The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 68 What is the old monk doing here so early in the morning?

"Something happened to Qian Yongqin?!"

Upon hearing Hu Weiyong's words, even Li Shanchang felt a chill in his heart.

From the moment His Highness the Crown Prince specifically named 'Qian Yongqin,' he suspected there was something fishy going on.

结果
The swift rider who had just gone out to deliver the message yesterday returned today to report that something had happened, further confirming Li Shanchang's suspicions.

"Come in and talk."

Li Shanchang glanced outside the door, then waved his hand, signaling the maid inside to leave.

When Hu Weiyong entered the room, Li Shanchang casually threw on a piece of clothing and asked in a deep voice, "What happened to Qian Yongqin?"

Hu Weiyong gulped down the still-warm tea, finally managing to calm himself down.

"Teacher, we can't find Qian Yongqin!"

"Yesterday, the fast rider went to Songjiang Prefecture to deliver the imperial edict, but he didn't even get to see Qian Yongqin's men."

"Our people from the Secretariat asked his family and learned that Qian Yongqin went to our Yingtian Prefecture five days ago and has not returned since."

When Hu Weiyong spoke of this matter, his expression became extremely solemn.

Qian Yongqin wanted the position of prefect of Yangzhou, so he specially came to his teacher's residence to offer his help, and he knew about this.

According to the route, even if the carriage travels slowly, it should take a day to arrive.

But now, no one is even responding to His Highness the Crown Prince's edict!

"How did Songjiang Prefecture handle it?"

Li Shanchang placed his hand on the table, applied slight pressure, and asked.

Even he was extremely concerned at this moment!

"The Qian family said all sorts of nice things to the messenger from the Five Armies Commandery, and even gave him money. Then they fabricated a lie that Qian Yongqin had fallen ill with a wind-evil disease, and managed to get away with it."

"Now the messenger from the Five Military Commands will soon be returning to Yingtian to report back."

Hu Weiyong spoke with lingering fear.

Using illness or disaster as a pretext for avoidance is the worst possible strategy.

However, if the truth is reported, it is found that the official in office had abandoned his post and went to Yingtian Prefecture, where he would meet with the current prime minister. No matter what, the first thing that would happen is that he would be demoted to a commoner!

even
Given this crown prince's personality, he might even implicate his own teacher!

"Send someone!"

"Send men to find this man! We must see him alive or dead!"

Li Shanchang gritted his teeth and spoke!
For some reason, he suddenly felt extremely panicked.

This smells like a conspiracy.

Ever since the Crown Prince took over the reins of government, he has realized that his initial underestimation of him was simply foolishness!
Although this Crown Prince is young, his strategic planning ability is far beyond that of ordinary ministers!
even
He felt that Zhu Xiong Ying's scheming ability was a sign of his ambition to rise to power!
"Yes!"

“The students have already sent trusted men to search along the route.”

Hu Weiyong nodded.

He was not a dull person; in fact, one could say that his rise to prominence stemmed from his quick wit!

This matter was arranged from the moment the news was received.

Unexpectedly, Li Shanchang shook his head and said, "Not enough!"

"Let all the gentry in Jiangsu search for it. If they can't find it, this matter could be in big trouble!"

"Remember, you must find out whether Qian Yongqin went missing inside or outside Yingtian Prefecture!"

Hu Weiyong was slightly taken aback, and asked with some doubt, "What does the teacher mean?"

Li Shanchang said in a deep voice: "This prince's plan is definitely not as simple as that of a prefect of Yangzhou or a prefect of Songjiang."

"In my opinion, this prince even wants to eradicate the Qian family completely!"

"Yesterday, it was reported that Yu'er, the young lady who serves the Empress, has been frequently leaving the palace and has opened a sugar shop!"

"The Qian family of Jiangsu is a sugar tycoon!"

"What I fear is that our prince might be harboring ambitions to seize wealth and power!"

"I'm even wondering if the disappearance of Qian Yongqin is related to this prince!" Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong's expression froze, instantly turning extremely ugly!

This Crown Prince is truly extraordinary, and also incredibly ruthless!

If this was indeed done by the Crown Prince, then wouldn't he have known all along that Qian Yongqin was in cahoots with his teacher?
"Yes! I'll take care of it right away!"

Hu Weiyong quickly got up and ran out the door.

Watching Hu Weiyong's departing figure, Li Shanchang's face was gloomy, but he had not lost his most fundamental composure.

Li Shanchang survived a certain death situation when he "betrayed" Zhu Yuanzhang in the past. So what if this Crown Prince has caught him red-handed today?
It will likely result in either a reprimand or a demotion!

Did they really think that Li Shanchang's position as the head of all officials in the court was brought about by his mere position as the Chancellor of the Secretariat?

"Change."

"Go up!"

Li Shanchang stood up and spoke in a deep voice.

Soon, three maids entered the room carrying clothes.

Seeing that their master was in a bad mood, none of the maids dared to say a word, and they were even cautious and careful when helping him dress.

Inside the palace, Zhu Xiong Ying also slowly got up.

Nine maids entered and helped him change his clothes.

Unlike Li Shanchang, this Crown Prince was in an exceptionally good mood!
"Your Highness, the Twelfth Prince read through all the memorials last night. He has selected the more important ones for you to review."

"The minor matters have already been sent back to Liu Sanwu, and can be formally reported to the Secretariat today."

Yu Huatian spoke up.

Zhu Xiong Ying was in an even better mood.

There's nothing more enjoyable than having someone help you with your work.

"Uncle Twelfth has worked hard too, let's stew some turtle soup for him."

Zhu Xiong Ying said with a smile.

When someone helps you with something, you should at least offer some compensation, right?

"Yes!"

Yu Huatian responded softly, marveling at how kind-hearted his prince truly was.

"Your Highness, Master Daoyan requests an audience!"

Just then, a maid entered the hall and whispered her report.

Because Zhu Xiong Ying kept Yao Guangxiao in the palace under the guise of a Buddhist master praying for blessings, the people below all referred to him as "Master Daoyan".

"Let him in."

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled faintly, and seeing that he was already dressed, he waved his hand, signaling the maids to leave.

"Slave, please leave!"

As the maid left, Yao Guangxiao entered the hall. Just as he was about to chant a Buddhist prayer, Zhu Xiong Ying interrupted him with a smile:

"Alright, old monk, don't I know you? You look kind and gentle, but you're actually a black-hearted man!"

"If you had been born during the Three Kingdoms period, it wouldn't have been 'Wenhe's chaos in the military,' but rather 'Daoyan's chaos in the military.'"

In this joke, Zhu Xiong Ying directly linked Yao Guangxiao with the infamous strategist Jia Xu.

Ordinary people, especially monks, would be furious upon hearing this, since it is a matter of morality.

Upon hearing this, Yao Guangxiao was not angry at all. Instead, a genuine smile appeared on his face, as if he had sensed the praise from his prince.

"Your Highness, this old monk is far inferior to Mr. Jia Xu."

Of course, Yao Guangxiao should still be modest.

"Alright, what brings you here so early in the morning?"

As she spoke, Zhu Xiong Ying handed Yao Guangxiao a piece of pastry.

This old monk probably hasn't even had breakfast yet, since it's so early in the morning.

(End of this chapter)