Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1137 Deep love for licking the calf
Seeing the decisiveness in Zhu Cizhao's expression, Zhu Youjian sighed inwardly. He had never thought that he, the fourth prince born to Concubine Tian, ​​would be so decisive and courageous.

Compared with his two elder brothers, Zhu Cizhuo, who had a volatile personality and could not even study well before, was the most independent and courageous among the children. In Zhu Youjian's view, his choice was also a good way out. Although going overseas was risky, for an emperor like Zhu Youjian, this was not an opportunity to escape from the cage. If it were not for his special status, Zhu Shenzhu would never let him leave the palace. Zhu Youjian even had this plan himself.

Originally, when Zhu Shenzhui asked Zhu Youjian for his opinion and proposed to let his several princes be enthroned as vassal kings overseas, Zhu Youjian wanted to let his former crown prince and the third son go. Unfortunately, although the former crown prince and the third son were of noble status, well-educated, and well-behaved, they backed off from such a choice and directly refused the opportunity to be enthroned. On the contrary, the fourth son, whom he looked down upon, made a decisive decision and took the initiative to offer to be enthroned overseas.

Moreover, in the days that followed, Zhu Youjian also saw Zhu Cizhuo's hard work and growth. He never thought that one day Zhu Cizhuo would make him look at him with such a new eye. At this moment, Zhu Youjian once again doubted his own vision. Could it be that his vision was so bad? He had misjudged the Donglin Party at first, and then misjudged Yuan Chonghuan. He had made countless wrong choices during his years as emperor, which eventually led to the Ming Dynasty being on the verge of collapse and destruction.

Although Zhu Youjian lost the throne because of Zhu Shenzhu, and fell from a supreme ruler to a nominal "emperor" under house arrest in the palace, Zhu Youjian had to admit that if there was no Zhu Shenzhu, what would the Ming Dynasty be like? It is hard to say whether the Ming Dynasty still exists in this world.

The current Ming Dynasty not only quelled the civil strife and restored people's livelihood, but more importantly, it achieved what none of its three predecessors since Wanli had been able to do, that is, it completely resolved the Liaodong issue and wiped out the Jiannu army entrenched in Liaodong.

Zhu Youjian had to admit that he was not as good as Zhu Shenzhu in governing the country. When he took over the throne and became emperor, the Ming Dynasty was not as bad as it was later. Not only was the treasury abundant, the political situation was stable, the imperial power was secure, and even the situation in Liaodong was very good. However, during the more than ten years when he was emperor, the Ming Dynasty was plagued by internal and external troubles and was on the verge of collapse.

On the contrary, Zhu Shenzhui turned the tide, cleaned up the mess, and pulled the Ming Dynasty back from the brink. The great victory in Liaodong and the destruction of the Jiannu proved this point. Although Zhu Youjian was resentful and dissatisfied with Zhu Shenzhui for losing the throne, when the news of the great victory in Liaodong came, Zhu Youjian was not more angry. On the contrary, a big stone in his heart fell to the ground, and he was completely relaxed.

Over the years, Zhu Youjian gradually figured it out. As long as the Ming Dynasty was in the hands of the Zhu family, it didn't matter if he didn't become the emperor. Moreover, Zhu Shenzhu's treatment and attitude towards Zhu Youjian were impeccable. As an emperor who was forced to abdicate, it was rare for him to have such an ending. Throughout thousands of years of history, people of his status in all dynasties did not end well. Now he can live in the palace safely with his family by his side, all because of Zhu Shenzhu's generosity and kindness.

Nodding slightly and looking at Zhu Ci Zhao deeply, Zhu Youjian said: "Since you have made the decision, then go ahead..."

"Thank you, father. Father, I will not be by your side in the future. Please take good care of yourself..." Zhu Cizhao showed joy on his face. He stood up and knelt down towards Zhu Youjian, saying this sincerely.

"Get up, the ground is cold." Zhu Youjian raised his hand to let him get up, then took out something from his arms and handed it to him: "We are now in a foreign vassal state, thousands of miles apart. I don't know if my father and I will ever see each other again in this life. You can keep this thing with you as a reminder."

After taking a closer look, Zhu Cizhou recognized what it was. It was a seemingly ordinary jade pendant. There were countless treasures in the palace, and an ordinary jade pendant like this was not noticeable at all. But this jade pendant had a different meaning. It was the relic of Empress Xiaochun. Empress Xiaochun was Zhu Youjian's biological mother and his grandmother. She was only Guangzong's concubine during her lifetime and did not have a high status in the harem.

In December of the 38th year of the Wanli reign, she gave birth to Zhu Youjian, but died of illness in the 42nd year of the Wanli reign, when Zhu Youjian was only four years old. Although Zhu Youjian had a vague memory of his birth mother, he missed her very much. During the Tianqi reign, the Emperor Tianqi specially conferred the title of Xianfei on his birth mother because of Zhu Youjian. After Zhu Youjian succeeded to the throne, he conferred the title of Xiaochun Empress on his birth mother and moved her to Qingling Mausoleum to be buried with Emperor Guangzong.

