Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 854: Bad Idea
Since ancient times, the imperial power has not extended to the countryside. But this is only true in China, because in other countries... In most cases, the imperial power does not leave the capital! Even in later times, many foreign places have great autonomy, and sometimes local courts can even rule that the orders from above are illegal. In any period of unified China, this is simply a fantasy.
In this day and age, not to mention the feudal lord system in Europe, even Korea and Japan, which claim to have similar systems in East Asia, have never achieved true centralization, and the so-called autocracy has never existed. In order to completely solidify the class system, one only learned the superficial aspects of the imperial examination system, and the other did not even have an imperial examination system for selecting talents.
In short, the noble will always be noble, and the humble will always be humble.
Even in the current Ming Dynasty, achieving class leap requires extremely good luck, plus the efforts of three or even more generations, but at least there is a chance. Unlike other countries in the world today, the elite class holds all positions by inheritance, and class mobility is almost completely stagnant.
Take Goryeo for example. The so-called kings were often deposed by powerful ministers, or stopped after various reforms failed. Most of the time, they could not make their own decisions and had to be controlled by others. Even the so-called master of Joseon Taejong was no exception. It is said that the law of confinement of illegitimate children was introduced by Taejong because of his own experience, but in fact, it was to limit the number of yangban.
Look at the late Joseon Dynasty, when the whole country was filled with yangban (the noble class), and many of them had fallen into poverty. That meant the country was almost doomed.
As for Japan, the emperor, who claimed to be the ruler of the world for all eternity, was highly respected, and then the shogun was in power. However, gradually the so-called shogun was sidelined in various ways. First the daimyo ruled the local areas, and then the samurai took over the real power. It was really an extreme interpretation of the inferior overthrowing the superior.
Therefore, when the Koreans could not help but ask questions, Zhang Shou felt that there was a problem somewhere between Korea and Japan, which was the most likely possibility. The second possibility was similar to the Ming Dynasty in history, where places like Macau were colluded by local corrupt officials and foreigners, but considering that the Ming Dynasty had no navy in history, but the Ming Dynasty today does not, so the possibility is low.
However, after he had spent two days of peace and tranquility in the public school, on the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, someone rushed to the public school, which was now relatively relaxed in security. It was Chen Yongshou, the manager of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, who was running errands in person. He left the people he brought with him outside and went to the school hall alone to see Zhang Shou. He was relieved when he found that Zhu Ying was not there.
Before he even had time to stand firm, he said breathlessly: "Master Zhang...Master Zhang, the second prince...the second prince has been found. He is...among those guys. Eunuch Chu...he is afraid of the consequences, so..."
Seeing Chen Yongshou hesitate to speak, Zhang Shou felt a headache. This was actually the possibility he least wanted to encounter...
But his biggest headache was not anything else, but this matter. The emperor actually sent someone to inform him. What could he do? He had a lot of students under him, but he didn't have any soldiers. Shouldn't he go to Zhao Guogong Zhu Jing or Chu Guogong Zhang Rui, who were similarly tough military figures, for this matter?
After taking a deep breath, he calmed down completely and asked calmly, "Eunuch Chen, calm down and don't be anxious. Speak slowly. Is he using the Second Prince as a bargaining chip to negotiate terms, or is he holding the Second Prince hostage to get out of this situation, or is it something else? Is Eunuch Chu still there, or has he rushed back to the capital to report the news?"
Chen Yongshou finally managed to even out his breathing, and said with a wry smile, "That group claimed that when they arrived by sea, they first rescued the Second Prince who was adrift on the sea, and then rescued the Goryeo ship that was delivering tribute. Who would have thought that those Goryeo guys were so ruthless. The reason they were sent to the capital first was because they were deceived by those Goryeo guys, because they cried and complained, and then turned their backs on us when they arrived in the capital."
But he couldn't explain the details since he didn't go with Chu Kuan. So after explaining this, he calmed down again and whispered, "Of course Eunuch Chu won't come back. After all, he is the chief. Who can take the responsibility for the two hundred sharp cavalrymen who went with him for such a life-threatening matter?"
After roughly understanding the situation, Zhang Shou asked directly: "Then why did Eunuch Chen come to see me now? It just so happens that Yingying is taking Zhanjin and Liuyin to the back to practice swordsmanship, but I guess she will come here as soon as she gets the news."
