Chapter 67: A Single Person Knocks on the Door and Gets Drunk
Among the generals who accompanied Zhu Yuanzhang in the military review at Sanshanmen, there was a man named Yan Qian, who served as the commander of Yingtian Prefecture.
After Zhu Yuanzhang occupied Yingtian, he imitated the Tang Dynasty's military system and established the garrison system.
The Commander-in-Chief of Yingtian Prefecture was the highest commander of the Yingtian Prefecture garrison. Yingtian Prefecture was Zhu Yuanzhang's de facto "capital," and Yan Qian's position as Commander-in-Chief of Yingtian Prefecture was equivalent to a position like the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard or the Governor-General of the Nine Gates. The safety of Yingtian Prefecture rested entirely in Yan Qian's hands.
And Yan Qian, he is Shao Rong's cousin.
Shao Rong was the Prime Minister of Yingtian Prefecture and the nominal highest administrative officer of Yingtian Prefecture; Yan Qian was the Commander-in-Chief of Yingtian Prefecture and the actual highest military officer of Yingtian Prefecture.
One can imagine Zhu Yuanzhang's trust in Shao Rong's family.
"Yan Qian, do you know what's inside this door?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked slowly, looking at the tall city wall of Sanshanmen.
Yan Qian was puzzled: "My Lord, I don't understand what you mean. Isn't this Yingtianfu City?"
Zhu Yuanzhang turned to look at Yan Qian, and seeing that Yan Qian was indeed confused, the ice in his eyes melted slightly.
He patted Yan Qian's shoulder and said, "You don't know, you don't know, it's really great."
Yan Qian immediately sensed something was wrong and clasped his fists, saying, "Please tell me what your lord's orders are! I am willing to die for you!"
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head: "Don't die. Let's go, we won't go in."
Chang Yuchun stepped forward and said, "My lord, why don't you go in? I'm ready!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "No need. Let's go back first."
After Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, he changed his clothes in the carriage and went around to another gate to enter Yingtian.
Shao Rong and Zhao Jizu waited in vain and returned home in confusion.
After returning, Shao Rong found Yan Qian and asked why Zhu Yuanzhang did not return to the city directly from Sanshan Gate after reviewing the troops outside Sanshan Gate that day.
Yan Qian's eyes flickered slightly, and sadness surged in his heart.
After returning, he pondered deeply and a glimmer of inspiration came to his mind. After Shao Rong questioned him, Yan Qian's eyes were cleared and he finally understood the meaning behind Zhu Yuanzhang's words and actions during the day.
Yan Qian opened his mouth and had a lot to ask.
But in the end, he closed his mouth and shook his head, saying, "General Chang suddenly had an urgent military report, so the lord left. After the lord finished his business, he returned to Yingtian. Why do you ask this, cousin?"
Shao Rong knew that his cousin was a sincere man who was loyal to Zhu Yuanzhang, so he did not tell Yan Qian about his rebellion.
He originally thought that after he attacked and killed Zhu Yuanzhang, Yan Qian would definitely submit to him when he saw that Zhu Yuanzhang was dead, so there was no need to inform him in advance.
This time he didn't answer, just said he was simply curious, and then hurried away.
Yan Qian watched Shao Rong leave, his clenched fist loosened, and there were four clear crescent-shaped blood marks on the palm of his hand .
He endured the questioning in his heart and almost squeezed his palms until they bled.
"Cousin, why are you doing this?" Yan Qian took a deep breath and decided to go to the Marshal's Mansion to find his lord and ask him clearly.
If his cousin was really planning to defect, he would capture him personally.
Only with such merit can he plead with the Marshal to save his cousin's bloodline!
When Yan Qian was about to go out, someone suddenly knocked on the door and asked to see him.
When Yan Qian took a look, he found that the person coming was actually Zhu Yuanzhang himself in disguise.
Zhu Yuanzhang took off his straw hat and said, "I brought a bottle of good wine. Let's drink some, brothers."
Yan Qian looked behind Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed: "I came here alone. Do you think I brought soldiers to arrest you? Don't stand here. I'm in a bad mood, have a drink with me."
