Chapter 21: Memories of Zhu Yuanzhang and His Son!

The Imperial Palace, Kunning Palace!

Currently, this palace was under seal.

Aside from the daily cleaning by palace maids, no one was permitted to approach this palace.

This was because this particular palace was the Emperor's taboo.

"This subject greets the Crown Prince."

The commanding general leading the Imperial Guards stationed outside the palace gates and the guards themselves immediately bowed.

"My Imperial Father is inside, I presume?" Zhu Biao asked with a smile.

"He is inside."

The commander of the Imperial Guards, Guo Zhen, replied respectfully.

"I see."

Zhu Biao nodded. He looked up at the palace, his face clouded with a thousand thoughts.

Then, he stepped inside.

Inside the palace!

Zhu Yuan璋 had already changed out of his court robes, his face wearing an expression of profound sorrow.

As far as his gaze could reach, three spirit tablets were placed on the table in the main hall. Within the incense burner on the table, many incense sticks had already burned to ash.

For all these years.

The incense in this burner had never ceased to burn.

"Father."

Zhu Biao walked in and called out softly.

This single call caused Zhu Yuan璋, who had been staring fixedly at the spirit tablets, to startle slightly before regaining his composure.

"The eldest is here."

Zhu Yuan璋 turned his head and smiled faintly. "Offer incense to your mother and the others."

"Yes."

Without hesitation, Zhu Biao walked straight to the table, picked up the incense, lit it, and placed it into the burner.

As Zhu Biao offered the incense.

The three spirit tablets were presented before his eyes.

The highest tablet.

The spirit tablet of his wife, Ma Xiuying.

On this tablet, her identity as Empress Ma was not written; there was no imperial status recorded.

Because this tablet was not erected by Zhu Yuan璋, but by Zhu Chongba.

What was written on the tablet was "Wife"—the wife of Zhu Chongba.

On the two tablets below.

The spirit tablet of his daughter-in-law, Chang Wan'er.

The spirit tablet of his eldest grandson, Zhu Xiong'ying.

Undoubtedly.

What was enshrined within Kunning Palace were Zhu Yuan璋's closest kin, his true family—or rather, strictly speaking, the closest kin of Zhu Chongba.

"How many years has it been?"

Zhu Yuan璋 gazed at Empress Ma's spirit tablet, a sense of lamentation etched upon his aged face.

"Father."

"Mother and Xiong'ying have been gone from us for six years."

"Sister Chang has been gone from me for ten years."

Zhu Biao stared at the three tablets before him and spoke slowly.

"Time!"

"It truly is a sharp blade."

"Without realizing it, so many years have passed."

Zhu Yuan璋 sighed.

"The dead are gone."

"Father, you must prioritize taking care of your own health," Zhu Biao said gently.

"In the imperial court today, something happened that happened to remind me of the old days."

"I still remember when we were destroying Chen Youliang, how your father-in-law looked before me. He said he would decapitate Chen Youliang and present the head to me. In that battle, your father-in-law was incomparably brave; he killed seventy-eight enemies single-handedly and decapitated Chen Youliang's son, terrifying the world."

"Even after all these years, I can still envision your father-in-law's heroic bearing."

"It is a pity... as time flows, old friends are gradually no longer here. Your father-in-law, your Uncle Xu, sigh..."

Zhu Yuan璋 sighed, displaying a grief that he only ever showed in front of Zhu Biao.

"Father."

"Everything has passed."

Zhu Biao spoke softly. He did not know how to comfort his father.

After all, at his father's age, one naturally becomes sentimental.

Of course.

Even Zhu Biao frequently missed his son, his wife, and his mother.

It was human nature; who could say otherwise?

"If our Xiong'ying were still here, he would surely be fourteen years old by now," Zhu Yuan璋 said hollowly, looking at his grandson's spirit tablet.

At this moment.

Zhu Biao was also stunned.

His mind could not help but recall the images of when his mother, wife, and son were still alive.

In this same Kunning Palace.

A small child was running in a disheveled manner, surrounded by Imperial Guards and attending maids and eunuchs.

And trailing behind was a young man—Zhu Biao himself—holding a rattan switch, swinging it as he gave chase.

"You little brat, did you skip your lessons at the Grand Hall again?"

"And you even took your twelfth and seventeenth uncles to go raiding bird nests?"

"Today, your father is definitely going to tan your backside."

"You little rascal..."

Zhu Biao brandished the rattan, cursing while chasing the little one ahead.

The surrounding maids and eunuchs served respectfully to the side, watching the scene with strange expressions.

The little fellow dashed straight into Kunning Palace.

Clearly, he was the young Zhu Xiong'ying.

Upon seeing Empress Ma at the palace gates, Zhu Xiong'ying ran quickly and threw himself into his grandmother's arms.

"Grandmother!"

"My father has gone mad! He wants to hit me again, he wants to beat me to death! He even wants to force me to recite texts. I'm only this old, and all he knows is to bully me!" Zhu Xiong'ying said with great grievance.

"It's alright, it's alright. Grandma is here."

Empress Ma first patted Zhu Xiong'ying's back tenderly, then turned a stern face toward Zhu Biao.

"Eldest."

"What are you doing?"

"Xiong'ying is still so small; is there a need to chase him like that?"

"What if he falls?" Empress Ma said with great indulgence.

"Mother."

"This little brat is playful, refuses to study, and even leads his uncles into mischief," Zhu Biao said, staring at Zhu Xiong'ying through gritted teeth.

However, now that he had a protector, Zhu Xiong'ying hid directly behind Empress Ma, looking quite triumphant.

"Eldest."

At that moment!

Zhu Yuan璋 walked out from the hall.

"Father, why are you here too?"

Seeing this, Zhu Biao immediately felt helpless.

With both his father and mother present, there was no way he could punish the little brat today.

"What? Am I not allowed to accompany your mother for lunch?" Zhu Yuan璋 said crossly.

But upon seeing Zhu Xiong'ying.

A loving smile immediately surfaced on Zhu Yuan璋's face, and he immediately crouched down. "Xiong'ying, come to Grandfather."

"Grandfather!"

Zhu Xiong'ying immediately ran toward Zhu Yuan璋, calling out sweetly.

"Haha."

"Our eldest grandson has grown taller and heavier again."

Zhu Yuan璋 held Zhu Xiong'ying with a face full of tenderness, possessing none of the dominance of a founding emperor, but only the doting love of an old man for his grandson.

The bond between grandparent and grandchild was fully on display.

As his thoughts drifted back.

Zhu Biao sighed in his heart: "Mother, Xiong'ying, Sister Chang, are you all doing well over there?"

...

North of Daning Prefecture, Great Ming; the Northern Frontier, within the territory of the Jianzhou Tartars.

Hundreds of cavalrymen had surrounded a group of fleeing Tartar stragglers and the Tartar civilians they were protecting.

At this moment.

Many of these Tartars looked at the surrounding Ming cavalry with eyes full of hatred.

"Surrender to avoid death. Those who do not surrender shall be killed."

Zhu Ying held a long saber and gave a low command.

"Damned Ming dogs!"

"The men of our tribe will rather die than surrender!"

"Men, fight them to the death!"

"Our leader will avenge us..."

A leading Tartar soldier shouted, brandishing his blade as he charged toward the Ming cavalry ahead.

Seeing this.

Zhu Ying did not hesitate: "Kill!"

With a low shout.

A whip cracked.

The warhorses galloped forward.

...

PS: Requesting all forms of support, thank you, and my deepest gratitude.

(End of Chapter)