The capital of Ming Dynasty, Prince Yan’s Palace.

That night, Zhu Di looked at Zhu Gaochi, who lowered his head slightly, and fell into deep thought.

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui, who were standing next to Zhu Di, could not suppress the surprise on their faces.

Xu Yihua had a worried look on her face.

Just now after dinner, when Zhu Di's family was resting, Zhu Gaochi told his father Zhu Di about his visit to his elder brother Zhu Ying today.

I also talked about the Annan affairs that my eldest brother mentioned.

After listening to this, Zhu Di did not answer but fell silent.

After a while, he looked at Zhu Gaochi carefully and asked, "Chi'er, have you ever blamed your father?"

Zhu Gaochi didn't know how to respond to this sudden question, and he didn't expect his father to suddenly ask this.

He said immediately: "It is impossible for me to blame my father."

This answer was very official, but it was not what Zhu Di wanted.

During the time he was held captive on the grassland, Zhu Di quietly thought about many issues.

Some are for myself, and some are for my family.

Zhu Di had never considered these things before. He had always been thinking about how to gain more military power and how to conquer more territories.

I never thought that I would be captured one day.

Of course, by today, Zhu Di has probably guessed that his whereabouts should have been revealed by his grandson Zhu Ying.

But these are no longer important.

Zhu Di seemed calm on the surface, as if he didn't care much about being captured, but in fact, for a man as proud as him, it was a wake-up call, and he was immediately awakened.

He is not invincible, nor can he not fail. There will always be various accidents.

After getting rid of the impetuousness in his heart, Zhu Di now gives people a feeling of being reborn.

It's not about becoming humble, nor is it about becoming depressed.

It’s just that the current Zhu Di is closer to the Yongle Emperor in history, and is more cunning.

Looking at his eldest son.

Looking back over the years, Zhu Di suddenly felt that he seemed quite sorry for him.

There were several times when he wanted to abolish his title of crown prince. If it weren't for his father, the emperor would have chosen someone else long ago.

In fact, when Zhu Di went to Japan this time, he did not intend to seize power from his eldest son Zhu Gaochi.

According to some information, Yancheng in Japan is developing very well and is managed very well in all aspects.

He also knew that leading troops to war was not his strong point as the eldest son, but domestic affairs were.

This time when he went to Japan, Zhu Di had made up his mind that he would not interfere in the internal affairs of Yancheng and would leave it to his eldest son to govern.

He took his soldiers outside to fight for the mineral deposits.

One outside and one inside, I think they can cooperate very well.

Now that the eldest son proposed to go to Annan, Zhu Di thought that it was naturally not Zhu Ying who brought it up on his own initiative, but that it was the idea of ​​his eldest son, which probably had the support of Zhu Ying.

This made Zhu Di suddenly feel at a loss as to how to start the conversation.

Xu Yihua next to him turned around and looked at Zhu Di's expression.

As a married couple for many years, she could certainly guess what her prince was thinking.

However, these things at home cannot be changed in a day or two.

After thinking for a while, Xu Yihua said: "I have been staying in Daming, and I have heard some news."

"The navy's status was not very good before, but now the Crown Prince is giving it strong support. It can be seen that the Nanyang region has made great progress. It would be a good idea for Chi'er to go there and gain some experience."

Obviously Xu Yihua still wanted Zhu Gaochi to go to Annan to avoid the disputes here.

She knew that even if the prince wanted to let her go, she still had two sons.

It would be better to avoid it for a while, or look at the development of both aspects.

If Chi'er can develop better in Annan, he can save himself some trivial matters at home, and the future arrangements for the other two sons can also be settled.

She knew the abilities of her eldest son, and she had a good personal relationship with the Crown Prince, so no matter what, he would be good.

Zhu Di hesitated for a moment after hearing this, and then slowly said: "The weather in Annan is extremely hot, Chi'er, you are fat, I'm afraid you will not be able to bear it."

This sentence came out.

Zhu Gaochi was stunned.

Even Xu Yihua was stunned.

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui looked as if they had seen a ghost.

Because this was the first time that Zhu Di expressed concern for his eldest son.

Zhu Gaochi's eyes suddenly turned red.

It was from this sentence that he knew that his father was completely different now than before.

“Father, I…I…I…”

There was surprise in Zhu Gaochi's choked voice, but he was unable to utter a word for a long time.

Over the past decade.

Zhu Di never said a good word to Zhu Gaochi, so naturally he would not have a good face towards him either.

