The Ming Dynasty: I Fabricated Dreams for Zhu Di 110

Chapter 110: Prince Zhu Biao’s Method of Reducing the Power of the Feudal Princes

This statement made even Zhu Di feel a little uneasy.

“If you don’t speak, no one will think you’re mute!”

Zhu Di looked towards Zhu Gaosu, “Third Brother, you stay here these days and watch for me. If those two people come, you must detain them.”

He absolutely needed to confirm the identities of those two people; otherwise, his heart wouldn’t be at ease.

Zhu Gaosu stuffed a piece of broken flatbread into his mouth and quickly replied,

“Father, you know me. If even Second Brother can’t catch them, how could I? I can catch small fry, but Lan Yu? No way.”

It wasn’t that he was refusing Zhu Di’s request, but that he truly felt powerless.

Regardless of how difficult the task was, he first emphasized his limited abilities; if things went wrong, he’d still have a way out.

The main reason was that he really couldn’t beat Lan Yu.

Zhu Di said calmly, “I didn’t ask you to catch them, just to detain them and send me a message. I’ll come and confirm their identities myself. Do I need to teach you this?”

Whether or not he could catch them wasn’t important; the only thing that mattered was confirming their identities.

“Third Brother, you’re smart, unlike your Second Brother, who has no brains.”

“I believe you can do it.”

Zhu Gaosu felt a bit numb hearing Zhu Di’s praise, especially with Zhu Gaoxu right beside him.

He felt that these words weren’t meant for him but rather to belittle Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Gaoxu were both fighting with Lan Yu.

He couldn’t wait here indefinitely, so only Zhu Gaosu was suitable to stay at the tavern and watch.

“Father, then…”

His gaze drifted towards Zhu Zhanji.

Zhu Di knew what he wanted, so he said directly, “I will restore your position as Commander of the Brocade Guard.”

At this moment,

Ximei brought the bowls and hot water.

Seeing this, Zhuang Mu immediately opened a package of instant noodles and put them in the hot water, then added the seasoning.

There was nothing to use as a lid, so he set his sights on Yao Guangxiao’s *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* and said, “Old Monk, you must have finished reading this book, right?”

Hearing this, Yao Guangxiao nodded and handed the book to Zhuang Mu.

Then he directly used it to cover the bowl of noodles.

He should have bought cup noodles; it would have been much more convenient.

Of course, the bag noodles were sufficient.

“What are you doing?”

Yao Guangxiao asked with slight curiosity. Zhuang Mu didn’t respond, waiting for a moment before removing the book.

A bowl of instant noodles was almost cooked.

The aroma filled the air, instantly causing Zhu Di, Yao Guangxiao, Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Zhanji, Zhu Gaosu, and Ximei to look at the bowl in Zhuang Mu’s hands.

To be honest, this was the first time they had smelled such an aroma.

It looked quite delicious.

“Old Monk, let you have a taste first.”

Yao Guangxiao immediately took the chopsticks from Zhuang Mu’s hand. The noodles were a very nice color.

With a curious attitude, he took two bites.

Instantly, Yao Guangxiao felt warmth in his stomach. In this small tavern, this bowl of noodles made him feel much more at ease.

It was comfortable and pleasant.

Yao Guangxiao didn’t eat alone; he also let Zhu Di try some.

After two bites, the flavors of various seasonings filled his mouth, and the tender noodles were very chewy.

So, Zhu Di directly snatched the bowl of instant noodles from Yao Guangxiao without ceremony.

He had certainly eaten noodles many times, but this flavor was his first.

Of course, after eating it once, he didn’t really want to eat any more.

It was a little too rich.

After finishing, Zhu Di put down his chopsticks and stood up, saying, “Zhuang kid, I’ll come again in a few days. Third Brother, remember what I told you.”

Every three days, he needed to advance the time in the dream.

In the fifteenth year of the Hongwu era, to save Zhu Biao by the twenty-fifth year of the Hongwu era, he needed about a month.

Three days could fast-forward a year.

The time wasn’t too long.

After he left, Yao Guangxiao looked at the several packs of noodles in front of Zhuang Mu. Before Zhuang Mu could ask,

Zhuang Mu directly made another bowl for him. Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosu also each had a bowl, as this wasn’t a rare item.

Seeing Ximei’s longing gaze, he gave the girl a bowl too.

After they all finished eating, it was almost time.

Zhu Gaoxu bought a cup of Emperor’s Dream, a continuation of his previous drink.

Zhu Gaosu followed him, preparing for the Beijing defense, and then they would continue their surveillance at the tavern.

And enjoy the feeling of being emperor.

After taking care of these things, Zhuang Mu went upstairs, and Yao Guangxiao left.

…

Half a month passed.

In the Hongsheng Dynasty.

Emperor Hongsheng Zhu Biao sat in the imperial palace of Fengtian Hall in Nanjing City.

Perhaps because of his age, he had become somewhat sentimental.

He would often space out, especially after his mother and father’s words, which kept bothering him.

He had no energy to deal with state affairs.

