When the young Zhu Di spoke out in the Fengtian Temple to stop the spikes on an ordinary wooden stick from hurting the eldest brother, he would never have thought that many years later he would become one of those spikes that he once hated, the Yanwang Mansion and the Fengtian Palace were incompatible, and he and his brother killed each other.

In the third year of Hongwu, on the morning of April in the summer, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, canonized the princes as kings, and said to the world: "The sons of the emperors must be in the throne, and their sons should be crowned kings, divide the soil, and divide the country to the domain." I have ten sons today, at the beginning of the throne has been set up as the eldest son as the crown prince, all the sons are sealed to be rewarded after the meritorious heroes, but the distinction between respect and humility should be determined early, is to April 7 to seal the second son Zhang as the king of Qin, the third son Li as the king of Jin, the fourth son Di as the king of Yan, the fifth son Lu as the king of Wu, the sixth son Zhen as the king of Chu, the seventh son of Qi as the king of Qi, the eighth son Zizi as the king of Tan, the ninth son Qi as the king of Zhao, the tenth son Tan as the king of Lu, from Sun Shouqian as the king of Jingjiang. All are awarded with treasures, set up official subordinates, and the etiquette has been customized. Yu play! Fengtian is in chaos, but it is really a living people; Fagu Jianbang, with the best governance! Therefore, the edict is hereby made known to the salty envoys. ”①

After the ceremony, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, solemnly sat on the throne symbolizing the supreme imperial power, the golden dragon chair and the dragon and embroidered phoenix robes and jade belts set off his imperial spirit, at the same time, their luxury was also highlighted in the emperor's majestic hair and grandeur.

Zhu Yuanzhang put one arm on the armrest of the golden carved dragon, and in the other hand held a long stick full of spikes. He glanced at the ill-intentioned spikes and turned his head away with contempt, as if their hostility was only self-inflicted. He looked at the crown prince, determined to pass on this firm conviction to him.

"Prince, today your younger brothers have been canonized as vassal kings, and in a few years they will leave the capital and go to their respective fiefdoms, do you know why I made this arrangement?"

A slight smile appeared on Zhu Yuanzhang's lips, indicating that he was satisfied with his arrangement. However, there was a stern gaze in his eyes that did not cooperate, which was full of his good intentions - if the crown prince Zhu Biao could not grasp his intentions, he would be greatly disappointed.

Prince Zhu Biao stood calmly and calmly under the steps, like a small boat on the rough sea, nervous and cramped with no room for it, he responded to his father's questions and expressions with absolute humility and composure.

"Father, the vassal king holds the military power, and the defense of the party is to ensure the peace of the Ming Dynasty and the peace of the people."

"Hmm!" Zhu Yuanzhang never had a trace of doubt about Zhu Biao as the crown prince, although the prince did not inherit from him the complete decisiveness and proportionate ruthlessness, but he admitted that the prince's calm and unruly temperament is a valuable quality of a successor who guards the country.

"The prince only knows one thing, but he doesn't know the other."

"The son is dull, listen to his father's teachings."

"I have come out of heroes, but are there no people who guard the border? Which one of Xu Da, Feng Sheng, or Mu Ying can't share my worries? ”

"That's what my father said." Zhu Biao immediately understood his father's intentions, although he thought differently from his father, but did not say it, because he knew that when listening to the teachings of his elders, he should not exaggerate and be self-righteous.

"Take it!" Zhu Yuanzhang was caught off guard and pushed the long stick full of spikes in front of Zhu Biao.

"Big brother, don't take it! Your hands will be punctured! The fourth prince, Yanwang Zhu Di, who was hiding behind the short screen, poked his head out and exclaimed.

Zhu Di was ten years old at the time, with a delicate appearance and a slender figure, and was named King Yan at the just-concluded ceremony of canonizing the vassal king.

