Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 203 The Fourth Prince Dares to Eat Shit?! Empress Ma was stunned.

Empress Ma was successfully piqued by Zhu Yuanzhang's words.

Chongba praised his fourth son's acting skills, saying that he had fooled the imperial court, and so on.

Judging from this, my fourth son must have done a really good job of pretending to be crazy.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. When things get to that point, Zhu Yunwen and the people gathered around him will definitely focus all their attention on the fourth prince.

However, in this situation, the fourth brother was able to successfully deceive them by feigning madness.

This is really not an easy task to accomplish.

The fact that the fourth brother was able to accomplish this shows that there must have been many difficulties and many remarkable achievements worthy of praise.
Looking at how interested his son Chongba was, one could understand that the fourth son's feigned madness this time was definitely not simple.

Hearing his sister ask him this, Zhu Yuanzhang's mood improved considerably, and he was filled with anticipation.

Next, his own sister will definitely be shocked by what the fourth brother did!
"After our fourth son pretended to go crazy, he went straight to the pigsty, stole food from the pigs, and got covered in pig feces and urine."

Not only that, the fourth brother even stripped off his clothes in the dead of winter and ran naked through Beiping City.

Some accounts even say that the fourth son ate excrement…

Zhu Yuanzhang told his sister about the embarrassing thing his fourth son had done.

He wanted to ease his sister's distress over the news about Biao'er and Xiong Ying by doing these things.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang, when talking about these things, couldn't help but sigh with admiration, thinking that his fourth son really had the guts to eat such things.

Judging from what the fourth prince did, it's clear that pretending to be insane and managing to deceive the court at the beginning was no easy feat.

The fourth brother was able to fool everyone, which shows that his acting skills are truly divine.

The story about eating feces might be something that someone embellished regarding the fourth brother's feigned madness.

However, it cannot be ruled out that this is true. After all, if it were not something that ordinary people could not do, how could it have deceived the court in the first place?

Empress Ma was completely dumbfounded after hearing what her husband, Chongba, had said.

I was surprised by what my own brother, Chongba, said.

No... what have I just heard?
Fourth brother... Fourth brother did all this to pretend to be crazy?!

"Hey girl, isn't our fourth son amazing?"
This kid, we really didn't expect him to do something like this! It's truly unexpected!

Haha, we should make fun of the fourth brother more often from now on!

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed out loud, trying his best to lighten the mood and make his sister feel better.

Empress Ma nodded, still looking incredulous.

However, after a short while, her eyes gradually reddened and tears began to flow.

"Hey girl, hey girl, what's wrong with you, hey girl?"

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw Empress Ma crying, he panicked and asked her questions repeatedly, then reached out to wipe away her tears.

Empress Ma said with a sob in her voice, "Chongba, what has become of our fourth son?"

How much hardship did they endure, and how much pressure did they bear?

If he hadn't been forced into this situation, why would the fourth brother have resorted to feigning madness? And why would he go to such lengths to humiliate himself in order to feign madness?
Our fourth child has really had it tough!

Apart from a very few, how many mothers don't love their sons?
Upon hearing about the fourth prince's experiences, Empress Ma felt not only no amusement but also deep sorrow.

All I feel is endless heartache.

Zhu Yuanzhang was somewhat bewildered when he heard what his sister said and saw her current state.

No... this is a little different from what I thought!

He emphasized this point for his girlfriend because he wanted to ease her mood and make her laugh.

Who would have thought it would have the opposite effect!
"Girl, this...this fourth brother really has it tough."

As the saying goes, "When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it will first test their will, strain their muscles and bones, starve their body, leave them destitute, and thwart their endeavors, so as to strengthen their resolve, temper their character, and increase their abilities."
Our fourth son, it was precisely because he could endure such hardship that he was able to hone a sharp sword amidst these difficulties, and ultimately overcome all these hardships, eventually fighting his way into Yingtian City and becoming the emperor.

