Sky Curtain: The Overlord Charges into Battle, Shocking Emperors of All Dynasties

Chapter 38 A Beauty Like Her

Zhu Di's face was filled with pain as he was lost in memories. He missed his mother. The time before the fifteenth year of Hongwu's reign was the happiest time of his life. At that time, his father and mother were both alive, as were his elder brother and nephew. He didn't have to worry about his future fate or how history would record him. He only wanted to assist his elder brother under his guidance and become the Great General of the Ming Dynasty in the north. "Flowers bloom and wither, filling the sky; it is you who appear and disappear."

"Day after day, night after night, I still can't capture your face in my mind."

Zhu Di closed his eyes, and in the darkness, all that flashed through his mind were scenes of his elder brother watching them play, and his mother looking at them with loving eyes. Of course, he also admitted that after learning of his elder brother Zhu Biao's death, besides grief, he actually felt a little bit of secret joy. "This music is good, it touches the heart, and it makes me think of my elder brother and mother involuntarily."

Zhu Di felt something was off after hearing it. It sounded like a man was singing, and it seemed like he was right next to him. He turned his head, and unsurprisingly, it was his son, whose head seemed to have gone mad. Zhu Di was furious. "What are you singing?!" he yelled.

"I think you're tired of being the Prince of Han and want to become a court jester, is that it?"

The singing stopped abruptly, and the crowd was somewhat confused about Zhu Gaoxu's train of thought. It was obvious that Zhu Di missed Empress Xiaoci Gao, so why did he have to sing here? Wasn't this just rubbing salt into the wound?

Zhu Gaoxu looked at his father's unfriendly face, swallowed hard, and said, "I was just worried because you were so sad, Father. Didn't the screen say this was supposed to be your happy song?"

"Your son just wanted to sing this song to cheer you up."

Zhu Di took a deep breath and kept telling himself, "This is my own son, my own son."

Is this bastard really stupid, or is he deliberately trying to make me unhappy?

"Second brother, you sang well, but remember not to sing it again next time."

Zhu Gaosui patted Zhu Gaoxu on the shoulder. He was already arrogant enough, and he wouldn't dare to do this while his father was reminiscing about the past.

Prince Han truly deserves to be called the greatest general of our Ming Dynasty!

With Empress Ma dead, the anxieties of Emperor Hongwu and his officials finally subsided.

Follow-up comment: Indeed, Zhu Chongba's scabbard is gone; there will never be another Zhu Chongba, only Zhu Yuanzhang. [In history, they are probably the only founding couple who shared hardships together.]

Follow-up comment: There is a similar case, Liu Bang and Lü Zhi, but their relationship was more like a political marriage. There must have been feelings between them, but it was definitely not as deep as that between Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma. Liu Bang and Lü Zhi looked at each other and then turned their heads away in tacit understanding. Although they had both worked their way up from the bottom, the feelings between them were not that deep. In particular, they were both typical political creatures, and feelings seemed to be superfluous to them.

When Zhu Yuanzhang was enraged, only Empress Ma could restrain him; even Zhu Biao would have had a hard time stopping him.

[That's why I say, in female-oriented novels, characters travel back to the Ming Dynasty to compete for the emperor's favor with Empress Ma, and even frame her. I don't know what they're thinking. How could they possibly win against Empress Ma?]

Follow-up comment: No matter how much favor they had before, if anyone dared to speak out, their entire family would be executed. The ministers of the Hongwu era tilted their heads in disbelief. Could anyone really be so brave? Daring to compete with the Empress for favor and even to frame her, were they truly not afraid of death?

At this moment, Xu Da stepped forward, his face showing resentment, "Those in power, in principle, should not meddle in the affairs of the imperial family."

"But one thing is certain: no matter how many women are in the palace of the high-ranking official, the eldest sister must not be mistreated!"

The generals from Huaixi behind her also stepped forward to plead their case. Back when they were fighting, which one of them hadn't received her favors? They would receive clothes made by the Empress during festivals and have their families taken care of. Even if they made mistakes, it was always Empress Ma who protected them. If any fool dared to frame their eldest sister, they would make sure her entire family saw what a true general was like.

"I don't need you reminding me," Zhu Yuanzhang said with a stern face. "Sister, tell me, is there anyone with such audacity?"

"Tell me, and I'll definitely chop her up with my own hands!!"

Empress Ma was both amused and exasperated. "Besides killing people, what else can you do?"

"None of those women in your harem would dare to do that."

"I'd like one, just to have something to amuse myself in my spare time."

However, the most regrettable thing is the death of Zhu Biao. He served as the crown prince for more than 20 years, but died young.

Old Zhu trusted Zhu Biao completely, handing over his entire team to him, and couldn't wait for him to become emperor so he could enjoy his retirement.

Follow-up comment: The most stable crown prince in history, it's not an empty boast. [Historical records state that Zhu Biao went to Shaanxi to investigate the crimes of Prince Qin, Zhu, and to consider the relocation of the capital to Xi'an. On the way, he caught a cold and never recovered.]

Follow-up comment: Zhu Biao repeatedly advised Zhu Yuanzhang to stop the massacres, but was reprimanded and became depressed. Then he had to take care of his younger brothers' absurd affairs, oversee the country, and finally travel a long distance to inspect Xi'an in Shaanxi. He was exhausted to death.

Follow-up comment: Delegating too much power is not good either. After the abolition of the prime ministership, Zhu Biao was essentially the prime minister in effect.

During the Zhenguan era, Li Chengqian looked at the sky with envy. They were both crown princes, so why did Zhu Yuanzhang trust his crown prince so much? On the other hand, his father was increasingly fond of Qingque, and Qingque's titles were almost too many to write down on a single sheet of paper. He himself also had a leg ailment, and the day when he would be deposed as crown prince was probably not far off.

Thinking of this, a fierce glint appeared in Li Chengqian's eyes. I will not be like my uncle, as my father taught me.

[Do you think if we found someone who looked similar to Empress Ma and arranged a chance encounter with Emperor Zhu when he was old, we could control him?]

Follow-up comment: Good strategy, but I think I can modify it slightly. You could hold a sesame seed cake and ask Zhu Yuanzhang with a smile: How did you get so old? The plan is now complete.

Follow-up comment: "Wanwan resembles Qing?" What kind of substitute literature is this?

In the twenty-third year of the Hongwu reign, Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon throne, his fingers tapping incessantly on the armrest, revealing the turmoil in his heart.

For a moment, the hall was so quiet that only the constant tapping of the hammer echoed.

The courtiers inside the hall stood frozen like statues, not daring to move an inch. "What? Are you afraid we'll kill you?"

Zhu Yuanzhang opened his eyes, suddenly laughed, then his smile vanished, his face darkened, and he said in a warning tone, "Regardless of what I say, I'm warning you all: don't think I'm unaware of your little schemes and tricks."

"If anyone dares to pull this trick on us, we'll see if their entire family is enough for our blade to cut down."

After the court session, Zhu Biao followed Zhu Yuanzhang and asked in a low voice, "Father, if there really is someone who looks very much like Mother, and after investigation it turns out it wasn't arranged by someone else, what would you do?"

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath. "If such a coincidence is true, we'll grant her a lifetime of peace and wealth, and leave her undisturbed."

"Just glancing at her from afar during my free time is enough."

"No one in this world can compare to your mother; no matter how similar you are, you are not her."

Zhu Yuanzhang felt a dull ache in his heart again, a suffocating feeling. Some long-buried memories began to surface. He strode towards the Qianqing Palace, where his sister had lived. Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to go and talk to his sister.

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