Zhu Yuanzhang’s illness was actually not a serious one.

In the words of later generations, it was a gastrointestinal cold.

Zhu Yuanzhang grew up in a poor family and could not afford to eat good food. Later, when he established his own fortune, he could not afford to go hungry, among other things.

For Lao Zhu, delicious fish and meat are a must for every meal.

This also means that Lao Zhu is actually a little fat now.

He is 1.75 meters tall and his actual weight is close to 200 kilograms.

In traditional Chinese medicine, there is no such thing as high blood pressure. In this era, it is called a disease of affluence.

From ancient times to the present, doctors' training experience mainly comes from ordinary people. Of course, it is impossible for a wealthy family to find an apprentice to treat them. It must be a famous doctor.

But famous doctors also started out as apprentices. Throughout history, there have never been any fat people in ordinary families. Most of them were starved to death.

Even if you are a child of a wealthy family, you won't just eat and sleep every day.

Yes, there are, but very few.

Therefore, diseases of affluence are also classified as difficult and complicated diseases.

Zhu Yuanzhang must have had high blood pressure, otherwise he would not have fainted. The most crucial thing is that he saw hallucinations when he fainted.

Before this, although his wife and eldest son were gone, Zhu Yuanzhang was still feeling angry.

At that time, he knew that the emperor's grandson was still young and that the Ming Dynasty needed him in many ways, so he had a strong spiritual goal.

If people have goals, they will be much more motivated.

However, since the crown prince entered the palace, Zhu Yuanzhang was very excited at first. Later, as Zhu Ying gradually demonstrated his ability to govern the country, Zhu Yuanzhang felt more and more that the role he could play became smaller.

The military and political reforms led to a significant reduction in the amount of government affairs that the emperor had to handle personally, and it was basically impossible for some sneaky things to be brought to the emperor's desk.

This also gave Zhu Yuanzhang a lot more free time, allowing him to take care of his great-grandson and enjoy his old age.

But, old people cannot be idle.

When you have nothing to do, you start to have wild thoughts and become sentimental.

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang already had this sign, but Zhu Ying didn't notice it.

Like many people’s children, many people think that the elderly should not be overworked for fear of being exhausted. However, they did not realize that once the elderly lose their spiritual sustenance, they will be affected even more.

If you don't have much to do, you will have a lot of time to think about random things and worry about gains and losses. Living like this every day will make you depressed.

The winter in Nanjing is very cold, and given Mr. Zhu’s diet problems, it is normal for him to have a gastrointestinal cold.

The bad thing was that all the negative emotions that had accumulated before burst out at this moment, which made Lao Zhu feel as if life was a little boring.

In the rear hall of the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang lay on the bed, staring out the window with lifeless eyes.

The heavy snow fell slowly, and all I could see was a sea of ​​white.

After two days of rest, Zhu Yuanzhang's body had almost recovered, but he was still a little weak and could not stand the cold.

At this time, there was a noisy sound coming from the door.

Liu He came in and reported: "Your Majesty, it's the little prince who has arrived."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were filled with anger: "Hurry up and let Xiao Wencheng come in."

Not long after, little Wencheng came skipping into the house, holding a little snowman in his hands.

"Grandpa, I heard you were sick, so I made a snowman for you. Can you get well soon so we can make a snowman together?"

Xiao Wencheng put the little snowman on the bedside table and said with a smile.

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw little Wencheng, a smile appeared on his face.

"Then you have to wait for Grandpa for a few days. When I recover from my illness, I will go build a snowman with you."

Xiao Wencheng shouted happily: "Yes, yes, I want my great grandfather, my father, and my mother to build a snowman with me."

"Grandfather, when the time comes, can you please issue an edict and ask father to come as well? Every time I call him, he never comes. I heard from others that father only listens to Grandfather."

"Grandpa, give him an imperial decree. If he dares not come to build a snowman with me, humph, then you will spank him, hehehe."

Zhu Yuanzhang was also amused: "Okay, okay, listen to my little Wencheng. I will issue an edict to your father. If he doesn't come, I will take off his pants and spank him. Hahaha."

Xiao Wencheng said in distress: "But, great grandfather, how long will it take for you to recover? What if it stops snowing when you recover? Then we won't be able to build a snowman."

