Chapter 471: King of the Nation

Zhu Biao placed the document on the table, his expression calm, revealing no joy or anger.

"Imperial Father, which number is this?" he asked.

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted and said, "It's the eleventh, not counting the ones that never arrived; we stopped quite a few."

Zhu Yong fell silent for a moment.

His merits were indeed enormous: destroying Northern Yuan, pacifying Nüzhen, subjugating Goryeo, securing Wa Country, conquering the South Sea, opening the Western Regions, swallowing Tie Mu Er, and defeating Europe.

From Yingtian Prefecture westward to Lisbon, tens of thousands of li, most of it was taken by him.

Anyone else would be seen as too powerful, unsettling the ruler; people's hearts are unpredictable.

"Yong Er, what do you think?" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly asked.

Zhu Yong looked at his father, was silent for a moment, set down his teacup, and said coolly, "Dad, if I had wanted to be Emperor, I wouldn't have let elder brother become Crown Prince back then. I have the Longxiang Army, soldiers from Europe, soldiers from America, soldiers from the South Sea, soldiers from Australia, and even the Tie Mu Er camp also follows my command."

"If I wanted to rebel, I'd have done so long ago; why wait until now?"

The hall fell silent for an instant.

Zhu Biao smiled, pointed at Zhu Yong and said, "Second brother, you say that without fearing Imperial Father getting angry."

Zhu Yong shook his head, "Elder brother, I'm speaking the truth."

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at him for a while, then suddenly laughed—a loud laugh, his eyes reddening as he laughed.

"Good, good, our son, that's the kind of daring... those documents, we'll keep them unpublished, but we can't pretend not to see them. Biaoer, what do you suggest?"

Zhu Biao thought for a moment and said, "Imperial Father, I have an idea. Since the Censorate folks think the second brother's achievements threaten the throne, let's give him an even higher office so they can see what truly threatens the throne."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes brightened as he glanced at Zhu Biao.

"You mean..."

"Bestow upon the second brother the title of King of the Nation." Zhu Biao held his gaze steadily.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

The King of the Nation is a royal rank never before seen; if it were added atop the Wu King title, the authority would be boundless.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Yong: "Yong Er, what do you think?"

"I follow dad and elder brother," Zhu Yong said, still with that honest, simple expression, making it hard to tell truth from falsehood.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked again, "And the Military Authority? Do you still command the Longxiang Army?"

"I do. Not only the Longxiang Army, but the troops in Europe are also under the second brother's command. Imperial Father, when the second brother is absent, no one obeys those soldiers; only when he returns can they be steadied."

Zhu Biao said without hesitation.

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Fine, we'll do as you say. Yong Er, from today you are the Great Ming's King of the Nation."

Zhu Yong stood, knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Imperial Father, for your great grace."

Leaving Qianqing Palace, Zhu Biao and Zhu Yong walked side by side along the palace corridor.

"Second brother, don't take those documents to heart," Zhu Biao said.

Zhu Yong shook his head, "Elder brother, I haven't taken it to heart, but you, aren't you afraid I might actually rebel?"

Zhu Biao stopped, turned and looked at him.

"If you wanted to rebel, you'd have done it long ago; why wait until now? Second brother, elder brother has been Crown Prince for so many years, has seen every storm. Those people trying to sow discord between us are still a bit immature."

He paused, then laughed, "Besides, what do you think being Emperor is like? Reviewing documents until midnight every day, a few hairs turn white. If you want the throne, elder brother will give it to you."

Zhu Yong laughed.

The two brothers walked side by side to the palace gate, where Zhu Biao stopped.

"Second brother, go back and rest well. At tomorrow's court session, Imperial Father will issue the formal decree; tonight Kunning Palace will hold a banquet to celebrate you."

Zhu Yong nodded, "Elder brother, you also rest early."

Returning to Wu Wang Fu, the sky had already darkened.

Guanyin Nu was setting up a table in the courtyard, Zhu Huanhuan carried dishes out of the kitchen, and Zhu Qiongwu crouched by the well butchering fish.

