Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 1020 Ambition
Huang Huai had no choice but to hastily invite Hu Jilin into the house. After entering the house, Huang Huai made a bowl of tea for Hu Jilin and said:
"I don't have much in my humble abode, just some tea, please don't despise me, sir."

"I wonder if you have come here in disguise because of some urgent matter?"

Hu Jilin glanced at the tea handed to him by Huang Huai and paid no attention to it. Instead, he raised his eyes and said with a look of regret.

"I am a subject of the Emperor, and I should not interfere with the Emperor's decision. But...Fan and I hit it off right away, and I really can't bear to see you end up like this."

"So, I had to come here in disguise..."

After saying that, he looked at Huang Huai.

Huang Huai thought to himself that someone was coming and immediately acted as if he was surprised.

"Why do you say that, my lord? Has the emperor... has the emperor issued any orders?"

"That's right." Hu Jinyi said. "The emperor wants to appoint you as a county magistrate, right at the border between Dai Viet and Champa."

"Champa and Dai Viet have been hostile to each other for many years. That place... is like a den of dragons and tigers!"

As he spoke, he observed the expression of "Fan Huai".

Huang Huai was stunned for a moment, and looked a little surprised. He knew that he, a newly-minted Jinshi, had disobeyed the "emperor" and would certainly be retaliated by the emperor.

However, he never imagined that the emperor would want to send him directly to the southern border.

Champa and Annam have been in a state of hostility for many years. Now that Annam is weak, the two countries often go to war and fight to the death. Hu Ji Li and Nguyen Duo Fang, the "sworn brothers", first rose to power in the war with Champa and even gained their current power. The two were able to obtain generous rewards that would make their families powerful officials because of their fight against Champa, which shows how important the war with Champa was to the Annam court.

Although Champa had stopped attacking Annan in recent years due to the Ming court's request to "not raise troops recklessly" and the threat of the Ming navy, small-scale frictions between the two sides never stopped. Being a county magistrate in a place adjacent to Champa was indeed a matter of life and death.

"I really can't bear to see you being treated so harshly. My dear Fan, you can write a letter to the emperor to apologize, and then I will speak up for you, which will help you escape from this hardship." Hu Jinyi said.

Huang Huai knew that this was Hu Ji's test, and he had expected that Hu Ji's would come to ask him about his feelings, so he followed his previous plan and pretended to be surprised but quickly relieved, saying: "Ming Gong disguised himself here, it turns out that you want to give Yu Huai some advice."

"Huai thanks you for your kindness. But I have no crime, how can I plead guilty?" "Fan Huai" acted righteously and sternly, which was naturally noticed by Hu Jinli.

"I know you are upright, but..." Hu Jinyi advised, "After all, your life is at stake. It's okay to suffer a little injustice. You should put your life first..."

"As the Grand Tutor, how can you say such things?" When Huang Huai heard Hu Jinyi's words, he raised his eyebrows and stood up with an excited look.

"In today's Dai Viet, the people are corrupt and the officials are corrupt, and the whole country is in turmoil. This is truly a critical moment for survival!"

"But the emperor indulged in wine, women, singing and dancing, and turned a deaf ear to the sufferings of the people of the world."

"As a ruler, you should bear the weight of the world. Is it okay for the emperor to do this?"

"Although Huai is only seven feet tall, he has a passionate heart. He is willing to be as pure as pine and cypress. He would rather die as a loyal minister than be a mediocre official."

"What's wrong with being a county magistrate in a remote area? If what I did before can alert the emperor, why should I care about my life? Do you think I am a coward who is greedy for life and afraid of death?"

His chest rose and fell sharply, and he looked as if he had been humiliated by Hu Jilin. Hu Jilin stared at his expression, as if trying to find a flaw in it. After a long while, he spoke:
"I admire your love for the people. But if..."

"Even if the blood of righteous men is used, it still cannot persuade the emperor, so what can be done?"

"Then..." "Fan Huai" hesitated and looked tangled. After a long while, he said:
"Then, Huai has no other choice." He looked dejected and said with emotion: "People's livelihood is difficult, and my words are insignificant, so I can only sigh in vain."

"I only regret that there is no Yi Yin or Huo Guang to save the world..."

……

"Brother, what happened?" Seeing Hu Jilin coming out of Fan's house, Hu Jilin's younger brother Hu Jimi, who had been waiting in the carriage for a long time, asked after Hu Jilin got into the carriage.

