Spoiler History: Starting from the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 769: The Senator Arrives Late
"Second brother, why doesn't Daddy summon us at Jinshen Palace? If not, Fengtian Palace will do."

Zhu Gang tugged at the sash on his body and adjusted the crown tassel on his head.

He liked this robe and crown very much, but it was not very convenient for him to move around after putting it on.

In comparison, Zhu Gang was more envious of his second brother. Zhu Gang did not have these troubles when wearing the same imperial crown. His second brother was tall and strong, and he walked steadily, which made him much more majestic than his thin and frail brother.

"Third brother, what are you thinking? Can Fengtian Palace be opened casually?"

Zhu Chong looked disdainful for a moment, then felt a little strange:
"But it does not make sense that today's summons were not sent to the Jinshen Palace."

Zhu Gang looked sideways and could see that his second brother's crown didn't shake much when he was talking, and it remained stable, which made him very envious.

In fact, Zhu Gang himself knew that what he just said was unrealistic.

Apart from the harem, the most prominent parts of the imperial palace in Yingtian Prefecture are the three palaces.

The southernmost and largest Fengtian Hall, the northernmost Jinshen Hall, and the Huagai Hall located between the two halls.

The most majestic of them is the Fengtian Hall. Standing here, you can face the Fengtian Gate and the Wulong Bridge. On the left, from near to far, are the Wen Tower and the Taimiao. On the right, are the Wu Tower and the Sheji Altar. The hall is the largest, tallest, and most magnificent, so it is only opened for grand court meetings, important ceremonies, and for officials to come and congratulate.

The Jinshen Hall is relatively smaller but is used most frequently. The emperor holds banquets, celebrates birthdays, entertains relatives, and discusses secret matters here.

As for the two brothers, they had no impression of the Huagai Hall. After all, it was the smallest hall, and their father would usually go there to change his clothes and prepare when preparing to go to the Fengtian Hall to participate in grand ceremonies or court meetings.

So what could be the reason why Daddy summoned them to Huagai Palace now?
It can't be that mom embroidered a new robe for dad and asked them to help take a look.

With all sorts of random thoughts in mind, the two brothers passed by the Qianqing Palace, climbed up the long steps with grunts, and in front of them appeared the Jinshen Hall.

Recalling the fifteenth day of the first lunar month a month ago, all the people in the palace gathered here for a banquet, and then followed their father to the top of the imperial city gate to watch the fireworks and have fun with the people. Zhu Chong couldn't help but take a few more glances.

Although he still didn't know why his father called him back this time, for Zhu Chong, this New Year celebration was definitely the best comfort for him in the past three years. He also seemed to understand why his father summoned the painter to draw a family portrait.

He sighed in his heart, but no expression appeared on his face. After passing the empty Jinshen Hall, the Huagai Hall was already in sight. However, the two brothers also knew that the main entrances of the three halls all faced south. If they wanted to enter the hall, they would need to pass by the Huagai Hall to reach the main entrance.

As they walked around the Huagai Hall, which was not very big, the two brothers could clearly hear the casual conversation in the hall.

"Brother Xu Da, you're leaving tomorrow? Are you determined? You won't rest for another three months and let Doctor Dai..."

This was the voice of their father that they were most familiar with. The two brothers could also recognize that the voice that responded was from General Xu Da:
"Your Majesty, although the war in Peking has stopped for a while, the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty may attack again at any time. I still have to monitor all matters of the Shanhaiwei."

"Besides, how can we just let the remnant Yuan be so arrogant? I have to gather my men and fight back while the season lasts. It will be too late to go north tomorrow."

Daddy is really going to hold a meeting here? The two brothers muttered to themselves, and then quickened their pace. When they turned the corner, they heard two voices they had never heard before:
"How is Mr. Luo's Journey to the East going?"

"I still only have a few clues, but since your majesty has given the order... I hope I can learn something today. Master Daoyan, can you teach me?"

"As for writing, I still need to ask Mr. Luo for advice. How dare I teach you? I just want to say that since the Tang Dynasty, there have been countless Buddhist monks who traveled to the East, so there are many records of folk customs and strange stories. If Mr. Luo needs anything, I will tell you everything I know."

"In this case, I need to thank Master Daoyan first."

"It's alright. We are all following the orders of Your Majesty for the Great Ming. I just hope Mr. Luo will allow me to take a look at the final version of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms." As they turned around and saw the main entrance, the conversation gradually faded, but the two brothers couldn't help but look at each other:
"I have never heard of what the two said just now. Could it be that the secret discussion in Huagai Palace spread by the officials in the capital is true?"

Zhu Gang wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered:

"Why bother with so much? Won't you know it naturally after you go in?"

After that, the two brothers ran to the main door together, then raised their hands and lowered their heads, regardless of anything, and confessed their crimes together:
"I am late, I hope you will forgive me!"

As soon as the words came out, there was silence all around. The two brothers were suddenly shocked, but soon they heard the familiar voice of the fourth brother:

"Second brother, third brother, are you guys going to pay respects to our ancestors later?"

Then came the eldest brother's voice, trying not to laugh:

"It's not that we're late, it's just that we were impatient and came early."

When the two heard this, they looked up and saw that it was their father with a stern face. Then they looked around and saw that several of their brothers had already fallen down laughing. Their mother was also there, also covering her mouth with her hands, her eyes full of smiles.

Looking around, there are civil and military ministers, doctors, fortune tellers, monks, and the Jinyiwei that has been re-established after converting to Buddhism. It's such a mixed bag. What are they trying to discuss here?
But no matter what they were discussing, it probably had nothing to do with the solemn atmosphere that the two brothers had previously guessed. The only thing that was the best explanation was that the two of them were wearing formal attire. For example, General Xu simply wore only casual clothes.

"Just obey me."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hands helplessly:

"That's because I didn't tell you two in detail before... Never mind, we'll know later."

"Take off the tassel on your head. It's tiring to wear."

After following what Dad said, the two of them sat down and discovered that the chairs here formed a faint pattern of a semicircle, and in the center of it... was an ordinary screen?

Zhu Biao saw the obvious confusion on his two younger brothers' faces, shook his head and smiled:

"Just wait and don't get scared later."

Zhu Gang was sitting on a chair at this time and heaved a long breath, sweat dripping down his forehead. Hearing this, he said unconvincedly:
"What are you talking about, big brother? What can happen here? Even if Dad announces that my second brother and I will lead the army to destroy the remnant Yuan, we will not frown at all!"

Zhu Chong didn't say anything, but nodded as well.

Everyone is already sitting here. What is being discussed is nothing more than the affairs of the Ming Dynasty. What's so shocking about it?
While the two brothers were muttering in their hearts, in the former Prime Minister's Mansion in Yecheng, Liu Xie put on a clear-eyed smile in front of the bronze mirror.

Ever since Fu Shou helped him make up his mind that night before the New Year, he went to see his uncle privately for a heart-to-heart talk between the two of them.

Since then, Liu Xie has been quite calm in using his uncle as his right-hand man to take charge of all affairs in Yecheng.

After this, Liu Xie felt that the dark cloud that had been hanging over his head since the sixth year of Zhongping had finally dissipated.

(End of this chapter)