A Place to Hide Filth and Corruption!

Since September, Bian Prefecture had seen intermittent rainfall.

As the rain washed over the land, the weather turned noticeably cooler, bringing with it a deeper sense of autumn.

On this day, Zhu Youning received a summons. After tidying his appearance, he entered the palace to pay his respects to Zhu Wen.

Passing through the main gate of the Imperial City, he was led by a eunuch into the Jiaolan Hall.

Upon entering the hall, Zhu Youning discovered that apart from Zhu Wen sitting on the dragon throne, there was no one else present.

Even Zhang Zhenniang, who usually served him, was not there.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty! Long live, long live, long live Your Majesty!" Zhu Youning performed the ritual.

"Rise, nephew. No need for formalities."

Dressed in his imperial dragon robes, Zhu Wen's tone this time was unexpectedly amiable.

Zhu Youning said, "Thank you, Your Majesty," and stood up.

After gathering his thoughts for a moment, Zhu Wen spoke: "Youning, it has been a long time since we, uncle and nephew, have had a proper chat."

What kind of game was this?

Zhu Youning was somewhat surprised. He looked up slightly at Zhu Wen, then used his internal energy to scan the hall, confirming that they were indeed the only two people left inside.

"If Your Majesty wishes to talk, your subject will speak without reservation."

Zhu Wen nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "I truly do not like the third one, but the way you handled his affairs was truly too extreme."

Zhu Youning immediately adopted a posture of admitting fault, cupping his hands and saying, "In reply to Your Majesty, your subject knows he was wrong. Please, Your Majesty, punish me."

"There is no need for punishment." Zhu Wen lowered his voice, speaking in a deep tone: "Do you think I am unaware of the absurd things he has done? I have merely been turning a blind eye, but by exposing it, you have compromised the dignity of the Imperial family, and I have been forced to act."

Hearing this, Zhu Youning paused for a long while before echoing, "Your subject knows his error. I only felt that Third Brother should not have committed such absurd acts, which made me act impulsively. Regardless, such matters truly bring shame to our Great Liang."

"Hmm..." Zhu Wen drew out the sound, as if reminiscing about the past. "When the states of Liang and Jin were vying for supremacy, I was driven to distraction by that Li Ya'er, which made my temper somewhat volatile. I even struck his mother and him, but unfortunately, the third one only remembers my violent temper."

Li Ya'er was the nickname of the Prince of Jin, Li Keyong, and the Shatuo troops under his command were known as the "Crow Army." Both Li Keyong and his Shatuo soldiers had once pushed Zhu Wen into perilous situations.

However, Zhu Youning did not know the purpose behind Zhu Wen saying this.

Was he trying to absolve himself of what he had done to Zhu Youzhen and his mother?

Or was he trying to say that his volatile temper was a matter of necessity?

Zhu Youning thought about it and decided it was neither. He was the Emperor; he could say whatever he pleased without caring about how others perceived him.

Zhu Youning probed, "Your Majesty, now that Great Liang is established and its national strength far surpasses that of Jin, why does Your Majesty not strike while the iron is hot and take Taiyuan directly?"

"The Jin State must certainly be dealt with, but with Lu Prefecture serving as their gateway, I cannot take it even if I want to," Zhu Wen frowned.

Zhu Youning suggested, "Then why doesn't Your Majesty change tactics and strike the Wu State first?"

"That makes sense."

Zhu Wen actually agreed with Zhu Youning's probing remark, but what he said next caught Zhu Youning completely off guard.

"However, to expand our territory, we must first pacify the interior. Great Liang currently faces internal strife and external threats. Wang Shifan is not dead, and those surrendered troops in Pinglu are difficult for me to utilize. Furthermore, many rioters have fled to Pinglu; that place has truly become a den of filth!"

He glanced at Zhu Youning and added in a low voice, "The reason Li Zhen has not yet returned to Bian Prefecture is precisely to handle this matter. If it is not dealt with properly, I fear we may have to fight another war!"

"It is that serious!"

Zhu Youning deliberately put on a look of surprise while pondering Zhu Wen's true intentions.

He did not believe the situation in Pinglu had reached such a critical point, but for Zhu Wen to bring it up out of the blue meant it was certainly not a casual remark.

