The stupid son of Chongba

Chapter 176: Zhu treated Mu Ying like his own son! Can you shoulder the heavy responsibility of defending the Ming Dynasty?
Mu Ying was sitting nearby, also grinning.

It is rare to see a scene like today - my godfather was scolded by someone and he couldn't refute it.

This deflated look is very rare!
"According to what you said, the design of this cabinet is not bad..."

Old Zhu didn't care about Zhu Ju's retort, his attention had already shifted to the "cabinet".

"Seven people share the power and work together to govern, and they can also play a role in checking each other."

"You also arranged for three new scholars to enter the palace. This is a brilliant move. It can not only train these top talents selected through the imperial examination, but also allow them to occupy cabinet seats and fight for you."

"Hmm... the idea is clear and unique, quite good."

The top three candidates selected in the imperial examination and chosen by Zhu Ju could be directly regarded as the royal family's direct descendants.

As long as they are used properly, there is absolutely no problem in letting them charge into battle.

After taking a closer look, he realized that the seven members of the current interim cabinet were indeed within Zhu Ju's control!

There is a reliable brother-in-law and a father-in-law with great prestige.

Liu Bowen and Song Lian are two ministers with reliable character and outstanding abilities!

Zhu Yuanzhang was thinking at this moment... If he really 'passed away' as the rumors said, and Zhu Ju was to take over, then the ruling team he temporarily formed could really stabilize the rule!
Thinking of this, Lao Zhu couldn't help but grin.

This brat really has some skills!

“There are still loopholes.”

Zhu Ju said,
"Although the cabinet consists of seven members, theoretically they can check and balance each other, in reality, the power of the prime minister is still too great."

"It is still possible for one family to dominate and have the final say, especially when the monarch is mediocre and the prime minister is extremely talented."

"So, I've been thinking about making a patch recently... For example, the cabinet's prime minister will serve for four to six years, and the minister who is elected as the prime minister can only be elected as the prime minister for two terms at most, and can no longer serve as the prime minister after that!"

"In this way, no one can occupy the position of Prime Minister forever. With this rule in place, it will be much easier for the emperor to exercise checks and balances."

Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his beard.

"Well... the term is once every few years, and you are not allowed to monopolize the position of Prime Minister! When the time is up, you have to get out!"

He nodded in approval.

"That's a good idea!"

"I have always been concerned about the Prime Minister. Now that I hear what you said, I can definitely impose this restriction on the minister who serves as the Prime Minister!"

"Only the emperor can sit on the dragon throne permanently. Everyone else has to take turns sitting on the throne!"

"This is good...haha, you have inspired me!"

Zhu Ju shook the fishing rod.

"This is strange. There is no movement at all."

"It must be because we didn't dig enough holes..."

He muttered to himself, picked up another piece of meat and threw it into the lake.

Pfft!
Zhu Yuanzhang: "???"

"Are you fishing or feeding the fish?"

Old Zhu was surprised.
"How can you be like this? That ball of meat filling is enough to buy several fishes!"

Zhu Ju smiled.

"Fishing is not about the value of the fish, but about the fun..."

He said,

"If I fish in this nest, I'm sure I'll get a lot of fish! You guys can get some too!"

Zhu Yuanzhang: "..."

"By the way, I also set up an institution with a transcendent status!"

Zhu Ju put down his fishing rod again, looked at Mu Ying, and said,
"I call it the Cardinal's Office!"

"Right now, I have appointed Brother Mu Ying as the Cardinal Minister!"

Swish.

Zhu Yuanzhang turned his gaze to Mu Ying.

"Cardinal Minister?"

"What kind of position is this?"

Zhu Ju pursed his lips at Mu Ying.

Mu Ying understood what he meant, and bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang and said respectfully:

"In reply to Father, according to your Highness' design, the Cardinal Minister is actually an official who controls the most core secrets of the court."

