King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

Zhu Yuanzhang raised the silk cloth in his hand, his face was filled with joy, and his voice was as loud as a bell:
"What is written on this silk cloth is the detailed battle report of Lao Shi's conquest of Japan!"

"This kid is like his father! He led our Ming navy and made great progress along the way. He first attacked the Japanese port of Hakata by surprise, and then..."

He paused, looked around at His Highness and his ministers, and deliberately lowered his voice, "And then they burned Nagasaki!"

"what?!"

"This this……"

His Highness's civil and military officials were in an uproar. They looked at each other, whispered to each other, and their faces were filled with shock and disbelief.

"Your Majesty, this, this Japan is thousands of miles away from our Ming Dynasty, and the sea is dangerous. How did the Tenth Prince ..."

An old minister with white hair and beard stood up tremblingly, with obvious doubt in his tone.

"Humph, you old man, are you doubting my Tan'er?"

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at him sideways with an unhappy tone.

"I dare not!" The old minister knelt down in fear, "It's just that what is said in the battle report is too unbelievable, and I can't believe it for a moment..."

"Huh, ignorant!"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly:
"Tan Er is a master of military strategy. What's so special about Japan? Not only did he capture the capital of Japan, he also killed the king of Japan. This is an unprecedented achievement since the founding of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Your Majesty is wise! The Tenth Prince is invincible and brave!"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty. From now on, our Great Ming will be feared by all the world!"

Upon seeing this, all the civil and military officials of the palace knelt on the ground, and thunderous cheers of praise resounded throughout the hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction and continued:
"Tan'er has made great contributions in this expedition to Japan. I have decided to reward him with ten thousand taels of gold and a thousand acres of fertile land!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

"However..." Zhu Yuanzhang changed the subject, "Although Tan'er made great contributions, he also made a mistake."

The atmosphere in His Highness's house suddenly became tense, and everyone held their breath at the same time, not daring to breathe.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes swept across the crowd and finally landed on Crown Prince Zhu Biao:
"Biao'er, tell me, what mistake did Tan'er make?"

Zhu Biao stepped forward, bowed and said:
"Replying to the Emperor, although my tenth brother conquered Japan, he violated the Emperor's will and changed the battle plan without authorization, which was wrong."

"Your Highness, what the Crown Prince said is absolutely right!" A civil official in a crimson official robe stood up:
"The Emperor had clearly ordered the Tenth Prince to withdraw his troops, but he insisted on attacking Japan. This is clearly a disregard for the Emperor's authority and his disrespect for his father!"

"Yes, yes, the Tenth Prince's move was too impulsive. If something goes wrong, wouldn't our Ming Dynasty suffer huge losses?"

"The Tenth Prince is young and impetuous, and does things without consideration. Your Majesty, please be careful!"

Several civil officials spoke one after another, accusing Zhu Tan of wrongdoings, their words full of gloating.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face gradually became gloomy, and the atmosphere in the hall became more and more depressing.

"Enough!" Zhu Biao suddenly shouted, interrupting the noise of the civil officials, "What do you know? Tenth brother did this all for the sake of our Ming Dynasty!"

"Your Highness, what do you mean?" a civil official asked bravely.

"Humph, you short-sighted fellows!"

Zhu Biao angrily shouted:
"The Japanese have evil ambitions and have long been eyeing our country. If it weren't for my tenth brother's prompt decision to annihilate them in one fell swoop, there would be endless trouble in the future!"

"This..." Zhu Biao left the civil officials speechless. They blushed and lowered their heads in shame.

"Okay, Biao'er, don't blame them."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, "They are also thinking about the Ming Dynasty, but..."

He paused, looking into the distance with deep eyes:

"But the world will eventually be handed over to the young..."

After speaking, he waved his hand.

"Retreat!"

As night fell, the Prime Minister's residence was shrouded in silent darkness.

The strange cries of a few crows pierced the night sky, adding a bit of weirdness to the silent night.

Hu Weiyong paced back and forth restlessly, his obese body trembling slightly with his steps, like a wriggling ball of fat.

He felt uneasy when he was looked at by Zhu Yuanzhang's deep gaze in the court today, and he felt that the emperor seemed to have noticed something.

"Master, please don't leave. You have stepped on the floor and made a hole."

A charming voice came from behind. The speaker was Hu Weiyong's favorite concubine, named Liu Ruyan.

