Chapter 117: Great Disparity Between Noble and Mean

The original camp office in Zhihai Town was now the Dragon Tiger General's Mansion, and had been changed into a temporary residence for Prince Zhen of Ming Song to inspect the Eastern Yue Sea Province.

And although this first prince to leave the capital did not have as much weight in the court as the impression he was deliberately creating of inspecting the entire Southern Frontier.

But the Ming Song Southern Kingdom, besides the two capitals, had the Jinling Capital Region and the other five provinces: Eastern Yue Sea, Western Yue Sea, Jingchu, Exiang, and Minzhen.

Eastern Yue Sea was a superior place where the power of local aristocratic families was relatively weak, but the level of wealth was on par with Jingchu.

It can be seen that the imperial court and the royal family both trusted him quite a bit.

In the season of July, even if it was the summer vacation.

The temperature in the morning in Yanjing of Ming Song was not that dry and hot.

But the Southern Kingdom was different.

Just past Chen hour, that is, seven o'clock in the morning, the sun had already risen high.

Under the service of palace maids and eunuchs, he tidied up his appearance.

Prince Zhen, who had occupied the magpie's nest, moved calmly from the backyard to the front office to carry out his routine 'small morning court'.

He was tall, heroic, and full of wealth, looking anything but ordinary.

At the age of just twenty-five, he seemed young and vigorous but actually understood how to advance and retreat.

He knew that although his mother was the Imperial Noble Consort, second only to the Empress, and he had been named a Prince early on by virtue of his mother,

there were still more than a dozen older brothers in front of him, the oldest of whom was already nearly fifty.

Based solely on ability and prestige, this errand of being the first to leave the capital to inspect the local area could not have fallen to him in any case.

The only reason could be that the biological father was grabbing power, and the more he did something wrong, the less he was willing to let those mature, capable, civil and martial, courageous and knowledgeable sons clean up his mess.

But the political game of the outer court could not be ignored; sending a son who was too young out would not be a gimmick for cultivating a Crown Prince.

He could only pick a few who were barely passable from the middle stage and send them out one after another to inspect the Southern Frontier.

And although it was called 'inspecting on behalf of Heaven', the Nine Bestowments only gave "carriages, ceremonial equipment, and Huben."

The most important 'axes' to punish the guilty;

The 'bows and arrows' to conquer the unrighteous;

And the 'Jichang' to sacrifice to the heavens and gods—none were given; it was completely just a title.

Under these circumstances, going to the provincial government or military prefecture of Eastern Yue Sea would have no deterrent effect on the local area, and it was very likely he would be placed high up and worshipped.

So he listened to a suggestion from the strategist he valued most.

He bypassed the provincial capital Wuyang Prefecture of Eastern Yue Sea and came directly to Siyang Commandery, which was near the sea and the most prosperous.

Then he himself casually found a poor and remote military camp with a dock and established his residence.

Immediately afterward, with the speed of a thunderbolt, he sent people overnight to the 'Longmen Tongbu Bureau', which belonged to the inner court rather than the local government, to summon the Chief Eunuch Wang Shitong to come and see him.

It had to be said that this surprise move was extremely brilliant.

He was on a ship, and the ship was in the sea.

The wind and waves at sea were high and urgent, but it was not under the jurisdiction of the government on land, and anything could happen.

But once on shore, this had a base.

Establishing a residence meant it was no longer traveling, but officially starting the 'inspection'.

Prince Zhen's status was also transformed into an Imperial Commissioner.

As for summoning the Chief Eunuch of the 'Longmen Tongbu Bureau', the nature belonged to a small master summoning a family slave, and no one in the local area could control it.

Plus, because Wang Shitong was a scapegoat and was in a state of awaiting punishment, he should be able to be summoned at will.

And once this matter succeeded, the situation would open up.

Arriving at the hall, he sat in the main seat.

