Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 72 Yes, that’s the taste! This is my father!
"Sister, what do you think? Isn't this idea of ​​ours good?

Is it reliable? "

In Kunning Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Empress Ma with an expression that said, "Come and praise my treasures."

In front of Empress Ma, Zhu Yuanzhang could never maintain his dignity.

Here he can drop all pretense.

He is not an emperor, but just a husband, a husband who lives with his beloved wife.

Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's appearance, Empress Ma, who was in a heavy mood because of Zhu Chong's marriage, couldn't help but gave Zhu Yuanzhang a cold look.

But the heavy mood was relieved a lot.

“Okay, very good.

Your Majesty, by using this method of yours, I'm sure that Chong'er will come to his senses and change his ways. From now on, they can live a loving and happy life together.

We as parents don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

Queen Ma thought carefully for a while and gave this answer.

When she first spoke, Empress Ma's expression and tone were a little exaggerated, which was a response to Zhuge Liang's gift of treasures.

When two people in love live together, life will not be boring.

But later on, this expression and tone disappeared, and he began to become serious, and finally seemed a little melancholy.

How she hoped that things would develop as she said!
However, I know that this is basically a luxury.

The method that Chongba just mentioned is indeed good. It has never been used before and is quite novel.

However, the long-term failure still made Queen Ma maintain a pessimistic attitude towards this matter.

It’s not that Chongba’s method is not good enough, it’s just that the child, Chong’er, is too stubborn about this matter!
However, there is still some hope after all...

Next, while Empress Ma was waiting anxiously, Zhu Yuanzhang temporarily put aside some of his current government affairs and began to prepare for this matter.

The fact that Zhu Yuanzhang could put down his current government affairs and do this matter first shows that he really took this matter to heart.

……

"Come, sit down and talk."

In the Wuying Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his second son, pointed at the stool beside him, and smiled kindly.

However, Zhu Chong did not sit down as he was told, and kept staring at Zhu Yuanzhang, looking as if he had seen a ghost.

Seeing the second brother's reaction, Zhu Yuanzhang waited patiently for a while, and the kind smile on his face finally faded.

I feel a little uncomfortable and embarrassed to be looked at by the second brother.

"Come and sit down! You want me to bring you a chair myself? Is that a favor?"

When Zhu Chong heard this, the look of horror on his face remained for a while, then suddenly disappeared, and he sat down on the stool obediently.

This is right!

This is my father!
Just say that there is something wrong with the father you just saw.

"Second brother, the fourth brother is going to marry the general's daughter. Are you envious?"

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, adjusted his mentality, softened his tone, forced a smile, looked at Zhu Chong and asked again.

"envious!"

Zhu Chong nodded vigorously and sincerely.

"Do you want me to arrange a marriage for you?"

Zhu Chong's face turned red with excitement, and he nodded his head even harder, like a chick pecking at rice.

"You wish! You're already married!"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and cursed.

The excitement on Zhu Chong's face disappeared visibly.

Like an eggplant hit by frost, he sat there with his head hung and didn't say a word.

"Have you always felt uncomfortable because Minmin is Mongolian, worried that others would laugh at you for marrying a Tartar woman?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's tone became serious.

Zhu Chong didn't say anything, but the fact that he was at a loss as to what to do revealed his thoughts vividly.

Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang sighed secretly. To be honest, he could now understand the second brother's feelings.

After all, as a father, his slogan was to drive out the Tartars and restore China.

The Ming Dynasty was established after the Tartars were driven out.

It can be said that after experiencing the end of the Yuan Dynasty and various battles against the Tartars, the Ming Dynasty’s external national consciousness is unprecedentedly high.

Under such circumstances, the second son married a Mongolian woman, and a Mongolian woman of very high status.

Plus his own personality.

It's normal that when people gossip about you, you get completely stuck and can't turn around.

Of course, understanding is one thing, but we still need to change the second child’s opinion on this matter.

"If we let Minmin become one of our Han Chinese, then this hurdle in your heart will be overcome, right?"

Zhu Yuanzhang did not waste any words and went straight to the point, pointing out the core of the problem.

Many experiences have told him that when talking to the second child about this matter, he must be decisive.

"But... she's just a Tartar! How could she possibly become a Han Chinese?"

Zhu Chong finally stopped being silent.

"Who said Minmin is a Tartar?"

Zhu Yuanzhang did not agree with Zhu Chong's words at all.

"Let me ask you, does Minmin look like a Tartar?"

