Chapter 98: Family, country and world (please subscribe and vote monthly)
early morning.
Zhu Yuanzhang opened his eyes.
"This is where?"
At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang had not yet recovered, and he was a little confused when he saw that he was not in his own palace.
After thinking about it for a while, I remembered what happened last night.
"It's great, we finally sleep together with our eldest grandson again." Zhu Yuanzhang had wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and smiled very sweetly.
After so many years, I had the sweetest sleep today.
The moment he woke up, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that his whole body was relaxed physically and mentally, and there was no sense of chaos like after waking up in the palace.
As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang had never been in the habit of sleeping in, but when he felt the smell in the quilt, he wanted to sleep for a while longer.
At this time, the door was pushed open.
"Old man, did you sleep comfortably? It's already been three o'clock in the morning and you're still staying in bed."
Zhu Ying walked in, saw the old man who had already stood up, and said with a smile.
Good guy, this is the emperor who is said to be the most diligent in history, but he was teased and stayed in bed.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang was not angry. Instead, he said: "Why, we have worked hard all our lives, why can't we just relax?"
"Okay, of course, but the hot porridge prepared for you is going to be cold." Zhu Ying said with a smile.
Early in the morning, he arranged for the kitchen to cook old hen porridge to supplement the old man's health.
Some vegetables and fruits are also arranged.
When he was sleeping yesterday, the old man snored loudly, but it didn't mean that it affected Zhu Ying's sleep.
After all, Zhu Ying had often slept with the soldiers in the past and had long been used to it.
It's just that at this old age, the old man snores, which means that his body is in a sub-healthy state and needs more care.
When he heard that there was something to eat, Zhu Yuanzhang got up from the bed, stretched out his arms and said:
"Grandson, come and help us change our clothes."
Zhu Ying smiled helplessly, picked up the clothes next to her, and helped the old man put them on.
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes turned into slits when he smiled.
The eldest grandson dressed him, which was something he had never thought of in the past ten years, or in his entire life.
This feeling made him feel like he was back to the past, the real feeling of home.
At this moment, Zhu Chongba came back again.
"Hey, old man, where is your jade pendant? Why didn't you bring it with you?" After Zhu Ying helped the old man put it on, he suddenly remembered the jade pendant from before and asked with some surprise.
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, his face turned dark and he snorted coldly: "It's broken and is being repaired by the craftsmen. Don't mention it, it will upset us."
The second concubine, the second concubine, had been given death by Zhu Yuanzhang and given her some dignity.
The King of Qin, Zhu Xi, was also imprisoned, and his anger had no place to go.
"Okay, that's a shame."
Seeing this, Zhu Ying said it was a pity, then without saying much, she took the old man to the courtyard to have breakfast.
For now, Zhu Ying's eating habits are still very different from most people in Ming Dynasty.
Nowadays, most people in Ming Dynasty eat two meals a day.
I have one meal around ten in the morning and one around three or four in the afternoon.
For families with good conditions and large families, it can be considered as three meals. The third meal is around seven or eight o'clock, commonly known as midnight snack.
Zhu Yingze still maintained the habits of his previous life.
"Hey, your eldest grandson, you don't have any meat at all. You are trying to abuse us. This is our first time dining with you, so give us some of this crap."
After opening the pot, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the chicken soup porridge with only a little bit of meat foam and the two side dishes next to it, and he immediately felt unhappy.
Zhu Yuanzhang liked to eat meat, so every meal must be big fish and meat.
The "four dishes and one soup" rumored in later generations was to punish the arrogance and extravagance of officials, and was not the norm.
Zhu Yuanzhang himself was also a fierce general. When he was young, he always rushed to the front. Only a large amount of meat could maintain his physical strength.
I felt a little unhappy when I saw Da Sun preparing a bunch of vegetarian dishes and the chicken porridge didn't even have a few muscles in it.
Zhu Ying explained: "Old man, you should eat less meat. See how fat you are. You can still lift a knife. You will be exhausted even if you walk a few steps with the armor on."
