Chapter 38: Where did that rebellious grandson get the ice?
Old Zhu listened to the compliments from the six ministers. Although his face remained expressionless, he was already very happy in his heart.
The reason why he directed and acted in this play today was not to show the words he stole from his eldest grandson in front of the most learned people in the Ming Dynasty!
Otherwise, it’s not a festival, and we have nothing better to do than to treat them to a meal?
Is there so much food in our palace that we have no place to put it?
Let you laugh at me behind my back for being uneducated, but my eldest grandson always speaks better than you!
"I just said it casually, I don't deserve such praise from you dear ministers."
"Besides, I was afraid of poverty when I was young. I have developed this disease because I am used to living in poverty. I can't stand seeing food wasted."
"If this is publicized with great fanfare, people all over the world will laugh at us, the emperor, and treat us like a local tycoon, hahahaha..."
As Old Zhu was talking, he started laughing.
Although he laughed happily, the officials below did not dare to laugh with him.
When a superior makes fun of himself, it shows friendliness. If a subordinate is ignorant and follows suit and laughs foolishly, he is seeking death.
"Your Majesty is too modest!"
"Even if Your Majesty did not drive out the Mongols and restore China's great achievements, this sentence alone would allow you to go down in history and be admired by all generations!"
"This saying is simple and straightforward, but it contains great truth and has a sense of simplicity and heaviness. It is a wise saying for cultivating oneself and managing one's family so that the family can prosper for generations!"
When Old Zhu heard what the Minister of Rites Zhao Mian said, he felt that it hit home.
When he first heard this, he immediately wanted to write it down in the "Imperial Mandate and Ancestor Instructions" so that the descendants of the Zhu family would remember it for generations. I didn't expect that this old man, Zhao Mian, would think the same as me!
"Pour some wine for Minister Zhao!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Mian hurriedly stood up to express his gratitude, then tremblingly picked up the wine glass, his heart full of surprise.
It seems that what I just said hit the nail on the head!
When Old Zhu saw that Zhao Mian had already picked up the wine glass, he couldn't help but raise his glass towards him as a distant salute. The delighted Zhao Mian quickly drank it all in one gulp.
When others saw that Zhao Mian had gotten the upper hand, they all tried their best to flatter him.
Although their level was far inferior to that of Zhao Mian, who graduated from a professional school, out of consideration for their feelings, Old Zhu rewarded each of them with a glass of imperial wine.
It’s not that Old Zhu is stingy, he is just afraid that they will drink too much and delay their work in the yamen.
After all, he had already lost enough by buying them a meal today. If he gave them half a day off, wouldn't that be a huge loss to him?
Finally, Zhu Yuanzhang fully affirmed the positive practical significance and historical value of engraving the stone and erecting the stele, but rejected the proposal to publish it in the court bulletin.
After this matter was finalized, the atmosphere at the table became much more harmonious.
Old Zhu buried his head in his meal, and the other ministers followed suit and started to eat voraciously.
Although the food on the table was not tasty, it was quite difficult for the six ministers to have a meal at the Zhu family.
No matter whether the food is delicious or not, just fill your stomach first!
Just as they were eating enthusiastically, the eunuch who served the meal brought them a pot of crucian carp soup and a dish of steamed lion's head with rice flour.
When everyone saw these two dishes, their eyes lit up.
The crucian carp soup was cooked authentically, and the soup turned milky white, which was obviously cooked well. The crab meat lion head was also good, each one was the size of a fist, and it was pleasing to the eye when topped with the carefully cooked soup.
When the Minister of Personnel Zhan Wei saw the lion head, he couldn't help but drool.
He loved eating lion's head soup the most in his life, and he had eaten it in almost all the famous restaurants in Yingtian Prefecture. However, this was the first time he had seen lion's head soup made in the palace, and he wanted to try it to see how it differed from the ones made outside.
Others also smacked their lips at the milky white crucian carp soup. Although there was a lot of meat in today's meal, there was no soup that was tasty.
The crucian carp soup served now is just right for moistening your throat and helping digestion.
But just as they were preparing to start eating with great anticipation, the emperor beside them spoke unexpectedly.