Zhu Chong thought hard for a while and finally remembered what the Princess of Qin looked like.

He didn't say anything, just shook his head.

"What Minmin said is the language of the Tartars?"

Zhu Chong shook his head.

"She's wearing Tartar clothing?"

Zhu Chong shook his head again.

"The etiquette and rules of conduct she follows are those of the Tartars?"

Zhu Chong shook his head again.

"Isn't that the end? Then who... Confucius said, 'Speak my Chinese language, wear my Chinese clothing, follow my Chinese etiquette, identify with and support my Chinese people.'"

Then she is my Chinese!"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Chong and said seriously.

Zhu Chong blinked his eyes vigorously. Confucius said this?

I blinked hard again, and it seemed like... I really said it.

It turns out that what Confucius said was not all nonsense, he also said such profound truths.

"Confucius has said so, what else do you have to worry about?"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his second son and made a key summary.

Zhu Chong felt that what his father said made sense, even though he would fall asleep whenever he read. He had been studying in the Great Hall for several years but had not even finished learning one copy of the Analects of Confucius.

But we still have a relatively good understanding of who Confucius was and how high his status was.

But I always feel that something is not right.

"Father, this...even so, she is still a Tartar.

Her father is a Tartar, how could she not be a Tartar?"

Zhu Chong touched his head and said.

After a while, Zhu Chong finally figured out what was wrong.

This brat is really hard to fool!

Confucius is useless.

Fortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang had considered this issue in advance.

"Who said her father is a Tartar? Her father is also a real Han Chinese!"

Zhu Yuanzhang said this with absolute certainty.

Zhu Chong was confused.

"Father, this..."

"Let's ignore all that for now. Second brother, tell father, if Minmin's father is Han Chinese, will you accept Minmin?"

Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted Zhu Chong and asked solemnly.

Zhu Chong thought about it and nodded vigorously.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "Okay, this is easy to handle. Leave it to me!"

Zhu Chong blinked hard again, and he couldn't understand how his father could turn that Tartar...Minmin's father into a Han Chinese.

You know, her father died a long time ago!
……

"Boyan, we want to find you a relative."

In the Wuying Hall, after talking for a while, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Deng Yu and said with a smile.

It wasn't just Xu Da who was caught up by Zhu Yuanzhang's men halfway.

Deng Yu, the Duke of Wei, is also on this list.

Compared with Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, Deng Yu, the Duke of Weiguo, is not very famous.

But the fact that he was granted the title of Duke in the early Ming Dynasty, an era when many generals gathered, is enough to show Deng Yu's ability.

Among the dukes in the early Ming Dynasty, except Chang Mao, who was given the title of duke by Zhu Yuanzhang because of his father Chang Yuchun's great contributions and early death, the rest were all given the title in vain.

It can be said that everyone has won countless battles and walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

But even such a person, when he heard Zhu Yuanzhang's words, felt as if his heart was hit by something and missed a beat.

His expression also changed unconsciously.

This thing finally happened!

It is said that ever since he learned about what happened in Zhongdu City and met with the general yesterday, news came out that His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan was going to be engaged to the general's eldest daughter. Deng Yu's heart has been beating non-stop, with a vague sense of uneasiness.

Being summoned by the superior today, I am even more nervous, fearing that the superior will also want to marry into my family.

Let his own daughter marry the son of the higher-ranking official as his daughter-in-law.

It’s not that he thinks the sons of the powerful families are unreliable, but he doesn’t want his daughter to become a princess.

To be fair, he is actually very willing to do this.

If she becomes a princess, her daughter will surely be rich and prosperous in the future.

And he also became a relative of his superior, and the relationship became closer.

To put it bluntly, even if the one who comes to power in the future really wants to purge the meritorious officials or his family members who have committed some heinous crime.

With this relationship, they will not be killed by those in power.

But... hearing what his superior said, Deng Yu still felt uneasy, and immediately refused with the reason he had prepared.

“Sir, this… isn’t good, is it?
His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin and His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin are both married, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan is also engaged to the daughter of the general.

Among the remaining princes, the oldest, His Royal Highness the King of Wu, is too young compared to my daughter, a full three years younger..."

Deng Yu politely declined.

In fact, under normal circumstances, even if he is three years older, as long as the superior has no objection and insists on letting his daughter marry His Royal Highness the King of Wu, he would agree.

But the key point is... my own daughter is not capable of it!
Several years ago, she was seduced by her beastly cousin...

