Chapter 134 Drinking in front of Shao Rong's tombstone
Zhu Yuanzhang put down the letter and was stunned for a while.
Autumn thunder and sun showers?
He took a few deep breaths, then ran around the courtyard several times, jumping and howling.
The servants of the Chen family all lowered their heads and covered their ears, pretending that they saw and heard nothing.
Ma Xiuying took Chen Gou'er and Chen Mao'er into her arms and said, "Don't learn!"
Chen Maoer nodded, and Chen Gouer's eyes were sharp, which gave Ma Xiuying a headache.
"You are not allowed to learn!" Ma Xiuying pinched Chen Gou'er's ear.
"Oh!" Chen Gou'er replied.
Ma Xiuying: “…”
She held Chen Gou'er tightly in her arms, not allowing him to see or hear her father's strange behavior.
After Zhu Yuanzhang was tired from running, he sat down on the ground, then lay on the ground in a big letter shape, laughing triumphantly.
Ma Xiuying was helpless. Why was it never ending?
She took her two children and left, leaving Zhu Yuanzhang to go crazy on his own.
After laughing, Zhu Yuanzhang finally calmed down.
He looked at the blue sky, and the ecstasy in his heart gradually faded and turned into melancholy.
Zhu Yuanzhang remembered what Chen Biao had said about Zhu Yuanzhang being recognized by God and then abandoned by God.
He thought of Chen Biao's destined "untimely death".
Now, has he taken the first step towards change?
Zhu Yuanzhang pondered over his gains and losses along the way, and recalled the dispute between him and Chen Biao over the construction of the mausoleum, which was not a dispute.
It is really difficult to stick to the right path and control the greed that comes with increasing power and status.
For example, when building the mausoleum, he himself did not want a luxurious life, nor did he plan to build a luxurious palace, but when it came to matters concerning his ancestors and the "dragon veins", he could not control himself and almost got into trouble.
Zhu Yuanzhang remembered another letter Chen Biao wrote to "Chen Guorui".
In a letter to his own father, Chen Biao declared unreasonably, "What happened to the Chen family must have been done by Zhang Chang! Although I have no evidence, if I say it was him who did it, then it was him! I will remember him!"
Chen Biao was still muttering in the letter that Zhang Shicheng might be the first target of this group of people, and that the people under Zhang Shicheng who corrupted him were not limited to Zhang Chang's faction.
Zhang Chang and other former Yuan Dynasty officials sent people to corrupt Zhang Shicheng in order to eliminate the enemies of the Yuan Dynasty; some landlords and gentry wanted to make Zhang Shicheng their spokesperson, so they took Zhang Shicheng to enjoy themselves, and after coaxing Zhang Shicheng, they used Zhang Shicheng's power and status to help themselves gain benefits; and some people were simply stupid, they really thought that they were wise monarchs and loyal ministers just because they talked about poetry and philosophy with Zhang Shicheng every day.
These three groups had different goals, but their methods were surprisingly consistent. Poor Zhang Shicheng, once considered a hero, was unafraid of the Yuan army's massive cavalry, but was completely defeated by this hail of arrows wrapped in sugar.
How long can I persist?
Zhu Yuanzhang knocked his head lightly and got up from the ground.
He smiled easily.
Zhu Yuanzhang didn't know how long he could hold on, but he knew that those corrupting things in the secular world would probably have no effect on his own people.
Zhu Yuanzhang, who was covered in dust after rolling on the ground, changed into plainer clothes, carried a pot of wine, and went to a charity cemetery outside Yingtian City.
The word "Yi Zhuang" means a cheap cemetery. The poor had no place to bury their relatives, so Zhu Yuanzhang spent money to build a cemetery.
He originally planned to allow the common people to enjoy the burial of the rich, but was criticized by Chen Biao. He said that since he was spending his own money on charity, he must do a good job in project management, focus on actual results, and avoid gimmicks.
If we follow the burial standards, with a large grave and a large coffin for each person, how much land can be allocated in Yingtian?
The poor are already used to cremation, so cremation is the way to go. Then we can sell some better quality jars and boxes at a low price, which can be buried underground or placed on a shelf without taking up space, and more poor people can be buried there.
What Chen Biao created was the model of cemeteries in later generations. Those who were slightly richer lived in "single-family villas", those who were generally wealthy lived in "townhouses", and those who were poor had their cemeteries built into the wall, which was considered an apartment.
