Ye Zheng shook his sleeves, and a group of people skillfully pulled the two apart.
Only then did Chen Biao notice that Lan Yu was wearing a theatrical costume.
He looked up at Ye Zheng.
Ye Zheng noticed Chen Biao's questioning look and explained, "I asked him to go on stage and play the villain."
Ye Zheng suppressed his laughter and said, "Go play the role of a dandy bully in various plays."
Chen Biao looked dazed.
Ye Zheng continued to explain, "He performs about ten scenes a day. Once he's done a hundred scenes, we'll give him a new villain role to continue playing."
Chen Biao stammered, "Change, change to a villain?!"
Ye Zheng nodded slightly. The others were already applying medicine to Lan Yu's wounds very skillfully. "I made a deal with him. If he can persist in playing the villain for 500 performances, I will accept him as my disciple and give him a courtesy name."
A great scholar like Ye Zheng is respected wherever he goes, not to mention that he is the descendant of a celebrity.
The illiterate people in the Red Turban Army were particularly envious of anything they lacked and had a special respect for the great scholars. When they learned that there was a chance to join a prestigious family, before Chang Yuchun could even say anything, Lan Yu started calling him "Teacher" like a lackey.
Chen Biao looked at Lan Yu's bruised face and put away his dumbfounded expression. The corner of his mouth twitched as he asked, "Does he get beaten in every scene?"
Ye Zheng said: "Not necessarily. Sometimes people just throw stones at me."
Chen Biao: "...Didn't I have people shout three times before every scene to distinguish between actors and real people and not to attack actors? I even put up a sign."
Ye Zheng smiled: "When he was acting, I specifically told him not to use this step."
Chen Biao looked up at Ye Zheng again, then scratched his head helplessly: "Mr. Ye is teaching Lan Yu now? This teaching method... uh, can Lan Yu bear it?"
Even though Chen Biao knew that Lan Yu was stopped the first time he did evil, he had no intention of kindly helping this person to walk on the right path.
Lan Yu was not his relative, so he was just meddling in other people's affairs. Lan Yu would be killed by Zhu Yuanzhang sooner or later. If he helped Lan Yu now, what would happen if he was considered a "Lan Yu Party" in the future?
Moreover, he knew Lan Yu's experiences from childhood to adulthood, and did not think he had the ability to help someone who had spent an important period of character formation in a bandit's den.
What are gangsters? They are people who bully the good and the weak and fear the strong.
Zhu Yuanzhang also looked down on Chang Yuchun back then. Chang Yuchun served as a pioneer for several years and only gained Zhu Yuanzhang's respect and recognition through continuous bloody battles.
What Ye Zheng is doing now may seem gentle, but in fact he is putting mental pressure on Lan Yu. For a minor, the cruelty of the test may not be any less than what Chang Yuchun encountered back then.
At least Chen Biao believed that his cousin could definitely pass the test that Chang Yuchun faced back then, but the test that Lan Yu was facing now... he might as well forget about it.
Unless Chen Biao himself becomes a great scholar one day, Zhu Wenzhen will not be able to pass the test of any great scholar.
Ye Zheng smiled and picked up Chen Biao, touching his head.
Chen Biao's face fell instantly.
What's wrong with these adults? Not only do they like to hold him up, they also like to rub his head.
His hair had been shaved off, leaving only a few small tufts. He felt so distressed when even a tiny tuft of hair was rubbed out that he felt like dying.
Ye Zheng whispered, "Does Biaoer also think that blue jade is a piece of rotten wood that cannot be carved?"
Chen Biao didn't say anything.
He would not be fooled. Lan Yu was Chang Yuchun's brother-in-law, so he would not offend him.
Ye Zheng said: "Lan Yu is very smart. With a little training, he will definitely become a famous general in the future."
Chen Biao continued to keep his mouth shut and pretend to be dumb.
Of course he knew about this. Zhu Yuanzhang's character dictated that those bestowed titles were those with genuine military merit. It was said that Chang Yuchun died very young, so Lan Yu's fame couldn't have been based on Chang Yuchun's prestige. He must have made significant military achievements after the founding of the Ming Dynasty.