She was originally a famous singing girl in Jiangnan, and was later favored by Hu Weiyong and taken as his concubine.

Hu Weiyong stopped, turned around and looked at Liu Ruyan, forcing a smile:
"My beloved concubine, what do you think the emperor means?"

Liu Ruyan smiled and walked to Hu Weiyong in a charming manner. Her slender jade fingers gently drew circles on his chest:
"Master, you just think too much."

"Which emperor wouldn't be afraid of his son being more successful than him?"

Hu Weiyong sighed and hugged Liu Ruyan into his arms: "I hope so. But..."

"Just what?" Liu Ruyan raised her head and looked at Hu Weiyong with seductive eyes.

Just as Hu Weiyong was about to speak, there was a sudden and urgent knock on the door.

"Who?" Hu Weiyong was shocked and asked quickly.

"Master, it's me." A deep voice came from outside the door.

It was the voice of the housekeeper, Lao Li.

Hu Weiyong was puzzled. Why would Lao Li come to disturb him so late?
"Come in." Hu Weiyong said in a deep voice.

Old Li pushed the door open, with a hint of panic on his face:
"Master, there is a guest outside who claims to be Lord Kujo and wants to see you."

Hu Weiyong's face changed and he pushed Liu Ruyan away: "Jiu Tiao? What is he doing here?"

Liu Ruyan tidied up her messy clothes and said coquettishly:

"Master, it's so late at night, and Master Jiujo suddenly came to visit. He must have something important to discuss. You should go and take a look."

Hu Weiyong nodded and instructed Lao Li:
"Quick, invite Master Jiujo to the study and serve him good wine and food. I'll be there soon."

Old Li took the order and left. Hu Weiyong took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and then walked towards the study.

Inside the study, a man in a black kimono and a black hat was standing by the window with his back to him. He was so thin that he looked like he could be blown down by a gust of wind.

Hearing the footsteps behind him, he slowly turned around, revealing a pale and thin face. It was the Japanese prince Kujo Masataka.

"Master Kujo, what brings you here so late at night? I wonder what you can do for me?"

Hu Weiyong asked with a wry smile, a hint of questioning in his tone.

Kujo Masataka sneered, his tone piercingly cold:

"Master Hu, you still have the nerve to ask me this? The fall of Japan is all thanks to you!"

"What do you mean?!" Hu Weiyong's face darkened and he was burning with anger.

"What do I mean? Don't you know?"

Kujo Masataka slammed the table, his eyes wide open, "Back then I spent a lot of money to have you plead for my country in front of the Emperor, but what happened? You took my money but didn't fulfill your promise at all. Instead, you watched Zhu Tan lead his army to attack our country, and you..."

"shut up!"

Hu Weiyong shouted angrily, interrupting Kujo Masataka's words:
"Kujo Masataka, don't push your luck! When you gave me the gift, you said it very clearly that you only wanted me to say a few good words for you in front of the emperor, but you didn't ask me to guarantee that the emperor would never attack you, Japan! Besides, with your strength, what good would it do even if I spoke for you?"

"You..." Kujo Masataka was left speechless by Hu Weiyong's retort, and his face turned pale and blue.

"I'm telling you, Prime Minister Hu, you and I are on the same side now. If you don't help me, neither of us will have a good life!"

Kujo Masataka threatened viciously, with a hint of viciousness in his eyes.

"You..." Hu Weiyong took a deep breath and tried hard to suppress the anger in his heart.

He knew that now was not the time to break off relations with Kujo Masataka.

"What do you want?" Hu Weiyong tried to calm himself down and asked in a deep voice.

"What do I want?"

Kujo Masataka sneered, "It's simple, I want you to help me overthrow Zhu Tan!"

The atmosphere in the study suddenly became tense.

Hu Weiyong sneered in his heart, this Japanese monkey has a good plan.

Overthrow the current prince?
That's easy to say!

Hu Weiyong is greedy, he wants the Ming Dynasty to be ruled by the Hu family, but he has not lived enough, and he does not want to sacrifice the entire Hu family!

He calmly took a sip of tea, slowly put down the teacup, and then looked up at Kujo Masataka, his eyes as if he was looking at a clown:
"Master Jiujo, you can't say that. Murdering the prince is a heinous crime that will punish all of your clan."

"Not to mention me, even if the king of heaven came, he couldn't save you!"

Seeing Hu Weiyong's stubborn look, Kujo Masataka became even more anxious.