The villa has a tombstone and the apartment also has a memorial tablet, so that future generations can come to pay homage during festivals.
Zhu Yuanzhang came to the cemetery carrying a wine jug and came to a "single-family villa".
Shao Rong's name was written on the tombstone of the "detached villa".
Shao Rong was beheaded for his crimes and his head and body were separated. In this world, his corpse was considered a "great evil" and could not be buried in the ancestral tomb.
He was also plotting a rebellion, and his family's children were too young, so his clansmen did not dare to bury him.
Yan Qian originally wanted to find a place for Shao Rong to be buried in his hometown. However, after learning about this, Zhu Yuanzhang chose a single-family villa for Shao Rong in the cemetery and paid for its maintenance himself.
People who died suddenly needed to be cremated. Zhu Yuanzhang sent someone to personally bury Shao Rong, and Yan Qian no longer worried about it.
With Zhu Yuanzhang's instructions and Yan Qian's arrangements, Shao Rong's tombstone was polished to a shine and was not treated perfunctorily just because he was a criminal.
When Zhu Yuanzhang came to Shao Rong's tomb with wine, there was a bouquet of flowers in front of Shao Rong's tomb. It was unknown which of Shao Rong's relatives or friends had come to pay tribute.
Because Zhu Yuanzhang buried Shao Rong, Shao Rong's former relatives, friends and old subordinates no longer had to be afraid to come and pay their respects because of Shao Rong's conspiracy to rebel.
It was also Chen Biao's idea to present flowers.
The weather is dry, so be careful with fire. Ancestor worship has always been a high-risk period for fires.
As we had not yet entered the industrial society, Chen Biao did not have to worry about industrial pollution, but a fire in the cemetery was a charitable act that turned bad.
Therefore, Chen Biao set up a special furnace for burning paper money in a part of the cemetery. On it was engraved the words "Tian Di Qian Zhuang". He said that the money had to be remitted to "Tian Di Qian Zhuang" before it could be distributed to the relatives in the underworld. Otherwise, the graves here were close to each other, and who would know for whom the paper money was burned.
Chen Biao gave a long speech and cited Buddhist and Taoist scriptures to support himself, and the people believed him.
Even people whose family members are buried far away or whose ancestral graves can no longer be found will come to the "Heaven and Earth Money House" to burn money and "remit money" during festivals, hoping that with the power of the Ming King, the "Heaven and Earth Money House" will find their relatives in the underworld who may not have been reincarnated yet, and remit the money to them.
In the past, they would burn money at home or go to temples and Taoist temples. Now, the "Heaven and Earth Bank" mentioned by the "Ming Wang" has become their most trusted "remittance channel."
When "remitting money", they also trust the paper money and incense sold by Tiandi Money House, believing that this is more authentic. After all, it is not expensive.
Chen Biao made a fortune from this, and the money he earned was just enough to maintain the operation of the cemetery, which was already called "Heaven and Earth Bank" by the people.
Zhu Yuanzhang and his subordinates were all amazed at Chen Biao's ability to revitalize the industry. If Chen Biao could even revitalize the industry of a dead person, what else could Chen Biao's little brain not think of?
Zhu Yuanzhang fiddled with the flowers in front of Shao Rong's grave, then sat down in front of the tombstone and fished out two wine glasses from his pocket. He filled one glass and took the other for himself, then drank in silence.
When Li Shanchang came to pay tribute to Shao Rong with the braised food he bought from Chen's Restaurant, he saw Zhu Yuanzhang sitting in front of Shao Rong's grave drinking alone.
When Li Shanchang defected to Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Yuanzhang was still a junior officer in the Haozhou Red Turban Army. Therefore, Li Shanchang was naturally familiar with Shao Rong, a veteran of the Haozhou Red Turban Army, and would come to pay homage to Shao Rong whenever he had time.
Seeing Li Shanchang coming, Zhu Yuanzhang greeted him, tore open the package of braised food that Li Shanchang had used to offer to Shao Rong, and ate the braised food with wine.
Li Shanchang's mouth twitched slightly. He remembered Chen Biao's words to threaten people to pay attention to their safety, "If you die, I will rush to your grave on your anniversary every year, eat up your offerings, and let you starve."
The lord is worthy of being Biao'er's biological father. Biao'er was just talking, but Zhu Yuanzhang really ate Shao Rong's sacrifice.
