King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 658: Neither a ruler nor a subject, nor a father and son
Zhu Jinghong called Liang Yi over, and at this time, Zhu Jingchun and Liang Yi talked more.

The content of the conversation warned Liang Yi from both positive and negative aspects to be nicer to his sister.

Liang Yi felt more and more aggrieved about this. He finally understood what it meant to marry a descendant of the ancestors.

"Okay, you two should get busy and stop scaring people!"

Zhu Jinghong's words temporarily helped Liang Yi out of the predicament, and Zhu Jingchun and the other two naturally left obediently.

However, Liang Yi did not feel relaxed for more than a few seconds. The thought of facing Zhu Jinghong alone made him even more nervous and heavy.

"Third sister was born in the royal family, so she may be bossy and bossy. Please be more tolerant..."

"Maybe she looks a little eccentric, but she is kind-hearted and a good girl..."

The content of Zhu Jinghong's conversation was completely different from that of Zhu Jingchun, which gave Liang Yi a strong sense of contrast.

At this moment, he finally understood why so many people were willing to follow this gentleman and felt like they were basking in the spring breeze when they came into contact with him.

The prince, the famous god of war of the Ming Dynasty, is so approachable.

"We in the Zhu family will leave Sheng'er to you!"

Hearing this, Liang Yi, who was half sitting on the stool, stood up and replied: "Your Highness's teachings, I will remember them!"

"Don't call me Your Highness, just call me Brother Thirteen. In the past, when Third Sister got mad, she would just call me Zhu Thirteen!"

Hearing Zhu Jinghong's joke, Liang Yi became even more humble and respectful. He didn't even dare to think of calling him "Zhu Shisan".

"Okay, relax... Now that we're a family, don't be so formal!"

"Yes!" Liang Yi saluted respectfully.

Then the two of them chatted for a while, but it was Zhu Jinghong asking questions and Liang Yi answering them.

Watching Liang Yi walk away, Zhu Jinghong said to Zhu Jingchun who came closer: "He is still too reserved!"

Hearing this, Zhu Jingchun felt bitter. After all, even his younger brother, the prince, sometimes felt timid in front of Zhu Jinghong.

"Maybe we are still not familiar with each other, but as time goes by... it will get better!"

Zhu Jinghong turned around and looked at Zhu Jingchun beside him, and said with a smile: "I have a lot of things to do, you have to take care of my third sister in the future!"

Before Zhu Jingchun could reply, Zhu Jinghao came over and patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Thirteenth Brother. The two of us grew up with Third Sister, so how could we let her be bullied!"

Zhu Jinghong smiled and said, "What I mean is to remind her not to go too far and let the prince consort be bullied!"

Not to mention the maids and eunuchs that Zhu Yunsheng brought with him, even the guards in the Prince Consort's Mansion absolutely obeyed the princess's orders.

In other words, in the Prince Consort's Mansion, there is no possibility for Zhu Yunsheng to be bullied, she can only bully others.

Zhu Jingchun and the other man immediately understood this principle, and nodded in agreement.

Zhu Jinghong continued: "Husbands and wives should respect each other in order to have a long-term relationship..."

They chatted like this and soon half an hour had passed, and they also had their lunch during this time.

The afternoon arrangement was to play polo, with members of the royal family and nobles forming one team each, and Zhu Jinghong himself serving as the referee.

Unfortunately, before the game started, the eunuch from the Qianqing Palace came over and conveyed the emperor's edict.

"You guys go play first, I'll be back soon!"

Zhu Jinghong gave this order with a smile, and then followed the eunuch.

About an hour later, he arrived at the Qianqing Palace and was led into a side hall.

Before he entered the room, he heard discussions next door. After listening for a few more sentences, he realized that a court meeting was being held.

"Your Highness, please wait here!" the eunuch reminded very respectfully.

"Ok!"

As soon as he sat down, eunuchs brought him tea and cakes, which was almost a treatment he only received at home. This shows how special Zhu Jinghong's status was.

Sitting down peacefully and drinking the fragrant tea, Zhu Jinghong was not idle either. Instead, he listened carefully to the conversation inside.

After listening for only a few minutes, he confirmed the identities of the people participating in the court meeting and understood what was going on.

Zhu Jinghong knew that there would be unrest at sea, but he didn't expect it to come so soon.

As expected, wherever there is profit, foreigners will come.

The imperial court reorganized the Maritime Customs Office, which boosted the scale of maritime trade, and these people used cannons and warships to carry on.

Obviously, these people did not just want the port of Luzon from the beginning, but also wanted to encroach on the interests of maritime trade.

At this time, while listening to the generals' explanations, Zhu Jinghong was also thinking about countermeasures.

And while he waited, another hour passed and the sun was about to set.

As it would be very late to return to Shanglin Garden, Zhu Jinghong called a young eunuch and asked him to tell Zhu Jingchun to make his own arrangements.