Ye Zheng said, "I call him rotten wood because he grew up in a gangster den and his temperament is inherently crooked. If such a person becomes powerful in the future, he will definitely cause great harm."
Chen Biao's eyes suddenly widened: "Mr. Ye, think twice! He is General Chang's brother-in-law!"
Ye Zheng laughed: "What are you thinking? Do you think I will hurt him?"
Ye Zheng once again looked at Lan Yu, who was grimacing in pain and still arguing with Zhu Wenzheng. A hint of smile appeared in his disdainful eyes: "Want to make a bet? I bet he can pass this test?"
Chen Biao immediately crossed his arms in front of his chest and said, "No, I won't gamble. Gambling is not good for children."
He firmly refused any attempt to raise a flag.
Ye Zheng rubbed Chen Biao's head helplessly: "You are really cautious." He really doesn't act like a child. But Chen Biao was not an ordinary child, so it was normal.
Chen Biao changed the subject, preventing Ye Zheng from continuing to talk about the bet. "Mr. Ye wants to teach him to change, right? But you also said that he's fundamentally crooked. Is that necessary? Even if he could be straightened out and taught, he would have enough skills to teach hundreds of students."
Ye Zheng said, "Didn't I tell you that if he gains power, he will definitely cause harm to the people in the future? Or, once I discover that he's fundamentally crooked, even if he hasn't caused any harm yet, I'll ruin his future, or even kill him?"
Chen Biao was silent.
He actually wanted to say that it was right, but he could only applaud when others did this kind of thing, and he would never be able to do it when it was his turn.
Ye Zheng sighed softly: "This is exactly what Confucius said about the responsibility of education."
Ye Zheng put Chen Biao down and took him to the two childish older kids who were about to start a quarrel and mediate.
Chen Biao's eyes flashed and his heart was slightly touched.
Unlike the teachings of Buddhism, Confucianism does not involve sacrificing oneself to feed a tiger, nor does it talk about becoming a Buddha instantly by putting down the butcher knife. They just believe that ordinary people, whether they believe in the evil nature of human beings or the good nature of human beings, can become saints through education.
Although Wang Yangming was not born yet, the School of Mind was initiated by Cheng Hao in the Northern Song Dynasty and developed by Lu Jiuyuan in the Southern Song Dynasty. Its roots existed in the time of Mencius and it was not something that appeared out of thin air.
When Chen Biao let go of Ye Zheng's hand and ran to Zhu Wenzhen, he looked back at Ye Zheng.
Ye Zheng was saying something to Lan Yu with a stern face. Lan Yu nodded and bowed, as respectful as a waiter in a restaurant.
Zhu Wenzheng said in a muffled voice, "Brother Biao, what are you looking at him doing?"
Chen Biao said: "Don't do anything."
He knew that Lan Yu was a great villain in history and would do many evil things in the future, so he didn't want to have any contact with Lan Yu. In addition to not wanting to do thankless tasks, he also despised Lan Yu himself.
But Ye Zheng is different.
He just wanted to educate a young man who, although his roots were crooked, had not yet done anything seriously evil.
Chen Biao shook his head.
No, with Ye Zheng's character and the true meaning of Confucianism, if Ye Zheng knew the evil things Lan Yu would do in the future, he would teach Lan Yu more diligently.
This is a true great scholar.
And I am just a selfish time traveler who acts based on my own preferences most of the time.
Chen Biao stretched out his finger and poked the bruise on Zhu Wenzhen's face.
Zhu Wenzheng screamed miserably: "Brother Biao! What are you doing?!"
Chen Biao poked Zhu Wenzhen hard, and he screamed in pain, but he didn't dare to dodge.
"Brother Zheng! How many times have I told you this! The show is all about acting! If you go and fight with the actor who plays the villain, who will dare to play the villain in the future?!" Chen Biao took a deep breath and roared in a baby voice, "Go and apologize!"
Zhu Wen, who was sitting on the ground, was sprayed in the face by Chen Biao, who was looking up.
He wiped his face and tried to defend himself: "He is the kind of person who has done that kind of thing..."
Chen Biao interrupted, "He had already been punished and made amends! If someone who made a mistake can make amends, shouldn't others be allowed to mend their ways? Then we won't have to worry about formulating laws and military orders in the future. Just execute them all!"