Chen Yongshou couldn't help but feel scared when he thought of the young lady who exploded like charcoal. But he had to tell the truth since he was ordered to do so: "The emperor had actually made up his mind to capture all the people regardless of the casualties, but the crown prince persuaded the emperor to stop, saying that if he had just considered the second prince dead..."
"Now that you know that the person is still alive, you still say such things. This thorn will stay in your heart forever. Moreover, does the so-called Haidong Hua Kingdom exist? What is going on? Doesn't your Majesty want to know?"
"So His Royal Highness said, if this is the case, there are only about 10 to 20 people in total, and it is difficult to escape even if we have wings. Instead of taking them by force, it is better to use wits to take them."
At this point, Chen Yongshou made a bitter face and said cautiously: "But the emperor was still angry and scolded the prince for being too soft-hearted, and then sent me to ask Zhang Xueshi if he had any good ideas to take it by surprise."
If the Third Prince was here, Zhang Shou would have wanted to knock on the head of this well-behaved little prince. You are such a good student who cheats your teacher! You think about your father, but you don't even think about how I came up with this idea.
If we instigate a violent attack, we might really incur the emperor's wrath later on as time passes. However, I suggest just pretending to be obedient and then bringing them to the capital to get to the bottom of it. But who knows if there will be any major commotion once we get to the capital!
He had deep doubts about the so-called Chinese envoys from the beginning, and was more inclined to believe that these people who appeared now were either hiding in some corner of Goryeo or Japan, or hiding in some islands along the coast of the Ming Dynasty. That's why they were able to rob the Goryeo tribute ship so coincidentally and hold the second prince in their hands so miraculously. Otherwise, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
So, under Chen Yongshou's expectant gaze, he coughed and said, "Where did Eunuch Chu intercept these people? Could they be at a post station on the road now?"
"Yes!" If he were sitting, Chen Yongshou would have slapped his thigh by now, but since he didn't have time to sit down yet, he could only sigh and whisper, "Thanks to the cold weather at this time of year, all the officials and tributes that should have entered the capital have arrived. The court had complained before about why the Goryeo tribute ship was late, but it had happened before, so we didn't pay much attention to it."
"Otherwise, the post station would be full of officials, and the official road would be full of people. Such a large group of people would first block the official road, and then occupy the entire post station. That would be terrible!"
"Then, Eunuch Chu should have made it clear that he wanted to arrest them. But what about these people? Not to mention that they used the Second Prince as a shield, since they insisted that they were the so-called Chinese envoys, they didn't say what they were doing in Ming Dynasty. What was the real purpose of their visit?"
"If you had told me, the emperor wouldn't be in such a difficult situation." Chen Yongshou's face was almost wrinkled into a bitter gourd, especially since Zhu Ying should be here soon. If he was angered by this young lady at that time, it would be an unexpected disaster. Therefore, he could only bow to Zhang Shou with a pleading look on his face.
"Master Zhang, I know that the emperor is asking too much, but what is needed at this time is not decisiveness or swiftness, but rather some unconventional means and tricks, just like how you easily saw through the origins of those six Koreans. You can at least give me an idea that I can use."
If the idea was so easy to come by, why would the emperor still ask you to ask me?
Zhang Shou racked his brains but didn't think he could come up with any ideas that would satisfy the emperor, so he just threw in the towel and said, "Well, since he is considered a person who has entered our territory illegally, he might have something in common with the blond boy in my family. Eunuch Chen, you go to my house and ask Eunuch Liang to take Wu Dawei there to see what they can gain."
Seeing Chen Yongshou staring in astonishment, obviously not expecting that he would actually come up with such a crooked idea, Zhang Shou chuckled and said nonchalantly: "Let the blond boy tell them his story, maybe there will be some opportunities to take advantage of it."
He is not an expert in negotiation. Even Chu Kuan, who is a very powerful man, is afraid to use his power. What is the point of him? Instead of doing this, it is better to let the language genius Liang Jiucheng take the blond boy who calls himself Wu Dawei to take a trip to see if he can get a little bit of Octavian's luck in history.
Chen Yongshou knew that asking Zhang Shou for help was just a last-ditch effort. Although he felt that Zhang Shou's idea was a bad one, he still left with a sad face. When he was almost at the door, he heard Zhu Ying's voice, which scared him so much that he quickly mounted his horse and galloped away.