“His Highness said that the Cardinal’s Office is a temporary institution that is even more temporary than the Cabinet. It doesn’t even need a specific office space, because the word Cardinal actually represents the Emperor’s will. Whatever the Emperor wants to do, it’s the Cardinal!”

"And the Cardinal Minister is the official responsible for conveying and implementing the emperor's will."

"His existence has only this one purpose - to accomplish what the emperor wants in the most direct and efficient way!"

After saying that, Mu Ying turned and looked at Zhu Ju.

"Your Highness, my understanding should be correct, right?"

Zhu Ju smiled and nodded.

"Absolutely right! Brother Mu Ying is really smart!"

He praised,

"You've grasped the essence so quickly!"

Mu Ying grinned and cupped his hands.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who was sitting on the right, was lost in thought.

"Cardinal..."

"Then this thing is very powerful! It makes the imperial power even stronger!"

Old Zhu pondered for a moment, then clapped his hands and said,
"The emperor's decrees were originally to be issued through the three ministries, and the three ministries have those ministers. If they disagree, they have the right to reject them. Even our decrees have been rejected several times."

"But if we bypass them and issue orders directly through the cardinals and have them executed, then wouldn't it mean that the emperor can do whatever he wants without any constraints?"

"Okay, okay, this one is good too!"

After just a brief thought, Zhu Yuanzhang clapped his hands in admiration!

He has been working hard to strengthen the imperial power. After all, in his opinion, it would be better for the Yuan Dynasty to lose the world!
The Ming Dynasty must learn from this lesson. As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he must firmly control the entire country and cannot relax or delegate power!
The establishment of the Cardinal's Office will obviously make power more centralized.

However, the selection of the Cardinal Minister must be done carefully, after all, the power is too great...

Zhu Ju chose Mu Ying, which, in Zhu Ju's opinion, was a good choice.

Mu Ying was a capable and trustworthy person. Although he was only an adopted son, in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, he was no different from his biological son.

“There are also disadvantages.”

Zhu Ju said,
"In this way, the power of the Cardinal Minister is even greater than that of the Prime Minister. As the executor of the Emperor's will, in a sense, he is the actual controller of the imperial power."

"So, I think that the Cardinal Minister should not have a rank or salary. It should just be a temporary title. Once the Emperor revokes the title, the Cardinal Minister who holds great power will immediately be reduced to his original position!"

"He can only rely on the emperor! He cannot rely on power to expand his own power."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded repeatedly.

"It makes sense, it makes sense..."

"You think far enough. I can't think that far at once! Brat, you're really good this time!"

He couldn't help but praise.

Zhu Ju's two systems, one cabinet and one cardinal office, are very advanced if you think about it! They are obviously better than the current three-province and six-department system! Especially for the emperor.

With this reform of the court structure, the dragon throne under the emperor's buttocks is obviously more comfortable to sit on!

Isn't this what he has been pursuing?
"Hey, that's natural. When can I not live like this?"

Zhu Ju smiled and held his head high.

After all, he came from the future, and although he could not bring modern civilization, it was still quite easy for him to set up a court system that was more conducive to centralization.

"Now I think what you just said is insightful."

Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his beard and said,

"We cannot guarantee that every future emperor will be wise and strong, so... we must have a good system to ensure the smooth transition and operation of imperial power and to ensure that the throne is occupied by the descendants of our Zhu family."

"I feel that these two inventions of yours are... useful! Let's try them out first!"

As a pragmatist, since Zhu Ju’s two inventions are effective, why doesn’t he use them?

"Well, we can run it for a trial run first, find out the flaws and deficiencies, and then make improvements."

Zhu Ju said seriously,
"When I was in court, I kept stressing that the cabinet was temporary and might be adjusted or even abolished."

"Let me say this first, so that no one can gossip about us behind our backs and say that we are messing around... For example, this time, you came with a knife and wanted to chop me. You must have heard someone gossiping about me behind my back, right?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was slightly stunned, and then looked a little embarrassed.

"There are some nonsense rumors in the market... But I didn't really believe them in the first place. I was just afraid that you would make a fuss."

