After Ma Shiying left, Zhu Ci looked up at Zhu Yousong and said, "Father Emperor, why not let this son make a trip?"
Author's Note:
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Zhu Ci: Now that I have the complete set of firearm diagrams in hand, I'm done playing with you lot! *Cat packing luggage. jpg*
Next update tomorrow at noon~
Chapter 15
“You?” Zhu Yousong asked, looking at Zhu Ci with a skeptical expression, "What would you go there to do?"
Zhu Ci said in a low voice, "Imperial Father, I am worried that no matter who is sent, this Crown Prince will have to be the real one."
"They wouldn't dare!" Zhu Yousong was furious.
“Father Emperor, what is there for them not to dare? The Donglin Party has always harbored dissatisfaction toward you, now even Grand Secretary Ma seems somewhat hesitant. If they feel that the one in Hangzhou is more to their liking, anything could happen.”
Zhu Yousong thought that it made sense, he looked at Zhu Ci and asked, "What use would it be for you to go?"
Zhu Ci said, "Your son believes that regardless of whether this person is real or a fake, he cannot be allowed to remain. Even if he is real, does Father Emperor still intend to abdicate? Even if Father Emperor were willing, would he not suspect Father Emperor and view him as a thorn in his side? If abdication truly occurs, then life and death will truly be in the hands of others."
Zhu Yousong sneered, "Zhu Youjian lost the empire of the Great Ming; does Zhu Ci still have the face to ask me to abdicate?"
Zhu Ci lowered his voice: "But we also cannot simply send people to kill him directly. That would give the Donglin Party an excuse. Even without me, they might find someone else; there are so many members of the imperial clan that they could always find one or two."
Zhu Yousong had already worked it out: "You want to do it yourself? What is the difference between you doing it and your subordinates doing it?"
“This son will certainly not take action myself. My travel is intended to lull those rebels into a false sense of security. Once I receive word that person has returned to Nanjing, I will arrange for some people to pose as bandits to intercept the road. In the midst of such chaos, would it not be normal for one or two people to die?”
Zhu Yousong glanced at him, actually using his brain for once: "If the Crown Prince is traveling, how could a group of bandits possibly succeed against his retinue?"
Zhu Ci immediately said, "I will simply travel in secret. If anyone objects, I'll say that because my identity is important, I cannot make a grand spectacle, if an assassination attempt were to occur, it would cause trouble. It would be better to travel in plain clothes and return to Nanjing disguised as a merchant."
Zhu Yousong's brow relaxed slightly as he said, "That would be fine, but.. can you manage it?"
Zhu Ci immediately said, "Rest assured, Father. Your son will certainly do his utmost. Now that Grand Secretary Gao cannot be relied upon and Grand Secretary Ma cannot be relied upon either, your son must naturally shoulder some of your burdens."
Zhu Yousong nodded upon hearing this; he did not doubt Zhu Ci's stance.
After all, if his own position as Emperor was not secure, Zhu Ci's life as Crown Prince would not be long either.
It was just that his son didn't seem as kind-hearted as he usually appeared; instead, he seemed to possess a certain ruthlessness.
If that man were truly who he claimed to be, he would be Zhu Ci's cousin after all; to kill him so easily and then find ways to avoid leaving any evidence would make Zhu Yousong unable to help but become vigilant.
If he dares to kill his cousin now, he will dare to kill his imperial father in the future!
It would be better to take this opportunity to send those cousins to meet the King of Hell together; the remaining sons are still quite young, so he could easily find an excuse not to appoint a Crown Prince.
Zhu Yousong thought of this and said softly, "My son is so thoughtful. In that case, go and make the preparations."
Zhu Ci bowed and said, "This son obeys your command."
As he left Wenhua Hall, he took a deliberate look around, feeling a profound sense of regret in his heart. He had not yet had the chance to properly tour the Nanjing Imperial Palace, he did not know when he would have the opportunity to return.
