King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 753 Father and Son in front of Fengtian Palace

Fengtian Hall is the highest-level and largest palace in the imperial palace.

Although this place is of high quality, it is used less than a few times a year, so Zhu Xianming seldom comes here.

So he would never have thought that he would have lunch here today.

After taking a look at the hall behind him, then at the palace gate at the end of the square in front of him, and the houses stretching into the distance outside the palace gate, Zhu Xianming was sure that he had really done this outrageous thing.

After looking around, he had to admit that this place was indeed a great place for viewing the scenery due to its high terrain, but it was a pity that he had never noticed it for so many years.

At this moment, in front of Zhu Xianming, there were various plates with various vegetables and meat slices on them, and a hot pot was placed in the middle of the table.

There were no servants around, and the nearest eunuchs and palace maids were twenty meters away.

So all the miscellaneous work fell on Zhu Jinghong, who was busy with chopsticks at the moment.

"Dad, I'm right, this is the perfect place to eat!"

"In my opinion, we can go to Shanglinyuan to prepare an outdoor hot pot... but it's too late today, so you just have to make do with it!"

At this time, Zhu Jinghong was wearing the prince's regular clothes, and his wide sleeves were tied up with ribbons, making him look both capable and funny.

Stroking his beard, Zhu Xianming said slowly: "Old Thirteen, you always come up with new ideas. This Fengtian Hall is not a place to eat!"

Continuing to put food into the pot, Zhu Jinghong asked, "Then tell me, where can we eat?"

"Ordinary people eat in the fields, artisans in workshops, soldiers from all over the country, officials and nobles in courtyards... In fact, you can eat anywhere. You have eaten in the Palace of Heavenly Purity for so many years. Are you controlled by the conventions?"

"You must know that there are no rules in this world. When more people are willing to abide by the rules, etiquette and laws will come into being!"

"Father, you are not an ordinary person, let alone an ordinary emperor. You should have a lofty sentiment that transcends the mundane world. Why should you be so particular about where to eat?"

Zhu Xianming picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said with a smile: "You do have a lot of crooked ideas, which is obviously due to your lack of reading!"

"No, no, now my son has truly understood it, so he can do whatever he wants!" Zhu Jinghong stared at the pot.

"Not ready yet?" Zhu Xianming also looked into the pot.

"The mutton will be ready soon, please wait a moment!" Zhu Jinghong sat back in his chair.

As he was speaking, Zhu Jinghong had already picked up the wine glass and said, "This is a toast from my son to me!"

Although this was the fact, hearing it said so directly still touched Zhu Xianming, and he was stunned for a moment.

He has so many princes, but he only has this one son.

"This cup should be toasted to your mother. Today is your birthday... You know how difficult it was for your mother to give birth to you more than 20 years ago!"

"Okay, son, I'll give you a toast, please drink it for her!"

So the father and son drank the first cup, and then Zhu Jinghong picked up some food for the emperor, and then they started chatting.

At first they talked about some trivial matters in life, and then they talked about the current political situation and the ever-changing surrounding situation.

As the conversation deepened and a few glasses of wine were consumed, Zhu Xianming stopped serving and not only put the food into the pot himself, he even poured a glass of wine for Zhu Jinghong.

"My whole life as a father has been in struggle..."

"What I saw, heard, and encountered were all killing, betrayal, conspiracy, and trickery..."

"Since I was unwilling to live an idle life, I have embarked on a path of no return. I can only overcome all difficulties and grit my teeth to move forward..."

"Finally I made it through, and finally I became the emperor, the supreme ruler of the world!"

"From now on, all the people of the nine states and the subjects of the world will prostrate themselves at my feet..."

Zhu Jinghong listened quietly. He was not sure whether the emperor was drunk and talking nonsense, or was really looking back on his life and examining himself.

"However, it is lonely at the top..."

Leaning on the back of the chair, Zhu Xianming looked at the horizon with deep eyes and said slowly: "I looked around, but I was alone!"

"In the past few years, your mother has been with me all the way, which has kept me from feeling lonely. But now... your mother is dead!"

When he said the last four words, Zhu Xianming's tears fell, and then he quickly raised his sleeves to wipe them away.

"Drink, drink!"

In order to hide his embarrassment, Zhu Xianming picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Zhu Jinghong also drank a glass, then he picked up the wine jug and filled the old man's glass again.

"I have worked so hard to become an emperor and to govern the country. For decades...what have I gained?"

"Money? It's like dust to me... Merits? But it's also a mixed bag of praise and criticism... Reputation? Who among the scholars in the world doesn't curse me?"

After listening to what the emperor said, Zhu Jinghong was almost certain that the old man was indeed examining his life.

