Ming Dynasty: Traveling through the harem, Zhu Yuanzhang was dumbfounded

Chapter 103: Marshal Xu, your son-in-law later became the emperor

The next day.

In the early morning, there was a thin mist.

Yang Chen changed his clothes and washed up in the house. After he had his meal served by four beautiful ladies, he headed to the sandy land.

As soon as I entered the door, I saw a group of people discussing something in full swing.

Basically, it was some knowledge that Yang Chen taught the other party.

Lao Zhu saw that chemicals could increase the power of gunpowder at a very small cost.

He allowed Yang Chen to go to the imperial prison to find a Taoist priest.

He even ordered Mu Ying to find those alchemists who were harming the people.

These guys are all criminals and will eventually die. Instead of wasting them, it is better to let them contribute their final value.

Yang Chen originally thought that after seeing the dead body, these guys would all suddenly realize that this was a scam.

I didn't expect that this group of crazy people would actually comfort themselves and say that the ferrous sulfate extracted from alum was magic water when they saw it.

If Yang Chen had not made clear regulations, any new items that appeared would have to wait for him to identify them before they could be used.

Otherwise, someone will die from intestinal perforation.

"Master Yang, are you awake?"

Tao Chengdao was dressed in simple cloth. When he saw Yang Chen appear, he hurried over to greet him.

“By the way, sir, the chalk you asked me to make by mixing gypsum with various dyes is now ready.

Fortunately, you reminded me early, otherwise I might not be able to use these chalks until noon."

He took out piles of molds from the house and poured all the mold-making chalk on the servant's presentation board.

White, indigo and red chalks made of plaster began to be scattered in front of Yang Chen.

He picked up a piece of red chalk at random and squeezed it. The hardness was about the same as in later generations.

"Yes, this color is quite good. Pack it up. I will take it to the palace later."

"Ah? Lord Yang? Why is this?"

Tao Chengdao originally thought that these things would be kept for use on the battlefield, so how could he have imagined that Yang Chen wanted to take them to the harem?

As far as he could consider, could this chalk be included in the tribute?
But he didn't expect that the next sentence would make him gasp.

Yang Chen said casually:

"It's nothing, actually. The prince just asked me to teach his son. I'll stop by later to see if his son has any potential."

"what?"

Tao Chengdao was stunned at first, then he reacted and looked at Yang Chen's back in disbelief.

The prince's son? That means he is the grandson of the emperor!
Teach the Holy Grandson
Tao Chengdao looked at Yang Chen's back, then looked at everything around him, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Haha. Lord Yang's intelligence is enough to surpass the entire Ming Dynasty. If he can become the teacher of the Holy Sun, his career will surely be very successful in the future, especially if the Crown Prince successfully becomes the emperor.

Lord Yang is the Crown Prince's Third Master of the Eastern Palace."

"It seems that I will definitely be able to accomplish what I want in the future! No one can stop me!"

When he thought of his dream of flying, Tao Chengdao turned around and left, packing up the chalk as ordered.

Then he went on to monitor the alchemists as usual.

"Sir, the King of Yan is here again."

Yang Chen had just walked away from the sand, preparing to see if he could write some books, otherwise he would not be able to talk to Zhu Xiongying empty-handed later.

As a result, news came from outside the door that Zhu Di had come.

“Yongle?
Why is this guy here again? "

As soon as Yang Chen asked, Zhu Di pushed the maid away and a grinning face appeared in front of him.

"Ha! Brother Yang!"

"Yongle? Do you have nothing to do all day or something?

You come to me whenever you have something to do, are you trying to get some free food and drinks again?"

Without even raising his head, Yang Chen directly exposed what Yongle had done when he came to him in the past.

He had just made Coke, but within three days, Zhu Di came to his door and asked for it shamelessly. Yang Chen couldn't resist this guy, so he gave him some.

Who would have thought that the dignified King of Yan would agree to Yang Chen's condition of being respectful in front of him in the future just for Coke.

Every time he saw Zhu Di coming to his house, Yang Chen subconsciously thought that this guy was here to eat and drink for free.

Seeing the other party's stereotype, Zhu Di's expression changed again and again, and finally he put on a smiling face.

You can tell at a glance that he has other thoughts in mind.

"Brother Yang, I'm not that greedy. I came here today because I need your help with something important."

Hearing this, Yang Chen raised his head and looked at the hesitant Zhu Di.

This guy spoke weakly, and you could tell at a glance that he lacked confidence.

"Find me?"

Putting down the pen, Yang Chen walked across the table and looked Zhu Di up and down.

