Chapter 57: If Annihilating Nine Familial Relations Won't Do, Then Let's Settle for Three!

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"Which room did Chen Lin sleep in last night?"
"Does really no one know?"

In a hazy state, Chen Lin seemed to hear voices outside.
Opening his eyes, it was pitch black, accompanied by a suffocating sensation, as if something soft was pressing directly against his face.

"Mmm-mmm~~"
"Young Master, you're awake!!"

Chen Xiaolan hurriedly moved her body away, withdrawing the offending instrument.
"Huuu-huuu~~"
"What are you doing?"

Chen Xiaolan's cheeks flushed red: "Well... the Young Master was talking in his sleep, crying out for something to eat..."
"So Xiaolan took the liberty... although they're a bit small, there's still something there..."

Chen Lin was momentarily stunned: "I was talking in my sleep?!"
"What did I say?"

Chen Xiaolan pointed at her own chest, blushing.
Chen Lin showed no embarrassment whatsoever: "Very good, keep it up."

"Young Master, His Majesty seems to be looking for us."
Chen Lin lay back down: "Let him look. I'm going back to sleep. Come on, continue."

Chen Xiaolan obediently leaned over and resumed...
Just as the two of them were enjoying this, the front door was suddenly kicked open.
"Chen Lin, get your ass out here!"

Chen Xiaolan let out a startled gasp and quickly hid under the covers as Zhu Yuanzhang strode in, fuming with anger.
Chen Lin was annoyed; this was completely devoid of manners.
"Zhu Yuanzhang, get the hell out. Now, immediately, right this second."

Zhu Yuanzhang froze, instantly realizing what the two had been doing just moments before, and hurriedly turned around.
"Look, this old man didn't see a damn thing. Hurry up and get dressed and come outside."

With that, he scurried away in a flurry of embarrassment.
Outside, Zhu Xiongying stood with dark circles under his eyes, holding a phone that had run out of battery, currently receiving a stern lecture from Empress Ma.

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"Look at you. If this device hadn't run out of battery, were you planning to keep hiding which room Chen Lin was staying in?"

Zhu Xiongying lowered his head: "But he is my master. Your grandson cannot betray his master; one must respect teachers and honor the Dao. Imperial Grandmother taught me that."
Empress Ma was taken aback: "Well, well, you've even learned to talk back now."

Zhu Xiongying: ........
Fortunately, at that moment, Zhu Biao walked over with Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yuntong: "Mother, take the three children outside for a bit. I have matters to handle here."

Empress Ma immediately grasped the situation and quickly ushered the three little brats away.
When Zhu Yuanzhang came out, he happened to catch this scene: "Is it all taken care of?"
Zhu Biao nodded: "I had Mao Xiang raid the Lü residence overnight. We have gathered sufficient evidence. I am sending men to arrest Lady Lü right now."

Zhu Yuanzhang said viciously, "Execute her to the ninth degree, leave none alive."
Zhu Biao hesitated: "There's no need to execute the ninth degree, is there? This son believes exterminating three generations is enough."
Zhu Yuanzhang waved a hand: "As you wish, as you wish. Cover it up as much as possible, don't let Yunwen and the others find out."

Zhu Biao sighed: "You can hide it for a moment, but not for a lifetime. Fortunately, Yunwen will be staying at Chen Lin's place for a while. Hopefully, Chen Lin can help smooth this matter over when the time comes!"
Zhu Yuanzhang sneered: "You're counting on him?"
"Forget it, I'd better come and tell them myself when the time comes..."

Zhu Biao nodded: "Then I'll go issue the decree."
"Go ahead. Don't think too much about it; there are plenty of women. Father will pick a new Crown Princess for you later."

Zhu Biao gave a bitter smile: "Don't trouble yourself. This son has no thoughts of appointing another Crown Princess for the time being."
Zhu Yuanzhang sighed as well: "True, appointing another Crown Princess might just result in another Lady Lü. Wait until you ascend the throne and establish Xiongying as the Crown Prince before discussing it!"

