Chapter 1428: This Crown Princess Is Truly Wicked to the Core!

"Imperial Father is wise. Your daughter-in-law simply wants His Highness the Crown Prince to squeeze these two soft persimmons, Heilongjiang and Andong!" Ding Yuying admitted openly that she wanted the Crown Prince to win merit and establish his authority. She said with a smile, "But your daughter-in-law is thinking not only of the Crown Prince's merit and authority — she also wants to seize this opportunity to end forever the threat beyond the northeastern frontier for the Ming realm!"

The Crown Princess Ding gritted her teeth. "The Jin state that destroyed the Northern Song in days of old, and the Qing state that nearly toppled our Ming dynasty during the Chongzhen years — both arose beyond the northeastern frontier. Taking history as a mirror, our dynasty should take advantage of its present military ascendancy to sweep that region clean and pacify it thoroughly, ending the threat forever!"

Zhu Cilang thought for a moment, then asked, "Military campaigns are not something to take for granted, Yuying. Haoyun, do you truly have confidence of certain victory? Win, and you gain merit and authority; lose, and your troubles will be great!"

Zhu Hexing's brows were knitted, as if he too felt this battle beyond the northeastern frontier would be a thorny one.

"Imperial Father," the Crown Prince Haoyun said, "although the strength of the Heilongjiang and Andong commanderies is not great, the territory they occupy is vast, with great stretches of forest. The winters are bitterly cold, unsuited to southern troops. And in spring, the snowmelt brings floods that make the roads difficult. If we send a large army to suppress them, the danger is that the enemy will hold out and drag the war into the depths of winter, forcing us to withdraw because of the cold. If we want a quick victory in pacifying Heilongjiang and Andong, it would be best to use the method of attacking the mind, causing them to collapse from within."

Zhu Hexing's military ability was indeed not weak. He was not overly optimistic about the war to pacify the Heilongjiang and Andong commanderies. Nor did he chase the "satisfying thrill" of crushing the enemy with a great army; instead, he honestly proposed buying off and disintegrating the enemy. As long as one can win, no method is shameful! And the lower the price one pays oneself, the better.

Zhu Cilang turned to Ding Yuying. "Yuying, you speak too!"

"Imperial Father, your daughter-in-law does not understand military affairs," Ding Yuying said, "but your daughter-in-law also feels that the real work of pacifying Heilongjiang and Andong lies entirely outside the battlefield. If the work outside the battlefield is done thoroughly, perhaps we can subdue the enemy's troops without fighting."

"And half of that work lies right here in Yingtian Prefecture!"

"Right here in Yingtian Prefecture?" Zhu Cilang asked with a smile. "Yuying, what do you intend to do?"

Ding Yuying said, "First, Shunzhi should be publicly tried. Both the Heilongjiang and Andong garrisons have liaison offices in Yingtian Prefecture; their liaison officers can be made to attend the trial. They must be made to understand that only Oboi and Yolo colluded with Shunzhi, and that the great majority of the officers and men of the Heilongjiang and Andong armies knew nothing of it."

"Second, His Highness the Crown Prince should be given concurrent command of the Heilongjiang and Andong garrisons, and take up residence in Liaoyang. The Crown Prince is the heir to the realm; for the stout warriors of the Heilongjiang and Andong garrisons to pledge themselves to the Crown Prince is a prospect of great promise. Every stout warrior the Crown Prince wins over is one fewer for Oboi and Yolo."

"Third, Dorgon's son Dorbo and Jin Boguo should be sent to serve at the front. This is buying a horse's bones with a thousand gold! The heroes of Heilongjiang and Andong must all be made to know that His Highness the Crown Prince is willing to give important posts to the brave men of the Heilongjiang and Andong armies."

"Hahaha!" Zhu Cilang burst into loud laughter when he heard Ding Yuying's words. Laughing, he pointed at Ding Yuying and said to Zhu Hexing, "Haoyun, this Crown Princess of yours is truly wicked to the core!"

Zhu Hexing and Ding Yuying took Zhu Cilang's words calmly. They both knew Zhu Cilang liked to use "wicked" people, and for Ding Yuying to earn the appraisal "wicked to the core" meant her position as Crown Princess was as secure as Mount Tai! But the Chongzhen Retired Emperor at the side was greatly startled. Seeing Ding Yuying smiling and not the least bit afraid left him utterly baffled.

A woman wicked to the core — can she be Crown Princess? She must be deposed!

"But We are very satisfied!" Zhu Cilang said with a smile to his son. "Haoyun, you truly are fortunate! Your old man is the greatest emperor of all ages; the territory We have conquered is broader than even Genghis Khan's! And your wife is a heroine among women, and wicked enough besides — she will surely be able to assist you in becoming an enlightened ruler. Good, good — We are reassured!"

What kind of nonsense was this?

The Chongzhen Retired Emperor truly did not know what to say. The Crown Prince Haoyun did not look particularly wise, and paired with a "demon consort" like Ding Yuying, the Ming realm would be in danger!

