Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 32 Solution
Zhu Yunhuan was stunned again. He thought Yang Shiqi would gladly accept it, but he didn't expect him to ask if he could refuse right away.

At this moment, there was a sound outside.

It turned out that the wine and food were already prepared.

He immediately told them to bring them and arrange them one by one.

The two men sat down separately. After the servants left and there was no third person in the dungeon, Zhu Yunhuan picked up the wine pot, poured a glass of wine for Yang Shiqi and another for himself.

He picked up the glass, drank it in one gulp, and said with a smile: "You won't refuse!"

Yang Shiqi asked, "Why is His Royal Highness the King of Wu so confident?"

"I have also heard about what Your Highness did in the court."

"Your Highness is brave and acts unexpectedly, which is admirable."

"But you must know that your highness's current situation is not good, it can even be said to be precarious."

"If I become your highness's teacher and follow your highness from now on, I will be in danger of death."

“A gentleman does not stand behind a dangerous wall.”

"I have an old mother to take care of at home, so I have to take good care of myself."

Zhu Yunhuan poured another glass of wine, but did not drink it. Instead, he picked up the chopsticks to pick up some food.

As soon as I put it in my mouth, my eyes lit up.

I have to say that the chef at the Duke's Mansion is very good.

The dish looked extremely delicate, and he had no idea what kind of delicacy it was made of, but it tasted really good.

Chang Sheng is indeed Chang Yuchun’s filial son, he really knows how to enjoy life!

"You lost your father when you were young, and then your mother remarried. Your stepfather offended a powerful person and was sent to guard the border. He died in a foreign land."

"From then on, you and your mother wandered around and lived a hard life."

"Despite this, the ambition in your heart has never been extinguished."

"A gentleman has lofty aspirations, and will not change even if he is poor and humble!"

"But even though you have talent, talent is never enough for the imperial examination."

"If you look through history books, you will find that there are many people who were extremely talented, full of poetry and literature, but who repeatedly failed in the imperial examinations."

"What's more, even if you are lucky enough to pass the imperial examination, become a Jinshi or even the top scholar, you can only barely enter the officialdom."

"You have no power or influence in the officialdom. You have no support, no background, and no one to help you. How can you be promoted easily?"

"For others, as long as they can be an official, even if they can only be a small county magistrate, that is enough."

"How majestic is it to be in charge of a region and rule over a place?"

"But for you, I'm afraid you will only be extremely disappointed."

"You won't be willing to waste your life like this."

"A man born in this world should make a career."

Zhu Yunhuan drank another glass of wine and said with a smile: "Without power, influence or background, you have to rely on yourself and take the path of imperial examinations. Even if you become an official, it will be difficult to achieve anything in your life."

"Come and become my disciple and teacher."

"Assist me in winning the position of crown prince. When I ascend the throne one day, you will be the imperial teacher and an important official in the court who will be recorded in history books."

"Only in this way can you realize your ambitions and make your life worthwhile."

After a pause, he stared at Yang Shiqi and said word by word: "Therefore, no matter how big the risk is, you will not refuse."

"How can there be a perfect solution in this world? Without risk, how can there be any reward?"

The expression on Yang Shiqi's face changed, and finally turned into a burst of laughter.

"Your Highness is very intelligent, far beyond the reach of ordinary people. He can see through the thoughts of ordinary people at a glance. I admire you."

He stood up, bowed deeply, and clasped his hands together.

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "So, you just said you wanted to refuse on purpose because you were worried that I would invite you to be my teacher but I would not want to listen to your advice and plans?"

Yang Shiqi nodded slightly and said, "This is exactly what I am most worried about."

"Your Highness is young, extremely talented, and intelligent. This is rare in the world, both ancient and modern."

"However, those with great talent will inevitably be proud, and those who are smart will inevitably be complacent. Your Highness is so confident in himself that I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to listen to others."

"The only way to make His Highness aware that he is in danger and will fall into the abyss if he is not careful is to make His Highness act with extra caution."

"It's not that Yang is conceited and wants to imitate Zhuge Kongming's actions. I asked Your Highness to invite me three times to raise my reputation. I had no choice but to do so. Your Highness, please don't blame me!"

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "It's okay! I know the situation well. My current situation looks good on the surface, but anyone with a discerning eye can see the problem."

"There are countless civil servants and scholars in the court, but no one is willing to be my teacher."

"You must know that these people are always very smooth and good at betting on both sides. They will not offend anyone easily, let alone the prince, the grandson of your majesty."

"It's just that although I successfully stopped Grandpa Huang from appointing a crown prince, they still don't think highly of me." "The fight for the crown prince is extremely dangerous."

