"Yes, Mao Xiang, seeing your attitude, I feel relieved. With someone like you by the emperor's side, I don't have to worry about my father's safety even if I am thousands of miles away.

However, things in the court are treacherous and can change at any time. What do you think will be the fate of the people at the top of power? No one can guarantee it. "

Zhu Kai was talking about Hu Weiyong. He had already guessed that the guy in front of him might have some collusion with Hu Weiyong.

This guy is now the most powerful person in the court, even surpassing the old men who fought with Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the world.

Those who lack foresight will definitely think that this guy will become an important official in the court in the future.

"Your Highness, what do you mean by this? Are you saying that there will be some personnel changes in the court? Is it related to your return to the capital this time?"

"I was asking you a question, and now you're asking me the other way?
How could I possibly know these things? I'm just guessing. There's no benefit in asking him more questions. Just do your own job well.

Don't ask so many questions about things you shouldn't know.

Since the emperor doesn't want you to know, there must be a reason why he doesn't want you to know. I just asked casually and just wanted to remind you that things can change over time.

The person you think you can rely on now may not be able to rely on you in the future.

The person you think is against you now may be your salvation in the future. Sometimes you have to make the right choice to ensure your wealth and prosperity for the rest of your life."

The fact that Mao Xiang could stay by Zhu Yuanzhang's side for so many years shows that he was a very smart man, and he had completely understood what Zhu Kai said.

However, he had not yet decided whether to continue talking to Zhu Kai. After all, he had now become a vassal king and had no connections in the capital. Apart from his father-in-law Xu Da, who else could help him?
When Mao Xiang hadn't decided whether to help Zhu Kai or not, he could only choose to play dumb and pretend that he didn't understand anything. Zhu Kai also knew that if he wanted someone to believe in him, there was no way to prove his strength to him in a short period of time.

We still need to think more about it and look more closely. In fact, the reason why Zhu Kai wants to win over the other party is...

It is simply because he is very close to the emperor's position. It would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have such a person helping him. Zhu Kai must cherish this opportunity.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince misses the Prince very much."

Mao Xiang suddenly said this, and Zhu Kai understood it very well.

He wanted to imply that the prince was his opponent, but he was completely wrong. The prince was not his opponent at all. Although Zhu Kai was also very scared, some rifts arose between the brothers.

He knew that Crown Prince Zhu Biao was not a sinister villain. He had already firmly sat on the position of crown prince, so there was no need for him to offend anyone.

This was Zhu Kai, who had already anticipated this. He was a smart man and would not think about these messy things.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince and I are brothers, and I know very well how he feels about me.

Even if you don't say it, I know that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince misses his brothers very much. I don't know what other people think, especially the Prime Minister. "

When Mao Xiang heard Zhu Kai mention the word "Prime Minister", his palms were sweaty with nervousness and he even felt that he could not hold the reins of the horse.

"Mao Xiang, I feel like the temperature outside isn't that hot. Why are you sweating so much? You seem to be getting upset when Hu Weiyong is mentioned?"

"My Lord, what are you talking about? How could I be nervous?

I just felt a little uncomfortable just now. Maybe I was too tired these two days. The Prime Minister and I are not familiar with each other at all. How can we be compared?

I am just a small commander-in-chief of the Jinyiwei, and Lord Hu Weiyong is a man of great power. There is no comparison between the two. Please don't say that, it is simply embarrassing me."

"Hu Weiyong is indeed very popular now, and many people cannot be compared with him.

He should also be particularly supportive of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. He feels that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the help he needs to ascend to the pinnacle of power once again.

I don't know if the emperor thinks so. Sometimes Lord Hu doesn't know how to be low-key. He is too flamboyant in his actions. The emperor doesn't like this. You have been with the emperor for so long, you should know his temper very well. "

"Low-key?"

"Oh, being low-key means that he doesn't know how to hide his edge at all when doing things. He always shows his true strength in front of others or even exaggerates it to make everyone afraid.

Even my father-in-law, Lord Xu Da, would probably give in a little when he sees him."

Mao Xiang is now very curious. Zhu Kai has already gone to the Liaobei area and conquered him. There is no need for Wang Baobao and Hu Weiyong to fight for anything. Why are the two of them like tit-for-tat?
Hu Weiyong had hinted to himself more than once that he did not want Zhu Kai to have too much power. What unknown secrets did these two people have?

Zhu Kai could tell from the other person's expression that he had his own thoughts about this matter, and he felt a little guilty so he hurried to get him to admit it.

At this moment, Zhu Di also caught up on horseback, ready to listen to what the two of them were talking about.

When Zhu Kai saw Zhu Di coming over, he quickly stopped talking and did not continue.

"Old Five, why are you here?"

"Second brother, don't let you do the driving yourself. I'll go to the front with Lord Mao to help you clear the way. You should go to the back and stay beside the carriage and accompany Second Sister-in-law. He may feel more at ease."

Zhu Di was considered to be relatively considerate and had good vision.

"Yeah, what you said makes some sense. I just wanted to exchange a few words with Master Mao, but I didn't expect that the conversation would get a little heated."

"Are you high?"

"It's just that I had a good chat with him."

“After returning to the capital, you two will have plenty of opportunities to chat and talk about everything.

It doesn't matter if you wait a little longer. You should stay with your second sister-in-law first. We will be heading into the forest soon.

Although we have so many people protecting us, we are not afraid of bandits, but it would still be scary if a bandit suddenly jumped out from the forest."

Zhu Kai thought about it and felt that what Zhu Di said made sense. It was very hard for Xu Miaoyun to follow him around. He was not very courageous to begin with, and if someone jumped out, it would be easy for her to be scared.

