Chapter 066 Give Shao Rong Another Chance
The in-laws she chose almost threatened Biao'er's safety. Li Zhen was very embarrassed and didn't know how to apologize to Zhu Yuanzhang.
As a result, when he was mentally prepared and brought his sons to Chen's house to apologize, he saw Zhu Yuanzhang playing a mud fight with his sons. The laughter was so loud that they could hear it from far away.
Modern children like to play with mud. Children in ancient times had nothing to play with, so they naturally liked to play with mud more.
It is better to open than to block. Instead of letting his younger brothers urinate and play in the yellow mud, Chen Biao made a mud playground for them. The yellow mud in the playground was boiled in water and disinfected, and he took his younger brothers to play in it.
Zhu Yuanzhang formed an army alone, and Chen Biao led Chen Chong and Chen Tan on his side. Both sides crawled in trenches piled with sacks, and the battle was extremely fierce.
Chen Gou'er and Chen Mao'er have learned to walk, but it is still too early for them to have mud fights.
Especially Chen Maoer, the poor younger brother whose nutrition was mostly sucked away by his brother, would get a fever if he walked a few more steps.
Chen Gou'er was full of energy and wanted to join his brothers in rebelling against their father. Zhu Yuanzhang, the dog father, actually tied Chen Gou'er's waist with a rope and tied him to a nearby tree.
Chen Gou'er and Chen Mao'er sat side by side under the shade of a tree. Chen Mao'er clapped for his brothers and encouraged them softly; Chen Gou'er was using his little baby teeth to grind the rope that tied him, trying to break free.
Although Chen Biao, Chen Chong and Chen Tan have short legs, they are small in size, very flexible and have good coordination.
Zhu Yuanzhang originally thought that he would easily win this mud fight, but he was forced into a desperate situation by his three young sons.
Seeing Li Zhen and Li Wenzhong coming, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately said, "Come and help me!"
Chen Biao said angrily: "Dad! Don't ask for external help! Do you have any shame?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said confidently, "You three against one, how shameless! If they join my side, it will be fair for us to fight three against three!"
Li Zhen had come to apologize, but seeing this, she couldn't help but say, "Guorui, three adults having a mud fight with three children is not fair!"
Chen Biao: "Uncle is right!"
Chen Xun and Chen Jin jumped up and down: "Right, right, right! Dad, you can't afford to lose!"
Zhu Yuanzhang was furious: "Who said I can't afford to lose! I can do it alone...ah!"
Chen Biao jumped up and threw the mud ball hard, hitting Zhu Yuanzhang's head.
The three clay children hugged each other and jumped on the spot: "We win! We win! Daddy's head got blown off!"
Li Zhen and his son Li Wenzhong seemed hesitant to speak.
Blowing your head off? You don't think it's unlucky...
Zhu Yuanzhang gasped and said, "Biao'er, you actually launched a sneak attack!"
Chen Biao said proudly, "I didn't say to stop fighting. You were distracted and you blame me for a sneak attack? Dad, can't you afford to lose?"
Chen Chun and Chen Jin echoed: "Dad, you can't afford to lose!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily, "Who said I can't afford to lose?"
Chen Biao said, "I'm willing to accept the loss. Dad, remember the bet and don't break your promise."
Zhu Yuanzhang wiped the mud off his face and said, "Okay, I promise you. Brother-in-law, I'm going to take a bath first."
Li Zhen looked at Zhu Yuanzhang's playful look, and her anxiety dissipated a lot: "Okay."
Zhu Yuanzhang took his three sons to take a bath and untied the rope around Chen Gou'er's waist.
As soon as the rope was untied, Chen Gouer pulled Chen Maoer into the mud, and there were two more people taking a bath.
Zhu Yuanzhang was speechless: "Did I give him the wrong name?"
Chen Biao quickly finished his own shower, then helped his brothers take a shower: "You just realized it now? Hurry up and change the names of my fourth and fifth brothers!"
Zhu Yuanzhang: "I'm thinking about it."
He has so much to do now, how can he have time to choose a name? His son of the Zhu family will become a prince in the future, so he can't choose a random name.
Zhu Yuanzhang had already decided that when he named his sons, he would also help them choose the generation names for their descendants.
When Zhu Yuanzhang came out of the shower, Li Zhen became nervous again.
