Chapter 165 I May Not Be My Biological Child
No one remembers Biaoer.
No matter how powerful Biaoer is, no one will remember him.
The three adopted sons wanted to refute him. They wanted to say that Biao'er had made many achievements so far and that future generations should remember him.
But they have all read history books, and they themselves do not believe these rebuttals.
In this era, Biaoer can be considered outstanding and will be remembered by people of his time.
But China's history is too long. Throughout this long river, outstanding individuals abound. Biao'er's deeds, amidst the sands of history, are but a tiny speck of gold, hardly catching anyone's attention.
Just like the "Yanran Legong" which has the same name as "Fenglangjuxu", how many people know the name of the general who created "Yanran Legong"?
Zhu Yuanzhang was the founding emperor and his name will be known to everyone in later generations.
According to historical inertia, Taizu created the world and Taizong established a prosperous era. Taizong's name will also be remembered by many people in later generations.
The name Zhu Biao should have been the name of the founder or even the pioneer of the prosperous Ming Dynasty. Even people who don't read history books should remember him.
However, later generations remember Zhu Di and the name of his nephew who was deprived of the throne by Zhu Di. Zhu Biao's name has risen and fallen in this period of history, clearly existing but seemingly invisible.
After Zhu Yuanzhang left, Zhu Wenzhen, Li Wenzhong and Chen Ying continued to kneel on the cushions and did not get up for a long time.
Zhu Wenzheng tried to be tough: "My legs are just numb."
Li Wenzhong glanced at Zhu Wenzhen and didn't bother to pay attention.
Chen Ying swayed a bit and stood up first: "Go back to sleep."
Li Wenzhong asked in confusion, "You recovered so quickly?"
Chen Ying said, "I will die with Biao'er. I'll leave the rest to you."
Li Wenzhong held his forehead and said, "Hey, hey, hey, don't just give up, okay?"
Zhu Wenzheng pushed himself up and said, "If something happens to Biao'er, I probably won't live to see the next emperor ascend the throne. Then I might as well rebel."
Li Wenzhong quickly got up and kicked Zhu Wenzheng to the ground again. "Get lost! Don't you value your Zhu family's empire? Biao'er cares most about the people. If you rebel, won't the people suffer?"
Zhu Wenzheng touched his sore butt and said cheerfully, "I rebelled, and you redressed me. By the way, you can also bring down those who have dissenting opinions. Wouldn't the Ming Dynasty be more peaceful?"
Li Wenzhong: "..." Damn it, Zhu Wenzhen actually used his brain when he said this.
When Zhu Wenzhen used his brain before speaking, it showed that he might really do it!
Chen Ying said, "Well, Biao'er is still alive and well. Don't just think about what to do after Biao'er gets into trouble. Now the King of Yan has changed from a dog to Wen Zheng. Nothing can't be changed."
Zhu Wenzheng finally put away his cynical smile and said, "That's true. Oh, I'm tired, let me go back to sleep. I, the King of Yan, am so busy every day."
Li Wenzhong complained, "Are you busy pushing all the work onto me and Aying? After Aying goes to Yunnan, I'll apply to be transferred somewhere else. I don't want to be exploited by you alone."
Zhu Wenzheng said lazily, "Okay, why don't you go back to Yingtian? Help us see if anyone in Yingtian is trying to harm Biaoer."
Li Wenzhong said, "I might join Ah Ying in attacking Yunnan, or I might go west. There's no need to leave anyone in Yingtian to watch. The top officials in the court only care about Biaoer, and they will keep a close eye on anyone in the court who is unfavorable to Biaoer."
Zhu Wenzheng got up from the ground again, stretched, and yawned, saying, "That's true. I hope they know what's good for them."
When the three of them returned to their room, Zhu Yuanzhang also returned to his bedroom.
The candle in the bedroom was still lit. Ma Xiuying leaned against the headboard, not embroidering or reading, but just staring blankly.
Zhu Yuanzhang whispered, "Why aren't you asleep? I thought you were sleeping with the dog and cat today."