Zhu Biao left to deal with the Lü estate, while Chen Lin and Chen Xiaolan tidied themselves up and walked out of the room.
They found Zhu Yuanzhang sitting alone in the courtyard, smoking a pipe in gloomy silence, frowning deeply and letting out heavy sighs.
"Old bastard, got something on your mind!"

Zhu Yuanzhang whipped his head around: "I've decided. The second, third, fourth, and fifth princes will all be enfeoffed overseas. Come over here and help me plan it out."
Chen Lin patted his stomach: "Where's breakfast? Skipping breakfast is bad for the stomach."

Zhu Yuanzhang impatiently beckoned to a eunuch in the distance: "Hey you, bring some food over here."
Then, Zhu Yuanzhang pulled out yesterday's map: "Sit down. Let's figure out together how to divide the overseas territories for the vassal princes."

The crumpled map was covered in messy scribbles. Chen Lin took it and looked—good grief, a living, breathing territorial expansion right before his eyes.
Prince of Qin, Zhu Shuang, was enfeoffed in Annam; Prince of Jin, Zhu Gang, was enfeoffed in Goryeo; Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, was enfeoffed in Japan; and Prince of Zhou, Zhu Su, was enfeoffed in Luzon.

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It was blooming in all four directions, wrapping up the entire southeastern perimeter of the Great Ming.
"Well? Do you think this layout makes sense?"

Chen Lin said dismissively, "Makes sense my ass. The Prince of Qin, the Prince of Jin, and the Prince of Yan I can understand, but what is the Prince of Zhou's personality like? Don't you know as his father?"
Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned: "You mean the Prince of Zhou isn't suited for overseas enfeoffment?"

"Nonsense! Enfeoffing overseas requires analyzing each prince's personality traits to determine their strengths, weaknesses, and areas of expertise."
"Someone like the Prince of Zhou should remain at court. Doesn't he like medicine? Send him to the Imperial Hospital. That's called teaching students in accordance with their aptitude."

Zhu Yuanzhang scratched his head: "But the fifth son is still one of the legitimate heirs. If I don't give him a fief, won't he have objections?"
"Whether he has objections or not, you need to ask him personally instead of sitting here daydreaming."

Zhu Yuanzhang felt relieved: "Fine, I'll listen to you. The plan for Luzon is temporarily canceled. What about the others?"
Chen Lin pointed at the map: "The fiefs of the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Jin should be swapped. History evaluates the Prince of Jin as resourceful yet cruel, with military talent rivaling the Prince of Yan. He is better suited to deal with the fickle and complex situation in Annam."

"As for the Prince of Qin's temperament and ability, you as his father know better than I do. Goryeo, which is close by and relatively stable, suits him better. As long as he doesn't court death, being a peaceful vassal prince shouldn't be a problem."
"The real question is, have you thought about how to take these two places? Will the court send troops directly, or let the vassal princes lead their own campaigns of conquest?"

Zhu Yuanzhang explained: "This is just a plan. Before the threat of the Mongol Yuan is resolved, I don't intend to dispatch troops elsewhere."
"What about the Prince of Yan's Japan? Do you have any objections to that?"

Chen Lin's mouth curled up: "I'm not bragging, but the Prince of Yan can succeed anywhere. As long as you dare give him the resources, letting him restore the borders of the Mongol Empire wouldn't be a problem at all."
Zhu Yuanzhang was startled: "You rate the Prince of Yan that highly?!"

"It's not that my evaluation is high; historically, that's literally what he did. If it weren't for the limitations of national strength during the Yongle era, his achievements would definitely not have been below Li Shimin's."
Zhu Yuanzhang sighed: "Indeed, all grand visions are built upon a foundation of strong national power."

"Don't you have high-yield food crops similar to corn? Bring them out already, and I'll help you wipe out Japan."
At that moment, the eunuch approached holding the breakfast.

"We'll talk about that later. Let me fill my stomach first."
Zhu Yuanzhang angrily glared at the eunuch and kicked him: "Useless slave with no situational awareness, get lost! Scram!"

Chen Lin held his bowl, slurping down his porridge, and didn't forget to add: "And you call yourself an emperor, with only this much capability..."

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