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

The gloom on Li Shanchang's face became thicker and thicker, as if water could drip out.

He took a deep breath and said slowly:
"The son of the King of Lu is very scheming and is definitely not an ordinary person."

"Those tricks he uses may seem harmless, but they actually harbor evil intentions! If he gains power, will we, the old officials, still have a way to survive?"

Over the years, Crown Prince Zhu Biao was kind and tolerant, and treated these founding heroes very well.

But this Prince Lu is a cruel and ruthless man.

If he were to take power, all of these former heroes would probably end up dead!

"Master, what do you think we should do?"

Li Fu asked cautiously.

A cold light flashed in Li Shanchang's eyes, and he sneered:
"Doesn't King Lu like to do those tricks? Then we will give him a taste of his own medicine!"

"Go, invite Kujo-kun here."

"Kujo-kun?" Li Fu was stunned for a moment, then he realized, "Master, are you talking about that...Kujo-kun from Japan?"

"Yes, that's him."

Li Shanchang nodded, "Go ahead, and tell them that I have something important to discuss with you."

"Yes, sir."

Li Fu did not dare to be negligent and bowed and left the study.

After a while, Kujo Masataka followed Li Fu to the study.

Ever since Japan was destroyed by the Ming Dynasty, this former Japanese prince has been taken in by Li Shanchang.

He lived a dependent life in the mansion arranged by Li Shanchang.

Kujo Masataka knew that he was living under someone else's roof, so he dared not disobey Li Shanchang's words in the slightest. He bowed respectfully and said:

"Kujo Masataka, I greet the Duke."

Li Shanchang pointed to a chair beside him, motioning him to sit down, then stared at him intently and said slowly:

"Kujo-kun, you have been in my house for some time. Have you ever thought about returning to your homeland and taking revenge one day?"

When Kujo Masataka heard this, his body shook violently, he raised his head suddenly, and deep hatred and desire burst out of his eyes.

He dreamed of killing Zhu Tan and taking back everything that belonged to him!
"Are you serious, Lord Duke?"

Kujo Masataka's voice trembled slightly with excitement.

"Of course I take it seriously."

Li Shanchang raised a meaningful smile, "My Lord has thought of a way to help you get revenge and get rid of my biggest threat, killing two birds with one stone!"

Kujo Masataka breathed rapidly and asked impatiently:

"Please let me know, Your Excellency the Duke!"

Li Shanchang's cloudy old eyes sparkled in the dim candlelight.

He took a sip of tea, his tone was slow, but it was like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue, which made people shudder.

"Kujo-kun, you've been staying in my house for a while now. Have you ever thought about what those young people in Japan are doing now?"

When Kujo Masataka heard the words "young Japanese people", his fingers holding the teacup suddenly tightened, and veins were exposed.

He suppressed the trembling in his voice and asked in a low voice: "I... don't know."

Li Shanchang sneered.

"They are now in the Japanese school run by the King of Lu, shaking their heads and learning all kinds of nonsense, saying 'Confucius said, the Book of Poetry says' all the time. Humph, it's simply the most ridiculous thing in the world!"

Kujo Masataka didn't understand why Li Shanchang suddenly brought this up, but he keenly realized that this was an opportunity, an opportunity that could be utilized.

He lowered his head to hide the coldness in his eyes, waiting for Li Shanchang's next words.

"You don't understand what the King of Lu is planning, do you?"

There was undisguised sarcasm in Li Shanchang's tone.

"He wants to cut off your thoughts from the root and turn all of you Japanese into running dogs of the Ming Dynasty!"

"what?!"

Kujo Masataka suddenly raised his head, his face full of disbelief, but deep in his heart there was a storm of turmoil.

Although he hated Zhu Tan so much that he wanted to eat his flesh and sleep on his skin.

But we have to admit that Zhu Tan's move was indeed to cut off the source of the problem and was extremely cruel!
"Those young men from Japan are just hot-blooded young men. Do you think they will really be willing to be obedient subjects of the Ming Dynasty?"

Li Shanchang sneered, his tone full of calculation.

"You, Kujo Masataka, the former prince of Japan, don't you have any ideas at all?"

Kujo Masataka's breathing became rapid, and he understood what Li Shanchang meant.

"The Duke wants me to..."

"That's right!" Li Shanchang slammed the table and said sternly, "Go and incite them to rebel!"

"In this case, how can Zhu Tan have the face to ask for credit from His Majesty?"

"Besides, His Majesty will never tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes except His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"When the time comes, he will not only be disliked by His Majesty, but will also be suspected!"

