Although the old man repeatedly emphasized that he should not make any fuss about his longevity, the festive atmosphere in Beijing was getting stronger and stronger. There were people talking excitedly in the streets, alleys, teahouses and restaurants.
This is a happy event and a good thing!
Even if there is a long-lived old man in the family, the children and grandchildren must spare no effort to celebrate the birthday. Because longevity itself represents God's favor and preference, and is also a symbol of the family's prosperity.
The same is true for a dynasty. It has been more than thirty years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. The old emperor with great martial arts skills is still there, and the empire is prosperous. This is a good omen for a prosperous and peaceful age.
In the past few days, vassal kings from all over the country have come to Beijing one after another. The first to come were the seventh Zhu Shu (fu) who was vassal in Kaiping (hbts) and the Lu king Zhu Zhaohui (hui) of Yanzhou.
King Zhu Shu of Qi has never been very provocative among the vassal kings. When he was young, he followed his elder brother Qin, Jin, King Yan and others to lead the army outside the Great Wall. After becoming a vassal, he lived his own small life in an orderly manner. He did not do good things or bad things, let alone him.
But this is just a superficial matter. Zhu Yunxi's seventh uncle was not a good person secretly. He and the eighth prince of Hongwu, Zhu Zi, the king of Tan, who died of self-immolation in the 23rd year of Hongwu, were both born from the same mother, Concubine Dading.
King Tan's death was definitely against the old man, whether in the palace or in the court, and no one could mention it. Even Zhu Yunxi only heard about it briefly, but did not know the truth.
The official version is that in the 23rd year of Hongwu, Hu Weiyong was convicted and implicated King Tan. The old man summoned him to the capital. He was so frightened that he set himself on fire with his wife.
When you hear it, you know it's nonsense. Hu Weiyong is a minister, and Prince Tan is the prince. How can they be related? Besides, who in the world doesn't know the old man's protective temper? He is a typical example. His wife is someone else's good, and his son is his own. , how can you sit back and watch your son set himself on fire?
In fact, the seventh eldest son, Zhu Shu, was just average to him back then. The eighth eldest son, Zhu Zi, was deeply loved among the princes because he was extremely handsome and eloquent.
Someone in the palace said privately that King Tan's bad luck lies in his face, and his temper is extremely yd...
However, in Zhu Yunxi's opinion, this is all nonsense.
Some truths will never see the light of day once they are covered up, but there is one difference between the brothers Lao Qi and Lao Ba from the other princes, that is, their biological mother is a concubine.
Concubine Ding was originally the beloved concubine of Chen Youliang, the old man's old enemy, and was later taken into the house by the old man. They, the founding emperors, all liked this idea. Not only did they want to kill their enemies, but they also wanted to sleep with other people's wives and steal their money.
As for Lu Wang Zhu Zhaohui, he was of the same generation as Zhu Yunxi, and was the son of Lu Huang Wang Zhu Tan who died from taking too many pills. Compared with the seventh and eighth elders, his status in this family was much more prominent.
The biological mother of King Zhu Tan of Luhuang was Concubine Guo Ning, the biological sister of the Duke of Shaanxi (xia) and the brother of the Guo family of Marquis of Wuding. She was of the noble blood of Huaixi.
Zhu Tan died early, and Zhu Zhaohui was his only son. He had just turned eleven this year. This visit to the capital was the first time he came to see the old man in his life. Therefore, although he came to the capital with King Qi, the old man immediately summoned him. He entered the palace.
Not only was he summoned, but he was also given food and accommodation. It was clear how he was treated by the King of Qi.
Next came Zhu Chun, the king of Shu, who was nicknamed Xiucai. Among the vassal kings, the king of Shu was actually the richest and the most leisurely. His temperament was also stable, tolerant and the most endearing, which was completely different from his half-brother of Datong, Zhu Gui.
Of course, compared with his other half-brother Gu Wang, he is even better.
Then Zhu Bai, the king of Hunan, and Zhu Pian, the king of Min, came to Beijing successively. These two were not easy to worry about. The king of Hunan and the king of Chu were so good that they could wear a pair of trousers, and the king of Min ruled Yunnan and did evil all day long.
Muchun, the Duke of Guizhou, had nothing but good things to say as long as he presented a memorial to Zhu Yunxi. Zhang Yan, the former chief envoy of Yunnan, hated him with itch whenever he was mentioned.
These heroic young sons of the old man all follow the example of their elder brothers and aspire to command hundreds of thousands of troops like King Yan of Qin and Jin in the future.
It’s not clear whether they have learned their skills or not, but in private, they are overbearing, domineering, and unruly.
A few days later, King Su Zhu Kai, King Qin and King Jin, who were far away in Gansu, also arrived one after another.
Naturally, these three vassal kings were all Zhu Yunxi's best friends. The kings of Qin and Jin were his cousins with his grandmother, and it was his nod to inherit the throne.
