Inside the Prince of Yan's residence, Zhu Di reclined in a rattan chair while two maids fanned him from behind.
Although it was already the eighth month, at Mid-Autumn, and much of the summer heat had faded, noon remained stifling. The sky was gloomy, threatening rain.
Zhu Gaoxu told Zhu Di that the Jianwen Emperor had appointed Li Jinglong General Who Guards the South and that he would soon leave for Guangzhou.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Di's face darkened. He waved the maids away, then asked Zhu Gaoxu, "Sea Pirates are causing trouble in Guangzhou? Is that true?"
Zhu Gaoxu hurriedly replied, "According to what I learned from the Office of Transmission, there really are Sea Pirates causing trouble in Guangzhou. A few days ago, the Guangzhou Administration Commissioner submitted a memorial reporting that five hundred Sea Pirates had been killed. It sounded like a bid for credit, not a situation that had spiraled out of control."
The corner of Zhu Di's mouth twitched, and worry filled his eyes. "A few petty Sea Pirates warrant sending a duke? If the bandits were any stronger, would the emperor have to lead the campaign himself? Something is amiss!"
"Father!"
Zhu Gaochi limped over. After bowing, he said gravely, "Xiang Zhuang dances with his sword, but his true target is the Duke of Pei."
Zhu Di raised his eyebrows and looked at Zhu Gaochi solemnly. "You mean the emperor's move is aimed at us?"
Zhu Gaochi nodded gravely, took a booklet from inside his robe, and handed it to Zhu Di. "Father, take a look."
Zhu Di opened the booklet and read through it. It contained a list of those accompanying Li Jinglong on his southern expedition. Most of them were on good personal terms with Zhu Di, and many had even been in contact with him over the past few days.
In other words, they were a group of noblemen whose hearts leaned toward the Prince of Yan.
Even Xu Da's third son, Xu Zengshou, had been sent out. Xu Zengshou was, in fact, a hidden chess piece Zhu Di had planted in the Capital!
Yet now, that chess piece was being removed from the Capital!
"Gaoxu, learn from your elder brother. This is how things should be done."
Zhu Di glanced at Zhu Gaoxu, then said to Zhu Gaochi, "You handled this well. It seems the emperor's eyes and ears have become extraordinarily perceptive. This Great Ming Security Bureau truly is formidable!"
Secretly delighted by Zhu Di's praise, Zhu Gaochi kept his expression composed. "Father, it seems our every move is under the emperor's watch. We cannot remain in the Capital much longer anyway. Why not leave once the initial mourning period ends?"
Zhu Di sighed. "That may be so, but even if we wish to leave, I fear we must wait until after the Mid-Autumn Festival."
For the first time, Zhu Di felt wary of Zhu Yunwen.
This nephew knew about his hidden chess pieces and knew who had sided with him-or might do so. And so he had cut off Zhu Di's hands!
This was a silent warning.
Zhu Di disliked his present situation. His hands and feet were bound at every turn.
Before long, Ping An and Sheng Yong should arrive in Beiping Prefecture. Would Beiping Prefecture still belong to him then?
Waves of anxiety swept over Zhu Di. He stood, looked at the gloomy sky, and said heavily, "Rain is coming."
In the end, the rain did come.
It was no raging storm, only a chilly drizzle. Neither swift nor dense, it lingered, falling from afternoon into evening without the slightest sign of stopping.
While reviewing memorials in the Hall of Martial Valor, Zhu Yunwen suddenly heard Shuangxi report that Li Jinglong requested an audience. He set down his vermilion brush, a cool glint in his eyes, and said slowly, "Have him go to the Hall of Reverent Conduct."
Leaving the Hall of Martial Valor, Zhu Yunwen watched the autumn rain patter down and reached out to feel its chill. When Shuangxi tried to give him another layer of clothing, he said, "No need. Let's go."
The Hall of Reverent Conduct.