Zhu Yuanzhang took the initiative to pat Li Zhen on the shoulder and said, "No one would have thought of such a thing. Brother-in-law, you don't have to feel guilty. Let's go to the Marshal's Mansion to find the Marshal together."
Chen Biao said quickly, "We have no evidence, so please don't break up with Shao Rong!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "No. I will go and apologize, reconcile with him, and appease him."
Chen Biao nodded with satisfaction: "Yes, let's make peace, Dad. We can endure it for now and deal with him later!"
Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed Chen Biao's wet hair and said, "Go and dry your hair. Leave this matter to Dad. Dad will definitely avenge you."
Chen Biao waved and watched Zhu Yuanzhang leave with Li Zhen and Li Wenzhong.
When leaving, Zhu Yuanzhang also informed Chang Yuchun and Li Shanchang.
Li Shanchang had returned to Yingtian City to take charge, while the other staff members were stationed in various important cities. Only Liu Ji took an official position similar to that of an imperial censor, traveling between cities to supervise officials on farming and the implementation of the well-field system.
Li Shanchang originally didn't know that Shao Rong might be plotting treason. It was only last night that Zhu Yuanzhang sent someone to inform him and asked him to be mentally prepared.
Zhu Yuanzhang returned to the Marshal's Mansion today. Li Shanchang and Chang Yuchun were notified later, but they arrived very quickly and arrived earlier than Zhu Yuanzhang.
The two of them sat facing each other in the Marshal's Mansion, feeling extremely nervous, with sweat on their foreheads.
Shao Rong can be regarded as the second-in-command of Zhu's army at present. If his conspiracy of rebellion is not handled properly, it may cause the collapse of Zhu's army.
The best solution would be to quietly capture Shao Rong and then sentence him to death, while Shao Rong's family would be treated leniently.
Shao Rong's reputation in Zhu's army was too high. If he had not already raised the banner of rebellion but had been suppressed before the rebellion, he must not be punished too harshly, otherwise it would cause a lot of controversy.
But why did Shao Rong, who was so lucky as to die, set his sights on Biao'er? Li Shanchang racked his brains, but couldn't figure out how to persuade Zhu Yuanzhang to let Shao Rong and his family go.
Even Li Shanchang himself was so angry that he wanted to pick up a machete and chop Shao Rong to death himself.
Li Shanchang and Chang Yuchun both believed that Zhu Yuanzhang would be extremely distressed and depressed upon returning to the Grand Marshal's Mansion. They had to be careful with their words and actions, as they might accidentally add fuel to the fire.
But who knew that the laughter came before Zhu Yuanzhang arrived.
Li Shanchang and Chang Yuchun looked up blankly, watching Zhu Yuanzhang walk in with a cheerful step and a smile on his face. His demeanor and demeanor were relaxed, and even his steps were a little skipping with excitement.
Li Shanchang and Chang Yuchun were stunned for a moment.
Has my lord been provoked... and gone crazy?
"Everyone's here. Come, let's talk about Shao Rong." Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and sat at the head of the table. Li Zhen and Li Wenzhong took their seats. "The Zhang family is very problematic. I suspect they are more important than Shao Rong."
Zhu Yuanzhang was still smiling while talking about business, which frightened Li Shanchang so much that he got goose bumps : "Ah, yes, I will check it out immediately!"
"No need. Leave this matter to my brother-in-law. He can investigate it under the guise of a family matter, which will make it less likely to alert the enemy." Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Just keep an eye on the movement of supplies in Yingtian."
Li Shanchang stood up and bowed: "Yes!"
Zhu Yuanzhang added, "Chang Yuchun, you will command the troops in Yingtian and patrol all the strategic locations to prevent Shao Rong's troops from causing unrest in Yingtian."
Chang Yuchun stood up to protect the guard: "I obey your orders!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Li Wenzhong, you will be staying at the Chen family's house for the next few days. Just protect Madam and Biao'er. But don't tell Madam about the rebellion or that Biao'er is in danger."
Li Wenzhong stood up and accepted the order: "Yes...father, I..."
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head. "I know what you want to say. You want to capture the Zhang family and avenge Biao'er? But be patient and play the long game."
Li Wenzhong took a deep breath and said, "Yes. But if we capture the Zhang family, I will personally skin the old man from the Zhang family!"