"As the King of Yan, you have much more power than others. How come you still need my help?"

Seeing that the matter could no longer be concealed, Zhu Di started to use violence without saying a word.

"Brother Yang! Anyway, things have come to this point, I'm sorry for you!"

After saying that, Zhu Di directly carried Yang Chen up and rushed all the way to put him on the carriage he had prepared in advance.

"Damn it! You are playing dirty tricks! Yongle! You are rebelling, aren't you?"

Sitting in the carriage, Yang Chen pulled open the curtains and found that Zhu Di was already sitting behind the horse, waving the whip constantly, and the carriage was moving on the street at a fast speed.

The carriage jolted along the way and it took twenty minutes before it stopped.

Yang Chen jumped directly from the carriage and looked at Zhu Di breathlessly. He felt very uncomfortable now.

He didn't know that he was unhappy about Zhu Di kidnapping him, but that the carriage was still as torturous as before.

If it weren't for his good concentration, he would have vomited and had diarrhea long ago.

"No? I mean, is there something wrong with you, Yongle?

You just want me to meet your father-in-law, why do you have to do this?"

Yang Chen held the carriage with one hand and pointed to the gate of the luxurious mansion next to him with the other.

There were four servants guarding the door, and there was a plaque with iron painting and silver hooks on the main door.

Last year, the two words "Xu Mansion" were clearly written on it.

In the capital of the Ming Dynasty, besides Xu Da, who else dared to write these two words on his door?

"Since you already know everything, I have nothing to say.

Now that you are here, why don't you follow me to meet my father-in-law?"

Zhu Di just gave up and Yang Chen rolled his eyes at him.

In fact, he knew that Xu Da would definitely look for him. When everyone sat down to discuss yesterday, Xu Da kept looking at him from time to time.

This look was like seeing a young man with a bright future, so he could guess.

Xu Da specifically decided to find an opportunity to meet him.

I just didn't expect it to be prepared so quickly, and it was all because of that brothel owner Zhu Di.

The reason why he was called a brothel owner was because this was the second time Yang Chen was arranged by him to meet someone.

What else could this person be but a brothel owner?

To be honest, Yang Chen was actually looking forward to meeting and talking with Xu Da.

The Great Wall of Ming Dynasty, his reputation is no less than that of Zhu Yuanzhang.

They also started out as farmers, but they were able to defeat the Mongolian soldiers of the Northern Yuan Dynasty who had occupied the Central Plains for many years.

Even a general like Wang Baobao, who grew up in a family of generals, did not dare to underestimate Xu Da during the fight.

After years of bloody fighting, he finally became the military god of the Ming Dynasty!

If the first two people who had a say in the Ming Dynasty were Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma, then the weight of Xu Da's words was second only to these two.

Not to mention that according to the unchanging pace of history, the later emperors of the Ming Dynasty also had the blood of his Xu family.

Among the many ministers of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Da was one of the few who had a good ending.

However, some people speculate that Xu Da was actually killed by Zhu Yuanzhang because Zhu Yuanzhang killed his meritorious officials indiscriminately.

The most classic one is in a film and television drama, where Xu Da suffers from a carbuncle on his back and has to avoid meat.

Zhu Yuanzhang was worried about this, and before he died, he rewarded Xu Da with liquor and roast goose in his old age, which caused Xu Da to fall ill and die.

This statement is totally unbelievable.

Firstly, goose meat is mild in nature and will not cause the disease to worsen.

Secondly, Xu Da died in the 18th year of Hongwu, when Zhu Biao was in good health.

Apart from the fact that the issue in the north had not been completely resolved, the remaining trouble was the problem of Hu Weiyong.

But most of the people involved in Hu Weiyong's problem were civil servants. Xu Da was very smooth and never had too much involvement with civil servants.

He even once showed in front of Zhu Yuanzhang his dislike for people like Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong who formed cliques for personal gain behind the scenes.

Compared to the already old Li Shanchang, he still liked to touch the court.

Xu Da preferred to read military books in the house, thinking about how to prevent and control the uncertain factors in the north.

At that time, Xu Da was already seriously ill, bedridden, and had difficulty walking.

This is a complete contrast to Li Shanchang, who is in his sixties and still keeps singing girls as captive.

Under such circumstances, Zhu Yuanzhang had no reason to take action against Xu Da.

Not to mention that Zhu Yuanzhang had a deep brotherly love for Xu Da.

According to the records of Ming History, after Xu Da passed away, Zhu Yuanzhang expressed extreme grief.

