Chapter 14: Borrowing Uncle’s Rear End for a Favor!

Listening to Chang Sheng’s incessant rambling, Zhu Yunxun’s mouth twitched slightly, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

Just how deep were the pits inside the brains of these scions of the meritocratic nobility? It was no wonder that in history, the Old Emperor had chosen to pass the throne to Zhu Yunwen, who cultivated close ties with the civil officials, rather than to Zhu Yunxun, who was destined to be supported by the military aristocracy. It seemed likely that these noble heirs had provided more than their fair share of "god-tier assistance" in that outcome.

One does not fear a god-like opponent; one fears a pig-like teammate.

Zhu Yunxun’s face was darker than a storm cloud as he asked, "Do those noble heirs know that I publicly slapped the Duke of Liang in the imperial court?"

"They know!" Chang Sheng, oblivious to the change in Zhu Yunxun’s demeanor, remained grinning and bursting with excitement. "My uncle was indeed overstepping his bounds."

"It’s one thing for him to throw his weight around in front of me, but you are the Imperial Grandson, a scion of the Dragon, the one who will inherit the throne and govern the Great Ming. How could he be so reckless, so ignorant of the distinction between sovereign and subject, high and low?"

"If you ask me, that slap was well-delivered, truly brilliant! It woke him up, and it woke up all of us noble heirs as well. We must never forget the fundamental order of high and low at any time. Even if I am your own uncle, don't I still have to pay my respects to you, Your Highness the Prince of Wu? His Majesty will be pleased to see this. I have absolutely no complaints about it. As long as it helps you ascend the throne, I, your uncle, will do whatever you ask. Through wind and rain, over mountains of blades or into seas of fire—not a single word of complaint."

Chang Sheng patted his chest in assurance, then his tone shifted. "My poor sister died too young, and you are the only flesh and blood she left in this world. If I, your uncle, don't help you, who will?" He had been all smiles and high spirits, but mentioning his sister brought a trace of sorrow to his face.

"However, having said that, at the end of the day, the Duke of Liang is still my uncle and your great-uncle. We are all one family. Fighting and scolding is one thing, but we mustn't let that create a rift. After you slapped him, he held no grudge against you. He was even quite pleased when you were granted the title of Prince. He didn't stop his foster sons or the other noble heirs and military officers from coming to offer their gifts. This just goes to show how much he still dotes on you."

"But he is your elder, after all, and has been accustomed to being arrogant in the military and at court for too long. Being slapped by you, he inevitably lost some face. In my opinion, you should still pay a personal visit to the Duke of Liang’s mansion to properly soothe him. Given our relationship, surely there is no grudge that can last overnight."

Chang Sheng rattled on endlessly. Zhu Yunxun felt a splitting headache coming on.

He asked with biting irony, "Tell me, why are you all so eager to send gifts to me, and why haven't you sent any to my second brother?"

Chang Sheng froze, scratching his head in confusion. "What kind of talk is that? Your second brother, Zhu Yunwen, may share the same father, but you have different mothers. Besides, he has nothing to do with me. He wasn't born of my sister. If I call him 'nephew,' it’s just for the sake of appearances. You are different; you are my sister's own son. Who is close and who is distant—not just I, your uncle, but the entire court of civil and military officials and noble heirs can see that clearly. If I don't support you, should I support him instead? That makes no sense!"

Zhu Yunxun asked, "So, you are using the act of sending gifts to show your support?"

Chang Sheng finally sensed the dissatisfaction in his tone and laughed immediately. "Sending gifts is a way of choosing sides. Think about it: you publicly demanded the position of Crown Prince from His Majesty, and instead of punishing you, he granted you the title of Prince of Wu. What does that mean? It means His Majesty truly intends to make you the heir. This is the critical moment to test you. How can we, your supporters, not step forward to wave flags and cheer for you?"

"Doesn't your second brother, Zhu Yunwen, also have a crowd of civil officials going to his mansion to offer congratulations? We military nobles cannot fall behind. Those civil officials all support him, but among us meritocratic nobles, who wouldn't support you?" Chang Sheng pointed toward the outside. "I’m not the only one who came today; the others are all waiting in the front courtyard. They just didn't dare to enter this inner courtyard without permission. But everyone’s intentions toward you are the same."

Zhu Yunxun’s heart stirred. "Are many civil officials going to my second brother's mansion to offer congratulations?"

"Many!" Chang Sheng replied. "I have people watching his gate."

"Almost every civil official in the capital has gone there. What talent does he have? He calls himself a scholar, has read the classics since childhood, yet his poetry is far inferior to yours. I see him as having no ability at all. And yet, those civil officials are all scrambling to kiss his boots. I also heard that when His Majesty was choosing Confucian scholars to be your tutors, he selected Huang Zicheng, Qi Tai, and others for Zhu Yunwen, and they all gladly accepted. But when it came to choosing yours, that bunch of damned civil officials all hid away and refused one by one."

"On the surface, they claimed they were too ignorant or unwell, but in private, they said that because you publicly demanded the position of Crown Prince, you are rebellious, and despite your talent, your moral character is corrupt—that you are 'rotten wood that cannot be carved'—and they would never be your teachers! Is that not preposterous? But don't worry, those civil officials who only know how to read and write are useless. This Great Ming empire was built by us military men, by the meritocratic nobility. Having our support is far more useful than having a bunch of sour, rotten scholars."

Zhu Yunxun asked, "Then tell me, what use are you all? Sending me gifts? Renovating my mansion?"

Chang Sheng laughed. "Don't underestimate us. We have countless brothers, friends, and former comrades-in-arms in the Ming military. If we stand together and shout, the entire Great Ming empire will tremble. We are far more useful than those civil officials who have never led troops or fought a battle."

Zhu Yunxun sneered, "What? Do you intend to incite the soldiers to rebel?"

Chang Sheng waved his hands repeatedly. "I would never dare to do such a thing. But we can build momentum for you. When His Majesty sees so many people in the military openly supporting you, he will have to carefully consider passing the throne to you."

Zhu Yunxun gritted his teeth and said, "Then I really must thank you all!"

Chang Sheng laughed heartily. "That’s a small matter, of course I must help you. By the way, now that you have stepped out to publicly contend for the position of Crown Prince, do you have any other plans? If there is anything you need my help with, just say the word!"

"I do!" Zhu Yunxun nodded gently, looking at Chang Sheng with a smile. "I would like to borrow your backside for a moment."