usatvline Chapter 82 Offering Advice on Border Defense
Chapter 82 Offering Advice on Border Defense
The old emperor was deeply shocked. After a moment of panic, he quickly regained his composure and returned to the Qianqing Palace as usual.
Although he had once become a monk, he did not believe in ghosts and gods.
If Heaven has a spirit, why didn't the gods show their help when his kind and hardworking farmers, who were on the verge of death from the plague?
Therefore, when the palace maid Wang Zihe of the Fourth Prince's mansion became pregnant and rumors spread that she would "give birth to the emperor," the old emperor simply laughed it off, taking it all as a frame-up by someone with ulterior motives.
Now, facts have proven that what Zhu Gaoxi said earlier was not unfounded.
What should we do next?
The old emperor fell into deep thought. Zhu Gaoxi and Zhu Youdun exchanged a glance and then left the Qianqing Palace together.
Although Zhu Youdun had a premonition, he was still shocked and could not calm down for a long time.
Zhu Quan's memorial strongly proves that Zhu Gaoxi had the ability to foresee the future.
Such a gifted person is naturally the rightful chosen one.
Will Grandfather not hesitate this time?
While Zhu Youdun was pondering to himself, Zhu Gaoxi was extremely anxious. Xu Zengshou had not sent any news for a long time. If no reliable and capable eunuch joined the investigation, it would be difficult to make a breakthrough with only Yishiha and Sanbao.
Would Xu Zengshou break his promise?
Zhu Gaoxi carefully reviewed the situation, checking for any oversights. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he realized that Xu Zengshou was definitely waiting for him to personally pick up Xu Jingyan.
Is this not easy?
Let's go now!
"Brother, let's go out of the palace to fetch Jingyan," Zhu Gaoxi pleaded softly.
Zhu Youdun slowly recovered from his shock, rubbed his temples and pondered for a moment, "If everything's alright with Grandpa, let's go again."
"Okay, I'll listen to you, brother. Shall we go now?" Zhu Gaoxi asked, tilting his head back.
Zhu Youdun nodded, grabbed Zhu Gaoxi's chubby hand, and walked outside.
Upon reaching the Qianqing Gate, they encountered Zhu Yunwen, and the two stopped to pay their respects to the Crown Prince.
"You're going to see Grandpa? He just lay down to rest, let's go later."
Zhu Yunwen's face showed faint traces of crying, but he took the initiative to greet people now, presumably because Lady Lü had given him some psychological support in the Eastern Palace.
Zhu Gaoxi secretly pondered this in his heart.
"Grandson, let's go to the side hall to find a book. We won't disturb Grandpa."
Even if Zhu Yunwen was telling the truth, Zhu Gaoxi still had to go there in person. Perhaps the old emperor wasn't asleep and had already gotten up.
Zhu Youdun immediately chimed in, "Yes, let's go find the books."
Seeing that the two refused to listen to his advice, Zhu Yunwen stopped arguing with them, nodded, and left.
The two were extremely careful and tiptoed into the Qianqing Palace, but they still managed to wake the old emperor.
"Gao Xi, come here, I have something to ask you," the old emperor said, sitting up and putting on an outer robe. "What do you think we should do about Prince Ning's memorial?"
Zhu Gaoxi quickly searched his mind for relevant information and replied calmly, "The Hu people are cunning and often deliberately feign weakness to set up ambushes and lure our army into pursuit. We must be careful to guard against any deception."
"Let Father lead the elite cavalry north to the Daning and Quanning areas, patrol along the north and south banks of the Yellow River, search for enemy tracks, and seize the opportunity to conquer them."
"At the same time, I sent my fifth uncle to lead the elite troops of the Henan Military Command to Beiping to guard the pass."
After Zhu Gaoxi finished speaking, he glanced at Zhu Youdun. Historically, it was Youdun who led the elite troops of the Henan Military Command to patrol the border in Beiping.
Zhu Youdun understood immediately and said with a smile, "Since I am not in the palace, Father will have to lead the troops himself."
The old emperor was secretly amazed after hearing this.
How could it be exactly the same as what we thought?
That brat Gao Xi is no simpleton. He answered so readily, and his thoughts were so thorough. He's definitely got some skills.
Zhu Gaoxi calmed himself down and quickly checked the document to see if there were any oversights.
"Hmm, not bad," the old emperor nodded and smiled, then turned his gaze to You Dun, "What do you think?"
"I think my younger brother's arrangements are well thought out," Zhu Youdun replied frankly.
Seeing that You Dun had no jealousy or competitive spirit, the old emperor nodded in satisfaction.
"Xi'er, from now on we'll take turns doing the work. After you read the memorials, draft your opinions on how to handle them, attach them to the back of each memorial, and then hand them to us," the old emperor said, turning his gaze to You Dun. "Gao Xi is still young, and he'll get tired easily from writing too much. How about this, you write what he says, and make appropriate revisions to the wording."
"Your grandson obeys," Zhu Youdun gladly accepted the order.
Zhu Gaoxi was stunned by the sudden happiness and stood there dumbfounded for a long time before he could react.
"Little brother, little brother," Youdun gently nudged him and called out softly.
Zhu Gaoxi realized what was happening and immediately bowed to express his gratitude, saying, "Grandson thanks you, Grandfather."
It's a bit like Fan Jin passing the imperial examination and going mad with joy, Zhu Gaoxi thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile.
I wonder what Zhu Yunwen will think when he hears this news?
Furious? Filled with indignation?
Who cares? Doing my own thing is the most important thing.
The old emperor took a wooden box from the bookshelf, took out a stack of papers, and handed them to Zhu Gaoxi. "Read this through first. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me. You two can read it together. You review the memorials that Gaoxi has processed before handing them to me."
Zhu Gaoxi took it and skimmed through it. It mainly contained tips and techniques for improving efficiency, which felt like a guide to handling government affairs.
The two huddled together, engrossed in reading, unaware that Zhu Yunwen had walked in.
"Grandson pays respects to Grandfather," Zhu Yunwen deliberately raised his voice to remind his two younger brothers who were busy with something.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxi and Zhu Youdun immediately stood up and bowed to the Crown Prince.
While they were looking down, Zhu Yunwen quickly glanced at the table and his heart tightened. He was immediately shocked.
That was the document my grandfather taught me to review. Why did he show it to Zhu Gaoxi and Zhu Youdun?
They're not the crown prince, what qualifications do they have?!
What is Grandpa trying to do?!
Zhu Yunwen's heart was instantly filled with turbulent waves, almost shattering his consciousness.
"Storage space, only storage space, is the most important."
As his consciousness uncontrollably slid towards the abyss, Lu's voice suddenly rang in his ears.
Yes, I am the rightful crown prince. Whether they look at me or not doesn't matter. The most important thing is not to disappoint Grandpa.
Since Grandpa told them to watch it, let them watch it. It's no big deal.
Once I'm on the throne, I'll have plenty of time to deal with you all!
Just wait!
One day, I will trample you under my feet and you will never be able to rise again.
Zhu Yunwen thought to himself with intense hatred.
The old emperor already felt guilty, and seeing Zhu Yunwen's terrified expression only intensified his guilt.
"Yunwen, we're thinking that if Gao Xi and Youdun can become your right-hand men in the future, we need to teach them some skills now. Let them practice these daily affairs first, and we'll discuss important matters with you later. You need to keep a close eye on Yunwen's marriage. If you're too busy, let Jixi come to the palace to help you. Anyway, he doesn't have much to do in the palace."