The hardships he had endured before were nothing more than a few trials and tribulations to him.

In this respect, the fourth brother is quite similar to us.

We've begged for food, herded cattle, and been monks; we've endured all sorts of hardships.

But didn't we eventually reach the top?

If he hadn't endured so much hardship and developed such a tenacious character, he wouldn't have witnessed the suffering of the world from a young age.

Without that, there would be no Zhu Yuanzhang as we know him today.

Zhu Yuanzhang was well aware that the sayings about hardship and adversity leading to success were increasingly despised and opposed by people in modern times, who considered them outdated and dross.

It's long outdated.

However, based on his own experience and other observations, we can conclude that personal growth and the acquisition of many things are often accompanied by corresponding costs.

Some of the costs are so severe that they can be unforgettable for a lifetime.

Everyone wants a life where they can reap many rewards and enjoy happiness without suffering or paying a heavy price.

In modern times, so many people shun difficulties and grow through adversity, and he can understand that.

But if you don't give anything in this world, how can you expect to receive anything?
To gain something, you must give something in return.

There are also many things that seem like shortcuts, where you can easily get a lot of things without paying any price.

However, many things in this world already have a price tag attached in secret.

Sometimes, the more something seems free, the greater the price you might pay in the future.

Of course, these are just his personal feelings.

This does not mean that everyone shares this view.

He's just a bit more realistic; he's experienced too much, so he has a more stark and direct perspective on reality.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang's persuasion of Empress Ma did not have the desired effect.

Empress Ma's tears flowed more and more, and she couldn't stop crying.

Zhu Yuanzhang was at a loss for what to do.

If I had known, I shouldn't have told the girl about Lao Si faking his madness.

I wanted to make my sister happy, but it backfired and made her even sadder.

"Girl, don't cry, girl, don't be sad."

The suffering of the fourth brother is only temporary…

“Chongba, I… I’m not crying for the fourth brother right now, I’m crying for you, Chongba.”

"Girl, why are you crying to me?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked, sounding somewhat puzzled.

Empress Ma said, "I feel sorry for you, Chongba. You have had such a hard and painful life."

As you said, you herded cattle and begged for food when you were a child, and you experienced all kinds of hardship.

But Chongba, your suffering didn't end in your childhood. After becoming emperor, you still have to worry about the whole country. You seem to be enjoying great glory, but how can you not feel lonely at the top?
They toiled tirelessly day after day, devoting themselves to the Zhu family, to the Ming Dynasty, and to the world.

That's not all; there are many other things that will tear your heart apart.

First, the eldest son's wife passed away early, and then, in middle age, our eldest grandson, Xiong Ying, also passed away.

In his later years, our Biao'er also passed away before you.

It will cause you to lose your grandson in middle age and your son in old age.

Chongba, you lost both your parents when you were young. It can be said that you have experienced every kind of suffering that the world can offer.

Chongba, why is your life so miserable?

As Empress Ma spoke, she began to sob.

Holding my beloved Chongba tightly, I felt an overwhelming pang of heartache.

Zhu Yuanzhang was taken aback upon hearing this, and then he understood why his sister was acting this way.

This is the person beside you in bed, someone who loves and cares for you!

Many people who came to see him at this time only saw him sitting on the throne, enjoying boundless glory.

They won't see how much hardship and exhaustion they've endured.

Only his own sister could see things more deeply, could feel sorry for him, and realize how difficult things had been for him.

"It's alright, girl. That's all in the past."

Heaven has been kind to me, turning a cowherd into an emperor, and I have you by my side, my beloved.

This already surpasses countless others. Now, God has given us a second chance, and we are determined to make up for all these regrets!

These things will never happen again!

Now that Lady Lü is dead, our eldest son's wife will no longer be harmed by such a vicious woman.

The heroes will surely thrive.

Our Biao'er will absolutely not allow anything to happen again.

"The throne belongs to our Biao'er! Our Biao'er will definitely become emperor, and he'll do an exceptionally good job!"

