Zhu Houzhao lived in Xuzhou for three days and had no intention of moving in at all, which made some of the people accompanying him become nervous.

Zhang Yuan was not in a hurry to let Zhu Houzhao go, but it did not mean that others didn't want to.

For example, Jiang Bin and Xu Tai were under their control a few days ago, but after arriving in Xuzhou, Zhang Yuan took the initiative.

"Your Majesty has not been there these days, and we have not even summoned us. Only Eunuch Zhang can meet His Majesty at all times... I was going to meet the Saint before, but was blocked by Zhang Yuan's people and said that Your Majesty had no intention of meeting him, and he didn't know whether it was true or false."

Xu Tai's status in front of the emperor was not as good as Jiang Bin. When he found that something was wrong, he immediately came to discuss with Jiang Bin.

Jiang Bin's face was very serious: "Your Majesty's southern tour, the local government has prepared for it, and the delicious and fun things that you offer to Your Majesty are endless... Your Majesty originally likes novelty and is addicted to wine and sex as expected. I originally thought that those local officials and generals were on our side, but unexpectedly they were controlled by the old guy Zhang Yuan."

Jiang Bin was very angry and sent people to fight for the front station. Even his people arrived earlier than Zhang Yuan's people. Local officials and generals praised the people he sent and said they would stand on his side. They thought the matter was arranged, but when the emperor arrived, they found that these fence-bearers quickly turned to Zhang Yuan's side. Only then did they realize that the emperor and the emperor were far less important than the title of eunuchs in charge of the seal.

Xu Tai looked at Jiang Bin with eager eyes: "What should we do now? We can't help watching Eunuch Zhang trap His Majesty in Xuzhou?"

Jiang Bin shook his head: "Even if we do something, we can't alarm the snake. After all, this is the ground in Xuzhou. We are unfamiliar with people and land, so it's best to be cautious when doing things. If you have the opportunity to meet the saint later, I will try to persuade Your Majesty to go south immediately. When Zhang Yuan arrives on the ship, there will be no way. At that time, Your Majesty's daily life will still be under your control."

...

...

Jiang Bin is ambitious and unwilling to be inferior to others. He is particularly hostile to Zhang Yuan, a direct competitor, and is dedicated to pushing him up.

If it were others, even Qian Ning, who had been arrogant in front of the emperor, would not dare to act so boldly. After all, the position of the eunuch in the court was too special, and it was far from being shaken by the slander minister who only relied on the emperor's favor to gain power. However, Jiang Bin saw that Zhu Houzhao did not show so much trust in Zhang Yuan, and still felt that he had a chance.

Although Zhang Yuan kept the gates of the courtyard where Zhu Houzhao lived to prevent Jiang Bin, Xu Tai and others from casually dating the saint, Jiang Bin still had the means to see Zhu Houzhao. Everything was that the guards in front of Zhu Houzhao were not all Jinyiwei, and many of them were Jiang Bin, who would open the door of convenience. The rest of the people did not dare to offend Jiang Bin, so they could only turn a blind eye to him and let him face him.

Walking in the Jiangnan garden layout with pavilions and towers, Jiang Bin entered through the side door and passed through two corridors and suddenly opened. He saw Zhu Houzhao and two women enjoying flowers in the garden at a glance. It was not because of the queen Shen Yier who made him afraid of it.

Jiang Bin looked away for a while, then tidied up his thoughts before passing by, knelt down on one knee and saluted Zhu Houzhao: "See Your Majesty."

Zhu Houzhao was not surprised by Jiang Bin's arrival, but was proud... In front of ordinary women, he, the emperor, would appear arrogant through the respect and respect of others to him, so that the women around him believed that he was not a fake emperor, and thus obeyed him.

Zhu Houzhao smiled and nodded, "Martial Guard Jiang has something to do? You guys retreat first."

The last sentence he said to two women. With Jiang Bin watching, the two charming women left the garden with several eunuchs.

Zhu Houzhao took Jiang Bin to the pavilion surrounded by broken lotus, took a sip of tea, and asked, "Jiangnan is different from the north. It's almost snowing in the capital now, right? It's still a vibrant scene here."

Zhu Houzhao was very interested. On the surface, she felt sorry for Jiang Bin that the climate in Xuzhou was good, but in fact she explained her actions of staying in the whole place.

