Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 39
"Zixu, the second direct descendant of Yan, does know some tactics of war..."

In the Duke of Song's mansion, listening to the news coming from the front yard from the servants below, an old man in the backyard study stroked his white beard.

Song Guogong Feng Sheng is now sixty-eight years old.

His stature is not tall, just average-looking, and his face cannot look like he did when he was young due to aging.

The white hair and white beard on his face all reflected his old age, and he originally thought that he could spend his old age peacefully with his old age.

But it turned out that he was wrong...

Ever since Zhu Yuanzhang found out about his son-in-law secretly coming to meet him five years ago, his heart was in his throat.

Afterwards, Zhu Yuanzhang punished Zhu Ru and moved him to Yunnan.

Feng Sheng originally thought that the matter would end like this, and Zhu Yuanzhang could still distinguish right from wrong.

However, Zhu Yu, who was moved to Yunnan, was allowed to return to Kaifeng in only two years, and the person who had to bear Zhu Yuanzhang's fear became himself.

"You said it was you who got married. Your son made a mistake, but you blamed me. If the eldest brother is still here, why should I do this..."

Feng Sheng did not dare to speak out, so he could only blame Zhu Yuanzhang in his heart, and at the same time thought of his brother who died in his prime.

He knew very well that how many years he could live depended on Zhu Yuanzhang's physical condition.

No matter what, Zhu Yuanzhang would not allow himself and Fu Youde to survive.

Before he dies, he and Fu Youde must die.

Thinking of this, Feng Sheng slowly stood up and walked to the front yard with unsteady steps.

Now he wanted to know why Zhu Yuanzhang sent a young boy to monitor him.

He definitely had his intentions in doing this, and he had to figure this out.

Feng Sheng walked to the front yard, and Zhu Gaoxu was also observing the front yard from the window of the reverse room.

But while he was observing, he suddenly heard footsteps outside the courtyard wall.

"There is an edict from the inner court, and Duke Feng Sheng of the Song Dynasty will accept it!"

Suddenly, a harsh sound sounded, Zhu Gaoxu stood up subconsciously, and a group of eunuchs also walked in from the door of Song Guogong's mansion.

When Zhu Gaoxu saw this, he walked out of the house, and the servants of the Duke of Song Dynasty also hurriedly went to pass the news.

"Your Highness..."

The eunuch in the front yard saw Zhu Gaoxu's face clearly and bowed after a few steps.

"Is it an imperial edict issued by the Emperor?"

Zhu Gaoxu glanced at the jade scroll imperial edict held in the eunuch's hand, and felt a bad premonition in his heart.

"Your Majesty Feng Sheng...accepts the order!"

Suddenly, a powerful, yet hoarse voice resounded in the front yard, and everyone looked towards the source of the voice.

There, a [-]-year-old man wearing a long robe was staggering towards him. His back, which was once as straight as a bamboo, became hunched over with age.

His appearance was very ordinary, no different from some old men in the park that Zhu Gaoxu had seen in his previous life, but his eyes were bright and shiny, different from the turbidity of his peers.

In front of Zhu Gaoxu and the eunuchs of the inner court, Feng Sheng walked up to them, knelt down directly, and bowed five times and kowtowed three times to the imperial edict.

Zhu Gaoxu knew that Feng Sheng was not guilty, so he couldn't help but feel guilty. He turned sideways to avoid his salute and bowed in return.

His actions were fully seen by Feng Sheng. However, compared to him, the eunuch of the inner court next to him accepted the gift without hesitation in accordance with the palace's requirements, and asked politely:

"Song Guogong, don't you even have an incense table in your house?"

"Already preparing, please wait a moment, father-in-law."

Feng Sheng, the Duke of Song Dynasty who once dominated the north and south, was now explaining to a eunuch like a pawn.

This scene made Zhu Gaoxu feel a little uncomfortable, so he had to turn his head away.

"Forget it, it's okay if you don't."

The eunuch who delivered the edict shook his head, but still did not let Feng Sheng stand up. Instead, he opened the edict and sang without mercy:

"Feng, Tian Chengyun, the emperor's edict: The way of heaven is to make up for the deficiencies with excess, and when people go against the way, it is with deficiencies. Those who follow the way of heaven with excess are benevolent people, and those who are deficient and have excess are not benevolent people, ugh..." The beginning of the imperial edict , Zhu Gaoxu broke out in a cold sweat, and even thought about whether Zhu Yuanzhang would kill Feng Sheng tonight. After all, the seriousness of the imperial edict starting with "The Way of Heaven", even if it is an oral copy, is enough to make people feel frightened.

Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but glance at Feng Sheng, but found that Feng Sheng's eyes were very dull, like a pool of stagnant water.

When he looked at Feng Sheng, the eunuch who delivered the edict also finished reading the content of the imperial edict, and there was no words in it about killing Feng Sheng.

But in the vernacular, it’s like, “Good luck brings disaster upon you, so you have to be careful.”

It can be said that this is a very serious warning.

Zhu Gaoxu looked at Feng Sheng, wondering if he understood, but he couldn't see any waves on Feng Sheng's face.

"Your Majesty Feng Sheng, take the order..."

Feng Sheng took the imperial edict with both hands and then stood up slowly.

Because he was old, he would feel dizzy when he stood up suddenly, so his body shook a little.

Seeing this scene, Zhu Gaoxu and the servants behind him felt tense, and they all wanted to step forward to help him, but Feng Sheng broke away from the servants' support. Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu also stopped trying to help him.

"The imperial edict has been delivered, so our family will say goodbye."

The eunuch who delivered the order did not have much respect for Feng Sheng. Instead, after finishing his words, he bowed respectfully to Zhu Gaoxu, licked his smiling face and said flatteringly: "Your Highness, I will take my leave."

"Well..." Zhu Gaoxu had no expression on his face, but he was very disgusted with this eunuch in his heart.

Upon seeing this, the eunuch led the people behind him out of Song Guogong's mansion, and Song Guogong Feng Sheng also glanced at Zhu Gaoxu after receiving the imperial edict.

After Zhu Gaoxu felt it, he bowed his hands to him and saluted as a junior.

No matter what Feng Sheng was to Zhu Yuanzhang, in Zhu Gaoxu's heart, if Feng Sheng had not regained the northwest and pacified Liaodong, then I am afraid that these pieces of Han land would have returned to the Han family a few years later.

In terms of national sentiment, Zhu Gaoxu still respects Feng Sheng very much.

However, Feng Sheng didn't respond. He just looked at him and turned around to leave.

Soon, Zhu Gaoxu could no longer see his figure, and he also returned to the reverse room after Feng Sheng disappeared.

When he returned to the reverse room, Feng Sheng returned to the study room in the backyard and sat down. The steward who escorted him back could not help but feel angry:
"My lord, that eunuch doesn't take you seriously!"

"A tiger falls down and is bullied by a dog. Behind the dog stands a real dragon. What can you and I do..." Feng Sheng didn't seem to take what just happened to his heart. He responded lightly and then focused on Zhu Gaoxu and the imperial edict just now. content.

"Your Majesty wants me to restrain myself."

Feng Sheng breathed a sigh of relief. At least Zhu Yuanzhang had not made up his mind to kill him.

While taking a soothing breath, Feng Sheng also thought of Zhu Gaoxu just now, and couldn't help but ask the manager: "What do you think of Yan's second son, Zixu?"

"That one respects you, Duke..." the chief replied without thinking, and responded in depth:
"I asked the soldiers. Although this person has only been in Baihusuo for three days, the soldiers all thought that this person gave them an indescribable feeling."

"Probably out of respect." Feng Sheng hit the nail on the head.

After so many years of experience, he can naturally tell what is fake and what is true.

However, the respect given by Zhu Gaoxu gave Feng Sheng a rare feeling.

It seems that with him, he truly puts aside his own identity and gets along with others as equals.

This feeling makes Feng Sheng feel very ridiculous, because from his more than 70 years of experience, a born nobleman like Zhu Gaoxu, no matter how much he wants to get close to others, will always give people a sense of distance.

But in front of Feng Sheng, Zhu Gaoxu perfectly showed his approachability and the feeling of being indiscriminate of high and low.

This feeling is very similar to that of Zhu Yuanzhang...

"..." Thinking of this, Feng Sheng couldn't help but think of the figure at the foot of Zhimiao Mountain.

At least at that time, he was very sincere to everyone...

"Haha..." Feng Sheng couldn't help laughing, because in his memories he still noticed something was wrong with Zhu Yuanzhang.

After thinking of Zhu Gaoxu, Feng Sheng probably knew what Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to do.

He turned to look at the manager with a rare smile on his face:

"Tomorrow, ask someone to pack up the books in this study and go to the back-seat room in the front yard. When Yan's second descendant Zixu comes again in the future, open the back-seat room for him to study!"

(End of this chapter)