Chapter 183: Chapter 119: Gu Gaoxu Multiplication Factor: 9, Reward: ’Medical Heart

Looking at the ever-so-adamant Lu Yuan.

The Governor shook his head helplessly.

’It seems what I just said was no use. How can there be someone who doesn’t want to be an official...?’

After some thought, the Governor figured Lu Yuan was just too young and lacked perspective.

However, he didn’t say anything more.

Since Lu Yuan was intent on staying in Taiping City, then so be it.

The Governor immediately said:

"Since that’s the case, I won’t press the matter.

If you change your mind in the future, just come and tell me.

But I hope you decide quickly. After all, I won’t be here for much longer."

...

「The next morning.」

Just as dawn was breaking, a carriage departed from the Provincial City, heading toward Taiping City.

The previous night, Lu Yuan and Song Meiqin had shared a room and a bed.

They had simply held each other all night; nothing else happened.

’It wouldn’t have been right to do anything, not when we were guests in someone else’s house. Never mind the noise we might have made—if we’d left the room a mess, who would clean it up? So, it was better to just behave and wait until we were home.’

’This trip to the Provincial City was quite fruitful.’

’I snagged a County Magistrate position.’

’Of course, the most important thing was getting on good terms with the higher-ups.’

’From now on, the Zhao Family will be secure.’

’We won’t have to watch our backs all the time, guarding against this person and that person.’

’I can finally make some real money in peace in Taiping City.’

’Once I get those hybrid crops developed...’

’...won’t life be sweet?’

Lu Yuan figured that if things continued like this, he’d have at least twenty years of good living ahead of him.

He could just coast from then on, spending his days eating, drinking, and enjoying life.

’As for a potential change of dynasty in the future...’

’Well, I’ve already established something of a rapport with the King of Yan’s faction.’

’As for the future Good Saint Grandson, and then... there’s also the famous Emperor Men.’

’Hmm...’

’Actually, none of that really has much to do with me.’

’After all, by the time the King of Yan—that is, the future Emperor Yongle—ascends the throne...’

’...I’ll already be almost forty years old.’

’By the time Emperor Yongle’s reign is over, another twenty-some years will have passed.’

’At that point, I’ll be in my late sixties, pushing seventy.’

’Then you add the reigns of Ren Zong and Xuanzong, and that’s another decade or so.’

’By then, I’d be eighty or ninety years old.’

’I might even have kicked the bucket long before then.’

’Why worry about what happens after I’m dead?’

’Pointless.’

When he thought about it that way, it was actually pretty great. The era he was in was heading into a long period of prosperity.

A genuine golden age, not one of those so-called prosperous eras where people were still eating chaff to survive.

’I can pretty much just coast from now on.’

’Perfect.’

As for whether he, as a transmigrator, could change the course of history...

’Hmm...’

Lu Yuan thought it over carefully. ’It’s too difficult.’

’First, there’s Empress Ma. She’s likely going to pass away this August.’

’What can I do about that?’

’I don’t have any way to help her.’

’None of the random things I’ve come up with can save a person’s life.’

’So what can I do?’ 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

’All I can do is watch.’

’Then there’s Zhu Biao.’

There are basically two theories about Zhu Biao’s death.

One is that he was scared to death by Zhu Yuanzhang, or that the pressure Zhu Yuanzhang put on him was simply too great.

Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore and just... snapped, and died.

But that theory is the most outlandish of historical rumors. It’s absolutely impossible.

It’s the kind of thing you’d see in the TV series with Hu Jun.

But in reality, Zhu Biao was nowhere near as weak as he’s portrayed in television dramas.

Always crying at the drop of a hat.

Although Zhu Biao was kindhearted, he was also an extremely strong-willed man.

Take the most classic example: the story where Old Zhu was executing Meritorious Officials, all while claiming it was for Zhu Biao’s own good.

Old Zhu picked up a thorny branch and handed it to Zhu Biao, telling him to take it.

Zhu Biao said it was covered in thorns and that he didn’t dare to.

Then Old Zhu, with his bare hands, stripped all the thorns from the branch.

He then told Zhu Biao that he, his father, was stripping away all the "thorns" on his path to the throne, so that his reign would be easy.

In the TV dramas, this is where Zhu Biao would burst into tears, terrified by his father’s iron-fisted methods.

But in reality, Zhu Biao didn’t cry. Instead, he said with great scorn:

"With rulers like Yao and Shun above, there will be people like Yao and Shun’s below."

This statement was the height of passive-aggressiveness.

What did it mean? It meant that the quality of the officials reflects the quality of the Emperor.

You’re not a very good Emperor, so all the ministers under you are flawed.

If you were a ruler like Yao and Shun, wouldn’t your ministers also be as wise and virtuous as theirs were?

It’s like the saying, "A kind father raises a filial son." If the father isn’t kind, how can the son be filial?

This remark made Old Zhu so furious that he grabbed a nearby stool and went to smash it over Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao was smart, though; he turned and fled.

Incidents like this happened between Zhu Biao and Zhu Yuanzhang all the time.

Zhu Biao wasn’t afraid of Zhu Yuanzhang in the slightest, and would even talk back and sass Old Zhu from time to time.

Perhaps Zhu Biao knew he was the most secure Crown Prince in history.

No matter what he did, his old man would never truly harm him.

So, for a Crown Prince like that to be scared to death by Old Zhu, or to die from too much pressure?

Impossible.

As the most secure Crown Prince in five thousand years of history, he was definitely not some weakling who only knew how to cry.

Therefore, there was only the second possibility for Zhu Biao’s death.

A sudden, virulent illness.

This illness could very well have been an acute condition like a cerebral hemorrhage.

After all, the time between when Zhu Biao fell ill and when he died was incredibly short.

It was a bit like the death of Huo Qubing—one moment he was there, and the next he was suddenly gone.

An acute condition like that... how could anyone be saved?

Forget about saving him in this era.

Even in the modern world, a patient with this kind of condition would need constant monitoring.

You’d have to be ready to resuscitate them at a moment’s notice, and even then, survival wouldn’t be guaranteed.