When Kujo Masataka heard this, a hint of hesitation and pain flashed in his eyes.

How could he not see that this was Li Shanchang's plan?
after all.

If Zhu Tan was falsely accused of rebellion.

Incite their Japanese children to rebel.

So finally.

These young men must all die!

Moreover, he died miserably!
It seemed that he could see what Kujo Masataka was thinking.

Li Shanchang snorted coldly and said:
"Can you still be soft-hearted?"

"What does it matter if a few people die in order to restore the country?"

"Think carefully about what is more important!"

After a while.

Kujo Masataka lowered his head, a cruel smile on his face:

"The Duke is wise, and Kujo Masataka will definitely live up to your trust!"

Li Shanchang looked at Kujo Masataka with satisfaction, as if he saw a good show about to be staged.

He waved his hand, indicating that Kujo Masataka could leave.

After Kujo Masataka left, Li Shanchang called his trusted butler Li Fu and whispered:

"Send someone to keep an eye on Kujo Masataka, and report his every move to me. Also, if the matter is exposed, you know what to do."

Li Fu understood what he meant and bowed and replied, "Don't worry, Master. I understand."

After Li Fu left, the study became silent, with only the aroma of tea lingering in the air.

Li Shanchang stroked the teacup gently, but there was no leisurely mood of sipping tea in his eyes, only deep calculation and coldness.

He waved his hand and dismissed the maids on both sides, leaving the room in silence, like the calm before the storm.

After a while, there was another light knock on the study door. Li Shanchang said in a deep voice without even raising his head:

"Come in."

The person who came was the Imperial Censor Chen Ning.

He bowed and said respectfully:

"Your humble servant pays respect to the Duke."

"sit down."

Li Shanchang pointed to the chair beside him, and after Chen Ning sat down, he slowly spoke, "You have seen the current situation in the court. It is difficult to move against Prince Lu..."

There was a hint of fatigue and helplessness in his voice ever since Zhu Tan returned to Beijing.

It was like a rising star, shining brightly and unstoppably, even faintly overshadowing the crown prince Zhu Biao. This made Li Shanchang feel deeply uneasy and fearful. As long as Zhu Tan was not removed, he would not have peace.

"I understand."

Chen Ning nodded slightly. He also knew that Zhu Tan was very popular in the court and was deeply loved by the emperor.

How easy is it to touch him?
"but……"

Li Shanchang changed the subject, and a cold arc appeared on the corner of his mouth. "My Lord has recently thought of a way, maybe we can give it a try."

"Oh?" Chen Ning was immediately interested when he heard this, and asked quickly, "Please tell me clearly, Duke."

A hint of coldness flashed in Li Shanchang's eyes, and he said slowly:

"Do you know that the King of Lu recently built a 'laboratory' in the suburbs of Beijing, spending a huge amount of money and recruiting many extraordinary people from all over the country?"

Chen Ning had heard of this "laboratory" a long time ago. It was said that there were all kinds of strange things in it.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also paid close attention to it and even visited it several times in person.

But he didn't understand what this "laboratory" had to do with dealing with King Lu?
"What the Duke means is..."

Chen Ning asked tentatively, with some vague guesses in his mind.

"This laboratory is Zhu Tan's lifeblood!"

A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Li Shanchang's eyes:
"As long as there is a problem with this laboratory, it would be best if..."

He paused, his tone grim:
"It would be best if it was a big problem that could shake up the country!"

When Chen Ning heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up and he understood Li Shanchang's intention.

If something really went wrong in this laboratory, the emperor would be furious.

By then, no matter how favored Zhu Tan is, he will not be able to escape the blame!
"My Lord, you are wise!"

Chen Ning couldn't help but admire him, and he was deeply impressed by Li Shanchang's methods.

"I'll leave this matter to you."

Li Shanchang's eyes sparkled, "Remember, you have to do it cleanly and neatly, and don't leave any handles behind!"

"I understand!"

Chen Ning's heart trembled and he nodded solemnly.

He knew that this matter was of great importance and that any carelessness would lead to disaster.

……

Yingtian Prefecture, Zuixian Tower.

There are carved beams and painted buildings, the sound of stringed instruments lingering in the ears, the fragrance of cosmetics filling the air, creating a scene of intoxication and dream.

Chen Ning was dressed in casual clothes and sitting by the window in a private room on the second floor.

He was playing with the wine glass in his hand, but his eyes were casually scanning the hall downstairs.

"Master Chen, you are in such a good mood. You come to Zuixianlou in broad daylight. Are you going to have some romantic affair?"