However, when he returned to the palace and reported Zhang Shou's original words, he thought that the emperor would either laugh and scold him if he was in a good mood, or he would vent his anger on him if he was still in a bad mood. But he never expected that the emperor would be silent for a while and then sigh.
"That kid is probably at his wit's end. However, if these guys are really from Haidong, then this shouldn't be their first time on a ship. They should know the world well and have inherited the Emperor Taizu from the former Emperor Meng Tian. Let Liang Jiucheng take the men over. If they know exactly where Florence is where the blond kid is..."
"Then it is worth it for me to meet these people. Otherwise, let alone the fact that they are holding Erlang hostage, even if Emperor Taizu is still alive, I would not believe their lies!"
The emperor really listened to Zhang Shou's idea, which definitely sounded like nonsense. Although Chen Yongshou was surprised, he gave the order immediately. Then, the third prince and the fourth prince, who had been driven away by the emperor before, also heard the news.
This was a suggestion that was either like an antelope hanging its horns without leaving any trace or, to put it bluntly, a quick-witted man who came up with whatever he thought of. Even the Fourth Prince, who always respected his teacher, couldn't help but complain to the Third Prince, "Teacher, are you afraid of the cold weather? Father suddenly sent him there? How dare Father? When the Madam got better, she asked for him!"
The Third Prince was more prudent and would not talk about his father and teacher behind their backs. However, when he thought that the Second Prince was still alive and in the hands of a group of unidentified guys, and that his father had announced the death of the man to the whole world, he felt that even if the man really came back, he would probably end up in a very embarrassing situation.
Of course, he didn't sympathize with the other party, but he had to worry about his father's prestige.
Therefore, when he saw that the Fourth Prince was proud of his hard work in exposing the Koreans, and was rolling around on the bed, boasting about how he had a keen eye and provided the most critical information to the teacher at the first time... he suddenly said, "Fourth brother, when I went to Baijia Village to see you before, I persuaded Sister Yingying and the Queen Mother to help me escape from the palace."
"Tell me, if I come here again this time, will the Queen Mother and Sister Yingying help me again?"
The Fourth Prince had already heard about his Third Brother's escape from the palace last time. He was dumbfounded when he heard the old story brought up again. Before he could say anything, he heard a voice that was obviously very angry: "Don't even think about it! Not to mention that the Queen Mother and Yingying will definitely not help you this time. Even if they dared, you ran out of the capital in such a cold weather. Do you want to freeze to death?"
Following this voice, the emperor came in with a cold face. Seeing the fourth prince lying on the bed dumbfounded and the third prince looking unprepared, he said impatiently, "It's just a bunch of clowns causing a little trouble. Is it necessary for you two kids to look so sad? Sanlang, what do you want to do? Are you going to negotiate with others and ask them to release the people?"
"Erlang won't be grateful to you! Since I have already announced it to the world, I will just treat it as if I don't have this son! I don't care if people say I am an unkind father or partial. As for Erlang, he fell into the hands of thieves but didn't make a decision in the first place, so he can't blame others."
"Emperor Taizu once passed down a story about a young emperor who insisted on leading an army in person, but was defeated by the enemy and captured. He was actually forced to open the city gates. Although I have read all the history books, I have not seen such a story. But if you think about it carefully, if the emperor falls into the hands of the enemy, he can either end his life or learn from Goujian to live in the enemy camp and endure humiliation, and then make a comeback."
"As the supreme emperor, I am going to call for help... If I were the new emperor, I would order someone... No, I would personally shoot him to death with an arrow!"
The Third Prince's face immediately changed, and even the Fourth Prince, who was a rebellious kid at heart, turned pale. The two brothers watched the Emperor say this and then turned away with a sullen face. The Fourth Prince finally couldn't help but said weakly, "Third brother, Father... he won't really give the order..."
"Stop talking." The Third Prince covered his Fourth Brother's mouth for a long time before he let go. However, he did not chase him out to ask the Emperor to take back his decision, because the Emperor did not say so, and he did not want to push him hard behind his back. However, after thinking about it again and again, he spoke softly.
"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. The teacher is at the public school and has nothing to do. Fourth brother, what do you think of inviting him and Sister Yingying to the palace to celebrate the New Year together?"