Old Zhu said,
"Now it seems that all that nonsense is nonsense!"

Before he finished speaking, his eyes had already fallen on Mao Xiang.

"Mao Xiang, you go and deal with these public opinions."

Zhu Yuanzhang ordered.

"According to the order!"

Mao Xiang's expression turned cold, he suddenly bowed and turned away.

Wow!

"Your Highness, the fish float is moving!"

Mu Ying tugged at Zhu Ju's clothes and pointed at the lake to remind him repeatedly.

Zhu Ju raised his eyebrows and hurriedly pulled the rod.

Swish!
A white fish jumped out of the lake and was pulled to the shore by the fishing line.

"Haha, finally we're not in the Air Force anymore!"

Zhu Ju smiled brightly and threw the white fish into the fish basket.

Seeing that Zhu Ju had caught some fish, Zhu Yuanzhang became a little impatient. He was not a patient person who liked fishing to begin with, and now that the float had not moved for a long time, he wanted to pull up the fishing rod and change his position.

But who would have thought that when he pulled it, the fishing rod sank.

"Hmm? Any fish?"

A hint of joy appeared between Zhu Yuanzhang's eyebrows, and he pulled quickly and hard!
Wow!
Something also flew out of the water, but it was not a fish, but a piece of tattered lavender clothing.

"WTF?"

Zhu Ju looked up and said in astonishment,

"Aha?"

"Is this... a bellyband?"

Although the clothes were a bit tattered, their features were very obvious: they were a woman's close-fitting bellyband!
Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned dark.

"This is an inner lake, and the water is poured in. How could there be something like this?"

He threw away the fishing rod, kicked the bellyband twice with some disgust, and looked unhappy.

"Well, what else could it be? It must be someone in the palace having a secret meeting."

Zhu Ju looked like he was just looking for trouble, and he held his chin in his hand and said seriously,
"Either the palace maids and guards were having a secret meeting in this imperial garden, or it was some neglected concubine or guard. It's also possible that it was an outside flower thief. The palace restrictions in our Forbidden City have never been very strict."

"Oh, yes, eunuchs are also possible. Although they don't have any down there, it doesn't prevent them from using other parts."

"besides……"

He was so excited when talking that he even thought of the scene where 'the bellyband promised by X was hung on the face of a lunatic, and the lunatic threw the bellyband into the lake on a whim'.

"Your Highness, Your Highness..."

Mu Ying quickly tugged at Zhu Ju's sleeve.

"What's wrong? Uh..."

Zhu Ju raised his head only to be pulled by Mu Ying, and met Zhu Yuanzhang's unfriendly eyes.

And that face as black as charcoal.

"Well... well, Dad, I'm just guessing."

Zhu Ju quickly stood up and threw the white fish back into the lake, saying,

"I caught a fish today. It was a great success! And my father's dragon body has recovered. It's a double happiness!"

"Dad, now that you've recovered, can I rest now?"

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw him changing the subject, he snorted coldly.

After hearing those speculations, although he didn't say anything, he already felt a thorn in his heart.

If there really were slaves, guards, or even concubines in the palace who dared to behave recklessly, he would definitely pull those bastards out and put them in a pig cage!
This matter must be investigated later!
"We have recovered a little now, but we have not yet recovered to our best condition."

Zhu Yuanzhang said,

"Besides, I'm not familiar with the things you set up, so I still need you to continue to manage them."

Zhu Ju glared.

"If you want to use the things I've come up with, you can continue to use them. If you don't want to use them, just cancel them. Just do it according to your own ideas!"

He even said,
"Don't make me work as an errand boy anymore, please!"

As he spoke, Zhu Ju bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang repeatedly.

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but laugh and cry when he saw this.

This traitor, who usually acts so nonchalantly even when asked to pray for peace, is now worshipping him as if he were a god, and he almost kneels down and kowtows to me.

"Why, is the task we gave you a hot potato?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked back, unhappily,
"Afraid to avoid it?"

