There is no doubt that when Zhu Ying first traveled through time, the original Zhu Xiongying was already dead.

According to later generations, he was already brain dead, and perhaps the only thing that could still move were the zombie cells in his brain.

However, as time goes by, after the seventh day, it is basically of no use.

Human memories are stored in the brain, which is why Zhu Ying did not gain any memories of his previous life when he traveled through time.

If he had the memory of this, Zhu Ying wouldn't have to run around for survival, compete with wild dogs for food, and complete the feat of passing through hell.

As the eldest grandson, wouldn't it be great for him to return directly to the capital to inherit the throne?

But it is obvious that the memory is not completely dissipated. After being stimulated by the relevant stimulus, there will still be faint images.

The moment Zhu Ying saw the Qianqing Gate, a vague scene appeared in his mind.

"Grandson, have you remembered something?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked anxiously upon seeing this.

Of course, he hopes that his eldest grandson's memory will be completely restored, because only in this way will he remember what his grandmother looks like and every bit of his life.

Zhu Ying's face revealed a hint of doubt, and he did not answer. Instead, he followed the scene in his memory and walked up the stairs.

Zhu Yuanzhang was a little excited and wanted to say something, but Liu He beside him quickly reminded him softly, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Changsun is in a very strange state right now, and must not be disturbed."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately suppressed his somewhat excited mood and quietly followed behind Zhu Ying.

At this moment, Zhu Ying had a very strange feeling, as if he was very familiar with this place before, but Zhu Ying knew very well that he had definitely never been to the Ming Palace.

Not to mention this life, even in his previous life when he visited Nanjing, he only went to the memorial hall and did not go to the ruins of the Ming Palace.

After all, the ruins of the Ming Palace in later generations have long been a ruin.

Zhu Yuanzhang followed his eldest grandson upstairs, only to see him hesitate in front of the door for a moment, then walk to the door on the left and squat down.

He stroked it with his hand, as if feeling something.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes became more and more excited. He snatched the lantern from Liu He's hand and walked to the side of his eldest grandson.

When the candlelight shone, Zhu Yuanzhang saw Zhu Ying's hand stroking a pattern that seemed to be carved by a knife.

"This turtle seems to be drawn by me." Zhu Ying said hesitantly after touching the pattern.

Liu He was also nearby, looking at the pattern, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't tell that it was a turtle pattern.

"It's Xiao Hei, grandson. You remembered Xiao Hei."

Facing Zhu Ying, it seemed like he was talking nonsense, but Zhu Yuanzhang's voice trembled a little.

Xiao Hei was a small longevity turtle that was once sent by a tributary country. When Zhu Xiongying, who had just turned three years old, saw it, he clamored for it.

Since the eldest grandson wanted it, it naturally belonged to him. Because the tortoise shell was pitch black, it was obviously a rare species, so he named it Xiao Hei.

From then on, this little longevity turtle was kept in Kunning Palace. Zhu Xiongying liked it very much and played with it every day. Many times, he even let Xiao Hei sleep in Kunning Palace.

If he can't see Xiao Hei, he will make a noise.

The pattern behind the Qianqing Gate was carved by Zhu Xiongying himself with a knife when he was seven years old.

Most people can’t understand it because what Zhu Xiongying carved was not a turtle, but the patterns on a small black turtle’s shell.

Zhu Ying asked casually, "Grandpa, is the turtle still there?"

Turtles have a long lifespan. Although I don’t know the species and size of the turtle, I think any turtle would still be alive in just ten years.

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard his eldest grandson's question, a trace of embarrassment appeared on his face, and then he said, "No longer here. At the beginning, we thought that you, my eldest grandson, had gone. Since you liked Xiao Hei so much, we let it go with you."

When his eldest grandson passed away, Zhu Yuanzhang was naturally heartbroken. Not only the palace maids and eunuchs, but also his grandson's favorite turtle were buried with him.

When Zhu Ying heard this, he didn't feel much, after all, he was just a pet of his predecessor.

"Grandpa, my grandson was a little bit crazy just now."

Thinking of his behavior just now, Zhu Ying stood up and said apologetically.

"Don't be anxious, grandson. There will be plenty of time in the future. Let me help you get familiar with it first. Maybe you can remember some other things."

Zhu Yuanzhang's inner excitement was simply indescribable.

As for the pattern in the corner behind the left door of Qianqing Gate, only Zhu Yuanzhang himself knows that it is a turtle painted by his eldest grandson.

Basically, all the other people who knew about the incident were buried alive with the eldest grandson when he died.

When Empress Ma was about to die, she asked Zhu Yuanzhang to promise not to bury others with her.

