Ming Dynasty: Pick up attributes from the battlefield to create the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 242 New Year's Eve! The dejected Zhu Yuanzhang!
After everyone had gone far away...

The two women slowly looked away, but their minds were racing.

Subsequently.

The two women looked at each other simultaneously.

Although I haven't seen you for many years.

However, the two women did not act as aggressively as they had when they were children; instead, they both seemed to be deep in thought.

"You saw it too, right?" Mu Ya spoke first, addressing Xu Miaojin.

“I saw it. That child looks exactly like Xiong Ying when he was a child,” Xu Miaojin said.

"Can you believe there's such a coincidence in the world? This child not only looks exactly like Xiong Ying when he was little, but Zhu Ying's eyes are exactly the same as Xiong Ying's." Mu Ya said with a thoughtful tone.

"Do you really think Zhu Ying is Xiong Ying?" Xu Miaojin frowned, looking somewhat surprised.

"Don't you think so?" Mu Ya countered.

"We all saw that Brother Xiong Ying was buried in Zhongshan Xiaoling Mausoleum. Can the dead be brought back to life?"

"Perhaps we've misunderstood."

"It was all just a coincidence," Xu Miaojin sighed.

In this regard.

Mu Ya remained silent.

"It seems you still can't forget Brother Xiong Ying after all these years."

After a long silence, Mu Ya suddenly spoke.

"Aren't you the same?" Xu Miaojin glanced at her and retorted.

“You’re still the same as before, looking quiet, but actually still the same as when you were a child,” Mu Ya said.

“Likewise,” Xu Miaojin replied.

And this moment.

Zhu Ying took Zhu Wenxi's arms again and walked towards Fengtian Hall. On the side, Shen Yu'er smiled and said softly, "Husband, the girls from those two families were looking at you strangely just now."

"What? Are you jealous?" Zhu Ying replied with a smile.

“My husband is so outstanding, a hero of the entire Ming Dynasty. How could I, as his wife, be jealous?”

"There are countless women in the world today who want to marry a husband."

“If my husband could marry more women and have more children, that would naturally be a good thing,” Shen Yu’er said with a smile, her voice full of tenderness.

perhaps.

This is one of the advantages of this era.

Almost all women adhered to the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, and were expected to obey their husbands after marriage.

"hehe."

Zhu Ying chuckled twice, not giving it much thought.

Zhu Ying was quite restrained when it came to women; he wasn't a lecherous glutton.

soon.

Officials, along with their families, walked orderly into the main hall, and in no time, the Fengtian Hall was already bustling with activity.

Each time a minister entered, a palace maid would personally greet him.

"Master Hou."

"Your location is here."

"Please come with me."

A palace maid approached Zhu Ying and respectfully led the way.

"kindness."

Zhu Ying nodded and followed the palace maid to his seat.

soon.

One by one, the ministers entered the hall and took their seats.

The Fengtian Hall was already full.

But without exception.

They were all important officials in the Ming Dynasty court.

Today's royal banquet is also a reward for the court officials' loyalty to the country throughout the year.

As all the ministers took their seats.

"The Emperor has arrived."

"The Crown Prince has arrived."

Yun Qi shouted loudly, and his voice echoed throughout the entire Fengtian Hall.

Everyone in the hall stood up.

"I will see you, Your Majesty."

"Your subject pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Everyone shouted in unison.

And amidst this clamor...

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao were not wearing their imperial robes today, but rather their usual clothes, and both arrived with smiles on their faces.

Today is New Year's Eve at noon, which is a banquet bestowed by the emperor, so no princes or grandsons of the emperor are here. In the evening, it will be a family banquet for the royal family.

"Alright, everyone, please take your seats without further ado."

"Today is a state banquet, there are no court meetings or political affairs, so all of you may drink to your heart's content."

Zhu Yuanzhang walked up to the dragon throne and laughed loudly.

Zhu Biao also took his seat on the side of the dragon throne.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

All the ministers shouted in unison.

"Serve the food and the wine."

"Today's luncheon is not a matter of drinking until everyone is drunk, but all of you must eat and drink well," Zhu Yuanzhang said loudly, raising his wine cup.

"Respectfully, Your Majesty."

"Respect to the Crown Prince."

Everyone raised their glasses.

This banquet.

Although it may seem very casual, one cannot be so casual when inside the palace.

This state banquet was naturally held in a tense atmosphere.

It's impossible to truly relax.

The luncheon was quick.

After the end.

The ministers naturally returned to their respective homes.

Inside Fengtian Hall.

