The Ming Dynasty: I Fabricated Dreams for Zhu Di 95

Chapter 95: Poker Game Completion

Zhu Di, upon hearing this, quickly pushed back the money Niu He offered.

“I’m carrying out my orders; this isn’t necessary,” he said. He was only using this as a pretext to gather information, not genuinely to find a wife for Zhuang Die. Besides, Zhuang Die didn’t need his help to find a wife; otherwise, how would Zhuang Mu have come about?

After getting the answers he wanted, Zhu Di left with Zhu Gaoshi.

After leaving, Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoshi reviewed the information they’d gathered.

Firstly, Zhuang Mu’s grandfather, Zhuang Yi, also possessed this special ability, but lacked Zhuang Mu’s self-control, leading to a loss of control, mental derangement, and madness. This situation was essentially no different from being declared dead.

Secondly, Zhu Yuanzhang had also once drunk Zhuang Yi’s alcohol. Whether it was ordinary alcohol or dream alcohol remained unknown. If it was dream alcohol, what would Zhu Yuanzhang have wanted to dream about? This was something Zhu Di was curious about.

“Father, do you remember if Imperial Grandfather drank this kind of alcohol when he founded the Great Ming?” Zhu Gaoshi asked. “What do you think Imperial Grandfather wanted to dream about?”

Zhu Di sighed. “How would I know?”

“Maybe… he dreamt of my grandfather?” he mused. Zhu Yuanzhang’s only regret was probably the early deaths of his parents. Beyond that, Zhu Di couldn’t think of anything else Zhu Yuanzhang would have desired. He came from humble beginnings, achieved great success, founded the Great Ming, reached the pinnacle of power – he lacked nothing. Moreover, he wasn’t that old at the time and wouldn’t have focused on such things. Zhu Yuanzhang wouldn’t have mentioned such trivial matters.

From what Niu He said, this alcohol was popular in the Capital City during the early Hongwu era, even before the founding of the Great Ming, and only lasted a year and a half. It was perfectly normal that he didn’t know about it. Time dilutes many things.

“Should I go ask?” Zhu Gaoshi tentatively suggested. “Grandfather said that Imperial Grandfather wants me to bring me along the next time he enters the palace.”

Zhu Di glanced at Zhu Gaoshi. “It’s all in the past; why are you concerned with this?”

“You brat, don’t go off track! Coming to this dream world is to resolve my worries, not for play!”

Zhu Gaoshi felt helpless. He had thought he could hunt with his father, relax occasionally, and have a good time. Instead, Zhu Di’s relaxation involved making him solve his worries. Though he had seen his mother, it was secondary; resolving his father’s anxieties was the main objective.

“Father, why do you keep dwelling on your rebellion? You rebelled, so what? Why must you seek Imperial Grandfather’s forgiveness?” Zhu Gaoshi was perplexed. He had been confused before but hadn’t dared ask. Now, thinking their relationship had improved, he finally asked.

Zhu Di gave Zhu Gaoshi a faint glance. “My eldest son, you’ve governed well, attending to every detail. If the Founder Emperor knew, he would surely praise you. But in my eyes, you still haven’t met my expectations; you are far from enough.”

“Your civil governance is acceptable, but your military governance is far too lacking.” “Sigh, if it weren’t for Zhanji, I’d want you to be a leisurely prince.”

Zhu Di’s words were full of disapproval and negation of Zhu Gaoshi. The cheerful expression on Zhu Gaoshi’s face instantly vanished, replaced by a heavy sadness. Those eight words—civil governance acceptable, military governance lacking—plunged him into despair. He thought that this trip with Zhu Di was a chance for his father to show a little approval, even a tiny bit of fatherly affection. But it seemed that even after decades, Zhu Di might never like his fat son.

Zhu Gaoshi looked at his lame leg. If only he hadn’t been lame.

Zhu Di ignored Zhu Gaoshi’s sorrowful expression. That was the reason. Zhu Gaoshi always wanted his father’s approval, just as Zhu Di longed for Zhu Yuanzhang’s approval.

Zhu Di walked slowly towards Xu Guogong’s residence.

At that moment, after Zhu Gaoshi processed his negative emotions, he looked up and discovered that Zhu Di was gone.

Zhu Gaoshi panicked. “Father? Where did you go?”

He limped through the city, searching for Zhu Di. As time passed, Zhu Gaoshi felt the city’s noise growing louder, his consciousness blurring. The light disappeared, and he was enveloped in total darkness. Fear gripped him.

“Father?! Where are you? Don’t scare me! I can’t handle this!”

No matter how he called out, there was no response. Just as his fear reached its peak, he saw a light in the distance and limped towards it, calling out, “Father! Don’t leave me; I can’t keep up!”

In the darkness, Zhu Di was also heading towards the light, but he didn’t notice Zhu Gaoshi behind him.