Zhu Ci had barely returned to the Eastern Palace when Ge Xudong arrived shortly after, bringing a man and a woman with him.
He took a glance and felt that neither of them should be over twenty, especially the boy, who looked to be about the same age as him, at that age where one's gender is hard to discern.
The two of them were dressed very lightly, their clothes barely covering their most private parts, appearing half-hidden and half-revealed.
Zhu Ci glanced at Ge Xudong. "What is the situation?"
Ge Xudong said with a face full of joy, "Your Majesty has bestowed some silks and satins upon you, as well as these two. He said he wants these two to stay by your side and serve you well."
Serve?
It was likely surveillance.
Zhu Ci glanced at the two of them and didn't mind, saying nonchalantly, "Then let them stay. Oh, have them change their clothes first."
His body was young enough, currently in a stage where he was prone to impulses; having two beauties following him around in skimpy clothing every day made it easy to stir up desire.
Even if he didn't consider himself a paragon of virtue and his moral integrity had long since shattered, these two were still minors, for fuck's sake.
In a later era, they would be at most the age of middle school students; looking at their current appearance, one would feel like a beast for even glancing at them twice.
When these two were led away by Ge Xudong, Zhu Ci stood by the window watching their retreating figures. As he watched, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly: these two maintained a stable center of gravity while walking, with relaxed shoulders and heavy elbows, their footwork was consistently light and deliberate; it was clear at a glance that they were trained.
Where were they selected from? Were they chosen at random by Zhu Yousong, or were they specifically handpicked?
What was the intention behind arranging for these two to be by his side?
Zhu Ci certainly didn't think the foolish Emperor cared for him or wanted to protect him; besides, what protection could this man and woman, who had not yet fully grown into their frames, possibly provide?
If anything, it would be much easier to take his life.
Zhu Ci lowered his eyes and pondered for a long while, feeling that he should still be safe before meeting Zhu Ci.
Even a foolish Emperor, no matter how mentally deficient, could still distinguish which of them posed a greater threat to him at this stage.
It is more likely that the current arrangement is intended to achieve a double kill; after all, the foolish Emperor ultimately cannot stand to see anyone else in the position of Crown Prince.
Zhu Ci let out a soft chuckle and continued reading.
After that man and woman followed Ge Xudong out, they asked with some concern, "Manager Ge, does His Highness perhaps dislike the two of us?"
Ge Xudong was quite polite to them; after all, Zhu Ci could realize in an instant that these two might have come to spy, he naturally had his own suspicions as well.
Don't worry, His Highness is very soft-hearted and treats the palace servants very well. He doesn't beat or scold them, he even gives them rewards of gold, silver, food from time to time. Serve him well, just do whatever His Highness tells you to do.
A man and a woman responded in unison, exchanging a glance, both seeing doubt in each other's eyes.
They doubted whether His Highness was truly as excellent as Ge Xudong had claimed, after all, the Crown Prince's reputation in the outside world was a mixture of praise and criticism.
After changing their clothes, they were led before Zhu Ci once again.
Zhu Ci felt a bit more at ease only after seeing them properly dressed, said to Ge Xudong, "Go attend to your business first; just let them stay here to serve."
Ge Xudong bowed and withdrew.
Zhu Ci asked while flipping through a book, "What is your name?"
This servant is Fu Chunsheng.
Your servant, Fu Qiulu.
Zhu Ci was somewhat surprised: "Are you two brother and sister, or sister and brother?"
Fu Chunsheng immediately replied, "Brother and sister."
Zhu Ci's gaze swept over their two faces, thinking to himself that the two of them did not look like siblings at all.
Siblings with a blood relation, even if they only share a paternal or maternal connection, will inevitably have some similarities in their facial features.
It might not be obvious at first glance, but one can tell if they look closely.
Zhu Ci did not think much of it. Since these two people clearly held different identities, whatever he was being asked now was likely false, there would be no point in knowing the truth.