Ma Xiuying shook her head and looked up and asked, "Zhongba, Gou'er...after Biao'er died, was Gou'er the emperor?"
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes suddenly widened: "You you you you..."
Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang so surprised, Ma Xiuying smiled bitterly and asked, "What are you surprised about?"
Zhu Yuanzhang stammered, "I, I never told you that Biao'er, Biao'er would..."
Ma Xiuying asked, "Will he die before you?"
Zhu Yuanzhang asked nervously, "How did you know?"
Ma Xiuying smiled bitterly, "The fortune teller said that Biao'er must return to his position when he reaches the age of twenty, otherwise he will be taken away by heaven. Doesn't being taken away by heaven mean an early death?"
Zhu Yuanzhang wiped the sweat from his forehead and sat on the edge of the bed, panting heavily: "That's right, that's right."
Ma Xiuying said, "Biao'er doesn't know his own name, but he knows the name Zhu Di. There is only one possibility, Zhu Di is more famous than him. Sigh."
Zhu Yuanzhang said sheepishly, "Yes, yes. Gou'er will be very powerful in the future, so I might make Gou'er the crown prince."
Ma Xiuying didn't ask any further questions.
For example, Gou'er had two older brothers. When Gou'er became the crown prince, what happened to Ting'er and Ting'er? Did they die young or did they become enemies?
Ma Xiuying didn't ask, nor did she want to know.
She just needs to know that as long as Biao'er is alive and well, all future tragedies will not happen. Her sons will be around Biao'er as they are now, and they will be brothers and sisters.
Ma Xiuying said, "If Biao'er dies, there will always be a new prince. Don't take your anger out on Gou'er."
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head like a rattle: "No, no. The fact that he can become emperor shows that he has great potential. Let Biaoer train him well, he will definitely be a good helper in the future."
Ma Xiuying finally breathed a sigh of relief.
No matter Biao'er or Gou'er, they were both children who crawled out of her belly. She didn't want Zhu Yuanzhang to be angry with Gou'er because of Biao'er, and Biao'er certainly didn't want that either.
Ma Xiuying asked again, "Did Biaoer guess my identity? How did you cover it up?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said his nonsense, and Ma Xiuying's mouth twitched slightly: "You are worthy of being a monk."
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled proudly: "No matter how good I am against Biao'er in the future, he won't worry anymore!"
Ma Xiuying nodded, and the huge stone in her heart was put down.
She said, "Actually, there are a lot of loopholes in what you said, but Biaoer trusts us and wouldn't want us to lie to him."
Zhu Yuanzhang put away his smile and sighed, "Yes. Only those you trust can deceive him. He never doubted us, so he was deceived by us for so many years."
Ma Xiuying said, "There's nothing we can do about this. It's because Biao'er has such a noble destiny. Go to sleep. After you get a good night's sleep, you'll have to think about how to talk to Xu Da and the others tomorrow."
Zhu Yuanzhang had a headache.
He could imagine the group of old brothers and the great master laughing at him.
Well, let them laugh all they want. As long as they can find out their own shortcomings and fill them up, it's fine as long as they continue to hide the truth from the standard.
When Zhu Yuanzhang had a headache, Zhu Biao had already fallen asleep.
Zhu Biao has always had a good sleep. No matter how many things are on his mind, he can sleep whenever he wants.
He didn't know that Zhu Yuanzhang was going to convene the Ming Dynasty's top think tank to discuss things that were hidden from him.
The Ming Dynasty's founding think tank was considered one of the best in history. Zhu Biao's life story was concealed by so many people, and he was deceived well.
But in his dream, he saw a bizarre scene.
The scene seemed to be separated from him by a layer of paper, but that layer of paper was very tough and could not be broken no matter how hard he reached out.
When he woke up, Zhu Biao sat for a long time before recovering from his low blood pressure.
After having breakfast and chatting with his parents and brothers, Zhu Biao went to the study in the government office, spread out his official documents, and did not read a single word for a long time.
Last night, he was panicked by his father's crying, and his mind was in a mess. Today, when he carefully thought about his father's words, he noticed something strange.