While Zhu Yuanzhang held his sister and comforted her, he couldn't help but feel fortunate.

Fortunately, at this point, he hadn't told the girl about her fate.

Otherwise, my own sister would probably make things even harder and more difficult for me.

After all, in addition to all of these, he also has to deal with the loss of his wife in middle age!
They truly experienced every hardship imaginable!
After hearing what Zhu Yuanzhang said, Empress Ma gradually stopped crying.

Of course, she still felt sorry for her son, Chongba, and at the same time, she wondered what her own fate would be.

I wonder if I might have died before Chongba.

If I were to surpass Chongba, it would be even more painful and cruel for Chongba!
She wanted to ask Chongba about herself.

But after thinking about it, I decided to put up with it for the time being.

Fearing that his own fate might not be good either, asking the question at this time only made Chongba feel even worse.

This is something she doesn't want to see.

"Our fourth son's feigned madness was betrayed by Ge Cheng, the chief secretary of the Prince of Yan's mansion, who had secretly defected to the imperial court, and was eventually exposed by the court."

However, these events also bought the fourth prince some necessary time to launch his military campaign.

Later, Zhu Yunwen secretly ordered Zhang Bing and Xie Gui to arrest the officials of the Prince of Yan's mansion, and Zhang Xin to arrest the fourth prince himself.

After discussing it with his mother, Zhang Xin decided to tell his fourth son about it.

So the fourth brother and Yao Guangxiao and others began planning to raise an army.

Zhang Yu and Zhu Neng were ordered to bring eight hundred warriors into the Prince of Yan's residence to lie in wait for any unforeseen events.

After receiving a secret edict from that beast Zhu Yunwen, Zhang Bing and Xie Gui led their troops to surround the Prince of Yan's residence on the fourth day of the seventh month of the first year of the Jianwen reign.

The fourth prince pretended to bind all the officials and invited the two men into the mansion for inspection.

After the two entered the mansion, the fourth prince sent his henchmen to capture them and execute them along with Ge Cheng and Lu Zhen, who had betrayed the mansion.

That night, the fourth brother captured all nine gates of Beiping and thus took control of the city…

Empress Ma secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Fortunately, the fourth brother was prepared and had a resolute character; he was not one to surrender easily.

Otherwise, just by looking at Zhu Yunwen's move, which was a killing blow, it's clear that he really doesn't give his uncle any face and doesn't care about any family ties.

If things go wrong, the fourth son might end up like the twelfth son, forced to commit suicide by burning the entire family together!

This is incredibly distressing!

Of course, if Zhu Yunwen had been a capable ruler, the Ming Dynasty could have flourished under his leadership.

Even if he resorts to such cruel methods, Empress Ma, though heartbroken and distressed, could not help but understand and support it from the perspective of right and wrong.

But the crucial point is that he is a complete idiot and an incompetent person!
He had made a mess of the country and was so ruthless and heartless towards his own family. Under such circumstances, it was difficult for Empress Ma to have a good impression of him.

This is the same reason why many people view Emperor Taizong of Tang.

After all, if it weren't for Emperor Taizong of Tang's outstanding civil and military achievements, who single-handedly created the Zhenguan Era of Prosperity in the Tang Dynasty, it would have been impossible to achieve such success.

Therefore, his killing of his brothers and other similar acts will inevitably be condemned by countless people.

But because he did things exceptionally well after becoming emperor.

Therefore, many people will have a different feeling when they look at the Xuanwu Gate Incident in light of his great achievements.

For an emperor, incompetence is the greatest sin.

Incompetent and reckless like Zhu Yunwen, extremely ruthless and inhuman.

That made Empress Ma look down on him even more...

……

Kaifeng, once the largest and most prosperous city in the Northern Song Dynasty, is now desolate.

The former prosperity crumbled as the Jurchens marched south, forcing Emperor Huizong and Emperor Huan to study abroad, and Emperor Gou, shrinking back in defeat, continued his southward journey without looking back, until the Song dynasty was forced to relocate south, leaving the country in ruins.

