Chapter 158 Emperor Hongwu’s pettiness
In the blink of an eye, Muchun stayed in Yingtian, the capital, until the end of the month.

During this period, Zhu Yuanzhang was summoned several times, and Zhu Yunwen also visited many times.

Muchun could feel that Zhu Yunwen was trying to win over him, but the emperor's grandson couldn't keep his face down and always put on airs.

It happened that Muchun was a military commander. Although he was not as good as a lump of wood, he couldn't be flattered.

Muchun preferred life in the military camp to Yingtian Mansion.

So Muchun took the initiative to meet Zhu Yuanzhang and said: "Your Majesty, seeing that the new year is approaching, I want to go back as soon as possible, and taxation and other matters also need someone to take care of them."

"Aren't you going to stay for the New Year?" Zhu Yuanzhang was a little surprised. It turned out that his original intention was to keep Muchun in Yingtian for the New Year and then let him go back.

Muchun's heart moved. Did your Majesty want him to stay for the New Year?Or do you want to stay in the capital completely?
After thinking about it, Muchun couldn't help but asked cautiously: "Your Majesty doesn't want me to return to Yunnan? Then I won't go back."

"What are you talking about?" Zhu Yuanzhang puffed his beard and glared, scolding: "Can't we still trust you? When your father was still alive, he had to return to Beijing to resume his life. He was afraid that I would be suspicious of him, but can I not trust your family? ?You are also our family."

Muchun quickly lowered his head, not daring to speak.

Even now, Zhu Yuanzhang still feels a little sad when he mentions Mu Ying.

Regardless of whether Zhu Yuanzhang had suspicions and fears about Mu Ying before, or whether he wanted Zhu Yu to replace Mu Ying.

Now that people are dead, all the bad things are gone, leaving only endless regrets.

So Zhu Yuanzhang didn't want to talk about this anymore.

What's more, compared to Mu Chun, who had just inherited the title, Zhu Yuanzhang was going to be Zhu Yuanzhang's biggest worry.

So how could Zhu Yuanzhang let Muchun stay in Yingtian.

"By the way, since you are already the Marquis of Xiping, what plans should your guard station make?" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly asked.

Mu Chun said his plan without thinking: "I plan to let my younger brother Mu Sheng take over my position as commander and continue to serve the court, your majesty, and your highness."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and wanted to say, why don't you just transfer your troops back to Kunming.

Zhu Cheng now has a full [-] troops as the king's bodyguard. Initially, it was because of Zhu Chu's young age, his desire to restrain Mu Ying, and Mu Ying's own desire to show her loyalty that Zhu Chu's troops were somewhat overstretched.

In fact, including the nine vassal kings before Zhu Chu, the initial guard station did not have a staff like him.

Some vassal kings and even the entire vassal territory only had tens of thousands of troops in total.

This is because Zhu Chu's fiefdom is in Yunnan after all, which is quite special.

But after thinking about it again and again, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't personally speak against his son, right?
Is this going to cut down the feudal clan?

So he could only nod and say: "We know that your family is full of loyal people. Okay, you go down and make preparations first. Don't forget to say hello to us before you leave."

"Yes, I retire."

Muchun quickly left the palace, which made him feel stressed.

At the same time, Muchun breathed a sigh of relief. He could finally leave the capital, which was like a dragon's pond and a tiger's den. As expected, Yunnan was more relaxed and comfortable.

Just after Muchun left, the palace received news that Lijiang chieftain Guan Mude had died of illness, and his eldest son Mu Chu had come to the capital to pay tribute to the emperor.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not respond at first, but just casually ordered Mu Chu to go to court tomorrow morning.

Mu Chu was different from Mu Chun. Mu Chun was personally received by Zhu Yuanzhang in the side hall, which showed his closeness.

Although Mu De was rewarded and praised by Zhu Yuanzhang, in the end it was only because of Mu De's meritorious service in the conquest of Yunnan and because he was a chieftain that he was favored by Zhu Yuanzhang. The purpose was to make Mu De a typical case. , let those toasts who are still waiting to see, as long as you surrender to us, I will benefit you.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang did not remember who Mu Chu was at first, but it was only after the identity of the chieftain of Lijiang was mentioned that Zhu Yuanzhang remembered it.

At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang also heard about this incident from the memorial of the Yunnan victory. When he learned that Mu De could take the initiative to send troops to support Dali and even died of illness on the way, he was considered a loyal hero.

So Zhu Yuanzhang did not hesitate and directly conferred Mu Chu as the prefect of Lijiang, allowing him to inherit Mu De's status as chieftain officer.