Zhu Wenzhen's head was shaking from Chen Biao's yelling. He felt aggrieved, but he didn't dare to say anything.
How could Biaodi speak for an outsider? Even if I was wrong, go back and yell at me. Yelling at me in front of everyone would be so humiliating.
When Li Wenzhong heard that Zhu Wenzhen and Lan Yu were fighting, he rushed over to clean up the aftermath, but the fight had already ended.
He heard Chen Biao yelling at Zhu Wenzheng, and laughed so hard he couldn't straighten his back: "Wenzheng, you look like your uncle."
Zhu Wenzheng touched his head and said happily: "It's true!"
He suddenly stopped feeling wronged. This was how his fourth uncle acted in front of Biao Di, never giving him any face. So, rounding it off, he was treated just like his fourth uncle, hey!
Seeing that Zhu Wenzhen could actually laugh after being scolded by him, Chen Biao was so angry that he poked the bruises on Zhu Wenzhen's face a few more times.
Zhu Wenzhen screamed again and finally stopped laughing .
Of course, Li Wenzhong laughed even harder.
After scolding him enough, Chen Biao kicked Zhu Wenzhen's hard thigh with his short legs.
He didn't hurt Zhu Wenzhen, but he hurt his own foot and gasped.
Li Wenzhong quickly picked up Chen Biao and said angrily, "Why are your thighs so hard? You hurt my brother Biao!"
Zhu Wenzheng was filled with questions. Did I hurt him? He was the one who kicked me!
Zhu Wenzheng glanced at the angry Chen Biao and took a deep breath: "Okay, it's my fault."
Chen Biao said, "Don't bother admitting your mistakes to me, go admit your mistakes to Lan Yu."
Zhu Wenzheng: “No!”
Chen Biao said, "If you don't go, Brother Zhong and I will isolate you! We won't even take you to any of the delicious food or fun things!"
Li Wenzhong suppressed his laughter and said, "Yes, isolate you!"
Zhu Wenzhen felt very aggrieved, but the people around who were eavesdropping were amused.
Lan Yu couldn't help but cover her mouth, her shoulders trembling, and all her dissatisfaction with being scolded by Mr. Ye was swept away.
He was happy to see someone being scolded like him, and being scolded by a young child.
Zhu Wenzheng got up from the ground with a dark face, walked up to Lan Yu, and said through gritted teeth, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have beaten you just because you played the role of a bully who bullies the good so vividly, as if you were that person."
Li Wenzhong was extremely shocked: "Brother Biao, listen to this! Wen Zheng's words are actually quite literary!"
Chen Biao: "..." Where's the literary talent? Well, for Zheng Ge, it is indeed literary talent.
Lan Yu's face darkened. Was this guy apologizing or just being sarcastic?
In the past, he couldn't understand people's sarcasm, but now he has rehearsed so many plays, memorized so many tongue-twisting lines, performed so many scenes with others, and been scolded countless times in various ways on the stage. Now he can understand the hidden meaning in other people's words!
Lan Yu wanted to curse back, but when he opened his mouth, he shut it up awkwardly.
He would always curse back at others, but Zhu Wenzheng was different. Lan Yu had indeed done something to bully the good and was beaten up by Zhu Wenzheng.
"General Lan is not that kind of person." Some people who were watching the show and enjoying the fun murmured, "General Lan is a good man."
In feudal times, soldiers and bandits were often inseparable, and this was even more true during times of chaos. The common people were initially terrified of these soldiers. But the Red Turban Army performed so well in Yangzhou, helping them with farm work, renting them farm tools, and even performing for them. This emboldened the common people of Yangzhou, and they dared to speak up.
One person spoke, and the others also whispered to help Lan Yu speak.
"Last time, someone was so engrossed in the show that he rushed over and beat General Lan. General Lan never took it to heart."
"General Zhu, General Lan is really a good man, don't misunderstand him. He even helped me repair the roof last time."
"Every time a play is over, General Lan is always the last one to clean up. He really is a good man."
"Last time, when I was collecting firewood, I encountered bandits. General Lan was patrolling there with his troops and saved my life. Hey, you have no idea how powerful and majestic General Lan is!"
