"Stop!" Zhu Yunwen immediately shouted: "Spare Law Ming and his family, and I will write the imperial edict of abdication for you."
Zhu Di was stunned for a moment, then a wave of ecstasy washed over him. He hadn't expected such an unexpected gain.
He had never intended to do anything to Law Ming, but Zhu Yunwen had lost his composure first.
"Gaosui, safely escort Law Ming back to the Luo Residence," Zhu Di said.
Within a day, the entire atmosphere of Yingtian Prefecture had changed.
The Luo Residence, once bustling with visitors, was now deserted, with even eighty percent of the servants having fled.
Of course, Princess Hanshan was still at the Luo Residence, so there was no risk of regicide.
"Father, Mother, your unfilial son cannot protect the Luo Residence. Please return to Kaiyuan County," Law Ming now knelt before Rosen and Ron.
"Alright, there's no need to be so dramatic," Rosen waved his hand. "I have a past acquaintance with Prince Yan, so our family will be fine."
"Father, when did you have a private relationship with Prince Yan?" Law Ming looked at Rosen in surprise.
"I was the one who escorted Prince Yan out of the city."
"What? Father… you… you are disloyal and unfilial, you…"
Rosen picked up a teacup and smashed it on Law Ming's head: "I am your father, and you talk to me about disloyalty and unfilial piety? If it weren't for my private relationship with Prince Yan, given your relationship with Zhu Yunwen, the grass on our whole family's graves would already be three zhang high by now."
Law Ming stiffened his neck, meeting Rosen's gaze defiantly.
"You chose to be loyal to your emperor, I chose to support Prince Yan. Our Paths diverge, so we cannot work together."
Rosen didn't intend to discuss grand principles with him.
Law Ming's personality was different from his; Law Ming was a fanatic. Once he decided on something, ten oxen couldn't pull him back.
Ron was a typical woman; she didn't understand those grand principles. She only knew that as long as her family was safe and sound, that was enough.
"Alright… alright… you support that rebellious traitor, then from this day forward, you and I, father and son, our bond is severed," Law Ming said angrily.
"Ming'er, you… how could you say such a thing? Apologize to your father immediately," Ron exclaimed in shock upon hearing this.
"I, Rosen, don't need such a loyal, filial, benevolent, and righteous son like you. Since our bond is severed, then from now on, you and I have no more ties."
The news of Rosen and Law Ming's estrangement reached Zhu Di's ears.
That very day, Zhu Di came to the Luo Residence.
"Oh, where is the Zhuangyuan?" Zhu Di stepped through the Luo family gate with a smile on his Face.
"Zhu Old Fourth, are you here to annoy me?"
"I have already ascended the throne. Zhu Yunwen has drafted the imperial edict of abdication. Your continued address to me in this manner shows too little regard for imperial authority, does it not?"
"Outside, I will address you as Your Majesty. But within this Luo Residence, you are Zhu Old Fourth. If you have nothing important to do, please leave. There are so many important matters in the Empire awaiting your attention."
"You said that if I wanted that ten million taels, I could come to you anytime."
At this point, Zhu Di no longer referred to himself as "I" (imperial I), but directly used "I" (I) to communicate with Rosen.
"Send someone to my old residence in Luo Family Village in Kaiyuan County to collect it. I'll trouble you to bestow a noble title upon my elder brother. I estimate that since my good-for-nothing son is now out of favor, many powerful families in Kaiyuan County will want to pounce on the Luo family and take a bite."
Since Rosen was contributing another ten million taels of silver, Zhu Di naturally didn't hesitate to bestow a noble title.
"Rosen, where on earth did you find so much silver? Could it be that you can turn stone into gold?"
"Have you investigated me?"
"I have," Zhu Di nodded.
"Then you should also know that I traveled abroad several times when I was young."
Zhu Di nodded again. These things were not difficult to investigate. When Rosen was fourteen, he traveled abroad. Three years later, when he returned, he already had some family wealth. Later, he traveled abroad for another half a year, and after that, the Luo family's fortunes grew even larger.
"In my early years of traveling abroad, I once obtained a Treasure Trove map from the West. This map depicted a place called the Silver Empire, a legendary ancient Empire. Using that map, I found the former Silver Empire."
Zhu Di listened intently, Rosen's tone filled with a Gu-like allure.
"The Silver Empire was a huge island, but two thousand years ago it was hit by a tsunami, and the entire island sank into the sea, leading to the demise of the Silver Empire. However, its geographical environment is very special; the Silver Empire surfaces for three days every thousand years. And when I found the Silver Empire back then, I spent three days transporting two massive silver statues back to the mainland."
"Where is the Silver Empire now?"
"Somewhere in the sea. You can send people to look for it. There are countless Treasures hidden in the ocean."
"And where did you find all that grain and Physical Body?"
"As early as when I sent you away from Yingtian Prefecture, I guessed that you would inevitably lack grain. So at that time, I had already begun to prepare to supply you with grain and meat. Siam and Nan Yue both have grain varieties that yield three harvests a year, and meat was purchased from the grasslands. It was not a difficult matter."
Zhu Di finally understood now. Originally, he had expected Rosen to tell him some supernatural stories.
But unfortunately, the story Rosen recounted was far from his imagination.
However, Rosen's answer also conformed to Zhu Di's understanding.
"Do you still have any silver on hand?"
"Too much money only invites trouble. Just like you, would you allow an ordinary commoner to have tens of millions of taels of silver?"
"In your eyes, am I so petty?"
"The ten million taels in my old Luo family residence's basement is already all my hidden silver. As for the remaining small change, I estimate you wouldn't even bother with it. These past few years, I've acquired quite a few properties, so supporting a family is not difficult."
"This is an Iron Scroll of Exemption from Death."
Rosen glanced at the Iron Scroll of Exemption from Death: "When Zhu the Butcher was alive, he issued dozens of Iron Scrolls, but in the end, for the people he wanted to kill, no number of Iron Scrolls worked. Is your Iron Scroll more genuine than his?"
Zhu Di had originally come to mock and tease Rosen, but unexpectedly, he ended up being angered by Rosen instead.
"You… you troublesome commoner…"
But facing Rosen's taunts, Zhu Di eventually gave in: "How about I bestow upon you the title of Duke? With all the help you've given me, being made a Duke is more than enough."
"Bestowing my elder brother with the title of County Marquis is enough. A modest fortune will suffice."
Zhu Di had already anticipated Rosen's answer. From the first time he met Rosen, Rosen had shown little desire for imperial power or nobility.
"Then what arrangements do you have for your son?"
"I have already severed ties with him."
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