Yan Qian was moved and quickly invited Zhu Yuanzhang in, and asked his wife to cook some snacks for him.
As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the moon in the sky has become oval. In a few nights, the full moon will be high in the night sky.
Many generals loved wine. Zhu Yuanzhang forbade them from making wine for profit, but he would not interfere if they brewed some fruit wine at home.
Yan Qian doesn't like strong liquor, he just likes drinking wine.
He not only planted grapes in his share of the estate, but also built a grape trellis in the small courtyard. The grapes were already hanging down, and in a few days they would be ready for winemaking.
Yan Qian had the servants place the tables and chairs under the grape trellis and lit some mosquito repellent herbs. The two of them sat under the trellis, their heads catching sight of the bright moonlight through the vines, their breaths deep enough to inhale the grape fragrance. It was a truly relaxing experience.
Zhu Yuanzhang knew that Yan Qian was fond of wine, so the fine wine he brought was the wine that Chen Biao had just brewed.
Autumn is the grape harvest season, and Chen Biao always uses the seasonal fruits to make wine for his family and store it in the cellar. If his family is not in Yingtian, he will send someone to deliver it.
Zhu Yuanzhang was always stingy with the good things Chen Biao gave him. Even if Xu Da and Tang He wanted to take the good things Chen Biao gave him, they had to go to Chen's house and steal them when Zhu Yuanzhang was away.
Zhu Yuanzhang would never give it to them personally.
As for Zhou Dexing, he had finally mastered his acting skills, but he was busy fighting. Whenever Xu Da and Tang He stole things, he could only act as a lookout. But at least he would get a share of the stolen goods from the Chen family.
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "This is the fine wine my family brewed for me. The wine my family brewed is divided into several portions: some for me to drink, some for relatives and friends, and some as gifts. Xu Da, Tang He, and Zhou Dexing always get a lot of fine wine from my house, but they're never satisfied and insist on stealing the portion reserved for me. My family indulges them and always covers up for them. I don't know what's wrong with them!"
Yan Qian took a sip of the wine, his eyes lit up: "My Lord, this wine is good!"
Zhu Yuanzhang was pleased: "Of course it's good. If it's not good, can those three people come to my house and become thieves?"
Yan Qian couldn't help but laugh: "I didn't expect Marshal Xu, General Tang, and General Zhou to have this side of them."
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Before we joined the army, we were, to put it nicely, country wanderers, and to put it bluntly, idlers who refused to work hard on the land. That's just their nature. Your wife has quite a bit of cooking skills."
Yan Qian said modestly: "Not bad."
The two continued to drink and eat, talking about the past and things around them.
The family Zhu Yuanzhang asked the most about was the Chen family.
Yan Qian was the commander of Yingtian Prefecture. Although Zhu Yuanzhang had left many guards for the Chen family, Yan Qian still had to provide for their safety. This was especially true around Yingtian Primary School, where Yan Qian personally patrolled.
Yan Qian praised Chen Biao highly and said that he intended to enroll his child in Yingtian Primary School.
Shao Rong was a local tyrant, and since the Yan family was related to Shao Rong by marriage, their family background would naturally not be much lower.
Yan Qian's family was a farming and scholarly family. His ancestor was Yan Su, a Jinshi during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty. He served as the Minister of Rites and a Direct Scholar of Longtu Pavilion.
Although his family was poor, they had given away all their money to preserve their ancestral collection of books. Naturally, such a family would not send their children to Yingtian Primary School, a clearly informal institution, for their initial education.
But after Ji Renshou replaced Chen Biao as the principal of Yingtian Primary School, Yan Qian was willing to send his son there.
It just so happened that his eldest son was ten years old this year. He had already formed good study habits and was very self-disciplined. Even if he was hanging out with the group of naughty kids at Yingtian Primary School, he probably wouldn't change his temper.
Yan Qian didn't look down on Chen Biao's Yingtian Primary School, but in that era, private and family-run schools were the mainstays. The second-generation generals who attended Yingtian Primary School were all from poor families. Zhu Yuanzhang had no other choice but to let his son help educate them.