"Little General Lan, why do you always play villains and never generals?"
Lan Yu looked at the group of people who praised him highly, feeling embarrassed and keeping his head down without saying a word.
Ye Zheng smiled and said, "He's a general himself. The good deeds performed by the generals on stage are what he would do off stage. Why bother acting? You've seen it too. When people are engrossed in watching a play, it's easy to mistake the villains on stage for real villains. If an ordinary person were to play the role, it would probably cause misunderstandings in the future."
Ye Zheng reached out and ruffled Lan Yu's hair as he sat on the ground. "He's a junior general now, and he'll be a senior general in the future. He plays a villain, so the audience won't mistake him for the real villain."
Lan Yu's face turned even redder and her fingers dug into the ground.
Li Wenzhong suppressed a smile and agreed, "That's right. And Lan Yu is very skilled in martial arts. If a fan who was too absorbed in the play rushed onto the stage, he could withstand it. You see, if an ordinary person encountered a man as big as my brother, he would probably be killed in a few punches."
Zhu Wenzheng's face also turned red: "Wenzhong, shut up!"
He clasped his fists and bowed, "Alright, alright, I was really wrong. I know I was wrong, Lan Yu. This time it's my fault. I apologize."
Lan Yu stood up awkwardly and clasped his fists in return, "It's okay, I fought back. Besides... besides, what you said was understandable, I can't hold it against you."
Ye Zheng said, "After such a big incident today, you don't need to act in the next play. Go back and rest for a while. General Zhu, General Li, Biao'er, we will take our leave first."
Zhu Wenzheng said, "Mr. Ye, please do as you please."
Li Wenzhong said, "Don't worry, Mr. Ye. I will take care of the rest. The Yue Lao Association will definitely be successful."
Chen Biao didn't say anything, just waved goodbye.
Ye Zheng patted Lan Yu's shoulder and said, "Let's go. I'll ask my mistress to make you some medicinal food to nourish you."
His family had been taken to Yingtian and temporarily lived with him in Yangzhou.
Lan Yu's eyes curved and he nodded vigorously. After saying goodbye to Zhu Wenzhen and the others, he followed happily.
Watching Lan Yu circling Ye Zheng's back as they walked away, Chen Biao grumbled quietly, "He looks like a puppy."
Li Wenzhong nodded: "He really is like a puppy in front of Mr. Ye."
Although Zhu Wenzheng didn't understand what Chen Biao and Li Wenzhong were talking about, he nodded seriously in order to fit in and said, "Yes, he looks like a dog!"
Li Wenzhong and Chen Biao, who was held by Li Wenzhong, turned their heads in a very similar manner, with the same speechless expressions on their faces.
Zhu Wenzhen tilted his head in confusion.
Li Wenzhong said, "Brother Biao, let's isolate him. I'm worried that if we hang out with Wenzheng for too long, we'll both become stupid."
Chen Biao nodded vigorously.
Zhu Wenzheng was so angry that his nose was snorting: "What do you two mean?"
Li Wenzhong protected Chen Biao and said, "Let's go."
Chen Biao snuggled into Li Wenzhong's arms.
Zhu Wenzheng: "Hey! What do you mean? Explain it to me! Li Wenzhong! Stop right there!"
Zhu Wenzhen was so angry that he jumped up and down as he followed Li Wenzhong. Chen Biao just lay in Li Wenzhong's arms and made faces at Zhu Wenzhen.
When the people around saw this scene, they couldn't help but smile mysteriously.
The brave little generals on the battlefield are also a group of children when they leave the battlefield.
There were already women looking at the torn clothes on Li Wenzhong and Zhu Wenzhen, wondering if they could help them mend their clothes.
This isn't flattery, it's simply an overflow of maternal love.
"That child named Chen Biao has a chubby face and looks really festive."
"Yeah, the way he scolded his brother, he was like a little tiger cub."
"Anyone who has such a smart and lovable child is truly lucky."
The women whispered to each other and began to look at the faces of the men in the Yue Lao Society, to see who looked silly and might give birth to a chubby child.
The men immediately put on a serious face and straightened their backs.
Look at me, look at me! I'm definitely a fertile man!
Something seems off? Uh, whatever! Anyway, look at me!