Li Jinglong knelt and bowed. "Your subject pays homage to Your Majesty. Long live the emperor, for ten thousand years and beyond!"
"Rise. Give him a seat."
Zhu Yunwen gave the order with a smile, then asked, "Duke of Cao, instead of preparing for your expedition, you have entered the palace at night. Is something the matter? If you have any difficulties, tell me. I will resolve them for you."
After expressing his thanks, Li Jinglong said, "Your Majesty, having received orders to undertake this expedition, I shall spare no effort. Until the Sea Pirates are destroyed, I swear not to return to court! I have come tonight because there is something I must report confidentially to Your Majesty in person."
"Oh?"
Zhu Yunwen glanced at Shuangxi, who led the eunuchs outside and closed the door.
Once no outsiders remained, Li Jinglong hastily knelt. "Your Majesty, please forgive your subject's impertinence!"
"What impertinence?"
Zhu Yunwen asked calmly.
Li Jinglong took a memorial from his sleeve and shuffled forward on his knees. He placed it two paces before Zhu Yunwen, then retreated on his knees. "Your subject has some impertinent words to offer!"
Zhu Yunwen picked up the memorial and scanned it. "The Prince of Yan harbors disloyal intentions? You are sowing discord between uncle and nephew!"
Li Jinglong knocked his forehead against the floor. "Your Majesty, every word your subject has spoken is true! I once arranged for Li Zengzhi to contact the Prince of Yan in secret and discovered that, relying on the troops under his command, he covets the Imperial Throne. If Your Majesty does not carry out the Abolition of the Fiefdoms soon, disaster may follow!"
"Heh. A few tens of thousands of troops, nothing more. They cannot stir up much of a wave." Zhu Yunwen set the memorial aside, then said to Li Jinglong, "You also mentioned Xu Huizu. Do you consider him loyal?"
Li Jinglong's eyes narrowed slightly before he hurriedly replied, "Your subject believes the Duke of Wei is intelligent and broad-minded, possesses extraordinary ability, and commands troops exceptionally well. He stands foremost among the military nobility and must surely be loyal to Your Majesty. However... the Prince of Zhongshan's Mansion and the Prince of Yan are connected by more than marriage. Their personal ties are also exceedingly close... I hope Your Majesty will remain watchful."
Praise first, disparagement afterward.
First lift him up, then press him down, striking straight at the heart.
Such was the art of speaking.
Had Zhu Yunwen truly been the Jianwen Emperor of history, those words alone would have been enough to make him afraid to employ Xu Huizu-or at least to entrust his main force to him.
But Zhu Yunwen knew history. He knew Xu Huizu had been utterly loyal to the Jianwen Emperor, his devotion unchanged even in death!
Li Jinglong, standing before him, was instead a shameless traitor!
"I understand."
Zhu Yunwen rose and nodded solemnly to Li Jinglong. Then he turned, blocking Li Jinglong's view, took another memorial from his sleeve, and concealed Li Jinglong's memorial. Straightening, he carried the other memorial to an oil lamp and set it alight. Looking at Li Jinglong, he said, "We are family. I am counting on you to achieve great things."
Overjoyed, Li Jinglong hurriedly kowtowed and declared his loyalty. Watching the memorial burn to ashes, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhu Yunwen motioned for Li Jinglong to sit, then took out the report from Guangdong and handed it to him. "In truth, there are not many Sea Pirates in Guangzhou."
Li Jinglong naturally knew this, but he still looked at Zhu Yunwen with feigned surprise. "Then why did Your Majesty..."
Zhu Yunwen laughed. "Because I am sending you to Guangzhou not only to fight Sea Pirates, but also for a more important mission. Otherwise, why would I send you there?"
Delight surged through Li Jinglong. No wonder the emperor assigned me to Hainan. There is a major mission after all! I thought he was setting me up...
"Please give your instructions, Your Majesty."
"Build seagoing ships and establish a navy."
"A navy?"