Li Wenzhong's eyes were red.
When Li Wenzhong thought about the danger Biaoer was in because of him, he was filled with anger and could not sleep at night.
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head again: "I won't allow it. After all, the Zhang family almost became your in-laws. I can kill them, but you can't. Forget about this matter, just protect Biao'er. When this matter is over, Biao'er wants to go to Hongdu to visit Wenzheng and Wenying, you accompany him. You should also rest up. Don't worry about the wife. Your father can't make the decision on this matter. I will find one for you."
Li Zhen's lips twitched, and she sighed softly, "If I had known earlier, it would have been much better to choose a peasant woman from the same hometown who knows him well. I shouldn't have been so greedy."
Li Wenzhong: "..." I am your biological son?!
Zhu Yuanzhang, Li Shanchang and Chang Yuchun were also speechless.
They all knew that Li Zhen was overly cautious and loved to see arrogant and domineering relatives beheaded. But this was also too cautious!
Zhu Yuanzhang knew his brother-in-law's bad habits and said, "Don't worry, I will find you a woman who knows you well, is well-educated, and has a simple family background!"
Li Zhen said: "It doesn't matter if you are not well-educated and well-mannered, as long as you know your roots and have a simple family background."
Zhu Yuanzhang was speechless: "I think it is still necessary."
Li Wenzhong whispered, "Godfather, can you add another condition, such as someone who is good-looking?"
Before Li Wenzhong finished speaking, Li Zhen's big fist had already landed on Li Wenzhong's head.
Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help laughing out loud, and Li Shanchang and Chang Yuchun, who had been keeping a straight face, couldn't help laughing as well.
Li Wenzhong held his head which was beaten by his father, feeling extremely aggrieved.
He just wants a wife who is a little prettier, what's wrong with that!
When Shao Rong heard that Zhu Yuanzhang had returned to the Marshal's Mansion, he immediately hurried to ask for an audience.
When he heard that Li Wenzhong was also there, he became worried and quickened his pace.
Shao Rong didn't breathe a sigh of relief until he heard laughter from inside the house. It seemed that the fool Li Wenzhong hadn't noticed anything wrong and hadn't complained.
After Shao Rong entered the house, he first glanced at the people inside.
Li Shanchang, Chang Yuchun, Li Wenzhong... Who was the other person? He felt vaguely familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen this person.
Zhu Yuanzhang took the initiative to introduce with a smile: "Shao Rong, come here, let me introduce you. This is Li Zhen, Chen Guorui's brother-in-law and confidant, and the biological father of my adopted son Li Wenzhong. He heard that his son had offended you, so he came to me specifically to ask me to mediate."
Shao Rong's doubts were dispelled. He said why he looked familiar, it turned out to be Li Wenzhong's biological father. Maybe he had some similarities with Li Wenzhong, which made him have this illusion.
Shao Rong was very respectful in front of Zhu Yuanzhang and immediately said, "No, no, no, I should be the one to apologize. I was confused. I just liked Chen Biao's cleverness and wanted to tease him more, but I ended up making the child cry."
Shao Rong clasped his fists towards Li Zhen and said, "I'm really sorry."
Li Zhen immediately stood up and said, "My son is naughty and has offended Marshal Shao. It's my fault for not raising him well."
Li Wenzhong had already apologized to Shao Rong that night, and Li Zhen apologized again, and the matter was over .
Shao Rong then said to Zhu Yuanzhang, "General, I accidentally scared Chen Guorui's son and made him cry. Should I personally apologize to Chen Guorui?"
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "Chen Guorui is not such a petty person. His son was actually scared to tears by you. He was too busy beating and scolding his son for being so cowardly. How could he bear a grudge against you?"
Li Shanchang's eyelids twitched, Li Zhen lowered his brows and looked submissive, and Li Wenzhong bit his tongue.
Even Chang Yuchun, who had just learned that Chen Guorui was Zhu Yuanzhang, couldn't help but tremble slightly when he thought of the dark history of his master hugging his son and crying for so long after returning.
Shao Rong sighed: "Marshal, can't you introduce it to me? I'm so curious."
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Chen Guorui is doing things behind the scenes for me. Apart from those who already know him, the fewer people who know him, the better."
