Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 121 Lady Lü's Self-Destruction: My Son Has the Potential to Be an Emperor
"Sister, let's go to the East Palace to see our eldest grandson."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Empress Ma and greeted her with a smile.

When she mentioned her eldest grandson, Xiong Ying, her eyes lit up with a smile.

The eldest son and grandson were the old lady's lifeblood.

This is not only the old lady's lifeline, but also the old man's.

Zhu Yuanzhang adored his eldest grandson.

After all, this means that the Zhu family has gained another generation.

The incense offerings will not be cut off in the future.

The Zhu family suffered a great calamity in their early years, with the deaths of their parents and brothers.

He was the only one alive in the world.

It can only be said that the entire Zhu family was almost wiped out.

Perhaps for this reason, Zhu Yuanzhang cherished his sons and grandsons.

He especially doted on his eldest grandson, Xiong Ying, even more than he did on Zhu Biao when he was a child.

This perfectly exemplifies the bond between grandparents and grandchildren.

Even though Zhu Yuanzhang was extremely busy with countless affairs of state, he would still make time every now and then to see his grandson.

Play with my eldest grandson for a while.

"Okay, let's go right now."

Empress Ma readily agreed.

Then, looking at Zhu Yuanzhang with some confusion, he said, "But... Chongba, do you have time? Aren't you handling government affairs?"

The imperial court is not peaceful these days. Emperor Chongba suddenly took action, arresting the Wu brothers, Wu Zhen and Wu Liang, and seizing the Longjiang Shipyard.

The charges against Wu Zhen and Wu Liang were announced.

People's hearts are now in turmoil.

As a result, the political situation in the court was not very stable.

I wonder how many people are feeling uneasy, and how many are secretly plotting something.

This is a critical moment, shouldn't Chongba keep an eye on things?

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "It's alright, we won't deal with it."

When it comes to handling government affairs, what's more important than taking care of our grandson?

Our grandson is far more interesting than these political affairs.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, appearing very heroic as he spoke.

"Zhongba, I've noticed that you're getting better and better at lying."

He had previously said that spending time with me was more important than handling official business.

"How come visiting our grandson is now more important than handling government affairs?"

Empress Ma laughed as she exposed Zhu Yuanzhang's shortcomings.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled.

"Girl, we don't eat one fish in multiple ways."

Everything we're saying is true.

You are all more important than government affairs.

We can't spend all our time dealing with government affairs every single day.

They're buried in government affairs and can't get out.

The matter concerning Wu Zhen and Wu Liang this time is not that big yet.

It won't cause much of a stir.

We've captured Wu Zhen and Wu Liang. As for the naval forces defending against Japanese pirates, the fourth brother will lead the Chaohu naval forces there.

There are definitely no problems.

"Capture those two, and then subdue the Japanese naval forces. If the army remains calm, there won't be any major trouble."

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke these words in a relaxed tone and with a relaxed mindset.

This is based on his experience over many years.

A scholar's rebellion will not succeed in three years, as long as he has troops and his base remains intact.

So, as long as you are determined to do something, there may be some ups and downs along the way, but the overall situation will not change much in the end.

They will act according to their own will.

"Why do you have so much confidence in our fourth son?"
I've been very anxious lately, constantly worried that something might happen to the child.

The matter that Di'er is facing this time is truly enormous.

Empress Ma looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with concern and a hint of curiosity, asking him a question.

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Sister, the fourth son is our child, the fruit of your labor, our child together."

That certainly won't be too bad.

His father was able to conquer the country with a broken bowl, so it would be strange if he couldn't control those people who were preparing to fight the Japanese pirates, given that he was given so many naval forces in Chaohu.

Don't worry, the fourth brother is more outstanding than we imagined!

This little trouble is no match for him.

Empress Ma was somewhat skeptical of Zhu Yuanzhang's words.

After all, my fourth child is still young and hasn't experienced much.

But as a mother, she naturally hopes that her son will be well and that nothing bad will happen to him.

In addition, since Chongba was clearly in a good mood today, she didn't say much about the matter.

He nodded to indicate that Chongba was right.

So as not to spoil Chongba's mood.