Li Shanchang lifted his coat and sat down in front of Shao Rong's tombstone. "My lord, why do you think of Shao Rong?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "It's almost Lao Shao's memorial day. It's normal for me to come and pay my respects."
Shao Rong was executed during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Chen Biao set out from Yingtian at the end of July, and it was almost Mid-Autumn Festival.
Li Shanchang said, "Looking at the way the lord is drinking, it doesn't look like he's here to pay homage for no reason. He must have something on his mind."
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced down at his wine glass and said, "Indeed."
Li Shanchang was at ease, waiting for Zhu Yuanzhang to confide in him.
If he hadn't come, perhaps Zhu Yuanzhang would have just poured out his heart to Shao Rong's tombstone. If he happened to come, he would have listened to it together with Shao Rong's tombstone.
At his age, it doesn't matter how many secrets he hears.
"Biaoer wrote a letter to Chen Guorui, saying that although Yang Xian found out that Zhang Shicheng was responsible for the Chen family's crimes, he believed that it was Zhang Chang who did it. Zhang Shicheng was the most corrupt official among the Yuan Dynasty officials." Zhu Yuanzhang stared at the wine glass in his hand and spoke.
Li Shanchang sighed, "So that's how it is."
He was a little surprised, but after thinking about it, he felt that this was normal.
Zhang Shicheng's threat to the Yuan Dynasty was no less than that of Han Song, so it was normal for Yuan Dynasty officials to take action against him.
Zhu Yuanzhang added, "Biao'er also said that it wasn't just Yuan Dynasty officials who wanted to corrupt Zhang Shicheng."
Li Shanchang nodded. He knew the situation was complicated.
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Someone asked me to build a mausoleum for my ancestors, saying it would suppress the dragon veins. If I decide to build a mausoleum for my ancestors, Old Li, will you dissuade me?"
Hearing Zhu Yuanzhang calling him "Old Li" and asking about the identities of "Zhu Chongba" and "Chen Guorui," Li Shanchang made no secret of his position and said, "No. If you wanted to build a luxurious palace, I would definitely try to dissuade you. But who would dare dissuade you from building a mausoleum for our ancestors? These are our ancestors."
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed dumbly. "Yes, who would dare to persuade me? If Biao'er hadn't cried to me and said that the lord had given him a difficult problem, that even if the Chen family sold off the money for such a luxurious mausoleum, it would not be enough, and that the common people would have to suffer, I would not have come to my senses. Let alone the dragon vein, who wouldn't build an ancestral mausoleum first when they become rich, showing off in front of their ancestors?"
Li Shanchang nodded: "It is human nature for my lord to think this way."
Zhu Yuanzhang drank the wine in his hand, then continued to laugh: "It's human nature, human nature is right? Just because I want to show off, I have to make the people suffer... This is not right!"
Li Shanchang looked at Zhu Yuanzhang quietly without saying a word.
He knew that Zhu Yuanzhang didn't need to hear what he said at the moment. He just needed to listen quietly.
Because Zhu Yuanzhang had already made his judgment.
"Before Shao Rong was executed, he called me lord. He said he betrayed me only because if I became emperor, the Shao family would have a hard time. I felt very wronged. How could the Shao family have such a hard time? Even if the land was divided, they had more than others, and they could even rent other people's land. Is human greed so terrible?"
"Shao Rong said that human greed is so terrible. When I become emperor, I will see more such things."
As Zhu Yuanzhang spoke, he poured himself another glass of wine.
"I haven't even become emperor yet, but I've already made the people suffer and build a mausoleum for my ancestors. What will I do when I become emperor?"
"The power in my hands is growing stronger and stronger, so strong that the whole world is in my palm. No one in the world can restrain me, only I can restrain myself."
"Can I really control myself?"
Zhu Yuanzhang drank the wine again.
Li Shanchang waited until Zhu Yuanzhang had finished speaking before continuing, "So, my lord, you came to have a drink with Shao Rong?"
Zhu Yuanzhang took another bite of Shao Rong's offering: "Hmm. Old Li, do you understand? When I think of Shao Rong, it's like seeing another me."
Another greedy me.
Shao Rong is dead. Another me is buried in this tomb, beheaded and burned to ashes.
Zhu Yuanzhang not only came to Shao Rong to tell him his true feelings, but also used Shao Rong to remind himself.
