Chapter 2: Acquire a Notable Minister

Well, as long as there is contact!" The Prince nodded and continued to instruct, "Later, you will take a letter written by me to the capital to find Eunuch Wei, and just say that I have a matter to entrust to him

Go, quickly send someone back to the capital to summon that person named Lu Xiangsheng. If he dares to refuse, then bind him! But remember, do not harm him! Sometimes, members of the royal family can be unreasonable; the Prince of Fortune is exceptionally efficient when it comes to his beloved son

"Go call Xiao Changzi here! Also, bring five hundred taels of silver!" The Prince of Fortune called out to the guard at the door, his face showing signs of distress.

No... no... this servant will prepare it right away! Under the pressure, Xiao Changzi finally revealed a hint of forced excitement on his face

The subordinate said, "Your Highness, do you have any instructions?" Truly, it is the royal residence; the efficiency of the staff is remarkable.

Oh? Does Cong'er have something to discuss? The Prince of Fortune placed the gold ingot in the box and turned to the attendant beside him, saying: "Take it down! But be careful, do not touch my belongings!" As he spoke, he watched the attendant's hands closing the box, fearing that even a slight touch on his gold and silver would result in a loss of two taels.

"... Five hundred taels? What for? There are allowances for business trips?" Zhu Youcong did not expect his plump father to be so generous. He couldn't help but feel happy for that little Changzi; this kid would definitely enjoy a lavish time on this business trip.

Child... child, thank you, Father! Zhu Youcong was also on the verge of tears, but why? Who among those who have crossed over does not exude an aura of dominance, causing younger brothers to bow down in submission? Although he is still young and lacks that aura of authority, he could at least win people's hearts through some means, relying on his father's legacy to find one or two subordinates. How could his plump father be so unreliable as to come up with the idea of hiring eunuchs to buy people? Forget it, bear with it; after all, his plump father has spent five hundred taels of silver, which is a bit more generous than the five sheep and a book cover that Duke Mu of Qin spent to acquire Bai Li Xi back in the day! How could his plump father be so unreliable as to come up with the idea of hiring eunuchs to buy people? Forget it, bear with it; after all, his plump father has spent five hundred taels of silver, which is a bit more generous than the five sheep and a book cover that Duke Mu of Qin spent to acquire Bai Li Xi back in the day! Considering inflation, it is about the same, but this matter must never be disclosed to Lu Xiangsheng in the future; otherwise, he might just resign and go home to embrace his wife!

Come here!

"What else does Cong'er have to say?" The Prince of Fortune waved his hand to stop the guard who was about to take his leave.

Ah... Xiao Changzi had a face full of tears, which made Zhu Youcong, who was silent beside him, unable to suppress his inner complaints: "Damn eunuch, even on a public-funded trip, you still look so miserable. If I weren't still young, I would have gone myself. Why should you enjoy all the glory along the way!"

The child did not remember that person, but the child recalled the one sent by the immortal in the dream to rescue him. Since it is the Ming Dynasty, it is normal for there to be charlatans. Should he tell Prince Fu that after thinking for so many days, he has decided to raise an army? Wouldn't that scare his father, who has just returned to a normal life, into having a heart attack? Oh, it is also possible that Prince Fu already has a heart condition.

In recent days, Zhu Youcong has been contemplating quite a bit, not only wishing to avoid being captured by Li Zicheng and turned into soup, but also not wanting to end up like his unfortunate elder brother Zhu Youzong, who was pushed onto the stage as a puppet by the Donglin Party and subsequently sold to the Manchus. Thus, he realizes that he must establish an army of his own. After all, he is of royal blood, and historically, even as a puppet, his brother was still an emperor. Now that Zhu Youcong has arrived, as someone from a later time, he must prepare for the future. Moreover, the army he wishes to have is not merely to defend Luoyang and his home; more importantly, he aims to save the world and rescue the Han people's dynasty! As a young man from a later era, he firmly rejects the Qing dynasty, having argued with Qing supporters online for several years. Down with the Great Qing dynasty, down with their princes and princesses, down with the prosperous era of Kangxi and Qianlong. Let those Han people, whose humanity, blood, and national spirit have been obliterated by the Manchus, vanish into the vast universe before they even become organic beings.

Ah... Cong'er, wealth is merely an external possession. Although your father does not have much silver, it is worth it for you! As long as my Cong'er can be healthy, that is more important than anything else! The King of Fortune, while feeling heartbroken, still does not forget to comfort Zhu Youcong, fearing that his precious son would be reluctant to part with money just like him.

Zhu Youcong, that sweat! It seems that the historical legend of the miserly Prince Fu is indeed not just slander against him. The hands of his guards are not made of mercury; how could they possibly dissolve your gold bricks?

Father! Zhu Youcong excitedly wriggled into the residence of the Prince of Fu. Why do I say he wriggled? It's a joke; an eight-year-old chubby boy, less than 1.2 meters tall and weighing nearly 100 jin, how could you expect him to bounce and run? Even the penguins in Antarctica might as well be able to fly.

Father, slow down! That Zhu Youcong, is he really going to be tied up? Fat father, he is a renowned minister, even if he hasn't risen to prominence yet, he certainly has his temper. Moreover, to kidnap someone in the capital is simply unacceptable. Although you are a prince and the current emperor's uncle, it will still attract envy.