"It's not good to be too fat. It will cause many diseases. Your current body needs to eat more vegetarian food. I still want you to live a few more years."
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard the previous sentence, he immediately felt uncomfortable.
Why can't I carry a knife? I immediately want to find a big knife to show my grandson what it means to be powerful and majestic.
But when Zhu Yuanzhang heard that he would live for a few more years, he immediately lost his temper.
As the emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang naturally had imperial doctors to help him take care of his health at all times.
In this case, the imperial doctor also suggested it.
But Zhu Yuanzhang was stubborn and didn't care, and even scolded the imperial doctor.
Sheep eat grass, wolves eat sheep, if they don’t eat meat they eat grass, are we going to be like sheep?
Just such a sentence frightened the imperial doctor and he did not dare to say more.
Zhu Ying looked at the old man's unconvinced look and explained: "It's not that you don't eat meat, it's that you eat less. As you get older, greasy food will have a great impact on the spleen and stomach."
"Hey, grandson, do you still know medicine?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked with some surprise.
"I don't understand, but most doctors know some of these health-preserving knowledge."
Zhu Ying shook her head and said, basic health knowledge was still very simple in her previous life.
Although many people in the Ming Dynasty are now sallow, thin, and malnourished, this does not include high-ranking officials.
After Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he thought to himself.
When he returned to the palace, he called the imperial doctor to think about how to take good care of himself.
He also knows that in his own body, currently there are more minor symptoms.
Some minor illnesses, which don’t feel much, are generally not cared about.
But now that he saw his eldest grandson, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to live longer.
I'm really worried about my grandson.
"Okay, we listen to you."
After saying that, Zhu Yuanzhang picked up the porridge and started eating along with the side dishes.
"Huh."
After taking a mouthful of hot porridge, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but let out a sigh.
The taste of this porridge was completely different from what he imagined. With the deliciousness of the chicken and the consistency of the porridge, it didn't feel bland at all.
Ordinary side dishes are also extremely delicious, completely different from those prepared by the chefs in the palace.
"What do you think, old man? It tastes pretty good." Zhu Ying took a sip of the porridge and said with a smile when she saw the old man's surprised look.
"Well, your eldest grandson is really good at eating." Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but said with a smile.
He finished the large bowl of porridge in just a few strokes, still feeling a little unsatisfied.
"Actually, it's nothing. It just depends on the ingredients. Some of the seasonings are only found in the Western Regions, so I just want to eat them fresh."
"Old man, if you like it, I'll have someone prepare some for you."
Zhu Ying explained.
In these porridges and dishes, the main reason is MSG.
MSG itself is a revolution in the food world, and the method of making it is not too difficult.
Zhu Yuanzhang always liked heavy flavors, so this was just right.
"No need, we will eat at your place so that we can enjoy the most delicious food." Zhu Yuanzhang said.
"Okay, I just happened to have been thinking about some pastries in the past few days. I will try them next time." Zhu Ying said casually.
When he heard the word pastry, Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and asked: "Why, King Qin still didn't give up and came to find you again?"
I still have a fresh memory of the last time in the teahouse, when the second concubine of the second child asked the eldest grandson to make cakes.
Zhu Ying shook his head and said: "No, no one has been to King Qin since that time. I want to eat it myself, so I will let the cooks study it."
In fact, Zhu Ying herself is not very good at cooking.
Cooking is not just about seasoning, it also involves heat, knife skills, how to handle ingredients, etc.
Using the same process, even the fried food tastes different.
It's just that Zhu Ying has a lot of experience and can provide guidance to the cook in some aspects.
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he nodded slightly.
If the second eldest son Zhu Xi still dares to bully the eldest grandson, I don't think his legs will be broken.
Thinking of the second child, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but said: "That boy, King Qin, is in solitary confinement, and he doesn't know how to repent."
Zhu Ying pondered slightly and said: "Actually, the King of Qin is still very capable of fighting. It's a pity to stay in the capital. Forget about governing the place, leading troops is still good."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in agreement, and he had an idea of Lao Er's arrangements.