"Dad, you governed the country and made the Ming Dynasty flourish. Compared with the emperors of ancient and modern times, your achievements can be called a wise ruler!"

Hearing these words, Zhu Xianming just smiled and then said, "A wise ruler, so what?"

This question really stumped Zhu Jinghong. What good is it to be a wise ruler? In the end, he would still be a pile of dirt.

"Boy, you are still young and you don't understand!" Zhu Xianming sighed.

Zhu Jinghong's current appearance reminds Zhu Xianming of his younger self, who was also so energetic and full of fighting spirit.

"Come...have a drink!" Zhu Xianming urged.

He had attended countless banquets, but he had rarely had such a great time as today since he became emperor.

Because you are having a great time, you drink more, and when you drink more, you talk even more.

"Ten years of life and death, I can't forget it without thinking about it... Su Shi wrote this poem well!"

"Back then, your fourth brother used this sentence to commemorate his deceased wife, and I said he was weak and weak, crying like a woman... Now it seems that I was wrong!"

"As for me...I should apologize to your fourth brother!"

Later, the old man was really drunk and was planning to go to the East Palace to apologize in person. Fortunately, he was persuaded by Zhu Jinghong.

Then something strange happened again. The emperor insisted on issuing an edict to posthumously confer a title on Su Shi and said he would build a temple in the capital to worship him.

It took Zhu Jinghong a lot of effort to persuade him to build a temple to worship Su Shi, but he couldn't stop him from conferring a title on Su Shi. In the end, he actually conferred the title of "Taifu" on Su Shi, who lived hundreds of years ago, over a drinking table.

At this point, the emperor was already quite drunk, so Zhu Jinghong called the eunuchs to carry the emperor back to the Qianqing Palace to rest.

"Get out, get out... No one is allowed to touch me!"

After becoming emperor, Zhu Xianming had never been drunk, and of course he didn't dare to get drunk, so when an outsider came over, it aroused his extraordinary defense.

In the end, there was no other choice but for Zhu Jinghong to do it himself and carry the emperor from the Fengtian Hall all the way back to the Qianqing Palace.

Oddly enough, the emperor fell asleep on his back before they even finished walking up the stairs of the Fengtian Hall.

The scene of him carrying the emperor back to the palace was also seen by officials, guards, eunuchs and palace maids along the way, which was bound to cause widespread discussion.

Of course, Zhu Jinghong hadn't thought of these things yet. He was thinking about something else behind the emperor's back. The emperor was drunk and couldn't handle things for the next few hours, and many things could happen during that time.

But the reality was that nothing happened. After Zhu Jinghong sent the emperor back to the Qianqing Palace, he personally guarded the imperial bed.

Seizing the throne is totally unnecessary and he certainly would not do it.

But staying here is something that must be done, because this huge court needs someone to take charge in the next few hours.

In other words, during the period when the emperor woke up, Zhu Jinghong was the de facto emperor.

But during these few hours, as usual, no major incidents occurred, allowing Zhu Jinghong to be alone and quiet for a while.

At this time, he was not idle either, thinking about the words of the emperor just now, which made him feel somewhat touched.

Back at Prince Xiang’s mansion, everything that happened in the palace gradually reached Baochai’s ears.

After learning about the relevant situation, she felt relieved and no longer had to worry about Lao Liu's family.

She was not idle at home either, thinking about the changes in her mentality, and then she realized that she was indeed too arrogant, which was why she acquiesced to the tactics used by Xu and Zhao.

However, in an environment where everyone around is submissive and obedient, it is easy for people to lose themselves, and no one can guarantee that they can do better than her.

"I should be on my guard!" Baochai sighed secretly.

As Zhu Jinghong left the house, all the guests left one after another. Only Zhu Yunsheng and Xu Zhao stayed for a while longer and then went back to their own houses.

Everyone in Prince Xiang's mansion also returned to their respective positions and moved freely, some writing, some visiting the garden, some listening to music, and some taking care of their children.

It was almost dark when Zhu Jinghong returned from the palace. He had already had dinner with the emperor.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" Baochai came forward and performed a rare act of courtesy.

Because she was pregnant and her belly was big, Zhu Jinghong would not let her kneel down, so he reached out and helped her up.

Sitting on the couch with Baochai, Zhu Jinghong asked slowly, "Are you scared now?"

Baochai replied: "I know I was wrong!"

Nodding his head, Zhu Jinghong said solemnly: "It's good that you know you are wrong. You and I are in high positions now. One move can affect the whole body. We must be careful!"

"I understand. I will be more careful in the future!"

Holding his wife's hand, Zhu Jinghong said with a smile: "Let's encourage each other!"

Seeing the emperor like that today gave him a better understanding of the significance of the relationship between husband and wife.

