The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 110 Zhu Yuanzhang's Broad-mindedness

Zhu Biao looked towards the dock, following his son's gaze.

Just then, a large group of people came down from the boat and started arguing.

His expression was gentle, and he quickly led the crowd to greet them.

Zhu Xiong Ying followed beside him, not forgetting to introduce them: "Father, look! The two leading men, the one on the left is Granny Wang's adopted son, and the one on the right is the son of Marquis Yi Hui—"

"The remaining dozens of households are all old neighbors from our hometown—"

Zhu Biao had returned to his hometown several times and was already quite familiar with his fellow villagers.

He nodded upon hearing his eldest son's words.

Before the villagers could greet him, he bowed first and said, "Fellow villagers, you have come all the way from Fengyang; you must be tired from your journey!"

After a brief opening speech, another round of noise erupted.

"This is Chongba's eldest son. I remember when we went back to our hometown that year, he wasn't this tall!"

"Look at the children and grandchildren of Chongba, how handsome they are! No wonder they could become emperors—"

Wang Wen and Liu Ying, having dealt with officials more often, were more aware of etiquette. They quickly stepped aside and were about to bow, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Zhu Biao showed no surprise, maintaining a smile throughout, without any airs, and said in a gentle tone, "My two uncles are both benefactors of the Zhu family, so there is no need for such formality!" He then exchanged a few pleasantries with Wang and Liu.

Zhu Biao then slipped into the crowd, greeting and showing concern for everyone.

Zhu Xiong Ying followed closely behind, observing and learning attentively.

Look at how kind and generous Biao'er's father is, it's no exaggeration!

But if he really gets ruthless, even the imperial court will tremble!

Everyone was taken care of.

Looking at the sky, Zhu Biao raised his hand and said, "Fellow villagers! The imperial family has already prepared a residence in the south of the city, complete with all the necessities for daily life, rice, flour, and cooking oil!"

"Take a rest to recover from your fatigue. The day after tomorrow, Father will be in the palace catching up with our neighbors!"

He finished speaking.

The officials of Yingtian Prefecture immediately stepped forward to greet them and arranged for the carriages and horses to be prepared to transport them to Anzhi in the south of the city.

Zhu Biao and his son Zhu Xiong Ying, along with Zhu Chun and others, stood by the roadside, waiting for their fellow villagers to go ahead.

A series of murmurs then reached my ears.

"I never imagined it! Back then, Chongba and I were herding cattle in the fields, making a living in Haozhou. Who would have thought that one day we'd be able to travel to the capital by large ship and visit this city!"

"Look at Chongba's eldest son. We didn't see him when he came back to his hometown last time, but we saw him today. He's so approachable, and he even speaks with our Haozhou accent!"

"And then there's Chongba's eldest grandson, only a teenager, yet so mature and polite, helping us all the way. He's truly a good boy!"

"Tell me, what's the palace like? Is it like our village? Earthen houses and stone slab houses too?"

"Now that Zhu Yuanzhang has become emperor, his daily meals will probably be different from ours—"

Hearing what everyone said.

Zhu Xiong Ying's expression remained normal.

If this were in later times, like many others, he would also be curious about how the emperor lived and ate.

But after spending so much time in the palace, I felt that life wasn't much different from that of an ordinary family in the common world!

Front side.

He watched as his neighbors left.

Zhu Biao gave a few words of advice to his brother-in-law Chang Mao and others.

Then he turned around and said, "Ying'er, your royal grandfather and royal grandmother are waiting to see you. Let's go back to the palace first!"

Zhu Xiong Ying had the same idea, and nodded, saying, "Yes, Father!"

same day.

Upon returning to the capital, Zhu Xiong Ying went first to the Huagai Hall to pay his respects to Old Zhu and chatted for quite a while.

He returned to Kunning Palace to pay his respects to his grandmother, Empress Ma.

By evening.

The palace even hosted a special family banquet.

