The rise of the poor

"It's not fake, it's real, it really is the seal of the Prince of Hui." Luo Longwen argued, his face flushed and his neck stiff.

"Really?! Hahahaha. Are you trying to make me laugh to death? When did my king carve this golden seal?"

The group of Japanese pirates burst into laughter, and even Wang Zhi, sitting on the tiger-skin chair, couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

If this seal were real, it would suit his taste, but if it were fake, well, even if it were ten or a hundred times bigger, Wang Zhi wouldn't care. As for gold, Wang Zhi had plenty of it; probably only the emperor in the whole world had more gold than him.

“It’s really true. This royal seal was specially found by my master. It is the genuine seal of the Prince of Hui.”

Luo Longwen reacted as if someone had stepped on his tail, almost jumping up to argue, his face turning bright red, and the veins on his neck bulging out.

"How could this be real? Where did this Prince Hui's seal come from? Our king has never had such a golden seal carved!"

"You're showing off your skills in front of a closed door! Our King is known as King Hui, and he's right in front of you. Even my King doesn't know about this precious seal, yet you dare to insist it's real. You're courting death!"

The group of Japanese pirates rubbed their fists together, looking at Luo Longwen with ill intent.

"No, no, don't do anything reckless. I'm telling the truth. Listen to me, this really is the seal of the Prince of Hui, but this Prince of Hui is not the same Prince Your Majesty, but another Prince of Hui," Luo Longwen explained loudly.

"What other King Hui? Are you kidding me?! Besides our King, who else in the world is King Hui?!"

Mao Haifeng reached out and grabbed him by the neck like he was a chick, spitting all over his face.

Luo Longwen straightened his neck and argued with a flushed face, "Yes, yes, our Great Ming Dynasty also has a Prince Hui, who is the son of Emperor Yingzong and the younger brother of Emperor Xianzong. His name is Zhu Jianpei. In the second year of Chenghua, he was enfeoffed as the Prince Hui by Emperor Xianzong and enfeoffed in Junzhou, Kaifeng Prefecture. He was the first Prince Hui of the Great Ming Dynasty. It has been passed down from generation to generation to this day. Today, he is the fourth Prince Hui. This Prince Hui's seal is real, genuine, and guaranteed to be genuine. It was personally pledged to my master by the current Prince Hui. It is the same Prince Hui's seal that Emperor Yingzong bestowed upon him. It cannot be more genuine than it seems."

As soon as Luo Longwen finished speaking, the hall fell silent for a second before erupting into a commotion, filled with doubts and skepticism.

"Really? There's actually a King Hui in this world besides our King?! You're making this up, aren't you?"

"There really is a Prince Hui whom the Emperor bestows upon?!"

"You're not kidding our King, are you?!"

The Japanese pirates were skeptical. Could there really be such a coincidence in the world? There was actually a Prince Hui who had been appointed by the Emperor. This was a genuine Prince Hui, not some self-proclaimed, unorthodox Prince like our King.

"Oh dear, I remember now. There really is a Prince Hui's Mansion in Henan. Back then, I accidentally strangled a widow who was resisting at the edge of the village. I was on the run and passed through Henan, joining a group of refugees fleeing a severe drought. I passed through the territory of this Prince Hui and heard that the grain in the Prince Hui's Mansion was so plentiful that it was going moldy. I thought I'd go with the refugees to the Prince Hui's Mansion to get a few bowls of relief porridge. But that damned Prince Hui—oh, not our king, but the Prince Hui from Henan—sat in his eight-bearer sedan chair, watching the refugees kneeling in the street begging for food. He had his guards drive them away with sticks and wouldn't give us a single bowl of porridge, saying things like, 'Whether the royal grain is plentiful or scarce, what does it have to do with you?' He just watched the refugees starve to death without caring. Instead, he sent his men to kidnap the pretty women among the refugees and bring them into the palace to be foot warmers!"

One of the Japanese pirates suddenly remembered an old story, recalling how he had been on the run in Henan, passing through the territory of a Prince Hui.

"There really is another Prince Hui."

Only then did the group of Japanese pirates believe that there really was another King Hui.

"But how can you prove that this Prince Hui's seal is genuine? How could Prince Hui mortgage the seal bestowed by the emperor to your master? Who is your master, that he has such great power?"

However, the group of Japanese pirates still found it hard to believe that the seal of the Prince of Hui presented by Luo Longwen was genuine.

"Bring it up so I can take a look." Wang Zhi gestured for Mao Haifeng to present the Prince Hui's seal for inspection.

Mao Haifeng presented the Prince Hui's Seal to Wang Zhi with both hands. Wang Zhi took it and examined it carefully, looking at the color and carving. It was indeed quite old, and the carving was extremely exquisite. There were two four-clawed golden dragons intertwined on the top of the seal, with openwork carving, which was very lifelike. This seal was very real.

"Who is your master?" Mao Haifeng asked Luo Longwen.

"I am Luo Longwen. Don't you know who my master is?" Luo Longwen covered the wound on his wrist, looking incredulous.

Are you famous?

"Can you stop being so narcissistic? Who do you think you are? You're not made of gold, so why do you think we all know you?"

The group of Japanese pirates looked at Luo Longwen as if he were an idiot.

"Alright, I'll reveal my master's name, or I'll scare you." Luo Longwen raised his head, looking very proud.

"Hurry up and tell us, or we'll stab you." The Japanese pirates impatiently picked up their swords and threatened Luo Longwen.

"No, no, no!" Luo Longwen was so frightened that he backed away repeatedly. "My master's surname is Yan. The young master is Yan Shifan, and the old master is Yan Song. He is the current Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, second only to the emperor."

The room fell silent for several seconds before suddenly erupting into a frenzy, like a pot boiling over.

"Yan Song, the prime minister Yan Song is actually your master!" The group of Japanese pirates were shocked. They did not know Luo Longwen, but they knew the name Yan Song. He was the number one person after the emperor.

Upon hearing that Luo Longwen's masters were Yan Song and Yan Shifan, Wang Zhi picked up the Prince Hui's seal again. If that's the case, then the Prince Hui's seal really is genuine. How could such a gift from such a person be fake?

"How did Yan Song obtain this Prince Hui's seal?" Mao Haifeng asked Luo Longwen.

"It wasn't the old master who brought it, it was Brother Donglou, well, it was the young master who brought it. Three years ago, the previous Prince Hui passed away, and the current Prince Hui was vying for the throne. He followed my master's path, but he couldn't raise enough money. Originally, Prince Hui wanted to owe him money, but the young master directly cut off his annual salary for a year, so he gave in and mortgaged the Prince Hui's seal to the young master." Luo Longwen said with a proud expression.

"Can a one-eyed dragon really receive the King's annual salary?" a Japanese pirate exclaimed in surprise.

"Let alone a fourth-handed king from a branch of the royal family, even the Emperor's own son, Prince Yu, had his annual salary cut off by my master. Prince Yu still gave my master a gift before my master finally paid him his annual salary."

Luo Longwen raised his head. (End of Chapter)