'I stopped attending court and was filled with grief at the funeral'

From this we can see that Zhu Yuanzhang had no reason at all to kill Xu Da.

Even if he wanted to kill, he wouldn't do it for no reason, using such a superficial excuse as roast goose.

After all, Xu Da was also one of the founding ministers of the Ming Dynasty, and he followed Zhu's approach.

He must first give the other party a grand and reasonable reason.

Then they use this excuse to eliminate the other party and even wipe out the entire family.

There will definitely not be any trouble left behind.

This was what happened to Li Shanchang in the end. Dozens of people were executed, leaving no one alive.

While Yang Chen was thinking, Zhu Di had already brought him to a room that looked like a study.

There are many green plants around, and even some bird cages hanging on the tree branches.

The ground is covered with soft green grass, and some small animals are raised, such as peacocks.

"Tsk tsk tsk, as expected, no matter in ancient or modern times, in China or abroad, the standard for rich people is to raise peacocks."

Yang Chen couldn't help but marvel at it.

He had heard from his part-time delivery friend that those wealthy people living in suburban villas would keep animals as pets that ordinary people could hardly imagine.

This peacock is one of them.

"Father-in-law, Brother Yang is here."

Zhu Di was very polite towards Xu Da.

Soon, a thick and heavy voice came from behind the door.

"Well, bring him in with you."

Zhu Di pushed open the dark door and took Yang Chen in.

As you enter the door and turn left, you will see a tall middle-aged man.

There was some gray at the temples, his beard reached down to his throat, and his face was full of traces of the weather.

His eyes were cloudy, but his expression was still there. At this moment, he was looking at him with a swift gaze.

This! It is the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty! It once single-handedly blocked hundreds of thousands of Northern Yuan troops outside the border of the Ming Dynasty.

"Yang Chen has seen Marshal Xu with his own eyes. Marshal Xu is indeed worthy of his reputation. He deserves to be called the Great Wall of Ming by the common people!"

"Father-in-law, Brother Yang has a free and easy temperament and is used to speaking in this way. I hope you can be magnanimous." When Zhu Di heard Yang Chen speak like this, he knew what the other party meant.

Hurry up and prepare Xu Da mentally.

Thinking back to the time when his father was so upset by Yang Chen’s words that he couldn’t eat or sleep.

He would never dare to let his father-in-law be treated like this.

After all, the father-in-law is angry, and there is someone in the family who can subdue him.

That was Xu Da's eldest daughter, Xu Miaoyun.

Just like Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude towards Empress Ma, Zhu Di was originally very resistant to this marriage.

But after meeting Xu Miaoyun, he found that this marriage was really good.

After being married for many years, Xu Miaoyun always kept her mother-in-law's teachings in mind and was content to be a good wife in the Prince of Yan's Mansion.

Zhu Di, like his father, did not dare to speak loudly to Xu Miaoyun.

Firstly, he really liked Xu Miaoyun, and secondly, Empress Ma also liked this daughter-in-law and specifically told Zhu Di not to treat Xu Miaoyun badly, otherwise he would be attacked by both families.

After listening to Zhu Di's words, Xu Da nodded slightly, then looked at Yang Chen and said with admiration:
"Young friend Yang came from afar, so I naturally treated him with courtesy. Yesterday, I heard about your 'Sword Spirit'.

I couldn't calm down for a long time after returning to the house!
I didn't expect that there would be such an exquisite summary in this world. A glimpse of it can give you a glimpse of the whole picture.

This is enough to show that you must have seen an army that has been victorious in every battle, otherwise it would be impossible to explain this origin.

If you had appeared a few years earlier, I, Xu Da, would have sworn brotherhood with you!"

Zhu Di: “Ah?”

At this moment, he only felt his head buzzing. He never expected that his father-in-law actually wanted to become sworn brothers with Yang Chen!

If this is accomplished, wouldn't he be one generation lower than Yang Chen?

“It’s a pity, fate plays tricks on us, but I, Xu Da, am still grateful that you can appear in the Ming Dynasty!
The Ming Dynasty will surely become more powerful in the future!"

“I’m really sorry, I, Xu, have never read much before and I can’t say anything nice.

I'm speaking more directly. I hope you won't be offended, young friend Yang. Please don't be offended!"

Xu Da's words were extremely frank, completely different from the way he was yesterday when he was wearing the robes of a military general.

At this moment, Xu Da looked more like a good uncle next door.

Not only does he laugh whenever he sees someone, but he also treats strangers without any etiquette.

Although it was only the second time they met, I was able to instantly feel closer to Yang Chen.

