At night, the night after the rainstorm became clearer, the sky was full of stars and the moonlight was bright.

"Your Majesty, Xiongying is now in Kunning Palace." Concubine Ning asked.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "I think the eldest grandson is either reviewing memorials or planning the training of the imperial guards."

Speaking of his eldest grandson, a smile broke out on Zhu Yuanzhang's slightly tired face.

When Concubine Ning saw this, she became more worried.

She had never met Zhu Ying and was wary of Zhu Ying's sudden appearance. It seemed that His Majesty had forgotten about the blood test she had mentioned to him last time and did not mention it.

Instead, he directly put all the palace guards under his command. He heard this from his younger brother Guo Ying.

Just by looking at Concubine Ning's expression, Zhu Yuanzhang could guess what was in her mind.

Of course, he did not forget about the blood test.

But in Zhu Yuanzhang's view, doing paternity testing was tantamount to a lack of trust in his eldest grandson.

It’s like if someone’s father in the future suddenly asks him to do a paternity test, which would make him very uncomfortable.

This matter cannot be rushed.

Zhu Yuanzhang knew very well that the relationship between him and his eldest grandson had been built with great difficulty. If there was a rift because of this drop of blood recognition, it would be more trouble than gain.

In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, the blood test to identify relatives was just like the excavation of the tomb of Prince Yu in Xiaoling Mausoleum. It was not to prove it to oneself, but to prove it to others.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ying had a lot of contact. People like the eldest grandson could not be controlled at all. For example, the fourth son was suppressed before he even started fighting with the eldest grandson.

Of course, Zhu Yuanzhang could see clearly the details of this matter, and it was precisely because of his understanding that he trusted him so much.

Not to mention anything else, just the help that my eldest grandson had given me before.

"Work-for-relief", "Separation of military and political power", "Equalizing the land tax", "Matchlock rifle", "High-yield crops", "Training soldiers".

Not to mention things like the reform of the imperial examination system which we haven't seen yet, let's just talk about these six points. Is it something that an average person could think of? One can be said to be luck, but six in a row is something completely different, and can even be described as a monster.

These aspects, which involve military power, people's livelihood, internal affairs, and weapons, can make the entire Ming Dynasty take off.

Zhu Yuanzhang even vaguely felt that his eldest grandson might have mastered more knowledge than that.

Zhu Yuanzhang was not surprised by his grandson's understanding of these aspects. After all, his grandson's original idea was to establish Annan as a kingdom, so it was normal for him to think about the overall situation from the perspective of an emperor.

But when a person is so outstanding that he surpasses everyone else, and is unattainable even in ancient and modern times, then there is no need to question his identity.

This is why Zhu Yuanzhang did not care too much about the blood test, or in other words, he would have a blood test as soon as his eldest grandson entered the palace.

"It's still early now, so come with me to Kunning Palace to meet our eldest grandson. You haven't seen him yet, so there are some things you naturally don't understand. When you meet him, you will know." Zhu Yuanzhang explained.

If it was someone else, he wouldn't care, but Concubine Ning was different. Of course, she couldn't compare with the elder sister in terms of feelings, but she was also the woman who had walked hand in hand with him all the way.

It can be said that the only person around Zhu Yuanzhang with whom he could talk to him about his innermost thoughts was Concubine Ning.

"I obey your command."

Concubine Ning replied with a smile.

She really wanted to see what this person, who made His Majesty recognize him as his eldest grandson at first sight, looked like.

The Qianqing Palace and the Kunning Palace are two palaces located next to each other. They are very close. Passing through the back door of the Qianqing Palace is the small square in front of the Kunning Palace.

At this moment, Zhu Ying was not reviewing the memorials, but was writing some of his own thoughts on a piece of white paper.

Over the past few days, through constantly reviewing memorials, he gradually began to know the situation of the entire Ming Dynasty.

To be honest, Zhu Ying was still very surprised by the current situation of the Ming Dynasty.

Not too strong, but too weak.

It was so weak that it was completely different from the Ming Dynasty in Zhu Ying's mind.

Throughout history, the Ming Dynasty during the Hongwu period has been praised overwhelmingly, and this is indeed true from the perspective of its clear political situation.

But in fact, as of now, in the 25th year of Hongwu, Zhu Ying estimated that at least 50% of the people in the entire Ming Dynasty were still struggling between being full and not having enough food.

This is just a conservative estimate, which means that with the slightest disaster, a large number of people will embark on a journey to flee famine.

Most of the millions of brave warriors of the Ming Dynasty are actually soldiers stationed in farms, which means that the main job of all military households is still farming, which is not much different from farmers.

According to most memorials, there were countless military households fleeing famine.

Of course, the current situation is not just like that in the Ming Dynasty, but is generally the case throughout the world.

