Zhu Yuanzhang patted Ma Xiuying's hand gently.

"Queen, I know that you, as a mother, are anxious to see your son. You just wait here. You also have to keep an eye on the imperial kitchen. I'm going to go check on these brats first."

Ma Xiuying nodded.

Finally, Zhu Yuanzhang put on his clothes and followed the eunuchs around him to go to Nanxun Palace.

At this moment, the people waiting in Nanxun Hall were already sleepy.

Zhu Gang yawned and said.

"Why did Father summon us at this time? Why can't we wait until tomorrow to talk about it? I can't even open my eyes. Father is so old, how can he still have the energy to care about us?"

Prince Zhu Biao said with a smile.

"When parents are around, one should not travel far away. You guys have been to the border area. Father and mother must have missed you for such a long time. Of course, they wanted to see you as soon as possible.

Stop complaining so much. As a son, don't you want to see your father and mother?"

"Brother, please stop criticizing us. Of course we want to see our father and mother, but aren't we worried that we might not answer well and disappoint them? You also know that among us brothers, our father only values ​​you."

Zhu Di still stood there and said nothing. He had long regarded himself as an outsider. After all, the people in front of him were Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying's biological sons, but he was not.

He was not the Queen's biological son, so naturally there were some gaps between him and his brothers, but Zhu Kai treated him very well.

Therefore, Zhu Di was particularly grateful for the kindness of his second brother Zhu Kai.

Zhu Di stood at the window and saw Zhu Yuanzhang coming from afar.

"Second brother, third brother, please don't fall asleep. Father is coming this way. I saw him from the window. Hurry and stand up."

When Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang heard this, all their nerves tensed up and they stood up immediately, feeling a little nervous.

"Ah, Father is here so soon, can you please help me check if there is anything wrong with my clothes?"

"Third brother, there's nothing wrong. Don't worry so much. Get up quickly and talk about it."

Zhu Yuanzhang walked to the door of the hall. He deliberately asked the eunuchs around him to keep quiet. He wanted to secretly see what his sons were doing inside.

"Don't talk, let me go in quietly and see what they are discussing in there."

Little did they know that Zhu Di had already seen it at the door. Zhu Yuanzhang and his men were also prepared in advance, so naturally they would not be as careless as before.

Zhu Yuanzhang also walked to the door. He peeked inside through the crack and found that his sons were all standing straight and did not look slack.

He thought to himself that these brats performed quite well, much better than he had imagined.

So Zhu Yuanzhang pushed the door open and came face to face with his sons.

Zhu Di reacted quickly and was the first to kneel down.

When Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang saw Zhu Di's reaction, they also knelt down quickly.

The three of them said together.

"My son, please see your father."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao, who followed closely behind, also spoke up.

"Your Highness, I am honored to meet you, Father. I have finally lived up to your trust and brought all my brothers back. The second brother has already returned to his own residence to rest."

Zhu Yuanzhang saw that his sons were getting thinner and darker.

Suddenly he also felt it and felt a little distressed.

It is even conceivable that Ma Xiuying would feel even more distressed when she saw the changes in her sons.

However, in addition to being a father, he was also the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Educating these sons well was also for the future of the Ming Dynasty.

"Everyone, get up. You must be tired after running on the road for nearly two days. Don't kneel down. We are the only ones here tonight. Let's have a good talk."

Zhu Gang and Zhu Chong lowered their heads and looked at each other, then stood up.

"Father, we haven't had a hard time on this journey. We are just eager to go home. My second brother also said that he wants us to come back soon. We dare not delay at all according to Father's order."

Zhu Gang also knew to speak up for Zhu Kai at this time, and mentioned his second brother in passing, which also made Zhu Yuanzhang feel sorry for Zhu Kai.

"Is your second brother really so obedient?"

"Of course, my second brother said that father wanted us to come back soon, but he didn't say why.

We follow our second brother and listen to him in everything. This is also the order of our father, who wants us to follow our second brother and study hard. In the past year or so, we can say that we have gained a lot.

The time we spent in the Borderland was not wasted. My second brother said that the terrain in the Borderland is very special."

Zhu Chong was really a very scheming person. He wanted to get ahead of everyone and perform well in front of Zhu Yuanzhang.

Who could fail to see his little trick? Zhu Di knew his two brothers too well.

Therefore, he did not bother to argue with them about these things. He just wanted to do his own job well, and he had been determined to conquer Mobei since he was a child.

Zhu Gang was thinking what that was. He heard that they had directly seen the secret letter from the emperor to Zhu Kai, but now it became hearsay from him. If the emperor knew that he had casually peeked into the secret letter, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor.

Zhu Gang was a somewhat straightforward person, and he wanted to show it off, but he was not good at lying.

I could only smile awkwardly beside him.

"Prince, you waited for so long at the city gate before picking them up. You had already set out in the afternoon. How come you are back so late at night? What special thing happened on the way that wasted your time?"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao quickly explained.

"Father, please don't misunderstand. Nothing special happened along the way. It's just that we waited a little too long at the city gate.

The second brother and his friends have been very tired from traveling all the way, so they may be a little slow in their actions.

Although they didn't bring too many people, they still had to pull the carriage. There were two women, Xu Miaoyun and Guanyin Nu, in their team, and they also had to take them into consideration.

Father, please be more understanding and don't blame them for wasting too much time on the road.

In fact, it was not easy for the second son either, as he had to take care of his younger brothers. But fortunately, General Lan Yu and the fifth son were by his side, which was arranged for Zhu Kai very carefully. "Zhu Biao knew that it was not easy for Zhu Di on this journey, and he also wanted Zhu Di to perform well in front of Zhu Yuanzhang, so he spoke for him in front of the emperor.