Looking at the officials below, Zhu Biao leaned his forehead against his hand and said with a pained expression, “Alright, let’s end today’s court session.”

“My heart is restless.”

Seeing this, the officials said nothing, only respectfully bowing and withdrawing.

“Fourth Brother, what secret are you hiding from me?”

His thoughts gradually returned.

At this time, several middle-aged men, all close officials, stood beside Zhu Biao.

Among them were Mu Chun, the son of Mu Ying; Xu Yungkong, the son of Xu Da; and Li Jinglong, the son of Li Wenzhong.

Looking at the three men in front of him, Zhu Biao asked, “Xu Yungkong, what do you think the Prince of Yan might be hiding from me?”

Xu Yungkong was no longer a young boy; he had become as mature and steady as his father.

In response to Zhu Biao’s question, Xu Yungkong replied,

[Note: The original text contains a nonsensical string of characters here. It’s likely a typo or error in the original web novel and has been omitted from the translation.]

“Your servant does not know. If I had to say, the Prince of Yan’s strange behavior began in the thirteenth year of Hongwu.”

Hearing the year 13 Hongwu, Zhu Biao’s thoughts drifted back to the past.

In the thirteenth year of Hongwu, Prince Yan Zhu Di seemed to have grown up overnight. He was not only skilled in martial arts and experienced, defeating his peers,

he could even easily draw with Lan Yu.

That year should have been the year Zhu Di was enfeoffed.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Di, who had shown his steady abilities, did not want to be enfeoffed.

He was even beaten by his father for this.

Later, with the mediation of himself and his mother, Zhu Di’s enfeoffment was postponed for two years.

But it was also at this time that his eldest son, Zhu Xiongying, suddenly fell seriously ill.

At that time, his world was about to collapse.

Smallpox had an almost 99% mortality rate in children. Unless a miracle occurred, there was no chance of survival.

Just when he was at his most desperate, Zhu Di appeared.

He didn’t know what methods he used, but he directly eliminated all the symptoms on Zhu Xiongying and cured him.

Afterward, Zhu Di was given the title of divine doctor.

Considering his ability to cure smallpox, Zhu Di did deserve the title of divine doctor.

After this incident, his father seemed to change his attitude. He not only agreed that Zhu Di would not be enfeoffed

but even allowed him to stay by his side.

He didn’t see anything wrong with this.

Later, his mother fell ill overnight due to overwork.

Zhu Di once again intervened and cured her.

From then on, Prince Yan Zhu Di had another title: Divine Doctor.

“I still remember that Fourth Brother not only saved my mother but also Cao Guogong and Wei Guogong.”

“The fathers of you two.”

Later, Zhu Di stayed in the Capital City for a long time, eating and living with him.

During this time, Zhu Di also incidentally saved the seriously ill Li Wenzhong and Xu Da.

Now, Li Wenzhong and Xu Da were both retired and old.

Just as Zhu Biao was reminiscing about the past, he suddenly thought of Lan Yu.

He asked, “Has there been any news from Lan Yu’s side? Is the tavern door open?”

Mu Chun shook his head.

“Liang Guogong has been personally guarding the tavern door for days.”

“There has been no news yet.”

It had been more than ten days, and there was still no movement.

As long as he found Zhuang Mu, he could know everything about Zhu Di and the secret his parents had spoken of.

Zhu Biao slowly stood up, preparing to walk around this old imperial palace.

After all, it had been a long time since he had been back. Everything here was familiar yet somewhat strange.

“By the way, how is the investigation into Zhu Gaoxu’s matter going?”

“I saw him with my own eyes at the tavern. Wasn’t it recorded that he died five years ago, during our Great Ming Dynasty’s campaign against Timur, dying of illness?”

“Could the corpse I saw have been fake?”

In the eleventh year of Hongsheng, due to the destruction of the Northern Yuan court, the remaining forces fled west.

And established a new political power, Timur.

After learning of this, he dispatched Lan Yu, Feng Sheng, Zhu Gaoxu, Prince Ning Zhu Quan, and other generals.

Leading an army of 150,000, they launched a western campaign.

By the way, they reopened the Hexi Corridor. The military campaign progressed smoothly.

Soon, good news arrived.

But bad news also came, namely that Zhu Gaoxu, the second son of the Prince of Yan, died of illness during the campaign.

A generation of brave Zhu family generals thus perished.

Since joining the army, Zhu Gaoxu had made numerous contributions in campaigns against Xifan (Western barbarians), suppressing bandits, and suppressing the remnants of the Yuan court. Among the Zhu family generals, he was second only to Prince Ning Zhu Quan.

In the Hongsheng Dynasty, feudal princes could be recommended by the Zongrenfu (Clan Affairs Office) to serve as officials in the court.

Therefore, there would be Zhu family members in the court.

Similarly, he also strictly controlled the review process of the Zongrenfu, aiming to prevent incompetent people from taking office.

The facts proved this method was effective.

Whether it was Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Bai, Zhu Quan, or others, they all served as officials in the court.

Serving as officials.

In fact, this was also a way for him to indirectly reduce the power of the feudal princes.

(End of Chapter)

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