang went to the Gunpowder Department early in the morning. His Highness is extremely capable. It is said that he has developed a new firearm. The finished product has been produced. It may not take long for it to be in regular use in the army."
Yao Guangxiao said directly.
After all, strictly speaking, Li Jinglong is not an outsider, he is also the cousin of His Highness Changsun.
The most important thing is that His Highness Changsun had no intention of keeping this matter a secret and told him directly.
New firearms originally need to be manufactured on a large scale and then equipped in the army, so there is little point in concealing them.
"Your Highness is actually proficient in making firearms?" Li Jinglong said incredulously.
He didn't have much idea about new types of firearms. After all, the Gunpowder Department would develop new types of firearms every once in a while, and everyone was used to it.
Li Jinglong also has military power in his hands. He often trains soldiers and is very familiar with the mastery and use of various firearms.
Hearing Li Jinglong's words, Yao Guangxiao said with a smile: "Your Highness is not only that, but also the current work-for-relief policy. I think Cao Guogong has heard of it. In fact, it is also a strategy proposed by His Highness."
Li Jinglong exclaimed, this was beyond his expectation.
When he first heard the announcement of "relief through work", Li Jinglong was still wondering which minister could have such a miraculous idea.
Those who can come up with this strategy must be extremely proficient in internal affairs and even have many years of political experience. Only through personal contact can we understand the profoundness of it.
Now is the time of famine. On the way from Xifan to the capital, he has seen too many famine phenomena, and Li Jinglong has long been numb to them.
However, when entering the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty, the sudden change in the famine made Li Jinglong, who knew the implementation of the work-for-relief program, couldn't help but marvel.
Unexpectedly, after going full circle, His Highness Changsun came up with this strategy.
At this moment, Li Jinglong was suddenly very curious about His Highness Changsun, what kind of person he was who had such fantastic ideas.
"Does Master know how long it will take for His Highness Changsun to return?" Li Jinglong couldn't help but ask.
Yao Guangxiao shook his head and said: "This poor monk doesn't know. In a few days, the poor monk will follow His Highness's order and go to Goryeo."
This is Zhu Ying's arrangement for Yao Guangxiao.
For people like Yao Guangxiao, Zhu Ying knew that he could not stop for a moment and thought about realizing his ambition all day long.
But having said that, Yao Guangxiao is not young now, so it is not a problem to always stay in the capital.
Fortunately, Zhu Ying simply asked Yao Guangxiao to follow the envoys of Goryeo and go to Goryeo together. Although Zhu Ying had planned it for a long time, he had never actually been there.
Although Yao Guangxiao is good in internal affairs, Zhu Ying's current plan still needs to lay a solid foundation for the Ming Dynasty first.
At least for a few years, there will be no major wars. At most, there will be some small-scale battle arrangements.
And they will wait until the matchlocks are equipped with the army before taking action.
This can avoid the turmoil of the Ming Empire to the greatest extent. Even if Zhu Ying dominates the Ming Dynasty, it is impossible to say that he will be victorious in every battle.
In Zhu Ying's mind, no matter how big a battle it is, it must be controlled within the range that the Ming Dynasty can withstand failure before it can be launched. Only in this way will it not cause internal stability in the Ming Dynasty.
Li Jinglong nodded and did not ask Yao Guangxiao why His Highness sent him to Goryeo.
"If that's the case, then I'll come back tomorrow." Li Jinglong drank all the tea in the teacup and said to Yao Guangxiao.
He was actually still a little uncomfortable facing Yao Guangxiao now.
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, Mr. Cao Guo. Of course the poor monk knows what should or should not be said. It will only take three or four days for the poor monk to set off."
Yao Guangxiao took a deep look at Li Jinglong and said.
Although His Highness proposed the matter of going to Goryeo first, it was Yao Guangxiao's own wish to appear immediately.
He has mastered too many plans and secrets of King Yan Zhu Di, which is really not good.
In a situation like Li Jinglong's, there are naturally other people in the same situation.
It was impossible to hide the fact that he had taken refuge with His Highness Changsun, and His Highness Changsun would not allow him to hide it, so Yao Guangxiao could only leave for a while to avoid giving rise to some inappropriate thoughts in many people's minds.
Having said that, Yao Guangxiao has been with Zhu Di for so many years, so there is no need to fall out too quickly if His Highness Changsun's plans are not involved.
In fact, he didn't really care about these in his heart, he only cared about what His Highness Changsun thought.
If he had just taken refuge and betrayed his old master so completely, he would not be able to gain a good reputation, which would also make His Highness Changsun have other ideas.
That's why he explained it clearly to Li Jinglong and then quickly left the capital. This was the best of both worlds.
After hearing Yao Guangxiao's words, Li Jinglong calmed down a little.
I can't help but think highly of Yao Guangxiao, and at the same time I also understand him.
Sometimes, certain things are simply not a choice for you.
Yao Guangxiao stood at the door of the house, watching Li Jinglong leave, and at the same time, a fire gradually lit up in his eyes.
Touching the thick list booklet in his sleeve, he felt that his whole body was full of strength.
Before Li Jinglong arrived, this booklet was given to His Highness Changsun when he left in the morning.
In this booklet is the latest potential list of Goryeo.
When he saw the densely packed positions and names on the list, Yao Guangxiao became excited.
Zhu Ying didn't have much explanation for this trip to Goryeo. He just asked him to go to Goryeo to get familiar with it, contact people from various ministries, and also lay some groundwork for the future.
But obviously, Yao Guangxiao didn't want to just go there.
If we don't do something, wouldn't it be a waste of time——
ps: I'm back to work. I originally wanted to do two more updates today, but after a small drink in the evening, I couldn't hold it in any longer.
The update will start tomorrow, can my family please give me some monthly tickets to encourage me?