My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

boom--!!!

It was like a thunderbolt from the heavens striking directly at the top of one's head!

Upon hearing this, the old man froze on the spot, his face contorted with rage and murderous intent.

He suddenly turned his head, his eyes wide as saucers, staring intently at the television screen.

The fierce general on the screen, charging with a sword and proclaiming "I, the Emperor!"

That face... those eyes...

Although she doesn't look like the fourth brother, their aura is exactly the same!

This was clearly his fourth son, Zhu Di, who usually seemed quite obedient and whom he had sent to guard the northern border!

And the "Zhu Yunwen" he was looking for...

It was Biao'er's son.

Why did the fourth brother want to find Biao'er's son?

and many more!

emperor?

Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have suddenly thought of something.

"No...impossible...absolutely impossible!"

Zhu Yuanzhang finally managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth.

He turned his head and stared intently at Chen Mo.

"What is that?! What the hell is in that box?! Tell me!"

Chen Mo looked at the television and answered.

"Huh? 'Ming Dynasty'?"

"It's about things from the Ming Dynasty."

"That's why Zhu Di successfully rebelled and marched into Nanjing to find his nephew, the Jianwen Emperor..."

"Isn't that written in the history books?"

"History...books..."

Zhu Yuanzhang felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer, and staggered back a step.

Then he suddenly grabbed Chen Mo with unusual force.

"Why...why Yunwen?!"

"Where is our Ming Dynasty... our Biao'er?!"

"Where is our Crown Prince Zhu Biao?! He is the heir apparent we chose! Why isn't he here?! Could it be...?"

One terrifying possibility nearly suffocated him, making him unable to continue.

Could it be that Biao'er... died young?!

No! Absolutely not!

Biao'er is so healthy!

How could he possibly die so young?!

When Chen Mo heard him ask about Zhu Biao, he subconsciously answered in the same tone.

"Crown Prince Zhu Biao, he didn't become emperor, he died young."

Chen Mo pondered for a moment.

"The history books say that he died of illness, before his father."

"So later Zhu Yunwen succeeded to the throne, and his reign title was Jianwen."

"Before he could even settle down, he started to reduce the power of the princes. He didn't do it well, and his fourth uncle, Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan, overthrew him. That's how it happened."

click-

It was as if one could hear the sound of something shattering completely inside Zhu Yuanzhang's body.

He felt as if he had been struck by an invisible giant hammer, and he swayed violently, only managing to stay upright by holding onto the door frame.

The color drained from his face, making him even paler and more frightening than when he had seen Zhu Di earlier.

Biao'er...is he dead?

She walked ahead of him?

He died of illness?

So the perfect successor he painstakingly cultivated, on whom he placed high hopes, never got to live to see the day he ascended the throne.

Therefore, the heavy responsibility of the Ming Dynasty ultimately fell on Yunwen's shoulders?

And then...and then his power was usurped by his scheming uncle, his good fourth brother?!

How dare the fourth brother do that?!

"Biao...Biao'er..."

Zhu Yuanzhang's lips trembled violently, and turbid tears instantly streamed down his bloodshot eyes, winding along the deep, furrowed wrinkles.

He was powerful and scheming throughout his life, killing meritorious officials in the hopes of paving a smooth road to lasting peace for his descendants.

But to everyone's surprise, man proposes, God disposes.

He guarded against powerful ministers from outside the family, but he couldn't guard against the capriciousness of fate, the early death of his son, or the ambition of another son!

All the scheming, all the killing, all the painstaking efforts.

In the end, it all turned out to be a mirage, a complete waste of time!

It also indirectly led to the grandson's loss of the throne and the killing of his own flesh and blood!

Finally, Zhu Yuanzhang could no longer hold on. His body slid slowly down the door frame and collapsed to the ground, his shoulders twitching violently.

Chen Mo was still holding chopsticks in his hand, with the piece of pig's trotter that had almost caused trouble on it, and he was completely dumbfounded.

He looked at Old Zhu on the ground, who seemed to have aged twenty years in an instant, and then at the TV series "Ming Dynasty" still playing on the screen. He felt a chill run down his spine.

"If someone sees this, won't they say I'm bullying an elderly person?"

"If they take a picture and post it online, I'll be accused of bullying an elderly person!"

"But the problem is I didn't do anything! I just ate a pork leg rice bowl!"

After saying that, Chen Mo looked at Old Zhu, who was trembling on the ground, and couldn't help but sigh.

If the previous one was Li Shimin, then this one is clearly Zhu Yuanzhang.

