On the third day when the news of King Xiaoming's death reached Yingtian, Zhu Yuanzhang wrote a letter to Zhang Shicheng at the suggestion of A Xiu: "The heroes of the ancients all regard reverence for heaven and obedience to public opinion as virtuous ability, and wisdom to protect themselves and their families, as is the case with Dou Rong in the Han Dynasty and Qian Yu in the Song Dynasty. You should think twice, and don't bring about your own destruction, and be ashamed of the world. ”

Ah Xiu looked at the letter and sighed: "Zhang Shicheng is also from a bitter background, thirteen years ago, eighteen Biandan uprising, self-made occupation of Jiangdong counties, helpless once called the king, poor and extravagant, and his subordinates are separated from morality, so that now the army is defeated and surrounded, and the hero is at an end." It can be seen that it is easy to fight the world, but it is too difficult to defend the world. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang stood with his hands in his hands, looked at the letters on several cases, and nodded: "Born in poverty, he is the same as me, he knows people and makes good use of them, I am stronger than him, he is not arrogant, he is not as good as me." Therefore, the destiny of heaven is for me, and the general trend is inevitable. ”

Until Chinese New Year's Eve, Zhang Shicheng did not reply to the letter, and led his younger brother and subordinates to try to break through the siege many times, but finally lost because of the high morale of Chang Yuchun. I had to retreat into the city. Ah Xiu ordered Tang He to send a private message to Chang Yuchun in the name of the Lan family, asking him to send a general Li Bosheng to persuade Zhang Shicheng to surrender. Li Bosheng sent his diners over the city wall to persuade him, but to no avail.

Ah Xiu was still unwilling, and wrote a letter to Zhang Shicheng again under the pretense of Zhu Yuanzhang's handwriting: "Huzhou, Jiaxing, and Lin'an, which you relied on at the beginning, have now been lost. Although you can protect yourself for the time being, you can protect yourself for the time being, but your relatives and relatives will lose the support of the people, and I am afraid that there will be a disaster at that time, and although you want to die at that time, you can't die. It is better to obey the mandate of heaven and send a messenger to surrender, only saying that your submission is to save the people in the city, open the city gate and stand by. Besides, the city you occupy now is only snatched from the Yuan Court at the beginning, and now you give it away, why not? Zhang Shicheng still did not surrender.

The day before Chinese New Year's Eve, when Tianying returned to the mansion, she dressed plainly to visit Ah Xiu, and her actions and words were quite respectful: "Concubine Guo Shi visits the princess, may the princess be blessed and prosperous." Ah Xiu personally helped her up: "If my father has a spirit in the sky, I should be happy to see you and my sister close to An Ran, since my sister has returned home this time, I am willing to ignore the past and still regard my sister as a close relative." To my sister's early Lin'er, in order to comfort my father's handsome spirit in the sky. ”

Lian'er happened to come to show Ah Xiu the style of the new clothes, and echoed: "My sister has lived in another garden for the past two years, and every time the princess mentions it, she sighs that Marshal Guo was a talented person back then, and the two sons died early, leaving only the younger sister in the same vein, hoping that my sister can succeed Marshal Guo's incense." ”

Tianying lowered her eyes and said: "Tianying was young in the past, when her father and brother died suddenly, fortunately because of the prince, she gradually lost her mind, did not understand the world and did not understand the reason, and tried in vain to replace her sister, and almost harmed her sister and herself, I am ashamed to say it." Now thank my sister for calling me back to my house regardless of my previous suspicions, and I will definitely change my mind in the future and no longer be an enemy of my sister. ”

As he spoke, he was about to kneel, but Ah Xiu was willing to accept it, and pulled it up early: "Today is back, it is a happy event, what is my sister still doing with these!" Sit down! Lian'er saw that she was looking for a book in the painting, and remembered the matter of Qiu Qin, her face was not good, and Ah Xiu was afraid that Tianying would misunderstand, so she let the painting go out to serve first.