Li Shanchang listened to Zhu Yuanzhang's words and sighed softly, "Not just my lord! I haven't even become a founding hero yet, and the Li family has already seized the people's land. Luckily, they were just some unfamiliar relatives, and I immediately sent them to jail. But I'm afraid this kind of thing will happen more and more in the future. Who knows, maybe my closest relatives will also take advantage of the power of the powerful."
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "I know. Old Li, you acted very decisively."
Li Shanchang laughed and said, "If I don't make a decision, should I ask the Lord to take action? If the Lord takes action, my Li family will be uprooted."
Zhu Yuanzhang did not deny it. He said, "You must take good care of your family."
Li Shanchang said, "I can control them now. But when I get older, I'm afraid I won't be able to control my family. I can only keep reminding them to be careful. But no one knows whether these reminders can control their greed."
Speaking of this, Li Shanchang felt a little depressed.
Zhu Yuanzhang consoled him, "I'm no different. Wen Zheng has to deal with some people when he returns to Haozhou. Biao'er also said that if the prince were to cause trouble, it would be difficult for the lord to make a decision."
Li Shanchang smiled bitterly, "Every family has its own problems. My lord is about to establish a new dynasty and become emperor, but troubles are piling up."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. "Yes. I'm becoming increasingly confused and less and less confident about the future. Well, let's just take it one step at a time."
Zhu Yuanzhang shook the wine jar.
There was not much wine left, so he picked up the jar and drank the remaining wine in one gulp.
Then, Zhu Yuanzhang poured another cup of wine in front of Shao Rong's tombstone and ate all the tribute brought by Li Shanchang, leaving no meat for Shao Rong.
He stood up and patted his butt: "Let's go, Lao Li, there's still a lot to do."
Li Shanchang looked at Shao Rong's tombstone with sympathy.
The lord actually ate up all your tribute. Poor old Shao, if he knew about this in the afterlife, he would definitely be so angry that he would laugh.
"Okay." Li Shanchang also stood up, straightened his clothes, and left with the slightly drunk Zhu Yuanzhang.
Silence returned to Shao Rong 's tombstone.
In addition to the half-dried bouquet, there was an empty wine jar and two wine glasses in front of his tombstone.
A gust of wind blew, and a wine glass was blown over by the wind, rolling in front of the tombstone, making a crisp sound.
…
After Chen Biao and his party set out from Xuyi, they soon arrived in Haozhou.
When he arrived in Haozhou, Chen Biao encountered no more accidents and held the sacrifice very smoothly, transferring the ashes of Zhu Yuanzhang's relatives into a magnificent coffin.
Zhu Wenzhen left for a while, saying that he was going to visit his mother's grave.
Chen Biao wanted to go together, but was stopped by Zhu Wenzhen.
Zhu Wenzheng said with a sinister smile, "Biao'er, Brother Zheng has to do some house cleaning work ordered by our adoptive father. Don't go. Only I, the adopted son surnamed Zhu, can do this."
Chen Biao immediately understood: "Why? The Zhu family is using the master's name to bully the people and commit crimes?"
Zhu Wenzheng took advantage of the fact that he was still taller than Chen Biao and ruffled Chen Biao's hair. After being kicked by Chen Biao, he continued, "That's right. When my adoptive father was in trouble, these people refused to let him in and even insulted him. Now that my adoptive father is the emperor, they are already putting on airs as royal relatives."
Zhu Wenzheng finished speaking and laughed again. "When we were opening the coffin, some of the Zhu family wanted to cause trouble and wouldn't let us move the grave. If the place where my adoptive father's family was buried wasn't too remote and they didn't know where it was, they would have been here long ago."
Zhu Yuanzhang's family was too poor, so the fact that all his family members were buried in the wilderness saved him a lot of trouble.
When many dignitaries return to their hometowns, they have to face "extortion" from their neighbors and clansmen who gather in front of their ancestral graves.
For example, Chang Yuchun's wife, Lan, was always submissive in front of the Lan family because the Lan family threatened them by holding their ancestral tomb and ancestral hall.
However, they encountered Lan Yu, a stubborn fool who was still very stubborn despite being taught by Ye Zheng. He brought soldiers to forcibly move the ancestral tombs and ancestral tablets. From then on, they could no longer threaten the Lan family to gain benefits for them.
But Lan Yu was notorious in the countryside, and many scholars wrote poems and essays to criticize him.
Perhaps a few hundred years later, Lan Yu will be written into a play and become the second Chen Shimei.
For this purpose, Ye Zheng has already had an inspiration. He decided to start writing for this registered disciple first, and then wait for Lan Yu to make achievements that he can brag about.
