My father Yongle, building a five-good family

Chapter 23: The Different Classes of an Unconquered Country

and……

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at all his grandchildren and sighed silently in his heart.

The only one who really thought the same as him was Zhu Gaoyu.

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't like Japan either.

Apart from anything else, just from the threat of Japanese pirates, he had a sense of vigilance and disgust towards these water fleas.

Even though Japan was a non-conquerable country established by the Ming Dynasty, it was still divided into different levels among the group of diplomatic tributary countries.

In Lao Zhu's mind, there are three categories in total.

Places like Korea and Annan in Indochina are in the first echelon. Whenever there is anything happening in the Ming Dynasty, even if it is something like the imperial examination or the enthronement of a king, they have to let us know.

The second group kept a certain distance from the Ming Dynasty, but still maintained friendly tributary relations. The most typical examples among them were Siam and Ryukyu.

As for the third echelon...that's Japan.

From these classifications, we can get a glimpse of Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude towards Japan.

Therefore, in response to Zhu Gaoyu's question, Zhu Yuanzhang simply stroked his round head with his slightly skinny hands.

"You all said it well. Whether it's the Tatars, the Oirat, or even the Japanese, if our Ming Dynasty becomes strong, these foreign races will naturally flatter and submit. But there is one thing you must remember clearly..."

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes slightly, and a gleam of brilliance flashed in his eyes.

"That is - those who are not of my race must have different hearts."

After hearing what Old Zhu said, the people below, no matter they were grandsons or sons, even the crown prince, could not help but shiver when they saw Old Zhu's expression.

When a tiger gets old, it will eat people!

-

on the way back.

Zhu Gaoxu rubbed his knees with a grimace in his mouth, looking like he was in pain.

Zhu Gaoyu was laughing secretly beside him.

This second brother is usually very naughty and often teases him.

It is rare to see him looking angry but not daring to speak out.

It was at this time that a shout came from the rear:
"Brother Gao Chi! Wait for your brother!"

Where did this extra brother come from?

Zhu Gaoyu stretched his neck to take a look.

Oh wow.

It’s Zhu Youdun.

The eldest son of the fifth uncle's family, and the elder brother of that bastard Zhu Youjie.

Because Zhu Gaochi was the crown prince, he encountered such situations frequently on a daily basis. So the three brothers Zhu Gaochi were like chicks following an old hen. At this time, they remembered that Zhu Gaochi was the eldest brother.

They stood in the back, staring at Zhu Gaochi's warm smile and perfect words, looking like a qualified heir to the palace.

Zhu Gaoyu listened for a while and found that the content was nothing more than Zhu Youdun apologizing to his unfortunate brother, and his tone was inevitably a little humble.

Because the King of Zhou and the King of Yan were brothers from the same mother, Zhu Gaochi had a good relationship with the Crown Prince of Zhou in the past.

But now, regarding Zhu Youdun's apology on behalf of his brother, Zhu Gaochi seemed to think of the situation at that time, and the smile on his face slowly disappeared:
"Cousin, you heard what I said earlier. I'm not kidding. Tell me, who did my little Si offend to deserve to be humiliated by Zhu Youjie!"

At this point, Zhu Gaochi, the good old man, couldn't help but reveal a hint of anger on his face.

"Zhu Youjie said that. Can he just say it casually? Fortunately, Grandpa Huang is the true dragon emperor, with a keen eye. But what if someone else heard this today? What would they think? Has he considered my brother's situation?"

At the end, Zhu Gaochi gritted his teeth and said:
"You Dun, I know you mean well. But everyone has their own share of responsibility. I remember your brother is already sixteen this year. It doesn't make sense for you, as the eldest brother, to clean up after him if he does something wrong." "This matter...if Zhu Youqi hadn't come to mediate in person, and if my little brother hadn't personally agreed...otherwise, there would be no way!"

Zhu Gaochi's words of "no way" were powerful and resounding.

Zhu Gaoyu was also nodding fiercely, almost clapping his hands.

Yes.

One person does the work and one person is responsible.

Why does Zhu Youjie have to clean up the mess when he offends someone?

The most unfortunate thing is that this unjustly wronged prince would be falsely accused in the future and spend a long time in darkness.

Zhu Gaoyu looked at the Prince of Zhou with a look that could be described as "loving".

Zhu Youdun felt this gaze, a little confused, scratched his head, and then smiled foolishly, "Gao Chi, this is your little brother. He looks so genuine!"

When Zhu Gaoyu heard this, he almost fainted.

Is this a compliment?
what? !

……

The days passed by in a dull manner.

In a blink of an eye, the summer heat in Jinling gradually faded away. When Zhu Gaoyu walked on the street, a cool breeze blew. Without the feeling of summer heat, he seemed particularly comfortable and relaxed.

It was today that Zhu Gaoyu was strolling alone with Xiao Jixiang.

During these days, he insisted on getting up early every day to exercise, and his belly fat had shrunk a little. With his casual clothes, he looked like a young master out for an outing.

The city of Jinling is much more prosperous than that of Beijing.

It is worthy of being the capital of the early Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Gaoyu crunched the maltose in his hand. It was a little sticky and a little sweet. In terms of taste, it was certainly not as good as the desserts in the mansion.

But let’s go out and have fun.

The goal is just to try something new.

However, just as Zhu Gaoyu was strolling on the street, choosing the clay figurines he liked, the sound of horse hooves rang out again, and soon surrounded the houses facing the street.

Zhu Gaoyu raised his head and saw a tall figure who lifted the carriage curtain and slowly walked down.

He had a serious look and a stern expression, and had an air of authority that could stop a child from crying.

Especially the vertical "川" pattern between his eyebrows made him seem even more difficult to approach.

As the soldiers blocked the area, discussions could be heard nearby.

Zhu Gaoyu, relying on his youthful appearance, wandered among the crowd and inquired about the news:

"Aunt, what happened here? Why are even the soldiers coming out? How dare someone commit a crime under the feet of the emperor?"

The woman with the basket nearby was a little nervous when she heard this, but she couldn't help but share the gossip:

"You don't know! Someone has died in this mansion!"

As soon as the aunt opened her mouth, she saw that everyone around her was listening attentively, so she couldn't contain her desire to share. She started talking and everything came out like pouring beans.

"I heard that someone saw a dead body in the well this morning. The dead body was so pale from being soaked in water, and his whole body was swollen that he barely looked like a human being..."

"What a sin! I don't know which family is so unlucky that our lives are getting better now, but something like this happens to us."

After saying this, the woman with the basket looked down and saw Zhu Gaoyu still holding the clay figurine in his hand. She slapped her forehead and said again:
"What a sin! I explained it so clearly to a little kid like you. Isn't this harming you? Little kid, go home quickly. There's a dead person here. Don't be frightened when you go back."

Second update, see you tomorrow!

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(End of this chapter)