Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 468 Qionglin Banquet 4
Originally, all the scholars and officials in Qionglin Garden thought that this so-called bestowed marriage was a marriage that the emperor and empress had already discussed and decided on in advance!
These young women were brought out on the spot to be directly assigned to the scholars who had made prior appointments for marriage!
But unexpectedly, the eldest prince now says that the young ladies-in-waiting will carry their own boxes, and the Empress will personally draw lots! Whichever unmarried scholar the Empress draws, the young lady carrying the box will be betrothed to that unmarried scholar!

If the previous Emperor Longwu bestowed the scepter and sword upon the first-class scholars based on their personal abilities...

Therefore, this bestowed marriage was entirely due to the luck of the scholars themselves!

After all, drawing lots is purely a matter of luck! If you're unlucky, no matter how talented you are, it won't work!

Moreover, some observant scholars have already secretly observed that when the head steward on the terrace put the bamboo tokens into the box, he simply dumped them all in at once! There was absolutely no pattern to it! In that case, who gets the bamboo token with whose name on it is truly a matter of fate!

For a moment, all the officials and scholars looked back and forth on the terrace and behind the screen with eager eyes.

After all, it's things like this, with their suspense, that are what people look forward to the most!
"A candidate for the highest rank, from the Imperial Kitchen, currently sixteen years old." Amidst everyone's expectant gazes, the First Prince Zhu Qiyu directly announced the information of the first candidate, ranked A. However, he only mentioned the candidate's age and her background in the palace, without revealing any other information.

In fact, this information doesn't need to be mentioned. After all, it's clearly written on the portrait hanging on the screen. Of course, scholars who are farther away won't be able to see the writing on the portrait.

As the eldest prince Zhu Qiyu finished speaking, a young lady behind the first screen turned around gracefully and stepped onto the terrace.

"This servant greets Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress!" After ascending the terrace, the young lady knelt down before Emperor Longwu and Empress Xia, bowing and kowtowing.

"No need for formalities!" Empress Xia looked at the dignified young lady before her, feeling quite satisfied, and kindly told her to rise.

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Xizi, with great insight, came forward and handed the box he was carrying to the young lady. The young lady, who had just straightened her back, respectfully accepted the box that would determine her fate with both hands, knelt on the ground, raised the box above her head, and presented it to Empress Xia.

"Please, Your Majesty, make your judgment!" The young woman held up her box high, her clear voice ringing out as she awaited fate's final verdict.

Without hesitation, Empress Xia reached into the small box in front of her.

Amidst the excited and expectant gazes of the scholars below the terrace, Empress Xia's jade-like hand slowly emerged from the small box. In her hand lay a small bamboo tally!

An overwhelming sense of excitement spread among the scholars. Every unmarried scholar hoped to be the lucky one!

"My son, come and help your mother read it aloud!" Empress Xia glanced at the bamboo tally in her hand and then softly called to the eldest prince, Zhu Qiyu, who was standing in front of the terrace, asking him to help read the name on the bamboo tally!
"Your son will certainly serve you!" Upon hearing his mother, Empress Xia's, words, Zhu Qiyu naturally had no objections.

The eldest prince, Zhu Qiyu, took the bamboo tally from his mother with both hands. Then, he went to the edge of the terrace and, without caring whether the people below could see the name written on the bamboo tally, raised his hand and waved it down in a showy manner!
In an instant, all the scholars were so excited that they wished they could fly out and see who the lucky person's name was on the bamboo tally in the Crown Prince's hand!

"The candidate for the top rank, the result of the draw: Du Wubing!" After shaking the bamboo tally in his hand and carefully checking it, the eldest prince Zhu Qiyu loudly called out the name drawn from the bamboo tally!

Immediately, countless people looked around, seemingly searching for this lucky person named Du Wubing.

At that moment, a burly scholar in blue robes emerged from the back of the line of students in the Martial Arts Academy, quickly jogging past the crowd to the aisle in the center of the seating area. "Du Wubing, a top-ranking student of the Martial Arts Academy! I kowtow in gratitude to His Majesty for His grace!"

"I kowtow to express my gratitude to Your Majesty the Empress!" Du Wubing, a student from the Martial Arts Academy, knelt down on the passageway facing the terrace and loudly kowtowed to Emperor Longwu and Empress Xia on the terrace to express his gratitude!

At this moment, his excited tone clearly showed how incredibly excited he was!
At this moment, the officials and scholars sitting on both sides of the passage carefully examined this third-class scholar from the Military Academy named Du Wubing.

Du Wubing looked to be only twenty-four or twenty-five years old. However, even with his head bowed and crawling on the ground, his solid muscles and domineering demeanor clearly indicated that he was definitely a future formidable general!

"Du Wubing, a native of Hanting and Longdu!"

His father, Du Datou, was a junior officer in the vanguard of the Navy's scuttle squad.

He repeatedly distinguished himself in battle, killing thirty-seven enemy soldiers!
In the final battle, he fought bravely against the enemy with a severed arm and dragged intestines, which further damaged his foundation!
He miraculously survived when everyone thought he was going to die!

More than 400 acres of land were sealed off after the war!
You must be his only son, adopted from the main family, right?
"I never expected your father to send you to this martial arts academy too!!" Upon hearing the name Du Wubing, the Dragon Emperor, who had been sitting upright on the dragon throne on the terrace, suddenly stood up. He went straight to the edge of the terrace, looked at the burly young man kneeling below, and spoke with a serious expression.

The Dragon Emperor's voice, like a giant megaphone, resounded throughout the entire Qionglin Garden. In an instant, everyone's gaze was fixed on the burly man below the terrace. At this moment, their eyes were filled with intense shock and horror.

On the one hand, the officials and scholars were shocked by the family circumstances of this military academy student; on the other hand, they were shocked by the extent to which Emperor Longwu had a grasp of the information about the students' families! From Emperor Longwu's tone, it seemed as if the information he was concealing was readily available to him!
After all, these bamboo tallies were written by scholars, dressed by a eunuch, personally selected by the Empress, passed through the hands of the eldest prince, and were finally read aloud!

Emperor Longwu was able to accurately recount the scholar's father's battle record and the reasons for his injuries and retirement due to illness! He even knew that the scholar was an adopted son!

The meaning behind this was absolutely jaw-dropping!
The principles contained within this story deeply moved countless soldiers and scholars!

After all, their sacrifices were worthwhile! Their supreme ruler remembers all their bloodshed and sacrifices!
"Your Majesty is wise!"
After my father was wounded and forced to retreat from the army, he took advantage of the emperor's permission to visit relatives and brought my family from my hometown of Kaifeng to live with us.

I was formally adopted by my father after arriving in Longdu!
My father once said that the Emperor is a true dragon reincarnated!
It was a great pity that he could no longer fight for the emperor in the second half of his life!

Therefore, Father has renamed me Wubing, hoping that I will be free from illness and disaster in this life and be able to wholeheartedly continue to serve the Emperor! After hearing the deep voice of Emperor Longwu on the terrace, Du Wubing was so excited that his head almost went blank! He never thought that the high and mighty Emperor would actually remember his father, a mere minor flag officer!

I also remember my father Fengtian and his heroic deeds in the last battle against the enemy!

At this moment, Du Wubing was extremely excited and thrilled! So much so that his eyes welled up with tears!

(End of this chapter)