Father can be an enemy country

Chapter 1366 Return
Because it was the season for the fleet to return to Taicang from Hakata, it would take about seven days to sail against the wind. In addition, the ships had to sail upstream on the Yangtze River, so Zhu Zhen and his party could not stay in Japan for too long and had to set off in three days.

During the three days, in addition to meeting with Ming officials such as Yang Shiqi, and Japanese princes such as Changqing and Shoni, he also had cordial and friendly conversations with great scholars and monks who came to Japan to give lectures, encouraging them to educate the people of Kyushu well.

Those great scholars were not fakes. For example, Su Bozong and Hu Han would have been famous literary leaders in the Ming Dynasty. If it weren't for the fact that Mr. Zhu was at loggerheads with Confucianism, he would have lost his head at any time if he stayed in China. No matter how much money they were given, they would not have come to this small country of Japan to give lectures.

So Zhu Zhen could pat his chest and say to Changqing and Shaoer, I really don’t treat you as outsiders!
The Japanese princes were of course very satisfied. They had long been impressed by the great scholar's profound learning and elegant demeanor. However, Han Yike and others were also worried that this would go against the prince's original intention.
Zhu Zhen told them firmly that those who were sent to Japan were all old Confucians. Only by clearing out this group of people, the new Confucians born in the Imperial University could replace their positions and create a better Ming Dynasty!
Han Yike thought to herself, how much does the prince dislike these Confucianists? I just don't know how many grudges there are among them.

~~
Before leaving, Zhu Zhen hosted a banquet for high-ranking Chinese and Japanese civil and military officials, including Changqing, as well as great Confucian scholars and monks. The purpose was to say farewell to them and to encourage them to unite and create a beautiful new Kyushu.

There is also a more important purpose - to introduce Lao Shiyi to them.

"In two years, my eleventh brother will be a vassal state of Jiuzhou. Please bear with me." Zhu Zhen pointed at Zhu Chun and said in a deep voice: "Jiuzhou will become his vassal state!"

"..." Because Zhu Zhen had given a heads-up five years ago, saying that a prince would come to Kyushu to take charge in the future, no one was surprised, including Changqing.

As for Changqing, his role had long been transformed into the leader of Shintoism, and he had nothing to do with the secular world. Anyway, he was originally a human skin seal, so it was not difficult to transform.

So they calmly accepted the result and expressed their most sincere welcome and respect to His Royal Highness the King of Shu.

This also made Lao Shiyi feel relieved.

~~
After the banquet, Zhu Zhen, Zhu Chun and others boarded the ship and left Hakata Port.

Standing on the deck and watching the people coming to see him off, Zhu Zhen asked Zhu Chun with a smile, "How was it?"

"I didn't expect them to accept it so easily." Zhu Chun stuck out his tongue and laughed, "I thought they would be as reluctant as the Koreans."

"How much effort did I put in Kyushu, and how much effort did I put in Goryeo?" Zhu Zhen laughed and said, "How can they be the same?"

"Yes." Zhu Chun said gratefully, "Sixth Brother has paved the way for me, I just need to follow it."

"Sixth Brother certainly can't cheat you." Zhu Zhen said, "To be honest, you will be the most comfortable one among all of us princes."

"Yes, my brothers are all going to the southwest to expand the territory, and my younger brothers will also go to the frontier in the future. Only I will sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor on Kyushu Island." Zhu Chun said a little embarrassedly.

"But your mission is heavier than anyone else's!" Zhu Zhen shook his head, looked at Old Eleven sternly and said, "You may not believe it, but the biggest threat to China in the future is right here!"

"I believe it." Old Eleven said without hesitation.

"How did you know?" Zhu Zhen looked at Old Eleven in surprise.

"Because Sixth Brother said so." Old Eleven said as a matter of course.

"Hahaha!" Zhu Zhen couldn't help but burst into laughter and said, "You have also learned to flatter."

"I'm not flattering him." Old Eleven shook his head and said, "I've been with Sixth Brother for such a long time, and everything I've seen and heard tells me that Sixth Brother is far-sighted and has a keen eye for the world! Your judgment can't be wrong!"

"You still say this is not flattery?" Zhu Zhen rubbed his head lovingly.

"Eleventh brother is definitely not flattering, because I think so too." The twelfth brother also came over and asked with a smile: "Sixth brother, Eleventh brother was granted the title of Duke of Jiuzhou, what about me?" "You will be granted the title of Duke of Beichao to keep him company." Zhu Zhen said with a smile.

"Great, now we can go and kill everyone!" Old Twelve's train of thought was very strange, and he was not surprised but happy instead.

"What a joke. If you are really enfeoffed in the Northern Dynasty, you can only go to see the silver mountain." Zhu Zhen laughed and scolded, "Follow your brothers to the south and fight for your own territory."

"That's even better." Old Twelve still smiled and said, "Anyway, just don't let me stay behind."

"You little bastard, you're still holding a grudge." Zhu Zhen flicked his head.

What made the twelfth brother unhappy was that when the sixth brother went to Mobei to support the fourth brother, he asked the second, third and fifth brothers to go, but resolutely refused to allow himself and the eleventh brother to go.

"Hehe, I understand the general principle, but I just can't accept it emotionally." He said, rubbing his forehead.

"Next time something like this happens, I promise I won't abandon you, okay?" Zhu Zhen said with a smile.

"Okay." Old Twelve held out his hand. "It's a deal!"

"It's a deal!" Zhu Zhen also stretched out his hand and high-fived him.

~~
On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, the fleet arrived at Liujiagang, Taicang.

Because Zhu Zhen had specifically instructed this, the officials and people of Taicang were unaware of his return, and naturally there was no scene of thousands of people emptying the streets to welcome him.

Firstly, this was to save the fourth brother's face. Secondly, it was already so late, and they didn't have time to waste. If they didn't get back by the night of the 30th, it would be counterproductive.

In fact, they didn't need to be so hasty, but the weather was unpredictable. At the end of the year, a cold wave suddenly came, and the west wind blew day after day. The whole journey was against the wind and the current, so they had to stay on the road for several more days.

After changing to a sand ship at Liujiagang, Zhu Zhen and his party used oars and rowed day and night, and finally arrived in Nanjing City on the afternoon of the 30th.

Looking at the familiar Nanjing city wall on the hills beside the river, we felt as if we were in another world.

Especially for the eleventh and twelfth children, they didn't expect that their first trip would last a full year and a half. Moreover, they went from Shandong to Beijing, then to the outer frontier, and finally went fishing at sea. For these two fifteen or sixteen-year-old boys, it was indeed too long to be away from home.

"We're home, we're finally home!" The twelfth brother jumped three feet high, and even the usually steady eleventh brother excitedly raised his arms and cheered.

"Nanjing, we are back!"

The Sixth and Fourth Brothers, who were sent to the vassal states, were naturally much calmer. For them, returning to Beijing once every one or two years was perfectly normal.

"How is it? Are you nervous?" Zhu Zhen walked to Zhu Di's prison car.

"A little bit." Zhu Di nodded, not because he was homesick, but because he was close to his father.

"Don't be nervous. It's New Year's Day. We won't hit children." Zhu Zhen smiled and comforted him, then with a click, he locked the prison van for the first time.

(End of this chapter)