Chapter 57: Why Feign Ignorance

Zhu Yunsong gave him another exasperated look.

"Cousin! Can't you be serious for once? You clearly possess the talent of a great military commander, yet you insist on disguising yourself as a reckless playboy!"

Initially, Zhu Yunsong had also thought that Li Jinglong might truly be that "God of War" from the history books who only knew how to fight on paper. However, ever since interacting with Li Jinglong, Zhu Yunsong had completely overturned that notion.

The persona of the God of War and the playboy were merely disguises worn by Li Jinglong.

Heaven knows what was going on in his mind; ever since he was a child, he loved to present a devil-may-care attitude. When he wasn't frequenting pleasure houses, he was bullying the markets and lording over Yingtian.

He had genuinely molded himself into a prodigal second generation.

Only after testing him on several occasions did Zhu Yunsong discover that everything Li Jinglong displayed was entirely a facade—a disguise of his own making.

In reality, there were many shady intricacies behind the historical wars between Li Jinglong and Zhu Di.

For six hundred thousand men to lose against one hundred thousand was absolute nonsense.

Yet Zhu Yunsong knew that the fellow before him had trailed at Zhu Di's heels causing mischief since childhood; he was practically Zhu Di's little fanboy.

Moreover, rumor had it that Zhu Di was the very person who took Li Jinglong to a pleasure house for the very first time.

So think about that, chew on those details carefully...

"Yunsong! What are you talking about? What military talent? How come I don't understand a single word?" Li Jinglong was still playing the fool, even deliberately shifting the subject. "Are you trying to renege on our bet? Do you not want to hand over Ya'er's indenture contract to me?"

With that, he put on an aggrieved, pitiful expression, resembling a heartbroken man abandoned by a heartless lover.

"Sigh~"

Zhu Yunsong walked over to the sofa, sat down, and rolled his eyes once more.

"Cousin! I am planning to reform the military system after ascending the throne, and a year from now, wars of external expansion will commence. Do you really mean to say you don't want to participate?"

"I..."

Li Jinglong instantly choked on his words. After a long hesitation, he let out a heavy sigh and asked, "Sigh! Are you really planning to wage war abroad?"

"One hundred percent! A year at the earliest, three years at the latest. Surely the Great Ming cannot remain isolated and complacent forever, content with the status quo?" Zhu Yunsong nodded with absolute certainty, his eyes flashing with the ambition to swallow the world whole.

The frivolous and cynical look in Li Jinglong's eyes vanished completely in an instant.

Yet he did not answer immediately, instead lowering his head in deep thought.

After a long while, when he raised his head once more, his entire demeanor seemed to transform instantaneously, radiating an elusive, sharp edge.

***

"Do you trust me?"

The corners of Zhu Yunsong's lips curved upward as his eyes filled with unwavering certainty. "Why wouldn't I? You are my eldest cousin, and we are brothers whose bones are broken yet still connected by sinews. If I cannot even trust you, who else could I possibly trust?"

"Very well! I'll listen to you this once and carve out new territories for the Great Ming!" A sharp aura suddenly erupted from Li Jinglong, making him look like a keen sword leaping forth from its sheath.

Yet this imposing aura lasted only for a fleeting moment before his face reverted to its usual devil-may-care expression.

"But it's settled, then—you must give me Ya'er's indenture contract."

Zhu Yunsong rolled his eyes fiercely once again. "Give it to you, give it to you! Will that suffice? I honestly have no idea what goes on in that head of yours."

With that, he stood up and walked toward the door of the private room. Halfway there, he paused and said, "After the military restructuring, I intend to appoint you as the Marshal of the Southern Military Region. You will head to Yunnan in six months at the latest; prepare yourself accordingly."

"Hehe! Got it. Hurry back to the palace!" Li Jinglong waved his hand dismissively.

Zhu Yunsong said nothing more; he waved back and turned to leave.

On the third floor, inside another private room.

Chen Erniu stood before Zhu Yuanzhang, raised a hand to remove his hat, and rubbed his bald head in utter bewilderment.

He simply could not comprehend why Zhu Yuanzhang had suddenly fallen silent.

Shouldn't he be overjoyed upon hearing that the Third Highness had raked in thirty million in a single day?

"Erniu! Did... did my good grandson really earn thirty million today?"

After a long while, Zhu Yuanzhang finally snapped out of his daze and asked with extreme uncertainty.

Chen Erniu quickly broke into a wide grin and said, "Your Majesty, the commander of the imperial guards personally stated the figure of thirty million, though even the commander couldn't pin down the exact earnings."

"Hahaha! Good, wonderful!" Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly clapped his hands and laughed heartily.

"Dingchen, Weixue! Did you hear that? My good grandson earned more in a single day than the entire annual revenue of the Great Ming. From now on, I fear the Great Ming will truly never lack money again."

Though Fu Youde and Tang He inwardly scorned old Zhu's tendency to brag about his grandson, they could only smile along and say, "Your Majesty, this is your fortune, and the fortune of the Great Ming as well!"

"Indeed! Not only can the Third Highness effortlessly control the court, but he also possesses such extraordinary financial acumen. I believe it won't be long before we realize the aspirations we held back in the day."

"Not far off, it truly isn't far off this time." Zhu Yuanzhang's beard trembled with excitement. "I... within my lifetime, I can finally fulfill the oath I made back then. I am going to see with my own eyes the common folk of the Great Ming eat their fill and dress warmly."

"The only one who can accomplish all of this is my good grandson... Hahaha!"

Another burst of laughter filled the room.

***

Yet suddenly, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes narrowed into slits, and his smile was replaced by a solemn, murderous expression.

"If anyone dares to sabotage my good grandson's plan at a time like this, then they have only themselves to blame if I turn ruthless."

Fu Youde and Tang He shivered involuntarily, instantly grasping what old Zhu meant.

This was a warning to them, as well as a declaration of Zhu Yuanzhang's inner resolve.

However, they found nothing objectionable in it; instead, expressions identical to Zhu Yuanzhang's appeared on their faces.

"Your Majesty, rest assured! As long as we old fellows are still breathing, absolutely no one in the Great Ming will dare to undermine the Third Highness's plan."

...

The Imperial Palace.

No sooner had Zhu Yunsong returned to the Qianqing Palace than he summoned Song Zhong.

"Your Highness."

"Mm! Have there been any unusual movements from the vassal princes?"

"For now, the vassal princes have made no unusual moves. Upon receiving your decree, those who had already set out for the capital have retreated back to their respective fiefs," Song Zhong replied, bowing deeply.

A faint smile crossed Zhu Yunsong's face upon hearing this, and he continued, "And what about the Eastern Palace?"

Song Zhong's eye twitched violently at the question, but he still replied respectfully, "Last night, a palace maid from the Eastern Palace quietly slipped out of the palace and headed north all the way."

"North?" Zhu Yunsong was startled, then burst into a smile. "It seems mother and son still refuse to give up!"

Before Song Zhong could speak, Zhu Yunsong pursued, "Has it been verified precisely where that maid went and what her purpose was?"

"It has been verified." Song Zhong bowed, quickly fished a memorial from his bosom, and respectfully held it high above his head.

Ma Sanbao hurried over, inspected the memorial thoroughly, and then trotted over to present it to Zhu Yunsong.

Zhu Yunsong opened the memorial, glanced through it roughly, and could not help but let out a scoff of amusement.

"Heh... Interesting, truly interesting."