Upon touching the light, Zhu Di awoke. After waking, he released Zhu Gaoshi’s hand, slightly disgusted by the sweat on it. He wiped his hands with Zhu Gaoshi’s clothes, then stood up.

Zhuang Mu hadn’t gone to bed yet. Or rather, the Taoist priest called Flying Yuan True Lord was still awake.

At this moment, Zhu Gaoshi suddenly cried out, “Father!!!”

The shout startled Zhu Di. He frowned, shifting his gaze from the Taoist priest to Zhu Gaoshi.

“What’s all the commotion?”

Seeing Zhu Di standing unharmed before him, Zhu Gaoshi’s fear vanished. He quickly apologized, “Father, I was just…”

Before Zhu Gaoshi could finish, Zhu Di said indifferently, “Fine, I don’t want to hear your explanation.”

He then walked to Zhuang Mu’s counter and sat down beside Yao Guangxiao.

Zhu Gaoshi looked dejected. He wanted to explain his fear of the dark, but Zhu Di didn’t seem to want to hear it.

Zhuang Mu watched the scene without comment; it was the old man’s family matter, and he had no right to interfere.

“Zhuang, I’ve always been curious about something,” Zhu Di said. “May I ask?”

Zhuang Mu nodded. “Ask.”

Zhu Di voiced his doubt. “Tell me, what is your relationship with the Zhuang Zhou of the ‘Zhuang Zhou Dreams of a Butterfly’ story recorded in history?”

Yao Guangxiao, also curious, looked at Zhuang Mu. He had been curious for a while.

Legend had it that Zhuang Zhou dreamt of becoming a butterfly, feeling as if he was a butterfly, forgetting that he was Zhuang Zhou. Upon waking, Zhuang Zhou was confused; he didn’t know whether he was Zhuang Zhou or the butterfly, or both. Afterward, Zhuang Zhou became more open-minded, indifferent to life and death, understanding that the only constant in the world was change. Life was impermanent; one should face the world positively and optimistically.

Zhu Gaoshi limped to the counter, also looking at Zhuang Mu. After all, they shared the same surname. The mention of dreams naturally brought to mind Zhuang Zhou. Could Zhuang Mu’s dream-creation be related to Zhuang Zhou?

Zhuang Mu replied calmly, “Zhuangzi? I’m not very clear about that. My father might know.” He didn’t pay much attention to such an identity. He slept most of the time, rarely interacting with others. His social circle was very small, as was his father’s; he had few relatives, mostly interacting with neighbors and occasional guests.

“Why do you ask?” Zhu Di asked.

“Just a casual question,” Zhu Di waved his hand.

Seeing this, Zhuang Mu didn’t think much of it; sleepiness overcame him. “I’m going to bed,” he said, yawning. “I’ve finished making the poker cards. If you want to play, you can ask the old monk to teach you.”

Zhuang Mu went upstairs.

Yao Guangxiao picked up the poker cards on the counter and smiled. “Shall we play a game? Is this the game Zhuang Mu made?”

Yao Guangxiao nodded. “I played a few rounds with the Taoist priest just now, and I slightly won.” “We have nothing to do, let’s play.” He knew that Zhu Gaoshi had stepped down as Regent, and now it was King Han Zhu Gaoxu’s turn. Zhu Di was essentially a hands-off manager with nothing much to do each day. He would only glance at the already-approved edicts. A quick look was enough.

Zhu Di glanced at Zhu Gaoshi and nodded. “How do we play?”

Yao Guangxiao explained the rules. “Landlord. Three players, two peasants, one landlord. The hand rankings are…”

The rules were simple. Since Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoshi were both shrewd, they quickly understood. As the three played cards…

In the palace…

Zhu Gaoxu looked at the pile of edicts before him, his head throbbing. He scratched his head and pulled his hair. A small attendant continued to bring in more edicts, whispering, “Your Highness King Han, these edicts require your review.”

Zhu Gaoxu couldn’t help but exclaim, “Why are there so many?!”

The small attendant felt embarrassed. The number of edicts was normal; it was just that Zhu Gaoxu processed them too slowly, and he didn’t want to be perfunctory. If he performed well, perhaps his father would let him remain Regent – a big win. But he wasn’t good at processing edicts, his speed was slow, and he had to scrutinize each one carefully. He was naturally impatient. Looking at the pile of edicts, Zhu Gaoxu had a thought: should he give up? When would he finish reviewing them? He would finish today’s batch only to find another tomorrow, day after day, year after year. He couldn’t take it.

Two little people appeared in his mind. One urged him to persist, perhaps he would secure the Regent’s position. The other urged him to give up; maybe his father was just playing around, not serious, and it wouldn’t matter if he did a poor job.

(End of Chapter)

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