OBS Chapter 94 Zhu Chong 8: Wife, kids, and a warm bed!
Chapter 94 Zhu Chong 8: Wife, kids, and a warm bed!
Banners fluttered, dust billowed, and the army marched forward like a long dragon.
This was a simple, even rudimentary, send-off ceremony.
There were no village elders blocking the road to offer wine, no sacrificial offerings of three kinds of animals, and no incense burning at the graves for prayers.
Only Yang Shaofeng, the magistrate of Ningyang County, stopped the road to offer a toast, and what he offered was not real wine but a bowl of cold boiled water. A dozen or so yamen runners and more than two hundred wounded soldiers who had retired from the army distributed eggs, steamed buns, and mantou to the soldiers.
Apart from that, there were only two thousand or so people from Ningyang County watching from both sides of the road. However, compared to the thirty thousand troops that Chang Yuchun brought, the two thousand or so people seemed more like the objects of the crowd.
However, Chang Yuchun did not find the swearing-in ceremony simple at all; on the contrary, he was somewhat alarmed.
After passing Ningyang County and setting up camp near Tai'an, Chang Yuchun said to Emperor Zhu Chongba, "This Magistrate Yang... is not simple. Now I understand why he strongly invited me to lead troops through Ningyang."
Emperor Zhu Chongba nodded, looking up towards the north. "The Tartars are finished. After this incident, it's hard to say what will happen to the troops led by Tiande, but what about the troops you lead..."
Turning his head to look at the soldiers patrolling back and forth outside the tent, Emperor Zhu Chongba continued, "We don't know how many of them will come back, but they will definitely be roaring to kill the Tartars. I'm afraid even I, the emperor, can't stop them."
Chang Yuchun chuckled. "You're going to stop them?"
Emperor Zhu Chongba chuckled and retorted, "Why should we stop them from killing the Tartars? If we kill all the Tartars, all the land under heaven will belong to our Great Ming. Then the people won't have to worry about not having land to cultivate. We're not stupid, why should we stop them?"
After a slight pause, Emperor Zhu Chongba looked at Chang Yuchun and asked, "Speaking of which, have you noticed that the soldiers have changed somewhat before and after the campaign?"
Chang Yuchun was slightly taken aback: "Not quite the same?"
Emperor Zhu Chongba hummed in agreement. "It's not quite the same, very different. Before passing Ningyang, their eyes held hatred for the Tartars, but after passing Ningyang..."
After a moment's thought, Emperor Zhu continued, "Let me put it this way: if you send your troops to plunder Ningyang County now, how many of them do you think would be able to bring themselves to do it?"
Chang Yuchun lowered his head and pondered for a while, a bead of cold sweat appearing on his forehead. After a while, he raised his head and burst into laughter.
"Congratulations on your ascension to the throne! Congratulations on your ascension to the throne!" Chang Yuchun repeatedly congratulated Emperor Zhu Chongba, saying, "Having one Magistrate Yang is probably better than having ten thousand scholars."
Emperor Zhu Chongba smiled, turned his head and called out to Erhu, instructing, "Send a message to Bo Wu and the others, telling them to stay in Ningyang County and live as ordinary citizens from now on."
After Erhu bowed and accepted, Emperor Zhu Chongba then said to Chang Yuchun, "How incredibly lucky you are to have stumbled upon such a treasure?"
"It's not just that I'm lucky," Chang Yuchun laughed again, "it's because I'm destined to be in power that Heaven has sent such a treasure to our Great Ming Dynasty, and it just so happens that I happened to be the one who picked it up."
Emperor Zhu Chongba pointed at Chang Yuchun, then stood up and said, "Alright, this emperor has basically seen everything he wanted to see and should see. It's time to return to the capital."
Chang Yuchun rose to see him off, but after escorting him outside the camp, Emperor Zhu Chongba said, "Well, shouldn't we put our daughter and Biao'er's marriage on the agenda? People say that daughters are hard to keep at home once they grow up, and that keeping them will only lead to enmity, right?"
Upon hearing Emperor Zhu Chongba bring up the marriage between Zhu Biao and his daughter once again, Chang Yuchun's face darkened. "My daughter is still young, and her mother wants her to stay by her side for a couple more years."
Emperor Zhu Chongba clicked his tongue and smacked his lips. "Look at how stingy you are. Our daughter is marrying Biao'er. It's just moving from your house to the palace. It's not like she's marrying far away. It's just a matter of saying a word when she can go back to her parents' home."
After saying this, Emperor Zhu Chongba mounted his horse and turned to look at Chang Yuchun, saying, "Fight well, take care of yourself. When you come back, we'll bring Biao'er and our daughter to Ningyang County to pick you up."
Chang Yuchun suddenly felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.
The first half of Emperor Zhu's statement sounded normal, but the second half veered back to the marriage of his daughter and son.
Chang Yuchun sometimes wanted to grab Emperor Zhu Chongba and yell: "What kind of emperor is this, you bastard!"
……
After leaving Chang Yuchun's army, Emperor Zhu Chongba did not return to Ningyang County, but went straight to Xu Da's army.
But it seems that fate is deliberately tormenting Emperor Zhu Chongba.
When Zhu Chongba and Erhu rushed to Xu Da's army, they received a reply from Empress Ma, informing them that the Chang brothers, Chang Mao and Chang Sheng, were escorting their second and third sons, as well as Jin'er and Yu'er, to Ningyang County.
Based on the timeline written in Empress Ma's letter, the second and third sons should arrive in Yanzhou Prefecture in about ten days.
Then Emperor Zhu Chongba was caught in a dilemma.
Although Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San were not as highly regarded by Emperor Zhu as Zhu Biao, when Zhu Biao was not involved, Emperor Zhu would still remember that Zhu Lao Er, Zhu Lao San, Zhu Lao Si, and Zhu Lao Wu were also born to Empress Ma.
Simply put, Empress Ma is the wife in the "wife, children, and warm bed" category, Zhu Biao is the child, and Zhu Shuang (the second son of Zhu Biao), Zhu Gang (the third son of Zhu Biao), Zhu Di (the fourth son of Zhu Biao), Zhu Su (the fifth son of Zhu Biao), and Princess Ningguo are the warm bed.
The remaining concubines and their children were regarded as subjects by Zhu Yuanzhang, not even considered as his concubines.
Now that Zhu Biao was far away in the capital, and his second son Zhu Shuang and third son Zhu Gang were on their way to Ningyang, the Emperor Zhu felt a surge of paternal affection for his children.
Then, after seeing Xu Da off to his campaign, Emperor Zhu Chongba, suddenly overcome with maternal affection, took his two sons to Yanzhou Prefecture, intending to wait for them there.
As for Jin'er and Yu'er...
Just as Jin'er thought, in Emperor Zhu Chongba's heart, they were two of Empress Ma's favorite maids. It was indeed a pity that they were given away as gifts, but it was only a "pity". Moreover, Emperor Zhu only felt sorry for Empress Ma.
It's no wonder that Emperor Zhu Chongba would have such thoughts.
People who have experienced chaotic times usually don't value others' opinions much, and this is especially true for emperors like Zhu Yuanzhang who rose from humble beginnings.
In fact, compared to the children who were sold and sold, and compared to the other palace maids, Jin'er and Yu'er were actually lucky to be used as gifts to win over Magistrate Yang.
At the very least, the two have already become godparents to Zhu Biao, so they no longer need to worry about being unlucky if they offend someone, and they may even receive certain rewards and status.