After all, it’s not a good thing to always make others wait for him.

After giving the order, Zhu Jinghong waited for a long time, but still was not summoned by the emperor. Instead, the court gradually reached a consensus.

The generals of the Five Military Governor's Office believed that they should use war to promote peace. They should form a joint fleet with the Nanjing and Zhejiang navies to force the Spaniards to retreat to Luzon.

The two sides reached a peace agreement, and the imperial court would continue to develop for two more years until it became strong enough to settle accounts with the Western Barbarians.

The emperor remained noncommittal and was still considering the matter.

The court discussion ended when the sun set. After the generals left, Zhu Jinghong was brought before the emperor.

"Dad, do you have something to ask your son?"

After the imperial case, Zhu Xianming asked calmly, "Your house arrest ended today, but you didn't think about going to the palace to pay respects to your mother. Instead, you went to Shanglin Garden to make a scene. How can you explain this?"

"This... Mother had to meditate in the morning, and I was planning to go there, but was taken to the Qianqing Palace, so..."

"So you blame me for leaving you here?" Zhu Xianming sneered.

"My son doesn't dare!" Zhu Jinghong replied, bending his waist.

For a moment, Zhu Xianming was choked. He found that this boy was quite eloquent.

Cheng Ying noticed something was wrong and immediately stepped forward to ask, "Your Majesty... is the meal ready?"

It’s time for the meal to be served, and Zhu Xianming, who has been busy all afternoon, is really hungry.

"Ok!"

Zhu Xianming responded, Cheng Ying immediately nodded, and then the eunuchs outside got busy.

As for the father and son in the warm room, they were sitting together in a very awkward position, not knowing what to say.

A few minutes later, Cheng Ying reported, "Your Majesty, the food is ready, please come!"

The emperor had a special palace for his meals. Zhu Xianming got up and went there upon hearing this. Although Zhu Jinghong was not invited, he took the initiative to follow him.

He was following behind, so of course he wouldn't see the faint smile on Zhu Xianming's face.

A few breaths later, the father and son came to the dining room, where the long table was already filled with dishes.

Even though Zhu Xianming didn't need food to fill the occasion, there were more than 20 dishes on the table, and each one looked extremely exquisite. Zhu Jinghong noticed that there were two sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table, and it was obvious that Cheng Ying had taken the initiative to prepare one for him.

The emperor sat down, looked at Zhu Jinghong standing at the door, and asked: "If you don't mind, let's eat together!"

Usually Zhu Jinghong would disdain it, but he just said: "I don't dare to dislike it, but there is one thing missing..."

"What is it?"

As he walked to his seat, Zhu Jinghong said, "Good food goes well with good wine. Drinking tea at this time always feels a little off!"

"You are so particular!"

The emperor complained, and then ordered Cheng Ying: "Give him a pot of wine!"

It was a rare scene to ask for wine at the emperor's table, and Cheng Ying also found it very novel.

Soon the wine jug was presented and the eunuchs poured him some wine. Zhu Jinghong drank three large cups before he said, "Relax!"

This scene also aroused Zhu Xianming's craving for alcohol. He hadn't had a drink for seven or eight days.

Cheng Ying had been serving the emperor for a long time and was very good at reading his words and expressions. He immediately asked, "Your Majesty, the imperial wine presented today has a long-lasting taste and a mellow strength. I will also fill a glass for you to taste!"

Zhu Xianming did not refuse, and Cheng Ying immediately took the wine jug and poured a full cup for the emperor.

Zhu Jinghong also knew how to choose a time. He immediately stood up, holding up his glass and said, "Dad, I'll toast to you. I wish you good health and a long life!"

So, the father and son drank the first cup, which made the atmosphere on the scene much more lively.

"Did you hear everything that happened in the court this afternoon?"

"I heard it!" Zhu Jinghong replied, while thinking about how to respond.

"What do you think?" Zhu Xianming asked.

At this time, Cheng Ying filled his cup again. After Zhu Jinghong drank with the emperor again, he finally answered: "My son thinks that these Western barbarians have been planning for a long time and have great ambitions!"

"Oh? Tell me about it..."

It must be said that Zhu Jinghong was good at chatting and had grasped the essence of "alarmist talk". He made the emperor want to listen directly and secretly thought that he had found the right person.

"Before this, my son thought that the Western Barbarians were putting pressure on us because of Luzon... they wanted to use force to promote negotiations!"

"They sent envoys to Ming, and it has only been two months since the breakdown of negotiations, and they are already committing atrocities at sea in an attempt to force us to make concessions!"

"So my son thinks that they came after us from the beginning because they wanted to encroach on the interests of maritime trade and suck blood from the Ming Dynasty!"

This idea is very bold, but when Zhu Xianming thought about it carefully, he found that it does make sense.

"Tell me more details..." Zhu Xianming said seriously.