However, when his eldest grandson Zhu Xiongying passed away, Zhu Yuanzhang proposed to bury him alive with him. Although Empress Ma felt a little reluctant, she did not object in the end, which shows how much Zhu Yuanzhang doted on him.

Zhu Yuanzhang took his eldest grandson's hand and slowly walked into the Qianqing Palace.

There is still a big difference between the Ming Dynasty Imperial Palace and the Peking Palace built by Zhu Di in later generations.

Unlike the Imperial Palace in Beijing, there are many green plants and trees in the Qianqing Palace.

As Zhu Yuanzhang walked, he told his eldest grandson interesting stories from his childhood.

Zhu Ying listened quietly. This time there was nothing unusual and it didn't bring back any memories.

Zhu Yuanzhang had been observing his eldest grandson's expression and couldn't help feeling a little disappointed when he saw this.

"This is where I reviewed memorials at night. I still remember that every night, I reviewed memorials here, and you sat there, holding a pen and drawing on it."

"Many times, when we weren't paying attention, our eldest grandson took the memorial and painted it, which caused great trouble to the ministers who submitted the memorial in the first place."

Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile.

Although he knew that he didn't do it, Zhu Ying still looked somewhat embarrassed, which made Zhu Yuanzhang laugh.

Zhu Yuanzhang recalled for a moment and carefully pulled out a box from the bookshelf behind the desk.

"These are the paintings that you, my great grandson, left for us, as well as the enlightenment poems that your grandmother once wrote for you."

Zhu Yuanzhang held it carefully as if it were a treasure, and then handed it to Zhu Ying.

Zhu Ying took the wooden box, placed it on the desk and opened it.

There were pictures of graffiti-like "paintings" inside, and more than ten chapters of poems written in beautiful handwriting.

These poems were written by Empress Ma to Zhu Xiongying at that time.

When Zhu Ying flipped through the papers, he could clearly see that there seemed to be traces of water droplets on each piece of paper.

It is not difficult to imagine that after Zhu Xiongying and Empress Ma left, Zhu Yuanzhang cried bitterly for many nights holding the remaining papers late at night.

Those drops of water on these papers are clearly the thoughts that Zhu Yuanzhang left behind for countless nights.

Seeing this, Zhu Ying couldn't help but be moved. This level of longing made him feel ashamed to accept it.

Because only he himself understood that these thoughts did not actually belong to him, but to the real Zhu Xiongying.

However, seeing the old man's doting eyes, Zhu Ying's heart couldn't help but be slightly moved.

Whether it was Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly, or the butterfly dreaming of Zhuang Zhou, it no longer matters.

"grandfather!"

At this moment, Zhu Ying's heart was filled with emotion and he couldn't help but say something to the old man.

"Good grandson."

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard the word "Grandpa", he couldn't help but hug Zhu Ying tightly.

He could feel that this call of Grandpa from his eldest grandson was completely different from the previous ones and was full of real emotion, which meant that Zhu Ying had completely identified with him.

Being hugged by the old man, Zhu Ying did not resist, and also hugged the old man, saying softly: "Grandpa, your grandson is back. From now on, your grandson will always be with you."

"Good! Good! Good!"

Zhu Yuanzhang said three good words in a row before reluctantly letting his eldest grandson go.

Then close the wooden box and put it back in place.

"Apart from the study, our eldest grandson rarely came here when he was young. Go to your grandmother's house. That's where he grew up and where he spent most of his time when he was young."

“Perhaps when we get there, our eldest grandson will be able to recall some of the past.”

Speaking of his eldest sister, Zhu Yuanzhang obviously felt a little uncomfortable. After all, his eldest sister was the one who had accompanied him for most of his life.

From having nothing to ruling the world today, the two of them have supported each other all the way.

The deep feelings involved cannot be expressed in just a few words.

Zhu Ying nodded slightly, supported the old man, and walked towards Kunning Palace.

The Kunning Palace is very different from the Qianqing Palace, and the layout here is somewhat similar to a back garden.

There are not only pavilions and swings, but also ponds and various flowers and green plants.

There are many kinds of flowers and plants, from which we can see that Queen Ma also likes flowers and plants very much.

Zhu Ying looked carefully and found that the pool was not stagnant water. It was obviously connected to other water flows. Introducing a living water pool into the Kunning Palace required a lot of manpower and material resources.

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at the pool and said, "We renovated this in the eighth year of Hongwu. We originally planned to build a new imperial capital in Fengyang, but after much consideration, we gave up. It's a pity."

Construction of Fengyang Imperial Capital began in the third year of Hongwu. Three years later, the city walls and foundations were basically completed.

As Zhu Yuanzhang's hometown and the new imperial capital, it was naturally given great importance. It covered an area of ​​more than 50 square kilometers, which is eight times the size of the current Ming Dynasty Imperial Palace.