After this scandal happened, although I took emergency measures here and did not let the news spread, not many people knew about it.

But Deng Yu still didn't dare to take the gamble on this matter, and he was even more afraid to let his daughter marry a prince and become a princess.

There is no wall that is impenetrable in the world. Otherwise, after you get married, the superiors will get the news.

This marriage would not only fail to bring his family closer to the royal family, but would also leave a deep rift between them.

"We know we're not asking your daughter to marry our son."

Zhu Yuanzhang corrected him.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m preoccupied with something and am a bit sensitive, or if it’s just an illusion.

Deng Yu always felt that his superior spoke a little too quickly when he said this, as if he was eager to distance himself from the matter.

This made Deng Yu's heart skip a beat and he felt a little ashamed.

He is in a higher position... I am afraid he has already known what his daughter has done.

But there was also a sense of ease that arose with it.

This is good. The thing I am most worried about will not happen, and I don’t have to worry about how to refuse the marriage proposal from the superior.

However, new doubts soon arose in my mind.

Since he is not asking his own daughter to marry the son of the superior, then what does the superior mean by marrying into the family?

As Deng Yu was thinking in such doubtful thoughts, his mind suddenly moved and everything became clear to him.

I understand what it means to be in a higher position!
It turned out that I was overthinking it. To get to the top, one does not have to marry his daughter off, but to marry his daughter into his own family!
Think about it, Princess Lin'an is not young anymore and she is still unmarried. It's still a good match for her to marry that bastard in her family!

This is not the Song Dynasty anymore. Thanks to Zhu Yuanzhang's recovery of the Han people's territory, he has accumulated strong enough prestige.

Marrying a princess is not a shameful thing.

Deng Yu, the Duke of the current dynasty, was very happy about this.

Even if Princess Lin'an was not the legitimate daughter of the emperor, but just the eldest princess born to Concubine Sun, it would not matter.

But obviously, he was wrong again.

"I'm not planning to marry my daughter to your son."

Zhu Yuanzhang saw what Deng Yu was thinking, and without waiting for Deng Yu to speak, he spoke first, blocking this way.

This time, Deng Yu was completely confused.

If they don't allow me to marry my daughter, and they don't marry their daughters when they ascend to power, then what's the point of marrying in? How should they marry in?
It’s hard for a clever woman to make a meal without rice!
"Boyan, it's like this."

Seeing that Deng Yu's appetite had been completely whetted, Zhu Yuanzhang stopped keeping him in suspense and began to tell him the truth.

"Minmin, our second daughter-in-law, Princess Qin, is also a miserable child.

Her father passed away a long time ago, her mother's family lives far away, and they don't recognize her.

During the holidays, others have their parents to return to, but she is alone and has no one to rely on.

It looks weird and pitiful.

Therefore, we thought of finding her some relatives so that she can have someone to rely on, and she can have roots in our Ming Dynasty in the future.

We are going to ask you, Boyan, to adopt this child as your own daughter. What do you think, Boyan?"

This was the real purpose of Zhu Yuanzhang summoning Deng Yu.

He was also full of confidence and told the second son Zhu Chong that the father of the Princess of Qin was a real Han Chinese.

It is true that Minmin’s father was a Tartar, and there is no way to change that.

But I can definitely find another father for Minmin!
In this way, isn’t the problem solved?

Deng Yu, the dignified Duke of Weiguo, made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty.

A man of integrity.

Who dares to say that his daughter is a Hu person?

Moreover, this will further strengthen the relationship between Deng Yu and himself.

Let Deng Yu stand firmly on his side when he takes action against Li Shanchang and many corrupt officials in the local area.

Although there is still some difference between this daughter-in-law and the real son-in-law-in-law.

But who can say that this in-law relationship is fake?

What's more, this in-law was proposed by the emperor himself.

Next, I will take some other actions to make this recognition of relatives more formal and grand.

There are many things that can be solved as long as the emperor pays enough attention and takes them seriously.

Then others will unconsciously follow suit and take it seriously.

I don’t believe that since I have done things so seriously, there will be someone who is so blind as to dare to use Minmin’s foreigner identity to make trouble!
So that’s it!
Deng Yu, who was almost confused by Zhu Yuanzhang, finally understood how the so-called in-law relationship was established.

"Of course you can. It is my honor to be recognized by the princess as her husband. As long as you don't mind me taking the throne, it will be fine.