"You have to know that what we are letting you exercise now is our most precious power!"

"Don't be so ungrateful, you're taking advantage of me and still acting like a good kid!"

Zhu Ju's face looked bitter.

"There is a word, have you ever heard of it?"

"speak."

"Your honey is my poison!"

Zhu Yuanzhang: "!!!"

"You deserve a beating again, don't you?"

Old Zhu suddenly stood up and kicked Zhu Ju in the butt!
Zhu Ju dodged nimbly and escaped quickly.

"Smelly boy..."

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw Zhu Ju running away, he did not chase him. He just snorted coldly and sat down again.

There were only two people left by the lake.

When Zhu Ju left, the smile on Mu Ying's face, who was originally grinning while watching the show, instantly disappeared.

No more laughing.

Being alone with my stepfather is too stressful!
Just being together without talking makes people nervous! After all... there is probably only one person like Zhu Ju in the world!
"……father."

Mu Ying pondered for a long time before speaking.

"I feel... I am still not qualified for the position of Cardinal Minister. This position is too important..."

"I……"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand.

"Since the brat has chosen you, you should be the boss first."

He smiled and said,
"I also think that you are a suitable candidate. I was just thinking about what position to arrange for you, and he arranged it for me."

"Cardinal Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, tsk tsk, Mu Ying..."

The fishing rod in Mu Ying's hand shook.

"My son is here."

He responded quickly, looking respectful.

"In fact, we have always had high expectations of you."

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and raised his hand.
"Okay, stop fishing and walk with me."

"It's a rare opportunity for us, father and son, to talk and chat alone."

Mu Ying's expression changed, and a warm feeling flowed through his heart.

As an adopted son, he benefited greatly from this sentence. Although he was a strong man, he was once an orphan and had always been lacking love in his heart. He also longed to be recognized and accepted.

Therefore, the four words "we are father and son" are more precious to him than any reward.

"Okay, I'll walk with you."

"Your dragon body has just recovered, so you need to walk around a bit to regulate your energy."

Zhu Yuanzhang walked towards the imperial garden, and Mu Ying followed quickly, but lagged behind by half a body length so that he could listen to his teachings.

"It's not easy for our Zhu family to have such a situation now."

Zhu Yuanzhang said with his hands behind his back,

"You heard everything I was talking to Lao Liu just now, right?"

"What do you think?"

Mu Ying's heart sank.

Just now he was just a bystander and didn't dare to say a word.

Even when Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ju talked about the crucial points, he didn't even dare to breathe, as if he was a transparent person.

Because the two of them were discussing the most core issue of the Ming Dynasty's imperial succession, and even listening was considered an act of usurpation for him!
At this moment, his adoptive father asked him to express his thoughts, and he was naturally a little hesitant.

"It's okay, just say whatever comes to mind."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and patted Mu Ying on the shoulder, saying,

"We won't treat you like we did to Lao Liu."

"That brat deserves to be punished, so we have to deal with him. You and Biao'er are more alike, so we don't have to worry about either."

Mu Ying smiled.

If he could really get along with his adoptive father like the King of Wu, that would be what he had always dreamed of.

"In reply to Dad, my feeling after listening to you is that His Royal Highness the King of Wu is very talented!"

Mu Ying took a deep breath and said,

"Throughout the dynasties, many emperors wanted to make changes to the three provinces and six ministries and the prime minister system, but in the end they either failed or gave up."

"Why? On the one hand, the ministers below are against it, and on the other hand, the emperor is afraid that if one thing is moved, the whole body will be disturbed. If it could have been running well, it will become a mess instead."

"For the sake of safety, even if the emperors had their own ideas, they could only continue to follow the old system and continue to share the world with the literati."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly.

"That's right. Emperors of all dynasties, including me, never act rashly. This is the reason."

He said,

"But we are not afraid of any opposition from the ministers. Can those people stop us? What a joke!"

"I'm just worried that the idea isn't thorough enough, and someone might find a loophole and it won't be pretty... I've suffered from this before."