"Let's go, Chongba, let's go see our grandson."

Empress Ma took the initiative to end the topic and headed towards the Eastern Palace with Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang could naturally tell that his sister didn't quite believe what he was saying.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang could understand this.

If I hadn't had such a miraculous experience myself, I would never have imagined that my fourth son would be able to achieve such a great career in the future!

As he was thinking this, a thought suddenly popped into Zhu Yuanzhang's mind.

He wondered if he should tell his sister about his amazing experience.
In this way, my sister will be able to understand me better in many things.

It also lets his sister know a lot about the future of the Ming Dynasty.

They also know how far the world might develop in a few hundred years.

After this thought went through my mind several times...

Zhu Yuanzhang had already decided to do so.

However, it is necessary to choose a more suitable time.

I wonder how my sister will react after hearing what I've said.

You'd be absolutely stunned, wouldn't you?

Thinking about these things, Zhu Yuanzhang's lips kept curling up.

I'm really looking forward to this.

……

"Greetings to Father Emperor and Mother Empress. Wishing Your Majesty good health."

Meanwhile, at the Eastern Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma arrived.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao, Crown Princess Chang, and Crown Prince's concubine Lü all bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma.

The staff of the Crown Prince's Palace knelt down on the ground.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma doted on Zhu Biao, there were certain etiquette rules that could not be disregarded in such a large gathering.

At least that's what Zhu Biao thinks.

"Get up, get up, all of you, there's no need for such formalities."

Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile in his eyes.

"You're pregnant, what are you doing here bowing?"

Empress Ma stepped forward and reached out to support Crown Princess Chang.

He spoke with a mixture of reproach and deep concern.

Crown Princess Chang is now pregnant again.

It has been three months.

Zhu Xiong Ying was only a little over one year old.

The fact that she became pregnant so frequently shows that she and Crown Prince Zhu Biao had a very good relationship and were a loving couple.

Otherwise, the children wouldn't keep running outside one after another.

"Haha, Xiong Ying, come here, let Grandpa Huang hug you."

Zhu Yuanzhang walked up to Lady Lü with a smile on his face.

He greeted Zhu Xiong Ying, who was in Lu's arms, with a smile.

He clapped his hands and opened his arms.

Zhu Xiong Ying immediately stretched out his hands, allowing Zhu Yuanzhang to hug him.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed.

He reached out and took Zhu Xiong Ying, who looked like a little dumpling.

He held it high in the air with both hands and spun around in place.

Where is the emperor's usual majesty?

"Haha, good boy, good boy U.A., call me Grandpa Emperor, call me Grandpa Emperor."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked up at Zhu Xiong Ying, whom he had lifted up, and spoke.

"Call me Grandpa Emperor. Grandpa Emperor will take you out of the palace and buy you something delicious."

"Grandfather..."

After coaxing her for a while, Zhu Xiong Ying's childish voice rang out.

"Hey!"

Zhu Yuanzhang quickly agreed, feeling his heart melt.

Hearing that "Grandpa Emperor" made him feel completely at ease.

The exhaustion brought on by paperwork and the hustle and bustle of numerous government affairs.

After that cry of "Grandpa Emperor," everything was swept away.

The sense of satisfaction I felt was indescribable.

"Haha, good boy Yu-Ai, shout it again, shout it again."

"Grandpa Huang."

"Grandpa Huang."

"Hey, hey!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes crinkled with laughter, and he couldn't stop smiling.

Holding Zhu Xiong Ying tightly, he couldn't bear to let go, as if he were holding the most precious treasure in the world.

If it weren't for all the other things to do, Zhu Yuanzhang could spend the whole day playing with his eldest grandson without feeling tired.

I didn't feel impatient at all.

Looking at his eldest grandson in his arms, Zhu Yuanzhang made up his mind once again.

This time, no matter what, I must protect my eldest grandson!
We will never let anyone hurt him again!
He wouldn't let his eldest grandson walk in front of him!
The thought that her eldest grandson had passed away when she was only eight years old in her previous life is unbearable.

On his deathbed, Zhu Yuanzhang lay weakly in his arms, urging him to leave, saying not to pass smallpox on to his grandson. Zhu Yuanzhang felt a deep pang of heartache.