Old Zhu is indeed quite pitiful. He lost his parents in his early years, his wife and grandson in his middle age, and his son in his old age.

He walked over to Old Zhu, hesitated for a moment, and then reached out and gently patted Old Zhu's shoulder.

"Hey...Grandpa...don't sit on the ground, it's cold."

Chen Mo's voice softened considerably.

"Um... please accept my condolences. It happened hundreds of years ago, so try to let it go."

Zhu Yuanzhang paused slightly, but did not raise his head; his shoulders simply trembled even more violently.

Several hundred years have passed?

Listen to this, is this even human language?

Hundreds of years?

For him, that was a bloody future that had not yet happened!

Chen Mo scratched his head, unsure how to comfort Zhu Yuanzhang.

Then, his gaze swept over the bowl of still steaming braised pork trotters and rice, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind.

He picked up the bowl, took a pair of clean chopsticks, picked up a large piece of stewed pig's trotter that was extremely tender and flavorful, almost falling off the bone, and handed it to Zhu Yuanzhang, carefully comforting him.

"Want to try some?"

Old Zhu glanced at the pig's trotter.

"I'm not in the mood to eat right now!"

"Don't say that, old man!"

Chen Mo spoke earnestly.

"Even the most important things can't stop us from eating, right?"

"I can't speak for everything else here, but our braised pig's trotters are absolutely amazing, they're incredibly fragrant!"

"Only when you're full do you have the energy to be sad... oh no, I mean, the energy to think things through, right?"

After saying that, Chen Mo handed the pig's trotter to Old Zhu.

The rich and enticing aroma of meat once again filled my nostrils.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked through his cloudy, tearful eyes at the trembling, dark red pig's trotter that was so close to him.

He remained silent for a long time.

Just when Chen Mo thought the old man was about to explode again, Zhu Yuanzhang reached out and took the pair of disposable chopsticks.

He looked at the pig's feet, his expression still somewhat complicated.

Finally, he sighed, closed his eyes, and shoved the pig's trotter into his mouth, chewing it fiercely.

The soft, savory, and gelatinous texture instantly filled his mouth, while the unprecedented rich meaty aroma and complex flavors of the seasonings assaulted his taste buds.

Tasty?

It's really delicious!

but……

Old Zhu chewed very hard, and as he ate, tears silently streamed down his face, mixing with the sauce and dripping onto his clothes.

Seeing his expression, Chen Mo felt a pang of sympathy and pushed the bowl further towards him.

"Eat slowly, there's more, it's all yours. Sigh..."

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't say anything, he just buried his head in his food and ate one piece after another.

Perhaps food really can bring the most primal comfort.

When the last piece of pig's foot was in his stomach, Zhu Yuanzhang put down his chopsticks. Although his eyes were still red and swollen and his mood was still low, the despair of his collapse seemed to have been temporarily suppressed.

He exhaled a long, heavy breath, which smelled of meat.

He raised his eyes and looked at Chen Mo again. His gaze was still complicated, but the terrifying murderous aura and sense of rejection had dissipated considerably.

"Kid... does the history book say... how... Biao'er... died?"

"Uh... the historical records don't go into too much detail about how he died, but it seems he died of illness, right?"

Chen Mo tried to put it tactfully.

"Some say it was a worsening of a cold, others say it was due to too much stress... In any case, his body couldn't take it, and... he was gone."

"The pressure... is too much..."

Zhu Yuanzhang murmured these four words repeatedly.

Where does the pressure come from?

Who else could it be but him?

He only wanted to familiarize him with government affairs so he could better manage his officials in the future, but things didn't go as planned...

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly closed his eyes, his nails digging deeply into his palms, his body trembling slightly, but no more tears fell.

Did he... force his beloved son to his death with his own hands?

The thought was like a venomous snake, fiercely gnawing at his heart.

He remained silent for a very long time.

Finally, Zhu Yuanzhang slowly opened his eyes.

In those eyes, the raging storm and despair of the past seemed to have been forcibly suppressed, leaving only numbness and exhaustion.

He slowly stood up, his worn-out hemp clothes still stained with oil and tears.

Old Zhu glanced at Chen Mo, his eyes filled with complex emotions—pain, gratitude, and an indescribable heaviness.

"Thank you for the meal."

After saying that, without waiting for Chen Mo to react, he suddenly turned around and walked out the door.

Chen Mo looked at Old Zhu as he walked out, his mouth agape.

"Grandpa, your money... sigh... never mind, I'll just order another one!"