50: Chapter 50 Although my martial arts skills are mediocre, I can take a beating!

The sun was high in the sky when the main gate of the Huang residence was struck with a thunderous sound.

Two Embroidered Uniform Guard soldiers in flying-fish robes swaggered across the threshold. The gatekeeper, attempting to stop them, was kicked to the ground with a single blow.

"An edict from the Prince of Wu, for the personal attention of Hanlin Academician Huang Zicheng!"

The leading Company Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard roared at the top of his lungs, shoved an unsealed kraft paper envelope into the housekeeper's arms, and turned to leave without even asking for a receipt.

The housekeeper held the envelope, stunned for a moment, before stumbling into the back courtyard study.

"Master! A letter from the Prince of Wu!"

Hanlin Academician Huang Zicheng was rubbing his brow. His hunger strike outside the Meridian Gate a few days ago had not only failed to win him a reputation among the pure officials, but had also been dismantled by Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong's serving of meat porridge, and his lungs still ached faintly.

"The Prince of Wu? What tricks is he trying to play now?" Hanlin Academician Huang Zicheng took the envelope with a cold face and pulled out the letter inside.

He took one look.

The color drained from Hanlin Academician Huang Zicheng's face instantly. His hand trembled, and the letter fluttered to the floor.

"Master?" The housekeeper was startled.

"Quick... quickly go invite Master Qi and Master Fang! Hurry!" Hanlin Academician Huang Zicheng beat his chest, gasping for air, nearly collapsing.

Half an hour later.

In the Huang residence study, Qi Tai and Fang Xiaoru looked at the crumpled letter on the table, their expressions growing increasingly grim.

"Damaged looms, weavers infected with plague... cutting off government salt... one hundred thousand taels of silver intercepted at the Taihu Lake stronghold..." Qi Tai read word by word, his voice trembling more with each syllable.

In the bottom right corner of the letter was the private seal of the Head of the Wu House of Suzhou. The secret code in the signature was the special mark used by their Jiangnan literati for communication.

Fang Xiaoru slammed his palm on the table, heartbroken: "Head of the Wu House is a fool! Intercepting a Prince is tantamount to treason; this will drag the entire Jiangnan literati into eternal damnation!"

"Destroy it!" Qi Tai suddenly reached out to grab the letter, a flash of determination in his eyes. "This letter must not remain! As long as there is no concrete evidence, the Prince of Wu cannot use it to make trouble!"

"Slap!"

Hanlin Academician Huang Zicheng pressed his hand on the letter, staring fixedly at Qi Tai, his eyes bloodshot.

"Are you stupid?" Hanlin Academician Huang Zicheng gritted his teeth, his voice seeming to squeeze through the gaps. "This letter was delivered to my residence by the Embroidered Uniform Guard with great fanfare! Countless eyes watched the whole way!"

Qi Tai froze.

"This is the original! The Prince of Wu dared to throw the original directly at me, what does that mean?" Hanlin Academician Huang Zicheng slumped into his armchair, cold sweat soaking his official robes. "It means the Embroidered Uniform Guard has ten, a hundred copies! It means the person who delivered the letter is already in the hands of the Embroidered Uniform Guard! It means he is not afraid of us destroying this thing at all!"

Fang Xiaoru said anxiously: "Then we must immediately write a letter, send it urgently to Suzhou, and persuade the Wu Family to pull back from the brink!"

"Fang Xiaoru, have you read the sage books until you've become a fool?" Hanlin Academician Huang Zicheng suddenly raised his head, looking at him as if he were an idiot.

"Why would the Prince of Wu send this letter to me? He is warning us!" Hanlin Academician Huang Zicheng pointed to the words on the letter. "He knows the Wu Family is going to rebel, but he doesn't arrest them; instead, he shows the letter to us. At this time, whoever dares to send even half a word to Suzhou is an accomplice to the Wu Family's treason!"

Fang Xiaoru gasped, pointing at Hanlin Academician Huang Zicheng: "You... you mean we should just watch the Wu Family go to their deaths?"

"Otherwise? Should we go with them and hang on the Meridian Gate to swing?" Hanlin Academician Huang Zicheng slammed his fist on the table with a bang. "The Wu Family is doomed, are you still going to follow them?"

"He is not only going to kill the Wu Family, but also make the civil officials in the imperial court watch, not daring to let out a peep."

After a long while, Qi Tai swallowed hard: "Then... what should we do now?"

"Close the doors and decline all visitors." Hanlin Academician Huang Zicheng closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "From today on, regardless of whether they come from Suzhou or Songjiang, we will not see anyone. Just pretend... we never saw this letter. And we must send word to the main family in Jiangnan, saying..."