I have always loved daughters, and now that I have another biological daughter, I could not be happier."

Deng Yu agreed to the matter immediately and decisively.

Although there is a big difference between this in-law and the one who betrothed Princess Lin'an to his own family.

But they are relatives after all.

At least it is much better than ascending to the throne and letting his own daughter become the princess.

If people set their psychological expectations very low at the beginning, they will easily accept results that exceed their psychological expectations later.

Moreover, there was a precedent in which the great general Xu Da had agreed to marry his beloved daughter to the Prince of Yan as his consort.

He knew that in such a situation, since his superior had spoken personally, he had no room to refuse.

In that case, why not be quick and decisive?
Besides, he himself was quite happy to become a relative of the superior.

"Haha, with Boyan's words, we feel relieved!"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed heartily, appearing to be very happy...

……

After leaving Wuying Palace, Deng Yu's mind was still on what happened in Wuying Palace.

Looking up at the not-too-glaring sun in the sky, Deng Yu narrowed his eyes slightly.

At this point, he had come to his senses.

The reason why the superior summoned me and made such an arrangement was not only due to the known reasons, but also because of some private matters between the King of Qin and his wife.

Thinking of the King of Qin who suddenly became his son-in-law.

Deng Yu felt a little complicated.

He shook his head slightly, suppressed the thought in his mind, and stopped thinking about it. He followed the eunuch who led the way and left the palace...

……

After Deng Yu left, Duke of Song Feng Sheng came to Wuying Palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang used the same trick again and became a relative of Feng Sheng.

He let Feng Sheng's daughter marry the fifth son of his family.

Even though this time the sons were arranged to marry each other, there were great political considerations involved.

But Zhu Yuanzhang was still in a good mood.

I feel like I've made a lot of money.

I don’t have much else, but I have many sons, so I specifically marry them to the outstanding daughters from these reliable old brothers!
Let them all raise daughters-in-law for themselves!
After Zhu Yuanzhang had settled the matter with Feng Sheng and Feng Sheng left, he let out a long sigh.

Now, except for Li Shanchang, the Duke of Korea, the remaining five dukes who led troops to fight in the Ming Dynasty were all related to him.

In addition to the three newly appointed relatives, Duke of Wei, Duke of Wei, and Duke of Song.

Duke Cao Li Wenzhong was his eldest nephew, a real nephew.

Duke Chang Mao of Zheng is the brother-in-law of his own son Biaoer.

They are all their own people.

The six dukes are six big mountaintops.

Now that he was able to hold onto these five individuals, each representing a powerful military force, the next battle with Li Shanchang would be truly exciting.

Afterwards, Zhu Yuanzhang made many arrangements.

For example, he chose an auspicious day to formally arrange marriages for the daughters of Zhu Di, Xu Miaoyun, Zhu Su and Feng Sheng, and asked Deng Yu to adopt the Princess of Qin as his daughter and change her name to Deng Min.

And make these known to the world.

Among them, the most grand ceremony was when the Princess of Qin recognized Deng Yu as her father.

The scale of the engagement even exceeded that of the two current princes, the King of Yan and the King of Wu, and the daughters of the two dukes, the Duke of Wei and the Duke of Song.

Many people are talking about this.

But the King of Yan and the King of Wu understood this very well and supported it very much.

They already knew the good intentions behind the arrangement made by their father and mother.

They all sincerely hope that the second brother can truly accept the second sister-in-law.

The two of them can live a good life from now on...

These alone were enough to make people talk about it, but something happened next that surpassed it.

The thing is, after adopting the Princess of Qin as his adopted daughter, Deng Yu, the Duke of Wei, actually did something extremely outrageous.

He actually added Qin Wang's wife Deng Min to the Deng family's genealogy!

He also openly announced that Princess Deng Min of Qin was his, Deng Yu's biological daughter!

This move caused an uproar in the capital.

After all, there are very few women included in the family tree.

For unmarried daughters, the family tree usually only records their surnames, not their names.

After marriage, a woman takes her husband’s surname and clan name as her name and is recorded in the family tree of her husband’s family.

Moreover, those who can be recorded in the family tree are generally the legitimate daughters born to the wife, and the illegitimate daughters born to concubines are often not eligible.

Not to mention that she is an adopted daughter!
As a result, Deng Yu not only added his adopted daughter to the family tree, but also wrote down her name in full.

This is a treatment that even the legitimate daughter has never had!