Some even felt that a fat man like Zhu Gaochi was a disgrace to the family.

At many banquets, Zhu Di would not even choose to bring Zhu Gaochi with him, but instead brought his two second sons, Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui, who looked like him.

Zhu Gaochi had never had any fatherly love since he was a child.

Fortunately, Princess Xu Yihua loved her eldest son Zhu Gaochi very much. He was her own flesh and blood, so she liked him no matter what.

When he was a child, Zhu Gaochi lived in the capital and studied in the palace school with other princes and grandchildren.

Zhu Yuanzhang loved Zhu Gaochi very much, and was rather disgusted with the two second sons favored by Zhu Di.

He warned Zhu Di many times not to abolish Zhu Gaochi's status as the crown prince.

Zhu Di was naturally afraid of his father, or it could be said that there was no prince or grandson who was not afraid of his father.

You can only vent your resentment at home.

However, even when Zhu Di was in Peking, he was often on expeditions outside, which prevented Zhu Gaochi from being reprimanded every day.

Now Zhu Di has finally come to his senses.

He patted his eldest son's shoulder.

Zhu Di said: "Your mother is right. It would be a good idea to go to Annan for some experience. Like Japan, it is also a place of great development in the future."

"You go to Annan first. If you can't adapt to the environment there, talk to the Crown Prince and then return to Japan."

Having said this, Zhu Di paused slightly, as if he was making an announcement.

"You are my crown prince and the future King of Yan. The Yancheng of Japan will also be yours in the future."

Such words come out of your mouth.

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui's faces suddenly changed.

Especially Zhu Gaoxu.

As the second son, he is the most likely heir to Japan in the future since his father does not like his eldest brother.

He couldn't help but say, "Father..."

Before he could finish his words, Zhu Di turned around and glared back at Zhu Gaoxu.

He snorted coldly, looked at his two sons and said, "He is your eldest brother, the prince of Yan who was personally canonized by your royal grandfather. The throne of Yan and the Yancheng of Japan will naturally be inherited by your eldest brother."

"This is also the rule of the Ming Dynasty!"

These words were tantamount to saying death directly, and Zhu Di also wanted to cut off the thoughts in his two sons' hearts.

When Zhu Gaoxu heard this, he immediately felt extremely aggrieved.

My father has loved me the most since I was a child. I have followed him in military campaigns since a very early age and have made many contributions.

He still remembered that his father once said in front of many generals that he was most like him.

But why did it suddenly happen like this today?

Relatively speaking, Zhu Gaosui was relatively calm.

After all, he is the third son. No matter whether he is the eldest brother or the second brother, it will never be his turn.

However, in terms of personal relationship, he and his second brother are naturally much better.

Although I had bullied my eldest brother before, there were never any major conflicts.

Anyway, it’s my father who has the final say.

Xu Yihua looked at his second son's aggrieved look and said with some regret: "Xu'er, you should learn from your eldest brother."

"Your elder brother is fat and weak, yet he is willing to go to the extremely hot South Seas and give up the Yancheng City in Japan that he has worked so hard to build. What do you think he did for? It's for the brotherhood between you two."

"Not only is Japan larger than the Ming Dynasty, but it also has more than just Yancheng. If you follow him there, won't your father lay some foundation for you?"

"Your elder brother has suffered so much since you were little, but he still cares about you and chooses to go to Annan to develop alone."

"It has already come to this, do you still want to snatch the inheritance that your royal grandfather personally bestowed upon your eldest brother?"

"You are usually very powerful. Now that you have your father's help in Japan, why can't you conquer a piece of territory on your own?"

After saying that, Xu Yihua turned to look at Zhu Gaosui and said, "Don't just stand there and watch. You and your second brother are the same."

Zhu Gaosui immediately bowed his head and said, "My mother is right."

At this time, Zhu Gaoxu thought about what he had done to his elder brother and felt a little ashamed.

Zhu Di looked at his wife with some joy in his eyes.

This made him feel as if he saw some of his mother in his wife.

Xu Yihua had been following Empress Ma since she was a child, and of course she learned a lot.

Why is it said that Empress Ma deserves half of the credit for Zhu Yuanzhang's conquest of the world? It is probably because Empress Ma played a decisive role in logistics.

Zhu Yuanzhang had many adopted sons, and all of them, like Mu Ying, were loyal to Zhu Yuanzhang and would serve him until his death.

The key reason lies in Queen Ma.

Even Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and other wives and children all lived with Empress Ma before the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, and all conflicts were resolved.

Not only did it not cause any trouble to Zhu Yuanzhang, but on the contrary it stabilized the morale of the army to a great extent.

Xu Yihua's adjustments today are just like those made by Empress Ma back then. She settled all the conflicts with just a few words.

This is the important role of a true mother of the family.

After this was over, when all his sons had left, Zhu Di stood up and hugged Xu Yihua.

"Thank you for your hard work over the years."

Even though they were an old married couple, Xu Yihua couldn't help but blush: "What are you doing? You have no shame. This is the lobby."

Zhu Di laughed and said, "It's already dark, why would I care so much? We should get closer tonight."

Xu Yihua gently pushed Zhu Di away and said, "It will probably take many years to go to Japan this time. What do you think?"

Zhu Di was a little confused and asked, "What do you mean? Except for Chi'er, of course they went together."

Xu Yihua was a little unhappy and asked, "Why, in your heart, there is only your son, and your daughter is not your biological child?"

"Yuying is already old enough to get married, and Yuegui, Hongyun, and Zhiming are almost there too."

"Are you going to take them all to Japan? How will their future marriages be arranged? There won't be any outstanding young men like you in Japan."

Hearing this, Zhu Di was a little at a loss.

Xu Yihua not only gave birth to three sons for Zhu Di, but also four daughters.

The eldest daughter is Zhu Yuying, the second daughter is Zhu Yuegui, the third daughter is Zhu Hongyun, and the fourth daughter is Zhu Zhiming.

The youngest, Zhu Zhiming, was also born in the eighteenth year of Hongwu and is now ten years old.

The eldest daughter, Zhu Yuying, was born in the tenth year of Hongwu and is eighteen years old this year.

Zhu Di never cared about these daughters. Usually, they lived in the backyard and were taken care of by Xu Yihua.

As the daughter of Prince Yan, she was like a lady from a noble family. Except for some festivals, she basically never went out of the house.

Zhu Di was in a dilemma at this moment.

The four daughters were definitely not allowed to go to Japan with him. If they went to Japan, getting married would be a problem.

When it comes to marrying those Japanese nobles, Zhu Di would never be willing to do so.

At least they have to be of equal status, or at least the difference can't be too big.

Xu Yihua looked at Zhu Di's embarrassment and said, "Yuying and Zhiming are now of marriageable age. Sons are important, but you can't ignore your daughter."

"Take advantage of the fact that there are many talented people in the capital at the end of the year, so let's arrange the marriage. Although it's a bit urgent, you have to wait until after the wedding before you can go to Japan."

"Hongyun and Zhining are still young, I will take them with me to Japan, and when they are old enough to get married in a few years, we will return to the capital during the New Year and complete the marriage."

After hearing this, Zhu Di finally relaxed a little.

Xu Yihua had obviously already taken care of everything for her daughters, so he didn't need to worry about it.

Zhu Di smiled and said, "I'll do as you say."

When Xu Yihua heard this, she couldn't help but give Zhu Di a blank look.

…

The backyard of the palace.

Zhu Gaochi was looking at some information about Annan.

Now that I have decided to go to Annan, I naturally need to get more familiar with it.

In fact, when he came out of the palace, Zhu Gaochi knew that he must go to Annan, so on the way back to the palace, he borrowed some information about Annan from the Ministry of War.

Currently studying.

Bang bang.

There was a slight knock on the door, and then the door was pushed open.

Zhu Gaochi looked in surprise and found that it was his elder sister Zhu Yuying.

"Sister, why are you here?"

Zhu Gaochi was born in the eleventh year of Hongwu, while Zhu Yuying was Zhu Di's first child, that is, the eldest daughter, born in the tenth year of Hongwu.

As the eldest daughter, Zhu Yuying's personality is quite different from Zhu Di and Xu Yihua.

She is well-educated and well-mannered, a typical lady from a noble family, and was brought up well by Xu Yihua.

"Why, can't I come to see you?"

"Of course, please sit down, I'll make you some tea."

Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Yuying had a very good relationship. When Zhu Gaochi was scolded by his father Zhu Di when he was a child, Zhu Yuying often comforted him.

Zhu Yuying sat down, and after Zhu Gaochi brought tea, she asked, "I heard that you went into the palace today and saw Miao Jin. I heard that Miao Jin is already with the crown prince."

Zhu Gaochi understood immediately.

When the eldest sister mentioned Xu Miaojin, she was also worried about her own marriage.