Ming Dynasty: A hundred-year-old immortal cultivator, Zhu Yuanzhang’s biological father

These words instantly brought the cousins ​​closer together.

"Speaking of which, I have many regrets about your Mu family."

Zhu Xiongying sighed.

Mu Chun asked suspiciously, "Oh? Why does Your Highness say that?"

"It's just that at that time, I hadn't returned to the Eastern Palace yet, so I didn't take it seriously, and I missed the best opportunity to pay tribute to King Qianning. It's a pity to say."

The three brothers of the Mu family were terrified and said with emotion: "Your Highness must not think like that. How can we understand your suffering? When my father died, we were able to accompany him."

"But when some members of the royal family passed away, Your Highness could not even see them. This was the most painful thing."

Zhu Xiongying sighed.

Although I don’t have much affection for some of my ancestors, when I think about it carefully, it is indeed more regrettable.

These words.

He also dragged several cousins ​​into the worm of remembrance of pain.

Unknowingly, the relationship between the brothers has become closer.

Mu Chun said: "Your Highness, we would like to thank you for defending us beside the Emperor."

There was a problem with the tax and silver issue. If Zhu Xiongying had not intervened, they would have had no idea what the fate of the Mu brothers would be.

Therefore, they are even more grateful to Zhu Xiongying.

Zhu Xiongying smiled and said, "You're welcome."

After a moment of silence, Zhu Xiongying looked at Mu Chun, his expression gradually becoming serious as he said, "There is one more thing I need your help with."

Mu Chun replied solemnly, "Your Highness, please speak. We will spare no effort!"

Zhu Xiongying said, "There is a batch of firearms that need to be sent from the Firearms Bureau to Jiaozhi Nanhai."

"This is a serious matter. I don't feel safe leaving it to anyone else. If you three brothers are able, please help to escort this batch of firearms to the Jiaozhi Administration Office."

Mu Chun shouted loudly: "Don't worry, Your Highness. This is my responsibility. If I make any mistakes, I will be beheaded!"

Zhu Xiongying supported Mu Chun: "Brother, there is no need to do this. I feel relieved with you around."

The importance of the Mu family to southern Xinjiang is like the importance of the Nine-Border Great Wall to northern Xinjiang.

Jiaozhi is adjacent to Yunnan, and the Southwestern Tea-Horse Trade Zone is also adjacent to Yunnan.

Mu Yu Mansion is the stabilizer of southern Xinjiang, and Zhu Xiongying needs this force.

Regardless of whether Zhu Xiongying was putting on a show or was sincere, today's private meeting had invisibly convinced the Mu family in Yunnan of Zhu Xiongying's beliefs.

Zhu Xiongying invited the three brothers to sit down, and then asked casually, "Three brothers, there seems to be White Lotus activities in Yunnan."

"When you go back, investigate secretly. If you can catch a few, give them a thorough second trial."

Mu Chun's face turned stern, and he asked, "Your Highness, do you suspect the tax silver?"

Zhu Xiongying nodded.

"If Mu Chun is caught, remember to cut him into pieces!"

Mu Chun nodded: "I understand, your Excellency!"

In the evening, Zhu Xiongying invited the Mu brothers to have a drink together. The brothers were all about the same age and got along easily. Zhu Xiongying's calm personal charm also convinced the three brothers.

After seeing off the three brothers of the Mu family, they had already arrived and lit the lamps.

Because of the strong liquor, Zhu Xiongying's cheeks were a little red. Only when the evening breeze blew did Zhu Xiongying calm down.

The purpose of asking the Mu brothers to investigate the White Lotus Sect is certainly not just this.

There must be someone at a higher level controlling this tax and banking case.

Could it be him?
What is the purpose?
Zhu Xiongying was drunk and looked towards the north, where there was another ambitious rival, Zhu Di!
Fourth uncle.

Is it you who took action?
……

the other side.

The brothers have lived in the frontier for a long time and have been engaged in military careers, so a little wine would not affect them.

After returning to the Honglu Temple, the three brothers continued to hold the wine jug and began to gulp it down.

The second son, Mu Sheng, whispered, "Brother, what do you think of His Royal Highness the Grandson?"

Mu Chun narrowed his eyes slowly and gave his evaluation: "A gentleman hides his power. If he doesn't move, he's fine. But if he moves, he's as powerful as thunder!"

"Our prince is not simple!"

The third brother, Mu Ang, was somewhat puzzled and asked, "But Your Highness, he didn't say anything, why do you think he is not simple, brother!?"

Mu Chun asked back: "What do you think of him?"

The second and third brothers said in unison: "Okay!"

"Where is good?"

The two brothers were speechless when asked.

Mu Chun smiled and said, "Look. You don't know what's good about him, but you keep praising him. Why? This is his charm. He can make you feel convinced of him without you even realizing it."

"Dad said when he was alive that when he followed our emperor to fight, he couldn't say what was good about the emperor, but he just believed in him."

