The Ming Dynasty: A Modern Return, Building an Overseas Empire

Within the capital city, Zhu Gaoxu rode his horse and arrived at his residence without any hindrance.

Looking at the familiar Han Prince's Mansion before him, Zhu Gaoxu's eyes were filled with memories and fervor.

His mansion, he has finally returned.

But soon, his gaze dimmed again.

He did indeed return, and once again saw the mansion he remembered.

But then he had to leave again.

This departure means I'm unlikely to return.

Stopping his thoughts, Zhu Gaoxu dismounted and strode forward.

But when he stepped through the gate, Zhu Gaoxu was stunned for a moment.

After hesitating for a moment, he took a deep breath and stomped heavily on the ground inside the palace.

Zhu Gaoxu started walking very slowly, his gaze wandering around, looking at everything that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

Suddenly, a clear and melodious voice, filled with surprise and utterly familiar, rang out.

"Your Highness, you're back!"

Zhu Gaoxu froze instantly, mechanically and slowly turning his head to look at the gorgeous and beautiful woman who was speaking.

When he saw her face clearly and watched the beautiful woman walk quickly towards him, Zhu Gaoxu seemed to freeze at that moment.

The beautiful woman before him was his wife, the Princess Consort of the Han Prince of the Ming Dynasty, Lady Wei, Wei Wanrong.

However, just a moment later, Zhu Gaoxu excitedly ran towards Wei Wanrong and, to Wei Wanrong's surprise and delight, hugged her tightly.

Zhu Gaoxu did not say anything, or perhaps he was speechless at that moment.

At this moment, Zhu Gaoxu's eyes were red, and tears seemed about to spill out, but he held them back tightly.

Even so, this is an emotion that he rarely displays.

Having faced life and death on the battlefield, he did not shed a tear.

Even when he was roasted alive in his previous life, he didn't utter a sound, nor did his eyes well up with tears.

But now that he has seen Wei Wanrong, Zhu Gaoxu really can't hold back.

His previous life ended inexplicably because of his so-called rebellion; he was roasted alive.

The beautiful woman before him was also implicated and executed by order of Zhu Zhanji, who did not even leave her a complete corpse. Furthermore, Wei Wanrong's body was cremated and her ashes were scattered into the Wei River, not even allowed to be buried in peace.

She was just a woman; killing someone would only result in a head falling to the ground, yet she died such a tragic death.

Zhu Zhanji was certainly hateful, but Zhu Gaoxu blamed himself even more.

Despite his frequent comparisons to Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, and his self-proclaimed superiority and martial prowess, he couldn't even protect his own woman!

The old man took pity on him and allowed him to return.

Upon seeing Wei Wanrong again, Zhu Gaoxu completely lost his composure.

Even the toughest man has a soft side that no one knows about.

The hesitation he felt when entering the mansion was also a reflection of the fear of those within his household, a feeling of self-reproach and guilt.

Only after experiencing loss do we realize the value of those around us and understand the importance of cherishing them.

Zhu Gaoxu's silent, tight embrace left Wei Wanrong momentarily speechless. After a brief moment of stunned silence, she wrapped her arms tightly around Zhu Gaoxu's waist, her face filled with a happy smile, though her eyes gradually became moist.

She had been married to Zhu Gaoxu for many years, and this was the first time she had felt such direct love from him, and she had never been treated so gently.

At that moment, she suddenly realized that Zhu Gaoxu cared about her even more than she had imagined.

She had seen Zhu Gaoxu's expression and felt the warmth he exuded; she was certain she was right.

After a brief embrace, Wei Wanrong blushed and tried to let go, but Zhu Gaoxu held her tightly.

"Your Highness, no matter what happens or what decision you make, I will always support you."

Wei Wanrong wasn't a stupid woman. Coming back to her senses from the happiness she had just experienced, she knew that something must have happened.

She didn't want to ask; if Zhu Gaoxu wanted to tell her, he would naturally do so.

All she could do was firmly support Zhu Gaoxu; that was the only thing she could do.

Hearing Wei Wanrong's gentle voice, Zhu Gaoxu gradually loosened his grip, but his eyes did not leave Wei Wanrong.

When her reddened eyes were discovered, Wei Wanrong felt a sudden urgency and touched Zhu Gaoxu's face with both hands.

"Your Highness, what's wrong? What happened?"

It's truly rare to see Zhu Gaoxu act like this; it's the first time Wei Wanrong has ever seen Zhu Gaoxu behave like this in front of her.

It can be said that the idea of ​​"shedding blood but not tears" was almost ingrained in Zhu Gaochi's very bones.

Whenever he encountered something troubling him, he would go down and spar with his guards to calm himself down; he would never show it like this.

Zhu Gaoxu's current state made Wei Wanrong think a lot, but she couldn't figure it out.

What could possibly happen if I just went to Jiming Temple?

Zhu Gaoxu grasped the slender hand on his face and grinned.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly missed you, seeing you makes me feel at ease."

"Come on, let's go inside first. I also have something to tell you."

Looking at the beautiful woman before him, Zhu Gaoxu smiled broadly, his eyes filled with determination.

Now that he's back, he absolutely will not allow those sorrows to happen again.

In this life, he must not harm his lover, his family, or anyone else.

In his previous life, his lineage was wiped out by Zhu Zhanji, and Zhu Gaoxu kept all of this deeply in his heart.

Wei Wanrong was momentarily stunned, letting Zhu Gaoxu put his arm around her waist and walk into the house.

Zhu Gaoxu's changes were so significant that she was not used to them for a while.

The Zhu Gaoxu of the past would never have said such mushy things to her.

But soon, Wei Wanrong stopped worrying about it.

This is still her prince. Isn't this change better than before?

This is a good thing; she should be happy.

As Zhu Gaoxu led Wei Wanrong inside, Wang Bin, Zhu Huan, Luo Li, and Mei Qing, who had already arrived at the mansion to welcome Zhu Gaoxu back, were staring blankly at the scene from afar.

"Your Highness is leaving already? Wasn't it something important?"

Wang Bin couldn't help but speak first; the situation was truly surreal.

When did their prince become such a tender person?

Moreover, when Niu Cheng came to inform us last night, his expression and tone, and the fact that he wanted all the guards to come back, what else could it be but a big deal?

Shouldn't Zhu Gaoxu's first priority upon returning be to discuss important matters?

Neither Luo Li nor Mei Qing spoke; they were in charge of matters outside.

Zhu Huan looked at Wang Bin, and then at Zhu Gaoxu's disappearing figure, and slowly smiled.

"His Highness has his own plans; we just need to do what we're supposed to do."

And you all saw what happened just now; the prince seems to have changed.

Now let's go to the side hall and quietly wait for the prince's arrival.

The group of people were puzzled, but they all nodded and left.

Has Zhu Gaoxu changed?

For a moment, a sense of anticipation filled the hearts of all of them.

What could be the reason that Niu Cheng had to notify them to come back overnight?

Zhu Gaoxu led Wei Wanrong into the house and casually closed the door behind him.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room changed slightly, as if it were imbued with an indescribable...

As Zhu Gaoxu drew closer, Wei Wanrong's breathing quickened, and a faint blush appeared on her face, but she still lowered her head and slowly agreed.

Zhu Gaochi let out a long breath, his face showing relief, then picked up the beauty...