Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1252 Mood
"Could it be that Hong Chengchou and Yang Sichang are colluding?" Zhu Shenzhui wondered to himself, since Hong Chengchou's timely interjection made him suspicious.

Moreover, in Zhu Shenzhui's heart, to be honest, he had always been somewhat wary of Hong Chengchou. After all, Hong Chengchou was not a good person in history. Although he was defeated in Liaodong because of Emperor Chongzhen and was eventually captured by Huang Taiji and surrendered to the enemy, he transformed into a so-called important minister of the Qing Dynasty. He advised Huang Taiji and Dorgon one after another, and most of the credit for the fall of the Ming Dynasty and the conquest of the Qing Dynasty was due to him.

Although Hong Chengchou in this timeline did not experience these events, and had never even fought in the Liaodong campaign, after quelling the internal rebellion, he successively served as governor-general in various regions. Later, he successfully completed the task entrusted to him by Zhu Shenzhui to deal with the Zheng Zhilong group, thus making a great contribution.

It was for this reason that Hong Chengchou, possessing both literary and military talents and considerable political acumen, was ultimately recalled to the capital after weighing the pros and cons, and appointed as Grand Secretary after the cabinet reshuffle. Moreover, Hong Chengchou performed admirably in the two years he served as Grand Secretary, managing the cabinet with great efficiency, clarifying the relationships between superiors and subordinates, greatly reducing the pressure on Zhu Shenzhui, and ensuring the smooth operation of the state institutions.

Logically, Zhu Shenzhui's perception of Hong Chengchou should have completely changed after all these experiences, and given the difference in time and space, it's impossible to attribute something that didn't happen to Hong Chengchou. But what happened today made Zhu Shenzhui wonder about Hong Chengchou's motives. Was he acting out of goodwill as a colleague, or did he have ulterior motives? This made Zhu Shenzhui think a lot.

A cloud drifted silently over, blocking out the scorching sun. Zhu Shenzhui's vision darkened slightly, and he subconsciously looked up at the sky.

Looking at the thick clouds, his thoughts were a bit jumbled. In any case, these events made him more vigilant today, and he was even more worried about what else might happen next.

Time flies so fast. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. The young man who risked his life to smuggle salt with his men and fought with knives back then is now middle-aged. As he gets older, even though Zhu Shenzhui pays attention to health and practices martial arts more often, some things are still impossible to change, namely changes in his physique and his declining energy.

Zhu Shenzhui still looks tall and healthy, but he knows that the muscles in his abdomen have gradually disappeared. His belly is slightly protruding under his wide sleeves. Although he tries hard to maintain it, he can't escape the ruthlessness of time. The same goes for his energy. Before, he was busy every day, but as long as he slept well at night, he would still be full of energy the next day. But now he can't, especially in the afternoon when he is prone to dozing off. This change makes Zhu Shenzhui clearly feel the erosion of time and the passing of youth. Even though he is optimistic, he sometimes can't help but feel anxious about it.

"Time waits for no one!" Zhu Shenzhui sighed inwardly. Among the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, there were not many who lived to a ripe old age. Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang lived to be seventy-one, followed by Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di, who lived to be sixty-four, then Emperor Jiajing, who lived to be sixty, and Emperor Wanli, who lived to be fifty-eight. Apart from these few, the other emperors did not live long, generally only living to be thirty or forty years old. Zhu Shenzhui was now middle-aged, and in terms of age, he had already exceeded the average age of the Ming Dynasty emperors.

Although Zhu Shenzhui was still in good health, and theoretically could live another twenty or thirty years without much problem, perhaps even surpassing Zhu Yuanzhang's seventy-one years of age, no one could actually say for sure. After all, medical conditions in this era were poor. For example, diseases that were easily treated in later generations were incurable in this era. A common cold could be fatal. Therefore, Zhu Shenzhui himself didn't know how much longer he could truly live. Especially as he aged, his mindset changed slightly; things he hadn't cared about before now became more sensitive to him.

Just as Zhu Shenzhui was deep in thought, a commotion suddenly broke out not far away, pulling his wandering thoughts back to reality.

He frowned slightly and looked in the direction of the sound, but because of the distance, he couldn't see what was going on. He raised his hand and beckoned to a young eunuch not far away, asking him to go and ask what had happened.

A moment later, Lu Jiude rushed over: "Your Majesty, it was Consort Xian and Consort Shu, along with the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the Little Princess, who were playing in the palace. They didn't know Your Majesty was here and were stopped by this servant with his men."

"Oh, so it's them." Zhu Shenzhui nodded with a smile, then thought for a moment and said, "Let them come over. This is the inner palace, there's no need to stop them. Besides, I haven't seen many of my sons for a few days."

"Yes..." Lu Jiude responded and then went to let them pass. A moment later, Consort Xian and Consort Shu arrived with three children. Behind them were several palace maids and eunuchs at some distance. These were people from their palace, and because the emperor was present, they were naturally not qualified to come forward.

"Your Majesty, we are humbled..." Consort Xian and Consort Shu stepped forward to bow to Zhu Shenzhui, while the children also bowed in a similar manner, saying, "We children greet our father."