Like the current Timurid Empire, it has simply transferred its internal conflicts to the outside, and has supported itself through constant wars and plundering of money and food.

Once the conquests stop and the country falls into internal strife, there will be no good days.

After learning these specific circumstances, Zhu Ying then planned the first five-year plan concerning the entire Ming Dynasty.

It took five years to make a huge change in the Ming Dynasty from top to bottom.

This may sound like a fantasy, but after Zhu Ying thought about it carefully, he felt that it is theoretically achievable.

The old man on this premise absolutely supports him.

While Zhu Ying was thinking, the door of the study was pushed open, interrupting his thoughts.

When I looked up, it was the old man, and next to him was a gorgeous woman.

Although Concubine Ning is old, she has maintained herself well and one can still vaguely see the beauty of her youth.

When Zhu Ying raised his head and looked at Concubine Ning.

Concubine Ning's eyes suddenly trembled.

In just a moment, she completely understood why His Majesty was so sure.

Before the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Concubine Ning had already followed Zhu Yuanzhang.

At that time, the person in charge of the family was naturally Empress Ma. Concubine Ning and other concubines lived with Empress Ma every day.

Empress Ma, Concubine Ning and others had all grown up together since they were young and beautiful, and they were as close as sisters.

In Zhu Ying, Concubine Ning saw the shadow of Empress Ma when she was young.

"Xiongying, is it really you?" Concubine Ning spoke with a trembling voice and some disbelief.

When Zhu Xiongying was a child, Concubine Ning was often with him.

Zhu Ying didn't say anything, but looked at the old man with some confusion.

Zhu Yuanzhang introduced: "This is Concubine Ning, who took care of you together with your grandmother when you were a child."

After saying that, he turned to Concubine Ning and said, "Although the eldest grandson escaped the disaster by luck, he has lost his memory and can't remember anything that happened in the past."

"Empress Ning." Zhu Ying bowed and praised.

Concubine Ning is old and her eyesight has deteriorated a lot, especially at night when she can't see clearly.

I couldn't help but take a few steps forward and walked in front of Zhu Ying to take a closer look.

It was so clear now, and the more I looked at it, the more shocked I was.

The facial features are exactly the same as when he was a child, and anyone who sees them can tell they are genuine.

The older people get, the more they trust their intuition, especially people like Concubine Ning, who also took care of Zhu Xiongying when he was a child and knows exactly what Zhu Xiongying looked like back then.

The eight-year-old Zhu Xiongying has grown up and is not difficult to identify.

"It's really Xiong Ying, Your Majesty, it's really Xiong Ying, sister, you saw that, he is really Xiong Ying."

In an instant, Concubine Ning's tears began to fall, and she repeated the story three times in a row.

To myself, to His Majesty, and to the late Queen Ma.

Concubine Ning and other concubines lived together with Empress Ma every day and were more like sisters than sisters. Empress Ma passed away because she was too sad about Zhu Xiongying's death.

Concubine Ning also cried inconsolably.

Zhu Xiongying's return at this moment made the death of Empress Ma suddenly become a great regret.

If Empress Ma survived, she would be able to see Zhu Xiongying again.

Empress Ma died at the age of fifty-one, and she was not suffering from any serious illness. It is not impossible for her to live to the age of sixty-one today.

It was because he doted on Zhu Xiongying too much that he could not bear such a blow at that time.

Seeing Concubine Ning in great pain, Zhu Ying was at a loss.

Zhu Yuanzhang took a few steps forward, gently hugged Concubine Ning and comforted her, "It's over now. Now that our grandson is back, it's a gift from God. Maybe it's also the spirit of our eldest sister in heaven, blessing our grandson."

It’s hard to imagine that the old man can actually comfort people. This is the first time Zhu Ying has seen this.

In fact, this is what Zhu Ying didn’t understand.

To be able to become the founding emperor, how could his IQ and EQ be low? Empress Ma and the early concubines could be said to be Zhu Yuanzhang's helpers and made great contributions in logistics.

Under the rule of Queen Ma, all the people were like sisters in the true sense of the word and were united as one.

This also has a lot to do with Zhu Yuanzhang himself.

Concubine Ning cried in Zhu Yuanzhang's arms for a long time before she slowly calmed down.

"I told you a long time ago that if you see our eldest grandson with your own eyes, you will understand everything. So, I was right, wasn't I?" Zhu Yuanzhang said with a slightly proud tone.

Concubine Ning wiped her tears and laughed when she heard His Majesty's words: "Your Majesty is right, I was overthinking it. The old look really resembled my sister when she was young."

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard Concubine Ning talking about his eldest sister, even though ten years had passed and he had his eldest grandson to accompany him recently, he couldn't help but have a hint of sadness in his eyes.