If a family has a long tradition of learning like Yan Qian's, they will naturally not easily let their son become someone else's disciple.
Yan Qian asked Zhu Yuanzhang if he could still allow his children to go to school.
Zhu Yuanzhang agreed: "Your son must know a lot. When the time comes, let your son be Biao'er's... what was he... "
Zhu Yuanzhang pondered deeply and finally remembered: "Yes, an assistant teacher is someone who helps Biaoer teach. With Biaoer watching over him, your son won't be bullied even if you're not in Yingtian, don't worry."
You are not in Yingtian... Yan Qian sighed in his heart, picked up the wine glass, drank it all, and said: "My lord, then... can Shao Rong's eldest son still enroll in school?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "He can't. Even if I handle this matter with the utmost leniency, none of his family will be exiled. His son will definitely be sent into exile. However, we have a good life in the Zhu family army now, and I plan to provide enlightenment to the soldiers, so his son can still learn to read and write. If he has a chance to make merit in the future, I will pardon his descendants."
Exile as a separate punishment was based on the Wei Suo system established by Zhu Yuanzhang in imitation of the Tang Dynasty.
The Weisuo system was known as "military registration," whereby soldiers served as soldiers for generations and no new soldiers were added under normal circumstances. Conscription was a regular way to fill the military register.
Later, the garrison system became corrupt, and the garrison commanders embezzled a lot of money. Especially during the Jiajing period, an official reported that after all the direct income of the garrisons such as Shangtun was converted into silver, the soldiers of the garrisons had an extremely difficult life, and 80% of them deserted.
The punishment of exile is even more deadly.
Zhu Yuanzhang paused and said, "But our garrison system will definitely change once the world is stable. You should write more letters to his son, asking him to study hard and practice martial arts. If he has the ability, he will be pardoned soon after I become emperor and issue a general amnesty."
Yan Qian was stunned.
Should I write more letters to Shao Rong's son? My lord, do you mean that I will not die with Shao Rong?
When Yan Qian heard Zhu Yuanzhang say that he would leave Yingtian, he thought it was a euphemism to tell him that he would also be executed.
Yan Qian's heart was filled with mixed emotions. He could only clasp his fists and sob as he said, "I wish the Lord will ascend the throne of emperor soon!"
Zhu Yuanzhang filled Yan Qian's glass with wine. "Don't just wish me well, you have to help me too. Although you can no longer serve as the commander, I will assign you to another position. My adopted son Chen Ying is a good choice. I've heard that your ancestors were well-educated and proficient in astronomy and physics. Your Yan family has left behind many manuscripts of your ancestors. Are you interested in these as well? I remember you even improved the fire gun?"
Yan Qian said, "The ancestors were indeed knowledgeable, but I only know a little bit."
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "My adopted son also likes muskets. As you know, he leads my best musketry unit. You will serve as his deputy general. I will feel more at ease knowing he has a reliable person to help him."
Yan Qian stood up, then slowly knelt down, finally unable to hold back his tears. "Thank you, my lord, for your generosity! I have no way to repay you! I will follow you with my life!"
Zhu Yuanzhang drank a glass of wine alone before helping Yan Qian up.
He said, "You are the commander of Yingtian Prefecture, so even if I didn't tell you about the Chen family's affairs, you probably guessed it."
Yan Qian nodded silently.
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Honestly, I don't want to pardon Shao Rong's family at all. He actually set his sights on Biao'er. Even if he doesn't know Biao'er's true identity, I'm so heartbroken that I want to pick up a knife and cut him to pieces right away!"
Yan Qian was horrified: "Why would he want to take advantage of Biao'er?!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "I guess he wants to hold Biao'er hostage to force Chen Guorui to rebel, tsk."
Yan Qian couldn't believe it: "How could he be so despicable! How could he take advantage of a child!"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. "Yes, he's been a hero ever since he joined Guo Zixing. He wouldn't even bother to kill an enemy who didn't fight back. How could he now set his sights on a child? I can't figure out why he's become like this. Well, have a few more drinks with me."
Yan Qian wiped the tears and mud from his face with his sleeve and continued to drink with Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang began to complain.