At that moment Zhu Cilang spoke again. "Haoyun, Yuying, the interrogation of Shunzhi is entrusted to the two of you. Be sure to interrogate him thoroughly!"

"Your son receives the decree!"

"Your daughter-in-law receives the decree!"

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess naturally received the decree as husband and wife together. And Zhu Ci'en, who had botched his assignment, breathed a great sigh of relief — it seemed he had passed the test, and his imperial elder brother would not pursue the matter further.

Just as he was mulling this over, the Zhu Emperor had already remembered him.

Zhu Cilang was a man who schemed over everything. He was rarely cheated out of money (walk often by the river, and how can one avoid getting one's shoes wet? It was just that he was cheated less often than most), yet this time he had actually been swindled out of 350,000 by this brat (Zhu Ci'en was more wronged than Dou E — he had not seen a single copper of it). Could he possibly have forgotten him?

"Old Nine," Zhu Cilang said, "if the Crown Prince and Crown Princess go to the snowy plateau, what will happen in the northeast? Your mud hasn't been mixed well!"

Zhu Ci'en immediately cried out in protest, "Imperial Elder Brother, it was Old Three who swindled me! He produced a fake Shunzhi, and not only did he swindle Oboi and Yolo, he also wronged Li Dingguo, Ai Nengqi, and Liu Wenxiu. How was I supposed to mix this mud?"

The Chongzhen Emperor, listening at the side, sighed — the eldest and the third are both villains! Who did they take after? Could it be Empress Zhou?

Zhu Cilang glanced at the Chongzhen Emperor, who was sighing for some unknown reason, and thought to himself: A foolish son like this dares to demand 350,000. So stupid — he takes after you!

"You will make another trip to the Tibetan border, to see Li Dingguo!" The moment Zhu Cilang's words left his mouth, Zhu Ci'en's legs went weak with fright.

"Imperial Elder Brother, spare me!" Tears streamed down Zhu Ci'en's face as he knelt before the Zhu Emperor. "Your younger brother will not go to Li Dingguo. If I go, I will not come back alive."

Zhu Cilang glared at Zhu Ci'en. "Old Nine, rest assured! With Us here, Li Dingguo would not dare do anything to you!"

Rest assured?

How could Zhu Ci'en rest assured? The Third Prince Zhu, Wu Yingxiong, and Wu Guogui were plainly out to kill Li Dingguo!

"Imperial Father, save me! Imperial Father, save me!"

Knowing his brother had a heart of iron, Zhu Ci'en could only beg his father to save him. But how could Chongzhen be willing to help him? A son "sold" for 350,000 taels of silver must of course work like an ox or a horse for the buyer. Even if he died, it did not matter! The Chongzhen Retired Emperor still had more than a hundred sons!

If Zhu Ci'en died, there would be sons after him. Zhu Cilang could not make use of a dead man; if he wanted to use another prince, he would have to pay again!

"My son, do not be afraid." The Chongzhen Retired Emperor consoled his son. "Your elder brother has a sense of proportion. He never sends his subordinates off to die casually."

At that point, Chongzhen himself suddenly felt something was off — the unfilial wretch never sends his subordinates to their deaths... could it be that someone else often sends his subordinates to their deaths?

"You will not die in Li Dingguo's army!" Zhu Cilang said with a smile. "Old Nine, rest assured. We will write a letter presently; take it with you to Li Dingguo's army, and the three commanderies of the snowy plateau will not be able to make much trouble."

While this harmonious scene of a loving father and filial son, an affectionate elder brother and respectful younger brother, unfolded in the Hall of Imperial Supremacy, Jin Xuanye — who had gone from caged prisoner back to Marquis of Yan'en — was busy being an "unfilial son." He was leading a dozen Embroidered Uniform Guard riders, escorting a prison cart toward his own marquis's residence. Inside the cart was that "Shunzhi."

He dared not let "Shunzhi" out of the cage! What if he ran away? Who would be held responsible?

Moreover, the Zhu Emperor had already given him 5,000 taels of silver as "father-watching money." If the "father" ran away, would the Zhu Emperor let him off?

On the contrary, executing him would be entirely justifiable.

But the thought of this "father" being locked up in his own marquis's residence made him truly wish for death. What kind of business was this? One trip to the northwest, and upon returning he had gained a father out of nowhere — and one with a Shaanxi accent at that!

"Zi, zi-zi!"

As Xuanye was lost in these wild thoughts, a "zizizi" sound suddenly reached his ears. He turned his head and saw that it was his cheap father making noises.

The fake Shunzhi saw Xuanye turn around and said with a smile, "Tonight I want to eat roujiamo — more meat, thin bread. And mutton soup with flatbread, a great big bowl, the mutton with both fat and lean."

Quite a list of demands, Xuanye thought to himself: He really doesn't treat himself as an outsider!

(End of Chapter)