My father Yongle, building a five-good family

Chapter 105 If you don’t leave now, it’s too late!

The old man is seriously ill again!
No sicker than last time.

This time, when the news spread, the entire palace was in uproar.

The news seemed to have wings and flew outside the city wall.

Yingtian Prefecture, which had been completely silent as night fell, was now brightly lit.

Inside the palace.

There were the imperial physicians walking back and forth, the crown prince standing outside the palace gate, and the many princes' sons standing with their sleeves folded in the wind and snow.

At this point in time, the civil and military officials who had already gone to bed, upon hearing the news, galloped their horses all the way, braving the wind and snow, and under the lights of the night, they passed through the Meridian Gate, hurried across the Jinshui Bridge, crossed the Fengtian Gate, and finally... arrived in front of the bedroom.

When they saw such a large crowd of people at the entrance of the palace, everyone's heart skipped a beat.

This time...it really doesn't look good.

The bedroom was very quiet, and no crying was heard.

But the imperial physician pacing back and forth with beads of sweat on his head and the princes with red eyes were more terrifying than any crying.

At this moment, a vague thought came to everyone's mind.

The sky of the Ming Dynasty is about to change.

Suddenly, a weak cough was heard in the bedroom.

Compared with the old man's momentum in the past when he beat people with a bamboo stick, or when he angrily scolded civil and military officials in the court, Zhu Yuanzhang at this moment was like an old and sick tiger at sunset, who could only rely on his breath for his last gasp.

Zhu Yunwen had sharp ears and heard the faint call from his grandfather the Emperor.

He stretched out his hand and wiped away his tears with the back of his hand. When he stood up and took a step, his legs were so weak that he almost stumbled and fell to the ground. He looked extremely embarrassed.

But Zhu Yunwen didn't care about all this and staggered into the bedroom.

The bright yellow bed curtains fluttered slightly in the cold wind brought by Zhu Yunwen.

A pungent smell of Chinese herbal medicine spread in the hall again.

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was hoarse, as if he had used up all his life's strength, and he slightly hooked his fingers:
"Yun Wen, good boy, come here."

Zhu Yunwen knelt and crawled over.

Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's dark face, he knew that his grandfather the emperor really couldn't hold on for much longer.

For a moment, his heart was so complicated that he couldn't even tell what he was feeling. Then, he recalled every detail of the past and tears suddenly welled up in his eyes.

He burst into tears: "Grandpa Emperor..."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled.

He took great effort to pat Zhu Yunwen's hand and said softly:
"Yun Wen, don't cry, don't cry... After Grandpa Huang passed away, you should be close to the wise officials and stay away from the treacherous and cunning ones."

"Grandpa Emperor has found you a team of soldiers. For the civil service, there are Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai. For the military service, there is the imperial concubine Mei Yin, and your cousin Li Jinglong. If nothing else, the old minister Geng Bingwen can assist you. Although Geng Bingwen is not good at attacking, when it comes to defending a city, almost no one can match him."

"We know... ahem, we know you don't like your uncle..."

Hearing this, Zhu Yunwen's pupils suddenly contracted, and for a moment, he even forgot to cry.

Grandpa Huang actually knew...

Would he also know what he had said to Huang Zicheng, and would he know that he had intended to reduce the power of the feudal lords after ascending the throne?

For a moment, all kinds of thoughts swirled in Zhu Yunwen's mind, making him feel confused.

When Zhu Yunwen was extremely nervous, he seemed to have forgotten to breathe. He could only hear his heart beating like a drum in his chest and his cheeks gradually getting hot as the blood rose.

But Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't see this.

He only knew that the atmosphere had fallen into silence again.

This Ming Dynasty founding emperor, who had been strong all his life and had risen to the pinnacle step by step from nothing, now showed unprecedented fragility at the last moment of his life:

"But Yunwen, you promised Grandpa that you would never hurt your uncles...right?"

The restless blood cooled down at this moment.

At this moment, Zhu Yunwen felt as if he had fallen into a cold cellar, or was naked in the ice and snow outside. He was so cold that his teeth were about to chatter.

Never hurt uncle...

Grandpa Emperor, Grandpa Emperor, why can’t you think about me, Zhu Yunwen?

How can I allow others to snore on the bed I am lying on my side?
These princes are the emperor’s biological sons!
But to Zhu Yunwen, these were hungry wolves, fierce tigers, and ambitious power grabbers!
Without making a sound, Zhu Yunwen pulled out his hand, his tears having dried up without him noticing. He smiled slightly:
"I have never forgotten what I promised Grandpa Huang."