At this moment, he thought of the treacherous minister Yang Xian again.

That incident was very embarrassing! It really damaged his image as a wise and decisive person!
And Zhu Yuanzhang is the one who cares most about face!
"That's why I say that King Wu has great talent. He came up with the cabinet system and the cardinal office system in a short period of time."

Mu Ying showed admiration and said,

"I suspect that he figured out these two systems in just one night!"

"In addition, he also made good choices of officials, which was very reasonable! What I find most incredible is his ability to control risks!"

"Trial run, temporary cabinet, temporary cardinal office... these words all show that he is bold and careful, and he leaves room for maneuver!"

"He also told me that if there are any shortcomings or deficiencies, we can adjust and improve them at any time, or even eliminate them! A small ship is easier to turn around!"

"Based on these words, I can conclude that he is actually an extremely pragmatic person! Under his unruly appearance, he has a crystal clear heart!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but look surprised.

"You think so highly of him?"

he asked.

Mu Ying shook his head.

"Dad, it's not that I think highly of you, it's just the truth. I'm just stating what I saw."

He said truthfully,

"I believe that Dad and everyone else can see what I saw."

"Gold will always shine, and it cannot be hidden."

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he couldn't help but smile.

"Haha...Okay, then let me ask you, who do you think is better, Zhu Biao or Zhu Ju?" he asked.

When Mu Ying heard this, his heart skipped a beat!
This question is not easy to answer!
"…All good! I've always thought Biaodi has the demeanor of a king, and I still think so now!"

Mu Ying didn't dare to spend too much time thinking, and quickly spoke,

"And the King of Wu gives me a feeling like Zhuge Liang, very smart and wise, always able to think of things that others can't think of, which is amazing!"

"If the two of them can cooperate, they will be invincible!"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Mu Ying and his smile grew wider.

"That's right, I think the same as you."

He patted Mu Ying's shoulder, walked to a pavilion, and said,
"However, what we want is not just the combination of two swords! But the combination of many stars surrounding the moon!"

"Our sons are all bright stars, gathered together to protect the moon! And the moon is naturally our Zhu family, the royal family! And the main object of protection is the emperor!"

"This is also the reason why we named the second, third, and fourth brothers the King of Qin, the King of Jin, and the King of Yan. In our design, they are all stars!"

"And you-"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Mu Ying.

Mu Ying's breathing hitched slightly.

"You will also be one of them."

Zhu Yuanzhang stood with his hands behind his back and said softly,

"I have many adopted sons and nephews, but you, Mu Ying, are the only one I treat as my own son."

"I'm not just saying that I treat you like my own son. I'm treating you like my own son! In the future, you'll have to guard a piece of territory for the Ming Dynasty!"

"From generation to generation, we will live together with the country!"

"Now, do you understand your responsibilities and mission?"

Mu Ying: “!!!”

Pfft!
Mu Ying, with an excited expression, knelt heavily on the ground and bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang!
"father!"

"I……"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his sleeves and said:

"Don't talk nonsense to us, and don't piss us!"

"Let me just ask you one question. If I put you in the order of my biological sons, do you have the ability to shoulder this responsibility?!"

boom!
Mu Ying hit his head on the floor tiles, making a crisp sound!
"Dad wants to pass on the burden to me, and I will definitely carry it even if it costs my life!"

He raised his eyes and said in a sonorous and powerful voice,

"Son, not only must you pick it up, you must pick it well! Let your descendants pick it well too!"

"From now on, I will tell my son and grandson that the purpose of the Mu family's existence is to protect the Ming Dynasty! As long as the Ming Dynasty survives, the Mu family survives! If the Ming Dynasty is in danger one day, it must be over the corpses of my descendants!"

These words were passionate and earnest, and Zhu Yuanzhang's mouth curled up with a look of satisfaction.

"well."

"You are worthy of being our good son. Your mother and I made the right decision to adopt you."

"Come on, get up, get up..."

He personally stepped forward and helped Mu Ying up.