Zhu Di looked up at Zhu Yuanzhang.

Although Zhu Di was a prince who was somewhat neglected by Zhu Yuanzhang.

But in this relationship, he is a son after all, and he looks forward to getting his father's recognition.

This is what every child wants most. He looked up at Zhu Yuanzhang, trying to hear his praise and compliments. Even just a little bit would make him feel good.

Who could have thought that when Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di looked at each other, he said nothing, but just smiled and nodded.

This made Zhu Di feel particularly sad. In fact, he had always wanted to get his father's approval, so why couldn't he get it?

Just because he is not Queen Ma’s biological son, does that mean he should not be taken seriously?
In fact, whether in terms of talent or other aspects, Zhu Di is much better than Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang.

However, he was never seen, and no matter what the reason was, it made him feel a little disheartened.

That's why he became this taciturn character.

Perhaps if he had just shown his talent a little more ostentatiously, Zhu Yuanzhang would have considered him to be plotting against the throne. His approach, which seemed noncompetitive on the surface, could be considered a form of self-protection.

Zhu Chong was a man who was particularly good at talking and making people happy, and even Zhu Yuanzhang was quite fond of him.

However, the most important sons in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart were his two sons, Zhu Biao and Zhu Kai.

"Prince, how is the matter going when I asked you to take the Royal Guards to protect Wang Baobao and his sister? How many people are left at the inn?"

"Reporting to the Emperor, I have already completed this matter. Nothing will go wrong if I leave Li Wenzhong there to guard."

"Li Wenzhong? He has been with you for a long time, and you trust him.

There is no need to worry about this little thing when you let him do it, but although the capital city is not a dangerous place, it can be said that it is a place where all kinds of people mix.

There are many people in the court who dislike Zhu Kai. It would be bad if they wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to make some trouble.

Wang Baobao is from the Mongol tribe. He was the first to surrender. The whole world of our Ming Dynasty is watching our attitude. We must not give others a chance to talk about us. Prince, you should understand what I mean."

The person Zhu Di cares about most now is his brother Zhu Kai, because he knows very well that only this brother treats him sincerely.

Although he is young, he knows that Prime Minister Hu Weiyong is on the same front as the Crown Prince, and he must learn to protect Zhu Kai.

At this moment, he really wanted to recommend himself and replace Li Wenzhong to do this matter.

However, he is too young now, and the emperor may not allow him to do so. Besides, it also feels like stealing the credit from the prince. After thinking for a long time, he still hesitated.

He didn't dare to mention it in front of Zhu Yuanzhang. It can be seen at this time that children who are loved by their parents are often bolder and more confident. People like Zhu Di could only be cautious.

Zhu Di knew very well that he could not go anywhere during this period of time while staying in the palace. After all, he was not a vassal king with a title, so he could only live in the palace.

Zhu Chong suddenly had an idea and wanted to play the emotional card.

"Father, it's not often that you come here so late at night. It's so cold outside. Don't catch a cold. Father's health concerns the entire Ming Dynasty."

Although Zhu Yuanzhang was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty and a wise monarch, he was also a human being with joys, sorrows, anger, and emotions, and naturally he liked to hear good words.

He smiled and said.

"Third brother, you have become thinner and darker in the past year or so in the border area.

What? Are you suffering over there?
Normally when you were in the palace, you were the most pampered and picky about food, so the queen took better care of you.

Now I'm letting you follow Zhu Kai and gain more experience. What do you think? Is it better to be in the border area or in the palace?"

Zhu Chong reacted quite quickly. When he heard what Zhu Yuanzhang said, he immediately smiled and said.

"Father, the sword is sharpened by grinding, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold. Father has told us this truth since we were young.

Besides, there is a saying that goes "Born in adversity, die in comfort." I am indeed the most pampered and picky person in the palace, but it's only after three days of absence that one should look at me with new eyes.

I have been following my second brother and have grown a lot in the border area over the past year.

It’s no longer like that now. If you are picky in such a harsh environment in the borderland, you won’t even be able to eat.”

This was exactly the answer Zhu Yuanzhang wanted, and that was why he let his sons stay with Zhu Kai, so that they could gain some experience.

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this answer, he immediately smiled.

“Well, Third Brother, it seems that you have made a lot of progress during this period of time.

In addition to growing taller, my mind is also clearer than before. You are right, if a man can't even endure a little hardship, what else can he do?

When I was young, I had nothing and had to beg for food to survive. But now I am able to conquer the world and become the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. You are all my biological sons, so you can’t be worse than me.”

Zhu Gang also said immediately afterwards.

“What Father said is absolutely right. When we followed our second brother, he also said the same thing.

He often uses the century when father was young to teach us, but father, you are the chosen one, the Son of Heaven.

We are mediocre in talent, not as good as our elder brother and second brother, nor as good as our father, but we can still make a lot of progress through acquired efforts, and we can't just let ourselves go by belittling ourselves."

Zhu Di was a man of upright character. Although he was very grateful to Zhu Kai, he still felt a little uncomfortable when he heard these two people flattering Zhu Yuanzhang in front of him.

He has no say here and can't say anything. He can only stand by as a foil or even a background board.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao was genuinely kind to his younger brothers.

He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and was very happy. He had no intention of asking any questions or making things difficult for these people. He just ignored Zhu Di who was standing next to him.

Even a bowl of water cannot be treated equally, let alone Zhu Yuanzhang who had so many sons. It is normal for him to be biased in his heart.

In fact, as the one favored by the emperor, the prince sometimes even feels that he is unworthy of the emperor's favor. He hopes that his father can treat his sons equally.

"By the way, that brat Zhu Kai actually returned to his own residence. Where's Lan Yu? He hasn't been with his family for a while, so he must have had a hard time." (End of this chapter)