Eastern Palace, side hall.

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong leaned back in his armchair, flipping through the list of supplies handed over by the Duke of Cao. Just as he was about to ask the Duke of Cao a few questions, Chief Eunuch Wang Chengen walked in quickly and bowed to report.

"Your Highness, Prince Consort Guo Zhen is asking to see you outside the palace gate. He says... he says he is here to pay his respects to Your Highness."

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong raised an eyebrow: "Aunt's husband from the Guo Family? What is he doing here?"

Prince Consort Guo Zhen, the eldest son of the founding hero Marquis of Wuding General Guo Ying, married Zhu Yuanzhang's daughter, Princess Yongjia Zhu Shanqing.

"Let him in."

Chief Eunuch Wang Chengen agreed and left. Soon after, Prince Consort Guo Zhen ran in.

He saw his official hat tilted to one side, and the jade belt on his body was loose and sagging. As soon as he entered, he knelt down on the bluestone floor with a thud, letting out a dry wail.

"Your Highness! Your subject cannot go on like this!"

The Duke of Cao was startled by this display, and the folding fan in his hand almost fell to the ground.

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong picked up his teacup, skimmed the foam, and remained silent.

Prince Consort Guo Zhen crawled forward on his knees, hugged Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong's thigh, and looked up. His eye sockets were bruised, and there were several clear nail marks on his left cheek.

"Did Aunt's husband run into mountain bandits?" Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong asked with a half-smile.

"Even worse than mountain bandits!" Prince Consort Guo Zhen wiped his nose and cried, "Princess Yongjia... she is not human! Last night, I drank a few too many cups and listened to a song by the Qinhuai River. I returned to the residence half an hour late, and she actually had people hang me on a tree and whip me for half the night! Your Highness, you judge, is there any way for a wife to act like this?"

The Duke of Cao couldn't help it and burst out laughing.

Prince Consort Guo Zhen glared at the Duke of Cao: "Jiujiang! What are you laughing at? Doesn't your wife hit you?"

"Alright, you're such a grown man, still crying and wailing." Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong put down the teacup and laughed: "Aunt's husband came today, surely not just to let me listen to you being abused at home, right?"

Prince Consort Guo Zhen's eyes rolled, and he immediately put on a flattering smile, got up from the ground, and patted the dust off his knees.

"Your Highness is wise! Your subject heard that Your Highness is about to go to Jiangnan?"

"That is true."

"Your subject requests to fight!" Prince Consort Guo Zhen suddenly puffed out his chest, slapping it with a thud. "Your subject is willing to hold the horse's reins and stirrups for Your Highness, to be a vanguard! Whether it is raiding a house or killing, your subject will never frown!"

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong stared at him for a while and smiled.

This Prince Consort Guo Zhen looked like a clown, but his mind turned extremely fast.

What is the situation of the Guo Family now?

General Guo Ying held fifty thousand troops and was stationed outside the city, which could be considered a trump card left by Zhu Yuanzhang.

General Lan Yu, General Feng Sheng, and these old Huaixi Faction generals had already been disciplined by Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong and had obediently handed in their letters of allegiance. Historically, although General Guo Ying did not participate in the General Lan Yu case, holding heavy troops is the greatest original sin.

Prince Consort Guo Zhen's bitter meat scheme today was ostensibly to hide from his wife, but in reality, he was representing the Guo Family to show his stance—the Guo Family is willing to board the Prince of Wu's ship.

"Going to Jiangnan is a bitter job." Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong tapped the tabletop with his fingertips. "You might encounter water bandits intercepting you on the way, and you might have to fight to the death with those local snakes when you arrive. Can Aunt's husband's constitution withstand a few blades?"

"Your Highness, don't worry!" Prince Consort Guo Zhen slapped his thigh. "Although my martial arts are mediocre, I can take a beating! Princess Yongjia has been practicing for over ten years, and I have still managed to survive intact. What are a few water bandits compared to that!"

The Duke of Cao rolled his eyes on the side. This thickness of skin is almost catching up to his own.

"Good." Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong pondered for a moment and nodded: "Then you go back and prepare. In three days, we will set off with the army."

"Alright! Thank you, Your Highness!"

Prince Consort Guo Zhen bounced up from the ground like a carp, and ran out happily.

But the Duke of Cao looked at Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong thoughtfully, his heart slightly chilled.

Just then, Jiang Wan's figure appeared at the hall entrance again. He walked quickly to Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong, knelt on one knee, and lowered his voice to the lowest.

"Reporting to Your Highness, the person you asked me to keep an eye on... has arrived in Yingtian."