Chapter 065 Finally Entering the Core Circle
Zhu Yuanzhang spoke to Ma Xiuying in the convoy, pretending that he had urgent military business that required him to return to Yingtian immediately, and asked Ma Xiuying to come back slowly and there was no rush.
Ma Xiuying gave Zhu Yuanzhang the tiger hat she had embroidered on the road, and asked Zhu Yuanzhang to take it back to Chen Biao first, and told Chen Biao that she would definitely be able to spend this Mid-Autumn Festival with her sons.
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "Okay."
Then, he took Chang Yuchun and a team of personal soldiers and rode back to Yingtian at full speed overnight.
Zhu Yuanzhang changed horses and clothes outside Yingtian City, put on some disguises, and then took Chang Yuchun back to Chen's house.
As soon as he returned to the Chen family, Zhu Yuanzhang rushed towards Chen Biao, who had been staying at home and dared not go out for the past few days and was now dozing off in the study.
Chen Biao was shaken awake: "Ah, Dad..."
Zhu Yuanzhang held Chen Biao tightly in his arms, his body trembling constantly: "Dad is back, Dad is back, Biao'er, don't be afraid, no one will want to harm you!"
Chen Biao let Zhu Yuanzhang hold him quietly for a while, until he could no longer hold his breath, then he said in a muffled voice: "Dad, I can't breathe anymore. If you don't let go, you will be the one who kills me."
Only then did Zhu Yuanzhang let go.
Chen Biao looked at Zhu Yuanzhang's tearful face, sighed, and wiped his father's tears with his sleeves.
His father was good in every way, except for his blind loyalty to Zhu Yuanzhang and his short tear glands and excessive emotions.
Men don't shed tears easily, why is dad always crying?
"Alright, alright, I can't get lost in Yingtian City, can I?" Chen Biao said, "You have to trust me."
Zhu Yuanzhang hugged Chen Biao again, but not too tightly this time: "From now on, wherever you go, bring more people with you. Don't go to the homes of strangers."
Chen Biao said perfunctorily, "Okay. By the way, Dad, you didn't tell Mom, did you?"
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head: "No."
Chen Biao breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. Don't tell mother. If she knew, she would definitely blame herself. Who knows, she might even stay in Yingtian and not let me go out."
Zhu Yuanzhang finally recovered and sat down on a chair with Chen Biao in his arms. He said, "Your mother is watching over you, and you're not happy? Don't you miss your mother?"
Chen Biao said, "I'm happy. But Mother has the opportunity to follow Madam Xiuying and do something that will go down in history and realize her own value. How can I let Mother be distracted?"
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned.
Chen Biao immediately reached out and smoothed Zhu Yuanzhang's frown. "I, a divine child born with innate knowledge, was reborn as your son so that Dad and Mom can focus on their own affairs without worrying about home. Otherwise, what's the difference between me and an ordinary child? This incident isn't dangerous at all. I'm accompanied by so many guards."
Chen Biao knew that every time he went out, in addition to the guards he brought with him in public, there were many guards who would follow him secretly without his orders.
Besides, Chen Biao has always been very cautious. Even Xu Da and Tang He, two of his acquaintances who often came to his house for meals, he would not go to other people's homes. This time he was just delivering something to his cousin's future in-laws, but he didn't expect to encounter such a bizarre thing.
He'll be more careful next time.
"Alas." Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed the two small pigtails on Chen Biao's head and said, "I know. I won't tell your mother."
Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to cry again. My son said he came to earth just to make Xiuying and I live a better life. How could I have such a good son! Come on, rub it!
Chen Biao tried to push Zhu Yuanzhang's face away, but failed. "Go away, don't rub me. I haven't shaved yet. It hurts. Hey, is there anyone outside the door? I see a dark shadow swaying back and forth."
Zhu Yuanzhang wiped his tears with his sleeves and was about to wipe his nose, but Chen Biao took off his handkerchief from his waist in disgust and wiped Zhu Yuanzhang's nose.
Zhu Yuanzhang said with a nasal voice: "It should be Chang Yuchun."
Chen Biao paused while wiping his father's nose: "Ah?!"
Chen Biao was furious at his father's weird way of treating guests.
