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

Chapter 69 Lan Yu, did you throw excrement into Li Shanchang's mansion?
Upon seeing the pastries Zhu Xiong Ying handed over, Yao Guangxiao was taken aback at first, then silently reached out and took them.

A small piece of pastry is hardly enough to win people's hearts.

but.
For Yao Guangxiao, who consciously positioned himself as a strategist, this was extremely heartwarming.

"Your Highness, there has been progress in the matter of Qian Yongqin!"

"We've already taken half of the first step."

Yao Guangxiao spoke softly, then held the pastry in his hand, put it in his mouth and sipped it gently, showing great appreciation.

"Li Shanchang truly lives up to his reputation as the Prime Minister of our Great Ming Dynasty; his 'legs' are indeed swift!"

"It's only been one night, and the messengers from the Five Armies Commandery haven't even returned yet, but Li Shanchang has already received the message?"

Zhu Xiong Ying sighed.

Come to think of it, with only eight qian of silver a month and this not being any important military matter, how could a lowly messenger possibly run all night for you?

"Now that he has realized it, given Prime Minister Li's mindset, he will certainly no longer conceal the power of the aristocratic clans."

"They'll be driven crazy trying to find Qian Qin's whereabouts."

Yao Guangxiao continued speaking, and with a single sentence, he saw through Li Shanchang's thoughts.

"Go find it!"

"The more they search, the more advantageous it is for us!"

Zhu Xiong Ying chuckled and patted Yao Guangxiao on the shoulder: "Old monk, when do you think we can make a move against Li Shanchang?"

Yao Guangxiao shook his head.

This action surprised Zhu Xiong Ying slightly.

“Your Highness, this Prime Minister Li is deeply entrenched in the court. We cannot take action against Qian Yongqin.”

After saying this, Yao Guangxiao gave Zhu Xiong Ying a deep look.

Zhu Xiong Ying was taken aback at first, then realized what he meant and chuckled, "You! Old monk, you really have a deep mind!"

"You mean to let them run wild!"

"The longer it drags on, the harder it will be to finish this."

"Especially with my grandfather and father both in Yangzhou, the fact that the prefect of Yangzhou has yet to take office is bound to provoke great anger. Isn't that right?"

Yao Guangxiao nodded with a smile, gently twirling his prayer beads and uttering a 'Amitabha'.

Looking at the kind-faced old monk whose mind was full of murderous intent, Zhu Xiong Ying couldn't help but laugh out loud. She imitated him, winked, and said, "Oh my hair!"
Seeing this, Yao Guangxiao couldn't help but chuckle.

"Alright, I'm quite relieved that you've planned this."

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled and stepped out of the palace gate.

Holding Buddhist prayer beads in one hand and half a pastry in the other, Yao Guangxiao watched as Zhu Xiong Ying's figure was bathed in golden sunlight, and he couldn't help but feel a moment of distraction.

"I thought the golden dragon was flying down, but it turned out to be the radiant light covering my clothes."

"Your Highness, the dragon's aura is truly magnificent!"

Yao Guangxiao murmured.

Then he reached into his pocket, took out a cloth, and carefully wrapped the half-paste.

Outside the Fengtian Hall,

"Lan Yu, did you throw excrement into the Han Guogong mansion last night?"

Fu Youde leaned closer to Lan Yu, looking shocked, and asked.

Upon hearing this, Lan Yu's lips twitched, and she almost couldn't resist kicking him: "Do you think I'm like you? Throwing excrement into someone's house in the middle of the night?"

"That censor Liu Wei from the Censorate only said that you took a concubine, and you threw excrement at him in the middle of the night. If it weren't for a few of us pleading with His Majesty, what kind of uncle would you, Old Fu, be?"

Fu Youde curled his lip, not taking it to heart at all: "I take a concubine because I'm healthy, and the censor's farts are just foul mouths. It's normal to invite him to eat excrement."

"But...that's not right! Li Shanchang's face looks so sour, you really didn't throw excrement at him last night?"

Lan Yu's eyelids twitched, and he immediately grabbed her by the neck: "I didn't splash it! And I couldn't possibly splash it!" Such playful banter was considered "immoral" by civil officials, but among military officers, it was "commonplace."

Back in the days of the Red Turban Army, after winning battles, it was common for these military officers, who came from humble backgrounds, to get drunk and fight. Even high-ranking officers had gotten into fights.

Back then, Xu Da would burp and shout, "The leader is mighty!" and "The leader's punch was truly powerful!"

"However, this Li Shanchang is indeed not quite right!"

However, while Lan Yu was 'teaching Fu Youde a lesson,' he also took a moment to glance at Li Shanchang.

Just as Old Fu had predicted, the old fox's expression was indeed quite unpleasant.

"Tsk tsk tsk, could it be that he couldn't hold his head up in front of the new concubine last night?"

Even with his neck 'locked', Fu Youde didn't forget to make jokes.

Old buddies, you can't really 'lock' them up, can you?
"Can't lift your head?"

Lan Yu was taken aback at first, then glanced at Fu Youde's knowing look and couldn't help but chuckle.

Don’t tell me, it’s really possible!

Li Shanchang is already this old, yet he still has three concubines, all of whom are young girls of seventeen or eighteen.

What was that literary insult again?

Correct!
An old tree is pressing down on a crabapple tree!
Unlike the frolicking of the military officers, Li Shanchang frowned, his eyes constantly darting outside.

"Teacher, everything has been arranged."

"The students have also sent people to inquire carefully. Qian Yongqin did indeed leave Yingtian Prefecture. It is estimated that he took a wrong turn on the way or encountered some robbers."

Finally, Hu Weiyong jogged over, panting, and began to report.

Upon hearing this, Li Shanchang finally felt half relieved.

Even if His Highness the Crown Prince established the Western Depot, it would be impossible for him to extend his influence beyond Yingtian Prefecture.

Didn't you see that Lan Yu led the men to kill those remnants of the Northern Yuan?

If you take a wrong turn halfway, you can find your way back.

As for losing his life to bandits, a mere prefect is insignificant. They can fabricate a story that he was ambushed and killed on his way to take office; it's just a matter of suppressing bandits.

Having figured this out, Li Shanchang breathed a sigh of relief and gently patted Hu Weiyong on the shoulder: "Weiyong, you've been working so hard on this matter."

“Once this matter is settled and His Highness the Crown Prince has finished his regency, I will recommend you for a position in the ministry.”

“That old fellow Yang Siyi is getting on in years. You should spend two years as the Vice Minister of Revenue, and then you can become the Minister.”

Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong's face lit up with joy!

Entering the Ministry as a Vice Minister sounds like a lateral transfer, or even a demotion, from the Secretariat.

But
If it's the Ministry of Revenue, then it's different.

Yang Siyi stepped down and directly took charge of the Ministry of Revenue. This gave him experience working in the Six Ministries. In addition, he was originally the Vice Minister of the Secretariat. This paved the way for him to succeed his teacher as Prime Minister!

In the imperial court, sometimes taking a step back is the way to take three steps forward!

"Thank you so much, teacher!"

Hu Weiyong quickly bowed and spoke.

Li Shanchang's face also showed a satisfied expression.

Lan Yu and Fu Youde both witnessed this change.

"Lan Yu, this old guy is suddenly so happy, do you think Hu Weiyong gave him some aphrodisiacs?"

"Do I prefer a piece of firewood, or a fish and water?"

Fu Youde rubbed his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Lan Yu's lips twitched repeatedly, and she took three steps back!

That old Fu is embarrassing! I have no idea what those two things are!
(End of this chapter)