The palace maids and eunuchs were cleaning up the mess after the banquet, but Zhu Yuanzhang was filled with emotion.

"Although this kind of banquet is held once a year, the court officials are not truly happy about it," Zhu Yuanzhang said slowly.

"On New Year's Eve, a time for family reunion and returning home, the court officials naturally all thought about returning home to reunite with their families."

"A royal banquet is just a formality," Zhu Biao said with a smile, showing great magnanimity.

"Make proper arrangements for the royal banquet tonight."

"We won't worry about it," Zhu Yuanzhang said slowly.

“Of course.” Zhu Biao nodded.

……

The Zhu family mansion!

Compared to the tense atmosphere of a royal banquet.

At this moment, the Zhu residence was bustling with activity.

Even today, the gates of the mansion are tightly closed, and there are not a single guard on duty outside.

The entire mansion was bustling with activity.

Not only were the household chefs busy, but the imperial guards in the Imperial Guard Battalion, who were skilled in cooking, were also busy.

The entire training ground in front of the mansion was filled with tables and chairs.

A campfire was lit.

It was just like a military dinner party.

"father."

"This is much more lively than the palace."

"These uncles are all very happy."

Zhu Wenxi looked at the lively scene. Everyone was busy and genuinely happy, and he was no exception.

“These uncles of yours are all brothers who went through thick and thin with your father on the battlefield. There aren’t many complicated relationships between them,” Zhu Ying said with a smile.

"Master Hou."

"This mansion is quite lively today."

Kong Yi arrived with his wife and children at this moment. Seeing the lively scene in the mansion, he couldn't help but smile.

"Of course, today is Lunar New Year's Eve, a day for family reunion," Zhu Ying said with a smile.

"Xi'er".

Zhu Ying gave Zhu Wenxi, who was standing next to him, a wink.

"The student pays respects to the teacher and the teacher's wife."

Zhu Wenxi stepped forward and respectfully performed a student's salute.

"Wenxi".

"I've heard from your teacher that you're incredibly intelligent, and seeing you today, I can see it's true."

The woman standing next to Kong Yi said with a smile.

Kong Yi's wife was truly surprised to see that Zhu Wenxi, who was only a little over a year old, was so sensible.

"Thank you for the compliment, Madam," Zhu Wenxi replied with a smile. He was indeed like a child prodigy, polite and articulate.

"Your teacher and his wife are poor, so they didn't have anything of high value to give Wenxi. Therefore, his wife made a sachet for you to calm your mind." Kong Yi's wife took a sachet from her bosom and hung it on Zhu Wenxi. "Thank you, teacher's wife, I like it very much," Zhu Wenxi immediately thanked her.

"hehe."

Zhu Ying chuckled.

Then he looked at a boy of about ten years old next to Kong Yi, and then at a little girl who was about the same age as Zhu Wenxi.

"You gave Wenxi a gift."

"I've also prepared a son and a daughter for you," Zhu Ying said with a smile.

Then he took out two boxes from his pocket.

Then they stepped forward and gave one to each person.

"My lord, please don't send anything valuable."

Upon seeing this, Kong Yi quickly spoke up.

"Don't worry, it's nothing valuable. These are just some trinkets I found in Beiyuan." Zhu Ying smiled and then patted Kong Yi's son.

"Why don't you thank the Marquis?"

Kong Yi turned to his two children and said.

"Thank you, Lord Marquis."

Kong Gongjian and his sister stepped forward and thanked him very respectfully.

"Wenxi, take your teachers to their seats."

"The banquet is about to begin," Zhu Ying said with a smile.

"Teacher, please follow me." Zhu Wenxi, like a little adult, led the way for Kong Yi.

After arrangements are made.

"Master."

"Everything is ready, we can begin the banquet," Lin Fu said with a smile as he walked over.

"it is good."

Zhu Ying smiled and nodded.

Then he shouted, "Brothers, let's start the feast!"

With a shout.

The busy guards also gathered and headed to their respective positions.

For a while.

The entire training ground was already full.

Today is New Year's Eve.

"This is a day of reunion for our Chinese nation. My brothers have followed me in battles across the north and south, killing enemies and making countless contributions, traversing life and death."

"It is my good fortune, Zhu Ying, to be able to gather here today and reunite with my family."

"but."

"Because of my duty as a guard, my brothers cannot return home to reunite with their families, and this is also my fault."

"here."

"Zhu Ying specially prepared a gift for all his brothers."

Zhu Ying laughed loudly, then clapped his hands.