"The high-ranking officials in the court are all thinking about how they can stay out of this."

"Only people like Huang Zicheng and Fang Xiaoru, who have not yet risen to prominence, would be so eager to express their support for my second brother, King Xian, in order to gain a chance to soar to the top."

"It's inevitable that you have concerns."

Zhu Yunhuan poured another glass of wine, raised the glass, stood up, and said: "Drink this cup, from now on you will be my teacher, we are teacher and student, we will advance and retreat together, and share honor and disgrace together."

Yang Shiqi looked at him, took the wine glass and drank it all.

He knelt on the ground and said, "I am Yang Shiqi, a humble citizen, who has received your kindness. I am willing to serve you from now on, to advance and retreat together, to share honor and disgrace, and to accompany you in life and death. This oath is for the saints to hear, the sun and the moon to bear witness, and the heavens and the earth to witness!"

A smile appeared on Zhu Yunhuan's lips. He helped him up and bowed deeply.

"Student Zhu Yunxun, greetings to the teacher!"

The two looked at each other and laughed out loud!
After paying homage to the master, the atmosphere suddenly became much more relaxed.

The two sat down together again, drinking and chatting.

Yang Shiqi smiled and said, "If I really rejected Your Highness just now, what would Your Highness do?"

Zhu Yunhuan glanced at him and said with a smile: "Given your situation, you have absolutely no reason to refuse."

He took a bite of the food before adding, "Grandpa Emperor has already issued an edict that if scholars and officials do not serve the court, they should be beheaded and their property confiscated!"

"I believe that Grandfather Emperor is wise and wise. As the grandson of the Emperor, I should follow his will."

The chopsticks Yang Shiqi was using to pick up food stopped in mid-air.

Then he burst into laughter.

The two continued to drink and eat together.

After three rounds of drinking, Yang Shiqi said, "Your Highness's current situation is really not very good."

"Although I am not an official in the court, I have heard rumors in the market recently. They all say that Your Majesty should make you the crown prince, so that the world can be peaceful. The intention behind it is obvious."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded and said, "When I came here today, I also heard it outside. What is your opinion on this, sir? Do you have a solution?"

Yang Shiqi shook his head and said, "The other party is in the dark, and we are in the light. There is no need to rush this matter, we can just investigate secretly first."

Zhu Yunxun said: "I have already asked my uncle, the Duke of Kaiguo, to investigate."

"However, considering his ability to handle things, it is probably not possible."

"It can only be used as an open move to attract the other party's attention, and then send someone to investigate secretly."

Yang Shiqi said: "Openly repair the plank road, secretly pass through Chencang. This is very safe, your highness has done a good job."

Then, he added: "Your Highness's biggest problem right now is not here, but precisely with your uncle, the Duke of Kaiguo, your great uncle, the Duke of Liangguo, and others."

"However, I was not in the court before, so I don't know the details. I hope Your Highness can tell me everything that happened after the court asked for the appointment of a crown prince that day, so that I can help Your Highness analyze it."

After becoming Zhu Yunhuan's teacher, Yang Shiqi immediately took on the responsibility.

"You are right. My great uncle is really a headache for me."

Zhu Yunhuan then recounted everything that had happened in the past few days, in great detail.

This is what is meant by “Don’t employ a person you doubt, and don’t doubt a person you employ.” Since they wanted to employ Yang Shiqi, they naturally could not hide it any longer.

After that, Zhu Yunxun asked again: "The most difficult problem right now is the one raised by my fourth uncle. Do you have any solution, sir?"

Yang Shiqi laughed and said, "He used an open strategy."

"No matter what you do, it won't work. You will fall into his trap."

"It's really awesome!"

"It seems that His Royal Highness Prince Yan also has an expert to guide him!"

Zhu Yunhuan cursed angrily: "No need to guess, this vicious plot must have been thought up by that evil monk named Daoyan."

Yang Shiqi was curious as to why he was so sure, but he did not ask any further questions.

He smiled and said, "However, although this plan is brilliant, I don't need to teach you how to solve it."

"His Majesty has already told His Highness."

Zhu Yunhuan's eyes suddenly widened: "Grandpa Emperor told me?"

"Yes!" Yang Shiqi said, "Your Majesty is far-sighted and has resolved the situation long before the Prince of Yan took action."

"What Jiang Li said to Your Highness that night was His Majesty telling Your Highness how to solve the problem."

"There is no clear order, because this is also His Majesty's assessment of Your Highness."

"Only after passing this test will Your Highness be truly qualified to compete for the position of crown prince!"

(End of this chapter)