He had already roughly guessed what Zhu Wen wanted to say.

Sure enough, Zhu Wen finally spoke again: "In the court, I only have Jing Xiang, and I cannot fully let go of my concerns. I intend to recall Li Zhen to the capital and have you, my nephew, go to Pinglu to take charge and reorganize those unruly soldiers and rioters. You are someone close to me, someone I have watched grow up. Though we are not father and son by blood, we are as close as such. Only by entrusting this to you can I be at ease. As for the position of Commander of the Left and Right Longxiang Army, let the former Left Longxiang Army Commander, Wang Yanzhang, take it."

Hearing this, what else could Zhu Youning say? He could only cup his hands and reply, "Your subject obeys the decree."

"Hmm." Zhu Wen nodded, his tone becoming intimate. "What you did during this period was truly a bit excessive. You and I are like father and son, and it is not as if the position of Crown Prince could not be yours, but it is more appropriate for your second brother or eldest brother to hold it."

Having said that, Zhu Wen looked at Zhu Youning and added earnestly, "You don't resent me, do you, nephew?"

Zhu Youning clearly understood Zhu Wen's intent.

Zhu Wen had paused when he said "second brother" before adding the words "or eldest brother," indicating that the latter part was an afterthought. His preference was clearly for Zhu Youwen.

Otherwise, normally, one would mention the eldest before the second.

But Zhu Youning pretended not to notice, shook his head without hesitation, and said, "Everything Your Majesty does is for the sake of Great Liang's prosperity, military strength, and long-term stability. How could your subject possibly resent you?"

As he said this, many thoughts raced through Zhu Youning's mind.

He knew Zhu Wen might not be as foolish and incompetent as he appeared on the surface, but he had not expected Zhu Wen to see things so clearly. Could it be that Zhu Wen's neglect of state affairs and his absurd behavior over the years were all an act?

But why would he do that?

Zhu Youning once again analyzed Zhu Wen's mindset.

At that moment, a person suddenly came to mind: the Jiajing Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Perhaps Zhu Wen was not stupid; he had simply channeled all his intelligence and grand ambitions into how to better enjoy the life of an emperor.

However, it was a pity that Zhu Wen had misjudged one thing.

And that was that Zhu Youning truly had no desire to be the Crown Prince.

Because Yuan Tiangang was lurking in the shadows, eyeing the Liang State like a tiger, being the Crown Prince of Liang had undoubtedly become a target for everyone.

Being sent out from Bian Prefecture to govern a frontier province was far better than being the Crown Prince!

However, Zhu Youning felt he should appropriately express his dissatisfaction so that his reaction would appear genuine. Otherwise, if he seemed too indifferent, Zhu Wen might instead grow suspicious that he was harboring resentment.

After all, being far from Bian Prefecture was equivalent to being far from the center of power in Great Liang. For a general of the Imperial Guard, this was no different from a demotion; anyone would be dissatisfied if they encountered such a thing.

"Since it is His Majesty's decree, then this subject shall prepare to depart for Pinglu. It is just that if this son goes alone, I fear I will not be able to suppress those unruly mobs."

Zhu Wen said, "Take two divisions of the Right Wing of the Longxiang Army with you. Although it is only five thousand men, they are all elites. Furthermore, you shall also have command over the original garrison troops of the various prefectures in Pinglu. Once you reorganize them, they will be usable; there are about one hundred thousand of them. Even if there are rebellions by the mobs, it will be more than enough to suppress them."

"This subject obeys the decree." Zhu Youning bowed again, then tentatively said, "This subject has one more presumptuous request. Since I am unfamiliar with the land and people in Pinglu, I fear those garrison troops will not submit to me. I need a capable general to keep them in check. The surrendered general Liu Xun was originally the premier fierce general of Pinglu and has quite a reputation there; the soldiers mostly respect and fear him. This subject boldly requests this person, Liu Xun, from Your Majesty."

Zhu Wen had originally expected Zhu Youning to make an exorbitant demand, but he did not expect Zhu Youning to only make such a small request, so he waved his hand on the spot.

"I thought it was something major; isn't it just asking for a person? Granted!"