Chapter 145: Yichuan Volunteers Himself

Fan Li neutralized the opponent's attempt at sowing discord with just a few brief remarks.

The Crown Prince of Wanli still wore a gentle smile, though his eyes grew slightly colder. In truth, he had merely been probing. His original intention was to weigh the stature of his competitors. Now, the Wanli Crown Prince had roughly figured things out.

The Sovereign of Golden Virtue, whom he had worried about most upon arrival, possessed the cultivation of the Great Vehicle Realm, yet his mind was remarkably simple. Zhuge Liang, Guo Jia, and Zhou Yu were indeed as legendary as the rumors claimed—masterminds of extraordinary intellect with unwavering resolve.

Only Fan Li… seemed somewhat more cunning than the rumors suggested.

"Teacher," the Wanli Crown Prince said softly.

Stepping out from behind him was a middle-aged man dressed in Confucian robes. Although he did not wear official Great Ming court attire, his long, flowing beard made him instantly recognizable as Zhang Juzheng.

"Does Your Highness require something?" Zhang Juzheng asked, bowing slightly.

Having once served as the Crown Prince’s imperial lecturer responsible for guiding Wanli in the study of Confucianism, he naturally held the status of a mentor.

"In Teacher's view, is there any possibility that I might subjugate and recruit Fan Li?" the Wanli Crown Prince asked.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng widened his eyes in shock!

On the surface, Great Ming remained the strongest power in the world, but its court was infested with the faction of Yan Song—rotten to the core and reeking of decay. When the Wanli Crown Prince eventually ascended the throne, it would inevitably mean a new sovereign bringing in a new court, purging the Yan Song faction entirely. By then, countless official positions would be left vacant, waiting for new men to fill them—especially within the Grand Secretariat, and most notably the coveted seat of the Senior Grand Secretary!

Secretly, Zhang Juzheng felt a bitter grievance churning within.

*Why is it that the Crown Prince has barely met Fan Li, yet he is already smitten with his talent?*

*Come to think of it, back during the Alliance of the Three Emperors, His Majesty also tried to win over Fan Li, promising him entry into the Cabinet and the position of Chancellor.*

*Pitiful me, who has toiled painstakingly for decades for Great Ming, finally scraping my way into the Cabinet only to occupy the lowest rank, serving tea and water to Yan Song and Teacher Xu every single day.*

*What makes Fan Li so special that he commands the deep regard of two successive monarchs of our Great Ming?*

It was not that Zhang Juzheng was narrow-minded, but after enduring decades of bitter hardship in the officialdom of Great Ming to earn his hard-fought rank and status, Fan Li could seemingly obtain those very same things without lifting a finger. How could this fail to fill him with sorrow and gloom?

"Why is Teacher silent?"

"Could it be that Teacher doubts my ability to win over Fan Li?"

The Wanli Crown Prince chuckled softly.

"Teacher must not forget, before leaving the capital this time, both the Senior Grand Secretary and the Junior Grand Secretary wrote letters of allegiance to me."

Yan Song and Xu Jie had indeed submitted letters of allegiance, written in their own handwriting.

***

Hearing these words, Zhang Juzheng could only shake his head with a helpless sigh.

The crown prince before him was indeed a born monarch, brilliant and astonishingly talented, yet he suffered from one major flaw: arrogance!

Given Emperor Jiajing’s profound cultivation and mastery, he was bound to break through to the Tribulation Realm within a hundred years. Once he underwent the tribulation—regardless of success or failure—the empire of Great Ming would inevitably be passed down to the Wanli Crown Prince to inherit.

The two grand secretaries quietly writing letters of allegiance to him was merely standard procedure. Yet Wanli viewed this as a testament to his own personal charm, which was surely an excess of self-confidence.

"Whomever Your Highness wishes to recruit should pose no great problem," Zhang Juzheng said. He was not one for flattery, offering only a mild compliment before sharply pivoting his tone. "However, I beg Your Highness not to forget that this subject once read Fan Li’s *Memorial on Expediting the Northern Expedition* to you..."

At the mention of the *Memorial on Expediting the Northern Expedition*, the Wanli Crown Prince fell silent as well.

To have written such a piece of writing that poured out one's heart and inspired fierce loyalty demonstrated unwavering devotion. How could anyone expect such a person to betray his master and defect to the enemy?

The Wanli Crown Prince finally wiped the confident smile from his face.

Looking toward Fan Li in the distance, he said with a tone of genuine regret, "What a pity that he cannot be used by me. This Mount Yunmeng before us shall be his final resting place."

Zhang Juzheng drew a sharp breath!

The machinations of a monarch were truly cold and merciless!

Just moments ago, he had wished to recruit Fan Li, and now he had already resolved to kill him?

