Zhu Yuanzhang interjected, "Of course it's possible. Actually, the issue isn't whether it was carved or not, but who authorized it—wasn't Brother Shimin's jade seal carved by someone?"
Several emperors nodded...
When the car arrived at the gate of Xiao Mansion, several servants came forward politely. One of them led them inside, while another asked me, "Does Prince Qi want his car wiped?"
I told the people in front of me, "Don't forget to tip."
As it turned out, none of these emperors had the habit of carrying money when they went out, except for Zhu Yuanzhang, who found a few Ming Dynasty banknotes after fumbling around...
Inside the room, the original troops were still there, except for Liu Bang, who was drunk and fast asleep. Baozi and Hua Mulan were chatting, while Yu Ji and Xiao Huan went to rest. Qin Shi Huang had never met these emperors in person, but they had all seen him via video call, and they greeted him warmly, "Brother Ying."
The fat man could tell from his demeanor that he was a fellow professional, and he smiled and said, "You're here?" He then spotted Jin Wuzhu and, forgetting past grievances, cheerfully said, "You're here too, kid?"
Baozi and Li Shishi both stood up when they saw Jin Wuzhu. You see, Jin Wuzhu is a tough guy in front of Zhao Kuangyin, but when he sees Baozi, he subconsciously takes a half step back, probably because he feels embarrassed.
I quickly stood in the middle of the group and said, "We have something to discuss today; let bygones be bygones."
Xiang Yu was playing with Hu Hai on his shoulders when he heard what I said. He glanced at Jin Wuzhu and said, "Boy, don't let me see you on the battlefield."
Jin Wuzhu helplessly spread his hands and said, "There's nothing I can do if I run into them. Anyway, this is all I have."
Li Shishi, supporting Baozi, nodded slightly to Jin Wuzhu and said to Jin Shaoyan, "Actually, this General Wanyan hasn't made things difficult for us. Since my cousin says he has something to discuss, we'll take our leave for now."
When the emperors saw that Baozi was heavily pregnant, they all said, "She's about to give birth, isn't she?"
Baozi said, "In the next few days."
Li Shishi smiled and said, "Although the little one has not been born yet, he is already the King of Chu."
Li Shimin rested his hand on his forehead and said, "We can't fall behind, can we? What kind of official position should we appoint?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Anyway, Xiaoqiang is the Grand Tutor in my Great Ming Dynasty, so let it be hereditary."
To save trouble, the other guys all chimed in, "Yes, yes, hereditary succession, hereditary succession..." I just couldn't stand hearing that. Were they all hoping I'd die?
After Baozi and Li Shishi left, Zhao Kuangyin said, "Xiaoqiang, didn't you say you wanted to see us? What's wrong?" As he spoke, he glanced at the table and suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, there's wine—" He said meaningfully, "Xiaoqiang, shall we have a drink?"
It took me a moment to react before I smiled and raised a glass of wine, saying, "Your Majesty, Xiao Qiang has recently caught a cold and wishes to resign from his position as Marshal of the Song Dynasty's Armed Forces. Please grant me permission."
Zhao Kuangyin's expression brightened, but he still feigned concern, saying, "Your command of the army is excellent; it's just a minor cold. Why resign? I think you should..."
I chuckled, holding my drink, "Why are you talking so much nonsense? Be careful, or I might actually get another term."
Zhao Kuangyin hurriedly and solemnly said, "Since that's the case, I won't force you. Duke Anguo has made great contributions during his command of troops, so he shall be promoted to a prince and given the surname Zhao."
I scoffed and said, "Forget about it. My dad would kill you if he found out."
I drank with Old Zhao, and Zhao Kuangyin felt a great weight lifted from his heart. He put down his wine cup and exclaimed, "Ah, that was satisfying!"
The other emperors laughed, saying, "Old Zhao is really cautious."
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Let's get down to business now."
Li Shimin said, "No rush. Now that we're out here, let's have a good few days and see the local customs and culture here, Brother Ying."
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Nonsense, of course you're not in a hurry. You've even brought your toothbrush, but we don't even have a change of underwear."
Qin Shi Huang said unhappily, "What are you talking about? Even if I'm poor, do I not even have a pair of underwear?" Everyone laughed.
I kicked Liu Bang's feet a few times and said, "Wake up, get up and start the meeting."
Liu Bang got up sleepily, glanced at everyone in the room, and said, "Are you all here?"
Everyone took their seats. This was the first time Li Shimin and the others had met Xiang Yu, and they were all deeply impressed by the Hegemon-King of Western Chu. These men had all achieved success in their careers, but before that success, they all had their share of disappointments. Only the Hegemon-King of Chu's life was perfect and fulfilling; his seemingly failed ending was incredibly brilliant, perfectly filling the void left by their regrets.
Liu Bang and his companions were familiar with each other from frequent chats, but when Jin Wuzhu was formally introduced, everyone felt a little awkward. Apart from Liu Bang and Hua Mulan, everyone present had, in a sense, sent troops to bully him. Liu Bang even said, "Kid, you haven't touched me, have you? Otherwise, I'll show you how Han Xin schemes against people."
Upon seeing this, Jin Wuzhu stood up and jumped up and down, saying, "Why don't you kill me first!"
Qin Shi Huang hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Don't say it anymore, we've already taken over the sanctuary."
Zhu Yuanzhang also said, "That's right. Even neighbors have friction in their daily lives, let alone countries."
Jin Wuzhu muttered to himself, "The question is, are we considered a neighboring country?"
I stood up with a smile and said, "Let's not talk about the past. Actually, Brother Wan is quite a good guy."
Jin Wuzhu: "...And Yan."
I said, "Yes, and Brother Yan too."
Jin Wuzhu: "..."
I looked around and said, "Today's situation is really a bit like living with neighbors. When Brother Zhang is in a bad situation, he has to rely on Brother Li, and vice versa..."
I explained the situation in detail, and the emperors exchanged bewildered glances. Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Could it be understood that we are now guilty of possessing a huge amount of unexplained wealth?"
I laughed and said, "Brother Zhu, that's a good analogy. When the people are doing well and the population increases, everyone deserves credit. But Heaven doesn't care about that; in his eyes, the extra people are a sin."
Genghis Khan said, "Tell me how much more there is."
I took out the table and read it aloud: "Qin Dynasty, 35,000; Han Dynasty, 55,000; Northern Wei Dynasty, 25,000—Sister Mulan, the Northern Wei side needs you and Marshal He to coordinate the matter."
Genghis Khan asked urgently, "What happens next?"
I said, "The following are from the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, with 35,000, 50,000, 27,000, and 20,000 respectively—you can match them to your own."
Genghis Khan pondered for a moment and said with delight, "I was wondering why we Mongols seemed stronger than before; it turns out we have nearly 30,000 more people."