As a result, the Yue Lao meeting was a complete success, and all the women successfully brought home a young and strong man.
Even though these men would fight with the army, the wives of Zhu Yuanzhang's soldiers would receive priority care from the stationed generals and soldiers, and neither physical work nor safety would be a problem.
It was just that these men had just returned home with the women and they couldn't even muster the strength for training the next day.
After a few more days, they all stayed on the training ground and didn't dare to go home.
Zhu Wenzheng and Li Wenzhong, the two young generals, were confused. After quietly asking for the reason, they almost burst out laughing.
They laughed so loudly that Chen Biao, who was reading a book, rolled his eyes.
…
Zhu Yuanzhang in Yingtian almost laughed out loud when he received the documents and family letters sent from Yangzhou.
He threw the letter full of indecent words written by Zhu Wenzhen to Tang He, who was forced to stay in Yingtian to help him.
After reading it, Tang He was extremely happy and envious: "Marshal, I want to go to Yangzhou to protect Biao'er."
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and scolded: "Don't even think about it. It's useless. Your punishment period hasn't ended yet."
Tang He held his head and said in pain: "I haven't drunk alcohol for half a month."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Only half a month..."
Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was about to nag him again, Tang He quickly changed the subject: "Speaking of wine, Marshal, how are you going to deal with Hu Sanshe?"
Zhu Yuanzhang glared at Tang He and blamed him for disturbing his good mood.
Recently, people outside continue to criticize Zhu Yuanzhang, as if Zhu Yuanzhang has been deserted by his friends and relatives, but more and more people are flocking to Zhu Yuanzhang's territory, and the place is thriving. New seedlings are planted in the abandoned fields.
Zhu Yuanzhang was originally happy, but a report from the manager of Chen's Restaurant made Zhu Yuanzhang's face darken.
After capturing Wuzhou, Zhu Yuanzhang received Zhu Sheng's nine-word advice of "build high walls, store up grain, and delay claiming the throne", and issued a ban on alcohol.
The prohibition did not actually prohibit people from brewing their own wine for their own consumption, but only prohibited large-scale sales. Therefore, the wine sold in restaurants was not grain wine.
For example, the wine at Chen's Restaurant is beetroot wine made from the residue left after beetroot sugar making. The wine has a light taste and although it is sold at a reasonable price, it is limited in quantity each day and ordinary customers rarely get to drink it.
The more something is forbidden, the more people flock to it. While the Chen family's restaurant was honest, other restaurants were unwilling to give up the lucrative business of alcohol. They would always find ways to secretly brew and sell alcohol. Some in the military also sensed a business opportunity and colluded with the restaurants to resell the army's stored grain for brewing.
Zhu Yuanzhang had a general under his command named Hu Dahai, who was one of the generals Zhu Yuanzhang trusted and valued the most.
Hu Dahai had two sons. His second son, Hu Guanzhu, inherited his true skills and followed him in the army; his eldest son, Hu Sanshe, was a useless playboy who stayed in Yingtian and waited for death.
Hu Sanshe had no talent, but he was incredibly bold. He sold his privately brewed liquor to the Chen family.
Ma Xiuying gave birth to a child at the home of Chen Di, a merchant from Yingtian. Later, Chen Biao mistakenly believed he was a member of the Chen family, exposing his divine identity as a child. Following a hapless fortune teller's prediction, Chen Di promptly handed over the family business, becoming a clan member and chief steward of "Chen Guorui." Zhu Yuanzhang replaced all important positions in the Chen family with his men.
The managers in the restaurant were all Zhu Yuanzhang's spies, or his personal soldiers who were injured and unable to go to the battlefield.
So the manager immediately lured Hu Sanshe into the courtyard to negotiate, and the waiters rushed forward and tied up Hu Sanshe, and reported directly to Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang held his forehead and said, "How could Hu Dahai have such a bastard son!"
Tang He said, "He must also want to know, otherwise he wouldn't focus on training his second son and abandon his eldest son in Yingtian."
Zhu Yuanzhang cursed, "He doesn't care, and you want me to? According to military orders, I should kill him!"
Fortunately, Hu Sanshe was apprehended by the Chen family's steward, so there was still room for maneuver. If someone else discovered and reported him, Zhu Yuanzhang would be in a dilemma.
