THE RISE OF ZHU YOUXUN 1

On a sunny afternoon, Zhu Youxun came to visit Zhu Yunwen. Recently Zhu Youxun often went to Yingtian Palace, like he had been planning very carefully with Xie Wang before. But although Yingtian Palace was forbidden even for nobles to be entered as they liked, Zhu Youxun could easily enter into it as he wanted.

"What kind of books do you bring for me this time?" Zhu Yunwen's eyes always sparkled with delight everytime he saw Zhu Youxun. Whenever Zhu Youxun came, Zhu Yunwen could always read the extinct masterpiece of classic books. That was why Zhu Youxun could be freely hanging around Yingtian Palace. Zhu Youxun had received a special dispensation and it was not easy to obtain by even the royal members.

Zhu Youxun bowed respectfully, smiled. "May I present to Your Majesty the book of Zhou Gong Jie Meng * - The Duke of Zhou Interpreted Dreams."

Different from usual, now Zhu Yunwen approached the book with doubt. "Isn't it merely a book used by ordinary people to interpret their dreams?"

Recognizing the doubts implied in Zhu Yunwen's voice, Zhu Youxun explained, "Although this is a book which merely spreads among the commoners, in fact, the nobles also like to read it. Dreams often become a confusing problem. Although we never think about something even the slightest, but we can coincidentally dream of it, is it strange? Maybe it is a sign to predict our future?"

Dream? Divination? Yes, recently Zhu Yunwen had been so messy by such that divination. Especially when the horrific divination about him had shown its possibility with the rebellion launched by Zhu Di. But, not like usual, Zhu Yunwen was silent when he took the book offered to him. However, the strange beam emitted from his eyes convinced Zhu Youxun of the young emperor's interest towards his present. Zhu Youxun smiled in delight.

"May I report, Your Majesty. The Ming Emissary for Ryukyu sends the sword Ryukyu King has presented for you."

The chief eunuch bowed deeply as he handed over a sword with both hands. A very beautiful sword. The Ryukyu Kingdom was a medieval island kingdom consisting of the southern islands of modern Japan, that was, Okinawa Island, Amami Island (now called Kagoshima), and Sakishima Island near to Taiwan. Ryukyu Kingdom had a very close relationship with Ming Empire, as the kingdom was a tributary state of the Ming Empire. In 1392, around 36 families were sent from Fujian to manage oceanic dealings, and subsequently, many Ryukyu residents were direct or indirect descendants of Ming people. Hence, the relation between the two countries was undeniably very intense and very important to be undertaken.

As for the sword the Ming Emissary brought from Ryukyu, it was stunningly beautiful. The motifs of clouds, mosaics, and dragons looked overlapping and intricate, but that was what precisely showed its unique beauty. The color of its hilt was golden instead of black - as if it was implying that the sword was made of high-value objects, and only worth offered to the emperor.

When Zhu Yunwen took the sword, his eyes sparkled with admiration. "Wow... this sword is really beautiful..." He really admired the beauty of that sword. "Tell the emissary to express my gratitude for Ryukyu King..."

"Excuse me, Your Majesty, may I borrow that sword for a moment?"

Zhu Yunwen blinked in confusion at Zhu Youxun who had just interrupted him. "Are you also interested in this sword?"

Instead of giving his consent, Zhu Youxun only curved a slight smile.

"I see, this sword is indeed very beautiful. Everyone will admire it at a glance!" And Zhu Yunwen let the sword change hands. Now Zhu Youxun was looking at it. But instead of admiring it, it was more accurate to say that Zhu Youxun was examining the sword. He even pulled the sword out of its scabbard and observed the blade, very carefully.

When Zhu Youxun sheathed the sword again, he said, "This is a fake sword."

Both Zhu Yunwen and the chief eunuch were shocked.

"This beautiful sword, how can you say it is fake?!" Zhu Yunwen asked in disbelief.

"Zhou Gong Jie Meng tells me."

Zhu Youxun's answer did not satisfy Zhu Yunwen. He frowned. "Don't be so careless, Youxun. It means that you are accusing Ryukyu King of giving me fake goods, as if I am insulting his good intention. It'll lead to conflict..."

"If you don't believe me, then send it to a sword specialist. At that time you may choose to believe with me or not."

Zhu Youxun had been so unbending, Zhu Yunwen had no other choice. He told the chief eunuch to find a sword specialist to examine this sword.

It did not take a long time for the chief eunuch to return and gave his report, "Sire, Runan Jun Wang is right. This is a fake sword."

Zhu Yunwen's eyes opened so wide they were seemingly about to come off. Besides being shocked, he was also very angry. "How can Ryukyu King fool me by sending this fake stuff?!"

"Wait a minute, Sire. Don't immediately accuse Ryukyu King," Zhu Youxun interrupted. "I believe that the guilty brat is our country's emissary. He keeps the real sword from Ryukyu King for himself, and instead, he passes this fake stuff to you."

Zhu Yunwen looked closely at Zhu Youxun. "Oh, by the way, Youxun... how can you notice that this is a fake sword?... I can't think about that possibility even the slightest, since this sword is very beautiful..."

"I am also almost fooled by the glitzy of this dazzling sword. For that, I must thank Zhou Gong Jie Meng. That book really gives a big help."

Zhu Yunwen blinked. "How can a dream interpretation book help you?"

"Last night I had a strange dream. A beautiful scabbard came from the southeast. But so strange, I only got the scabbard and no sword was inside it. Then a sword appeared in my hand and I thrust it into a little child. When I woke up I was so curious about that dream since I didn't think about scabbard, sword, or child before sleeping. But after reading Zhou Gong Jie Meng, I got a clear interpretation of that dream. The sword itself actually symbolizes danger and threat. Only a scabbard without the sword inside it, shows a disadvantage. Moreover, there was a part when I thrust a sword to a little child, it indicates that there will be an attack from the enemy, so it is advisable to increase our vigilance."

Zhu Yunwen continued to listen to every word spoken by Zhu Youxun, but this time he looked very serious. "Then how do you know that the Ming Emissary is the culprit?"