Zhu Shenzhui smiled and waved to them, inviting them to sit on either side. He then called the three children forward, patted their heads, and asked with a smile why they hadn't stayed in the palace and had come to the garden. Of the three children, the Third Prince Zhu Minshan was the oldest, five years old this year; the Fourth Prince Zhu Minyuan was younger, four years old this year; and the little princess Zhu Kexin was also four years old, just one month younger than the Fourth Prince. These three children were born to Consort Xian, Consort Hui, and Consort Shu, respectively. In addition, there were two other children: Princess Zhu Juqin, born to Consort Hui, and the Fifth Prince Zhu Minyu, born to Consort Liang. These two children were still too young and were breastfeeding. It was for this reason that Consort Hui was not present today, and only Consort Xian and Consort Shu were with the Fourth Prince.

Zhu Shenzhui had quite a few offspring. If you include Tengger and his brother, he now had seven sons and two daughters. In addition, one prince and another princess unfortunately died young. Even so, his children's survival rate was already a miracle in this era. Moreover, the princes who survived, including the little princess, were all quite healthy. This was mainly because Zhu Shenzhui personally set strict requirements for his women's childbirth and also put a lot of effort into postpartum care and the children's growth.

Zhu Shenzhui was always kind and generous to his women and children. Although Empress Xu Jingqiu was the empress, she was not a jealous person. Therefore, his concubines had no ulterior motives and got along well with each other, visiting each other frequently.

Although it was the royal family, there were still familial ties within the royal family. Zhu Shenzhui had no intention of bringing the practices of the previous dynasty into the harem. Peace and tranquility at home were the right thing to do. As a monarch, he not only had to govern the country, but also his family.

All three children were adorable, especially Princess Zhu Kexin, who was Zhu Shenzhui's favorite. The girl was delicate and frail at this age, with bright, blinking eyes on her chubby little face. She nestled in Zhu Shenzhui's arms, speaking in a clear, crisp voice, which melted Zhu Shenzhui's heart.

Stroking the little princess's head, Zhu Shenzhui looked at the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince. Five-year-old Zhu Minshan tried his best to act like an adult, behaving properly, but because of his age, he looked somewhat comical. As for the Fourth Prince, Zhu Minyuan, perhaps because his mother was not by his side, he seemed a little nervous, but after being comforted by Zhu Shenzhui's words, he quickly became lively and answered some questions with his father along with his older brother, who was a year older than him.

"Why did you decide to bring the children out for a stroll today?" Zhu Shenzhui asked with a smile as he talked with the children for a while, then looked up at Consort Xian beside him.

"It's so stuffy in the palace. The children couldn't stay still this afternoon, so my sister and I discussed it and decided to take them out for a walk. The palace isn't that big, and who would have thought we'd run into His Majesty so soon? What brings His Majesty here today to relax?" Consort Xian replied with a smile. Apart from the Empress, Consort Xian held the highest position among Zhu Shenzhui's other consorts. Although she wasn't granted the title of Noble Consort, her birth and the fact that she had given birth to the Emperor's third son placed her after the Empress.

Consort Xian was a Mongol and a member of the Golden Family. Because of this, she was always straightforward and didn't mince words, which was why Zhu Shenzhui had always liked her personality. Hearing her say this, Zhu Shenzhui laughed and said that he, like them, had come here to relax and hadn't expected to run into her so unexpectedly.

"Your Majesty, since you're in such a good mood today, why don't you come and sit with me later?" Consort Xian raised an eyebrow and asked casually.

Zhu Shenzhui thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "It's been a while since I've been to your place. Since all the children are here today, and Consort Shu is here too, let's go together. Lu Jiude, go to the Empress's Palace and the East Palace and ask the Empress, the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, and the Imperial Grandson to come as well. Also, go and visit Consort Hui and Consort Liang. If it's convenient, ask them to come as well. I will host a family banquet in Consort Xian's Palace today, so everyone can get together."

Zhu Shenzhui's attitude pleased Consort Xian, and even Consort Shu, who was standing nearby, showed a look of delight. Although the Emperor had always treated them well, he was usually busy with official duties and did not have many opportunities to visit the harem. Most of the time, it was just a matter of routine. From this point of view, it can be seen that Zhu Shenzhui was not a person who was obsessed with women.

Moreover, gatherings with the concubines, princes, and princesses in the harem were extremely rare. Usually, it was only on the emperor's or empress's birthday, or on major occasions such as the winter solstice or the Lunar New Year. Generally, these gatherings were small-scale events, and today's gathering was a first.

Having made his decision, Zhu Shenzhui rose and led Consort Xian and the others towards the palace where Consort Xian resided. Along the way, Zhu Shenzhui picked up the little princess, chuckling and teasing her as they walked. The lively and adorable little princess giggled in Zhu Shenzhui's arms, answering her father's questions in her sweet, childlike voice. The two princes were accompanied by their respective wet nurses. The fourth prince looked at his sister, held by his father, with a hint of envy, while the third prince seemed unconcerned, behaving like a little adult. They arrived at their destination in no time.

(End of this chapter)