Hu Dahai was still fighting on the front lines, and he killed his son? Even if Zhu Yuanzhang was not worried about Hu Dahai's rebellion, he felt sorry for this old friend.
But if he doesn't cut it down, wouldn't his prohibition be just a piece of waste paper?
Tang He said, "But this is quite strange. Hu Sanshe is just a playboy without any official position. How could he have the ability to steal grain and make wine?"
Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened: "Maybe someone is testing me."
Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang knew what was going on, Tang He stopped showing off his talents.
He said, "What should we do now? Hide first?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "If someone is testing my bottom line behind my back, I'm afraid this matter is not over yet."
Tang He frowned: "What the Marshal means is that even if Hu Sanshe is hidden by us, there will be someone who knows about it and report him?"
Zhu Yuanzhang sneered: "First it was Lan Yu, then it was Hu Sanshe, who will they look for next time?"
Tang He was puzzled: "What does this have to do with Lan Yu?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Lan Yu followed Chang Yuchun on his campaigns and rarely returned to Yingtian. But in just a few days, he met a beautiful woman performing for money..."
Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, "The father and daughter who were performing arts were brought to justice. The woman's beautiful appearance was due to the fact that she was helped by a kind-hearted person the night before. She took a bath and changed into the kind-hearted person's old clothes."
Lan Yu and Hu Sanshe both deserved the consequences of these two incidents. The person behind the scenes simply offered something attractive to them, tempting them to reveal their greed. If Zhu Yuanzhang hadn't read the Heavenly Book, he certainly wouldn't have discovered the existence of this hidden hand.
It was only after reading the heavenly book and being taught by Chen Biao that Zhu Yuanzhang learned the term "sugar-coated bullet".
Now that they had cannons, Zhu Yuanzhang and the Yuan Dynasty had already used cannons against each other. He knew how powerful cannonballs were.
The metaphor of a sugar-coated bullet is so vivid.
After winning over, corrupting, exploiting, and holding the power over others, the generals under his command will be used by the gentry, powerful people and wealthy businessmen, and even become their puppets.
The old guys are not easy to corrupt at the moment, so they are targeting those young bastards who are not very worldly-wise?
Zhu Yuanzhang closed his eyes. He remembered Biao'er's words: the dragon slayer finally became the dragon.
Before he conquered the world, he had already tasted the difficulty of ruling the world.
Tang He didn't see the situation as clearly as Zhu Yuanzhang did. Based on his own limited understanding, he speculated, "They lured Lan Yu and Hu Sanshe into committing crimes and violating military orders, then fanned the flames, forcing you, the commander-in-chief, to kill them, and then incited Chang Yuchun and Hu Dahai to rebel?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said calmly: "Maybe."
Zhu Yuanzhang believed that neither Chang Yuchun nor Hu Dahai would defect because of this incident, but Xie Zaixing was an exception.
The other party did not want him to kill Lan Yu and Hu Sanshe, but rather hoped that he would not punish Lan Yu and Hu Sanshe because of Chang Yuchun and Hu Dahai.
If you do this, you will expose your bottom line, and they will be able to win over and corrupt more people to benefit them.
Tang He said, "Marshal, if they really report Hu Sanshe, what should you do?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Let Hu Sanshe die."
Tang He's eyes widened: "Really?! Dahai is fighting outside!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "I only said to let Hu Sanshe die, I didn't say to kill him."
Tang He was even more frightened. Could it be that Marshal Zhu was going to kill someone with a borrowed knife?
Zhu Yuanzhang would never do such a conspiracy that would lower his status. He simply found a corpse with a similar body shape to Hu Sanshe, disfigured it beyond recognition, put on Hu Sanshe's clothes, and then burned it in the place where Hu Sanshe hid his wine.
Hu Sanshe carved a suicide note on the floor of the wine cellar with a knife. He explained that he had been lured into stealing grain and making wine with the promise of a large sum of money. Instead of pretending to be acquiescent, he had hoped to seize this opportunity to achieve great merit and prove himself no less capable than his younger brother. However, he was exposed and murdered in the wine cellar. Fortunately, he was lucky enough not to die, leaving behind this last note.