The wood used was the best in the world, and even many extremely precious woods were transported from tributary states. The wall was also made with great care, with the foundation stone being a white jade pedestal or stone strips, and large bricks on top, with patterns carved on them.

Its layout is strictly symmetrical along the central axis. From Fengyang Bridge in the south to the North Gate, many buildings are arranged in strict symmetry on both sides of this nearly seven-kilometer axis, reflecting the supremacy of imperial power.

At the same time, various buildings are distributed in sequence between the outer city and the forbidden wall. In the near distance are the City God Temple, the Imperial Academy, the Temple of Meritorious Officials, etc., and in the distance are the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower, which further highlight the grandeur of the capital.

The moat is more than 70 meters wide. Looking at the bell tower alone, it adopts the "95-bay" design, which is only used in important royal buildings. No bell tower in the capital of the world can surpass this.

Even the bronze bell hanging in the middle is much larger than the large bell cast during the Yongle period. Even in later times, it is still the largest bell tower in the capital.

In addition, the Drum Tower also adopts the same specifications, and its floral design combines Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. It inherits the traditions of Song and Yuan dynasties, and has the new style of Ming dynasty.

From its layout to its scale and craftsmanship, it has condensed the essence of China's capital city architecture over the past thousand years. It is well-deserved to say that it is the most luxurious capital city in China's history.

However, the construction of such a capital was stopped by Zhu Yuanzhang in the eighth year of Hongwu.

"Grandpa, why did you stop back then?" Zhu Ying asked with some confusion.

Speaking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang explained somewhat helplessly: "Our hometown is too desolate. In the third year of Hongwu, we transferred 140,000 wealthy families from Jiangnan to make Fengyang, our hometown, more lively."

"It's a pity that these wealthy families would rather flee back to Jiangnan even if they are labeled as refugees."

"There are too many wastelands around and few good farmlands. Most importantly, the national treasury was completely emptied. We didn't expect the cost to be so huge, so we stopped temporarily."

In his heart, Zhu Yuanzhang was still very fond of the imperial capital of Fengyang. The distance from Nanjing to Fengyang was only more than 400 miles, which was not far.

Moreover, Fengyang’s geographical location is also very good, but its economy is a little lacking.

In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, the foundation of the Ming Dynasty was not solid enough, and Zhu Yuanzhang was worried about excessive public resentment, so he stopped it.

"The matter of moving the capital will be handed over to my eldest grandson in the future. If there is a place you like, we two can think about it and see if it is feasible." Zhu Yuanzhang said.

Zhu Ying nodded.

Although the current imperial palace was built with attention paid to Feng Shui issues and has the Fugui Mountain of Purple Mountain as its backing, due to site limitations, the inner court was built on the filled-in Yanque Lake.

Although the foundation was reinforced by driving in wooden piles, laying huge stones on the bottom, and tamping lime and concrete, the problem of foundation sinking still occurred after a long time.

The palace was prone to flooding and difficult to drain. At the same time, the palace was too close to the outer city and was difficult to defend during war.

The Nanjing Palace is in a bad location! If it is moved to Fengyang, Phoenix Mountain can be used as the palace.

In fact, in Zhu Ying's heart, he was quite fond of the Fengyang Palace.

The reason why Fengyang has not developed has little to do with geography, but is mainly due to humanistic factors. However, in Zhu Ying's opinion, these are not big problems.

Once the productivity of the Ming Empire began to take off, it would not be a big problem to shift the economic center towards Fengyang.

It's still a bit too early to talk about this.

After saying this, Zhu Yuanzhang took Zhu Ying's hand, walked to the swing, sat down, and rocked slowly.

"When you were little, if you felt tired or exhausted, your grandma would hold you in her arms, swing you, and rock you until you fell asleep."

"At that time, I also wanted to hold you and try. You, the kid, loved your grandma the most. You started crying when I held you, but you immediately became quiet in your grandma's arms."

There was a hint of jealousy in Zhu Yuanzhang's tone, as if he was unhappy that his eldest grandson was closer to his eldest sister.

"At that time, I could only watch from the side. If it was broad daylight, I would have to block the sunlight for you. Even if I asked a eunuch to do it, it wouldn't work. I had to block it myself so that you could sleep soundly."

"One time I had something to deal with, and before I had even taken a few steps away, you opened your eyes. I knew the situation was not good, so I quickly hid behind a tree."

"Guess what, you were only three years old at the time. When you woke up and saw your grandma, you looked around and asked your older sister, 'Grandma, where is grandpa? Why can't I see him?'"

"Hey, at that time, we felt like we had just drunk a big gulp of cool water in the scorching sun. It was so refreshing!"