At this time, Baochai looked to one side and shouted, "Baoqin, why don't you help your prince change his clothes!"

The next moment, the extremely beautiful Baoqin came out from behind the screen with a shy look on her face.

"This……"

Seeing Zhu Jinghong's fake appearance, Baochai smiled and said, "Why...are you not satisfied with Baoqin? Then I'll call the maids in!"

Zhu Jinghong waved his hand and said, "Forget it, forget it. Why bother? Princess, you are not feeling well. Just go back and rest!"

Baochai smiled, said nothing more, and then turned and left.

"Baoqin, what are you still standing there for? Come here!"

After being reminded by Zhu Jinghong, Baoqin came over and told the maid outside to bring in water and clothes.

Although she was said to help with changing clothes, it was impossible that it was just Baoqin. Of course, she had to do the personal work.

Looking at Baoqin who was taking off his boots and socks in front of his knees, Zhu Jinghong said with a smile: "Baoqin, where were you when you read the Book of Songs last time?"

She had just finished reading the Book of Songs. Thinking of the previous incident at her desk, Baoqin's face turned even redder and her hands became less agile.

"Ok?"

Baoqin didn't dare to look at Zhu Jinghong at all, and stammered: "I... I can't remember!"

Grabbing Baoqin's delicate hand, Zhu Jinghong stroked it and said, "You have to learn the Book of Songs. I also want to learn more. How can you, the teacher, say that you can't remember it clearly?"

"Brother-in-law~~" Baoqin became more and more shy, and even her voice became soft.

"Everyone get down!"

Zhu Jinghong gave instructions to the maids, and what happened next under the red tent was not something that should be told to outsiders.

The next day came in a blink of an eye. In the morning, Zhu Jinghong learned the Book of Songs with Baoqin again. In the afternoon, he went to the back garden to find Yingchun.

At this time, in Yingchun Courtyard, Zhu Jinghong was leaning on the couch wearing a loose Taoist robe, listening to Yingchun chanting scriptures beside him.

Practicing Taoism does have the effect of calming the mind and spirit, so Zhu Jinghong often went to Yingchun's place, but sometimes they also practiced dual cultivation.

"Huh? Why don't you read it anymore?"

Yingchun suddenly stopped, leaving Zhu Jinghong feeling unsatisfied, so he asked this question.

"I've finished reading it. Do you want me to read another one?" Yingchun asked seriously.

"Forget it, forget it. You are tired too. How can I bear it?" Zhu Jinghong said as he sat up.

The road ahead will be smooth sailing. Now he is at peace and has a beautiful woman by his side. He is in a very good mood at the moment.

He stood up, shook his sleeves a few times, and walked to the door while reciting: "I have trained my body to be like a crane, and I have two boxes of scriptures under a thousand pine trees. I am here..."

Before he could recite the rest of the poem, he saw Yu Hai walking towards him quickly, which interrupted his poetic mood. He knew that something had happened.

"What's the matter?" Zhu Jinghong asked after Yu Hai approached.

"Your Majesty, something happened to the Andong Xingdusi. The Japanese garrison was besieged and has lost contact with the Xingdusi!"

"On the first day of March, a rebellion broke out in Gyeongsang Province in southern Korea, and the Korean garrison in Goseong was surrounded!"

Nowadays, the military forces of the Andong Xingdusi are divided into four parts, namely the Mongolian, Jurchen, Korean and Japanese garrison troops. Each of them is a reinforced version of the garrison with a strength of about 6,000 to 8,000.

After listening to Yu Hai's story, Zhu Jinghong instantly grasped the key point, that is, the city defense thousand households were surrounded.

The reason why a thousand-household garrison was set up in Gucheng was because there was an important port here, which was responsible for transporting military supplies and weapons to the Japanese garrison.

If Gucheng is captured, the Japanese garrison will be in danger!
This alone made Zhu Jinghong speculate that the incidents in Korea and Japan at the same time might be a conspiracy between the two sides.

Since he knew the situation, the emperor must have known it too, so Zhu Jinghong decided to go to the palace to meet the emperor immediately.

The stability of Korea and Japan is extremely important to the Ming Dynasty. After all, these two places are now considered important financial and taxation centers.

The most crucial thing is that the imperial court needs a relatively stable external environment to fully implement the land survey, so the unrest in Korea and Japan must be quelled as soon as possible.

On the way to the palace, Zhu Jinghong was already thinking about how to respond and how to crush the rebellion with a thunderous force.

The most important thing was to decide who would lead the troops. Many people flashed through his mind at once.

As for himself, it was naturally impossible for him to lead troops into battle again. Firstly, his status was too important to take risks now, and secondly, he had to rely on his subordinates instead of doing everything himself.

(End of this chapter)