The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Zhu Youtang returned to the capital.

After the sacrifice to heaven, there was no mess on the grassland that needed him to clean up, and he could even walk through more areas of the grassland on his way back to the court, which was also a kind of satisfaction for him.

When he led his troops to withdraw to Weininghai, Wang Shouren was already waiting for him with his troops.

Originally Wang Shouren thought he could meet Zhang Zhou in person, but he never did.

"Mr. Wang, although my trip was not in vain, I did not personally participate in the battle to pacify the grassland. I am a little disappointed." Zhu Youtang also expressed his disappointment in front of Wang Shouren.

Wang Shouren said, "There is one thing I don't understand."

Zhu Youtang asked, "What do you not understand?"

Wang Shouren said truthfully: "I don't understand why Duke Cai was unable to come here with Your Majesty. Is there still unfinished business on the grassland?"

Even with Wang Shouren's caution, he could sense that there seemed to be some strange emotions spreading between the emperor and Zhang Zhou after the war.

For example, after the emperor learned that he had won the battle of Suosuo River, he insisted on going to Guanshan to offer sacrifices to the sky, as if he was going there to offer sacrifices to Zhang Zhou.

Or maybe, Zhang Zhou knew that the emperor wanted to see him very much, but he insisted on changing the route to Xuanfu. All this seemed beyond Wang Shouren's expectations, but with Wang Shouren's thinking, this was probably a manifestation of his achievements surpassing his master.

The emperor did not want to take away Zhang Zhou's military power directly, but he wanted to return to the capital with Zhang Zhou, which was equivalent to not giving Zhang Zhou the opportunity to continue to hold military power.

Zhang Zhou continued to lead his troops eastward... It seemed that Zhang Zhou was unwilling to leave everything to Tang Yin and others and continue to return to the capital to be an idle person.

Zhu Youtang smiled and said, "There are so many things happening on the grassland. A victory in just one battle is not enough to change everything. Bingkuan will lead his troops back to Xuanfu. Mr. Wang, please help compile the list of meritorious soldiers in Datong and report back to me."

……

……

That night.

Zhu Youtang stayed overnight at Weining Lake.

After nightfall, Zhu Youtang was in the tent, looking at the map hanging on the wall. He was also studying the situation on the grassland.

"Father..."

A short girl appeared in the tent. It was Zhu Xiurong who had gone to Maoerzhuang before and did not go to Guanshan with her old father.

Zhu Youtang smiled and said, "Xiu Rong, come here, let me take a look."

When Zhu Youtang saw his daughter, a fatherly smile appeared on his face.

Zhu Xiurong walked over and sat on Zhu Youtang's lap. Zhu Youtang pointed at the map and said, "Look, the mountains and rivers in the north, as well as the vast grassland, are now the territory of the Ming Dynasty. I plan to set up a protectorate and a garrison here as you, Mr. Zhang, said. No foreign races can rise up in the grassland in the future. From now on, this will all be the territory of the Ming Dynasty."

"Good."

Zhu Xiurong asked, "But why didn't Mr. Zhang come back with you?"

Zhu Youtang couldn't help but smile bitterly.

He said, "Xiu Rong, did someone ask you to ask this question?"

"No." Zhu Xiurong's eyes revealed a strange look, and he said, "I'm just curious, if Mr. Zhang doesn't come back, but goes somewhere else, is there something that he has to do by himself?"

Zhu Youtang sighed, "In fact, Mr. Zhang has not discussed with me what he is doing now, but I can understand him. After all, he was the one who pacified the grassland. He doesn't need to tell me everything about his plans for the future."

Zhu Xiurong asked, "Will Mr. Zhang return to the capital or stay in the northwest?"

"Of course I'm going back to the capital." Zhu Youtang said, "Why do you suddenly ask this?"

Zhu Xiurong had a sly smile on her face, but did not answer.

Zhu Youtang seemed to be touched by his daughter's question. He motioned for his daughter to sit aside first, while he sat at the table, looking at the map, sometimes in deep thought, sometimes looking at the curtain of the tent. After a long time, he said, "Shouldn't I let Bingkuan return to the capital?"

This question seemed to be asked to myself, and also seemed to be asked to Zhu Xiurong.

Zhu Xiurong said, "I think if your father pushes Mr. Zhang too hard, he will feel that your father is doubting his achievements. After all, many people would think that his achievements are comparable to any famous general in ancient and modern times. Even the champion marquis of that year may not be able to compare with him."

