Chapter 55 Bamboozling Zhu Yuanzhang

To prove he had absolutely no ambitions toward the imperial throne, Zhu Di attacked without a moment's hesitation, lunging at Yao Guangxiao with a fierce shout.
"I'm going to beat you to death, you demonic monk~~~"
"Amitabha, benevolent indeed!"
Yao Guangxiao nimbly dodged Zhu Di's sudden outburst and slipped away.
The two of them chased each other around the courtyard in a game of cat and mouse.
The other princes and monks were left utterly bewildered. Why on earth were they fighting?
Chen Lin quickly gestured for Xiaolan to come over and watch the show together.
"Young Master, what's going on? You didn't egg this on, did you?"
"Why would you look at your Young Master like that? Am I that kind of person?"
Chen Xiaolan nodded very honestly. "It kind of seems like you are..."
Chen Lin: .......
Meanwhile, the chasing and frolicking of Zhu Di and Yao Guangxiao quickly lured Zhu Yuanzhang and the others out.
"Fourth, stop right there!"
"Dad, stay out of this. I'm going to beat this demonic monk to death."
"I said, stop!"
Only then did Zhu Di stop with a reluctant expression, panting heavily.
Yao Guangxiao also halted, his face neither red nor out of breath, and chanted another Amitabha.
Zhu Yuanzhang walked straight up to Chen Lin. "Was this your doing?"
Chen Lin immediately snapped back, "Hey, without evidence, be careful I don't sue you for slander!"
"Really not you?"
"Your sister! If you don't believe me, ask them yourself. At most, I didn't try to stop them and just watched the fun. They started fighting on their own."
With that, Chen Lin leaned closer to Zhu Yuanzhang. "Though you don't need to worry. To beat is to care and to scold is to love; as they fight more, they'll develop feelings for each other."
"You're that optimistic about their pairing?" Zhu Yuanzhang retorted.
"It's not that I'm optimistic, it's just that history is written this way."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and ordered Zhu Di and Yao Guangxiao to step forward.
Zhu Di still looked displeased, while Yao Guangxiao remained calm as ever.
"Fourth, you needn't overthink this. Take the monk Daoyan back to your residence and properly pray for your mother's blessings. Remember, the monk Daoyan is bestowed upon you by me, so there must be no further conflicts. That is all, go back!"
"But Dad, he's a demonic monk. How can he chant sutras..."
"Shut up! Do you still not understand what I mean? Get out of here right now! If I hear you fighting with the monk Daoyan again, I'll skin you alive!"
"The rest of you, take your respective monks and disperse!"
Though the others were filled with questions, they obediently scattered.
Only Zhu Di, wearing a sullen expression, glanced at Yao Guangxiao and walked away without a word.
As for Yao Guangxiao, he brought his palms together, bowed slightly to Chen Lin, and followed closely behind Zhu Di.
Chen Lin wanted to slip away while he had the chance, but...
"You stay. I have questions for you."
"No way. I need to sleep and rest too. Can't whatever this is wait until tomorrow?"
Zhu Yuanzhang grabbed Chen Lin by the arm. "No, it cannot wait a single moment. Get inside."
Thus, against his will, Chen Lin was dragged back into the room, and this time Chen Xiaolan could not escape either.
Zhu Yuanzhang cut straight to the chase. "When are we dying together?"
"In such a rush? Aren't you afraid of making a one-way trip?"
Zhu Yuanzhang shuddered slightly. "A one-way trip? Impossible. Didn't you come back every single time?"
Chen Lin sat down to the side and crossed his legs. "I never said it has a one-hundred-percent success rate. In case resurrection fails, or I get stuck in the future world and can't return, don't blame me when the time comes."
That made Zhu Yuanzhang a bit apprehensive, and Empress Ma and Zhu Biao exchanged glances of unease.
"You—you're just trying to scare me, right? Are you looking for rewards? Just name it, I'll give you whatever you want, but you must guarantee that I can come back to life."
Chen Lin wagged his finger. "That truly cannot be guaranteed. Think it over carefully yourself!"
"If there's nothing else, have someone show me to my quarters. I'm sleepy."