Then, Liu Lei, Xiao Han, and dozens of their personal guards carried up dozens of boxes.

It was placed in the center of the training ground.

Once fully opened, it was filled with gleaming silver.

"Today's etiquette consists of these mundane things."

"My brothers have risked their lives with me. These worldly possessions may not mean much, but they can provide them with a home and shelter."

"Liu Lei."

"Make sure every brother receives it; no one can refuse."

"My Zhu Family Winery makes a lot of money, this is just small change, it's not money I embezzled, brothers, please accept it," Zhu Ying said with a big laugh.

"Brothers, why don't you thank the general?"

Liu Lei laughed loudly.

"Thank you General."

"General Xie..."

All the guards shouted loudly, and not one of them refused.

They had all followed their general for many years and naturally knew his character; Zhu Ying would never take back what he had given away.

All they could do was pledge their loyalty with their lives.

then.

Under the distribution of Liu Lei and Xiao Han, each guard received at least twenty taels of silver, and everyone was treated equally.

"The money has been distributed. After the New Year, I don't care whether you use it to find a girl or give it to your family. You can spend it however you like."

"today."

"There are no trivial matters, just family gatherings, drinking and eating meat, and drinking heartily."

"Bros."

"drink."

Zhu Ying raised his wine bowl and shouted loudly.

"General Jing."

The guards also enthusiastically raised their wine bowls and loudly toasted him.

In this atmosphere.

Kong Yi also felt a sense of military life and enjoyed it immensely.

"Gongjian, do you see this?"

"Compared to the backstabbing and intrigue in officialdom, the military is much purer."

While drinking, Kong Yi also began to teach his son.

"Your father's words are enlightening." Kong Gongjian nodded with a look of understanding.

And inside the palace.

The royal banquet was also underway.

only.

Compared to the bustling Zhu residence.

Inside the Fengtian Hall of the Imperial Palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat high above, with Zhu Biao beside him. The princes, princesses, grandsons, and other nobles below were all completely silent, not daring to be too loud.

This kind of family banquet is not actually a family banquet.

It was not the family banquet that Zhu Yuanzhang had envisioned.

"Ugh."

Is this still a family dinner?

Zhu Yuanzhang sat on his high seat, drinking wine, and looked down at the quiet scene below. Although everyone was eating and drinking, they all tried to keep their voices down, afraid of offending him.

This scene.

This naturally touched Zhu Yuanzhang's heart, causing him some sadness.

The family dinner he envisioned was not like this at all.

Think back to the beginning.

My sister is still alive, and my grandson is still alive.

The entire hall was bustling with activity.

My eldest grandson is a fearless person, and he completely let loose, enlivening the atmosphere at the family banquet all by himself, making the whole scene extremely joyful.

"Biao'er."

"We've eaten, you can keep an eye on things now."

Seeing the family banquet before him, Zhu Yuanzhang lost interest. He stood up, gave Zhu Biao a few words of advice, and then turned and left Fengtian Hall with a sense of dejection.

See this.

Zhu Biao naturally understood what was going on, nodded, and said nothing more.

The Imperial Palace, Cining Palace!

It is now night.

The palace was pitch black, a stark contrast to the brightly lit outside.

Zhu Yuanzhang arrived outside the palace with a sense of desolation. Looking at the dark palace before him, he felt an overwhelming sense of longing and sorrow.

The scene from back then unconsciously surfaced in my mind.

“I said, Grandfather.”

"I'm going to sleep with Grandma on New Year's Eve, so you can just find somewhere to sleep."

"I haven't slept with my grandma in a long time."

As a child, Zhu Xiong Ying held her grandmother's hand and said proudly to Zhu Yuanzhang,

"You scoundrel! On New Year's Eve, a time for family reunion, you still want to kick us out of the palace! You heartless brat!" Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily, glaring at his son.

"I don't care, I'm going to sleep with Grandma. I have a lot to say to her." Zhu Xiong Ying wasn't afraid of Zhu Yuan Zhang at all and said with a smile.

"Don't you have anything to say to Grandpa?"

"You heartless bastard, can't we sleep together?" Zhu Yuanzhang said jealously.

"I find it disgusting that you grind your teeth and snore at night."

"Grandma, let's go back to the palace to sleep." Zhu Xiong Ying pulled her grandmother away from Fengtian Hall, looking extremely smug.

Memories of the past flash by, too painful to recall.

"You guys wait outside, I'll go in alone."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and addressed Yun Qi and Guo Zhen behind him.

Then one person walked towards the Cining Palace.

……

(End of this chapter)