"That's true." Zhu Youtang sighed lightly, "But if we leave him in the northwest, what can he do? Does the northwest still need him to maintain it? Isn't it better for him to stay in the capital and help me change the government?"

Zhu Xiurong smiled and asked, "Does your Majesty know what Mr. Zhang's life goal is?"

"he……"

Zhu Youtang thought about it and shook his head.

He really didn't know this.

Zhu Xiurong smiled and said, "As far as I know, Mr. Zhang is from a Taoist background. I think he is very passionate about Taoist matters. If the emperor can give him a famous mountain or a great river and let him practice there, maybe he will become an immortal in the future."

After listening to this, Zhu Youtang couldn't help but laugh and said, "Silly boy, what are you talking about? How could this be Bingkuan's life goal?"

Zhu Xiurong said, "But I am afraid that Father cannot satisfy him now. He has reached the highest position among the ministers and has your absolute trust. There are so many people in the court who have opinions about him. Even if he controls the government in the future, it will be meaningless to him. I think if I were in his position, I would probably... just walk away."

"What did you say?"

Zhu Youtang obviously had never thought about such a profound question, but after hearing his daughter's words, it seemed that he really got the point.

Zhu Xiurong said, "I mean, if your father can't give him what he wants, he will leave and pursue what he wants. Your Majesty, think about it, isn't this the truth?"

"he……"

Zhu Youtang stood up and stood there in a daze, as if he had not yet recovered from the shock.

"Father, I heard that my brother has submitted a memorial to you." Zhu Xiurong said with a smile, "Would you like to take a look?"

"When did this happen?"

Zhu Youtang couldn't help but frown.

Why is there a son coming out to cause trouble at this time?
Then Zhu Youtang shouted loudly: "Someone come here."

Yang Peng hurried into the tent.

Zhu Youtang said sternly, "I want to ask you, what has the Crown Prince been doing recently? Has he submitted any memorials?"

"This..." Yang Peng seemed very embarrassed. He didn't know where the emperor heard this news. Obviously, he didn't think that this little princess could do anything. He said, "Indeed, there is. The prince wrote a memorial..."

"Bring it!"

Zhu Youtang shouted loudly.

Yang Peng then hurried back and asked someone to look for Zhu Houzhao's memorial.

…………

Inside the Chinese army's tent.

The night was dark and Zhu Youtang couldn't sleep that day.

He read the memorial written by his son and saw that his son was full of complaints and was even disrespectful to his father. He even proposed to conquer the earth and go out to explore the world... In addition, what his daughter said, that Zhang Zhou might pursue her ideals, made the emperor feel very uncomfortable.

"If I pacify the grassland, will I not only lose my most trusted minister, but I will also lose my son?"

Zhu Youtang looked somewhat disappointed.

Zhu Xiurong said: "Father, don't worry. In fact, my brother is just talking casually. Maybe after a while, he will come to his senses."

Zhu Youtang looked at his daughter and said, "Xiurong, why are you talking like a big kid? As if... you know everything?"

"No...no."

Zhu Xiurong said, "I am just expressing my feelings. My brother is usually petty, but he is not a bad person. He always remembers to save good things for me and will take responsibility for me when I encounter problems. However, he is too competitive and wants to achieve success in military affairs. He is not good at civil affairs, but he cares a lot about military achievements."

"This is not good."

Zhu Youtang said, "Not like me."

Zhu Xiurong smiled and said, "Is Father like Grandpa Emperor?"

"This……"

Zhu Youtang was embarrassed by the question.

Emperor Chenghua had never liked this son at first, thinking that the two were not alike. But in the end he ascended the throne and achieved good achievements. At least now he could tell his ancestors that he had lived up to the Zhu family's bloodline.

But the problem is... he hopes that his son will be able to maintain the status quo in the future, rather than letting his son make progress.

In this way, it seemed that Zhu Houzhao's character did not meet the standards of a wise ruler, which became the biggest worry for him as a father.

If it was just a crown prince and no other sons, he might not have so many concerns, after all, this son would have to take the lead regardless of whether he could succeed or not. But now...

When you have more sons, there will be comparisons.

Although my youngest son is still a child, he can already speak and is at least very cute.

Zhu Xiurong said: "Father, I want to ask you, if Mr. Zhang really wants to leave and travel around the world, will you let him go?"

Zhu Youtang shook his head and said, "Bingkuan won't do that."

"I am just making assumptions. Father should think about this matter." Zhu Xiurong said, "I put myself in Mr. Zhang's shoes. If he really wants to leave, I am afraid you can't stop him. Instead of that, I think it's better to let him go."