Inside the imperial palace of Yingtian Prefecture.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat high on the dragon throne, looking at the group of people below, and only then did he start to ask his own questions. "My dear ministers, Zhu Kai is about to bring Wang Baobao back, what do you think is the best arrangement for the future? When will Wang Baobao be allowed to come to the palace to pay his respects?"

After Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, everyone present fell into silence.

They didn't know how to answer because they didn't know what Zhu Yuanzhang was thinking, so they didn't dare to speculate on his thoughts.

How could ordinary people easily guess what the emperor was thinking? They were all very cautious. At this time, the room was unusually quiet.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt helpless as he saw that none of these people were willing to stand up and speak.

"Just say whatever you think of, don't think too much. Since I asked this, I just want to hear your opinions. Seeing that Zhu Kai has come back with instructions, we haven't thought of the arrangements yet, which is really a bit inappropriate."

Hu Weiyong looked around, his eyes rolling around, and at this time he stood up and spoke.

“Your Majesty, I think that since the Second Prince has returned with Bao Bao, we must make some arrangements for them, but we can’t make it too embarrassing.

No matter what, we cannot let people in the world think that others who surrendered to our Ming Dynasty were not treated well. "

"Hu Weiyong, you have always had this attitude. So what do you think is the way to handle this matter so that people in the world will think that Wang Baobao is treated well?"

"Your Majesty, haven't we already discussed this matter in private? Today, I have another idea. No matter what, we must first give him a warning and let him know the majesty of our Ming Dynasty."

Li Shanchang heard these words nearby and sneered.

It turned out that Hu Weiyong was the same guy as he thought. He just wanted to show off his authority by giving others a warning.

But what he didn't know was that the emperor of the Ming Dynasty didn't need these means to prove his majesty. As long as he sat in the hall, he would be majestic without even getting angry.

He should be aware that using these petty tricks would only make people think that the Ming Dynasty was petty.

It is obvious that Li Shanchang did not agree with Hu Weiyong's ideas at all.

However, he was so good at hiding his true intentions that others could not tell what he was thinking. At least, no one knew what he was thinking until he gave a definite answer.

Liu Bowen spoke slowly at this time.

"Sir Hu, your idea is indeed for the sake of the Ming Dynasty.

However, I feel that something seems a little inappropriate. Why should the Ming Dynasty, which is so famous, use such petty means to demonstrate the emperor's majesty?

The emperor conquered the world on his own and secured his position as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. His reputation had already spread throughout the world.

Even if Wang Baobao hadn't met the emperor, he would have been a little scared. Why would he have to use such means to prove himself? It would only make him look petty."

After Liu Bowen said this, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression relaxed slightly.

Obviously, he agreed with Liu Bowen's idea. He felt that he had to show his majesty and intimidate Wang Baobao at the same time. Killing two birds with one stone was essential.

Xu Da didn't say a word, but Zhu Yuanzhang found it a little strange.

"Xu Da, seeing that your daughter and my son are coming back, you should feel happy.

At this time, we also have to express our own opinions. How can we achieve the best of both worlds?
We need to show the majesty of our Ming Dynasty, but at the same time we must not let people think we are petty. This is a very difficult solution to have both. You can think of any good ideas.

We grew up together, you can't fail to help me with advice at this time."

Xu Da didn't say anything, but of course he had his own thoughts.

He felt that his identity was rather sensitive, and if he said too much, people would think that he was deliberately protecting Zhu Kai.

After all, Zhu Kai could be considered his son-in-law. With such status and position, especially in front of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, it would be even more difficult for him to say anything.

Xu Da knew very well what kind of person Zhu Yuanzhang was. Hearing this, he quickly pretended to be stupid, stood up and said with a smile.

"Your Majesty, you know that I have never been particularly knowledgeable about these matters since I was a child, and I can't give you any advice. I have always been a rough man who is good at leading troops in battles. How can I come up with such a detailed solution?
Let's leave it to these civil servants to handle. I really don't have any better idea.

I just want my daughter to come back soon, so I'll prepare some of her favorite foods. If the emperor allows, I can let the second princess stay in the old minister's mansion for a few more days. My wife misses her daughter very much."

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard what the other party said, he understood that he also wanted to avoid suspicion.

"Xu Da, you are really selfish sometimes. You only think about your daughter and never think about my son.

Although Xu Miaoyun has become our daughter-in-law, she is still your daughter after all.

His status and position have become much more honorable, but from the perspective of a parent and child, he should also return to your home and stay for a few more days to show his filial piety to you and your wife.

You have a son, but this is your only precious child. What can I say if you ask him to go back and stay for a few days? "

When Xu Da heard what Zhu Yuanzhang said, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Moreover, he knew that Zhu Yuanzhang would not refuse if he said this in the court. On the contrary, saying it publicly would make him appear calm. If he had too much contact with Zhu Kai or his daughter in private, it would arouse criticism.

Especially His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, would he think too much and think that it is possible that Zhu Kai is forming a clique for personal gain?

He already had military power in his hands, and if he had too much contact with Zhu Kai, those people with ulterior motives would definitely take the opportunity to slander them. This would not be good for Zhu Kai, nor for his daughter Xu Miaoyun.

On the contrary, it would arouse Zhu Yuanzhang's suspicion. After all, in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, Crown Prince Zhu Biao was the only one who had the opportunity to inherit the throne. No matter how outstanding the others were, they were just ordinary princes.

When Hu Weiyong heard this, he said something sarcastic.

"Master Xu, congratulations! You will soon be able to see your daughter. This is a blessing that not everyone has."

"Master Hu, I am really confused by what you said. Everyone has a daughter, but it is not easy for my daughter to see her once." (End of this chapter)