He had been so kind to Shao Rong, how could Shao Rong treat him like this? Shao Rong had always been quite heroic, how could he do something as despicable as kidnapping a child? He couldn't understand it, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure it out.
As Zhu Yuanzhang spoke and drank, he couldn't help but burst into tears.
Yan Qian also started crying.
The king and his minister drank and cried bitterly, looking very embarrassed.
That night, the wine Zhu Yuanzhang brought was not enough, so Yan Qian dug out the wine he had saved.
The two got drunk and then fell asleep with their feet touching.
On the second day, Zhu Yuanzhang had a rich breakfast at Yan Qian's house before going home with a hangover.
When Zhu Yuanzhang came back, Chen Biao had already gotten up.
Seeing his father leaving with some wine, he had someone prepare some soup in the kitchen to sober him up and nourish his stomach. His father could drink it whenever he came back.
When Zhu Yuanzhang saw Chen Biao, he hugged his son and cried out that his head hurt.
Even though he couldn't push him away, Chen Biao still tried hard to reject his father who reeked of alcohol: "Why did you drink so much? Drink the soup quickly, then take a nap, and then take a shower when you wake up!"
Chen Biao didn't know how much Zhu Yuanzhang drank last night. He was afraid that drinking too much would cause trouble if he took a hot bath, so he could only let Zhu Yuanzhang sleep in a smelly state.
Chen Chong and Chen Jin had a great time playing with Zhu Yuanzhang a few days ago, and they wanted to continue playing with their father today. But their father came back smelling stinky, and the two delicate children were disgusted. They covered their noses and ran away, and as they were about to run out of the courtyard, they turned back and made a vomiting face at their father.
Zhu Yuanzhang immediately wanted to bring his two bad sons back and beat them up, but was stopped by Chen Biao, who persuaded him after much persuasion.
After drinking the sobering and stomach-nourishing soup, Zhu Yuanzhang slept soundly for half a day, then took a bath and washed his hair, changed into clean clothes, and ate the fruit ice bowl made for him by Chen Biao. The pain of his hangover was swept away.
Chen Biao stood on a stool and wiped Zhu Yuanzhang's hair, smelling it as he did so: "Dad, does the shampoo I made feel good?"
Adding alkali to oil can cause saponification reaction to make detergents.
Chen Biao did not find a suitable strong alkali, so he could not make soap using a weak alkali, and could only make a relatively viscous saponified liquid.
If you don’t have soap, then make shower gel and shampoo.
Using essential oils as the oil for saponification reaction, the shampoo and shower gel made has the fragrance of flowers and plants and the skin care and health care effects of essential oils.
Chen Biao was experimenting with large-scale assembly line production methods. Once Zhu Yuanzhang's territory expanded and he became wealthier, Chen Biao would set up shower gel and shampoo workshops in Yingtian Prefecture and other relatively wealthy cities, earning a fortune from those who loved beauty and cleanliness.
Chen Biao said, "When will Marshal Zhu be able to take Suzhou and Hangzhou? The people there are very particular, so their shower gel and shampoo must be the best sellers."
Pingjiang is Suzhou. Suzhou was the ancient name during the Sui Dynasty and was called Pingjiang Road during the Yuan Dynasty. Suzhou and Hangzhou were Zhang Shicheng's headquarters.
Zhu Yuanzhang sniffed his own fragrant hair with a smug look on his face. "In a few years, I'll definitely conquer Suzhou and Hangzhou for you. This smells so good, not too cloying, but very refreshing. Biao'er, what is this made of?"
Chen Biao said proudly, "It's tea tree oil. But it's not the tea tree we grow here. It's the leaves of a new kind of melaleuca tree we found in Kangaroo Island to the south."
Zhu Yuanzhang was puzzled: "Kangaroo Island? Where is Kangaroo Island?"
Chen Biao said, "We're heading south. Dad, do you know the country of Manobashi?"
The Kingdom of Manopahe was the most powerful feudal empire in the Indonesian archipelago. It was a vassal state of the Yuan Dynasty and was established with the help of Yuan Dynasty troops.
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "I know."