Ah... 500 taels to buy Lu Xiangsheng? Zhu Youcong finally realized, astonished in his heart, he couldn't help but mutter, "Father, this is too... too much of a scam! In the late Ming Dynasty, 500 taels were quite valuable, but you shouldn't do it this way. You must know that Lu Xiangsheng didn't achieve success because of my words; he first passed the imperial examination, then served as the governor of Daming, advanced to the position of right minister, and commanded tens of thousands of 'Tianxiong Army' to resist the Qing, a great hero! Moreover... from Luoyang to the capital, even in later generations on a high-speed road, it's over 800 kilometers. Let alone now in the late Ming Dynasty, you actually only gave him 10 taels for travel expenses?" At this point, Zhu Youcong very seriously confirmed that his father was indeed a miser, and he understood why Xiao Changzi almost cried when he heard about the business trip.

That is good. Let it be this way. You shall take these five hundred taels of silver to Lord Wei on my behalf and inform him that the person mentioned in the letter is someone I must have at all costs! Furthermore, I will not treat you unfairly; you may go to the treasury and draw ten taels of silver for your travel expenses. Hurry there and back. " The Prince of Fu gritted his teeth as he uttered the last sentence and waved his hand, sending the visibly distressed Xiao Changzi away.

Hmm... Father, today I remembered some matters and would like to discuss them with you! Forget it, endure it; after all, who told his plump father to love him so much? Isn't it just a bit of greed? Isn't it just a bit of stinginess? Of course, the legends about his greed and stinginess are somewhat exaggerated, but let Zhu Youcong gradually change all of this.

Is there a problem? It is evident that Prince Fu is also unhappy. Indeed, it is a public-funded trip, how can you still dare to be unhappy

Father, the immortal in my dream said that this person is bound to achieve the second highest degree. Moreover, it is already the twenty-third day of the first month, and the palace examination is about to conclude. Therefore, I ask you, Father, to consider this carefully. It is certainly not feasible to resort to kidnapping, but at least on the surface, Zhu Youcong is still only eight years old and is not very aware of the current situation. As for underhanded tactics, I think it is better to leave that to his plump father. After all, the Duke of Fuwang is also a prince; has he never seen a pig run or eaten pork? Hmm, it seems I misspoke, but you get the idea. Some matters in the officialdom are better handled by the adults.

"Your Highness, I was trained by Lord Wei back in the day. Later, I took up my duties at the prince's residence, but I have not severed my ties with the esteemed Lord Jiuchiansu. I wonder if Your Highness..."

Lu Xiangsheng, styled Jiandou, also known as Jiutai, was a native of Yixing, Changzhou, born in the twenty-eighth year of the Wanli era. His grandfather was a county magistrate, and his father was a scholar. Zhu Youcong was worried that he might not provide enough details, fearing that his plump father might mistakenly apprehend the wrong person, which would lead to significant trouble. However, this only reinforced the belief of Prince Fu that this person was indeed pointed out by a celestial being; otherwise, who would know so much about a scholar? Moreover, it was his young son, who was only eight years old and had never left home, that made this statement.

Before the words of the Prince of Fu had even left his lips, a robust man emerged at the door, making one wonder if he had been invisible just moments before.

Father! The child dreams of being a student taking an examination! Zhu Youcong can no longer beat around the bush; he should quickly speak his mind, lest his plump father truly invite monks and Taoists to their home later, leaving him with nothing to play with

High monk? Taoist immortal? Oh, plump father, why don't you just say you are the superhero wearing his underwear inside out? Zhu Youcong felt a sweat in his heart; it seems that a charlatan shouldn't be too mystical after all

"Little Changzi! You have a good relationship with Eunuch Wei in the palace, don't you?" The Prince of Fortune asked this question out of the blue without even looking up.

Well... my son is very thoughtful! The Prince of Fortune is now even less suspicious that his son has received guidance from an immortal, and he is even more determined to capture this Lu Xiangsheng, in order to ensure that Zhu Youcong grows up healthy and without misfortune.

Did Cong'er remember the appearance of the person who frightened you? Tell Father, and he will immediately send the guards to capture him for you! The expression on Fat Fu Wang's face surprisingly reappeared, filled with a ridiculous aura of murderous intent

Scholar? What is your surname and given name? Which place do you hail from? At this point, Prince Fu wore a puzzled expression; he truly could not connect a scholar, especially one preparing for an examination, with a person of great wisdom. However, since his precious son had said so, and the deity in his dream had guided him in this way, it must be correct.

"This humble servant greets the prince. May I inquire what instructions the prince has?" Shortly thereafter, a reasonably good-looking man entered. If it weren't for his somewhat high-pitched voice, no one would have guessed that he was a eunuch.

Oh? Who is it? Which eminent monk or Taoist immortal is this? My father will immediately send someone to invite him; if he does not come, I will have the guards bind him! Upon hearing this, Prince Fu jumped up in delight, for he had not forgotten how he had been frightened into illness for several days by the suicide of that little chubby Zhu Youcong. Now, hearing that it was indeed a divine guidance, he was even more overjoyed.