The father's argument was logically impeccable. Zhu Biao had indeed read in history books that emperors who were even slightly superstitious liked to use "stand-ins." Most of their "stand-ins" would become monks.
Since I am already a fairy boy, it is normal for me not to become a monk.
Zhu Biao thought it was strange that his father asked him to be the substitute for Prince Zhu without even asking him.
Zhu Biao knew his father well enough to know that he was doting on him. He even joked that he was the head of the Chen family, and his father had confirmed it, making everyone in the Chen family acknowledge him as the head.
There is an order of seniority. No matter how powerful Zhu Biao was, he was just a baby crawling on the ground. His father recognized Zhu Biao as the head of the family, even at the cost of his own dignity.
After that, his father would consult Zhu Biao on almost every matter, big or small, in the family court, especially matters concerning Zhu Biao himself.
Zhu Biao pinched his chin. Ever since he cried bitterly when his father "sold" him to the Hongwu Emperor as a child, his father would always tell him about even the smallest matters concerning him and would never make decisions on his own.
Being a stand-in is a big deal. Even if my father can't refuse, there's no way he won't tell me.
Even if you are unhappy, you are unhappy, but this thing has happened. Shouldn't you tell yourself and think about how to deal with it?
It's strange that Dad would hide this from me.
Zhu Biao pinched his chin again. The more he thought about it, the more strange it seemed. Even his father's crying last night seemed deliberate, as if it was meant to divert his attention.
He dared to bet that his father must be hiding something from him!
Zhu Biao habitually turned the brush and splashed ink all over his face.
He quickly washed his face, wondering what his father could be hiding from him.
But Zhu Biao thought about it over and over again, but he couldn't think of what his father could hide from him when he was in full control of the family affairs.
Well, it should be related to Emperor Hongwu?
Zhu Biao pushed the official documents aside and enthusiastically drew a mind map on paper, as if he was playing a reasoning game.
Damn dad, let me see what you are hiding from me!
Zhu Biao first deduced that his role as a body double might not be true. If it were true, his father would have told him long ago.
What my father wanted to conceal by this matter might be why Emperor Hongwu was so good to him.
then……
Zhu Biao paused, touched his face, and the hand holding the pen trembled slightly.
He threw away his pen, took out a silver mirror from the study, and looked at his face in the mirror carefully.
I, I look a lot like Dad, right? And Mom too!
Zhu Biao recalled the face of Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang, whom he had met twice, and suddenly realized that Emperor Hongwu looked somewhat similar to his father.
This is normal. If they don't look alike, how can my father be the "shadow emperor" and become the substitute of Emperor Hongwu?
Zhu Biao had never seen Empress Ma and had no idea what she looked like.
But… Dad said that my mother and Empress Ma said that we all have the surname Ma and were one family five hundred years ago. With my mother's personality, she would never say such flattering words.
Is it possible that my mother and Empress Ma are actually relatives?!
Empress Ma's parents died early, as did her mother; Empress Ma was adopted as an adopted daughter to a local tyrant, and her mother was adopted as an adopted daughter to a wealthy merchant.
Is there a possibility that my mother and Empress Ma are... sisters?!
Zhu Biao's hand trembled, and the silver mirror in his hand fell to the ground, clanging a few times on the ground.
Because of his fortune teller's advice, the Ming Dynasty Crown Prince Zhu Da would not appear in public before he came of age.
So where did Zhu Da live so that Emperor Hongwu could see his son's every move and observe his growth without being discovered by others?
Is there a possibility that my biological parents are not who I thought they were? I am, I am...
"No, it's impossible. After my brain recovered a little, I regained my memories as a time traveler and could understand what people around me said." Zhu Biao ran around the study like a headless fly. "When I was very young, my mother and father were with me. They didn't know at that time that I could understand people's speech at such a young age, so they wouldn't deliberately hide it from me. So they must have, must have..."
But Zhu Da might have been given to his parents as soon as he was born. In order to hide the truth, his parents always treated Zhu Da as their own child, and other people also thought that Zhu Da was his parents' biological child!