Chang Yuchun was not only one of the most trusted and valued marshals under Marshal Zhu, but also the father-in-law of the Prince Zhu, whose name is still unknown . He was probably the most popular general under Zhu Yuanzhang. Prince Zhu definitely had a bright future before his death!
Dad, if you offend him, what good will happen to our Chen family?
Even if Chang Yuchun is broad-minded and doesn't bother with you, but leaving your boss outside the study for so long, is that polite?
Chen Biao was so angry that he rubbed his father's bearded face hard, jumped off Zhu Yuanzhang's knees, ran out and apologized to Chang Yuchun.
After Zhu Yuanzhang entered the Chen family, he ran away. Chang Yuchun didn't dare to run. He didn't even dare to take big steps. He kept up with Zhu Yuanzhang with extremely awkward small steps.
From a distance, he heard Zhu Yuanzhang crying in the study, and was so scared that he didn't even dare to take a single step.
If he witnesses this incident, will he be silenced by the lord?
Chang Yuchun didn't dare to leave, so he could only wander around outside the study like a headless fly until Chen Biao rushed out to greet him.
If Zhu Yuanzhang hadn't been sitting there carefree, Chang Yuchun would have wanted to hug Chen Biao and give him a kiss.
He finally understood why those who often came to the Chen family liked Chen Biao so much. Compared with his master, Biao was really considerate!
"General Chang, I'm sorry. My father was too worried about me and lost his composure." Chen Biao said embarrassedly, constantly winking at Zhu Yuanzhang.
What are you still doing sitting there? Apologize!
Zhu Yuanzhang immediately got into the role and said embarrassedly, "General Chang, I was in a hurry just now and was rude. I'm really sorry."
Not only did he apologize, he also bowed to Chang Yuchun.
Chang Yuchun quickly helped Zhu Yuanzhang up and said, "It's okay, it's okay. It's normal to be anxious when encountering such a thing."
Chang Yuchun was very grateful that he had developed a paralyzed face due to torture while working in logistics, otherwise he would have been exposed!
Zhu Yuanzhang was very pleased to see that Chang Yuchun was also immersed in the play. "General Chang, how about having dinner before going back? My Chen family may not have much else, but our chef is really good !"
Chen Biao noticed that Chang Yuchun was a little uncomfortable, so he joked to ease the atmosphere: "Dad, that amazing chef you were talking about, are you referring to me?"
Zhu Yuanzhang scratched Chen Biao's nose and said, "Yes, it's you."
Chen Biao imitated Zhu Yuanzhang and clasped his fists, saying, "Alright, this great chef will prepare delicious food for you right now! General Chang, do you have any dietary restrictions?"
Chang Yuchun hadn't come to his senses yet.
Cook? Who? Biao'er? How old is Biao'er?!
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "As long as there's meat, it'll be fine. Your mother won't be back for a few days, just in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Just cook for General Chang and me. Oh, by the way, your mother embroidered a tiger hat for you. Hey? Where's the tiger hat?"
Zhu Yuanzhang searched around in his arms but couldn't find anything.
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened: "It's hard to say that he fell on the road!"
Chang Yuchun reminded: "The main... the main luggage is on the horse's back and has not been taken down yet."
Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed Chen Biao's head and pulled Chang Yuchun out: "Biao'er, go cook. Dad will find you a hat!"
Chen Biao pouted: "It doesn't matter if I can't find it..."
Although he was very happy that his mother embroidered a hat for him, he did not want to wear the tiger hat because it was so stupid.
But Chen Biao's wish was not fulfilled. The little tiger hat embroidered by Ma Xiuying was lying safely inside the luggage bundle on Zhu Yuanzhang's horse's buttocks.
Zhu Yuanzhang only liked to eat meat with strong flavors, but Chen Biao saw the fatigue on his father's face and was unwilling to give him anything with too strong a flavor.
He thought about it and decided to dice seasonal vegetables, bamboo shoots and mushrooms, stir-fry them with the marinated meat, and steam a few baskets of white flour steamed buns. He then asked Zhu Yuanzhang to scoop the meat filling into the white flour steamed buns and eat them. This was both convenient and could force his father to eat vegetables.
Chen Biao made another pot of cucumber soup and asked someone to bring a jar of mixed fruit wine to help Zhu Yuanzhang and Chang Yuchun relieve their greasiness.
Chen Biao asked someone to bring the other dishes from the restaurant.