He fell to his knees with a plop, and cried out in tears:

"Master Hu, I am at my wit's end! The people of Japan are living in misery because of that little Zhu Tan, and the royal family is even more displaced. If I don't avenge him, how can I face my ancestors?!"

"I know this is not easy, but Lord Hu is in a high position and has great power. Is there nothing you can do? As long as you can help me realize my wish, the whole of Japan will be grateful. I will give you thousands of taels of gold and countless beauties for you to use!"

Hu Weiyong sneered in his heart. This Kujo Masataka really wouldn't cry until he saw the coffin. It was already this time, and he was still thinking of using these things to bribe him.

He walked slowly to the table, poured himself a glass of wine, took a sip, and then slowly said:
"Master Jiujo, it's not that I don't want to help you, but this matter is of great importance. If we are not careful, both your life and mine will be in danger."

Seeing that he was relieved, Kujo Masataka felt a glimmer of hope in his heart. He quickly stepped forward and said in a low voice:

"Sir Hu, as long as you are willing to help me, I promise that I will not treat you unfairly after the success! My Japanese royal family has a treasure that was presented by Xu Fu when he sailed east. It is said to have the effect of immortality. As long as..."

"Immortal?"

Hu Weiyong's heart was moved, but his face remained expressionless. He put down his wine glass and looked at Kujo Masataka with a half-smile, "Kujo-sama, are you kidding? Where in the world is there any medicine for immortality?"

Seeing that he didn't believe it, Kujo Masataka became anxious. He pointed at Hu Weiyong's nose and shouted in a low voice:
"Hu Weiyong, stop pretending! I know you covet wealth and fame, and you want to live forever. I came here with sincerity. As long as you are willing to help me, the treasure will be yours!"

A cold light flashed in Hu Weiyong's eyes. He looked at Kujo Masataka coldly and said in a grim tone:

"Kujo Masataka, you'd better understand that now you are the one asking me for something, not me asking you for something! If you dare to speak rudely again, don't blame me for being rude!"

Kujo Masataka was startled by his sudden anger, and only then did he realize that he had lost his composure.

He took a deep breath, tried to suppress the anger in his heart, and said in a slow tone:
"Master Hu, I spoke out of turn. Please forgive me and don't take it personally."

Seeing that he had given in, Hu Weiyong's expression eased slightly. He sat back in his chair and said calmly:
"Master Jiujo, you and I have known each other for many years. I will not hide it from you. Toppling the current prince is nothing but a fool's dream. If we are not careful, both of us will be doomed."

"Then according to Lord Hu's opinion, what should we do?" Kujo Masataka asked anxiously.

Hu Weiyong pondered for a moment and said slowly:

"It's not easy to bring down Zhu Tan. We have to take a long-term view and do it step by step..."

As he spoke, he tapped the table lightly with his fingers, as if he was thinking about something, but his eyes flickered and it was unknown what he was thinking about.

Seeing that he looked confident, Kujo Masataka felt relieved and asked in a low voice:
"Master Hu, if you have any plans, just tell me. As long as I can do it, I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

A gleam of light flashed in Hu Weiyong's eyes, and he slowly opened his mouth and told his plan.

At the end of his words, a sinister smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue, ready to give its prey a fatal blow.

"Kujo, is the treasure you mentioned real?"

Kujo Masataka heard his tone soften, and immediately patted his chest and assured:
"It's absolutely true! That is a treasure passed down from generation to generation in our Japanese royal family. Xu Fu spent a lot of effort on it back then..."

Hu Weiyong waved his hand impatiently, interrupting his boasting.

"Okay, there's no need to waste any more time on this nonsense. If you want to bring down Zhu Tan, a mere illusory treasure is not enough."

He paused, a sly look flashing in his eyes, "However, we can use this treasure to make up a more attractive story..."

Next, Hu Weiyong laid out his plan in detail.

He planned to use the legend of the Japanese royal treasure to spread the rumor that Zhu Tan wanted to kill his father and seize the throne.

He would arrange for people to forge evidence, such as blood-stained clothes, forged letters, and even bribe a few eunuchs and palace maids to give false testimony, trying to portray Zhu Tan as a cold-blooded person who would do anything for power.

"People are ignorant and are most easily incited."

"As long as we spread the word widely enough, His Majesty will be able to hear it!"

Hu Weiyong sneered and said, his tone full of confidence (End of this chapter)