Daming: Grandpa Emperor, please get up and sit on my throne!

Zhu Di was quite satisfied with the fast-paced game. He casually threw the chess pieces into the chess box and said to Monk Daoyan, "Let's play a slow game."

After saying that, he turned around and said to the outside, "Go and tell him to come over."

"Yes, Your Highness." A voice of reply came from outside the door, and then the sound of his footsteps on the snow could be heard fading away again.

Zhu Di made a "please" gesture to Monk Daoyan above the chessboard and said, "Master Daoyan, it's your turn to take the chess piece this time."

Monk Daoyan casually took a few chess pieces from the chess box beside him and asked casually, "If I remember correctly, Your Highness, how many chess moves have you made in the prefectures and counties within the fiefdom?"

Zhu Di took a chess piece from his chess box, placed it on the board, and guessed an odd number. He laughed out loud, "Hahaha, Master Daoyan has a good memory. Although my father stipulated in the Imperial Ming Ancestor's Instructions that princes should not interfere in local military and political affairs, as a prince guarding Beiping Prefecture, whether or not I have my sights set on that position, I still need to keep abreast of the situation within my own fiefdom."

"Of course, we have to have our own people."

"You can do without it, but you can't do without it. However, being as blatant as the second and third brothers is not advisable. It can easily leave a big handle and cause trouble."

There are no outsiders here, and he has always been frank with Monk Daoyan.

Zhu Yuanzhang had many sons and appointed many of them as vassal kings.

Although it was stipulated on the surface that the princes could not interfere in military and political affairs, the emperor was far away and they had the confidence of being "princes" or "princes", so it was common for them to pretend to obey the rules but actually disobey them.

This is also the reason why the first thing Zhu Yunhuan did after removing Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang was to replace the original provincial governors, judicial commissioners, and military commanders.

However, Zhu Di was more cautious than others. Even during the Hongwu Dynasty when he had his father's protection, he was very careful in "making friends with officials". He only made some moves at the state and county levels. His daily contacts were also very secretive. Unless it was necessary, it was difficult to tell who was his people.

"As the saying goes, 'It's better to be safe than sorry.' Your Highness is indeed a man who can accomplish great things." Monk Daoyan nodded in agreement and praised him.

Then he said with interest: "The other party took the initiative to visit me this time... I don't know what it is about." For him, what he needs most now is information and intelligence, the more the better.

As they were talking, the person was led out the door.

"Your Highness, the person has been brought here." The person outside the door reported.

"Advance." Zhu Di wrote a word on the chessboard and gave the order concisely.

The door of the room was pushed open, and the cold winter wind blew the snow outside in. It fell to the ground and was melted into a little snow water by the temperature inside.

"Please come in this way." The servant extended his hand to the person behind him.

"Thank you." A middle-aged man with a handsome and honest face, dressed in ordinary coarse linen clothes, bowed and thanked him, then stepped into the room. The door behind him was closed by the servant who led the way, blocking the cold wind from blowing into the room.

The middle-aged man looked serious and bowed to Zhu Di. "Your humble servant, Wang Defa, the magistrate of Daxing County, pays homage to His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan and the Princess!"

"I can tell this master is incredibly profound the moment I see him. I imagine he's the abbot of Qingshou Temple, Master Daoyan, who enjoys the prince's deep trust. Your humble servant greets you." How many officials don't tell lies to different people? Although I'd never seen Master Daoyan, seeing him here, playing chess with Zhu Di, it wasn't hard to guess his identity.

Monk Daoyan looked calm and politely raised his hand. Zhu Di then asked directly, "What happened?"

Wang Defa, the magistrate of Daxing County, immediately looked grave and said seriously, "Your Highness, the matter of anthracite... has now reached Peking. I'm sure Your Highness has heard of it."

Hearing the word "anthracite," Zhu Di's gaze shifted from the chessboard to Wang Defa, saying, "I know. Peking City started selling it this morning. Tongzhou, Daxing, Wanping, and other places are closer to the capital, so they must have started selling it earlier than Peking."