After saying that, he smiled and said, "But since you want to meet him so much, I'll talk to him when he returns to Yingtian."
Shao Rong frowned: "He's not in Yingtian?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "No. He is a businessman and travels all year round. It is rare for him to come back to Yingtian."
Shao Rong sighed inwardly. Since he wasn't there, it would be impossible for him to persuade Chen Guorui to rebel.
It's a pity that he failed to take Chen Biao with him. If he could bring Chen Biao to Zhang Shicheng's territory and let Zhang Shicheng adopt Chen Biao as his adopted son, even if Chen Guorui refused to surrender to Zhang Shicheng, Zhu Yuanzhang would no longer trust Chen Guorui, which would be considered cutting off one of Zhu Yuanzhang's arms.
Shao Rong suppressed his regret and said, "Okay. When Chen Guorui comes back, the Marshal must introduce him to me."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.
Shao Rong added, "It's rare for the Marshal to come back. Would you like to have a military review? I just got back a while ago, and my soldiers are all looking forward to hearing your encouragement."
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled but remained expressionless: "Military review?"
Shao Rong said, "Yes. It happens to be Mid-Autumn Festival. We've been setting off fireworks for the past few years, and the civilians are tired of seeing them. Why not use a military parade to show our morale and deter the evildoers among the civilians at the same time?"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly: "That's a good idea. Where shall we hold the parade?"
Shao Rong scratched his head: "I don't know about that. Let's see what the Marshal chooses."
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Your camp is stationed near Sanshan Gate, so let's review the troops there. I'll bring some real money and give it to your generals."
Shao Rong immediately said excitedly, "That's great! The soldiers will definitely be delighted! Let me thank the Marshal on their behalf!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Get ready first. Let me know when you're ready."
Shao Rong didn't expect Zhu Yuanzhang to agree so readily, and he happily said goodbye immediately.
After Shao Rong left, the smile on Zhu Yuanzhang's face gradually disappeared.
After returning home, the good mood brought about by Biao'er made Zhu Yuanzhang's pain of being betrayed by his old friend dissipate a lot, and he was able to face this matter calmly.
But when he saw that Shao Rong did have the intention of rebelling, Zhu Yuanzhang still felt pain in his heart again.
Li Shanchang couldn't help but ask, "Military review? Does he want to..."
Zhu Yuanzhang said indifferently: "You want to assassinate me."
Everyone present suddenly fell into deathly silence.
They thought that if Shao Rong plotted rebellion, at most he would lead his troops to defect.
I didn't expect Shao Rong to be so bold as to try to murder the lord in Yingtian City?!
Li Wenzhong said anxiously, "Foster father! How could you agree to this? Do you really want to put yourself in danger?!"
Zhu Yuanzhang moved his fingers and slowly took out a sign from his waist.
That is the commander's badge of the Haozhou Red Turban Army.
Zhu Yuanzhang stared at the general card and said, "I already know he has rebellious intentions, so he's not dangerous. I'll give him one more chance, one last chance."
Chang Yuchun immediately said, "My Lord! He has already decided to rebel. Why should I indulge him any longer?"
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said, "If he can stop before it's too late, the many contributions he has made to me are enough to buy him a chance to avoid death. I have made up my mind, and there is no need to persuade him."
Chang Yuchun wanted to say something, but Li Shanchang reached out and patted Chang Yuchun, stopping him from continuing to persuade him.
Li Shan sighed and said, "My Lord, if he is determined to rebel, please spare his subordinates and... his family."
Zhu Yuanzhang said calmly, "I know. Given Shao Rong's experience and achievements, even if I could find evidence of his treason, the outside world would surely spread rumors that I was simply afraid of his achievements surpassing my own."
He laughed at himself and said, "Who would believe that the person second only to me in the Zhu family army would defect to someone else?"
Zhu Yuanzhang himself didn't believe it.
In early August, Zhu Yuanzhang went to the Sanshan Gate to review the troops.
Inside the Sanshan Gate, Shao Rong and Zhao Jizu ambushed Zhu Yuanzhang, intending to wait for him to enter and then assassinate him immediately.
Zhu Yuanzhang stood quietly outside the Sanshan Gate, facing the ambush troops of Shao Rong and Zhao Jizu through the gate.
As the autumn wind blew, Zhu Yuanzhang felt his hands and feet were very cold.