Hu Sanshe also said that he had hidden the evidence in a mass grave and asked Marshal Zhu to avenge him.
When Zhu Yuanzhang saw the suicide note engraved on the ground, he burst into tears. He immediately made a copy of the note, circulated it everywhere, and looked for the mass grave where Hu Sanshe said the evidence was hidden.
Unfortunately, the fire was too big, and the ashes and debris destroyed part of the handwriting in the suicide note. The exact location of the mass grave mentioned in Hu Sanshe's suicide note was unknown, so they could only check it one by one.
Hu Dahai, who was attacking the city, received the bad news and pulled out several strands of his beard.
Because he was so confused, he didn't even have time to feel sad: "Guan Zhu, do you think your brother is really so brave and smart?"
Hu Guanzhu hesitated for a moment and said, "My eldest brother has passed away. Dad, you should stop scolding him."
Hu Dahai said, "I always feel that this is strange. I don't know about my son's situation yet? There's no way he can be so brave!"
Hu Guanzhu whispered, "Could it be true that Big Brother brewed wine privately? It was Marshal Zhu..."
Hu Dahai immediately knocked Hu Guanzhu's head hard: "The Marshal is not that kind of person! The Marshal is open and aboveboard. He will chop anyone he wants to chop. Even if he is scolded by thousands of people, he will find a legitimate reason to chop him in front of everyone! Not to mention Hu Sanshe, even if I, Hu Dahai, committed a crime, it would be the same!"
Hu Guanzhu covered his head and said, "Dad, I haven't finished yet. What I mean is, is it that Marshal Zhu saved my brother and he didn't die? Marshal Zhu just took advantage of this incident."
Hu Dahai was stunned.
He thought about it carefully and slapped his thigh, "It's very possible! Although the Marshal is very upright when he kills people, he is quite shady when he saves people! Let's wait, the Marshal will definitely give me a definite answer soon."
Hu Guanzhu asked, "Why didn't you send the Marshal's letter along with it? Isn't he afraid that he'll alienate you, Dad?"
Hu Dahai laughed and said, "The Marshal must know that as long as Hu Sanshe brought this upon himself, even if he killed Hu Sanshe himself, I would never break away from him. He didn't write to me, so I'm afraid there are other big connections behind this matter, and he's afraid of being exposed."
Hu Guanzhu nodded. His father trusted Marshal Zhu so much, so he could only trust Marshal Zhu. What else could he do?
Before the letter arrived, Hu Dahai had already completely believed that his eldest son was fine, so he patted his butt and continued to attack the city.
However, he pretended to be very sad and angry on the surface, and shed a few tears for his eldest son, saying that this son was a good one and he should not ignore his eldest son.
Hu Guanzhu was a little confused. His father would not turn away from Marshal Zhu because of his eldest brother's affairs. Was it because he was too loyal to Marshal Zhu, or had he long wanted to kill his eldest brother, this useless son?
His father had indeed said many times that if it weren't for the fact that even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cubs, he would have strangled his eldest brother to death long ago.
His father must be joking, right?
Right?
On the day Hu Dahai captured the city, the people who delivered the commendation letters whispered, "There's a newcomer among the young soldiers undergoing labor reform in Yangzhou City. He eats a lot but works very little. He's worked for several days and hasn't earned a single work point."
Hu Dahai had known about the events in Yangzhou City for a long time.
He laughed: "Really? Why don't you whip such a useless person?"
The visitor said, "We are only making the Qing soldiers undergo labor reform, not treating them as slaves. Why would we whip them?"
Hu Dahai said, "Then you're hungry! You don't work hard and still want to eat? You're so flattering!"
The visitor sighed, "He won't starve. There's still food in Yangzhou. The general in charge of labor reform saw that he was being shameless and didn't want to work, so he made him sweep the toilet compost. Even if he doesn't work, he has to stay in the toilet for a full day. I'm sure he'll be happy to work in a few days."
Hu Dahai laughed so hard that tears came out of his eyes: "Great! That's great! That's the way to do it! Hahahaha!"
Hu Guanzhu: "..."
If he guessed correctly, the one who was sent to labor reform was his eldest brother?
Marshal Zhu did not kill his brother. Instead, he made his brother fake his death and sent him to Yangzhou for labor reform.
