Chapter 3: The Underworld (Part 3)
(three)
After the incident in Cizhou, Zhu Yuanzhang obviously became interested in Zhu Yuhuan, his unconventional descendant. Every time he visited Zhu Qizhen, he would not forget to go to Zhu Yuhuan's side to check on the situation.
Although this projection is convenient, it cannot be seen all the time. In addition, the emperors have to go to the fields to work at regular times and locations according to the requirements of the ghost messenger, and cannot watch the projection all the time. The situation of the Zhu family's descendants can only be observed through sporadic live broadcasts and replays.
"I can't believe you're so young, but you can actually do farm work."
Zhu Zhanji chuckled and said, "Grandpa Emperor once took me to inspect farmers' farming, and later I established the Wunong Temple. Naturally, I need to understand some basic farming matters. This is also to remember the hard work of our ancestors in striving for the foundation of the Ming Dynasty."
Although he said this, Zhu Zhanji felt relieved in his heart. When he followed Zhu Di to inspect the countryside earlier, he was still young and had long forgotten how the farmers he saw at that time cultivated the land. It was not until the establishment of the Wunong Temple that Zhu Zhanji became familiar with these farming matters again.
Thinking about it this way, if his daughter wasn't there, he probably wouldn't remember these things.
Zhu Zhanji was overwhelmed with emotions for a moment, but fortunately, no one else watched his flashback before his death, which allowed Zhu Zhanji to forget about these things temporarily.
It would be a lie to say that he was not happy that his daughter stood up straight, but seeing his daughter's performance, Zhu Zhanji couldn't help feeling a little uneasy. If he were there, he would have the confidence to suppress his daughter for the rest of her life, but when Zhu Zhanji saw how much his son relied on Zhu Yuhuan and how he became more and more ambitious, he vaguely realized that things might not develop as smoothly as he expected.
Seeing her thoughtful look, Zhu Gaochi took the opportunity to come over and ask while she was working, "Are you supporting Huanhuan so much because you think she will never leave the Zhu family?"
Zhu Zhanji did have such thoughts, but it was difficult to say anything in front of others. However, Zhu Gaochi was his biological father, so Zhu Zhanji no longer hid anything and said, "That's true. After all, she doesn't like these things between men and women. Why force her out of the house? Besides, my mother has taught Huanhuan well. Although she has calculations in her heart, she is definitely not ignorant of the overall situation and will not do anything that is detrimental to the country and the people."
"I'm watching the projection with Grandpa Taizu right now. Although this kid is smart, he's stubborn about one thing."
Outsiders are discerning people. Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but ask, "Dad, what do you mean by that?"
"You said she's focused on the overall situation. If your son interferes with the overall situation in the future, who knows what she'll do?"
Zhu Zhan had already been feeling uneasy, and upon hearing Zhu Gaochi's words, his heart began to race. He couldn't help but ask, "This... shouldn't be the case. Besides, how big of a problem would it take to give her the opportunity to cause trouble?"
Zhu Gaochi snorted and chuckled, looking calm and composed. He said, "I can see that your son is just like you when you were little. He's not a pushover. Becoming an emperor at such a young age, and having a child in power, is not a good thing. Just think about it. When you were his age, you were still getting spanked by your mother!"
Zhu Zhanji looked embarrassed, and after a while he said, "Dad, how did you make that conclusion?"
"I know your mother too well. Huanhuan's mischievous behavior is really a bit similar to hers." Zhu Gaochi shook his head helplessly and said, "With your son's silly look, he doesn't seem like a match for her."
Zhu Zhanji was naturally aware of his parents' grievances, and simply said, "After all, mother is still here, nothing serious will happen."
Although he said this, Zhu Zhanji did not have the confidence in his heart.
The Empress Dowager Zhang was now very old, so who could have guessed how long she would hold out? Even Zhu Zhanji could only hope that his mother would hold out until the emperor's wedding.
The wedding meant that the emperor was able to take charge of things on his own, so naturally he would not need the princess's assistance in governing the country. It was highly unlikely that Zhu Yuhuan would be the only one in power.
After finally resting, Zhu Yuanzhang thought that some time had passed. As the saying goes, "One day in heaven is one year on earth", the time conversion in the underworld is not much different from this. During the time they were working, an unknown amount of time had already passed on earth. Therefore, when the projection was turned on again, Zhu Qizhen looked much older. He was calmer than when Zhu Zhanji had just passed away. He was discussing military affairs with Empress Dowager Zhang, and it seemed that they wanted to completely eliminate Aluta.
Zhu Zhanji felt relieved when he saw Zhu Qizhen's serious look and no longer mischievous behavior.
"Destroy Adai?" Zhu Gaochi frowned slightly and said, "Adai is the Great Khan after all. It would be better to support him in dealing with other Tatar tribes than to destroy him."
