Chapter 685: Turning Grand Prince Bongnim

"I know why the Crown Prince hasn't returned, and it's not at all what the rumors say." Lin Dechang said with a look of pride: "His Highness the Crown Prince hasn't returned because he's been detained, not because the Great Ming took a liking to him. And I also know that he probably won't be able to return for the rest of his life."

As soon as these words were spoken, Grand Prince Bongnim's expression changed instantly.

Not only did Grand Prince Bongnim's expression change, but Zhao Chenqi, standing beside him, also changed expression.

"You must not talk nonsense!" Grand Prince Bongnim said with a grim face, staring at Lin Dechang before him: "If you dare spout nonsense here, I'll show you what it means to suffer."

"Rest assured, Grand Prince. Since I dare to say it, I naturally have confidence." Lin Dechang said with a smile: "This is intelligence I obtained from the Great Ming side. This time, the Great Ming sending envoys is also related to this matter."

"Then tell me." Grand Prince Bongnim pressed him.

"The reason the Crown Prince can't return is mainly that His Highness the Crown Prince, while in the Great Ming, expressed his dissatisfaction with the Great Ming in front of the Great Ming Emperor, believing that the Great Ming is simply plundering Joseon — both Joseon's wealth and Joseon's people. The Crown Prince believed that if things continued this way, Joseon would soon cease to be a nation; the people would flee to the Great Ming, the wealth would be scraped clean by Great Ming merchants, and Joseon would no longer be Joseon. His Highness the Crown Prince's words were very fierce, and they angered the Great Ming Emperor."

"Beyond that, the Great Ming Emperor also felt that Joseon's Crown Prince harbored disloyal intentions — disloyal intentions toward the Great Ming. If the Crown Prince became Joseon's king, Joseon might well become an enemy of the Great Ming. So the Great Ming Emperor kept the Crown Prince there and wouldn't let him return."

"This time the Great Ming sent envoys to Joseon mainly to find a suitable candidate — a suitable person to be Joseon's king. What does the Grand Prince think of this?"

Grand Prince Bongnim said nothing, and Zhao Chenqi standing beside him said nothing either.

This news was simply too shocking; it shook both of them so much that for a moment neither knew what to say.

This was something they had never imagined, yet they both felt that what Lin Dechang said was true.

This explained why the Crown Prince couldn't return, and it also explained why the Great Ming had sent envoys. Once both questions were explained, it suddenly gave one a feeling of sudden enlightenment.

"So that's how it is." Grand Prince Bongnim's expression turned very ugly as he stared at Lin Dechang and said: "Can you guarantee the truth of this intelligence?"

"Of course." Lin Dechang nodded and said: "It is exactly so. My intelligence came from a noble of the Great Ming. I was drinking with him, and he let it slip unintentionally. At the time he also said — how could the Great Ming Emperor possibly marry his own princess to Joseon's Crown Prince?"

"From its founding to this day, the Great Ming has never had a single princess marry out. How could the Great Ming Emperor possibly allow such a thing to happen?"

"Moreover, what kind of man is the current Great Ming Emperor? A man of great talent and bold vision, eyeing the world like a tiger. Would he marry off a princess at a time like this? It's simply impossible." Lin Dechang said with a grave expression: "Now the Great Ming has taken Japan, the Jianzhou barbarians are gone, and the Mongols have been subdued. So who remains to the north? The Grand Prince can think about that for himself."

"There's no need to think about it — to the north, only Joseon remains." Zhao Chenqi said after a moment of deliberation.

"It is precisely because of this that the Great Ming has set its sights on Joseon. After all, Joseon sitting here is like a thorn in the eye and a splinter in the flesh — the Great Ming won't feel at ease until it's plucked out. The Great Ming wants to choose an obedient king of Joseon, to make Joseon truly become an appendage of the Great Ming."

Grand Prince Bongnim's expression was very ugly as he said angrily: "How can they do this? Has Joseon not been respectful enough to the Great Ming? How can they act this way?"

Upon hearing these words, Lin Dechang smiled.

"What are you laughing at?" Grand Prince Bongnim said with a stiff face, staring at Lin Dechang, his expression extremely unpleasant.

"Grand Prince, no matter how respectful Joseon is, Joseon is still Joseon — Joseon is not the Great Ming. If Joseon became part of the Great Ming, then the Great Ming could do even more things to Joseon. Is this reasoning really so hard to understand?"

"If the Grand Prince feels afraid, then consider that I never came today. Though I, Lin Dechang, am a merchant, I have always been vigilant toward the Great Ming and have never forgotten that I am a Korean — that I am a man of the Yi family of Joseon. His Highness the Crown Prince suffers in the Great Ming — for what?"