The more Zhu Biao thought about it, the more frightened he became, and tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Don't scare yourself. This is all nonsense. I'm just guessing because the Hongwu Emperor was so kind to me, and my father was hiding something from me. My imagination is really too big." Zhu Biao's legs went weak, and he squatted on the ground, his hands on his knees, muttering to himself, "My father hid things from me. It's possible that when he hid things from me, he was rewarding me for 'selling' me. I cried to him and made him promise not to act on his own again."
"Yes, if my father could 'sell' me once, then I don't know how many times he'd 'sold' me before. It's very likely that when the emperor first showed my extraordinary ability, my father showed off to him."
"Yes, that must be the case. That's why my father 'sold' me to the emperor's son as a substitute when I was very young. That's why he felt so guilty and cried so loudly, but he never dared to tell me."
Zhu Biao sniffed, wiped his tears, and said self-deprecatingly: "What on earth am I thinking about? Why would I think of such a weird thing and scare myself?"
"Biao'er, let me tell you..." Zhu Yuanzhang pushed the door open and laughed loudly when Zhu Biao was squatting on the ground. Then his laughter stopped abruptly. "Biao'er? What's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"
Zhu Yuanzhang helped Zhu Biao up. Zhu Biao's nose felt sore and tears rolled down his cheeks again: "Dad, I am your biological son, right?"
Zhu Yuanzhang was shocked: "What? Why do you ask that?"
Zhu Biao said aggrievedly: "I, I just thought, the emperor is so good to me, and Zhu Da has never shown up, maybe the emperor has entrusted his son to you for foster care..."
Zhu Yuanzhang's mouth slowly opened and his chin slowly dropped to the ground.
Clang, that's the sound of a dislocated jaw.
Zhu Yuanzhang closed his chin manually and looked carefully at his overly smart and silly child.
He didn't know where he'd given himself away... only half of it had. But silly boy, you've already guessed you might be Prince Zhu, but you never considered that your father might actually be Zhu Yuanzhang?
How could you possibly think you weren't my biological child? How are you not like me? You look like me from head to toe! Are you trying to piss me off to death?
Do you think the fake Zhu Yuanzhang you've only seen twice looks more like your real dad?! I'm going to chop him up right now!
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted and angrily said, "Biao'er! What nonsense are you talking about?!"
Seeing his father's genuine shock and anger, Zhu Biao felt guilty: "I, I just... Alas."
Zhu Yuanzhang tugged at his son's cheek and said, "Look at yourself. You're a cut above me. What the hell is going on in your little head?! If your mother heard this, she'd cry herself to death!"
Zhu Biao, with his cheek pulled, mumbled, "Don't, don't tell mother! I just suddenly lost my mind!"
Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he stamped his feet: "No, you have to tell me, how are you not like me? Huh? What makes you think you are not my biological son?"
Zhu Biao covered his face and pouted: "Dad, you are the stand-in for Emperor Hongwu. You look like Emperor Hongwu."
Zhu Yuanzhang let go of his son's cheek and shook his son's shoulders hard: "Is it because of this? He looks like you and me?!"
I'm going to chop him down!
Zhu Biao's mouth pursed even more: "Besides, I have long felt that my personality is incompatible with this family."
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened: "What do you mean by out of place?"
Zhu Biao said aggrievedly, "Cong'er, Chun'er, and the dog all look like you. Cat... Cat is a little quieter, but when he gets angry he looks like you. And Zheng Ge, Zheng Ge is your nephew, and he looks just like you. Only I have a completely different personality from you."
Zhu Yuanzhang: “…”
The screaming weird cat, the hyperactive cat, the domineering weird dog, the spooky cat, and a Zhu Wenzhen who loves to commit suicide, are they all like me?
"Like shit!" Zhu Yuanzhang was furious. "None of them look like me! Only you look like me!"
Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was so loud that it made Zhu Biao's ears buzz.
Zhu Biao covered his ears tightly. "Okay, okay, yes, yes, I look like you, and they don't look like you. I am your biological son. Dad, stop yelling, or you'll call Mom... Eh? Brother Zheng, what are you doing?"
