The Ming Dynasty: I Fabricated Dreams for Zhu Di 54

Chapter 54: Playing Cards with the Emperor?

He could be killed at any moment, leaving no trace behind.

Zhu Di’s heart beat faster and faster.

His breathing became increasingly rapid, his vision blurred, and his legs even began to weaken.

He swayed, as if a gentle breeze could knock him down.

Zhu Yuanzhang noticed Zhu Di’s unusual state and felt a pang of disappointment.

Having seen countless people, he clearly understood Zhu Di’s condition.

It was obvious that he had something to hide.

His expression was exactly the same as those corrupt officials when he caught them.

Fear, terror, rapid breathing, weak legs unable to stand…

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and walked towards Zhu Di step by step.

In an instant.

As Zhu Yuanzhang walked towards him,

The nightmares he had experienced resurfaced one after another.

Zhu Yuanzhang simply walked towards him calmly.

Yet, in a daze, Zhu Di saw Zhu Yuanzhang holding a knife, saying, “Rebellion, death.”

…

“Father, no!!!”

Zhu Di suddenly sat up, gasping for breath, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Even though the entire tavern was warmed by the brazier, it still failed to dispel the chill in Zhu Di’s body, and the cold sweat continued to flow.

The Taoist priest was just about to leave when he saw the old man sitting up from the recliner, apparently frightened.

Finding it amusing, he paused for a moment to observe the old man.

Zhuang Mu saw the old man awaken and stepped forward.

He handed the prepared drink to the old man.

“Old sir, did you die in your dream?”

Zhu Di took the drink and drank it in one gulp. The chill in his body was instantly dispelled, and warmth began to flow through him.

The cold sweat gradually subsided.

Listening to Zhuang Mu’s words, Zhu Di, still somewhat agitated, said,

“I don’t know, it was just a recurrence of old nightmares, and I was startled.”

Zhuang Mu then instructed Xi Mei to fetch some hot water.

After a short while, Xi Mei brought the hot water and placed it in front of Zhu Di.

“Wash your hands.”

Although the drink had dispelled the chill in Zhu Di’s body, his hands were still icy cold.

Zhu Di put his hands in the warm water, and the feeling of palpitations slowly subsided.

Sure enough, he still couldn’t face his fear.

His father in the dream hadn’t done anything.

Yet, he couldn’t stop being afraid, and the old nightmares reappeared, one after another.

It caused him to have hallucinations.

Seeing Zhu Di’s mood calm down,

Zhuang Mu continued to ask, “Old sir, did you die in your dream?”

Zhu Di, his mood calmed, reflected on the final scene of the dream.

He nodded: “Yes.”

In a sense, he could be considered to have been scared to death.

Sigh, he, the Yongle Emperor, actually had a day when he was “scared to death”.

Having received the answer, Zhuang Mu said, “Then next time you dream, we’ll push the time back a few days.”

“Let’s change it to once every seven days.”

If it’s a normal dream, and a normal awakening,

Once every three days won’t harm one’s spirit.

However, if there’s an accident in the dream, leading to death or excessive fright,

To ensure mental well-being, this time must be extended.

Otherwise, some things from the dream can genuinely affect the brain.

Zhu Di let out a long sigh of relief and nodded: “Yes, I’ll listen to you.”

At this time, Zhu Di noticed that someone had appeared in the tavern at some point.

For some reason, Zhu Di felt an inexplicable urge to kill the Taoist priest before him.

He quickly shook his head.

Did the fright cause him problems?

The Taoist priest sensed Zhu Di’s gaze, and for some reason, he felt a little apprehensive.

After pausing for a moment, the Taoist priest left directly.

Zhu Di composed himself and then sat at the counter.

Seeing Zhu Di’s somewhat absent-minded look, Yao Guangxiao greeted him: “How are you, are you alright?”

Zhu Di looked somewhat troubled and shook his head: “I’m fine.”

“It’s just that I still can’t face him.”

Yao Guangxiao wasn’t surprised by this.

“Time is long, there’s no need to rush.”

He naturally knew who Zhu Di meant by “him”.

The Hongwu Emperor, decisive and ruthless, there were few in the world who could look Zhu Yuanzhang in the eye.

If one had a guilty conscience, it was even worse.

The Founder Emperor killed countless officials with guilty consciences; the number of officials’ lives on his hands was not less than tens of thousands.

“Oh, by the way, who was that Taoist priest just now?”

Zhu Di asked Zhuang Mu.

To avoid hindering Zhuang Mu’s business, Zhu Di had not imposed a lockdown on this area.

“Oh, a suspicious Taoist priest.”

“He wanted to buy Immortal Dream Wine, but feared it was poisoned, so he made me drink two cups to test it.”

“I tested the poison for him, drank two cups, and in the end, he wouldn’t drink it.”

Honestly, it was the first time he had seen such a suspicious Taoist priest.

Or rather, it was the first time he’d ever seen a Taoist priest.

However, he wasn’t at a loss; the Taoist priest forgot to take his tael of silver before leaving.

Zhuang Mu looked towards the old monk.

“Speaking of which, old monk, do you know who that Taoist priest is?”

Yao Guangxiao smiled, “I’m just a monk, how would I know?”

Although he said so, he was thinking to himself.

Are there any Taoist priests like that in the Taoist temples around the Capital City?

He might not recognize all the Taoist priests in the surrounding Taoist temples, but he had some contact with Taoist priests of that age before.

He had never heard of

A person with the Taoist name Flying Yuan True Lord.

Zhuang Mu pondered for a moment: “That’s true, could this person be Zhang Sanfeng, the Zhang Zhenren?”

“If I remember correctly, in the Yongle Dynasty, the only Taoist priest who received an imperial pardon was Zhang Zhenren.”

Hearing this, Zhu Di shook his head.

“It’s not him, Zhang Zhenren is over a hundred years old, this man looks to be only about fifty.”

Moreover, the title I granted Zhang Sanfeng was: “Yu Long Liu Zu Yin Xian Yu Hua Xu Wei Pu Du Tian Zun” (a long and honorific title). It wasn’t Flying Yuan True Lord.

In the fifth year of Yuan Zhizheng, the title bestowed upon Zhang Sanfeng was: “San Feng Xian Shen” (Three Abundance Immortal God).

The Yuan Huizong’s pardon for Zhang Sanfeng was: “Zhong Xiao Xian Shen” (Loyal and Filial Immortal God).

Furthermore, Zhang Sanfeng did not come forward to accept my pardon; the title he most likely used was Xuan Xuan Zi or similar.

It’s highly unlikely he would be Flying Yuan True Lord and give himself that title.

Therefore, this person is certainly not Zhang Sanfeng.

However, this person’s identity still needs to be investigated.

To avoid hindering Zhuang Mu’s business, the Brocade Guard had not controlled this area.

But many spies were planted nearby.

Finding this Taoist priest should be quite easy.

At this moment, Zhu Di suddenly noticed that Zhuang Mu was busy with something.

“What are you doing?”

Zhuang Mu explained upon hearing this, “Oh, I’m making a kind of card game.”

“It’s called Dou Dizhu (Fight the Landlord).”

Dou Dizhu?

Zhu Di’s eyes lit up when he heard the name.

Interesting.

So he asked, “Can I play this game?”

Zhuang Mu nodded.

“Of course, this game is originally for three people.”

“I made this thing to give guests something to do while they drink.”

(End of Chapter)

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