When Zong Ze, in his old age, stubbornly held on to Kaifeng after its fall, he gathered a large number of loyal men to continue the resistance. In the end, he cried out three times in sorrow before crossing the river and dying. Du Chong, that bastard, took over Zong Ze's position, abandoned Kaifeng, and then dug up the Yellow River, making this once prosperous city even more devastated.

During the Battle of Yancheng, Yue Fei's army fought a bloody battle, killing both men and horses, and decisively defeated the Jin army. Yue Fei passionately declared his willingness to fight alongside his comrades all the way to Huanglongfu. Zhao Gou issued twelve consecutive imperial edicts ordering the withdrawal of troops, and Yue Fei was eventually executed on trumped-up charges.

The last glimmer of hope for the recovery of Kaifeng was thus extinguished.

The splendor of Tokyo remains only in the painting "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" and in the historical record "The Eastern Capital: A Dream of Splendor," becoming a swan song and a place that haunts the dreams of many...

This former capital of the Song Dynasty, like most places to the north, has been abandoned for far too long.

More than two hundred years passed from the Jingkang Incident to Zhu Yuanzhang's expulsion of the Manchus, restoration of China, and rebuilding of the nation.

Over the past two hundred years, Kaifeng City and the Yellow River flowing nearby have undergone some repairs, but it can be said that these repairs were practically nonexistent.

Today, Xue Xiang, the Minister of Works, is located here on the banks of the Yellow River near Kaifeng.

Xue Xiang is now thinner and darker than before.

River management is a major undertaking and also a demanding task.

For him, it was even more exhausting and arduous than when he was building Zhongdu City under Li Shanchang.

However, his mental state was completely different from when he was building Zhongdu.

He suffered greatly during the repair of Zhongdu City.

The Duke of Han and His Majesty disagreed on the construction of the capital city. The Duke of Han said one thing to the Emperor and another behind his back.

This alone put him under immense psychological pressure.

During the construction of Zhongdu, the Duke of Han was present. As the Minister of Works for Zhongdu, he only had the role of doing the work and making suggestions.

As for how Zhongdu will be repaired and the progress of the project, that is not something he can decide.

We can only let Li Shanchang make the decision.

But this time, the governance of the Yellow River was different. His Majesty gave him great power and put him in full charge.

It feels so good to be able to make decisions about everything!

It feels better to be trusted.

Not to mention, in addition to his great trust in him, His Majesty has also made it clear that if he can restrain the evil dragon that is the Yellow River and turn it back into the Mother River, so that it will no longer bring disaster to the world, a shrine will be built for him so that people can admire him for generations.

This was an irresistible temptation for him.

He was already very happy to be allowed to manage the river, which was exactly what he wanted to do.

Now that His Majesty has given him so much extra, how could he not do his best?
That's why he's so full of energy these days.

Running around planning every day, working non-stop, physically exhausted, but still mentally excited.

His Majesty's words about controlling the Yellow River are not just empty talk.

Instead, they are truly focusing their efforts on harnessing the Yellow River.

From the beginning until now, the amount of money invested has reached a staggering 1.5 million guan!
His Majesty means that as long as the Yellow River is not properly managed, a large amount of manpower and resources will continue to be invested.

His Majesty's attitude is so resolute, he can't afford to hold him back!
Even if it means death, it must be after the Yellow River has been properly controlled.

This river management effort has not been without results.

Many river channels have been cleared.

While managing the main channel of the Yellow River, some canals and weirs were also repaired, and the results were quite good.

But now Xue Xiang is frowning.

Because he encountered a particularly difficult problem.

The problem is that the Yellow River has just too much silt!

……

"Chongba, is it next up that Jinglong, the Great War God of the Ming Dynasty, will display his divine might?"

Inside the Kunning Palace, Empress Ma looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and asked him a question, her voice filled with anticipation...

(End of this chapter)