Zhu Yuanzhang hurriedly intercepted him. "Hold on. Can't you give me a bottom line? Acting like this will keep me awake all night."
Having frightened them enough, Chen Lin sat back down.
"As for this coming back to life business, a success rate does exist. The factor influencing the success rate is..."
"Is what?" Zhu Yuanzhang urged anxiously.
"It's altering history. The more it deviates from history, the higher the success rate."
Zhu Yuanzhang and the others were all startled.
"Altering history!!"
Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly understood. "No wonder with your temperament, you so easily told me about future history. What about now? Under your influence, the Crown Prince will most likely not die young, and the histories of Xiongying, Yunwen, and Fourth have all been altered. What is the success rate now?"
Chen Lin was blooming with joy inside. Zhu Yuanzhang actually believed it! He might as well keep bluffing to complete the mission and claim his cash reward.
"The alterations from the previous few times were consumed by my deaths. With no new historical events altered now, the success rate is zero."
"If you want a one-hundred-percent chance of resurrection, you need to immediately pull off a major event that alters history."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. "For example..."
"For instance, immediately lifting the maritime ban, launching an Eastern Expedition against Japan, and fully supporting me in launching the Industrial Revolution."
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned. "But all of that takes time; there's no way to do it right away!"
"Can't you suggest a historical event that can be changed immediately? The bigger, the better."
Chen Lin chuckled. "Sure. Have Her Majesty ascend the throne and become Empress."
Zhu Yuanzhang: ........
"I'm being serious with you, stop fooling around!"
Empress Ma covered her mouth with a smile, while Zhu Biao was left utterly speechless.
Yet Chen Lin suddenly proposed, "Or having the Crown Prince ascend the throne works too!"
"This..." Zhu Yuanzhang actually hesitated.
Chen Lin continued to egg him on. "Think about it. In history, the Crown Prince kicked the bucket before he ever got the chance to ascend the throne. If you let him ascend right now, such a massive historical shift would definitely guarantee a one-hundred-percent success rate."
Zhu Yuanzhang looked suspiciously at Chen Lin. "Why do I feel like you're talking nonsense..."
Chen Lin turned and walked away without uttering another word.
"Stop right there! Can't you speak properly?"
Chen Lin turned back. "I speak, and you don't listen; you listen, and you don't believe. What can I do?"
Zhu Yuanzhang was agonizingly conflicted. "Change it, change it to something else. The Crown Prince is still too inexperienced; he can't keep those old foxes in the imperial court in line."
Chen Lin nodded. "Then have Fourth go to sea. Oh, and there's a man named Ma He who should be in Yunnan right now. You should quickly issue an imperial decree to Lan Yu, Fu Youde, and Mu Ying, telling them to find a boy named Ma He among the captives, and make absolute sure they don't castrate him."
Zhu Yuanzhang hurriedly and earnestly took note of this. "Oh, oh, oh, Ma He, right? I've got it. And then?"
"Then send Ma He to Fourth's side, and change the Prince of Yan's title to King of the Sea, telling him to prepare for overseas voyages right now. That will alter history to the greatest extent possible."
"Send Ma He to Fourth's side? King of the Sea?!"
"What on earth are you trying to do?"
Chen Lin patiently explained, "Although this Ma He is still young right now, in history he becomes Ming's greatest navigator. With him and Yao Guangxiao assisting Fourth, Fourth's career as the King of the Sea will be secure."
Zhu Yuanzhang scratched his head. "Let's put the matter of Ma He aside for a moment. This title 'King of the Sea' sounds a bit awkward; can we change it?"
"Then how about King of the East, King of the Eastern Sea, King of Ryukyu, King of Fusang, King of Japan, King of Wa...
'King of Wa' sounds too unpleasant, just pick any of the preceding ones. If you're not satisfied, you can make one up yourself."
Hearing these various 'Kings', Zhu Yuanzhang finally snapped out of it.
"Good lad, so you still want the imperial court to launch an Eastern Expedition against Japan!"
"What did Japan ever do to you? Did they steal your land, or did they steal your women?"