Zhu Yuanzhang touched Xiao Wencheng's head and said with a smile: "I am the emperor. The world must listen to me. When I recover from my illness, if it doesn't snow, I will issue an edict to make it snow again, so that I can build a snowman with Xiao Wencheng."

Xiao Wencheng jumped up and down happily: "Okay, then Grandpa will issue an edict to the heavens, and we can build a snowman."

Zhu Yuanzhang asked: "Now is the time for you to do your homework, why are you here to see Grandpa? Have you finished your homework?"

Xiao Wencheng said: "I heard that my great grandfather was ill, so I wanted to come and see him, but my father wouldn't let me come, saying that my great grandfather needed to rest. He finished his homework early this morning, so my father let me come."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "Good boy, you are thinking of me in your heart."

At this time, Concubine Ning came in with a bowl of medicine. Seeing the smile on His Majesty's face, she knew that His Majesty was in a much better mood.

"Your Majesty, it's time to take your medicine." Concubine Ning said softly.

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Let's eat later. I'll chat with Xiao Wencheng first."

Xiao Wencheng shook his head and said, "No, no, Grandpa, you have to take the medicine obediently. Only by taking the medicine will you get better. Then we can build a snowman together."

After saying that, Xiao Wencheng rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "When I was sick, it was my mother who fed me medicine. It was so bitter. This time, my great grandfather is sick, so let me feed him the medicine."

"Good medicine tastes bitter. Good medicine tastes bitter. Grandpa, you must not be afraid of bitterness. You must drink it once it reaches your mouth."

After saying that, he took the bowl of medicine from Concubine Ning's hand.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled happily and said, "Okay, let our little Wencheng feed us today."

Xiao Wencheng followed his father's example, scooped a spoonful of soup with a spoon, blew it gently to cool it down, and slowly brought it to his great-grandfather's mouth.

Zhu Yuanzhang cooperated, opened his mouth and drank it.

Just like that, one spoonful at a time, the medicine was soon finished.

At Zhu Yuanzhang's signal, Concubine Ning, who was accompanying him, took the bowl of medicine and left.

Xiao Wencheng did not leave, but kept chattering with Zhu Yuanzhang about some of the things he had encountered.

But after all, he was just a child and fell asleep soon.

Half asleep and half awake, he was still saying, "Grandpa, let's build a snowman together."

Zhu Yuanzhang caressed little Wencheng's head lovingly, and whispered with memories in his eyes: "Back then, your father also loved making snowmen the most, but he was much more domineering."

"That year, government affairs were very busy. I was reading memorials in the Huagai Palace when it started snowing heavily outside. Your father wanted to build a snowman. I said I would finish reading the memorials, so he grabbed my beard and dragged me to go."

"Your grandfather was in the East Palace discussing matters, and your father was beating the gong, making it impossible for them to discuss matters. There was nothing your grandfather could do, so he had to follow him to build a snowman."

"Your grandpa never made a snowman. When he was born, there was no Ming Dynasty yet. We were fighting on the front line, and I had to help out in the back. When the war was over, we finally had some free time, and your grandpa had grown up."

"We're usually very busy, so only your father has the ability to get our whole family out to build a snowman. It was so nice back then..."

As he spoke, tears slowly flowed from the corners of Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes.

He didn't mention the elder sister, but in his eyes and in his heart, he only had the elder sister.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked up and out the window, as if he saw the happy times when his family of four had made a snowman there.

The snowman made by his son was the ugliest, so his eldest grandson named him the Ugly General.

The eldest sister made the most beautiful snowman, so the eldest grandson gave her the title of general.

"Our snowman is not as ugly as your grandfather's, nor as pretty as your grandmother's. Your father is thinking about what name to give him, which makes us laugh."

Zhu Yuanzhang was thinking, talking, and laughing, and his murmurs began to fly as his thoughts went on.

"Your father lost his mother when he was young, and your great-grandmother took care of him. When he was your age, he always called your great-grandmother "mother", which made your great-grandmother very happy, and she protected him in everything."

"With your great grandmother protecting him, your father is so arrogant. No one in the palace dares to offend him. Even our emperor has to take a detour when he sees your father."

Zhu Yuanzhang's lips curled up, and the things in his memory seemed to have happened just yesterday.

But then, Zhu Yuanzhang's voice became deep.