Jiang Bin said: "Your Majesty, this is not the boundary of Jiangnan. We are still in the north of the Huai River. In general, it is still in the north, far away from Jiangnan...."

"Yeah?"

Zhu Houzhao didn't know much about geography, or he didn't know about the geography of the Central Plains and Jiangnan. In the past, in order to study the situation in the northwest, he carefully studied the northern topographic map drawn by Chen Xi by himself. So he regarded himself as an expert in geography, but in fact he knew very little about the situation in other parts of the Ming Dynasty.

Jiang Bin introduced the geography of the Ming Dynasty in detail. In the pre-Qin period, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River where the vassal states such as Wu and Yue were usually located, namely the later Jiangnan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Anhui, eastern Jiangxi and northern Jiangxi, which were south of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, such as later Jiangxi, and Jiangxi. The south of the Qin and Han Dynasties usually refers to later Hunan, southern Hubei and some areas of Jiangxi Province. The Tang Dynasty established Jiangnan Road, which ranged from Jiangxi, Hunan, and southern Hubei to the middle and lower Yangtze River.

Only then did Zhu Houzhao realize that he had only taken a boat to Xuzhou by boat, and it was still far from Jiangnan.

Zhu Houzhao sighed: "I should be coming soon, so I have only been resting for two or three days. Is it still far from Jiangnan? So is Zhang Yuan so, why don't you remind me?"

Jiang Bin heard that the emperor seemed dissatisfied with Zhang Yuan, so he quickly added fuel to the fire: "Your Majesty, I heard that Lord Shen reported that he would send troops to fight a war with the Japanese pirates in the near future..."

Zhu Houzhao's complaints to Zhang Yuan were just casually told. After all, he was eating, drinking and having fun in Xuzhou, and he didn't know how free and comfortable he was. He was basically satisfied with Zhang Yuan's arrangements, so he did not take it to heart. However, after hearing Jiang Bin's words, his expression immediately became cold.

Zhu Houzhao lowered her face and asked, "Why didn't Zhang Yuan mention such a big thing to me? How long ago did it happen?"

Jiang Bin was just a test, afraid that Zhang Yuan had already told the emperor about this, but Zhu Houzhao did not respond to it, or that he wanted Chen Xi to perform on his own.

However, based on Jiang Bin's understanding of the emperor, if Zhu Houzhao knew that Chen Xi was going to use troops against Japanese pirates, she would definitely rush to Jiangnan and might want to go to war with Chen Xi, and at the worst he would have to supervise the war in Xincheng.

Zhang Yuan didn't understand some things, but Jiang Bin was very clear. For example, Zhu Houzhao's purpose of going south was to go out for a trip, but in fact, Zhu Houzhao had already told Jiang Bin that he had fulfilled his wish that he had not achieved in the northwest before, which was to lead the army to fight against the Japanese pirates in person.

This is also why Jiang Bin is so concerned about the unstarted war in Jiangnan. He must take the initiative as much as possible, understand what happened in Xincheng in a timely manner, and use this intelligence to seek benefits.

Jiang Bin said: "Reply to Your Majesty, the memorial was delivered by Lord Shen yesterday through an 800-mile rush... It is said that Lord Shen is discussing the details of the troops sent with his subordinates these days. As for the specific content, I cannot know it. The memorial should be in the hands of Eunuch Zhang."

Zhu Houzhao didn't know how to cover it up. If it were those cunning emperors, they might be pretending to be in control of everything at this time and call Zhang Yuan to scold him in private and just be finished.

Zhu Houzhao is straightforward and treats things very directly. His joy, anger, sorrow and happiness are basically reflected on his face, giving his close ministers the opportunity to take advantage of.

Zhu Houzhao was furious: "If you hadn't come to tell me, I wouldn't have known that such a thing... How important is Shangshu Chen to lead troops to conquer Japanese pirates? He dared to hide something from me? Do you want to repeat the mistakes he had deceived me in Zhangjiakou Fort? Come on, call Zhang Yuan and I want to ask him carefully."

While talking, Zhu Houzhao was about to call someone to summon Zhang Yuan, but Jiang Bin did not want to confront Zhang Yuan in front of him.