"We're almost done eating, and you're just bringing the food?"
"Reporting to the Emperor, these two dishes took quite a lot of effort. No matter how hard we tried, they were still served late..."
Old Zhu looked at the two dishes and suddenly thought of his skinny grandson, who was crying and complaining that he was not full or eating well.
He couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat and waved to the eunuch who was serving the meal.
"Let's not eat it. Let's send it to our little rebellious grandson."
When several
Wait, what the hell is that little rebellious grandson of his?
The emperor spoke to him in such a doting tone, could he be talking about Zhu Yunhuan?
Could it be that the Emperor's decision to carry his second grandson out in the morning was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather he had other intentions?
The eunuch who served the emperor was also stunned when he heard this. There are three imperial grandchildren in the Ohondou's side, which one is the rebellious little grandson?
Seeing the eunuch serving the meal standing there in a daze, Erhu hurriedly stepped forward and spoke.
"I obey your order!"
When Lao Zhu saw Erhu coming forward, he immediately nodded at him.
"By the way, find out how the rebellious grandson is doing in the main hall, and whether he has done anything naughty!"
"promise!"
The six ministers watched Erhu leave until he disappeared into the side hall, and only then did they withdrew their shocked gazes.
The emperor actually cares about the studies of his second grandson. This is not a good sign!
If the throne of the Ming Dynasty really fell to Zhu Yunhuan, wouldn't Lan Yu and other arrogant and powerful generals be in chaos?
When the ministers thought of this, they could no longer eat the meal.
They hurriedly got up and said goodbye, and as soon as they left the palace, they began to whisper to each other, discussing how to deal with the matter.
Only Zhan Wei remained calm and did not take the initiative to get involved in the matter.
Because in his opinion, once the old emperor made up his mind, no one could change his mind.
These old guys are just like an ant trying to shake a tree or a mantis trying to stop a chariot!
After sending away several ministers, Old Zhu couldn't help but reveal a mysterious smile on his face.
These two dishes are enough to give these old guys a headache for a few days. At least they won’t rush to urge us to establish a successor!
Zhu Yuanzhang returned to his bedroom and was about to take a nap when he heard Erhu's voice coming from outside the door.
"Is it Erhu?"
"Reporting to His Majesty, I have already delivered the imperial meal to His Highness Yunxun, and asked someone to inquire about His Highness's study today."
"Come in and talk!"
Soon, Erhu walked into Lao Zhu's bedroom.
"Reporting to His Majesty, His Highness Yun Hun performed very well today. Not only did he read the entire article, he also raised questions to Mr. Qi, leaving Mr. Qi speechless!"
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Old Zhu sat up immediately and became much more energetic.
"We knew this rebellious grandson would not keep quiet, but we didn't expect him to dare to talk back to you, sir!"
Erhu hurriedly explained.
"Your Majesty, I have inquired about , and it is not His Highness Yunxun's fault."
"Moreover, even Mr. Qi deeply admires His Highness Yunxun's knowledge!"
As the saying goes, no one knows a grandson better than his father. When Old Zhu heard this, a sneer immediately appeared on his face.
"What kind of knowledge does he have? It's just nonsense knowledge, right?"
When Erhu heard the emperor say this, he became a little nervous.
"Not entirely, is it?"
"I heard that His Highness Yunhuan created a rainbow out of thin air, which convinced Mr. Qi."
"That's not all. His Highness Yunxun even caught the sun and let the students in the main hall see the color of the sun..."
When Old Zhu heard this, he couldn't help but wonder, could it be that the child really had changed and became an undiscovered genius?
Otherwise, how could he have made Qi Tai submit to him by using such clever tricks?
You have to know that Qi Tai was the top scorer in the provincial examination of Yingtian Prefecture. His knowledge was so profound that even the top scorer in the palace examination might not be able to match him.
"Tell us in detail how Ni Sun captured the sun?"
"Reporting to the Emperor, His Highness Yun Hun found a piece of ice and chiseled it into a special shape. When facing the sun, it will appear..."
"etc!"
"It's so hot, where did that rebellious grandson get ice?"