Zhu Yuanzhang's hands fell to the sides of his body, trembling slightly:

"What about Gao Yu? Has Gao Yu come back? I... want to see him..."

Zhu Yunwen's eyes dimmed instantly.

His eyes were calm, he tucked the corner of the quilt gently, and said slowly:

"Grandpa Emperor, please take a rest for a while. I will ask the imperial physician to come and check on him. He will be fine..."

After saying this, Zhu Yunwen hurriedly stood up and walked out.

But when he left, he did not look back, and naturally did not notice that Zhu Yuanzhang, who was originally lying on the dragon bed, had turned his head, opened his eyes, and looked at Zhu Yunwen at some point.

His eyes remained on Zhu Yunwen.

Never left.

In Zhu Yuanzhang's turbid and bloodshot eyes, there was an incomprehensible depth and thoughtfulness.

……

Just as Zhu Yunwen walked out of the palace gate, Lu was waiting anxiously outside the palace gate.

While no one was paying attention, she grabbed Zhu Yunwen's sleeve and pulled him aside.

Zhu Yunwen was stunned for a moment, but when he saw who it was, he couldn't help but get angry:
"Mom! What are you doing!?"

Although Lu lowered his voice, the tone was still sharp, with a harsh feeling that made people feel irritated.

Then she suddenly slapped Zhu Yunwen on the body:
"You've become the crown prince, that's really amazing! You even raised your voice in front of me. If you ascend to the throne, will you not even care about your mother like me?"

When Zhu Yunwen heard this, he was still angry, but now he didn't even care about his anger and was almost scared to death.

He grabbed Lu's wrist fiercely, strode to a corner, his face livid:
"Mom! What nonsense are you talking about? Can you just say something like that?"

Lu also reacted belatedly and realized that he had spoken too quickly just now.

But she still didn't want to admit it.

She curled her lips and simply changed the subject:

"What's going on with the old man? Didn't he just get better a few days ago? How come he's sick again now? He was celebrating the New Year in good health, but now he's..."

At the end, Lu almost spoke too fast, but fortunately he controlled himself.

Even so, Zhu Yunwen was still frightened by her big mouth.

He gave Lu a warning look, then he coughed lightly and said slowly:
"Prince Jin is dead."

When talking about the news that Prince Jin had died, Zhu Yunwen's face looked a little strange. He didn't look sad at all, and he even looked a little relieved.

As the older frontier kings, the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Yan had, in addition to the Prince's Guard Command, 3281 guards that they brought with them when they were first enfeoffed.

That's fine, the local military control power and the garrison troops are clearly there. Even if the Prince of Jin didn't die, Zhu Yunwen would have to find a way to deal with him sooner or later after he ascended the throne.

only……

After hearing the news, Lu couldn't help but open his eyes wide:

"The King of Jin is dead? How could he die? Taiyuan is such a big place with so many soldiers, how could he die?"

Zhu Yunwen also looked somewhat helpless:

"He was not shot to death by a stray arrow, nor was he captured, nor was he killed by a cannon. I heard that when the battle was about to be won, the King of Jin suffered from a chronic illness and died of illness."

Even if Zhu Yunwen disliked these uncles, he still had to admit that both the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Jin were far beyond ordinary people in terms of military level.

If Aluta wanted to conquer Taiyuan with such a small number of troops, it would be simply a fantasy.

He's more... just disgusting.

The result was that Aluta was lucky, he disgusted everyone.

But now is not the time to settle accounts with him.

After hearing the details, Lu was speechless.

But soon, excitement appeared on her face again:
"It's good that the King of Jin is dead. This way, when you ascend the throne, there will be one less person to deal with. Son, you must not listen to your grandfather. These uncles of yours are all jackals, tigers and leopards. Now your grandfather is here and can suppress them. But if your grandfather is gone, you will just have to wait and see!"

When Zhu Yunwen heard this, he did not refute, but he did not say much:
"Mother, I know it clearly. You should go back first. As a woman, you should not get involved in the affairs of the court."

When Mrs. Lu heard this, she became furious.

She was holding back her anger, clenched her fists, and punched Zhu Yunwen hard.

"A woman? Without a woman like me, you wouldn't even know where you would be now!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen's face turned dark again as expected.

He walked away, and no one knew what he was thinking of. He turned around and walked towards the direction where Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai were.

……

Outside the gate of Yingtian City.

Zhu Gaoyu looked at the Jinling city gate covered in silver under the heavy snow, and all the laziness he had felt in the carriage for days disappeared.