It felt like someone was holding an awl and gouging it out.

Such excruciating pain is unimaginable to most people unless they experience it firsthand.

In my past life, I watched my once lively and adorable grandson suffer so much from smallpox.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt a deep, piercing pain in his heart.

Only eight years old!

He's only eight years old!

There are still many wonderful things in this world that he has not seen or experienced.

He only saw a small corner of the magnificent landscape of China, the imperial palace, before he passed away long ago.

Just thinking about it makes me feel extremely uncomfortable.

Having been given a second chance at life, he must not repeat the same mistakes, no matter what.

Regardless of whether it was a secret act by the Lü family or some other reason, he would not allow smallpox to harm his eldest grandson again!

Or perhaps someone else, in any other way, is trying to harm their grandson!
Thinking this, he glanced at Madam Lü, who was standing to the side, without leaving a trace.

He tried his best to suppress the various emotions in his heart and did not show any unusual expression.

As an emperor, he experienced many ups and downs and dealt with so many people.

Zhu Yuanzhang was quite adept at controlling his emotions and hiding his true thoughts.

The difference lies in whether he wants to hide it or not.

Lady Lü stood aside and watched as Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Xiong Ying played together.

The way Zhu Xiong Ying doted on her so much infuriated her, and filled her with bitterness.

I kept thinking, why isn't Zhu Xiong Ying my child? How wonderful it would be if she were my child?
As the eldest grandson, and so beloved by his grandfather who was the emperor, he was destined to become the emperor in the future.

In this way, she could also rise in status through her son, becoming the Empress Dowager and enjoying a prestigious position.

She was even more imposing in the palace than Ma Dajiao is now!

Such a thing is simply breathtaking.

Fascinated by it.

Unfortunately, Zhu Xiong Ying was not his son.

It's the son of that stupid woman, Chang!

The Crown Princess is not herself, but also this foolish woman!

He was clearly superior to this stupid woman in every way, and she was clearly inferior to him in every way.

But he was destined to be overshadowed by her, and he would never be able to turn the tables.

Not reconciled!
Really not reconciled!
She didn't want to spend her life like this.

Therefore, that stupid woman, Chang, must die!
I want to take back everything that belongs to me!
She reclaimed the position of Crown Princess that rightfully belonged to her, and the positions of Empress and even Empress Dowager that rightfully belonged to her!

From now on, the emperor's throne should be occupied by his own son!

Zhu Xiong Ying, with the blood of that stupid woman Chang flowing through his veins, is certainly not very smart either.

Even if he becomes emperor in the future, he won't be a very good ruler.

Sitting on the throne will only harm the people and countless loyal and righteous people.

Only his own son could become emperor.

With His Highness's intelligence, coupled with his own knowledge of etiquette and excellence in all aspects, his child is bound to be clever, intelligent, and wise.

If he becomes emperor in the future, he will become a wise and benevolent ruler for all time, and he will surely accomplish great things and be praised by all.

She was very confident about this.

Besides, with her abilities and her scholarly background, she was also excellent at educating children, which was incomparable to Chang Shi, that stupid woman who only knew how to fight!

The child she gave birth to was already outstanding, and now she, as the mother, is personally teaching him.

The children raised then will surely become wise rulers for all time!
If her son becomes a wise and benevolent ruler, then she, the empress dowager who raised such a ruler, will surely leave a significant mark on history.

It is praised by later generations.

If I were to write another book like "Admonitions for Women," I would definitely use myself as the model.

She still had that confidence.

I firmly believe that I can do these things.

And it was precisely because of this firm belief that she saw the foolish woman, Lady Chang, being held by the hand by Empress Ma and talking happily.

Then look at Zhu Yuanzhang, that beggar, holding onto Zhu Xiong Ying, refusing to let go.

That's why they'll feel even more disgusted.

Neither of these two will survive!

None of them will survive!
She screamed in her heart, filled with boundless rage.

But the smile on his face grew even wider.

With a smile in her eyes, she watched Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Xiong Ying playing around.

After a while, she left to make tea.

When they reached a place where no one could see them, the smile on their faces vanished instantly.