So Mu Chu hurried to Yingtian to see Xie En in person.

"Wait," but suddenly, Zhu Yuanzhang remembered something and said to the little eunuch beside him: "Let Mu Chu come to see me first."

The young eunuch was stunned. He was just a chieftain officer. He was still far away in Yunnan and could only hold the position of a local magistrate. Why was he worthy of being personally summoned by Emperor Hongwu?

But he didn't dare to question, so he quickly took people out of the palace to summon him.

After Mu Chu came to the capital, he also stayed in the post house and even met Mu Chun.

The two of them have fought side by side, and they once worked together under Zhu Xun. Now they meet each other and it is particularly sad.

Because Mu Chu’s father died, and so did Muchun’s father.

What's even more embarrassing is that Mu Chu came to inherit his father's position as chieftain, but Mu Chun also inherited his father's title.

When the two met, they didn't know what to say.

Do you want to say that your father is dead?What a coincidence, my father is also dead.

outrageous.

"Greetings to Marquis Xiping," Mu Chu cupped his hands and spoke first.

Mu Chun's status has changed. If Yunnan had not had a vassal king, Mu Chun, the current Marquis of Xiping, would be the king in Yunnan.

Muchun waved his hand and said, "We have been on the battlefield together, so you are welcome."

Mu Chu could only smile bitterly, but he actually understood that the other party was being polite for the sake of his sister.

Because it was Mu Qiu and Mu Chu who actually participated in the decisive battle of Dingbian with Muchun and the others, who were still defending the city of Dali at that time.

Even when it came to the battle with Dao Ganmeng, Mu Chu stayed behind, and it was Mu Qiu who followed Zhu Zhen and wiped out Dao Ganmeng's troops.

At this moment, a group of eunuchs hurried in from outside and announced loudly: "The emperor has issued a decree, and Mu Chu, the local magistrate of Lijiang, has come to the palace to see you."

Mu Chu was startled and quickly knelt down and shouted: "My lord, Mu Chu, obeys the order."

But Mu Chu was wondering in his heart, he was self-aware, how could he be so virtuous and capable that he could be so valued by Zhu Yuanzhang and be summoned as soon as he came to Yingtian?

"Master Mu, come with us quickly, the emperor is waiting," the leading young eunuch urged.

Mu Chu quickly stood up and said hello to Muchun: "Master Marquis, I will go to see your majesty first. See you later."

Muchun also said quickly: "Of course, it is important to meet His Majesty."

The little eunuch looked at the two of them silently, thinking to himself, just talk nonsense.

Mu Chu is indeed a native of Yunnan, and Mu Chun is just a mere Marquis of Xiping. When you go to see His Majesty, you still want to say hello to him?
I can't help but feel a little contemptuous.

So Mu Chu followed the eunuchs to the palace, but when he was halfway there, he suddenly remembered that he had brought many Yunnan specialties and some good things to pay tribute with him this time. How could he forget it?

But he didn't dare to go back and get it, so he could only feel annoyed.

This was the first time he came to Yingtian to meet the emperor. He didn't know the rules and procedures. If he was allowed to go back after this audience, he might not even have the chance to pay tribute to the emperor in person.

Feeling depressed, Mu Chu came to the palace and was taken to the side hall where Zhu Yuanzhang was.

"Your Majesty, Mu Chu, the local magistrate of Lijiang, Yunnan, has brought him here." The young eunuch asked Mu Chu to wait outside, then went in first to report.

Zhu Yuanzhang was holding a book in his hand at this time, looking down at it without saying anything.

Of course the little eunuch didn't dare to disturb him and waited silently.

Mu Chu was the only one who suffered. This was in the palace and outside the gate of Emperor Hongwu. He could only kneel. He could only keep kneeling until he received the next instruction.

Looking at the fold in Zhu Yuanzhang's hand, it was a secret fold sent from Yunnan, and it was signed by Jin Yiwei.

Since Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the pro-military Duweifu and Yiluan Division in the 15th year of Hongwu and replaced them with Jinyiwei, in the past ten years, Jinyiwei has spread all over the world, serving as Zhu Yuanzhang's spies to collect intelligence for him.

When the Jinyiwei were at their most glorious, they could not only supervise all officials and directly report to Tianting, that is, write secrets directly to Zhu Yuanzhang, but they were also responsible for information from surrounding countries.

Apparently there were also Jin Yiwei among Zhu Chu's troops.