But after the other party finished speaking, Yang Chen looked at Zhu Di with his eyes widened.

The voice was neither too loud nor too soft:
"I'm not saying anything bad about you, Yongle! You're a loud speaker, right?
Why do you tell everything to others? "

He was originally wondering whether Yang Chen would become sworn brothers with his father-in-law, but Yang Chen's words dragged him back to reality, and he was completely at a loss.

"Huh? What loud speaker? I didn't say that?"

Seeing that the other party was denying it, Yang Chen directly called out his name.

"Did you tell your father-in-law all about my identity and my background?"

Just what Xu Da said.

'From Afar'

And the words that followed all proved that Xu Da already knew his identity and background.

Facing Yang Chen's questioning, Zhu Di's eyes kept dodging, showing the nervousness of a 19-year-old boy vividly.

After a moment, he could only turn around awkwardly to explain what happened.

"No, Brother Yang! Listen to me, this is not my fault! After we separated yesterday, my father-in-law came to my residence. Miaoyun knew about your previous affairs, and then my father-in-law mentioned you, so Miaoyun told him about this matter.

Anyway, it has already happened, there is nothing I can do about it!"

Looking at Zhu Di who was trying hard to defend himself and break free from responsibility, Yang Chen simply raised his hand as if to hit him.

"I'm not saying anything bad about you! Oh! If I were your father, I would definitely give you a good beating!
Fortunately, I praised you as the Yongle Emperor before. Now it seems that you are just an enthusiastic young man, impulsive, and don’t know how to keep secrets.

First you told Yao Guangxiao, and now it's your father-in-law. Tell the truth! Besides them, who else did you tell about me?"

Yang Chen also knew that it was useless to say anything now, and he had to curb Zhu Di, the loudspeaker, in advance.

"Gone! Really gone! I promise there's no one else except them!"

Zhu Di looked at Yang Chen's suspicious eyes and quickly waved his hands to indicate that he had nothing else to say.

"You! If you want to achieve great things in the future, you must correct this problem. Otherwise, if you suffer, you deserve it!"

Xu Da saw it all while the two were whispering, but he did not stop them.

Because he also thought that his son-in-law was still too young.

It's impossible to tell the big king from the small king, but it makes sense when you think about it.

He had always looked down upon his son-in-law. While other princes were studying, this boy actually took his younger brother to skip classes.

If it weren't for Empress Ma's consideration, Xu Da would never have agreed to this marriage.

It is not easy to find someone who can convince Zhu Di. It is a good thing for Yang Chen to teach Zhu Di a lesson.

Zhu Di, who was heavily criticized, lowered his head and dared not speak.

"Well, please take a seat, Mr. Yang. If you feel that what I did today makes you unhappy, how about I send someone to take you back?"

"In fact, I came here today just because I thought about how much time I have left. I hope you can help me. I will definitely be grateful to you!"

Seeing that the opportunity was right, Xu Da stated his purpose directly.

After he finished speaking, Xu Da sat on the chair. He looked very calm, but anyone with a discerning eye could see that he was nervous.

No matter how free and easy a person is, he or she has the same attitude when facing the matter of life and death.

"Marshal Xu, it took a lot of effort for me to come here. Although the experience was not pleasant, you asked such a question right after I came out. It really made me feel a little..."

Yang Chen looked a little helpless, which made Xu Da feel that his approach seemed to be wrong.

"My friend, don't be nervous. It's time for me to face it calmly. This thorn in my back has been tormenting me for a long time. I just want to know how long I have left.

After all, there are still many enemies in the north, and Your Majesty also wants to march east to conquer Japan.

As the general of the Ming Dynasty, I cannot stand idly by."

This time, Xu Da's tone was much calmer than before, and after he finished speaking, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

This person is calm and composed in a way that most people don't have.

But Yang Chen still felt a little embarrassed.

Seeing the other party's hesitation, Xu Da also expected something, and said in a low tone, self-deprecatingly:

"Haha. Seeing how troubled you are, it seems like my days are numbered."

From the 12th year of Hongwu to the 18th year of Hongwu, five or six years is indeed not a long time, especially for older people.

Seeing that Yang Chen didn't say anything, Zhu Di became anxious first.

He respected Xu Da as if he were his own biological father.

"Father-in-law, please stop imagining things. Miaoyun prays for you from time to time. We are in good health and will surely live a long life in the future.

I am still waiting for Miaoyun to give birth to more children in the future, so that you, the father-in-law, will not be able to hold them all."