Hu Guanzhu looked at his father who was laughing particularly happily, even happier than when he had won a battle.
Dad, are you my real dad?
Hu Dahai: "Hahahahahahahahaha!"
The matter came to a temporary end with the tacit understanding between Zhu Yuanzhang and Hu Dahai.
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard the report from the messenger, Hu Dahai almost laughed to death and couldn't help but hold his forehead.
He knew it would be like this.
He knew his own son well. As long as he delivered the suicide note to Hu Dahai, Hu Dahai would know that Hu Sanshe was not dead, and there was no need to say anything else.
Even if Hu Dahai had spies around him, they would not be able to guess the truth.
If Hu Dahai were to be told the joke about someone in the Yangzhou Youth Army who was currently undergoing labor reform, even if he guessed the truth, the matter would have been settled after so long and would not cause any waves.
The only thing that bothered Zhu Yuanzhang was that he had not found out who was behind Hu Sanshe.
Or rather, he found out, but couldn't believe it.
There may be people involved in the affair between Lan Yu and Hu Sanshe, and the connections are so complicated that they actually involve all the wealthy families except the Chen family.
How is this possible?
Zhu Yuanzhang could only put the matter on hold temporarily.
No matter who is behind this, if Lan Yu and Hu Sanshe had not been greedy, these tricks would not have succeeded.
Therefore, it is better to treat the root cause than the symptoms. It is time to let these little bastards who have not suffered too much correct their thinking.
The labor reform of the Youth Army must be suitable for them.
So at Zhu Yuanzhang's command, even if the elders of each family doted on their grandchildren like Hu Dahai's mother, they had to send their second generation to Zhu Yuanzhang's newly built academy to suffer.
They could cause trouble for their own family members, but they did not dare to cause trouble for Zhu Yuanzhang.
Besides, all the second-generation generals have to enter this academy. If their son doesn't go, won't he be unable to integrate into the second-generation generals in the future?
Zhu Yuanzhang wrote a letter specifically to Chen Biao, hoping that Chen Biao would return to Yingtian to serve as a junior teacher in the academy.
Things in Yangzhou were on track. Chen Biao should just advise Li Wenzhong and Zhu Wenzheng and avoid overdoing anything himself. If he didn't rest tomorrow, his father, Chen Guorui, would come to Yangzhou to arrest him.
Chen Biao was having fun rehearsing plays, writing storybooks, and composing songs, so why would he pay attention to Zhu Yuanzhang's threats?
He immediately sent a letter back saying that the weather was too cold and he would go back after it got warmer, and then continue writing the script.
When Zhu Yuanzhang received the reply, he was so angry that he blew his beard and glared.
It's only autumn now, and Chen Biao wants to wait until the weather gets milder before going back? Is he going to stay until next spring? Has he never come back in a year?
Zhu Yuanzhang wrote a letter urging Li Zhen to bring Chen Biao back as soon as possible.
Li Zhen thought for a moment and said, "Biao'er, your mother's baby is already older, and Guorui is clumsy. Are you really not going back to take care of your mother? A play script can be written anywhere. You can rehearse the play in Yingtian and have it performed in Yangzhou or other places."
Chen Biao threw down his pen and said, "My uncle has said this, how can I not go back? Sigh."
Li Zhen said, "Biao'er doesn't want to go back, but he just doesn't want to be a young teacher, right?"
Chen Biao nodded. "I just don't understand. Before, it was because Marshal Zhu didn't have suitable scholars under his command. Now we have Mr. Song and the others, right? Asking me to be a little scholar is too much of a show, which is not a good thing. But Dad just doesn't understand."
Li Zhen smiled helplessly. Because Guo Rui just wanted you to be more famous.
He thought for a moment and said, "I'll try to persuade Guorui again."
So Li Zhen immediately wrote a letter, asking Zhu Yuanzhang to think of a way to dispel Chen Biao's concerns, otherwise Chen Biao might find ways to shirk his responsibility.
Zhu Yuanzhang thought hard and came up with a bad idea.
He found someone to write a letter to Chen Biao in the name of Zhu Yuanzhang.
Chen Biao opened the letter and was almost scared to death.