Zhu Yuanzhang turned around and saw Zhu Wenzhen rushing towards the study. Li Wenzhong and Chen Ying held Zhu Wenzhen's arms tightly to prevent him from rushing in.
Zhu Wenzheng said angrily: "Fourth Uncle! What are you doing!"
Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was even louder than Zhu Wenzheng's: "Biao'er actually said that he is not my biological son!"
Zhu Biao: "That's not the case, I just..."
Zhu Wenzheng was stunned and said, "Huh?"
Zhu Biao blushed and repeated his speculation.
Zhu Wenzheng laughed so hard that he squatted on the ground and couldn't stand up.
Li Wenzhong was dumbfounded: "Biao'er, you...you really think about it."
Chen Ying suppressed her laughter, ruffled Zhu Biao's hair, and said, "I watched you being born. You are definitely your godfather and godmother's biological child."
Zhu Wenzheng: "Hahahahahahahahaha!"
Zhu Biao covered his face and said, "Brother Zheng, stop laughing. I know I was stupid. I was wrong. Stop laughing!"
Zhu Wenzheng: "Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
Zhu Biao was furious and rushed forward to hit Zhu Wenzheng hard: "Don't laugh!"
Zhu Wenzheng: "No, I can't help it, I'm dying of laughter, hahahaha."
Zhu Yuanzhang cursed: "Biao'er, if you keep thinking about it, I'm going to beat you up! Even your mother can't stop me this time!"
Zhu Biao said embarrassedly, "Yes, yes, I was wrong. It turns out that you really sold me when I was very young... and gave me to the emperor as a substitute for the crown prince. That's why you felt so guilty and kept it a secret from me."
Zhu Yuanzhang: “…”
Li Wenzhong's mouth twitched and he turned around silently.
Chen Ying: "...Godfather has his reasons."
Zhu Wenzhen: “Hahahahahaha!” No, my stomach hurts from laughing so hard!
Zhu Yuanzhang: "...That's right." In order to continue to be Biao'er's biological father, Zhu Yuanzhang tearfully took the blame for "selling" his son.
Zhu Biao breathed a sigh of relief. He said embarrassedly, "Dad, I'm sorry, I was just imagining things..."
Zhu Yuanzhang said seriously, "Biao'er, remember, you are the only one who looks like me. No one looks like me, not even Zhu Wenzheng squatting on the ground, nor do any of the other trees, dogs, or cats."
Zhu Biao: “…Oh.”
Li Wenzhong couldn't help himself and wiped his face vigorously with his hands. Wipe once, wipe twice... I, Li Wenzhong, am a professional . I absolutely won't laugh, absolutely...
Phew! So there’s another reason why Biao’er “discovered that he wasn’t his biological child”.
To be honest, Biao'er's personality is indeed not very similar to his uncle's, but his uncle would definitely not admit it.
"Alright, alright, stop laughing." Zhu Biao said angrily, "Is it really that funny?"
Zhu Wenzheng patted his butt and stood up, continuing to laugh: "It's funny, very funny."
Zhu Biao changed the subject: "Dad, what do you want to see me about?"
Zhu Yuanzhang glared at Zhu Wenzheng and said, "The imperial edict has arrived. From now on, Beiping will be Beijing. You should modify the Yuan Dynasty palace and it will become the Beijing Palace. When the emperor is away, you and Wenzheng will guard the palace."
Zhu Wenzheng smiled and said, "Biao'er, we can live in the palace from now on. Are you happy?"
Zhu Biao couldn't laugh.
How can I, a person who has been granted the surname of an emperor, live in the imperial palace? Oh my God, am I really my parents' biological son, and not Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma's biological son?
He forced a smile: "H-Happiness."
Zhu Wenzheng bent over with laughter again: "I can guarantee it! Biao'er must be thinking in his head right now that he must not be your biological son, Fourth Uncle, hahahahahaha!"
Zhu Yuanzhang knocked Zhu Wenzhen to the ground with one punch and almost fainted from anger.