Zhu Youtang said: "He is not alone, he has his family with him. Do you think he is an ascetic monk who can just leave whenever he wants?"

Zhu Xiurong asked, "So, Father is planning to use Mr. Zhang's family to force him to stay in the capital?"

"How can you talk like that, kid?" Zhu Youtang said sternly, "How can a father force you to do something? But I also think that Bingkuan has not yet completed his mission, and it is not time for him to leave. Okay, you should go back to bed early, I still have things to think about. I will leave for Beijing tomorrow."

……

……

After Zhu Xiurong left.

Zhu Youtang couldn't fall asleep for a long time. He called Yang Peng in several times and asked him if there was any battle report sent by Zhang Zhou.

But I am disappointed every time because Zhang Zhou is almost out of touch now.

If it was before the grassland was pacified, Zhu Youtang would not have to consider this matter at all, because the monarch and his subjects had a common agreement and a common goal. The monarch and his subjects would trust each other very much and would both be working towards this goal.

But at this time... the grassland is no longer a major threat to the Ming Dynasty, and it will not take several years or even decades to pacify the grassland. It may be completed within a few months or even a year.

There is no need to pacify the rebellion in the future. All we need to do is send troops to take over the land and build some earthen cities on the grassland. We can even incorporate many grassland tribes and make them the subjects of the Ming Dynasty without allowing them to keep any troops.

But that’s it…

This made Zhu Youtang feel that he seemed to have lost his goal in life.

He couldn't sleep, so he walked out of the tent and asked someone to call Xie Qian over. It seemed that at this time, only an "old hand" like Xie Qian would be qualified to answer his questions and resolve his doubts.

"Mr. Xie, I have spoken to Xiurong, my daughter, before. She told me that Bingkuan's ambition may not be in the court. Now that he has helped me pacify the grassland, he may want to travel around the world and become an extraordinary person in the future." Zhu Youtang said.

Xie Qian nodded and said, "This is very much like his character."

"Even you think so?" Zhu Youtang was surprised.

Xie Qian asked in return: "Then Your Majesty, do you think that he really wants to stay in the court and serve as an official?"

Zhu Youtang was startled by the question, and then said: "From the first day I entered the court, I felt that Bingkuan was different from others."

"Yes." Xie Qian smiled, "After he entered the court, he seemed to be competing with others, but in fact he did not compete directly. After he became the Minister of War, he was still a slacker. He was not seen in the court for more than a month. He would go to Binhai City for several months and often did not return to the capital..."

When Zhu Youtang thought of this, he couldn't help but be moved by Xie Qian's emotions.

Zhu Youtang said: "So, from the first day that Bingkuan entered the court, he just wanted to help me realize my ideals, and he didn't think about himself. He didn't intend to control the government, nor did he form a clique for personal gain. The people I recommended eventually became pillars of the court, but they didn't become his followers."

Xie Qian smiled and said, "Your Majesty, that's a bit too much. He is not so open-minded and generous."

Zhu Youtang frowned and said, "Mr. Xie, what do you think I should do to him?"

This question also stumped Xie Qian.

Xie Qian thought for a long time before saying, "Your Majesty, I don't know what to do, but since ancient times, when external threats are resolved, internal troubles will arise. If it were an old minister, it would not be a bad thing to retire at this time. But are you really sure that he will choose to withdraw?"

"What?" Zhu Youtang seemed not to understand.

"I mean, why don't you wait for him to make his own report and express his own thoughts? If Your Majesty is worried, you might as well let him know the current doubts and let him know... It turns out that Your Majesty respects his thoughts and lets him choose according to his heart... Isn't that good?"

Xie Qian obviously also had his own selfish motives.

Although he has now decided to turn his back on traditional civil officials, it does not mean that he will not consider those traditional civil officials.

If there were a guy like Zhang Zhou who controlled the government and whose civil and military skills were almost as good as those of a nine thousand year old man, it would be a huge hidden danger for the Ming Dynasty.

As a civil official, many of his deep-rooted ideas will not change because of his interaction and reconciliation with Zhang Zhou in recent years.

Zhu Youtang said, "Yes, I want to let him know that I have no intention of abandoning him after his death, and also let him know that no matter what he chooses, I will respect his choice. This is how I get along with him. Mr. Xie, I really want to thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be able to untie the knot in my heart this time."

Xie Qian smiled and said, "Your Majesty should thank the little princess. It is her wisdom that has made all this clear to Your Majesty. This old minister...is only expressing his own opinion and has not been of much help to you." (End of this chapter)