Regardless of Biao'er's father, Lady Lü from the Eastern Palace, and his brothers Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Yuntong, Zhu Gaochi, and Zhu Jixi, they all gathered together.

They gave him, the eldest grandson of the emperor, the utmost attention!

Even the dishes laid out on the table were all foods that Zhu Xiong Ying liked!

During the meal, Old Zhu laughed heartily. After putting down his chopsticks, he asked with concern, "Did our eldest grandson have a tiring journey back to his hometown this time?"

Zhu Xiong Ying sat beside him, his posture upright, and shook his head, saying, "Replying to Grandfather, I don't feel tired!"

"Grandson often hears the teachings of His Majesty and Father, who say that seeing is believing!"

"Only by going there in person can I truly understand whether the people are living well or not."

"I understand now even more clearly how difficult it was for my grandfather to govern this world!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, turned to his other sons and grandsons, stroked his beard, and said, "Good, very good!"

"We, the descendants of the Zhu family, must be like this: only by stepping into the mud can we understand the hardships of the people and thus safeguard our country!"

"Your imperial grandfather crawled out of the mud! He knows best what the common people need in order to secure this empire!"

We chatted for a while about what we had seen and heard.

During this time, Zhu Biao listened to his eldest son's reflections, and as a father, he was naturally gratified.

But people like Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Yunwen, besides being curious, were also full of longing.

He dreamed that one day he could return to his hometown in glory, just like his older brother!

Crown Princess Lü, however, gripped her chopsticks tightly, staring intently at the food on her plate, somewhat lost in thought—

The other concubines at the banquet, however, praised it repeatedly.

Empress Ma saw that her eldest grandson had become thin from hunger.

The heartache in his eyes was palpable.

She kept piling food onto her plate, smiling as she scolded, "Alright, Chongba, what about you guys! You just got back and you're already saying this! Xiong Ying has been traveling all this way, and he hasn't even had a hot meal yet! Hurry up and let him eat a few more bites to replenish his energy!"

Once Empress Ma gave the order, Zhu Yuanzhang had no choice but to obey.

He quickly tried to make amends, placing a chicken leg on his eldest grandson's plate and saying with a smile, "My sister's right, grandson, have another chicken leg!"

"Grandson thanks His Majesty the Emperor, and thanks His Majesty the Emperor!"

After thanking him, Zhu Xiong Ying noticed that there were a few more in the bowl, so she distributed them to her younger brothers.

Seeing all this, Zhu Yuanzhang's smile grew even brighter.

The banquet ended after 7 PM.

The three generations of the family remained in Kunning Palace.

The rest returned to their respective homes.

Inside the palace.

Meanwhile, Zhu Yuanzhang took off his court boots and sat on the Luohan bed.

Empress Ma ordered her maid to bring her a bowl of mung bean soup to cool her down and relieve the summer heat.

Zhu Xiong Ying rushed to the side and, as usual, helped the two elderly people massage their shoulders.

Taking advantage of this free time, I couldn't help but try to verify the past events in the village, including a number of incredible rumors!

To everyone's surprise, Old Zhu remained noncommittal, saying calmly, "Our grandson studied history books and learned that Emperor Gaozu of Han rose from the position of a village head in Sishui, and there was a folk legend about the Red Emperor slaying a serpent!"

"Therefore, when emperors like ourselves achieve their goals, the common people always attribute it to the Mandate of Heaven! This isn't necessarily a bad thing!"

"Just like those old stories from our hometown of Haozhou, whether true or false, they're just topics of conversation among neighbors, a way to reminisce about the past!"

"We won't acknowledge these baseless accusations, nor will we ban these harmless remarks!"

"As long as the people are well-fed and clothed, a few idle words cannot harm the Ming Dynasty in the slightest, nor can they threaten our throne!"

Look at Zhu Yuanzhang's magnanimity! No wonder he was able to unify the country and have civil and military officials follow him!

How much has the world misunderstood him based solely on unofficial historical accounts?

His harshness was only directed at officials!