The biggest problem is that Jiang Bin's status is not as high as Zhang Yuangao. He may be able to gain the upper hand in this matter for a while, but when he turns back, Zhang Yuan will definitely take revenge on him. He doesn't want to be missed by a powerful enemy.

Jiang Bin quickly dissuaded: "Your Majesty, you don't have to ask Eunuch Zhang to ask. This is the case. According to my guess, the reason why Eunuch Zhang refused to tell you is related to something I learned..."

Zhu Houzhao frowned: "What's the matter?"

Jiang Bin hesitated for a moment before saying, "Go back to Your Majesty, I think maybe Eunuch Zhang wants to stay in Xuzhou for a few more days... I heard that Xuzhou local officials and generals paid tribute to Eunuch Zhang as much as 100,000 taels of silver. Local officials and generals wanted Your Majesty to live in Xuzhou for a longer time to show his political achievements. Your Majesty was very happy and fulfilled their wish to be promoted."

Zhu Houzhao was very confused: "Zhang Yuan dared to do such a thing? How many of his brains dared to embezzle and accept bribes in front of me? He forgot Liu Jin's lessons about it?"

Jiang Bin quickly said, "Your Majesty, these are all my guesses and cannot be accurate. If you wrongly accuse Eunuch Zhang, then you will judge a gentleman with the heart of a villain. Please punish him!"

Zhu Houzhao looked at Jiang Bin, as if she understood something, and waved her hand: "I already know this, so you don't need to remind me. You should do your own thing first, and I will talk to you tonight!"

...

...

Zhu Houzhao met Jiang Bin. Although he was still suspicious, he still had some conscience.

After that, Zhu Houzhao lost interest and did not ask two charming women to come and continue to have fun. In the afternoon, Zhang Yuan appeared in front of him, with a smile on his face, as if he had found something good to eat, drink and have fun.

"Your Majesty, Xuzhou Prefecture and local generals have arranged a performance to invite the people of the whole city to watch, and I also want to invite Your Majesty to come and watch." Zhang Yuan still didn't know that Jiang Bin came to meet the saint at this time, or that he was not prepared for this at all, and did not know that he had been preconceived and left a bad impression on the emperor's heart.

Zhu Houzhao asked listlessly: "What performance? Are there any special skills in folk opera troupes or juggling troupes? I have no interest."

Zhang Yuan didn't expect that he would stick his face to the cold butt. Seeing that Zhu Houzhao was not in high spirits, he could only grit his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, Xuzhou has been in good weather in recent years, and the people live and work in peace. When local generals and people learn that Your Majesty is coming, they all want to pay tribute to your face and get the protection of the dragon power. This is also the wish of local officials, generals and people."

Zhu Houzhao said angrily: "I said I was not interested. You don't mean that the people of Xuzhou live and work in peace and contentment are because the local governments have good governance, right?"

Zhang Yuan thought to himself: "How can Your Majesty understand what I want to say so much? Or may Your Majesty just complain to me?"

"That's true, Your Majesty."

Zhang Yuan was not sure about the situation. He didn't know that someone told Zhu Houzhao about his rewards for local officials and generals in advance. He had to bring his words to him, "The Xuzhou prefect has made great achievements in governing the local area. I have investigated it. The local officials are clear and the public is in good condition. They do not close their doors at night. The people praise him for it, so I want to..."

Originally, Zhang Yuan was chattering there, but when he found that Zhu Houzhao's gaze was a little cramped and annoyed, he immediately stopped.

He knew Zhu Houzhao's character very well. Once the emperor showed this expression, it means he was already very angry with him.

"Is it because Your Majesty was thinking about the fact that the Xuzhou magistrate came to give gifts before? I am sure that the Xuzhou magistrate was a corrupt official?"

Zhang Yuan did not dare to show his merits for local officials anymore. Zhu Houzhao just looked at him coldly, but did not immediately occur. The matter seemed to be over.

That night, Zhu Houzhao summoned Jiang Bin and Xu Tai and set the departure time to the morning of the next morning. When Zhang Yuan learned about the situation, he was about to set off. Even though he did not realize that Jiang Bin was making trouble, he still felt that Zhu Houzhao had distrust of him.