While there was an uproar, many people were secretly mocking Duke Wei of Wei, Deng Yu.

It is hard to believe that the Duke of Weiguo would be such a person, without any backbone at all.

He could actually flatter the emperor to such an extent.

In order to curry favor with the emperor, he really didn't care about his dignity at all...

"Dad... why do you have to do this? Some of the things people say now are too..."

At the Duke of Wei's mansion, Deng Yu's eldest son Deng Ming walked in from outside with a bad look on his face.

Deng Yu waved his hand and said, "Don't pay any attention to them, they are just some crickets chirping nonsense.

Don't stop planting crops just because you're afraid of hearing crickets chirping.

When doing things, we must clearly distinguish what is important and what is secondary.

Boy, learn more from your father."

Deng Ming hesitated for a moment before finally nodding and sitting down opposite Deng Yu, lost in thought...

……

"Boyan is really amazing. We owe him a big favor this time."

Inside Kunning Palace, Empress Ma's voice was filled with gratitude.

“It is indeed very good.”

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

Even he did not expect Deng Yu's reaction this time.

Among these countries, Deng Yu is undoubtedly the most thoughtful person besides Tiande.

I didn't tell him any of this, not even the slightest hint.

But he was able to perceive his deeper intentions and provide this kind of assist.

And because of this, he suffered a lot of rumors.

This friendship, I need to remember...

"Zhongba, do you think...can this thing succeed?

"Xing'er..."

When the time came, Queen Ma became even more nervous.

"It can be done, it will definitely be done!"

Zhu Yuanzhang held Empress Ma's hand tightly and spoke to comfort her.

The tone was firm.

……

"Second brother, how's it going? You don't have to worry about it now, right?

Is Minmin a real Han Chinese? Is her father a real Han Chinese?

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Chong and raised his voice with a hint of complacency.

"I'm a Han Chinese, kid... kid, I won't worry about it anymore."

"Don't worry about it anymore, just go back and live a good life!

Do you know how many tears Minmin has shed secretly over the years because of you, a fool?

She was born by her mother and raised by her father, a piece of flesh that fell from her mother's body.

She has good looks and a good figure, and she is well-educated and well-mannered. She accommodates you, cares for you, and loves you in every way.

But you little rascal, how have you treated her all these years?
He always scolded and cursed, and never looked at me straight in the eye!
She is the Princess of Qin, but her life is not even as good as that of an ordinary woman!

This rough guy from the countryside still knows how to love his wife!
You bastard, how could you do such a thing!

This is your wife, your bedmate, the one who depends on you for her livelihood and has devoted her whole heart to you, and you, a scoundrel, don't you feel bad for her?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang started to teach Zhu Chong a lesson.

Zhu Chong lowered his head and said nothing. His reaction was the same as when he was persuaded in the past to live a good life with the Princess of Qin.

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw this, he was stunned and thought to himself that this was not good.

I wanted to strike while the iron was hot and give the second child some strength at the last moment so that he would accept Minmin as quickly as possible.

Damn, why does it look like it's having the opposite effect?

Queen Ma beside her was even more anxious.

Seeing that things were developing in the direction she most wanted to see, the second brother said in person that the hurdle in his heart had been overcome.

Who would have thought that after Chongba said this, such a sudden change would occur.

I was about to say something to tell Zhu Chong not to do anything stupid again.

But at this moment, Zhu Chong, who had been keeping his head down and silent, suddenly took action and slapped himself twice.

When I raised my head, I found that tears were streaming down my face without me noticing.

"Father, you are right, I am just a fool. I have failed Minmin and made Father and Mother worry about me so much.

From now on, I will live a good life with Minmin!"

Queen Ma let out a long sigh, and tears immediately fell...

Zhu Yuanzhang also nodded with satisfaction.

"Go ahead, go back and see Minmin, and have a good chat with the two of you."

A moment later, Empress Ma wiped her tears of joy and gave instructions to Zhu Chong.

……

"Sister, what do you think? Let's just say our method works, right?
Did we pull this stubborn donkey back?"

After Zhu Chong left, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Empress Ma with a face full of pride and arrogance.

Just like just now, the one who was frightened by the silent Zhu Chong and secretly cried out "bad luck" was not him...

……

In the Prince of Qin's Mansion, Deng Min's face turned pale when she heard the news that Prince of Qin Zhu Chong had not gone anywhere else after returning and ran straight to her with red eyes.

She knew that she would suffer again next...

(End of this chapter)