A rough voice sounded, with a hint of teasing.

Chen Ning turned around and saw a burly young man wearing a brocade robe and a jade belt around his waist walking in with the gait of a dragon and a tiger.

This person is none other than the current emperor’s thirteenth son, Prince of Yu Zhu Gui.

Zhu Gui was naturally fond of martial arts and was a rather rough and forthright person.
Among all the princes, he and Zhu Tan have similar interests.

"This humble official greets His Royal Highness Prince Yu."

Chen Ning quickly stood up and saluted.

"Hey, Master Chen, there's no need to be so polite. There are no outsiders here today. You and I can just treat this as an ordinary gathering between friends."

Zhu Gui waved his hand, indicating that Chen Ning did not need to be so polite, and then he sat down opposite Chen Ning with his horse and sword.

"Your Highness is right. It is me who is too reserved."

Chen Ning smiled and personally filled a glass of wine for Zhu Gui, "I'll toast you a glass."

"Okay! Have fun!"

Zhu Gui raised his cup and drank it all, wiped his mouth, and laughed:
"This king likes straightforward people like you!"

The two of them toasted each other and had a great time.

Chen Ning seemed to be casually chatting about recent interesting stories in the court, and naturally mentioned Zhu Tan's "laboratory".

"Speaking of which, I recently heard a strange thing. I heard that His Royal Highness Prince Lu built a 'laboratory' in the suburbs of Beijing. It was filled with strange things. Even His Royal Highness the Crown Prince visited it."

Chen Ning said mysteriously.

"Oh? Is there anything else?"

Zhu Gui was really interested. He usually liked new things. When he heard this, he immediately became excited:

"What strange things are there in the laboratory? Tell me about it."

Chen Ning was secretly delighted to see the fish taking the bait, but he deliberately kept it a secret: "This... I heard it from someone else, so I don't know exactly what's in it. But it is said that there are a lot of treasures hidden in there, including skilled craftsmen, rare treasures, and everything else."

"Really? Then I must find an opportunity to see it for myself!"

Zhu Gui was so excited after hearing this that he wanted to rush to the laboratory to find out what was going on.

"If Your Highness wants to go, I would also like to go and broaden my horizons, but..."

Chen Ning looked embarrassed.

"But the laboratory is a national important place, and it is heavily guarded. Ordinary people are not allowed to approach it casually."

"What's so difficult about this?" Zhu Gui waved his hand nonchalantly, "Have you forgotten who I am? Is there any place in this world that I cannot go?"

After saying that, he couldn't wait to ask about the specific location of Chen Ning's laboratory.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Chen Ning stopped talking and just said that he was not very sure, but only knew that the approximate location was somewhere in the suburbs of Beijing.

Zhu Gui realized that he couldn't get anything out of Chen Ning. Although he felt a little disappointed, he didn't doubt anything.

He had heard about Zhu Tan's laboratory a long time ago.

I just never had the chance to see it.

Now after hearing what Chen Ning said, he became even more curious.

The two chatted for a few more minutes, and then Zhu Gui stood up and said goodbye.

He said he would go back and study carefully how to get into the laboratory to find out what's going on.

Chen Ning watched Zhu Gui leave, a meaningful smile on his face.

……

On the second day, Zhu Gui could no longer suppress his curiosity, and headed straight to the outskirts of the capital with a few guards.

Zhu Gui spurred his horse and galloped all the way according to the vague address provided by Chen Ning.

Finally, at sunset, we found the legendary "laboratory".

Although it is called a laboratory, it actually looks more like a heavily guarded military camp from the outside.

Zhu Gui could see the towering wall from afar, and there were soldiers patrolling back and forth on the top of the wall.

At the door stood two rows of guards wearing armor and holding halberds. Each of them had a solemn expression and was unsmiling.

"Good fellow! Brother Ten really takes himself seriously, building a laboratory that looks like a palace!"

Although Zhu Gui was dissatisfied, he couldn't help but become more curious about this laboratory.

He dismounted from his horse, strode to the door, and was about to rush in when he was stopped by two guards.

"Stop! This is His Royal Highness Prince Lu..."

“How dare you!” Zhu Gui shouted, and the two guards were immediately silenced. “You don’t even recognize me? Why don’t you get out of the way!”

The two guards looked at each other. Although they were afraid, they still said:

"Your Highness Prince Yu, please forgive me. I am here to guard the place. No one is allowed to enter without permission. Please don't embarrass us."

"Embark? I want to see how you guys are going to embarrass me!"

Zhu Gui said this and tried to force his way in. (End of this chapter)