A cold, resentful, and other complex emotions appeared on her face.

It made her look quite ferocious.

Where is her usual gentle and virtuous demeanor?
However, this expression only appeared on his face for a moment before disappearing without a trace.

Her usual gentleness was replaced by her usual mildness.

She brewed the tea, carried it on a tray, and walked towards Empress Ma and Zhu Yuanzhang.

Just as I was about to reach it, I stumbled and fell to the ground.

The tea on the tray was spilled all over the floor.

Lady Lü couldn't help but let out a cry of pain.

This commotion immediately attracted the attention of Zhu Yuanzhang, Empress Ma, and others.

Zhu Biao immediately ran over.

He grabbed Ms. Lü and helped her up from the ground.

Holding her with one arm, he asked anxiously, "How are you? Where has the fever gone?"

Crown Princess Chang also rushed to Lady Lü's place immediately.

"Sister, sister, are you burned? Imperial physician! Quickly, fetch the imperial physician!"

Chang called out anxiously.

Empress Ma also rushed over.

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at it, paused for a couple of breaths, and then walked over carrying Zhu Xiong Ying.

"Your Highness, I am fine."

"Sister, there's no need to call the imperial physician. It's just that my hand got burned."

It'll only be red for a couple of days at most, it's nothing to worry about.

"How can we do this without the imperial physician? We absolutely must have him take a look!"

Zhu Biao's voice sounded very assertive, with concern mixed with heartache.

Immediately, people from the Eastern Palace rushed there.

"Father Emperor and Mother Empress, this... your daughter-in-law is clumsy."

I just wanted to make a cup of tea, and it turned into this mess.

Father and Mother, please wait a moment. Your daughter-in-law will go and make more tea.

As she spoke, she turned to leave again.

"You should rest well. Neither your father nor I are thirsty."

Don't blame yourself, it's not a big deal.

Who hasn't accidentally broken a cup or a bowl?
As long as you don't get hurt, that's good.

As Empress Ma spoke, she took Lady Lü's hand and carefully examined her.

Then I had her move her feet around to see if they hurt.

Mrs. Chang also showed concern and offered words of comfort.

She then indicated that she would go and make tea.

Zhu Yuanzhang took all of these into his view.

He couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

This Lady Lü is truly shrewd.

There must have been a reason why I was able to deceive myself and so many other people in my past life.

Then look at your own son, Biao'er, and see how anxious and concerned he is.

Zhu Yuanzhang increasingly approved of his own decision to proceed cautiously, take things slowly, and wait until he had solid evidence before taking action to eliminate the Lü clan.

Putting everything else aside, just looking at this incident alone, one can see how much Biao'er cares for and loves this Lady Lü.

Lady Lü truly touched his heart.

If I were to disregard everything and forcibly kill Lady Lü, not to mention anything else, I wouldn't be able to get past my own son, Biao'er.

This will definitely create a huge rift between father and son!

Therefore, we should proceed with caution in this matter.

In private, it's best to have someone keep a close eye on things.

If Lady Lü didn't have this intention, then naturally everyone would be happy.

If Lady Lü truly harbors such intentions, then I will certainly not let her off the hook.

Once solid evidence is gathered, she won't survive a day!

In this way, we can minimize the impact of this matter on our family.

They stayed there for a while longer, and seeing that Lady Lü was indeed alright, Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma then left the Eastern Palace.

Before leaving, Zhu Yuanzhang hugged Zhu Xiong Ying and kissed his tender face twice before putting him down.

Empress Ma returned to Kunning Palace, while Zhu Yuanzhang returned to Wuying Hall to handle state affairs...

……

In the Secretariat, Chancellor Hu Weiyong sat at his mahogany desk, handling government affairs.

However, he seemed quite restless.

I was taken aback by Zhu Yuanzhang's actions yesterday.

Wu Zhen and Wu Liang were Zhu Yuanzhang's trusted confidants.

A general he personally promoted.

As a result, he was arrested by Zhu Yuanzhang!
The crimes were also announced, and it was said that the crimes warranted the death penalty, and even the iron certificate of immunity was useless!