It takes at least half a day to prepare a table full of dishes. Zhu Yuanzhang came back suddenly, and Chen Biao suddenly ordered the kitchen to prepare the dishes, but it was too late.
Zhu Yuanzhang's stomach growled as he hugged Chen Biao and cried. Rather than show Chang Yuchun the Chen family's delicious food, Chen Biao preferred to take care of his hungry father first.
Besides, Dad has a good eye for friendship. So far, none of the friends he's brought home have been particularly refined. While Chen Biao's bowl of white flour steamed bread may not look exquisite, it definitely tastes good and is a generous portion, perfect for quickly filling your stomach. General Chang probably wouldn't mind.
How could Chang Yuchun dare to dislike it? Besides, the filling of this steamed bun was really delicious.
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "You also brought some food from the restaurant."
Chen Biao said, "I see you're all hungry. I don't have time to make complicated dishes right now, so I went to the restaurant and got some ready-made dishes to heat up. General Chang, please don't be disgusted."
Chang Yuchun had just stuffed two white flour steamed buns filled with stuffing into his mouth. He wanted to say that he didn't mind, but he couldn't speak.
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed: "Look at the way he eats, you can tell he doesn't mind. But Biao'er, why are there vegetables in here? It's not all meat. General Chang comes to our house for dinner, and you're still cutting corners?"
Chen Biao crossed his arms and said, "I know Dad doesn't like vegetarian dishes, so I mixed them in! It's a combination of meat and vegetables, and the nutrition is balanced. Come on, eat!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said awkwardly, "I really don't like to eat vegetarian food."
He had been a monk for several years and felt sad when he saw vegetarian food.
Chen Biao urged, "Eat quickly, eat quickly! Don't you know my cooking skills? This vegetarian dish has the flavor of meat, it tastes even better than meat."
Zhu Yuanzhang had a complaining expression on his face. He slowly picked up the white flour steamed bread, filled it with stuffing, and took a bite: "Pure meat is still better."
Chang Yuchun finally swallowed the two steamed buns and drank the soup to hide the surprise on his face.
Chang Yuchun served as a vanguard for Zhu Yuanzhang for several years and had a relatively good understanding of him.
Zhu Yuanzhang was definitely not a picky person. On the march, he'd eat meat if he could, but if he couldn't, Zhu Yuanzhang wasn't picky either. Sometimes, he'd just pick up some grass on the road, add it to a pickled meat broth, and he'd enjoy it.
Zhu Yuanzhang often joked that he was used to living a hard life, and that good and bad food tasted the same to him, and that he was the fate of a lowly person who could not enjoy wealth.
What about this "Chen Guorui" in front of you?
Zhu Yuanzhang never stopped complaining about too many vegetables in the meat; too little fruit wine; and the dishes brought back from the restaurant being past their best taste.
Chen Biao seemed to be accustomed to the fastidious nature of his wealthy businessman father. He coaxed him like a child, saying "hmm", "yes, yes, yes", "right, right, right", and kept promising to make a big meal for his father tomorrow and just make do with what he had today.
Chang Yuchun withdrew his gaze and continued to stuff the steamed buns into his mouth.
What is a wealthy merchant? My lord is definitely a wealthy merchant! He also complained that the roast duck was too fat and the meat was not chewy enough!
Zhu Yuanzhang gnawed on the half-cold roast duck until his mouth was full of oil, and said disapprovingly: "Biao'er, your freshly roasted roast duck is still the best."
Chen Biao was young and had a small stomach, so he put down his chopsticks early. "Of course freshly baked ones are the best. General Chang, if you have time, come to my house again and I'll make freshly baked ones for you."
Chang Yuchun looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and did not dare to agree.
Zhu Yuanzhang wiped the duck fat from his mouth and said, "Come if you want. The lord has asked you to be in the open, and I will be in the dark. We will be in charge of the military farming together, so I don't have to hide. You can also help me look after the flag while I am away while you are in Yingtian."
Chang Yuchun immediately said seriously, "Okay. General Chen... General Chen, don't worry! I will definitely protect Biao'er well!"
Have I finally made it into the inner circle? Have I finally been recognized as a true confidant by the lord?
The big man in Chang Yuchun knelt on the ground, covering his face with his hands, tears streaming down his face.
I worked so hard, it was worth it!