Zhu Yuanzhang squinted his eyes slightly at this time, looking at one of the contents, and his heart began to beat with anger.

"Well, Zhu Yu, I'm not dead yet, but you found a wife in Yunnan by yourself? And she's also the princess of the chieftain's family. Mu Qiu, Ale Qiu?" Zhu Yuanzhang became more and more angry as he thought about it.According to Jin Yiwei's secret report, that bastard is already living with the Mu family's daughter.

You are only 12 years old, what can you do?What do you want to do again?
Marriage?Gathering the power of chieftains through marriage, do you really want to raise millions of soldiers to rebel?
How did Zhu Yuanzhang know that although Zhu Yu in Yunnan was indeed 12 years old, he could already make clouds and rain, and his life was extremely nourishing.

As for marriage?

Zhu Chu really didn't disdain this. Instead, he expressed his concerns about the Mu family clearly to Mu Qiu, fearing that the Mu family would take advantage of his status to dominate.

"Let him come in." After waiting for a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang finally relented and allowed Mu Chu, who was kneeling outside the door, to get up.

Mu Chu followed the young eunuch into the side hall, not daring to raise his head, and knelt down as soon as he entered.

"My little minister, Mu Chu, salutes Your Majesty, long live, long live, long live," Mu Chu knocked his head heavily on the bluestone bricks, ignoring his headache and feeling terrified in his heart.

Only then did he feel the oppression from Emperor Hongwu, and finally understood the terror of the Ming Dynasty.

He was considered a local emperor in Lijiang. When he was still alive, he was not afraid of anything. When he first met Zhu Chu, he even wanted to give the little prince who didn't know the heights of the world a showdown.

Now he finally knew that he was the one who didn't know how high the sky was.

Both Mu De and Mu Ying were very respectful to Zhu Cheng.

But before this battle of Dingbian, did Zhu Zhen have any achievements?

Absolutely not.

But is this what Mu De and Mu Ying care about?

of course not.

Just because Zhu Chu was the son of Emperor Hongwu, they had to do this. What they respected was the emperor behind Zhu Chu.

Of course, Zhu Ming has now conquered most of Yunnan with his own abilities and methods. This is another matter.

"Are you Mu De's son?" Zhu Yuanzhang started casually.

Mu Chu didn't dare to say that you were talking nonsense, so he still lay on the ground and agreed: "Yes."

"Get up and talk," Zhu Yuanzhang was quite satisfied with Mu Chu's attitude, so he asked him to get up.

Mu Chu finally got up. His appearance just now, to put it mildly, looked like a dog.

But even with Zhu Yuanzhang's permission, he did not dare to raise his head. Instead, he stood there with his head lowered, extremely humble.

This is Emperor Hongwu, who spent his whole life in the military, and was the emperor who conquered the world.

And although there have been countless peasant uprisings throughout history, how many of them were truly born as peasants and finally succeeded in sitting on the throne?
It has always been the only one.

Others, whether Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty or Li Zicheng, the king of Chuang, either had official positions or other status before the uprising, or they completely indulged themselves before they conquered the world, and ended up losing everything.

Especially in his later years, Zhu Yuanzhang's oppression not only did not decrease, but became more and more severe.

Often when there was a court meeting in the court, one look from Zhu Yuanzhang was enough to make all the officials freeze in fear.

Even Xu Da is often cautious and dare not say much in front of Zhu Yuanzhang now.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Mu Chu and asked some simple questions.

Mu Chu answered more carefully while sweating.

"I heard that your father had a family motto before his death? What did he say?" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly asked.

Instead, Mu Chu breathed a sigh of relief and said quickly: "My father once taught us children, 'Any descendant of mine who accepts official positions granted by the imperial court and guards the border towns must not waver or rebel, causing trouble to the imperial court and His Majesty.' Moreover, I am grateful to Your Majesty for giving us the surname Mu, and I have always been proud of it and never dared to betray the divine grace."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, feeling secretly satisfied. At least Mu De and the Mu family have lived up to our holy grace.

It would be great if all toasts thought this way.

At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang's tone became much more relaxed and he seemed more amiable. He asked again: "I heard that you have a sister named Mu Qiu who is deeply loved by my son?"

Mu Chu's heart moved, and he cautiously raised his head and secretly glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang's expression. As a result, he happened to meet Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, and suddenly realized that although Zhu Yuanzhang was smiling, his eyes were full of coldness.