Zhu Jinghong was not one to hide his shortcomings. Of course he spoke in all possible ways, and in the end he almost told the emperor that the Ming Dynasty was in a critical situation.

"Dad, it seems that our intelligence capabilities are still too weak, especially our ability to obtain intelligence overseas!"

"As the saying goes, knowing yourself and the enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles. If we can detect the foreigners' intentions in advance, we can prepare to respond earlier!"

In the last two sentences, Zhu Jinghong was mixing in his own ideas, and then he pushed Li Wenzhao forward.

"That's true!" Zhu Xianming nodded slightly.

Although the Southern Pacification Division was specifically responsible for foreign intelligence, its capabilities were relatively weak and most of the time it did not play a significant role.

While the emperor was thinking, Zhu Jinghong continued, "As far as my son knows, the Southern Pacification Division is still short of one of the four thousand households in Beijing!"

His intention to recommend someone was very obvious, and objectively speaking, it was not a smart move.

But the problem is that Zhu Jinghong wanted to use a simple and direct way to test the emperor's intentions (bottom line).

The emperor noticed his intention and said, "There is still a shortage of people in the capital. It would be strange if we can get good intelligence!"

"Dad, that's why you have to recruit soldiers and horses. Let's not talk about other things... at least you have to set up the Nansi in Beijing first!"

Zhu Xianming smiled and asked, "We are short of a captain, do you have any candidate?"

"Well...Originally, I shouldn't have said that, but when I think about recommending the best regardless of kinship, for the sake of the court and the Ming Dynasty, I recommend Li Wenzhao, the deputy commander of the Northern Division!"

Zhu Xianming had some impression of Li Wenzhao because of the recent case of Zhu Jingrun and knew that he was a man who got things done.

Zhu Jinghong could frankly admit that Li Wenzhao was his own man, which did not make Zhu Xianming feel disgusted. After all, such things could not be covered up at all, and not covering it up was the wisest choice.

Putting all this aside, Li Wenzhao is indeed a man who gets things done. At this time, Zhu Xianming has recalled the past events.

Looking at Zhu Jinghong who was still eating, Zhu Xianming said calmly: "Selecting and employing people is the responsibility of the Southern Division. If he has the ability... he will be promoted!"

Zhu Jinghong answered yes repeatedly. He knew he had to stop there, so he didn't continue.

"You just said so much, how should we deal with it... do you have any good ideas?"

The so-called good plan was of course already in Zhu Jinghong's mind, and he did not waste the whole afternoon.

"My son thinks that it is extremely difficult to defeat the Western Barbarians nowadays. Using war to promote peace is feasible. I just have a little suggestion..."

The so-called "extremely difficult" is a nice way of saying it, but in reality it is not possible at all.

The Spanish fleet in Luzon accounted for less than 30% of its navy. Even so, the combined military strength of the two navies in Nanjing and Zhejiang was only equal to that of the Ming Dynasty on paper.

If the other party increases its troops as the situation changes, there will be no chance of winning.

"Say!"

"Since we want to use fighting to promote peace, we must first deter the Western Barbarians, so our military strength must be strong, and we must show that we are willing to give it a go!"

"go on!"

"My son thinks that we can transfer the Liaodong navy to the south to enhance our military advantage!"

"This will serve as a deterrent, and secondly, since war is inevitable, we can fight to the death with the Western Barbarians to increase our chances of winning!"

By transferring the Liaodong navy to the south, the Ming navy's paper military strength had basically surpassed that of the Western Barbarian army.

This was a major decision and Zhu Xianming certainly could not make it immediately. He had not even thought about the afternoon court meeting.

"The war in the northwest is not over yet, and the war is about to start at sea. Could it be true as you said... The current situation has not changed for a thousand years!" Zhu Xianming looked heavy.

Seeing this, Zhu Jinghong stood up with his wine glass in hand, walked towards the emperor and said, "Dad... heroes emerge in troubled times. If you can make the Ming Dynasty conquer the world, you will be worthy of the title of the greatest emperor of all time!"

Hearing this, the gloom in Zhu Xianming's heart gradually dissipated and a smile appeared on his face again.

"Hahahaha... you kid, I dare not claim to be the best of all time!"

That being said, as an emperor on horseback, Zhu Xianming was already looking forward to it.

On one side of the throne, Zhu Jinghong leaned over his waist, raised his glass and said, "To wish you the best, let's have a drink!"

Zhu Xianming burst into laughter, then raised his glass to drink with Zhu Jinghong. It was obvious that he was very happy.

Next, the father and son began a very lengthy discussion about the situation in the northwest and at sea, which lasted for at least two hours.

It was a very long meal, and the two of them drank and chatted until they were both quite drunk.

This scene not only did not look like the relationship between a monarch and his subjects, it did not even look like the relationship between a father and son. Instead, it looked like friends of different ages, which stunned the eunuchs who were serving them.

(End of this chapter)