"Thank you dad."

At this moment, Mu Ying was still in an excited state, and his whole body was a little tense.

From this we can see that he put his heart and strength into saying those oath-like words just now!
"What are you thanking me for? I'm your father."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said,
"To be honest, the second and third brothers are really not as good as you."

"Now that the Sixth Master has made you a cardinal minister, this is also a good thing. It will allow you to quickly familiarize yourself with government affairs and know how to govern the country. We will not revoke this position for you, unless one day we need you to guard the border and govern a region."

"When that day comes, the experience you gain now will come in handy!"

In Zhu's heart, Mu Ying's ability was at least above that of Zhu Chong, Zhu Su and others. As an adopted son, the most suitable place for him was naturally a place that was chaotic and difficult to govern.

Yunnan.

This was the place Zhu Yuanzhang was planning to hand over to Mu Ying to guard in the future.

That place requires not only military capabilities but also mature political means to be able to subdue and suppress it. Therefore, Zhu Ju let Mu Ying be the cardinal minister. In Zhu Ju's view, it was simply a stroke of genius!
Everything is arranged perfectly!
"Well! Don't worry, Dad. I will do my best!"

Mu Ying was full of energy at this moment, and he bowed and said,

"I will never let my father, mother, and His Royal Highness the King of Wu down!"

Full of vigor and high spirits.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Mu Ying, as if he saw how he looked when he faced Guo Zixing.

He had said similar words before.

It seems like a lifetime ago...

"Come on, accompany us to Kunning Palace."

Zhu Yuanzhang said,

"Now that you're back, you have to talk more with your mother. I know that compared to me, your mother is still the one you are closest to."

Mu Ying smiled and scratched his head.

That's true.

Being with my godfather, there is always an invisible pressure, as if I have to deal with inspections anytime and anywhere.

But being with my stepmother is very relaxing, there is only care and warmth.

"Hehe...there is one more thing. We have to find her and ask her for an explanation!"

"go!"

……

The Forbidden City, at a corner of the Imperial Road.

Mao Xiang looked at Song Zhong in front of him with a calm expression.

"Commander, I..."

boom!
Before Song Zhong could finish his words, Mao Xiang slapped him in the face!
Song Zhong felt pain, but he could only cover his face and fell to his knees with a thud.

"Want to fuck me?"

Mao Xiang sneered,
"Do you think you can kick me out and take over just by reporting to a higher level?"

"I'm telling you, you're still a little naive!"

Song Zhong knelt on the ground, saying nothing.

"This slap is just a warning. I regard you as the prince's man, so I won't touch you."

Mao Xiang looked down at Song Zhongdao and said,
"If I catch you again, I won't care who you belong to."

"As long as I am the commander, you have to kneel!"

"Now, get up!"

Song Zhong stood up slowly.

"Commander, it is my fault. I deserve to die!"

Snapped!
Snapped!
He looked at Mao Xiang and slapped himself hard in the face.

Each slap he slapped himself was slow, but extremely heavy!

If he keeps hitting like this, it won’t be long before his own teeth are knocked out!
Mao Xiang suddenly laughed, grabbed his hand and said:
"Okay, just get the conversation going."

"We are still brothers. I was almost destroyed by His Majesty. You have to let me vent my anger, right?"

"Let's go, do what needs to be done. I distinguish between public and private affairs. If you have made any contribution, I will report it to you."

Song Zhong lowered his head and bowed to Mao Xiang.

"Thank you, Commander."

After saying that, he walked towards the imperial road ahead.

Mao Xiang looked at his back, the smile on his face gradually turned cold, and he said softly:

"Bitch."

……

Inside Kunning Palace.

"Ma Xiuying!"

"How do you manage your harem?"

Zhu Yuanzhang brought Mu Ying back to Kunning Palace and started to question him!

"What are you yelling about?"

Ma Xiuying was making clothes at the moment. When she heard Zhu Yuanzhang yelling, she felt unhappy and turned around and said,
"What's wrong with my harem management?"

