Volume 1: Birth! Seven time travelers Chapter 055: Intelligence is the main business
After all, this body had not grown up yet, and after continuous high-intensity work, Zhu Youdong was still a little bit exhausted. So, after getting on the carriage back to Beijing, he soon fell into a deep sleep.
Looking through the curtain at the sleeping little master, Cao Huachun and Li Shizhong, who were guarding outside the carriage on horseback, were both in mixed feelings.
As for Cao Huachun, he was a darling of the inner school. As long as he studied for a few more years, he would have no problem entering the Imperial Household Department in the future. However, when the crown prince was in school, he was directly sent to the crown prince. Then he was driven by the crown prince to do this and that. After more than a year, he was only seventeen years old, and he actually felt very tired most of the time.
This kind of tiredness is just physical fatigue. It is completely different from the mental fatigue caused by various intrigues in the past. Also, everyone is driven by the Crown Prince to be busy in various ways. How can they have the time and energy to compete for favors and merits in front of the master, or to frame each other?
But why is the Crown Prince so busy? Logically, the Emperor is in his prime, and the Ming Dynasty is rich and strong. The Crown Prince is still idle, and most of the time he can only applaud his concubines . You are a five or six-year-old child, shouldn't you be playing all kinds of games now? Isn't our main responsibility to accompany you to play and make you happy?
It felt like there was a whip, constantly whipping the crown prince, making him work desperately and busy. As a result, the staff of Xinghua Palace were even busier than those of Ciqing Palace and even Qianqing Palace.
However, no matter how busy he was, Cao Huachun was still certain of one thing: working under the Crown Prince was simple! He didn't have to think too much about other things, as long as he did what he was told. For this reason, no matter how tired he was, Cao Huachun was willing to continue to follow the Crown Prince.
Moreover, the crown prince loves his subordinates and is responsible. At the grand court meeting a few months ago, the crown prince did not seek credit in front of the emperor, but instead emphasized the names of Cao Huachun and Wei Zhongxian. As a result, both of them were promoted. Old Wei was 38 years old this year, and it was nothing to be given the rank of a supervisor. But Cao Huachun was only 17 years old this year, and he was given the rank of a bookkeeper. And he was actually the director of Xinghua Palace. I'm afraid that there has been no one in this dynasty for more than 200 years who has been in such a situation, right?
Therefore, the Crown Prince deserves loyalty and must be served.
However, he was promoted by Teacher Wang An. Now the teacher has said that he should keep an eye on the grandson and see what he has done. He should also find a way to get the details of the account book of Honghe Manor. And he should find a chance to persuade the grandson not to always misunderstand the censors... How can he do these things? But if he doesn't do it, how can he live up to Wang An's teaching and care over the years. How can he live up to the subtle words and profound principles in the books during his years of study in the inner school?
Li Shizhong, who was guarding on the other side, was also extremely nervous at this moment.
For him, there is nothing to say about following the Crown Prince. It is so refreshing! Moreover, the Li family follows the Crown Prince, not only can their future wealth and lives be protected, but they have already started to make money.
Not only that, many of the Li family's older servants have now found work to do and have a good way out. In fact, everyone in the Li family is very satisfied with the emperor's arrangement.
What made him uneasy at the moment was that he had two letters in his arms.
One was written by his grandfather Li Chengliang, and the other was written by his second uncle Li Rubai. Both letters asked him to find an opportunity to make suggestions to the crown prince. However, the views of the two letters were completely opposite! How could he speak?
"...Master, Master, we are here."
"Hmm...are we there yet? How long have I slept?"
"Not too long, almost two hours."
"Well, I'm a little tired recently, but, Otomo, Xu Xianchun and Tian Ergeng are here, right?"
"They are all waiting at the door, but I thought that the young master was so tired..."
"It's okay, it's okay. They've all slept for a while. Ask them to come to my study."
"……yes!"
As a secret service agency during the Ming Dynasty, Jinyiwei had its times of great power and also its times of extreme frustration.
Before traveling through time, when I was a teenager, I only thought that the Jinyiwei were bad and specialized in framing loyal officials. Later, I gradually felt that the Jinyiwei was necessary. Now, as the grandson of the emperor, Zhu Youdong feels that the Jinyiwei is too important to him.
In fact, the Jinyiwei organization is not something that ordinary people can enter.
Let's talk about the two people that Zhu Youdong is familiar with. Xu Xianchun is the grandson of Xu Congcheng, the son-in-law of the emperor, which means he has royal blood (his grandmother is a princess). And what about Tian Ergeng? His grandfather Tian Le was even more amazing: he quelled the invasion of Mongolian tribes in Gansu and Qinghai, and stabilized the border between Shaanxi and Gansu. He was also awarded the title of Songshan Bo for his military merits as a civil official.
To put it in today's terms, if you are not a person of good family background, you cannot join the Jinyiwei.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, is greeted by your servants Xu Xianchun and Tian Ergeng."
"Everyone, get up." He waved his hand gently, and a maid brought warm tea. After drinking it all, Zhu Youdong let out a long breath: "All of you, leave. No one is allowed to come in without my order!"