Seeing that His Majesty's smile was a little stiff, Concubine Ning also knew that she had said the wrong thing, and quickly changed the subject and said to Zhu Ying; "Xiongying has been living well these years."

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's emotions were diverted, and without waiting for Zhu Ying to answer, he spoke:

"Our eldest grandson lives a much better life than we do. He sleeps until noon every day, builds a large guild, and has a lot of money in his pocket."

"If we hadn't discovered him, he might have run off to Annan."

Concubine Ning asked in confusion, "Why did Xiongying go to a small country like Annan? I heard that there are mountains everywhere, it's very poor, and there are barbarians everywhere."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly became extremely proud and explained, "Our eldest grandson looks like his grandmother, but his personality is similar to ours."

"We founded the Ming Dynasty, so it is impossible for our grandson to cause trouble here. But he was unwilling to be outdone, so he secretly planned to overthrow the Kingdom of Annan and become the king himself."

When Concubine Ning heard this, she smiled softly and said, "It seems that Xiongying also has great ambitions like Your Majesty did back then."

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard Concubine Ning's praise, he knew that she did not believe it.

I thought it was just an ambition, but I didn't think it could be achieved.

In today's world, it would be good enough if you don't starve to death just by relying on your own efforts. It is unreliable no matter how you think about it to try to build a kingdom when you are alone and have no relatives to help you.

Zhu Yuanzhang was also annoyed, but asked with a smile: "Let's see that Concubine Ning still doesn't believe it, but Concubine Ning of Goryeo knows it."

"I have little education, but I certainly know about Goryeo." Concubine Ning replied, not understanding why she suddenly switched from Annan to Goryeo.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled mysteriously and said, "I just found out recently that everyone in Goryeo, from the ministers in the court to the commanders of the army and even the commanders of the palace guards, are all under the command of my great grandson."

"If the eldest grandson had not looked down on Goryeo, perhaps he would have become the king of Goryeo by now."

At this point, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly became very interested. He turned to look at Zhu Ying and said, "It would be very interesting if the eldest grandson took over Goryeo and became the king, and then met with us."

The more Zhu Yuanzhang noticed, the more interesting it became. Of course, this was just something he could only think about.

Even if Zhu Ying really became the king of Goryeo, it would be impossible for him to meet Zhu Yuanzhang.

In the Ming Dynasty, the emperor was the ruler of a country, so he was not allowed to run around everywhere. He had to sit in the central government and coordinate the entire country. Communication with the Ming Dynasty could only be through envoys, and it was impossible for him to come in person.

After hearing this, Concubine Ning couldn't help but open her eyes wide and her mouth slightly opened.

This was shocking.

Concubine Ning was not completely ignorant. She had fought in many battles with the army, so of course she could understand what Zhu Yuanzhang said.

It was because she could understand that Concubine Ning was so shocked.

If His Majesty had not said it himself, she really would not have believed it if it were someone else.

From this perspective, the founding of Annan was no joke.

"Our eldest grandson, there are many things that will shock you."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said that since the harem did not interfere in politics, there was no need to talk about other aspects, but he told his eldest grandson:

"Bring your cooks to the palace, and ask them to prepare some food. The night is bright, so let's have a drink. Even your grandmother, Concubine Ning, can have a taste of the desserts."

Zhu Ying nodded and said with a smile: "Okay, it just so happens that my grandson has some ideas in his mind and wants to have a good chat with grandpa."

"Oh, there's one more thing I want Grandpa to agree to."

Zhu Yuanzhang said with great responsibility: "You can handle whatever you want. If there is any problem, we will help you solve it."

Zhu Ying replied: "It's not a big deal. Yun Wen came to visit my grandson not long ago."

"My grandson saw that Yunwen was too thin and weak, like a scholar who couldn't even tie a chicken, so I thought, take this opportunity to let Yunwen exercise."

Zhu Yuanzhang hesitated for a moment after hearing this, and did not answer immediately, but later he said: "Of course I support your idea, but let's talk to you about it."

"Yun Wen and the eldest grandson are close brothers. As the saying goes, an elder brother is like a father. There are some aspects that the eldest grandson does not need to be on the same level as him."

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't know that Zhu Yunwen had been there before. Zhu Yunwen entered the Kunning Palace directly through the side door.

In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, the eldest grandson wanted to train him like a soldier. Perhaps Yunwen offended the eldest grandson during the communication, so he took revenge in this way.

But after weighing the pros and cons, Zhu Yuanzhang still did not reject his eldest grandson. In his opinion, it was better to let his eldest grandson calm down through training now than to cause a rift between the brothers in the future.

He was not worried about his eldest grandson, but he was afraid that he would be too cruel. After all, Yunwen was also his grandson whom he once loved very much.