Chen Biao said, "Oh, then be careful not to kill too many people, especially those who are very close to the lord. Otherwise, when the lord is old and misses his relatives, he will be angry with you."
Zhu Wenzheng said carelessly: "Okay, I understand."
I am my adoptive father's closest relative besides his son. How can he take his anger out on his nephew because of a distant relative? That's really foolish of him.
Zhu Wen was complaining in his heart, and then left with murderous intent.
When those people were cold towards Zhu Yuanzhang, they were even colder towards him and his mother. Even his mother died of illness soon after returning home, which may not have been without the "contribution" of these so-called gossips from the neighbors.
Zhu Wenzhen's mother, Wang, did not take the initiative to be buried in the ancestral tomb after her death because of some things that happened while she was taking Zhu Wenzhen to find his relatives.
But the coffin that Zhu Yuanzhang asked Chen Biao to take away contained Wang's ashes.
Zhu Yuanzhang had figured it out. No one had the right to insult his sister-in-law with this matter. He decided that his sister-in-law would still be buried in the ancestral tomb in the future.
Enter the imperial tomb of Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Wenzheng didn't care. He had no memory of his father, so he thought it would be better for his mother to be buried in the same tomb with him.
Zhu Wenzheng and Zhu Yuanzhang would discuss which tomb Wang Shi would be buried in. For now, they would take the ashes away first.
Chen Biao didn't know any of this.
After arriving in Haozhou, Zhu Wenzheng said that for the sake of efficiency, they should act separately. Chen Biao only went to retrieve the ashes of Zhu Yuanzhang's parents, that is, the ashes of his grandparents, whom Chen Biao did not know about. Zhu Wenzheng went to find the ashes of Zhu Yuanzhang's brothers and sisters.
Chen Biao waited for Zhu Wenzhen for three days. He heard that although Zhu Wenzhen did not kill anyone, he broke many people's legs and ransacked many people's homes.
Chen Biao's mouth twitched slightly.
He thought that he still had to prepare for escaping overseas. Even if he couldn't use it, Zheng Ge would definitely need it.
Even if the lord can tolerate Zhengge's bad temper, the future prince may not be able to tolerate it.
Moreover, Zheng Ge treats the lord like that, so he must be very arrogant towards the future prince. He is just waiting for the prince to ascend the throne and use him as a warning to others.
A new emperor appoints new ministers, but Zheng Ge may never understand what it means to keep a low profile and live a comfortable life, so he can only find a way out on his own.
Chen Biao complained to Yan Qian in a low voice.
Since Yan Qian has already recognized him as his teacher, he is Iron Tie's own man. He can complain to Yan Qian about matters involving the lord and the prince.
When Yan Qian heard Chen Biao's solemn vow that the prince would take Zhu Wenzhen's head as soon as he ascended the throne and that he would find a way out for Zhu Wenzhen, his eyes twitched and he didn't know what to say.
He thought that Zhu Wenzhen would become even more arrogant in the future.
This is really fearless.
When Zhu Wenzhen came back and heard Chen Biao complaining about him, he burst into laughter. Ignoring Chen Biao's anger, he said that he would continue to work hard, and was beaten lightly by Chen Biao.
After the fight, the two brothers could finally pat their butts and return to heaven.
It just so happened that Chen Chong and Chen Tan were already exhausted. If they didn't respond to Ying Tian, they might not be able to hold on any longer.
After all, the two brothers were spoiled and were quite lively when they were on the boat. The bumpy ride in the carriage these days almost took their lives, making them realize that it was not a comfortable thing for their eldest brother to be traveling outside.
Not to mention the fear they felt when they saw the poor people who were traveling far away from Yingtian.
Although Haozhou was the starting point of Zhu Yuanzhang's rebellion, it was lost early on and subsequently fought over by several factions. Chen Biao's description of "corpses strewn across the ground" was something Chen Chong and Chen Tan finally witnessed.
The two brothers had nightmares for several nights, and after that, they refused to sleep without holding Chen Biao and squeezing into the same quilt with him.
Fortunately, the weather is getting cooler, otherwise Chen Biao would probably get heatstroke from the two small stoves.
Looking at his two younger brothers who were no longer noisy and seemed to have a lot on their minds, Chen Biao felt both distressed and emotional.
I wonder if my younger brothers will grow up faster after what they have seen along the way.
I really can't bear to let it go.