"Quite interesting." Hu Jilin brushed off the non-existent dust on his robe and told Hu Jimi all the conversation he had just had with "Fan Huai".

"...So this man is actually a righteous man." Hu Jimei said. But there was only a hint of ridicule in his tone, not much respect.

"You're not even afraid of death?"

The so-called exile to the border was naturally just a rhetoric used by the Hu family to scare Fan Huai. Although the former emperor Chen Yizong was incompetent and extravagant, he was too lazy to deal with these court affairs.

As for how to arrange the new scholars, he just sent them to Hu to do it. He didn't give any more instructions on how to arrange Fan Huai. The reason why he suddenly came here today was just to test this person.

"After all, he is still a young man. He won't turn back until he gets hurt." Hu Ji said. At this moment, he no longer had the "sincerity" and "earnestness" he had shown in front of "Fan Huai" just now. There was only an inexplicable light in his eyes.

Before, whenever Fan Huai was in front of him, he always looked like an angry young man, so Hu Jilin didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

"Is this person useful?" Hu Jimi asked.

Hu Jinyi thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "It should be usable."

"This person is not a mediocre person, otherwise, he would not have been favored by the King Zhou of the Ming Dynasty and accepted as a disciple."

"Moreover...he mentioned Yi Yin and Huo Guang in front of me. Do you think he was just talking nonsense?"

"This boy is even bolder than others. He is hoping that I can become the Yi Yin or Huo Guang of Great Yue and reform the government."

Yi Yin and Huo Guang were both representatives of powerful officials in Chinese history who had deposed tyrants and supported the government. Hu Jinyi was the prime minister and grand master of Dai Viet, a powerful official who had the final say.

Fan Huai deliberately mentioned the names of Yi Yin and Huo Guang, hoping that he, as a powerful minister, would be able to depose the incompetent Chen Yizong and rectify the government.

From this we can see that this person does not have much loyalty to the Emperor Chen Yizong.

"This person has the support of His Royal Highness Prince Zhou of the Ming Dynasty. Although he is just a disciple, he can at least help us gain support from the Ming Dynasty."

"It would be very beneficial to win over this person. Since he has tried to test me, it means that he also wants to serve the Hu family."

"He is quite intelligent and may be able to help our Hu family in the future. Ji Pi, you can have more contact with him in secret."

"Yes, brother." Hu Jimei said. Then, a hint of amusement appeared in his eyes: "Chen's perverse behavior has long lost his destiny."

"Brother has unified the government and the country now. Since Fan Huai wants to persuade brother to be Yi Yin and Huo Guang, I think if brother becomes the emperor of Dai Viet, he will not interfere, right?"

"After all, only my brother can make me stronger..."

"I hope so." Hu Ji said. He slightly lifted the curtain and looked in the direction of the imperial city.

What is flickering in his eyes is ambition.

……

"According to the secret letter sent by Zong Yu, Hu Jilin had personally questioned him the day before. Zong Yu tried to probe him with the words of Yi Yin and Huo Guang, but Hu Jilin did not take any action."

In Wuqu Port, Zhu Su gathered his confidants and explained the current situation to them.

"In my opinion, Hu Jin's evil ambitions can no longer be concealed."

When everyone heard this, they began to whisper.

"I heard that this guy has basically taken control of the Annan court. It seems that he can't wait to take the next step." Li Jinglong said. "Fifth uncle, I'm afraid that it won't work. Hu Jinyi will take action to seize power."

"Should we send troops here to strengthen the defense of the concession? If the troops here attack, the troops in the concession may be unable to resist."

"It's fine for now." Zhu Su waved his hand and rejected Li Jinglong's proposal. "Even if Hu Jinyi is reckless, he wouldn't dare to usurp power so early."

"The Chen family still has some power, and Chen Yizong is still alive," Zhu Su analyzed. "Hu is still nominally a vassal of the Chen family, and the righteousness is still in the hands of Chen Yizong. Unless Chen Yizong suddenly dies, he will definitely not dare to take any action."

"Do we have to wait until that damn Chen Yizong suddenly dies?" Li Jinglong seemed a little impatient. His father Li Wenzhong, along with Lan Yu, Mu Ying and other generals, had been preparing for the march to Annan for a long time.

If we want to wait for Chen Yizong to die suddenly, we don't know how long we have to wait.

"Don't be impatient." Zhu Su soothed. "Compared to us, Hu Jinyi must be more anxious than us."