"yes!"
When only the emperor and his ministers were left in the study, Zhu Youdong walked down from his chair and stood next to the burly man who was obviously a martial arts master. "Are you Xu Xianchun?"
"Yes, I am Xu Xianchun, a captain of the Jinyiwei, and I am here to see Your Highness."
"Yes." He took two slow steps and walked to the other person: "So you are Tian Ergeng?"
"Yes, I am Tian Ergeng, a captain of the Imperial Guard, and I am here to see Your Highness."
Because of the military merits of Tian Ergeng's grandfather Tian Le, the Tian family inherited the title of Jinyiwei Commander-in-Chief. This is the highest position below the Jinyiwei Commander. But on the one hand, Tian Ergeng's father was still alive at that time, so it was not his turn to inherit the position. On the other hand, the so-called hereditary title is often an empty title. To have real power, you have to start slowly from the grassroots: of course, starting from the lowest position such as Xiaoqi is not necessary. Therefore, although Tian Ergeng is only in his twenties, he started as a centurion.
"My Xinghua Palace opened last year, and at that time, many Jinyiwei wanted to come to me. Among them were the relatives of martyrs or the children of the powerful and wealthy. Do you know why I chose you?"
"I don't know, please enlighten me, Your Highness."
"It's simple, because you can and dare to do things!"
"We thank Your Highness for your appreciation. We will serve you loyally and will never disappoint you."
"Hey, everyone, stand up and talk while standing. I hate people kneeling. Although I am not tall enough now, I am indeed a little short. How about this, you sit cross-legged."
"I dare not."
"Hmm~~~?"
"yes!"
"Well, that's right. Listen carefully, both of you. I have something for you to do."
"Please give your orders, Your Highness."
"Speak softly." Although he was a loser before traveling through time, Zhu Youdong has lived in such a complicated environment for so many years. How could he not know that he is being monitored all the time?
He could not resist this situation: the people sent to monitor him were civil officials, which was fine. But what about the crown prince? What about the emperor? Should they be blocked? If they were blocked, would they be unable to sleep at night and have wild thoughts?
Therefore, all he could do was to let his subordinates only take charge of certain aspects as much as possible, and he alone would be in charge of the overall situation.
"Xu Xianchun, go to Honghezhuang to find Wei Zhongxian and withdraw 10,000 taels of silver. Please go to Siam for me."
"Siam? Uh, what does Your Highness want me to do?"
"You don't have to do anything. Just go there with your eyes and ears. See what changes have taken place in this country in recent years. What do the local people think of their king? If possible, find out about their army and how their equipment is different from that of the Ming Dynasty. You are a military scholar, so you should be familiar with the standard armaments of the Ming Dynasty, right?"
"Please rest assured, Your Highness. I am very familiar with the weapons of my Ming Dynasty, both hot and cold."
"Okay, I also know that you write well. After you go there, you will be able to write something when you come back."
"Yes, I obey your command."
"Haha, don't be so hasty to accept the order. Xu Xianchun, this mission is a long-term mission, um, it will last at least three years. Siam is located in the extreme south, mosquitoes are rampant, and miasma is rampant. You may die of illness if you are unlucky. Do you dare to go there?"
"I have finally come to Xinghua Palace to serve the Crown Prince. I will obey all orders from the Crown Prince!"
"Okay! You should also know that I am the most protective person and will never treat my subordinates unfairly. So, go ahead and do your job without worry. After three years, if you don't let me down, I will never let you down!"
"yes!"
"Tian Ergeng."
"I am here!"
After walking slowly with his hands behind his back, Zhu Youdong turned around and said, "You will also go to Honghe Village to find Lao Wei to collect 10,000 taels of silver. I want you to go to Fujian."
"Yes, what did the Crown Prince ask me to do in Fujian?"
"Inquire about the maritime trade there. Find talents! Well, it is said that people like Li Dan, Yan Siqi, and Zheng Zhilong are all big sea merchants and pirates. You have to find a way to find them and establish friendship with them. I will be of great use to you in the future!"
"yes!"
Unfortunately, the time traveler didn't carry Baidu with him. At this time, Li Dan was still making a living in Kyushu Island, Japan. Yan Siqi was also working as a tailor in Japan. As for Zheng Zhilong? He was only two years old at that time... So Tian Ergeng's next mission was doomed to fail.
"You will all be out for three years. During these three years, you are only allowed to use your eyes and ears. Unless your life is in danger, you are not allowed to take action, and you are not allowed to reveal your identity. Do you understand?"
In the eyes of the time traveler, an organization like Jinyiwei combines internal and external intelligence gathering, as well as trial and judicial power. It would be strange if such an organization was not watched all day long. Intelligence agencies should focus on intelligence, so that the monarch can sleep well, ministers will not always want to get rid of Jinyiwei, and the person in charge of Jinyiwei is more likely to have a good end.
"Yes, we will follow the orders of the Crown Prince and perform our duties conscientiously. After three years, we will come back to report to the Crown Prince!"