"Is it not for Joseon? It is precisely because of His Highness the Crown Prince that I, Lin Dechang, came to find the Grand Prince, hoping that the Grand Prince can understand the Crown Prince's actions, and then strive to strengthen himself, so that one day Joseon can conquer Japan, occupy Liaodong, and achieve a great empire!"

"For this, I, Lin Dechang, would spare nothing — not even my entire fortune and my very life. Now the most critical moment has arrived; the Great Ming has already begun selecting suitable candidates. Does the Grand Prince think the Great Ming will choose you?"

As soon as these words came out, Grand Prince Bongnim's heart shook, and his demeanor softened somewhat.

Would the Great Ming choose him?

The answer was no — they certainly would not choose him. If his elder brother could not return, they would surely choose someone easy to control.

Who would that easy-to-control person be?

It would probably be his youngest younger brother. After all, being young meant he couldn't do anything, and then Joseon would be decided by the Great Ming — and when that time came, the Great Ming could do whatever it pleased.

That won't do!

Grand Prince Bongnim's face darkened completely. He thought of another possibility — if he couldn't take the position of Joseon's king, the Great Ming might very well have him killed.

After all, he held the moral high ground here. If his elder brother didn't return, the throne should rightfully be his. If the Great Ming didn't want him to be king, what better way was there than to have him killed?

As long as he was dead, everything would be legitimate and all would proceed smoothly.

"I don't believe what you're saying." Grand Prince Bongnim raised his head and looked at Lin Dechang with a serious, earnest expression.

"If the Grand Prince doesn't believe me, you can go and inquire — see what that Chen Facai is doing. That Chen Facai is a man of the Great Ming."

"Park Jeong-yang is a fool who still thinks the Great Ming is helping him. The Great Ming is only using him — using him to make contact with people on the Joseon side. I also know that he approached the Grand Prince before, but he also approached other princes. The Grand Prince only needs to make inquiries to find out. The Great Ming legation operates in the open, while Chen Facai works in the shadows."

Grand Prince Bongnim's expression changed dramatically — he had in fact already believed Lin Dechang's words.

This kind of matter simply couldn't be lied about; one inquiry would be enough to verify it. Moreover, Chen Facai was still carrying out this business over there — one question would reveal everything. Under such circumstances, lying had become unnecessary.

"This is going too far!" Grand Prince Bongnim slammed the table and said angrily: "For the sake of Joseon, I absolutely cannot let them succeed!"

"This humble one is willing to follow the Grand Prince unto death!" Lin Dechang knelt down directly and said loudly: "Before this, Park Jeong-yang had already secretly contacted quite a few ministers and generals. This humble one has also reached an understanding with them. Park Jeong-yang holds leverage over many people — leverage that the Great Ming people gave him, since these people all secretly do business with the Great Ming. With this leverage, we can control these people and make them support the Grand Prince. At the critical moment, these people will all be the Grand Prince's supporters."

This time Grand Prince Bongnim was even more alarmed, saying in disbelief: "Has it already come to this?"

"Yes, Grand Prince." Lin Dechang said with a bitter smile: "Joseon is already in grave peril. If they truly succeed, then Joseon will cease to be a nation! The Great Ming promised Park Jeong-yang that after the matter was accomplished, he would be made Grand Regent. The so-called Grand Regent is the shogun of Japan — that's why Park Jeong-yang threw himself into it so relentlessly. This humble one couldn't stand to see it, so I have been quietly building up strength all along."

"Now that he's dead, these things should all be handed over to the Grand Prince. We are all loyal to Joseon and willingly support the Grand Prince. When the time comes, as long as the Grand Prince raises his arm and calls out, we will respond and rise up."

"I have no intention of rebelling." Grand Prince Bongnim said with a dark face.

Zhao Chenqi spoke up at this point, glancing at Grand Prince Bongnim and saying: "I'm afraid it's not up to the Grand Prince. Now that the Great Ming side has made its move, we can't avoid acting even if we want to. If it's confirmed that the Crown Prince can't return, the King will certainly enfeoff a new Crown Prince. If that person isn't the Grand Prince, how will the Grand Prince conduct himself? At the last resort, extraordinary measures may well be necessary. If you don't have that resolve, then don't go down this path at all."

"What about the King?" Grand Prince Bongnim still hesitated somewhat and said: "Why don't we tell the King about these matters? I believe the King must have his own judgment."

Zhao Chenqi said helplessly: "Grand Prince, do you think the King doesn't know?"

"How did Park Jeong-yang die? How did Park In-yong die?" Lin Dechang said from the side: "Moreover, the King has also been to the Great Ming. I'm afraid the King understands this better than anyone in his heart — he just doesn't say it."