The attendants on the left and right who were Seventh Rank and below kowtowed, and those above bowed to pay respects,

"We subjects pay respects to Prince Zhen, may you live for a thousand, thousand, ten thousand years."

Prince Zhen felt as if he were bathed in a spring breeze, feeling indescribably comfortable all over, wishing he could immerse himself in it for a while longer.

But he still said with a smile:

"Everyone, please get up quickly, let's get down to business."

"Reporting to Your Highness, Chief Eunuch Wang Shitong of the 'Longmen Tongbu Bureau' has been summoned.

He is waiting for orders outside the residence."

If he were interrupted by someone else in normal times, no matter how urgent the matter was, Prince Zhen would have to reward that eunuch with a few slaps.

But this time, not only did he have no anger, but his eyes lit up with excitement.

Since Wang Shitong had come, Longmen Berth could be 'taken'.

As long as it was rectified, it would be a continuous river of gold and sea of silver.

And with enough money, there would be enough substance.

Combined with the face of an Imperial Commissioner Prince, it was not a case of one plus one equals two.

"Quick, quick, go summon Eunuch Wang Shitong to see me"...

On this side, Prince Zhen, who had occupied the magpie's nest, began to dig the wall of his biological father.

On that side, Zhang Gui and his little friend finished the sauce-dipped noodles cooked by his mother and rushed to the dock in Pingyang Town.

Boarded a fast ship and rushed to Zhihai Town.

After walking for a while, Zhang Gui stood at the bow of the ship and looked into the distance at Zhang Jiujiang:

"This time back, actually, no matter what, you should go to the main residence and see the adults in the clan.

Then go to Hehe Ward and see Uncle Bawang and Aunt Suzi, not seeing your parents for several months..."

"Then why don't you go to Qijing Ward and see Clan Uncle Bashan." Zhang Jiujiang rarely choked his little friend, "Even if you go to see him now and say clearly that you no longer surname Zhang, he is still..."

"Can that be the same?

What kind of quality is that cheap father of mine? Before he made his fortune, he didn't provide me with a single grain of rice to eat.

Uncle Bawang and Aunt Suzi love you so much," as he spoke, seeing Zhang Jiujiang's expression, Zhang Gui scratched his head helplessly, "You kid is truly a stubborn donkey.

If you stroke his fur, he will show you a face if he is slightly dissatisfied.

How did your parents offend you?"

"Isn't it just those things? It's the same old story, we'll talk about it later when there's nothing to do.

Now the important thing is, what are you going to do?

You can't just let a good foundation be taken away so lightly by someone."

In the mysterious domain, Zhihai Town was already equivalent to Zhang Gui's national territory.

If Prince Zhen really wanted to occupy the magpie's nest, no matter how well it was managed, the floating wealth accumulated in the future would be in Zhang Gui's pocket.

On the contrary, the strong men who appeared with Prince Zhen made Zhang Gui always feel uneasy in his heart.

However, he was a Fourth Rank local official personally sealed by the Hezheng Emperor's decree; unless Prince Zhen was crazy, he would never deal with him casually.

So he sighed half-truthfully, Zhang Gui said:

"The reason why I have been smooth sailing all the way is because of the four words 'following the trend'.

Now it seems that my wings are full, but in fact, the soldiers in Zhihai Town have only followed me for less than a year.

Even if I bestow grace again, and they are moved again, what can they do?

How many people will defy the superior order for me, let alone the decree of a Prince.

Think carefully, I have no backer above who is willing to die to protect me.

I have no party members below who will repay me with their lives.

And there are no peers in the middle who share honor and disgrace.

The foundation is not even as stable as the 'Wen County' family.

At this moment, if the momentum is truly pressing down.

If the emperor's biological son uses the power of an Imperial Commissioner Prince to mess with me, what can I do?"

Zhang Jiujiang sighed and didn't make a sound.

The two, one truly melancholy and the other inwardly uneasy, arrived at Zhihai Town without a word all the way.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 118 =====

(End of this chapter)