The Longjiang Shipyard was also investigated, and the residences of the Wu brothers, Wu Zhen and Wu Liang, in the capital were also surrounded.

How could such a major move not be alarming?
After all, the brothers Wu Zhen and Wu Liang held extraordinary positions.

Of course, if it were only these things, Hu Weiyong wouldn't be so unsettled.

Rather, it was because one of the crimes announced by the emperor was that Wu Zhen and his brother had deceived the court and the emperor in matters concerning the Maritime Trade Office.

By concealing the true situation of the Maritime Trade Office, he made the wrong decision and abolished the office.

This resulted in the imperial court losing a large amount of money every year.

It is also said that the brothers Wu Zhen and Wu Liang colluded with Japanese pirates and maritime merchants.

They manipulated things from all sides, disregarded national interests, and were utterly depraved and devoid of conscience!
This really surprised Hu Weiyong.

After all, he played a significant role in abolishing the Maritime Trade Office.

Although, unlike the brothers Wu Zhen and Wu Liang, they did not explicitly petition the emperor to abolish the Maritime Trade Office.

However, when the emperor asked him about the various aspects of the Maritime Trade Office, especially whether it was profitable, he showed the emperor the archives of the Maritime Trade Office from the last few decades of the Yuan Dynasty.

To convince the emperor that the Maritime Trade Office was truly not making money.

In this situation, how could he not panic?
The emperor hates evil as much as he hates it. If he really holds a grudge on this matter, I, as the prime minister, will probably not get away with it either.

Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen were truly despicable!
Willing to be the emperor's lackey!

When he felt uneasy, he once again harbored resentment towards Liu Bowen and Li Shanchang.

He was especially furious with Li Shanchang, wishing he could skin that old dog and eat his flesh!
The matter of the Maritime Trade Office has always been kept very well hidden.

The emperor never knew how profitable the Maritime Trade Office, which he had abolished, actually was.

Many benefits were divided up in a very secretive manner.

Every year he could take a considerable amount of money from this.

But now, the emperor has suddenly brought up old grievances.

He seemed to know everything about the Maritime Trade Office.

According to the information obtained, the emperor had all the archives of the Yuan Dynasty's Maritime Trade Office carried over yesterday.

If it weren't for Liu Bowen, a man from Jiangnan, or Li Shanchang, who was involved in the rebellion and trying to divide the spoils, the rebellion would have happened.

If you tell these things to the emperor, how could the emperor possibly know so much?
With the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which had only been established for less than a year, it would have been impossible to uncover so much!
After thinking about it with such worry for a while, he couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

The brothers Wu Zhen and Wu Liang were easy to deal with; they were tricked by Zhu Yuanzhang into going to the palace and were then captured.

The Jiang waterproofing team is nearby, so it's easier to control.

But dealing with the Japanese navy was not so easy!

Zhu Yuanzhang, an emperor who lacked martial virtue, had previously deceived everyone by sending the Chaohu naval force northward by sea under the pretext of transporting supplies there.

Now it seems that this was not a shipment of supplies, but rather a mission to intercept the Japanese navy.

Even with such arrangements, the Japanese naval forces were not so easy to deal with.

Many of the people in the Japanese naval forces were not truly loyal to the emperor.

Faced with this situation, they certainly wouldn't just surrender.

Of the more than 40,000 troops prepared to fight the Japanese, more than half would definitely flood into the sea.

It will definitely bring the emperor a big surprise!

He reached up and rubbed his head hard twice.

Hu Weiyong's heart grew heavier and heavier.

The emperor was incompetent, and treacherous officials and villains held power.

Life isn't easy for a loyal and virtuous person like myself...

……

Inside the Wuying Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang was processing memorials, his expression somewhat solemn.

He had already arranged for people to keep an eye on Lady Lü at the Eastern Palace.

So far, nothing suspicious has been found.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang was not in a hurry. If Lady Lü was truly wicked, she would eventually be exposed...

……

It was late at night, but Lady Lü was still awake.

Lying in bed, looking at the ceiling, a multitude of thoughts raced through my mind.

After a while, she gritted her teeth and made up her mind.

Starting tomorrow, she will begin to work on killing that stupid woman, Chang!
(End of this chapter)