Rebirth of Zhu Di's son

Chapter 63
After the father and son chatted for a while, the chariot stopped outside the West Palace Gate.

"Our legs are really not up to par."

Zhu Yuanzhang clenched his hands into fists, patted his left and right thighs, and said helplessly.

Seeing this, Zhu Di quickly grabbed Zhu Yuanzhang's hand, bowed and said, "Dad, let me carry you on my back this way."

"Alright."

Zhu Yuanzhang was not a coy person and agreed readily.

"We carried you on our back when you were a child, do you remember?"

Zhu Yuanzhang lay on Zhu Di's back and recalled the past many years ago.

"Of course my child remembers that one time when I climbed a tree to dig out a bird's nest, I accidentally fell down and injured my foot. It was my father who carried me all the way to the Taiyuan Hospital. At that time, you even scolded my mother and said she didn't care about me."

As Zhu Di spoke, he raised his right arm to wipe away the tears that blocked his sight.

"You left one thing unsaid."

Zhu Yuanzhang added: "After your feet recovered, we beat you up. It was your eldest brother who interceded for you, so we forgave you."

Mentioning Zhu Biao, he sighed and said, "I'm afraid we'll be in good spirits now that we're in such good spirits. I think I'll be reunited with your eldest brother, second brother, and third brother soon."

Zhu Di was carrying Zhu Yuanzhang on his back and was stepping across the threshold of the palace gate. When he suddenly heard these words, his heart trembled, his feet became unsteady and he almost fell.

"You can't carry us anymore?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

"My son can carry it."

Zhu Di let the tears flow down his face and down his neck, soaking the clothes on his chest, and carried Zhu Yuanzhang out of the palace step by step.

The two chamberlains, with quick eyesight and quick hands, hurried forward to help Zhu Di put Zhu Yuanzhang into the chariot.

"Go to Fengxian Hall."

Zhu Di boarded the chariot, took Zhu Yuanzhang's arm, and gave instructions to the chamberlain who was clearing the way.

The father and son took the same carriage and arrived at Fengxian Hall a quarter of an hour later.

Zhu Di first carried Zhu Yuanzhang out of the chariot, and then carried Zhu Yuanzhang into the palace.

Several on-duty chamberlains had already set up chairs in the main hall in advance, and filled the incense table with various tributes.

When they saw King Yan Zhu Di carrying Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang into the main hall, they quickly went up to help Zhu Di help Zhu Yuanzhang sit down on a chair.

"Dad, do you feel unwell?"

After Zhu Yuanzhang sat down, Zhu Di asked with concern.

"Go back."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not answer Zhu Di, but glanced at the attendants near the palace gate with indifferent eyes and ordered.

After all the attendants retreated.

Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head, stared directly at Zhu Di beside him, and suddenly asked: "Fourth brother, you promised that after taking the throne, you would rest and recuperate for the first ten years and not use large-scale troops. You have said this before the throne of your ancestors." Swear, do you remember?"

"Of course I will remember it, kid, and I won't dare to forget it!" Zhu Di quickly replied.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked again: "Do you know why we want you to recuperate?"

Zhu Di replied without thinking: "Dad is afraid that I will follow the old path of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty and use all the strength of the country to conquer foreign countries."

"You can understand."

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "The Sui Dynasty ended the chaos in the Northern and Southern Dynasties and should have enjoyed the world. If Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty hadn't expended national power and rushed to eliminate Goguryeo, the Sui Dynasty would not have perished so quickly."

Seeing that Zhu Di listened carefully, he added another sentence.

"Eat food one bite at a time, and do things one by one. In the way of governing a country, the most important thing is to avoid quick success. Think about it, what's the use of being anxious? As long as it gets better day by day, how can there be no hope for life?"

At this moment, Zhu Gaoxu's voice came from outside the hall.

"Grandpa, Dad."

Zhu Di heard the sound and walked to the entrance of the palace and saw Zhu Gaoxu and Princess Xu holding a baby in his arms.

"Gao Xu, please bring the child in."

Zhu Di nodded to Princess Xu, and then led Zhu Gaoxu into the Fengxian Hall.

"grandfather."

Zhu Gaoxu shouted with joy when he saw Zhu Yuanzhang with bright eyes.

"Give the child a hug." Zhu Yuanzhang said.

Zhu Gaoxu bent down and handed the child in his arms to Zhu Yuanzhang who was sitting on the chair.

After Zhu Yuanzhang took the child, he immediately smiled and lowered his head to tease the child.

After a while, he faced the ancestral throne in the main hall of the palace and said something very formal respectfully.

"My ancestors and clans, Chongba is fortunate enough to be blessed by heaven and has a great-grandson. I am here to tell you."

After finishing his formal words, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes fell on the tablets of his parents' gods, and he said with emotion: "Father, mother, Chongba has a great-grandson! Have you seen it in the sky?" In the past five years, he has seen After Zhu Gaoxu's various extraordinary achievements, he firmly believed that the old Zhu family was blessed by God, that the miraculous prophecies were true, and that Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu were the successors chosen by God for him.

After a while, Zhu Yuanzhang stopped sighing and returned the child in his arms to Zhu Gaoxu, saying: "Let someone take the child down and take good care of him."

