45: Chapter 45 The King of Wu's presence is like the Emperor himself!

For the past three days, the capital had been outwardly calm. The hundreds of students who had caused such a ruckus outside the Meridian Gate that day had been taken back by their respective mentors after receiving a full meal from Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong, temporarily ceasing their agitation.

It was said that Hanlin Academician Huang Zicheng had fallen gravely ill and was now refusing all visitors.

Qi Tai, Fang Xiaoru, and the others had also quieted down. Within the imperial court, the civil official faction had fallen into an eerie silence, like the calm before a storm.

The Joseon delegation, however, had not been idle these past few days.

Yi Bang-won sat in a grand armchair, rolling two polished walnuts in his hand. On the long table in front of him lay a thick stack of visiting cards, with a few name cards scattered to the side.

"Your Highness, half of the gifts sent to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites over the past few days have been returned," reported the accompanying deputy envoy, Yi Saek, wiping cold sweat from his forehead.

Yi Bang-won did not stop his hand, the walnuts making a soft, rustling sound as they rubbed together.

"Returned half... that means they kept the other half," Yi Bang-won said with a cold tone. "If they accepted the gifts, they must get things done. Did you find out anything?"

The deputy envoy swallowed hard. "I did find out some things. The Great Ming court has been turned upside down over the past half month. The former Grand Imperial Heir has fallen, and now the one in power is the Third Imperial Grandson, Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong, who was just named Prince of Wu a few days ago. Furthermore, this Prince of Wu holds the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the armies of the three southern provinces in his hands."

With a "click," the walnuts stopped in Yi Bang-won's palm.

"He's a tough nut to crack," Yi Bang-won exhaled a breath of stale air.

His mission to Great Ming this time was extremely heavy. With the change in the Joseon royal family, King Yi Seong-gye had usurped the Wang family's throne, making his claim illegitimate. Undercurrents were surging within Joseon, and various factions were watching and waiting. Yi Bang-won had to obtain the official golden seal and state credentials from the Great Ming Emperor enfeoffing him as "King of Joseon" to return and stabilize the situation.

But upon arriving in Yingtian Prefecture, he discovered that the Great Ming Ministry of Rites didn't even deign to look at them properly. After finally managing to bribe them and explicitly requesting to see this hot new Prince of Wu, they were simply left hanging with a single sentence: "See you in three days."

"We cannot wait any longer," Yi Bang-won said, standing up abruptly. "Prepare the sedan chair, bring the state credentials and the gift list. We will go to the gate of the Great Ming palace to submit our petition and request an audience with the Great Ming Emperor through the proper channels. No matter how powerful the Prince of Wu is, he cannot surpass the one sitting on the Dragon Throne."

An hour later, outside the Fengtian Gate, the Joseon delegation's petition was delivered into the Qianqing Palace.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang was hunched over his imperial desk, reviewing memorials. Eunuch Wang Fu walked over on light feet and placed the Joseon delegation's petition on the desk. "Your Majesty, the Joseon envoy Yi Bang-won is kneeling outside the palace gate, requesting an audience. He says he wants to present the Joseon King's request for enfeoffment in person."

Zhu Yuanzhang's vermilion brush paused, but he didn't even lift his eyelids. He casually pushed the petition aside and snorted coldly. "That old scoundrel King Yi Seong-gye, having usurped his master's throne, is now feeling guilty and has sent a little brat to come here and beg for legitimacy."

"Then... shall this servant send them away?"

Zhu Yuanzhang put down his brush, picked up his ginseng tea, and took a sip, a glint of sharpness flashing in his cloudy old eyes.

"Did Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong say a few days ago to let these Joseon barbarians attend a banquet at the Eastern Palace in three days?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, that is the case," Eunuch Wang Fu replied.

"Then let them go to the Eastern Palace." Zhu Yuanzhang leaned back on the Dragon Throne with an imposing air, his voice as loud as a bell. "Go and convey my imperial edict. Tell those Joseon people: Meeting the Prince of Wu is equivalent to meeting me in person. Whatever the Prince of Wu promises them, I promise. If the Prince of Wu finds them displeasing, they had better roll back to Joseon as soon as possible!"

Eunuch Wang Fu was greatly shocked and hurriedly knelt to receive the order.

Half an hour later, this imperial edict was read aloud outside the Fengtian Gate in front of all the officials.

The blue bricks beneath Yi Bang-won's knees were soaked with the chill of late spring. The moment he heard the edict, his heart sank, followed immediately by a surge of heavy apprehension—a fifteen-year-old Crown Prince, holding the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the military power of the southern provinces, and receiving such unreserved endorsement from the old Emperor. This trip to Great Ming would likely be far more difficult than he had anticipated.

"Meeting the Prince of Wu is as if meeting me in person."

This was equivalent to announcing to the world that the fifteen-year-old Prince of Wu was already the undisputed and absolute Crown Prince of the Great Ming Dynasty!

Over at the Eastern Palace, Chief Eunuch Wang Chengen was a ruthless man, but also a capable one. Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong had given him the opportunity, and he had returned a clean Eastern Palace to Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong. From the head stewards down to the cleaning maids, anyone who was related to Lady Lu or had received favors from her, one and all, was purged.

As for Imperial Grandson Zhu Yunwen, he was completely placed under house arrest in the Duanben Palace. It was said that he spent his days washing his face with tears, refusing to eat, and the only words he repeated were "Mother".

In contrast, Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong had spent these three days in extraordinary calm.

He did not rush to summon officials to win them over, but instead shut himself in a side hall. With a brush in hand, he would occasionally write furiously, and at other times rest his chin on his hand in deep thought. Eunuch Sanbao guarded the door, and only Jiang Wan had entered a few times.

Tonight, the Eastern Palace was brightly lit. Palace maids and eunuchs moved back and forth. Although there was no sound of music, the setting was elegant and imposing.

The Great Ming Prince of Wu, Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong, would host a banquet for the Joseon envoys tonight.

Duke of Cao was also invited to be seated today. Although his injuries had not yet fully healed, the smile on his face was brighter than anyone else's.

"His Highness has arrived!"

Following a clear, ringing announcement from Eunuch Sanbao, Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong, dressed in black casual robes embroidered with coiled dragons, walked slowly out from behind the hall.

He was not wearing his princely robes today, yet he possessed an imposing air. He walked with the stride of a dragon and a tiger, standing as steady as a deep pool or a mountain. His deep eyes swept across the room, and the hall instantly fell silent.

"We pay our respects to Your Highness, the Prince of Wu!"

Several Great Ming officials, led by the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, along with more than a dozen Joseon envoys, bowed in unison.

"Everyone, rise and take your seats."

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong said indifferently, then walked straight to the main seat and sat down, his gaze falling on a young man at the head of the guest seats.

That man was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a fair complexion and handsome features. His eyes were narrow and long, flashing with sharp brilliance when they opened and closed. He wore Joseon official robes, and although he kept his head lowered respectfully, his back was held straight.

Yi Bang-won hurriedly walked to the center of the hall, lifted the hem of his robe, and performed the most solemn kowtow of a Great Ming vassal state with perfect decorum. It was the three prostrations and nine kowtows; the sound of his forehead hitting the blue bricks was dull and solid, flawless in every way.

"I, Yi Bang-won, envoy of the vassal state of Joseon, on behalf of my father, the Acting Ruler of Joseon, King Yi Seong-gye, pay my respects to Your Highness, the Prince of Wu. May Your Highness enjoy ten thousand years of prosperity!"