Xu Da glanced at Zhu Di and said with a smile:

"Alright, alright, what do you think of my Miaoyun? If she gives birth to more children, won't her health collapse?"

Seeing that Yang Chen still didn't speak, Xu Da couldn't help but sigh and said:

"I also know my fate. I used to be with my elder brother and cried loudly to the heavens. When I grew up, we separated for a while. Later, I followed my elder brother to fight on the battlefield. After ten years of military service, I have made many contributions. It is inevitable that I will have some chronic diseases."

As he spoke, Xu Da turned his head slightly and looked behind him.

"A few years ago, I was afflicted with carbuncle on my back, and many folk experts were helpless in doing anything about it.

In the end, he had no choice but to quit drinking, eating meat, and even being afraid of the cold.

But how is it possible for a soldier to not touch these things for a whole year?
What kind of man is he if he doesn't drink? "

At this point, Xu Da also showed a wry smile on his face.

In fact, to put it bluntly, he just lacks self-control and often eats secretly.

Every time his wife found out, he would be scolded.

“In recent years, I thought I could survive the fall of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, but unfortunately, my body became weaker and weaker. Once I was tired from running around, hidden injuries began to attack my body.

Sometimes during stormy weather, the pain is so severe that I can’t sleep all night, and it’s worse than death!”

Xu Da was like an old man, constantly talking about his troubles over the years.

Zhu Di, who had never seen his father-in-law like this, was also a little surprised.

I didn't expect that my father-in-law had to endure so much.

On the other hand, Yang Chen simply took a chair from the side and sat down without any hesitation.

He didn't believe that a general called him here just to know about his period.

This is too vulgar and completely inconsistent with Xu Da's style.

"Haha. Sorry to have made you laugh. As we get older, we can't help but talk too much."

"Master Xu, you have less than eight years."

Xu Da, who was maintaining a friendly smile, wanted to say something, but when he heard what Yang Chen said, his face froze instantly.

Zhu Di also looked at Yang Chen with fear, his body trembling slightly.

The room fell into silence, and you could hear a needle drop.

After a moment, Xu Da smiled with relief, raised his hand to Yang Chen, his eyes full of gratitude.

"Okay, okay, thank you for clearing up my doubts. I will remember this kindness.
Less than eight years. Enough. Enough. "

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Di grabbed Yang Chen's shoulders excitedly.

"Brother Yang! You are wrong, aren't you? My father-in-law is not even fifty yet, how could he only have eight years left?"

"Do you think I need to lie?

Besides, this is what Marshal Xu meant. He wants to know, so why should I waste words? Some things are better said on the spot than to know later. "

Yang Chen rolled his eyes at Zhu Di and spoke calmly.

Even Xu Da tried to persuade them.

"Okay son-in-law, I know my own fate, so don't blame Young Friend Yang."

Then he changed the subject, his tone quite dissuading, and looked at Yang Chen to warn him carefully.

“Young friend Yang is so direct, I think he knows what I mean.

From what I saw from elder brother's attitude towards you yesterday, I think he must have regarded you as the prince's retainer.

In that case, you should not have too much involvement with my son-in-law.

My friend's identity is special. If you get too close to him, I'm worried that my brother will be wary.

If my son-in-law gets into trouble in the future, I’m afraid my daughter will be implicated.”

After learning about Yang Chen's identity, Xu Da's first worry was that Zhu Di did not understand the relationship between imperial powers.

He understood that his son-in-law was used to being carefree, and some things were better discussed in private.

He could also take this opportunity to warn Zhu Di that there are some things that he cannot touch.

The two young men were both smart and understood what Xu Da meant as soon as they heard it.

Yang Chen glanced at Zhu Di, sneered, then looked at the person in front of him, raised his hand and pointed to the side and said:

"Marshal Xu, you don't know what Yongle did later, right?"

A look of suspicion appeared on Xu Da's face and he shook his head to indicate that he didn't understand.

"I don't understand, young friend, what do you mean? Also, what does Yongle mean? When did he get this name?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di wanted to stop him, but Yang Chen smiled and said:

"Marshal Xu, your daughter will become the empress of the Ming Dynasty, and the fourth son of the Zhu family will become the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and Yongle will be his reign title."

"What! Are you serious?"

All the wrinkles on Xu Da's face were instantly lifted, and he looked at Yang Chen in disbelief with his eyes as big as copper bells.

Then she turned her attention to her son-in-law.

He said with disbelief:
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I know this kid's strengths and weaknesses. He is not destined to be an emperor. Young friend Yang, please don't joke about this."

(End of this chapter)