"I……"

"Huh? Where did you get this bellyband?"

When she raised her eyes, she saw the lavender bellyband held in the hand of the eunuch beside her, and then she looked at Mu Ying who was walking beside her, and her expression couldn't help but look a little strange.

"You ask me? I still want to ask you!"

Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily,

"I was fishing in the pond in the Imperial Garden, but I didn't catch any fish. Instead, I caught this thing!"

“Who threw this in there?”

"You are in charge of the harem. If something like this happens, who should we look for if not you?"

Ma Xiuying: “…”

This time, she was choked.

A bellyband was fished out of the lake?! This is not just a bellyband thing... maybe there will be some messy things behind it!
After all, this is an extremely private object for women...

"Let me see..."

She walked forward, took the tattered bellyband in her hand, looked through it, and said thoughtfully,
"It's not old. The pattern on it is a cloud pattern made last year. As for the fabric..."

"Chongba, give me some time, I will definitely get to the bottom of this matter."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly.

"ASAP!"

"Also, don't spread this scandal! It's shameful!"

Ma Xiuying: “???”

A lot of people in Kunning Palace already know about your high-profile accusation, and now you say not to spread it.

are you crazy? !

"……understood."

But after all, she was in the wrong, so Ma Xiuying could only agree to it, and handed the bellyband to Cuizhu, and said,

"How's Little Orange?"

"You went there with a knife? Where's the knife?"

Zhu Yuanzhang shrugged.

"We were just trying to scare him. We couldn't really kill him. So we naturally returned the knife to Mao Xiang."

He said,

"That brat's stuff is still somewhat useful, let him do it for a few more days."

"But I'm going to go back to my own room and sleep. It's really uncomfortable to be scolded by you every day here!"

"Humph!"

After saying that, he turned around and left without looking back, leaving Mu Ying with an embarrassed look on her face.

"mother……"

"Here……"

My godfather left in such a hurry?

"It's okay, your father is just like that, don't worry about him."

Ma Xiuying smiled and waved her hand, saying,

"Come here and talk."

"The past two days were too rushed, and I was still lying on the sickbed, so I didn't have a good look at you. Today, we can finally have a good chat."

"sit."

"Okay." Mu Ying relaxed and walked over to sit next to Ma Xiuying.

"Cuizhu, go to the Needlework Bureau first and check who is using this batch of fabrics."

Ma Xiuying ordered,

"Look at this fabric, it's not bad. Maybe it belongs to a high-ranking maid in the palace."

"Alas! I didn't expect that there would be such a thing in the harem I manage... Chongba has caught him now. You should find out as soon as possible. When the truth comes out, I will call all the concubines and female officials to a meeting."

Cuizhu nodded repeatedly and left quickly.

"Mom, are these children's clothes?"

Mu Ying looked at the sweater in Ma Xiuying's hand and asked with a smile,

"Which brother is it for?"

"It's great to have clothes knitted by my mother. I remember I also had two pieces, but unfortunately I couldn't wear them anymore when I was 16 or 17 years old. But I have kept them well and plan to give them to my son in the future."

puff.

"Haha... I remember I sewed you a dress when you were twelve. You actually wore it until you were seventeen? It would have been torn, wouldn't it?"

Ma Xiuying glanced at Mu Ying, couldn't help but chuckled, and said,
"Okay, don't treat it as a family heirloom. The clothes aren't valuable. You've worn them for so many years, they've become loose. How can you let my grandchildren wear them?"

"I'll sew one for Chun'er later. He's still in Fujian, right? We must bring them here two years ago so I can see my great grandson."

Although I don’t have a biological grandson yet, it’s also nice to hug my adopted grandson and have fun!
"Thank you, mother!"

Mu Ying was overjoyed and knelt on the ground to kowtow and express his gratitude.

To him, no matter how big or good the reward was, it was nothing compared to this piece of clothing personally sewn by his stepmother!

Mother hands line, wandering clothing.