"Indeed." Zhang Juzheng could only feel a sense of pity, yet he had no intention of offering dissuasion.

Even he felt it was better for Fan Li to die. Otherwise, once Great Ming unified the realm, if Fan Li were to be heavily favored and employed, wouldn't that merely create an additional rival for himself?

***

Rumble~~~~~!!!

Suddenly!

Mount Yunmeng erupted with a deafening roar, causing the earth to tremble and startling countless birds and beasts into flight.

Originally, Mount Yunmeng had been shrouded in billowing mist. At this moment, as people gazed outward, they realized that the silky white fog was actually a layer of barrier spell.

At the southern foot of the mountain where the crowd had gathered, the white fog parted slightly, revealing a winding mountain path. From deep within the mountain came the sound of singing.

After just a brief moment, an elderly Confucian scholar could be seen approaching, chanting as he walked:

"Heaven and earth are thrown into chaos, the flames are about to die; the great mansion is on the verge of collapse, yet a single pillar cannot hold it up!"

"An ancient sage wishes to pledge himself to an enlightened master, but the enlightened master seeks the wise yet knows not where I am~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"

Hearing the singing, the gathered crowd each harbored their own thoughts.

Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "A fine song of seeking a master, imbued with the ambition to turn the tides. Quite rare indeed."

Guo Jia also smiled. "Lofty ambitions require genuine substance to back them up."

Zhou Yu nodded in agreement, adding, "Composing a song is easy; propping up a dynasty is hard. Though this person harbors grand ambitions, he has likely never tasted the bitterness of holding up a crumbling structure alone. At any rate, I am hardly in the mood to sing."

When the three finished speaking, they exchanged glances, sharing the distinct sentiment of finding a kindred spirit over a cup of wine.

As Fan Li caught sight of the newcomer, his expression gradually turned bizarre. *How is it this fellow?*

"Teacher, look!" the Wanli Crown Prince pointed excitedly at the old scholar. "Could he be none other than Guiguzi, who knew Your Highness was personally visiting Mount Yunmeng and has proactively come down the mountain to pledge his allegiance?"

Zhang Juzheng’s mouth twitched involuntarily, thinking to himself: *How could that possibly be?*

What kind of person was Guiguzi?

Years ago, the founding Guiguzi had rejected the recruitment attempts of the founding emperors of Chu, Han, and Ming, breaking through his realm in a single leap to ascend to the immortal realm. That alone spoke volumes about his character.

The lineage of Guigu was passed down through a single disciple per generation. Even if this current Guiguzi were lacking, he would certainly not compose a song to self-recommend, acting as though he were desperately afraid no one would want him!

"Your Highness, this subject hears an urgent plea for an official position within that song," Zhang Juzheng whispered a reminder. "How could Guiguzi be a vulgar man greedy for fame, fortune, and official rank?"

"So... he is not Guiguzi?"

As the Wanli Crown Prince recovered his senses, realizing he had been played by the singer, his expression instantly turned unsightly.

The newcomer was indeed not Guiguzi; he was Cheng Yichuan.

Having returned to Mount Yunmeng in a sorry state, Master Yichuan had sought an audience with his teacher Guiguzi, only to be ordered to guard the mountain gate and wait for the envoys of various nations to gather before opening the path to let them in.

*To think that I finally managed to rank among the Great Confucians, yet my teacher only assigns me to guard the gate?*

*Mount Yunmeng is no place for me to linger long-term.*

*I shall compose a song so that the envoys of all nations may witness my talent.*

Master Yichuan had harbored rather pleasant daydreams.

Once he stepped out through the foggy barrier, he fully expected these various factions to extend olive branches toward him.

However, dreams were beautiful, while reality was cruel.

Master Yichuan was astonished to discover that after pondering for so long to compose a rhythmic, catchy, and excellent song, it seemed entirely unappreciated?

The envoys of Wei, Han, and Wu merely cast a few up-and-down glances at him before looking away.

As for the Great Ming side—a majestic procession of several thousand people led by a young man draped in bright yellow imperial robes, clearly of the dragon-and-phoenix bloodline of the Zhu family—was actually glaring at him with a look of resentful anger?!

*Bizarre!*

*This old man has traveled widely for years, yet I have never set foot in Great Ming, let alone offended any Great Ming nobility.*

*Could this person be an imperial prince or a royal duke? Why does he seem to harbor some misunderstanding toward this old man?*

*Oh well, if Great Ming does not want this old man, I shall simply go serve elsewhere... Wait, eh???*

Master Yichuan finally caught sight of a familiar figure.

Fan Li, the Duke of Jin from Great Chu, was watching his musical approach with the exact expression one might use to watch a performing monkey.