Li Jinglong blinked, looking at Zhu Yunwen in bewilderment.
Since when had Great Ming used the term 'navy'?
Had it not always been called the Great Ming Navy?
Zhu Yunwen's eyes shone as he said solemnly, "I want a naval fleet capable of voyaging across the open seas! Guangzhou lies on the coast, has a flourishing shipbuilding industry, and possesses extensive experience in ocean voyages. It should have nautical charts as well. After you arrive, your public task will be to fight Sea Pirates. In reality, you must help me build a powerful navy!"
Li Jinglong still did not understand.
Was the Great Ming Navy not enough?
Voyage across the open seas?
What could there be in the depths of the ocean?
"I will give you one year to lay the foundations. Afterward, if you wish to return, you may do so at any time, but you must ensure that the shipyards continue operating normally."
"If you succeed, you will be the foremost figure in Great Ming's navy! Your deeds will serve the realm, and your name will endure for a thousand autumns! If you fail, you will be a sinner against the empire. You might as well come home early and retire!"
Zhu Yunwen spoke solemnly.
Li Jinglong's mind was filled with "deeds that serve the realm, a name that endures for a thousand autumns." Was living a worthy life not the whole point of being alive?
Everyone says I, Li Jinglong, am an incompetent fool, not even one ten-thousandth the man my father Li Wenzhong was. Then I will show them what I can do!
The foremost figure in Great Ming's navy!
That title will be mine!
"Your subject will fulfill your command, even unto death!"
Li Jinglong bowed his head to the floor.
Zhu Yunwen's eyes were full of anticipation.
Although Great Ming had faced many crises in its nearly three hundred years of history, its navy had never suffered a defeat throughout the dynasty!
One could proudly declare that the Great Ming Navy was the strongest waterborne fighting force in the world in this era!
Neither the Portuguese, the Japanese, nor the Dutch had been a match for the Ming Dynasty's navy!
Of course, the Ming Dynasty's naval forces had reached their peak under Zhu Di: 1,350 warships, 1,350 patrol ships, 400 large vessels, and 400 grain transports!
In addition, there had been 250 ocean-going treasure ships! That did not even include the numerous guard vessels, law-enforcement ships, and dispatch boats.
However, Zhu Yunwen believed that, as he continued changing history, Yongle the Great, Zhu Di, would never appear in its pages again. His title could only remain the Prince of Yan!
Thus, Zhu Yunwen himself would have to build up the Great Ming Navy and its ocean-going forces!
The historical Li Jinglong had been both an idiot and a traitor, but what if Zhu Yunwen put him to good use?
As long as Zhu Di did not rebel, and as long as Li Jinglong did not side with him, Zhu Yunwen did not mind making the most of everyone's abilities!
Li Jinglong accepted Zhu Yunwen's secret decree and left the palace brimming with joy.
Li Zengzhi was right. This is my opportunity!
An opportunity to leave my name for all eternity!
An opportunity to surpass my father, Li Wenzhong!
The Prince of Yan's schemes?
To hell with them.
What I want to do now is one of the empire's greatest undertakings.
As for the Prince of Yan, he had best stay obediently in Beijing. If he gets in the way of my fame and glory, or prevents the Li family's name from enduring through the ages, then he is my enemy!
A person's stance often depended on where he stood.
And where he stood could change.
Zhu Yunwen was unsure whether he could change Li Jinglong, but it did not matter. Li Jinglong was no longer a threat. For at least a year, he would have to remain in Guangzhou, unable to contact Zhu Di in secret.
That was enough.
As for the Great Ming Navy, what Li Jinglong was responsible for was merely a backup plan.
If it succeeded, that would naturally be cause for celebration.
If it failed, that would be no matter either.
For work on the true Great Ming Navy fleet had already begun in secret at the Longjiang Shipyard outside Nanjing's Dinghuai Gate, and the man directly in charge was Zhu Yunwen himself.
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