"Although Chen Yizong is incompetent, if he suddenly realizes that the power of the court is in the hands of the Hu family one day, he will definitely take action against the Hu family... and Hu Jizhen must be worried about this, so he took the initiative to test Zong Yu in order to cultivate forces that are only loyal to him, not to the Chen family."

"This pressure will urge Hu Jilin to take action early. After all, the longer the night, the more trouble there is. Chen Yizong is now the only person that Hu Jilin is afraid of."

"Fifth Uncle..." Li Jinglong's eyes lit up and he said, "Why don't we take action and capture Chen Yizong..."

A hint of cruelty flashed in his eyes, but Zhu Su suddenly became serious and scolded, "No."

"Chen is the monarch after all, how can you kill him by assassination?"

Li Jinglong's face turned pale. Zhu Su continued, "How can it be that easy to assassinate the king? Moreover, the consequences are very serious. If people knew about it, how would the Ming Dynasty cope with it?"

"If the Ming Dynasty can assassinate the ruler of another country today, will someone assassinate the courtiers, officials, princes, and even the emperor of the Ming Dynasty someday?"

"Our Great Ming is in the name of justice, and this precedent must not be set. Annan is not worth the price of abandoning justice for our Great Ming."

Li Jinglong's body was slightly shaken. He was indeed a little reckless, and actually thought of the idea of ​​stabbing the king and killing him. This precedent was indeed not to be set.

If his thoughts today were accidentally spread out, it might even bring a terrible disaster to the Cao Mansion.

"Yes, Jiujiang is in chaos." Li Jinglong said, and sat back in his seat obediently.

"Well, Jiujiang is just talking nonsense. We won't take it to heart." Zhu Su glanced at his confidants. Everyone understood what he meant and pretended not to hear anything. "But." Zhu Su continued.

"However, we can start to deploy more personnel in Shenglong City."

"Hu Jilin is not a kind person. I am worried that after Chen Yizong dies, he will do everything he can to harm the Chen family." Zhu Su said. "Jiujiang, you will be responsible for arranging this matter. Hu Jilin may find a way to kill all the descendants of the Chen family."

"If that day comes, we need to protect at least one descendant of the Chen family."

"This..." Everyone was surprised when they heard this. "Is he really so cruel?"

"It's just a precaution." Zhu Su said. But in fact, it is not true. After all, in history, after Hu Jinyi seized power, he wanted to kill all the descendants of Chen.

After all, only in this way can his son legitimately inherit the throne of Annan as "nephew of the Chen family."

And preserving a descendant of the Chen family is extremely necessary for the Ming Dynasty.

"Write a letter to Zong Yu and ask him to take the initiative to join Hu Ji's staff." Zhu Su turned around and instructed San Bao. "Have him perform well to win Hu's trust."

"In the future, if we need to deal with Chen Yizong, Hu Jilin will definitely use him vigorously. After all, he, Hu Jilin, may not be able to trust other people."

"Yes." Sanbao nodded and said that he would send someone to Huang Huai to deliver the message. Li Jinglong then asked, "Fifth Uncle, how should the matter of the teaching garden be resolved?"

"In the past few days, Li Li has asked for an audience countless times. If he doesn't meet again, I'm afraid those students in the academy will be resentful."

"Well. No problem. I will meet with Le Loi today." Zhu Su said. "This man... is also a sharp blade."

"If you can use it, you will get twice the result with half the effort in the future."

Zhu Su said with a smile.

The academy is about to be disbanded. The academy in Wuqu Port was originally a temporary teaching institution established because Zhu Su came to Annan. Now that it has been established for more than half a year, it is natural that it should be disbanded. The apparent reason is that Zhou Wang Zhu Su is about to return to the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Su is of such a high status that it is impossible for him to stay in Annan forever.

Of course, the deeper reason was to intensify the conflict in Annan. After all, as long as Zhu Su was here, Hu Jinyi could not be regarded as the real "academic leader" of Annan. Only when Zhu Su returned to the Ming Dynasty could Hu Jinyi make greater use of the power of new learning to eliminate dissidents.

Even because of "Fan Huai", it could even get support to a certain extent from the Ming Dynasty's remaining forces in Annan.

Now, many arrangements have been completed. The only thing that is needed is to give Hu Jinyao time to expand himself, to the point where he can blow Annan upside down. Only then can the Ming Dynasty enter the scene as a savior and reap the profits.

(End of this chapter)