It happened that Lan Yu had been recalled recently, and the troops in Handong were uncontrolled, so it would be a good idea to send the second son there.
After breakfast, Zhu Yuanzhang realized that he was going back to the palace after looking at the sky.
There was no morning meeting, so we had to go to the afternoon meeting to deal with government affairs.
"Okay, we have to go back to the palace. There are still a lot of things waiting for us in the palace."
After Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, he added: "Your Majesty, it will be difficult without us."
Zhu Ying was speechless and said casually: "I think your Majesty, you are taking care of too many things, taking care of them here and there, and you are exhausted."
Upon hearing this insinuation, Zhu Yuanzhang's stubborn temper rose. He was about to stand up, but sat down again and scolded:
"You kid, you don't understand the things in the palace at all. The emperor's power must be firmly controlled in his own hands."
"If you leave everything to others, you will be kept in the dark and you won't know. When you wake up one day, you may not know that all this country has been given to others."
As Zhu Yuanzhang spoke, he remembered the Hu Weiyong case, Kongyin case, and Guo Huan case that had happened before.
In the case of Hu Weiyong, Zhu Yuanzhang dismissed the left and right prime ministers, abolished the Zhongshu Province, and strengthened the autocratic imperial power.
The empty seal case caused Zhu Yuanzhang to be deceived, so he established the Imperial Guard to strengthen his eyes and ears and avoid being deceived by his officials.
In the Guo Huan case, Jin Yiwei made meritorious service and embezzled more than 24 million shi of grain, which is simply appalling.
It was because of the factors of these three major cases that Zhu Yuanzhang had a shadow in his heart.
Zhu Yuanzhang, who was already suspicious, became even more distrustful of civil servants and arranged for Jin Yiwei to conduct close surveillance.
In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang was mostly tolerant towards generals.
If Lan Yu was making such a fuss, if it wasn't to clear the way for Zhu Yunwen, there would have been no subsequent Lan Yu case.
But now, in order to protect the eldest grandson, if Lan Yu can recognize the eldest grandson, it is estimated that the Lan Yu case will not happen.
Zhu Ying heard this and put forward different opinions.
"Your Majesty has too many things to take care of, and one person's energy is limited. Even if you are your Majesty now, don't you have to set up a grand master to help share the government affairs."
"Being an emperor is not about having great abilities, but about knowing people and making good use of them."
"If nothing else, the inheritance of the Ming Dynasty, as far as your majesty is concerned, will last for eternity at that time."
"But His Majesty is so wise and powerful. He can guarantee that the descendants will be like this for generations to come. If a few foolish kings appear, for example, if they don't go to court for a few months, what do you think they will do?"
Zhu Ying said.
What he said is really not nonsense.
After Zhu Yuanzhang, the most diligent person was probably Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
A founding emperor and a last emperor were both similar in terms of diligence.
Even Zhu Di later was willing to fight and be a wolf.
The internal affairs of the Ming Dynasty were basically left to Zhu Gaochi.
Some people think that the reason why Zhu Di took charge of the expedition was because all the famous military generals of the Ming Dynasty were killed.
In fact, this is not the case.
In the huge Ming Dynasty, there were still many young people coming.
Zhu Di likes to conquer personally because he wants to prove to his father, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, that he can open up territory for the Ming Dynasty and expand his territory, and seal the wolf as his vassal.
Zhu Di himself grew up in a military camp and fought against the nomads on the grasslands for a long time in the vassal territory.
I finally became emperor, and it didn't take long for me to get used to it.
Especially after hearing the news of the defeat, I couldn't help but lead an army of 500,000 people and fight directly.
As for the emperors behind the Ming Dynasty, there is no need to say more.
Throughout the nearly three hundred years of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty was the strongest in the early years, and then it almost continued to decline.
Although there were a few ups and downs in the middle, it couldn't stop the decline.
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, his original intention of returning to the palace immediately faded away.
In fact, this problem has troubled Zhu Yuanzhang for a long time.
The Ming system that he personally set up was, to a large extent, to enable future generations to take good care of the Ming family.