"Your father is sick, just like us now. We asked all the doctors in the Imperial Hospital to come and see your father, but they are all mediocre doctors. Your father's illness is getting worse and worse."

"That's our baby, and also your great grandmother's baby, but even so many doctors couldn't cure your father."

"Let's just kill all those quack doctors. Even if they are cut into pieces, it won't relieve the hatred in our hearts."

"Your great grandmother is ill, and no medicine works. She begged us not to kill the imperial physician again. She wanted to be with her grandson, so she can't blame anyone else. She asked us not to implicate those quack doctors, and we agreed."

"But didn't she think about how we would live if she left and left us alone in this world?"

"You are such a cruel grandmother."

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang was like a lonely and helpless child, crying.

After crying for a while, I started laughing again.

"I finally see your father again. I can tell at a glance that it is our eldest grandson. Our eldest grandson, he is back."

"I just want to ask your great-grandmother, where can we find our eldest grandson down there? He is still alive and well up there, so it would be a waste of time to go down here."

"Your father is a good kid. Even though he didn't grow up in the palace, he is a descendant of our Zhu family. He is like us. No, he is like your great-grandmother."

"I told your great-grandmother back then that if she was a man, there would be no chance for us."

"Your father's personality is so much like your great grandmother's, and he's much more capable."

"Now under your father's rule, the people of Ming Dynasty live and work in peace and contentment, the smoke from cooking fires is constantly rising, the treasury is well-stocked, the army is strong, and there are trains that can travel a thousand miles a day. Your grandmother has never seen anything like it."

Zhu Yuanzhang lowered his head slightly and looked at Xiao Wencheng who was sleeping soundly beside his bed.

It was as if I saw my eldest grandson from that year.

"I am old and useless, and my body is not strong enough. I can now hand over the Ming Dynasty to your father without any worries. He will not let me down."

"Xiao Wencheng, you are different from your father. You have your father and your mother. Even without me, you can still grow up happily."

"I miss your grandmother so much right now. She and the eldest brother must be talking about me all the time down there."

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke softly, with doting on little Wencheng in his eyes.

But at this moment, Liu He, who was waiting not far away, was shaking all over.

He couldn't hear clearly what His Majesty was saying, but he suddenly laughed out loud, and then suddenly cried, which scared Liu He to death.

But at this time, Liu He didn't dare to step forward.

Because back then, the previous eunuch who was in charge of the Imperial Household Department went up to comfort the emperor under such circumstances and was ordered to be executed by His Majesty.

There are some things about the emperor that eunuchs like them are not allowed to discuss.

When the empress passed away, a group of eunuchs in the Qiankunqing Palace died. When the prince passed away, another group of eunuchs in the Qianqing Palace died.

Then it was Liu He's turn to come up.

Having learned from the previous experience, Liu He dared not step forward.

Perhaps His Majesty was tired and fell asleep soon. Liu He then walked out in small steps.

Then he ran towards the Huagai Palace.

The road was slippery and Liu He fell down. With the help of the young eunuch, he got up and hurried over.

In the Huagai Palace, Zhu Ying was arranging the Northern Expedition.

This Northern Expedition was different from previous ones, as the goal was to truly occupy the grassland.

Since it is occupation, the issue here involves the migration of people.

It is difficult to feed people in places like grasslands.

Although the nomadic peoples are very powerful in combat, for the lower-class people on the grassland, the grassland is actually a place where people are eaten.

In the impression of later generations, people on the grassland should drink and eat meat with big gulps.

In fact, on the grassland, for many people, being able to drink a bowl of porridge every day is already a great day.

The cattle and sheep were not raised for eating, they were the property of the tribe. Like the landlords' tenants, most of the grassland people worked for the nobles.

The only thing they hoped for was to exchange some dairy products for some food from the Central Plains dynasty.

Winter is a nightmare for the prairie.

It is rare to see elderly people on the grassland, because a large number of them die every winter.

The old mentioned here does not mean in his seventies or eighties, but refers to around fifty years old.

Why do people on the grassland have to collect money from the poor?

Because there is no food to be grabbed in the autumn, the elderly and children will starve to death in the severe winter.

Nine out of ten children born in winter will die young.

Therefore, the first problem Zhu Ying had to face when he wanted to rule the grassland was to solve the food problem.

He wanted to build a city on the grassland to break the tradition of grassland people living near water and grass.