That's not clothes, that's precious motherly love!

"Get up, get up. Stop kneeling and kowtowing so often. That's not allowed here."

Ma Xiuying raised her hand and said,

"If you want to thank me, give me some more grandchildren or something."

Mu Ying stood up and couldn't help but grin when he heard this.

"Mother doesn't know yet...it's my fault for not reporting it."

He smiled and said,
"Two years ago, Chun'er had a younger brother named Mu Sheng."

"He's over two years old now. I'll ask them to bring him here so you can have a look."

Ma Xiuying: “?!”

"Another son?"

She was surprised and couldn't help but praise him.

"Oh my, oh my, how can I say that you are doing well! You already have two sons! Your wife is also good, she can give birth to children! When Yingtian comes, I will definitely reward her well!"

"By the way, Xiao Yingzi, do you have any secret to having a son? Tell me so I can tell Biaoer later."

Mu Ying laughed.

"What's the secret? As long as the relationship between husband and wife is good, why worry about not being able to have children?"

He waved his hand and said casually,

"It's just that I was a little busy in the past few years. Otherwise, I could have given birth to three or five of them easily and it would have been easy!"

Ma Xiuying couldn't help but marvel at what she heard.

"That makes sense, that makes sense... Biao'er was too busy before, so he neglected Chang. Even if Chang wanted to have a baby, a good housewife can't cook without rice!"

She pondered,

"I'll have to create opportunities for them so that Biao'er can put aside his government affairs and go out to travel!"

"They did nothing but play, and as they played, the baby was conceived naturally!"

"right?"

"That's right!" Mu Ying smiled brightly and nodded repeatedly.

"I'm going to give this one to Little Orange's child."

"Xiaojuzi is getting married to Miaoyun, the girl from the Xu family. I don't agree to it because that girl is usually lazy and not as diligent as Biao'er. She will definitely give birth to a baby well, so..."

"..."

Mu Ying listened quietly, occasionally interjecting or nodding, with a warm smile on his face.

Chatting with my stepmother about these trivial matters can make me relax and feel warm...

……

The next day.

The daily grand court meeting was held as usual.

In the early morning, raindrops were still falling. Since the last time we prayed for rain, Yingtian seemed to have become more weathery and there were often such light rains to nourish the earth.

A group of officials walked across the Jinshui Bridge and arrived at the Qianqing Gate.

Braving the wind and rain, they quietly waited for the boy to arrive.

However, after a quarter of an hour.

The boy still did not appear.

After half an hour's time limit.

Still no one.

The rain had stopped and the sun was shining through the clouds.

Unknowingly, all the civil and military officials had waited until the Si hour, but the Regent Zhu Ju still hadn't arrived!
"This……"

"Who will go and urge them?"

"Yes, it's been almost an hour. Will the grand court meeting start? There are still a lot of things to do in the government office."

"Who isn't...?"

"..."

The officials became more and more anxious as they waited.

Mao Xiang had already realized that something was wrong and was already outside the King of Wu's residence.

"Your Highness, Your Highness!"

"you……"

He was about to shout, but was stopped by Jianqi.

"Master Mao, His Highness is ill."

Jianqi said,
"He's resting right now and can't get up, so... you'd better not disturb him."

Mao Xiang: "???"

"sick?"

No way? Wasn't he still fine and alive yesterday?
Got sick overnight?

"What's wrong? Have you consulted a doctor?"

He quickly said with concern.

Jianqi winked at him.

"Your Highness said that he was overworked and that he would be fine after a few days of rest."

she said,

"It's also my fault for not informing you in advance."

"This grand court meeting cannot be delayed. After all, all the civil and military officials are still waiting... Do you want to think of another way?"

Mao Xiang blinked.

"...Oh, I see. Okay, okay."

He suddenly said,

"Your Highness has indeed been too worried these past few days and has fallen ill..."

"Please say hello to His Highness for me. I'll take my leave now!"

After saying that, he turned around and went straight to the Qianqing Palace!

(End of this chapter)