"Are you saying that Park Jeong-yang and Park In-yong were both…" When Grand Prince Bongnim got to this point, he drew in a cold breath, and the expression on his face turned somewhat ugly.

"But the King has never spoken to me about this." Grand Prince Bongnim said helplessly.

Zhao Chenqi said from the side: "The King had no choice. This kind of matter simply can't be proclaimed to the whole world. Once the Great Ming is provoked, it might very well send troops from Japan to attack us directly. Even those Japanese troops now might be recruited by the Great Ming. When that time comes, Joseon will be finished."

"What we need to do now is endure — pretend we know nothing, and quietly build up strength. Didn't the Great Ming send us a lot of equipment? Perfect — we'll keep it for ourselves. Only when our strength is sufficient can we fight back. The King probably thinks the same way, which is why he didn't tell the Grand Prince about this matter. If things become hopeless, the King will likely bear all the blame himself."

"Father!" Grand Prince Bongnim's face was filled with deep sorrow.

"Thank you, Master Lin!" Grand Prince Bongnim turned to look at Lin Dechang and said with a grateful expression: "I still have many matters to consult Master Lin about. Master Lin should stay here today."

After saying this, he said to Zhao Chenqi beside him: "Have someone prepare a room immediately. I want to have an all-night discussion with Master Lin. First prepare wine — I want to drink and talk freely with Master Lin."

"Thank you, Grand Prince!" Lin Dechang said with a grateful expression.

In truth, from the moment he had entered this place, Lin Dechang had not expected to leave easily.

Grand Prince Bongnim keeping him here was surely to verify the truth or falsehood of his words. This was only to be expected, so he accepted with tears of gratitude.

Although they had spoken urgently just now, deep down they didn't believe it at all. But Lin Dechang was also confident—what he had said wasn't nonsense; as long as they investigated, they would surely find something.

"Good, good, good!" Grand Prince Bongnim stepped forward a few paces, reached out and patted Lin Dechang's hand, a smile all over his face.

Zhao Chenqi accompanied them at the side, and for a moment the atmosphere was harmonious.

Meanwhile, at Zhang Fu's residence.

Zheng Xuhong looked at the bodies being carried out, his expression extremely grim.

These corpses were truly horrifying, their appearances genuinely rather terrifying. But once they were carried out and covered with white sheets, the search could continue.

Soon, someone came holding an envelope in hand, walked straight up to Zheng Xuhong and said respectfully: "Sir, we found Zhang Fu's suicide note."

"Bring it here, let me see." Zheng Xuhong said urgently.

His subordinate dared not delay and quickly handed the envelope up.

Glancing at the envelope, seeing it had not yet been opened, Zheng Xuhong nodded and directly put the letter away.

Since it hadn't been opened, he would take it back for the King to see.

Whether one called Zheng Xuhong timid as a mouse or cautious, he simply dared not leave the slightest opening. The matter had escalated to this point—it could be said that the wind was rising and the storm was brewing; the slightest misstep would drag a person in, and once dragged in, there would be no place even to be buried.

Zhang Fu was already dead, and his entire family had been killed. Zheng Xuhong had no desire to follow in his footsteps. Zheng Xuhong reported everything to the King and let the King make the decisions.

"You all continue here. I'm going to the palace." Zheng Xuhong looked at his subordinates and instructed.

"Yes, sir." Several people acknowledged, then hastily bowed and withdrew to the side.

Zheng Xuhong dared not hesitate either. Holding the items in his hands, he hurried straight to the royal palace.

The palace guards saw Zheng Xuhong and didn't find it surprising in the least.

If anyone had been running to the palace most frequently these days, it was this Lord Zheng before them.

Before Zheng Xuhong even reached the gate, someone had already run inside to announce him.

Before long, the person returned. Zheng Xuhong followed him inside.

When the Joseon King heard that Zheng Xuhong had come, at this point he no longer dared refuse to see him.

Upon seeing Zheng Xuhong, the Joseon King asked: "Have you found out anything?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, my men searched and found Zhang Fu's suicide note." Having said this, Zheng Xuhong held the suicide note up before the Joseon King, then respectfully withdrew to the side.

Taking the suicide note, the Joseon King glanced at it—the envelope had not yet been opened. He raised his head and asked: "My dear minister hasn't read it yet?"

"Correct, Your Majesty." Zheng Xuhong nodded and said: "Your servant has not read it. After all, this matter is of great importance; your servant felt it would be better for Your Majesty to review it first."

The Joseon King nodded and said nothing.

Zheng Xuhong's behavior was all too clear—this was being careful, careful, and even more careful. But the Joseon King didn't mind; the situation was urgent, and there was no time to mind such things.