Chen Biao said, "If you take a boat south from Manobashe, you'll reach a large landmass. Well, it's called an island, but it's actually a relatively small continent. There are many exotic species on that continent. No one here has ever been there. It's amazing. It's so close to Manobashe. The Chen family's fleet accidentally went there after sailing to the South Seas."
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "No intention?"
Chen Biao held the wet handkerchief and put his hands on his waist: "Yes! No intention!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Okay, if you say you don't mean anything, then so be it. What does kangaroo mean?"
Chen Biao explained the meaning of kangaroo to Zhu Yuanzhang.
We first discovered Australia, so of course Australia can't be called Australia. Chen Biao is a bad namer, so he just called it Kangaroo Island.
Zhu Yuanzhang chose a better name than Chen Biao, so he called Kangaroo Island the Southernmost Island.
Chen Biao asked, "What about those further south?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Then call it Antarctica."
Chen Biao: "...Okay, I'll write it down for you."
I don’t know who under Marshal Zhu wrote the history book, but he must have bribed the person who wrote the history book to include this conversation in the history book.
Both Antarctica and Antarctica were named by my father Chen Guorui! Chen Guorui has a son named Chen Biao!
Yay! We're both in the textbook!
Seeing that his father was very interested in Kangaroo Island... and the Antarctic Continent, Chen Biao worked hard to promote the Melaleuca tree, which was renamed the Antarctic Tea Tree.
Tea tree oil has a significant broad-spectrum antibacterial effect and is an ideal plant antibiotic.
Before artificial antibiotics such as penicillin were developed, finding natural plant antibiotics was the most useful way to improve human health and reduce casualties on the battlefield.
Zhu Yuanzhang was also tempted by what Chen Biao said about the effects of tea tree oil.
If tea tree oil was applied to the wound, the rate of infection would be reduced and many of his soldiers would die.
Even if distant water cannot quench immediate thirst, gradually transplanting such useful medicinal materials to the land of China will benefit future generations.
Zhu Yuanzhang sighed and said, "There are indeed many good things overseas. When the world is pacified and we can spare more people and ships, we must go out to sea and explore."
Chen Biao immediately said, "Okay! I'll go there myself!"
Zhu Yuanzhang gave his son a sidelong look and said, "You are not allowed to go. It's too dangerous overseas."
"Oh." Chen Biao didn't continue to persuade his father to let him go out to sea. He knew that persuasion was useless, and he was still young, so there was no need to rush.
When he wanted to go out to sea, his father couldn't control him.
After Chen Biao helped Zhu Yuanzhang wipe his hair dry, he lit a brazier and roasted Zhu Yuanzhang's hair.
Chen Biao was afraid that Zhu Yuanzhang would have a worse headache tomorrow because he had a hangover last night and didn’t dry his hair after taking a shower today.
Having long hair is really inconvenient. It would be nice if I could keep it short all the time. Chen Biao touched the two small tufts of hair on top of his head and sighed in his heart.
Cherish the few times you have with short hair.
Zhu Yuanzhang felt drowsy again after being warmed by the brazier.
So after his hair dried, he hugged his son and slept for a while.
After dinner in the evening, he rarely went to read or practice calligraphy, and fell asleep early again.
Chen Biao was very puzzled and noticed that his father's behavior was strange.
But then he thought it might be a hangover reaction, so he didn't investigate further.
On the second day, Zhu Yuanzhang entertained his other sons for a while, made his two youngest sons cry, and then stayed close to Chen Biao for a while before walking slowly towards the Marshal's Mansion with his hands behind his back.
He did not take a carriage, but walked slowly for more than half an hour.
When they arrived at the Marshal's Mansion, several of his trusted subordinates were already waiting there, and Shao Rong and Zhao Jizu had been tied up.
Yesterday, when he and Yan Qian were drinking, Chang Yuchun also invited Shao Rong and Zhao Jizu to drink, then got them drunk and imprisoned them.
Zhu Yuanzhang sat on a chair, looking at Shao Rong and Zhao Jizu, who were kneeling on the ground with pale faces, and said, "Tell me, what are the reasons for your rebellion?"