Tianying's slave maid in the room was only looking for books, and Ah Xiu finally said with a cold face: "Looking for books, are you guilty?" Tianying was stunned when she was looking for books, Tianying looked at Lian'er, and saw Lian'er staring at Mishu angrily, and she didn't know what to do for a while, and asked Axiu: "What did Mishu do to make my sisters angry?" It's Tianying who has no way to discipline her, please make it clear to my sister. ”

Ah Xiu shook her head and comforted her: "This matter is none of my sister's business, my sister just listen to her." Tianying was still confused, but nodded and said no more. Mishu's face was not good, and he kowtowed: "The princess forgives her sins!" The slave didn't know what she had done to make the princess angry, so please make it clear! ”

Lian'er snorted coldly: "Since you are a person in Mrs. Guo's room, no one told you that as a slave maid, you should be loyal to your master, and you must not be instructed by others to be disloyal to your master!" ”

Looking for a book was still struggling, Ah Xiu asked with a cold face: "Don't you know why the Li family was stripped of the position of side concubine and only imprisoned as a concubine?" When you handed over the letter to that Sun Fu, didn't you think that there would be today? ”

Looking for a book and seeing Ah Xiu mention Huilan and Sun Fu, he knew that he was defeated, and when he saw Tianying staring at him with displeasure and suspicion, he had to admit his guilt: "The princess spares her life!" The slave maid was deceived and bought by the Li family for a while, so she would deliver a letter for her, asking the mother to spare her life! ”

Ah Xiu saw her confess, so she explained the cause and effect to Tianying, Tianying didn't listen, and she still didn't believe it when she heard it, but when she saw that she was silent, she also believed it. At that moment, he asked Ah Xiu with fear: "My sister knows that Mishu is my slave, why doesn't she suspect me?" ”

Ah Xiu smiled gently: "Although Mishu is your slave, you have no children and no daughters, and there is no reason to murder the prince's heir, and besides, you were not in the mansion when Qiu Qin was favored, maybe you don't even know her appearance, how can I be suspicious of you?" What's more, how did you spend so much trouble for the people who were so discouraged that you wanted to cut yourself that day, that you could even throw away your life! ”

"My sister is generous and benevolent, I hurt my sister at the beginning, my sister not only didn't care about it, on the one hand, she begged the prince to spare my life, and on the other hand, she blocked me from judging myself, and now my slave and maid made a mistake, my sister not only suspected me, but also called me back to the house, I ......" Tianying said and shed tears of shame.

Ah Xiu ordered Suxin to drag someone down to ask questions and draw a book, and comforted her: "My sister is back now, we will live together, and he will not have any dislikes, he will be worthy of each other!" Why are you crying? ”

Tianying responded with tears, and since then she has been with Ah Xiu, which is a later story.

This is a reunion, quiet and peaceful, and there are no twists and turns, and there is no need to elaborate on the New Year, as soon as the New Year passes, it is the first year of Wu.

Taking advantage of the good intentions, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the Taiping Mansion to be exempted from rent for two years, and Yingtian, Xuancheng and other places for one year. The people naturally admired Zhu Yuanzhang's benevolence even more, and whether the taxes were reduced or not, the people's livelihood was more prosperous, and it still seemed that the taxes in other regions were heavy, and the people's hearts in Pingjiang were even more uneven.

In March, because the name was changed to Wu, there was a shortage of vassals, and at the suggestion of Ah Xiu, he ordered the establishment of the civil and military department to serve as the civil and military ministers of the inner court. In May, because of the protracted war to calm the people, it was ordered to exempt the counties of Xu, Su, Hao, Si, Shou, Pi, Donghai, Andong, Xiangyang, and Anlu from taxation and grain for three years. For a time, the fame was greatly enhanced, and the displaced people from the nearby counties all came to join June, set up two bureaus of rites and music, and discussed the rites and music. Later, due to a long drought, the land rent in various places was exempted for one year.

Finally about to fight a decisive battle, Ah Xiu thought of Zhang Shicheng, who did not reply to the letter, knowing that this hero was nearing the end of the road, and he tried to save him many times and wanted to save his life, but it was difficult to disobey the will of God! (To be continued.) )