Ming Dynasty: Zhu Biao's younger brother, the most rebellious son in history

On the other side, Mao Xiang came to the gate of the palace with a bag of gold in his trembling hands.

Unexpectedly, he met an unexpected person at the door. This person appeared at the gate of the palace at this time with ulterior motives.

Mao Xiang immediately got off his horse and tied the bag of gold in his hand carefully to prevent others from seeing the gold inside.

"I, Mao Xiang, the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guard, greet the Prime Minister."

Mao Xiang didn't know why Hu Weiyong appeared here at this time, which really surprised him.

"Stand up, Lord Mao. We are both officials of the same dynasty. There is no need to be so polite."

Hu Weiyong looked at the bag in his hand and glanced at it.

Mao Xiang explained immediately when he saw this situation.

"This is a reward from the prince. We, the Jinyiwei, have been escorting the prince all the way.

Although it was all part of my job, the prince still gave me some rewards, and I didn't dare to accept them all. I was just about to take them to the palace to tell the emperor and see what he thought. "

Hu Weiyong smiled when he heard this.

"Your Highness the Prince of Sai is always generous in giving you money, so just accept it. You can just give this little money to the brothers of the Imperial Guards for drinking, and you don't have to report it to the emperor. The emperor also meant it as a reward for you."

"No matter what the emperor thinks, I must tell him everything clearly and I dare not hide anything.

Moreover, since this matter was a reward from the prince, I am not afraid of letting the emperor know about it. If I conceal it, it will seem like the prince and I are in a clique for personal gain.

Fortunately, this happened in front of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and everyone saw it last time, so I believe there won’t be any rumors.”

Hu Weiyong's appearance here at this time inevitably made others feel a little confused.

But it's not convenient to ask directly in this situation because the difference between their identities and statuses is too big. Even if Mao Xiang has any ideas, he can't say them directly.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, it's already getting dark, and I'm in a hurry to get into the palace to report to the Emperor. If I'm any later, I'm afraid the palace gates will be locked."

"Mao Xiang, I know you are here to report this matter to the emperor, but there is no need to be so anxious.

The Emperor and the Empress haven't rested yet. I just saw the Empress send some people to deliver some food to His Royal Highness Zhu Kai's residence."

"I don't know what the Emperor and Empress have planned, but I have to do my part. If the Prime Minister has nothing else to do, I will go see the Emperor now. Do you want to come with me?"

The reason why Hu Weiyong was waiting here was to wait for the Jinyiwei. When he saw the Jinyiwei coming, he was still as roundabout as before and was unwilling to say it directly.

"I am waiting here because I am concerned about you, Your Highness. I hope you did not encounter any special situations along the way. Are there any thieves in the deep mountains?"

"Don't worry, Prime Minister, we have never encountered such situations before.

In addition to our Jinyiwei people, there are also General Lan Yu and His Royal Highness Zhu Di. The journey was relatively smooth. Wang Baobao did not bring anyone from his tribe. He only brought his sister with him, nothing else. "

Hu Weiyong sneered after hearing this.

"Wang Baobao only brought his sister? Didn't he bring anyone else with him? I heard that the people in his tribe are all brave and good at fighting."

“I don’t know the specifics.

I only heard that the prince was in a hurry to come back. As soon as he received the emperor's edict, he immediately brought his people back. I guess Wang Baobao should have no time to prepare anything else.

This should also be what the emperor meant. I don’t know anything more. If the prime minister wants to ask anything else, he may have to ask the emperor in person.”

The relationship between Mao Xiang and Hu Weiyong is now trying to pull together the Jinyiwei, whom the prime minister really wants to win over. After all, the Jinyiwei are the most trusted people around Zhu Yuanzhang. If he can win them over, he will definitely gain a lot.

However, the Jinyiwei were promoted by Zhu Yuanzhang himself, so they would not dare to betray Zhu Yuanzhang no matter what.

At this moment, the eunuchs in the palace were seen running out in panic.

"Oh, Lord Mao, you are finally back. The emperor has been sending me here to watch you. As soon as I see you come back, I will take you in immediately, regardless of whether the palace gate is locked or not. I have to see you first. I am finally happy to have you back."