Su Wang Zhu Mei was one of the nine Ming Dynasty kings. He vassalized Gansu and acted as the military affairs director of the Five Guards of Ganzhou, the capital of Shaanxi Province. He had no less military and horse power than other kings.
If the old man really doesn't like that son, it might be Prince Su. He has been dull since he was a child, can't speak and doesn't have the heroic spirit of the Zhu family's children. Even his wife is not from a noble family in Huaixi.
However, perhaps because he was not favored since childhood, Zhu Kai was particularly pragmatic, knew how to advance and retreat, and was the most respectful.
As a result, the vassal kings from all over the country came almost all the time. Not only did they come, they also brought their families with them, and the Forbidden City was as lively as the Chinese New Year.
The old man said that there were too many people, that the scene was too expensive and cumbersome, but he still smiled from ear to ear in front of his children and grandchildren who came from afar, looking at this and that, and he couldn't get enough.
More things have been given out in the past few days than in the previous twenty years combined.
But these days, there are many times more smiling faces than before, and the whole person looks much younger.
Isn’t the word reunion what people want when they get old?
What use do substances have for the elderly?
~~
The Forbidden City is solemn and peaceful in winter. Compared with the inner court and harem, the outer court is even more grand and shocking.
Everywhere along the road, there are guards in silver armor standing like javelins, wearing helmets and holding swords. They stand silently like statues.
The old man is in front, and Liu Jin is on the side.
The king of Shu is Zhu Chun, the prince of Yan is Zhu Gaochi, and the king of Lu is Zhu Zhaohui.
The group of people were chatting and laughing, and at a glance they could tell that they were their uncles, nephews and brothers, walking with the old man.
Entering the outer court from the inner court, passing the Wenlou of Wenhua Hall and the Wulou of Wuying Hall, you will see the most magnificent three halls: Fengtian, Huagai and Jinshen.
"Let's go and take a walk on the Fengtianmen Gate!" The old man put his hands behind his back and seemed not to feel tired no matter how he walked.
Zhu Chun, the king of Shu, saw that the old man seemed to have sweat on his forehead, so he quickly took the handkerchief from the palace servant's hand, stepped forward and gently helped the old man wipe it.
"I'm old, and I'm sweating after just walking a few steps!" the old man laughed.
"Father, you are tired. I will carry you on my back!" King Zhu Chun of Shu, dressed in a four-clawed golden dragon robe with a girdle around his waist, slowly bowed in front of the old man.
"I'll kick you to death!" the old man scolded, "Get out of here, you have to wait until I'm dead before you carry me on your back, and you have to carry it for a few steps. Do you really think we're getting old?"
"The ancestor is not old, the dragon is powerful and the tiger is fierce!" Liujin said with a smile.
"Ha, our darling grandson can still talk!" In front of others, the old man never hesitated to express his preference for Liu Jin. He held Liu Jin with his big hand and said, "Let's go to the tower to have a look!"
"Liu Jin supports the ancestor!" Liu Jin said with a smile.
"Okay!" The old man laughed.
At this moment, King Lu Zhu Zhaohui, who was carefully following the old man, suddenly felt his elbow being hit by someone. He turned around and saw Zhu Gaochi winking at him.
He was startled for a moment, and then he immediately understood. He stepped forward to support the old man's other arm and whispered, "Grandfather, please go slower on the steps ahead!"
The old man looked at the unfamiliar face in front of him and had mixed feelings in his heart.
This is his grandson, his biological grandson.
He has a face very similar to his son, and seeing him is like meeting the high-spirited King Lu.
For a moment, the old man felt happy but also a little uncomfortable.
"Have you ever studied?" the old man asked softly.
"Returning to the emperor's grandfather, his grandson was taught to read by his mother and concubine when he was four years old." Zhu Zhaohui said with a smile, "In April of the year before last, your majesty designated Zhou Jishan, a professor at the Hanlin Academy, as a professor in the palace, specifically to teach his grandson. read."
"The year before last? This happened?" The old man thought about it, "The emperor never told us?"
Then the old man felt a little apprehensive in his heart. He, as a grandfather, had too many grandsons to take care of. Fortunately, there was still the eldest grandson who was thinking about the whole family.
"The emperor's grandfather didn't know that Professor Zhou is the fifteenth generation grandson of the great scholar Zhou Lianxi, and he is a master of beautiful articles!" Zhu Zhaohui said with a smile again.
"Who is Zhou Lianxi?" the old man turned around and asked.
Zhu Chun, the king of Shu, quickly smiled and said, "It's Duke Yuan of Zhou..." After that, he came again, "It's Zhou Dunyi, who wrote the book "Ai Lian"!"
"Ah!" The old man nodded, "Come to think of it, you can get out of the mud without getting stained!" He said, casting a glance at Zhu Chun, "Do you really think you are a bigot?"
"I don't dare!" Zhu Chun laughed.
This chapter has been completed!