"Back?" Guanyin Nu looked up, gave him a glance.

Zhu Yong walked over, sat on a stone bench, and said, "Imperial Father will confer upon me the King of the Nation title; tomorrow's court will issue the decree."

The bowl in Guanyin Nu's hand paused briefly, then returned to normal.

"Congratulations, Prince..."

"Congratulations for what? It's just a title," Zhu Yong said coolly.

Guanyin Nu said nothing more and continued setting the table.

The family sat together around the table to eat.

Zhu Qiongwu sat on Zhu Yong's lap, his little hand clutching a piece of fish, his face smeared with it. The three‑four‑year‑old rascal was fierce‑mouthed, his speech still halting, but his voice was huge—once he opened his mouth, the whole street could hear him.

"Dad, are we still going fishing tomorrow?" Zhu Qiongwu scooped two bites of rice and asked.

"Yes, tomorrow we'll take you out of the city for a walk."

Zhu Qiongwu grinned.

Zhu Huanhuan, beside him, served a dish, whispering, "Eat slowly; no one will compete with you."

Zhu Qiongwu, imitating his older brother, reached for the fish on the plate, but Zhu Huanhuan lightly tapped his back of the hand; pouting, he clutched Zhu Yong's neck and whined, "Dad, sister hit me."

Zhu Yong laughed, patted his head and said, "Sister is looking out for you; eat more slowly."

"Oh..." Zhu Qiongwu withdrew his hand and kept gnawing the fish in his own bowl.

At night, Zhu Yong sat in the study.

Spread before him was a full map of Europe, from Portugal to Poland, from Italy to the Nordic lands, from Moscow to Crimea. The red areas marked territories already under control, covering more than half of the continent.

Guanyin Nu entered carrying a bowl of soup and set it on the table.

"Prince, aren't you sleeping yet?"

Zhu Yong took the bowl, took a sip and said, "Can't fall asleep."

Guanyin Nu sat down opposite him.

"Are you thinking about those impeachment papers?"

"You already know?"

"Matters in the court can't be hidden, can they? Huan Huan went to the palace this morning to pay respects to the Imperial Mother, and the Imperial Mother told her." Guanyin Nu looked at him, her gaze calm as a pool of water.

Zhu Yong put down his bowl and leaned back in his chair.

"Dad granted me the title of Prince of the Nation today, letting me continue to lead the Longxiang Army, even the troops over in Europe are now under my command. So tell me, aren't Dad and my older brother afraid I might actually rebel?"

Guanyin Nu thought for a moment and said softly: "Because they know you wouldn't."

Zhu Yong looked at her and asked: "How do you know?"

Guanyin Nu paused, then suddenly laughed: "Because if you wanted to become Emperor, you wouldn't have handed over all that Gold and Silver from the conquest of Northern Yuan to the court back then."

"Tens of millions of taels of silver, you didn't keep a single coin, gave it all to the Ministry of Revenue; a person who wants to be Emperor wouldn't do that."

Zhu Yong was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

"You, at least, see clearly."

Guanyin Nu stood up, took the bowl from his hand, and said softly: "It's time to rest; we have court tomorrow."

Early the next morning, Zhu Yong put on the brand-new Duke of the Nation's python robe and rode his horse toward the Imperial City.

Outside Wu Men, the Civil and Military Officials were already lined up.

Seeing Zhu Yong riding his horse toward them, some nodded in greeting, some lowered their heads to avoid, some whispered to each other.

Zhu Yong ignored them, flipped off the horse and strode toward Fengtian Hall.

Inside Fengtian Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the throne, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall.

"Today's morning court, we have several matters to announce."

The hall fell silent.

"King Wu Zhu Yong, with outstanding merits, has been further ennobled as Prince of the Nation, commanding the capital garrison's Longxiang Army and also overseeing the European forces."

A murmur of discussion rose in the hall.

"The Prince of the Nation, commanding the capital garrison and also overseeing the European forces, wields boundless power."