When Mao Xiang saw the eunuch say this, he finally found himself out of trouble.

"In this case, we must not let the emperor wait too long. Let's go in and talk. Prime Minister, would you like to come in and take a look?"

Hu Weiyong was thinking at this moment, what should he say if he went to the palace and saw Zhu Yuanzhang. The other party was not someone to be trifled with, so his little thoughts would be exposed. Thinking of this, he couldn't say anything and could only smile awkwardly.

"Since the emperor has been waiting for you, it would not be good to delay it for too long.

You'd better go in quickly. I'm just here to take a look. After all, if there are foreigners coming to our capital, the guards at the gate must be strict."

Mao Xiang thought to himself that this cunning old guy was really good at making excuses for himself. He was obviously worried that Zhu Kai was deliberately waiting here to watch the fun, but he was too embarrassed to say it directly. Did he think everyone else was a fool?

But we don’t have time to argue with him here. Let’s go see Zhu Yuanzhang first. We have made the emperor wait too long and we will all be sentenced to death.

Afterwards, Mao Xiang followed the eunuch to Zhu Yuanzhang's palace.

Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang sitting there, the other party quickly knelt down.

"Mao Xiang, I pay my respects to His Majesty."

"Mao Xiang, I have been waiting for you for a long time and you are finally back. You must have had a hard journey. Hurry up and get up. There are no outsiders here."

After Mao Xiang stood up, he held the bag of gold that Zhu Kai had rewarded him with both hands, and walked in front of Zhu Yuanzhang with his head lowered.

"What is that in your hand?"

"This is the reward that His Highness Zhu Kai just gave me. Please take a look, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't take it seriously and just thought that this guy was very loyal.

"Zhu Kai has always been very generous in doing things this way. Since this is a reward from him, you should keep it for yourself. Why are you showing it to me?"

"Your Majesty, please take a look. This important reward is too valuable. I dare not accept it privately. I have to present it to Your Majesty."

Zhu Yuanzhang took the small bag nonchalantly, and was shocked when he opened it. It turned out to be a bag of gold.

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw that the box was filled with gold, he must have been very shocked.

Even though he was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty and was used to wealth and splendor, he had never thought that Zhu Kai would be so generous in rewarding him. Zhu Yuanzhang muttered to himself.

"What on earth is this kid Zhu Kai up to?"

When Mao Xiang saw the emperor's surprised expression, he must have been so scared that he said nothing, but at this moment he was even more glad that he did not secretly accept the gold.

Mao Xiang didn't even dare to raise his head, not knowing how Zhu Yuanzhang would react when he saw the gold. He could only test and guess.

After a while, Zhu Yuanzhang tied up the bag of gold and threw it aside without intending to return it to Mao Xiang.

Zhu Yuanzhang was a very calm person. He quickly adjusted his emotions and then said to Mao Xiang with a smile.

"Mao Xiang, can this be considered as returning the lost property?"

"I dare not. It should not count. Returning lost property means finding gold and not keeping it for yourself. This is a reward from the prince, but it is too valuable. I still dare not accept it."

"You have been the commander-in-chief of the Jinyiwei for such a long time, you must be used to seeing many people flattering you and trying to bribe you with money.

Although this amount of gold is not small for you, it is not as exaggerated as you imagine.

Even if you accepted it privately, I would not know about it. Moreover, this is Zhu Kai, who gave it to you openly. The Crown Prince and a group of people were witnesses, so it cannot be considered as privately accepting a bribe. Are you so afraid of me?"

Mao Xiang knew that Zhu Yuanzhang said these words to ask questions with answers.

He already had the answer in his heart, he was just testing his attitude. He would definitely keep a correct attitude and not dare to talk nonsense.

"Your Majesty, you were the one who promoted me.