Zhu Gaoxu resisted the urge in his heart to ask Zhu Yuanzhang to name the child in his arms, walked out of Fengxian Hall with the child in his arms, and handed it to Princess Xu who was still waiting outside.

"Talk to your grandpa properly."

Princess Xu said with red eyes.

Zhu Gaoxu nodded solemnly and said: "Don't worry, Mom, I will accompany my father on his last journey together."

Then, he turned back to the palace, walked gently to Zhu Yuanzhang's side, and watched quietly.

"Dad, what's wrong with grandpa?"

Zhu Gaoxu was startled when he saw Zhu Yuanzhang sitting motionless on the chair.

Zhu Di said: "Your grandpa just said he was a little tired and wanted to take a nap, but he fell asleep in the blink of an eye."

Half an hour later, Zhu Yuanzhang did not wake up, and Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu were a little anxious.

Another half an hour passed and Zhu Yuanzhang still did not wake up. Zhu Di hurriedly sent someone to Chuantai Hospital to sentence Zhang Yixian.

After Zhang Yixian arrived, he took Zhu Yuanzhang's pulse, but reported that he did not know when Zhu Yuanzhang would wake up.

Zhu Di was extremely anxious and wanted to kill Zhang Yixian, but his reason told him not to do so.

As a result, Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu waited until Yinshi the next day without eating or drinking.

Zhu Yuanzhang finally opened his eyes.

"Daddy (grandpa)!"

both father and son shouted in unison.

After Zhu Yuanzhang woke up, he said with a smile: "Do you two know why we have repeatedly committed major crimes and implicated thousands of people since the founding of the country?"

"My child (grandson) doesn't know." Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu replied one after another.

Zhu Yuanzhang would not tell Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu that he had a long, long dream after falling asleep just now.

In his dream, he dreamed of Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Zhu Wenzheng, Li Shanchang, Liu Ji and others, and also dreamed of Lan Yu who was killed by him. His life seemed to have passed in a dream. Again.

"After we established the Ming Dynasty, we were not in a hurry to get rid of the old men who had served as officials in the previous dynasty. It was because at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, people's livelihood was in decline, everything was in ruins, people were in peace, and the people hoped that the imperial court would protect them from weapons. After suffering, we can resume production and live a stable life."

"After a few years, we started major cases and purged waves of officials. It can be said that 'officials have no job'. This led to many officials secretly scolding us for being cruel."

"But how do we treat the people? We clearly stipulated in the imperial edict that the people can sue the officials. Was this possible in the previous dynasty? Just because we made life difficult for those corrupt officials, they united to slander us and accused us of being cruel. This is the hateful thing about corrupt officials."

Speaking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Zhu Gaoxu, then looked at Zhu Di and said: "We have talked with Gao Xu about this matter. Do you know what Gao Xu said at that time?"

Seeing Zhu Di's silence in response, Zhu Yuanzhang said bluntly: "Gao Xu said that the previous dynasty had a tax farming system, and the big landowners in many places enjoyed various privileges, just like the local emperors. But after the founding of this dynasty, those officials who were born as big landowners, Lost the privileges of the past.”

"If we don't give them privileges, they will slander us. If you want them to praise you after you succeed to the throne, you can give them privileges."

Zhu Yuanzhang said half-jokingly.

When Zhu Di heard this, he quickly said he didn't dare.

"In this regard, we remember what Gao Xu said very well - the butt determines the head. When you sit on the throne, you will understand the reason why we have repeatedly raised the butcher knife."

Zhu Yuanzhang said with emotion.

"The emperor is a widower and has no friends. Therefore, loyal ministers must use it, and treacherous ministers must use it. As an emperor, he must hold a butcher's knife in his hand, and his subordinates must keep eagles and dogs. A wise emperor will never be killed by a butcher's knife or eagles. Instead of being injured, I will kill the evil eagle dog with a butcher knife. Do you understand what we mean?"

"What Dad means is that loyal ministers and traitorous ministers can be used as hawks, dogs or butcher's knives. How to use them depends on the situation."

Zhu Di replied.

He knew in his heart that killing people would not solve the problem of official corruption. After all, corruption was an eternal problem.

"In the future, you must use the legal system to restrain all officials, and do not imagine that all officials will restrain themselves with morality. For example, increase the salary of officials, regulate the functions to be performed by each official position, and strengthen the censorship The supervision and supervision of the Yanguan.”

Zhu Yuanzhang recalled all his past actions and felt that some things did not require the use of extreme means, and that it might be better to be gentler.

"I understand, kid," Zhu Di said.

"It's good to understand."

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath and said, "We are a little tired."

He had just said too many words, and the little energy and energy he had left had been consumed, and the energy in his eyes was fading at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Dad, I will carry you to the chariot and go back to the West Palace to rest."

Zhu Di tried to help Zhu Yuanzhang's arms, but he saw Zhu Yuanzhang's two hands on the armrests of the chair instantly dropped weakly.

"Gao Xu, come here, give me a hand, I want to carry your grandfather to the chariot."

Zhu Di didn't want to believe that Zhu Yuanzhang just went like this, so he grabbed Zhu Gaoxu and said.

"Dad, grandpa is dying!"

PS: I congratulate Emperor Hongwu on his ascension to heaven and become a god!
(End of this chapter)