When he thought about finally being able to return to Jinling and see the Emperor, his brothers, and his mother, he was so excited that he wanted to jump up and down.

However, Zhu Di beside him seemed to have noticed something and frowned slightly, as if he was thinking about something.

As a result, Zhu Gaoyu also felt a strange feeling in his heart.

This feeling was confirmed when we approached the city gate.

The soldiers from the Military Affairs Department, with serious faces and swords in hand, faced the carriage of the King of Yan and stopped all of them at the city gate, saying in a loud voice:
"The whole city is under martial law. I hope King Yan will be more lenient and not make things difficult for us."

When Zhu Di saw this scene, he almost laughed out of anger.

What's the point?
It was snowing heavily outside. They traveled a long distance from Datong, sleeping in the open air all the way. When they arrived at Yingtian Prefecture, they were stopped by the Bingmasi who were in charge of the city gate.

Why? !

Who gave them the courage?!

Zhu Di didn't believe that the old man would do such a thing for no reason...

Wait a minute, old man!
Zhu Di seemed to have thought of something, his expression changed slightly, and his eyes suddenly became stern.

An incredible idea suddenly popped into his mind.

Could it be... that something happened to the old man? !

This way, the city gate will be easier to enter!
Zhu Di looked at the people from the Bingmasi and sneered.

Could it be that his good nephew really thought that he could stop them with just the troops of the Military Department? !
Zhu Di waved his hand and shouted:

"Zhu Gaoyu!"

Zhu Gaoyu stayed in the carriage and watched the developments quietly.

Although he didn't know what had happened exactly, at this moment, he and Zhu Di were indeed father and son. They could understand each other without communicating.

Zhu Gaoyu walked forward with a heartless step, and with a tug of his hand, a jade pendant with a dragon pattern appeared in his palm:

"I want to go into the city. Here is the Emperor's personal jade pendant. Anyone who sees it will be like the Emperor himself! Who dares to stop me?!"

A child's voice rang out, and as heavy snow fell, the city gate fell into deathly silence.

All the soldiers knelt down in unison, buried their heads, and dared not speak.

But they only felt a bitter taste in their lips.

This is truly a fight between gods, and the mortals suffer.

The current emperor has taken out the jade pendant, who dares to stop him?

It cannot be stopped.

In the end, they were the ones who suffered on the Crown Prince's side.

The leading sixth-rank commander simply stood up and walked to Zhu Di's side. While saluting, he whispered:
"Your Majesty is seriously ill. We are waiting here under the order of the Crown Prince. I hope that Prince Yan will show mercy and let bygones be bygones..."

Zhu Di's pupils shrank slightly and he exhaled calmly.

The moment the hot air is exhaled, it turns into milky white mist, rising in the air.

Zhu Di's palms were covered in sweat, but his whole hand was cold.

Seeing this, the commander stepped back, waved his hand, and signaled his subordinates to open the city gate.

The subordinate hesitated to speak, but finally opened it.

Zhu Di thought that it was freezing cold and there might be a big battle to be fought next, so he turned around and wanted Zhu Gaoyu to get back into the carriage to prevent him from freezing.

But the moment he turned his head, he froze in place.

At some point, a thin layer of mist had accumulated in Zhu Gaoyu's eyes, and tears as big as beans rolled down from his eyes, sliding down his cheeks, which still had baby fat, leaving a trail of tear marks.

He was somewhat confused and at a loss, and as if to vent his inner fear, he kept muttering:

"I want to get on the carriage, I want to go to the palace, I want to see Grandpa Emperor... The vegetables in the imperial garden are not yet ripe, I haven't watched the snow in Jinling with him yet, I still have so many things to do..."

He wiped away his tears, turned his head, looked at King Yan, and cried while trying to raise the corners of his mouth:
"Dad, let's go!"

If you don't leave, it will be too late!
The Prince of Yan suddenly choked up, whipped his horse, and galloped through the city gate.

However, just before entering the Meridian Gate, Huang Zicheng and the royal concubine Mei Yin stood there, looking as if they had been waiting for a long time.

Prince Yan's face suddenly turned dark.

This is... someone who comes with bad intentions!

Today I wrote 7,000 words, but I feel that 8,000 words is a bit rushed, and I am afraid that the quality will be affected. I will continue writing 7,000 words tomorrow, and make up for the 8,000 words I promised everyone in the next two days.

I read the comments about King Jin, and it was indeed my inconsiderateness. I found some more information and made some patches.

If there is something wrong, correct it. If there is nothing wrong, try to improve. Thank you for tolerating me^_^
My dears, see you tomorrow!



(End of this chapter)