Can you read?
Fu Chunsheng and Fu Qiulu hesitated for a moment before answering, "We can read."
"Perfect, read it to me." Zhu Ci tossed the book in his hands to Fu Chunsheng.
As for Fu Qiulu, she was responsible for massaging his shoulders.
Zhu Ci closed his eyes directly.
To be fair, Fu Chunsheng had a decent voice, his articulation was clear, he knew quite a few characters.
Most importantly, he had clearly read this book before; his reading was very smooth, with everything from his tone to his pauses being perfectly appropriate.
And the book Zhu Ci was reading now was a military treatise.
He wasn't actually looking to learn anything specific from the military treatise; he was just browsing casually, thinking that perhaps he might find a use for it one day.
Setting everything else aside, if he truly encountered Guwalgiya A'er'na, he would definitely kill him.
The only uncertainty was that he still wasn't sure whether he was in a book or in real history.
There was nothing he could do; the intelligence he had gathered regarding the Qing army was far too little. Moreover, at this current stage, the protagonist's military rank was still only Niu Lu E Zhen, making him a member of the grassroots backbone of the military system. It was clear that the Southern Ming intelligence system would not focus on him, even if they did, the information would never reach the Emperor.
But regardless of which one, he only hoped to be able to predict the Qing army's route.
Fu Chunsheng had spent the entire afternoon reading military books, Zhu Ci had committed all of it to memory, only reviewing it before going to sleep at night to integrate it with his own meager historical knowledge.
As a result, that night, as soon as he returned to his bedroom, he saw Fu Chunsheng and Fu Qiulu had put on the same outfits they wore during the day, kneeling one on each side of his bed.
Zhu Ci paused, took a deep breath, said, "Did Ge Xudong arrange accommodations for you? If he did, then go back. I do not need your service here."
Everything from morning till night is just something meant to lead people astray; in an environment like this, it's truly difficult to stay on the right path and easy to fall into bad habits.
Fu Chunsheng immediately looked up with a pitiable expression and said, "Your Highness, was it because we, the two siblings, failed to serve you with enough devotion that we could not satisfy you?"
Fu Qiulu also bit her lower lip and looked at him.
This pair of siblings was truly interesting; the boy had a gentle and eloquent personality, while the girl was more stubborn and silent.
Zhu Ci sat on the bed, glanced at them, said, "Then you two shall keep watch from now on."
After saying that, he didn't say another word and instructed the young eunuch on night duty to lower the bed curtains so he could prepare for sleep.
He appeared to be doing nothing but indulging in food, drink, pleasure every day, but in reality, he was constantly contemplating how to save his own life. His brain was always under a heavy load, he could only relax slightly when he slept at night.
He was unwilling to waste such a luxurious period of rest on entangling himself with these two; they could do whatever they pleased, for they couldn't possibly climb up and ravish him, could they?
Fu Chunsheng and Fu Qiulu knelt there, after confirming that the Crown Prince had truly fallen asleep, bewilderment appeared on both of their faces, followed by a sense of self-doubt.
That shouldn't be the case. Could it be that they aren't beautiful enough to catch the Crown Prince's eye?
But even if the Emperor, who had seen countless beauties, was very satisfied with both of them, the Crown Prince.. could he really be a gentleman who remains unmoved by beauty?
Fu Chunsheng lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. Seeing that the Crown Prince had already closed his eyes, he immediately stood up, lifted the bed curtains, climbed onto the bed.
Zhu Ci was naturally not asleep at this time; he immediately sat up and looked at the pair of siblings with a cold expression, asking, "What are you doing? Do you intend to defy orders?"
Fu Chunsheng steeled his resolve and directly stripped off his clothes, saying, "I beg Your Highness to allow this lowly one to serve you in your bed."
Zhu Ci grabbed his wrist and said with a frown, "Stop everything."
Author's Note: