The Mansion of Duke Xin.

Tang He was lying on the sickbed, staring blankly at the top of his head. At this moment, he knew very well that he was about to leave.

In other words, there is still a breath of air hanging on, and once this breath is gone, it will be almost over.

Under the bed, there was a group of servants surrounding a teenager in his teens.

Looking at this scene, Tang He felt sad and helpless.

He had five sons in total, but two died in battle, two died young, and one died of illness.

Now the only one left is the eldest grandson Tang Sheng.

Next to Tang Sheng were his concubines and servants behind him.

Tang He raised his hand slightly, and Tang Sheng immediately stepped forward and held it: "Grandfather, what do you want to say?"

Tang He just looked at the door.

Tang Sheng was smart and understood immediately, saying, "Grandfather, please rest assured. I have sent someone to inform the palace as soon as possible. Your Majesty must have known about this matter by now and should be coming soon."

After hearing this, Tang He lowered his hand slightly.

At this point in time, the only person he wanted to see most was Zhu Yuanzhang.

This brother who once fought side by side with you and then followed you throughout your life.

Tang Sheng was also anxious, and called a servant over: "Go to the door quickly, and report immediately if there is any news."

The servant ran out in a hurry.

Before Tang He died, he wanted to see His Majesty for the last time. This was not only Tang He's own wish, but also the expectation of the entire Duke Xin's Mansion.

The death of Tang He means that there will be no one left in the court of Duke Xin.

As the saying goes, when people leave, the tea gets cold. Some things will become completely different when there is no power.

Although Tang He's daughters married well, it is still difficult to expect them to help the family. It is far from the Xin Guo Mansion.

Our greatest hope now is that Your Majesty can take care of something.

This was also partly the reason why Tang He was able to hold on to his breath.

Finally, a voice came from outside: "Your Majesty has arrived!"

Zhu Yuanzhang walked quickly, just as swiftly as he did back then, and quickly walked towards Tang He's house.

Tang He turned his head to look at Zhu Yuanzhang's anxious figure outside the house and felt comforted in his heart.

It seems that His Majesty still cares about me after all.

After Zhu Yuanzhang entered the room, everyone knelt down quickly and said, "Your Majesty."

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang no longer had the mind to care about these things. He rushed to Tang He's bedside and looked at the miserable appearance of his old brother who grew up with him. Tears immediately fell from his eyes.

Seeing the emperor coming, Tang He actually struggled to get up from the bed and wanted to kowtow.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang grabbed Tang He's hand and said with a sob, "Tang He, we are here to see you off."

At this time, Tang He's originally pale face suddenly became full of blood, and the whole person seemed to be more energetic. Even his eyes were less cloudy and more clear.

He also held Zhu Yuanzhang's hand with his backhand, and added a bit of strength to his hand.

"Sir, you are finally here."

There was a sense of full energy in Tang He's voice, as if he was not terminally ill or dying at all.

There was a hint of surprise on Tang Sheng's face, but those present, such as Zhu Yuanzhang, who knew a little better, knew very well that this was just the last burst of light.

Just like the sunset at dusk, it blooms with all its light at the last moment, making the sky bright again.

Feeling the condition of his body, Tang He was naturally very clear, and said in a clear tone: "Sir, I haven't drunk for a long time. I really miss the days when I drank with you. Can I have another drink with you?"

At this time, Tang He no longer called himself "Your Majesty", nor did he verbally refer to himself as "Minister" or "I".

Just like when they were fighting for the country or when the Ming Dynasty was first established, they addressed their superiors as "we", and just like Zhu Yuanzhang, they spoke their native dialect and called themselves "we".

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard the title of "superior" again, his eyes were somewhat complicated.

When the Ming Dynasty was first established, everyone called themselves "we" and called for themselves to be in power.

But after the Hu Weiyong case, no one dared to call themselves that privately anymore, and everyone changed their self-references to "I" or "minister".

This is true even in private.

Of course, there were always some people who failed to react and were naturally implicated in the Hu Weiyong case. Now the grass on their graves is three feet high.

Tang He, who was best at keeping himself safe, only dared to call himself this when he was about to die.

Even though he was about to die, Tang He had a clear mind and knew that now was not the time to discuss the differences between the ruler and his subjects, but to strengthen their last relationship.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't care about his manners and wiped the tears from his face with his sleeves: "Okay, I'll listen to you. Come on, prepare the wine! Prepare the best wine, the strongest wine!"

At this time, Tang Hen struggled to get up, but it was very difficult. After all, the pain and suffering for so long, coupled with the hidden injuries left on the battlefield, had left his body full of holes.

Upon seeing this, Tang Sheng hurried forward to help him up, but was blocked by Tang He with his hand.

Tang He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with a sharp gaze and said, "Sir, I am no longer able to do this. Can you please help me?"

There seemed to be two layers of meaning in these words, but Zhu Yuanzhang obviously didn't care too much at this time. He went over and helped Tang He get up: "You have helped me all my life, so what if I help you a little bit?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said this with all his heart.

Looking back on the past, when I was at my wits' end, it was Tang He who helped me and wrote to me to join the rebel army.

When he went there, Tang He was already a small commander, while he was just a private.

Since joining the rebel army, Tang He has taken care of himself in every aspect. Not only did he do easy work in the army, but he also had a full meal for the first time.

After wandering for many years, it was only after he took refuge with Tang He that he was able to have enough food to eat.

It was also because of Tang He's unremitting efforts to recommend himself that he was valued by Marshal Guo, and thus he was promoted step by step, married the older sister, and had the opportunity to form a team.

Even though his status had already surpassed Tang He, and many of his brothers were dissatisfied, Tang He was willing to promote him and help establish his prestige.

If Tang He had not helped him back then, would there still be a Ming Dynasty today?

If there was no Tang He, would he still be able to marry the older girl and build his own team?

It was Tang He who pulled himself out of the lowest level of the quagmire.

In the blink of an eye, half of my life has passed.

At this moment, this noble person who has affected my life, this brother who has been with me for life, is finally going to leave me one step ahead of me.

Perhaps some people think that when the heroes were being killed, it was because Tang He was smart and prepared to protect himself that he was able to survive.

In fact, in all aspects, if we talk about fear, the person who should be feared the most should be Tang He.

In terms of seniority, Tang He is the most senior among all the founding heroes, not only in terms of military merit, but also among all the generals.

Even if it was Hu Weiyong or Li Shanchang, who could have the same prestige as Tang He among the various armies?

Perhaps Zhu Yuanzhang thought about taking action against Tang He, but never did so.

In the yard, Zhu Yuanzhang and Tang He sat opposite each other. The rich aroma of wine wafted into the air, spreading throughout the entire yard.

Tang He hadn't had a drink for more than a year. This was a huge inducement for him, who used to be addicted to alcohol. He couldn't help but pick up the wine glass and drank it in one gulp without caring about Zhu Yuanzhang sitting opposite him.

The burning sensation went straight through Tang He's throat and into his abdomen, seeming to warm up his entire body.

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed when he saw this: "You are still so impatient."

Tang He also laughed and said, "It's great, it's really great. I've been too depressed in the past two years. I lie on the bed every day, can't ride a horse, can't drink wine, and wait for death every day."

"It would have been better if I had died on the battlefield earlier. It's just that the enemy was too weak. None of them could kill me, which is why I am in this state now."

At this moment, Tang He no longer looked like an old man on the verge of death, but rather he looked like the killer god on the battlefield back then.

Xu Da was known as the ever-victorious general, Chang Yuchun was even known as the general with 100,000 men, and Tang He was never weak in his battles in the west and the north.

Listening to Tang He's boasting, Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "Don't brag. In the battle of Lingbei, at the foot of Broken Head Mountain, you almost lost your life. I still remember it."

Tang He suddenly said with some embarrassment: "It's been such a long time, you still remember it, in my life, that was the only time I lost face, I won't say anything more, I won't say anything more, drink, drink!"

He then picked up the wine glass, clinked it with Zhu Yuanzhang's, and drank it all in one gulp again.

Tang Sheng, who was standing by, became a little anxious. He was young, had never experienced life and death, and didn't understand what the last breath was, so he wanted to step forward and persuade him.

Your Majesty, please come here. My grandfather's health has finally improved. How can you drink like this?

"Grandfather, your health has just improved, so you should drink a few less cups." Tang Sheng took two steps forward and said.

Upon hearing this, Tang and Zhu Yuanzhang smiled at each other.

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Your eldest grandson really loves you."

Tang He turned around and looked at his eldest grandson, and replied with a sigh: "He is the only one left in our family. It is a blessing that he still cares about us at this time."

"Sir, from now on, everyone in our mansion will depend on you for care."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said, "How can I take care of anything? I am only two years younger than you. Your grandson is only a dozen years old. How many years can I take care of him? It has to be my eldest grandson."