Empress Xiaochun left behind not many relics, and this jade pendant is one of them. Zhu Youjian has kept it close to his side for decades, and he often plays with it in his hands to express his longing for his mother.

"Father, this..." Zhu Ci Zhao knew what the jade pendant meant to Zhu You Jian, and hesitated for a moment. "Take it, you know its origin, and if you have it with you when you go overseas, your grandmother will surely bless you in heaven." Zhu You Jian smiled faintly and stuffed the jade pendant directly into his son's hand. Holding the jade pendant, Zhu Ci Zhao's eyes couldn't help but moisten, and he nodded vigorously.

"Oh, by the way, spend more time with your mother these days. When you get to your fiefdom and have a foothold, if you have the chance, you can ask the emperor to let your mother go there to reunite with you. It has not been easy for your mother over the years. If you can accompany her overseas and show her filial piety, it will be my wish come true."

"I understand, father, don't worry, I...I will..." Zhu Cizhuo knelt down to Zhu Youjian again and kowtowed three times. This time Zhu Youjian did not stop him. After he kowtowed, he personally helped him up, and then gave him some careful instructions before letting him leave.

Time flies and it is late March. It is finally time to set off. This time, not only Zhu Mincheng, the Prince of Song, will be on the trip, but Zhu Cizhuo will also be traveling with him. When the court officially announced this, it did not cause any disturbance among the people, but it caused a great deal of commotion within the royal family.

The royal family, especially the senior royal family, never thought that the emperor would use this method to enfeoff princes. Zhu Ci Zhao was fine, after all, he was the son of Zhu Youjian, and Zhu Youjian, as the abdicated emperor, was abdicating in name, but in fact he seized the throne.

As a deposed emperor, Zhu Youjian's identity in the Ming Dynasty was very embarrassing. Many people were surprised that the emperor could keep him alive and keep him in the palace for so many years. This time, Zhu Ci Zhao was exiled, which was no different from exile in the eyes of the royal family. Although the court explained the benefits of the New World, the so-called New World was more than thousands of miles away from the Ming Dynasty, and it was a long way across the ocean. For a prince of a deposed emperor to be exiled there was much farther than the previous exile to Lingnan or Liaodong.

Therefore, in the eyes of the royal family, Zhu Cizhuo's exile was actually a means for the emperor to further eliminate Zhu Youjian's influence among the people. But when they learned that Zhu Mincheng was also exiled to the New World, the royal family was dumbfounded. You know, Zhu Mincheng is the legitimate son of the current emperor, the dignified King of Song! His status is not comparable to Zhu Cizhuo, so how could he also be exiled?
Although it was rumored that Zhu Mincheng took the initiative to request a title outside the throne, the clan members did not believe this rumor. They thought it must be due to other reasons, which led them to think of the possibility of a fight for the throne. Although the emperor was in his prime, the average age of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty was not very old, and the crown prince Zhu Minlan was already an adult, even with a grandson. So it seemed that Zhu Mincheng might have set his sights on the throne of the crown prince because he was also the legitimate son, and the two brothers started to fight for it.

In this political struggle, Song Wang Zhu Mincheng was the losing party, or his actions angered the emperor, who exiled Zhu Mincheng overseas on the pretext of being a foreign title. This rumor was quite popular within the royal family, and even spread more and more, and eventually reached the ears of Zhu Shenzhu and his son. Hearing this rumor, Zhu Shenzhu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, but did not give any explanation.

In his opinion, this kind of explanation is not necessary at all. On the contrary, explaining it will make people feel that it is trying to cover up something. What is true cannot be false, and what is false cannot be true. Let the facts prove everything.

On the day of leaving the capital, Crown Prince Zhu Minlan saw off Prince of Song Zhu Mincheng and Zhu Cizhao. Of course, Zhu Cizhao was only a supporting role, the real protagonist was Zhu Mincheng.

The two brothers said goodbye reluctantly, and this scene of brotherly love and respect dispelled the so-called struggle for the throne. After leaving the capital, they first arrived in Shandong, boarded a ship in Laizhou, sailed across the Bohai Sea to Liaodong, and then turned east to Pi Island.

Pi Island is now an important base of the Beiyang Navy and the first transit point for their voyage this time. Li Dingguo has been waiting at Pi Island with his men. He not only brought 1,200 elite soldiers carefully selected and trained for Zhu Mincheng, but also 1,000 elite soldiers of the Eight Banners selected later. The latter are for Zhu Ci Zhao. Although Zhu Ci Zhao's status is different from Zhu Mincheng, he is also a vassal king who was appointed overseas this time. Whether it is for political purposes or for the sake of the royal family, the necessary preparations must be considerable, which also reflects the emperor's generosity.

In addition to the soldiers, there were also accompanying officials, attendants, craftsmen, etc. Moreover, this fleet not only included the Beiyang Navy, but also some were transferred from the Nanyang Navy. In addition, there were two large warships built with the shipbuilding technology that the Ming Dynasty had just obtained from Europe and three galleons purchased from Portugal as the main transport ships. The person commanding this fleet was even more famous. He was none other than Zheng Hongkui, the former admiral of the Shandong Navy, the Earl of the Ming Dynasty and the Jinwu General.

(End of this chapter)