Mu Chu was so frightened that he broke out in cold sweat. He knelt down with a 'pop' sound again and shouted: "Your Majesty clearly knows that the little sister saw that there was not even a maid or eunuch around His Highness, so she took the initiative to serve His Highness in his daily life. She never dared to do anything wrong. I think so. Not to mention that Your Highness is a prince and your Majesty’s son. His Majesty’s marriage will naturally be handled by Your Majesty. We don’t dare to think wildly, Your Majesty.”

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, threw the secret book out of his hand, and scolded: "You still dare to deceive us? That brat and your sister have been sleeping together for several months. Could it be that he wants to wait until they have a heir apparent so that he can be killed first and then tell the story later? Can’t do it?”

"Ah?" Mu Chu didn't know this. He raised his head blankly and asked, "But isn't His Highness only 12 years old? No, he should be 13 years old, right?"

Because of this, Mu Chu was willing to let Mu Qiu follow Zhu Chu with peace of mind. After all, when he and I wanted to make the beauty time the clock, Zhu Chu refused.

Zhu Yuanzhang himself was stunned for a moment, and after thinking about it, he seemed to be thinking the same thing. What can a twelve- or three-year-old child do?

But neither of them knew that Zhu Zhen had a system, and that the system's properties were so unbelievable.

If Zhu Zhen hadn't had the foresight to take defensive measures, he might not have been born.

"Is that brat always so wanton and reckless? Has he always been so brave?" Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he cursed. The bravery in his mouth was not a compliment, but a bit strange.

Mu Chu didn't dare to talk, he lowered his head and shivered.

"Tell us honestly what that kid did in Yunnan. Don't think that we don't know anything," Zhu Yuanzhang began to scare Mu Chu.

Mu Chu said calmly: "As the king of the border guarding vassal, your highness was unparalleled in bravery when Silun launched the army's rebellion. He led the troops to fight bravely and took the lead. This made the entire army fearless of death and finally defeated an army several times his own." Enemy troops. Then again."

"I know all this," Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted Mu Chu impatiently. Do you still want to talk about his achievements again?It's annoying to hear.

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang's biggest dissatisfaction with Zhu Chu was that this boy was the eighteenth child. It would be great if this was done by the second child.

But the second child is a helpless Adou, so why make him the crown prince?Not to mention that the civil and military officials would definitely not agree, even Zhu Yuanzhang himself knew that the second child was not the material.

Can he be the crown prince?He can't do it.

But the question is, what does Lao Shiba want to do with these achievements?Does he want to be crown prince?He can't do it either, he doesn't have the identity or qualifications.

Those who should do these things cannot do them, and those who should not do them have made extraordinary achievements.

Zhu Yuanzhang's mood was also very complicated. At first he praised him as my tiger cub, but now he just wants him to be a cat and just be obedient.

As the Hongwu Emperor, could Zhu Yuanzhang not know the benefits of returning to his hometown?But there are some things that Zhu Ming shouldn't do.

It has to be done by the court and the emperor, not you, the vassal king.

What do you want to do?Do you really want Yunnan to become your vassal state and then become independent from the imperial court?
Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang had the boss opinion on Zhu Biao. If Zhu Biao had not died, Zhu Biao would have been transferred to Minshan in order to pave the way for Zhu Biao.

But today's situation is obviously more chaotic. As the crown prince, Zhu Yunwen is obviously not as good as his father Zhu Biao.

This grandson of the emperor is not as good as the prince.

In addition, Zhu Biao also had a legitimate son, Zhu Yunxi, and Zhu Yuanzhang was even worried that the natal family forces behind Zhu Yunxi would cause chaos in the future, such as Lan Yu.

Now is not the time to deal with that brat.

Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a while, took a long breath, and said to Mu Chu: "Get up first."

Only then did Mu Chu stand up again.

Just how long ago, in order to see Zhu Yuanzhang, Mu Chu knelt outside for a long time. When he came in, he banged his head and trembled with fear from the aura of Emperor Hongwu.

Mu Chu even felt that his life might be shortened by several decades.

Dad, please walk slowly, your son will be here soon.

Mu Chu was already about to cry.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Mu Chu's appearance and found it a bit funny. A local emperor who was domineering in the local area had to be as timid as a mouse in front of a real emperor like himself.

"Okay, you go back first. And what I just said, you know what should be said and what should not be said," Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Mu Chu warningly.

Mu Chu was going back to Yunnan later, and Zhu Yuanzhang didn't want Zhu Zhen to know that he was already suspicious of him.

He can do it, but Zhu Zhen can't know it, let alone complain. Emperor Hongwu is so narrow-minded.

(End of this chapter)

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