The departure time was decided by the emperor, and Zhang Yuan had no say, so he had to make hasty preparations.

For Zhang Yuan, it is a good thing to leave Xuzhou quickly. There is no need to rush to fulfill his promise to local officials and generals. When the gift is received, it is a different matter. Zhang Yuan's mentality of a young citizen determines that he did not fulfill his promise. Instead, he felt that he had taken a big advantage and did not realize how this would affect him.

...

...

When the news that Zhu Houzhao continued to set off south reached Jiangnan, Shen Xi's pre-war preparations in Xincheng were basically ready.

After several rounds of selection, the officers and soldiers who went to the expedition were basically in place.

"Shangshu Shen, the news now is that Your Majesty is busy heading south. At the current speed of travel, it is possible that we will arrive in the new city before we return to the city after we set out."

When Tang Yin came to report to Shen Xi, he looked worried.

Shen Xi shook his head slightly: "Will your Majesty arrive affect this war?"

Tang Yin said: "If you want to say that Your Majesty has no intention of watching the war or supervising the army in the south, I will never believe it... If you just come to inspect the construction of a city, there is no need to do so. Now there is a rumor among the people that Your Majesty is in a state of war and may continue to launch foreign wars after the end of this war. It may be Annan or Awa. And the only person who goes to war for Your Majesty is Shen Shangshu."

Shen Xidao: "It's purely a false thing."

Tang Yin sighed: "I know that these rumors are just to capture the wind and shadows, but there are always traces to follow, because Shen Shangshu's military achievements can be said to be rare in a thousand years, and now it is not a chaotic world. How can Your Majesty miss the opportunity to establish immortal achievements? Continuing to use military forces to the outside world is also to make good use of Shen Shangshu's abilities. After all, after you, the Ming Dynasty may never have such a genius again."

Shen Xi narrowed his eyes and looked at Tang Yin: "Brother Bo Hu is so complimenting me, I don't know what the purpose is?"

Tang Yin smiled awkwardly: "I am just telling the rumors in the market. Even if Shen Shangshu went to war without intention, he could not resist the emperor's orders... Okay, let's get back to the point. Now all the preparations are ready and the ship is ready. Will the war be set off at the set time?"

Chen Xidao: "The arrow has to be fired on the string... As for Brother Bohu, he may have to stay in the new city and be prepared to welcome the sage."

"ah!?"

Even though Tang Yin had expected Chen Xi to leave him in the new city, he was still a little surprised when he suddenly faced him, "I'm here... I won't accompany you to the battle?"

Chen Xi shook his head: "Someone must stay behind, and Yao Chen will stay. I will cooperate with you to welcome Your Majesty... This battle will only be a brief experience. Nanhuizui Zhonghoushou and Qingcun Zhongqian soldiers will work together with us."

Tang Yin was a little regretful about this, but he thought that he might encounter the situation when Shen Xi went to war. If he had coordinated the greeting of the saint and handled the matter properly, the contribution might be greater, and it would be very likely that Zhu Houzhao would appreciate it.

For him, if he wants to stand out, he not only needs to be appreciated by Chen Xi, but more importantly, he has the appreciation of the emperor. He can tell which is more important to these two big trees.

Chen Xi said again: "As for the city affairs, it will be left to Brother Bo Hu to take care of it. If someone comes from Nanjing or surrounding prefectures, Brother Bo Hu will welcome and handle it."

Tang Yin seemed very embarrassed: "It would be fine if it was just a person from the court. I was afraid that Folang Ji people would come, as it was related to diplomatic relations and it was difficult to make decisions..."

Chen Xi smiled and said, "If there is really something difficult, you can wait for me to come back. If Your Majesty arrives first, you can also ask Your Majesty to deal with it."

"ah?"

Tang Yin was stunned and then realized that Chen Xi was just asking him to be an agent, and did not say that he could really replace Chen Xi, the main master. He took it for granted Chen Xi's power to make decisions, so he showed that he lacked some ability.

Tang Yin couldn't help but feel embarrassed, but Chen Xi did not mind the matter and took out a map: "Anyway, many things need to be prepared in advance... If you go to the battle, you will go but never return, and the next thing to fight against the Japanese may be left to Brother Bohu to deal with."
To be continued...