Tang He's eyes lit up when he heard this.

If Zhu Yuanzhang had agreed readily, he would still be a little worried. Now that he mentioned letting Zhu Ying take care of it, it meant he was really taking it seriously.

The Crown Prince is only eight or nine years older than his eldest grandson. As he grows older, he will have no problem with wealth and power in this life at least.

Tang He immediately picked up the wine glass and exclaimed: "Speaking of having children, the superior is still capable. The King of Qin, the King of Jin, and the King of Yan are all good soldiers. Especially the eldest grandson of the superior, Xiongying, this kid, is really beyond our expectations."

"Although I have been lying in bed in this sickbed for the past few years, the changes in the Ming Dynasty are really different every year. Sometimes I haven't gone out for half a year, and when I go out again, I feel like I'm not in the capital anymore."

"It is such a blessing to be in power. I am so lucky to have such a great grandson. The country that we old brothers have fought for will only get better and better under the governance of the Grand Prince."

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard Tang He praising his eldest grandson, he immediately smiled and was even happier than when he heard him bragging about himself.

"That's right. I didn't expect that Xiongying is really capable. I'm really pleased with him."

"Do you still remember what we talked about when we were drinking after returning from Shu?"

Tang He recalled it and said with a smile without any scruples: "But as we said, too many descendants in power will burst the Ming Dynasty."

That year, when Tang He returned victoriously from the war against Shu, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately invited him to drink together.

At the dinner table, the topic became about descendants becoming kings.

Zhu Yuanzhang said that he would make each of his descendants a king, so that he could feel at ease when his descendants would guard the country.

That was in the tenth year of Hongwu, when the Hu Weiyong case had not yet broken out, and many of the founding heroes did not have too many reservations when speaking to Zhu Yuanzhang.

The soup was immediately unpleasant.

So you're not confident that we old brothers will protect your kingdom?

On that occasion, Tang He confronted Zhu Yuanzhang and said, "You have given birth to so many sons, and your sons will give birth to so many grandsons, and your descendants will be endless. By then, each of them will be made a king. Within ten generations, doesn't that mean that there will be tens of thousands of kings in the Ming Dynasty? That will burst the Ming Dynasty."

Now Tang He really didn't expect that he had underestimated Zhu Yuanzhang after all.

This happened eighteen years ago, and it was just a joke remarked after drinking, but Tang He still remembered it so clearly. If Zhu Yuanzhang hadn't mentioned it, Tang He would have completely forgotten it.

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "Yes, yes, that's right. Ever since you said that, I have felt bad for more than ten years."

"You said our descendants are all flesh and blood. We would not feel comfortable if one of them died. But our Ming Dynasty is only this small. If we continue to seal off the thrones, after a hundred or eighty years, there will really be kings everywhere."

"You also know the situation of the national treasury back then. With so many salaries to pay, it would bankrupt the Ming Dynasty."

"You've made me worry for more than ten years. You must drink a glass of wine as punishment today. Come on, drink!"

As he was being punished by drinking, Zhu Yuanzhang also picked up the wine glass.

Tang He had no scruples at this time, and said bluntly: "Hey, you are greedy, and you have to find an excuse to scold me. It seems that the Crown Prince has been keeping an eye on you in the palace."

Zhu Yuanzhang said impatiently: "You are the only one who talks too much. You are so slow. Drink up."

After saying that, he drank the wine in the glass in one gulp and said with a chuckle, "This is really good stuff. If it weren't for our eldest grandson, we wouldn't be able to drink such good wine."

Tang He refused to be outdone and said, "You may be so proud of yourself. If it weren't for your eldest grandson, the Ming Dynasty would have been broken by you sooner or later."

Needless to say, what Tang He pointed out was the rules and regulations set by Zhu Ying for enfeoffment of kings overseas, which avoided the disaster planted by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang was about to say: "It seems that even though you are lying in bed, you still care about our affairs."

The original intention was to give a beating, which was probably Zhu Yuanzhang's habit.

But when he saw Tang He's old look, he swallowed the words back.

It's already come to this, some things are no longer necessary. Maybe in half an hour, or maybe an hour, old brother Tang He will also be leaving. What's the point of talking about all this?

He picked up the wine glass and said cheerfully: "Come, drink, I won't go home until I'm drunk today."

Tang He laughed loudly: "Let's get drunk!"