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "But when you come, come alone. Don't bring outsiders with you, no matter if it's your personal soldiers or your brother-in-law."
Chang Yuchun immediately said seriously, "I know, General Chen, don't worry ."
Chen Biao looked at the conversation between his father and Chang Yuchun in confusion.
He originally thought that Chang Yuchun was his father's boss, but why did it seem like his father was General Chang's boss?
Could it be that my father’s official position is not high, but my Chen family’s actual status under Marshal Zhu is very, very high?
After thinking about it carefully, Chen Biao felt that this guess was very possible.
The Chen family controlled the economic and cultural lifelines of Zhu's army. If his father wasn't Zhu's most trusted confidant, how could Zhu be at ease?
What's more, I am Zhu Dashuai's pen pal!
Marshal Zhu is very busy with his daily affairs, but he is willing to exchange letters with a little kid every now and then, which shows that he must value the Chen family very much.
After finishing this dinner that brought him into Zhu Yuanzhang's inner circle, Chang Yuchun returned home feeling deeply moved.
Only after Chang Yuchun left did Chen Biao have someone bring the fruit jelly.
Zhu Yuanzhang was curious: "What is this?"
Chen Biao said, "I finally figured out how to make ice with saltpeter, and I made some ice powder. Would you like to try it?"
The raw material for ice jelly in modern society is false nightshade, which is native to South America, so Chen Biao naturally has no way to get it.
The ice jelly he makes now is actually pea jelly.
Saltpeter ice was already being made during the Song Dynasty. However, it required a large amount of saltpeter, and after the Song Dynasty, gunpowder weapons began to be used. Saltpeter was one of the raw materials for making black powder, and was subject to strict official control. Furthermore, saltpeter ice making required some skill, so it was only used by the royal family and aristocracy, and was not widely used by the general public.
When the chaotic times came at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, no one among the people used this method anymore.
It was not until the establishment of the Ming Dynasty that the craftsmen of the Yuan Dynasty court were recruited, and the use of saltpeter to make ice was continued among the nobility.
During the Qing Dynasty, firearms were no longer important, and a large amount of saltpeter flowed into the hands of the people and was turned into fireworks. Naturally, it could also be turned into a raw material for making ice. The practice of making ice with saltpeter also spread among ordinary wealthy people.
Zhu Yuanzhang attached great importance to firearms, and saltpeter was naturally a strategic material.
But these strategic materials were collected by the Chen family, and the Chen family also managed the craftsmen who made firearms, so Chen Biao could naturally dig out some saltpeter to make ice.
Of course, Chen Biao would not show these ice cubes in front of Chang Yuchun, but would only let his family enjoy them secretly.
Not to mention Chang Yuchun who was visiting the house for the first time, even if Xu Da and Tang He came, they would not be allowed to use it. Chen Biao was extremely cautious.
Zhu Yuanzhang drank a bowl of fruit jelly, and the fatigue and irritability from the journey completely dissipated.
The dessert that Chen Biao specially made just for him was more effective in soothing his fatigue than the fruit jelly itself.
After Zhu Yuanzhang had eaten and drunk his fill, he picked up Chen Biao again and finally remembered to care about his other sons: "Have the second, third, fourth, and fifth sons been behaving well recently?"
Chen Biao said, "Ts'er is doing better and better in school, with excellent grades, and he screams less and less. Ts'er is still very active, so I saw that I had to hire a martial arts master in advance to help him manage his energy. The dog and cat are still the same. The cat is very well-behaved, so the dog needs to be taught well."
That little brother became even more domineering after he learned to walk, and even dared to steal his brothers' things.
Whose temper does this resemble?!
Chen Biao glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang was puzzled: "What's that look in your eyes?"
Chen Biao said, "I'm wondering if Mao'er and I are your sons, Dad? The second, third, and fourth sons all look like you. Mao'er and I are overly well-behaved, honest, and good-tempered, so we don't fit in with this family."
Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a while and pretended to beat Chen Biao.
Chen Biao jumped off Zhu Yuanzhang's knees with a smile, and ran away, taking his jogging father around the yard.
"I understand. Mao'er and I are both biological children. It's just that Mao'er and I look like our mother, while my second, third, and fourth brothers look like our father!"
"You're asking for a fight!"
The father and son laughed and joked, temporarily diluting the gloomy clouds in Yingtian.