He himself did not want the country to be involved in a war, not to mention that during the time of Aluta, the Tatar Eastern Khanate had already become a remnant and defeated army and would not pose any threat to the Ming Dynasty. Recruiting them would be a better choice.
Zhu Di snorted and said, "Once that old dog Alutai dies, it would be better to destroy the Eastern Khanate. This would actually help establish prestige for this brat. Don't you understand Zhang's calculations?"
"That being said..."
Seeing Zhu Di becoming increasingly relaxed, Zhu Yuanzhang cocked his tail and snorted coldly, "You've been emperor for over twenty years, and yet you haven't managed to train any brave generals. In the end, you're still the only one defending the border. What's so proud of this? If the Ming Dynasty weren't still prosperous, and if there weren't figures like Wang Baobao among the Tartars, how could your important border towns have survived?"
Zhu Di coughed violently a few times, tried to clear his throat and said, "Dad, this also demonstrates the royal family's determination to set an example and defend the country."
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard his sweet words, he just waved his sleeves and looked like he didn't want to bother with Zhu Di.
Empress Dowager Zhang was quite familiar with government affairs and handled them with ease. She was also attentive in teaching Zhu Qizhen, which made Zhu Yuanzhang have a better opinion of her assisting in government affairs as a woman.
After all, this was the candidate he finally decided on for the Prince of Yan's Consort, and Zhu Yuanzhang was still somewhat pleased with himself. In addition, the fact that Empress Dowager Zhang employed more female officials and fewer eunuchs made Zhu Yuanzhang even more relieved that there was finally someone in this family who understood his painstaking efforts.
However, the good times did not last long. Before Zhu Qizhen officially came of age, Empress Dowager Zhang fell ill due to the successive deaths of her children. Seeing that she would not live to see Zhu Qizhen come of age, Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but sweat.
If Empress Dowager Zhang was not around, even if the underage Zhu Qizhen really took over the government, if there was no suitable regent, he would probably have to hand over all the government affairs to the five ministers he chose before his death.
Zhu Zhanji was not afraid that these five people would dare to imitate the powerful ministers in ancient times and hold the emperor hostage, but he was worried that his son would be fooled by them and become a mediocre monarch who would destroy the foundation of the Ming Dynasty.
However, Zhu Zhanji was also very clear about one thing: his mother would never allow her only remaining son, Prince Xiang Zhu Zhanji, to come to Beijing to assist in the administration. Otherwise, if someone instigated rebellion, Zhu Zhanji would not be able to escape punishment afterwards.
Besides, his fifth brother is a smart man and would never take on such a dangerous burden for the so-called "righteousness of the country and the nation" in a fit of rage.
More importantly, at this time there was a person in the capital with a more suitable status and experience, and that person was Princess Shunde Zhu Yuhuan.
Zhu Yuanzhang obviously realized this and said nothing when he saw Empress Dowager Zhang handing the imperial edict to Zhu Yuhuan.
But when Empress Dowager Zhang took out another imperial edict, Zhu Yuanzhang was obviously confused and asked, "When was this imperial edict issued? Why haven't I seen it?"
Seeing this, Zhu Zhanji had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak, "I left this before I died... I was worried about discord among the brothers and sisters. If Huanhuan needs to assist Zhen'er in the future, someone might try to sow discord. This imperial decree is also to protect Huanhuan. After all, there is no precedent for princesses assisting in government in this dynasty..."
His words sounded like a kind father's, but Zhu Yunwen suddenly said, "Could this imperial edict contain some hidden secrets?"
Zhu Zhanji choked and said nothing.
Zhu Yuanzhang keenly noticed this and immediately asked Zhu Yunwen to turn the projection back.
He wanted to see what the secret of this imperial edict was.
Zhu Zhanji already understood what kind of storm was coming, and immediately prepared to kneel down at any time.
The inspiration for his little trick came from the empty seal case during the Hongwu period.
The bet is that Zhu Yuhuan does not understand the imperial edict well enough, and even if she knows the truth, she will definitely not spread it around.
After all, if someone were to hold Zhu Yuhuan accountable for forging the imperial edict, he would be the one who would suffer in the end.
As the emperor who has the final right of interpretation and holds supreme power, as long as he is willing, he can naturally use this title to exert his own violence.
Zhu Di frowned as he watched from the side, but he couldn't help but say, "Dad, let me talk to the Crown Prince first."
Zhu Yuanzhang just waved his hand and said, "Go ahead."
Zhu Di pulled Zhu Zhanji aside and made sure no one else was around before he asked, "How did your father teach you? Why haven't I seen a father like you before?"
Zhu Zhanji said awkwardly, "Grandpa Emperor, I am also considering the overall situation..."
Seeing him like this, Zhu Di understood even more clearly why Zhu Yuhuan vaguely revealed his indifference to Zhu Zhanji and was only putting in enough effort to appear good. For a moment, he felt a little disappointed with him.