I am only loyal to the emperor. No matter whether the prince rewards me with a bag of gold or a needle, I must explain everything to the emperor in detail. This is a matter of principle and has nothing to do with the amount of money. "

The fact that Mao Xiang was able to do so well in front of Zhu Yuanzhang had a lot to do with his emotional intelligence. His answer made Zhu Yuanzhang very satisfied, and it could be said to be a perfect answer.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and waved his hand to summon the eunuch next to him.

"What is the emperor's order?"

"Go to the storeroom and take out the box that I have treasured for many years."

"Is it a reddish-brown sandalwood box?"

"Yes, that's it. I haven't been willing to give it to others for so many years."

The eunuch next to him received Zhu Yuanzhang's assignment, glanced at the commander-in-chief of the Jinyiwei next to him with the corner of his eye, paused for a moment, and then walked backwards to get something from the warehouse.

"Your Majesty, what are you..."

"Mao Xiang, since you are so loyal to me, I will definitely reward you. Besides, you have worked really hard along the way.

You have been working non-stop from the border areas to protect several princes, and have also been trying every possible way to send messages to the court. It is indeed hard work to coordinate internal and external efforts, and you deserve a reward.

Since you are unwilling to accept this bag of gold, I will naturally give you something else as a reward. This is fair. Otherwise, I will be outdone by my own son."

When Mao Xiang heard Zhu Yuanzhang say this, he knew that he was probably not angry.

I don’t think I have any other ideas. Let’s first see what reward the emperor gives me.

Whatever it was, he just wanted to quickly end this terrifying process. Being with the father and son together was really too disturbing.

You have to be vigilant at all times, because any sentence might be a trap, and if you answer incorrectly, you might lose your head.

"Has Wang Baobao been behaving himself along the way?"

"Reporting to the emperor, His Highness Zhu Kai has always been following the emperor's arrangements and dared not slack off. As soon as he received the emperor's decree, he rushed back without stopping.

I heard that it was His Highness Zhu Di who went to Wang Baobao's tribe and took him over.

The prince was very prudent and did not give them the opportunity to prepare in advance. It was said that Wang Baobao wanted to prepare some gifts for the emperor in advance but was not allowed, so he just brought them back.

He did not have any followers on this trip, and only brought his sister with him. No matter what he thought in his heart, at least he must have behaved well on the surface and did not cause any trouble. "

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction. This was exactly what he had arranged. It seemed that his son Zhu Kai did not disappoint him. After reading the letter he wrote, he understood what he was thinking.

“This brat Zhu Kai is very smart.

I have never had any doubts about this son. No matter what task I give him, he can always handle it very well. I am very pleased. "

“That’s indeed the case with the King of Sai. He arranged everything very neatly along the way.

Whether it was resting in the inn or making arrangements for returning, it was all decided by the prince himself. I just cooperated with him to do some other things. If there was any credit, I really didn't dare to claim it. "

"The Jinyiwei have become his little followers in front of him?"

Mao Xiang smiled bitterly and said nothing.

Originally, he wanted to complain to Zhu Yuanzhang, saying that Zhu Kai was an arrogant and domineering person.

However, now he has received benefits from others, and the emperor also knows about it. Zhu Kai has rewarded him with so much gold. If he says bad things about him again, what kind of person will he become?

What Zhu Yuanzhang hated most was two-faced and smiling tigers like Hu Weiyong.

Mao Xiang had been with Zhu Yuanzhang for such a long time that he had long seen through his thoughts and ideas. At this time, even if he had any opinions about Zhu Kai, he dared not say anything. This was also one of Zhu Kai's strategies.

"Mao Xiang, it's a pity that you didn't go to the border area. You don't know what Zhu Kai has transformed it into. I heard that some of them have already abandoned the habits of nomadic people and started doing business?"

"I don't know about that. I just heard about it. But the prince will arrive in the capital soon. It might be better for him to answer the emperor in person. We are just talking about rumors, and we don't say much."

"Mao Xiang, I see you have learned a lot from following Zhu Kai along the way.

Fortunately, I sent this son away early. If I had let him stay in the capital, wouldn't the people around him have learned from him to be insidious and cunning? How would I manage these people in the court?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was just joking, and his body still approved of what Zhu Kai did. (End of this chapter)