As he spoke, Mu Chun's eyes became somewhat deep: "This is the unique personal courage of a superior. It is hard to explain, but it can convince you."

"No matter what, we should just follow His Highness, so this mission must be completed smoothly without any problems."

Upon hearing this, the two brothers secretly clenched their fists and nodded.

No sleep for one night.

Early the next morning.

After Zhu Xiongying finished his exercise and had breakfast, Liu Sanwu and Fang Xiaoru came together and invited him to enroll in the Imperial College.

Zhu Xiongying had a headache.

The last time he saw that little brat Zhu Dong, he was so sick of that naughty kid with snot hanging from his crotch and his little bird hanging down.

The key is.

This time when I go to the Imperial College, I can see more little brats!
They are all my uncles!

Old man, you can't make babies anymore!
Zhu Xiongying was speechless.

The bleakness of the early morning caused the two rows of large poplar trees standing in the palace to wither.

Green was replaced by gray, and the imperial city became bleak.

It's still a little cold in the early morning of autumn.

Liu Sanwu and Fang Xiaoru were both teachers at the Imperial College. It was against etiquette for them to come in person today to inform Zhu Xiongying that he could study at the Imperial College.

After the two of them finished notifying, they returned to the Imperial College first.

Zhu Xiongying knew that these two teachers came to inform him. Just now, they told him the temperaments of some teachers in the Imperial College.

These two literati are really thoughtful.

Although they were literati, and although later generations generally had a bad evaluation of Ming Dynasty literati.

But Zhu Xiongying doesn't think so.

When everyone was paying attention to Zhu Di's domineering killing of Fang Xiaoru's aristocratic family, no one noticed that Fang Xiaoru's two young daughters committed suicide by jumping into the river.

Fang Xiaoru was rigid and upright.

He has his own persistence and possesses all the qualities of a traditional scholar, and he educates his descendants to be loyal to the emperor and patriotic.

Such a person, once loyal, is extremely loyal, and currently, Zhu Xiongying is the legitimate heir to the royal family!
In Fang Xiaoru's heart,

I'm afraid Zhu Xiongying has already been branded as the next legitimate crown prince of the Ming Dynasty!
Even if the old man wanted to change the crown prince one day, I'm afraid these stubborn scholars would not agree!
What are the two of you doing here today?
Zhu Xiongying also knew that this was clearly intended to make more people identify with Zhu Xiongying.

I still say the same thing. If anyone disagrees, Fang Xiaoru will still be stubborn to the end!
Zhu Xiongying dressed neatly, changed into casual clothes, and headed towards the Imperial College.

Behind him, several guards in brocade robes with big horses and golden swords, led by the Liao brothers, walked on the corridor of the East Palace, looking indescribably majestic and domineering.

In the crack of a door of the East Palace, two little girls with pigtails were looking at Zhu Xiongying who was walking in front with their dark eyes.

The two little girls had fear and admiration in their eyes.

"Second sister, is that the eldest brother?"

"Yes, big brother is so majestic."

Zhu Xiongying seemed to notice the little girl peeking at him through the crack in the door, but he didn't say much and continued walking forward with a brisk pace.

After walking a distance, Zhu Xiongying asked the Liao brothers, "Who were those two little guys in Qingyi Palace just now?"

The Liao brothers replied: "She is a concubine's princess. The second princess is Princess Yilun, and the fourth princess is Princess Nanping."

Zhu Xiongying said "oh" and seemed to remember who these two little guys were.

Zhu Yunhuan and Zhu Xiongying introduced the situation of the Eastern Palace. There are five imperial grandchildren, one eldest princess, and three county princesses in the Eastern Palace.

Among them, three princesses died young, and now only the second and fourth princesses are still in the East Palace.

The two little ones were seven and four years old. Their mother was a concubine and she died when she gave birth to the two princesses.

The two little princesses had a weak presence and few people cared about them. Even Zhu Yuanzhang almost forgot about them.

Zhu Xiongying secretly remembered the two little girls and continued to stride towards the Imperial College with his head held high.

Several teachers from the Imperial College were waiting in front of the gate to greet Zhu Xiongying.

After Zhu Xiongying arrives.

Liu Sanwu took the lead and said, "I am Liu Sanwu, the chief priest of the Imperial College, and I am here to see Your Highness!"

Fang Xiaoru clasped his fists and said, "I am Fang Xiaoru, a doctor of the Imperial Academy. I am here to see Your Highness!"

"Your servants Hu Han and Su Boheng pay their respects to His Royal Highness the Grandson!"

"Your Highness Wu Chen pays respect to His Royal Highness the Grandson!"

These people are all teachers of the Imperial Academy, responsible for teaching the royal etiquette.

But Zhu Xiongying knew that their existence had more political significance.

They dominate the country's literary trends, moral standards and other trends.

For example, if the emperor behaved immorally, they would need to advise him while rationalizing the immoral behavior as much as possible in order to maintain the emperor's dignity.