"Ever since I started watching that projection, I haven't seen you care about the other children. Your big-headed kid is all you care about. Is that the way you act as a father? And you expect her to do her best for your son?" Zhu Di asked in return, "My dear grandson, didn't you learn the saying when you were studying with Dai Lun, 'People worry not about scarcity but about inequality'?"
Zhu Zhanji certainly couldn't say it was too late to discuss this, much less that Dai Lun had already been killed by him. He simply said, "Huanhuan has studied with the lecturers since she was young, and like her mother, she is well-educated and well-mannered. She will naturally understand that she has enjoyed an honor that no princess has ever enjoyed. She is a contented and righteous child. Besides, Zhen'er is not bad either. Grandpa Emperor can rest assured."
Seeing that he was still feeling good about himself, Zhu Di couldn't help but feel furious. He said, "Grandson, it seems that the grandson's wife I chose is not to your liking, and you are taking out all your dissatisfaction with me on my wife and daughter! You really haven't been emperor in vain. You spend all your tricks on bullying your daughters!"
"Grandpa Emperor, this is not my intention..."
Zhu Di asked in return: "What do you mean?"
Zhu Zhanji was speechless for a moment, and after a long time he said: "This..."
"Bone-sucking thing!"
Seeing Zhu Di leave in anger, Zhu Zhanji could only sigh.
This also gives my daughter a chance to display her talents. After all, the two siblings have a good relationship, so who can be harmed?
When Zhu Zhanji returned, Zhu Yuanzhang was pointing at the eunuch in the projection and asked, "Who selected these eunuchs to serve the emperor? Who selected them?"
Zhu Zhanji took a peek and saw that the person above was indeed Wang Zhen. He had no choice but to step forward and said, "Grandpa, it's me..."
Zhu Yuanzhang could no longer hold back and smashed the projection remote control in his hand, hitting Zhu Zhanji's forehead with incredible precision. A trickle of blood flowed out and dripped onto the ground along his forehead.
Zhu Zhanji was stunned. He never expected that blood would be seen.
Zhu Yuanzhang became even more furious upon seeing this and shouted to Zhu Yunwen, "Bring me the sword!"
Zhu Di quickly ordered Zhu Gaochi: "Tell the ghost messenger to quickly invite Empress Gao..."
Zhu Gaochi was also startled by this scene and said quickly: "Oh..."
Zhu Yunwen had just retrieved his sword when the silent ghost messenger outside the door suddenly spoke up, "Although this is a family matter within the Zhu family, even the emperor must abide by the laws of the underworld. What happened previously can only be considered domestic violence. We will not interfere in the interest of peace, but if a ghost's life is involved, we cannot pretend to be ignorant. 'Resurrection' is a very troublesome matter, and Ming Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji will need to continue to work in the underworld. To ensure the normal progress of the work, we do not recommend resorting to violent means that endanger his life."
Zhu Yuanzhang said sinisterly, "As long as no one's life is harmed, it's considered a 'family matter'?"
The ghost nodded slightly, still with a gentle expression, but it always made people feel a little chilling.
"Also, Empress Xiaoci Gao is currently chatting with the newly arrived Empress Chengxiaoren, so she probably doesn't have the time to deal with matters here."
Meeting Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze, Zhu Di silently looked away.
After all, Zhu Zhanji was his grandson, and he couldn't really sit idly by and watch Zhu Zhanji being "beaten to death". However, since no one would be killed, he would not interfere too much.
There was only one reason why Zhu Yuanzhang was so furious, and that was that Wang Zhen directly removed the sign that said "Eunuchs are not allowed to interfere in political affairs", which openly slapped Zhu Yuanzhang in the face.
He could tolerate his descendants not being as diligent as himself and let the eunuchs become the emperor's right-hand men, but wasn't Wang Zhen's behavior a challenge to the imperial power?
"Even Zhu Yuhuan knew that eunuchs shouldn't be allowed to attend the banquet, let alone be allowed to sit on the same level as ministers and officials. Yet you and your rebellious son condone this treachery! Bastards!"
When Zhu Gaochi saw this scene, he silently took two steps back.
There was no way. They were all descendants, so how could they dare to confront this great ancestor? Besides, they didn't know how long they would stay in the underworld in the future, so they couldn't offend Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang gave Zhu Zhanji a good beating, then sat down breathlessly to rest with the support of Zhu Yunwen. He cursed with dismay, "Even if you wanted to choose an eunuch for him, why did you choose such a low-class person! Apart from those few poems he mumbles, he is shallow-minded and behaves vulgarly. He and your second-generation heir son are simply a perfect match made in heaven. No wonder they say 'a turtle falls in love with a mung bean'. The country is ruined by people like this!" He became more and more angry and said, "If I had known your son was such a person, I might as well give the throne to Zhu Yuhuan. I don't think she is any worse than that Zhu Qizhen!"
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