For example, when Zhu Di ascended the throne after the Jingnan Rebellion, he tried to win over these people because he hoped that they could use their writing to justify his actions.
Zhu Xiongying did not dare to be arrogant, and respectfully greeted the gentlemen with a fist clasp.

"Xiong Ying, I've met some teachers."

At this moment.

Zhu Xiongying also abandoned his status as a prince and respectfully performed the teacher-student ceremony to the gentlemen.

If he really wants to integrate into this feudal system, Zhu Xiongying has to do his best to adapt to the rules of this system.

Instead of making any changes now.

At least,

He did not yet have the ability to reverse the etiquette of the entire feudal society.

Since we cannot change it, we can only adapt and integrate. This is the humble mentality that a strong person should always maintain.

Even though he was in a high position and even though he was Zhu Yuanzhang's eldest grandson, he was still polite and did not dare to think highly of himself.

"I, your servant, do not deserve this!"

Several teachers returned the greeting again.

At the same time, regarding Zhu Xiongying's attitude,

He also showed a rare smile that showed that he had a long way to go after being so rigid just now!
It is their responsibility to educate the princes and grandchildren.

Although they didn't know yet that today was just a formality, and although they didn't know yet that Zhu Xiongying no longer needed them to teach anything more.

Liu Sanwu and Fang Xiaoru naturally did not make Zhu Xiongying's abilities known to the public, nor did they have any way of telling these people about it.

We can only let them run into the wall on their own, which is not a bad thing!
Liu Sanwu and Fang Xiaoru were actually looking forward to it.

As if remembering something, Liu Sanwu looked around and asked with a somewhat unhappy expression: "Where is Qi Tai?"

Qi Feng finally got out of the Imperial College and was promoted to the Censor of the Ministry of Rites. However, because he made a scene at the Meridian Gate when Zhu Yuanzhang was seriously ill, Zhu Yuanzhang demoted Qi Feng from the Ministry of Rites back to the Imperial College.

Several teachers looked at each other, and they didn't see Qi Tai anywhere, nor did they know where he had gone.

Su Boheng smiled and said, "I guess something has delayed you."

Then everyone stopped taking it seriously.

Just as a group of people were preparing to go to school, Zhu Yunwen also walked over with brisk steps outside.

When he saw Zhu Xiongying, Zhu Yunwen just saluted gently: "Brother, and teachers, hello."

Seeing Zhu Yunwen's humble and polite demeanor, several teachers stroked their beards, smiled and nodded.

In the values ​​of these literati, there is not so much intrigue.

Kindness and respect for each other are their values.

Therefore, whether it was Zhu Yunwen or Zhu Xiongying, they felt a great sense of responsibility and were willing to teach them what they had learned with all their heart and soul.

Zhu Xiongying smiled and said, "Second brother, you're welcome."

The voice just fell.

From a distance, Qi Tai walked over.

"Your Highness Qi Tai pays respect to His Royal Highness the Grandson."

This ceremony was performed to Zhu Yunwen.

Obviously, Qi Tai ignored Zhu Xiongying.

When several scholars saw this scene, their faces suddenly changed!
They are stereotypes, but they are not fools.

When the emperor's eldest grandson came.

You, Qi Tai, didn't show up, but now that the second grandson of the emperor has come, you, Qi Tai, have come out.

This clearly shows that the emperor's eldest grandson is not taken seriously!
Zhu Yunwen quickly helped Qi Tai up and said, "Teacher, please don't be too polite. Here, there is only Yunwen, not His Highness. Your Highness, your student Zhu Yunwen greets you."

Zhu Yunwen quickly said: "Teacher, this is my elder brother, you haven't met him yet."

Zhu Xiongying smiled slightly: "It's okay, I'm here to greet Master Qi."

Qi Tai stroked his beard and said, "The emperor's grandson has lived among the people for a long time. He should come to the Imperial Academy to study. He should catch up with the emperor's second grandson in knowledge and get rid of the messy habits outside."

"Let me be frank with you. Here, I can discipline anyone and dare to discipline anyone. I hope that His Royal Highness will study peacefully and not be arrogant or impatient."

Zhu Xiongying nodded: "The students know."

In my heart, I sighed slightly.

Zhu Xiongying felt that every minute and every second was a waste of time when he spent time on the intrigues among these people!
To be honest, Zhu Xiongying didn't take Qi Tai's ridiculous tricks seriously at all.

"I know. I will definitely learn from you, Master."

Zhu Zhu Xiongying was perfunctory.

I don't want to get entangled with Qi Tai any more.

However, Liu Sanwu and his companions could not bear to watch and said, "Master Qi, where were you just now? You are a teacher and a subject. You saw that the emperor's eldest grandson was disobedient and disrespectful. While you are admonishing the emperor's eldest grandson, you should also pay attention to your own teacher's ethics."

After hearing what Liu Sanwu and Fang Xiaoru said, Qi Tai was speechless, his cheeks flushed, and he could only clasp his hands in shame and confess his guilt. (End of this chapter)