Burdened by the lengthy and tedious canonization speeches, he hid in the Mukden Temple in search of unique pleasures, unaware that he would leave the capital and be separated from his parents and brothers. The only thing he knew was that after the ceremony, others began to call him "His Royal Highness King Yan".

Zhu Di and Zhu Biao have a deep relationship. Zhu Biao was five years old, not only taught him to read and write, but also taught him to ride a horse and shoot arrows, and even worried about eating and dressing, for which he won the heart of his younger brother. In Zhu Di's eyes, not only the eldest brother is like a father, but also better than his father, when his father ordered the eldest brother to hold a barbed wooden stick, he resolutely stepped forward.

Zhu Biao had no resistance, and was accustomed to being cautious to his father's orders, even if he was hurt. However, his right hand, which was about to take the stick, immediately retracted after hearing Zhu Di's cry, and out of instinct, he protected his younger brother in a way that was the first to strike.

"Fourth brother, what are you hiding there, hurry up and come out to greet your father!" Zhu Biao's harsh rebuke that he had never had surprised Zhu Di, because he failed to understand his eldest brother's intention to protect him from his father's punishment, and his grievances came to his heart.

He bowed his head and pouted, and walked out from behind the screen in chagrin, his hands tugging at the hem of his shirt, and the new brown-and-red leather boots on his feet made a dull drag. After he walked to Zhu Biao's side, he knelt down and kowtowed to his father to say goodbye, and the moment he raised his head, the spikes on the wooden stick came into view, and he felt them pierce his eyes, so he hurriedly covered his eyes with both hands, and his body fell backwards.

"Big brother, don't go grab that stick!" He muttered in his mouth, forgetting all the grievances, and all his thoughts were worried about his eldest brother.

"Fourth brother, my father has good intentions, you will understand it in the future." Zhu Biao was still stern, but Zhu Di's usual good seduction made Zhu Di feel familiar, he let go of his hands, opened his eyes, and ventured to try to challenge the spikes on the wooden stick again.

The spikes remained motionless, waiting for Zhu Di's burning gaze to change from fear and curiosity to conquest step by step. A mysterious connection was immediately established between them, and a harbinger of what would become a legend in the future was revealed, yet nothing went unnoticed.

"Hahaha!" Zhu Yuanzhang unexpectedly stroked his beard and laughed, "Someone! Peel off all the thorns from this stick! ”

"Yes!" The envoy hurriedly walked over, grabbed the top of the stick a few inches smooth, and walked to the weapon rack to remove a waist knife, and the knife fell in his hand, the spikes scattered on the ground, and the small sawdust raised struggled in the air.

"Biao'er, you can take it again!" Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Biao with a smile.

Zhu Di breathed a sigh of relief, and the tense situation had been completely resolved. He waited excitedly for Zhu Biao to take the stick, enjoying the happy results of his efforts.

Zhu Biao stepped forward and took the stick with both hands.

"Biao'er, look, this stick is full of spikes just now, and you can't hold it. Now that I've cut off the thorn, won't you be able to take it? ”

Zhu Di nodded desperately, he agreed with the literal meaning, but he didn't know that Zhu Yuanzhang had other intentions - the meritorious founding heroes were the spikes on the wooden sticks, and Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to get rid of them all and leave his son with an unthreatened country.

Zhu Biao stared thoughtfully at the stick in his hand, his attitude towards things was diametrically opposed to his father's, which stemmed from his generous personality and the benevolent-oriented way of thinking he cultivated since childhood. He opened his mouth to refute his father's point of view and put forward his own opinion, but he was worried that it would hurt his father's heart and alienate the relationship between father and son.

"Biao'er, if you have anything you want to say, just say it." Zhu Yuanzhang restrained his smile and knew Zhu Biao's thoughts. He has been troubled by this problem, trying to subtly influence the prince to grasp the balance between "benevolence" and "violence", but he has gained little.

Zhu Biao took his father's words as an encouragement for him to express his opinions, but in fact, he didn't want to lie in front of his father against his conscience, so he poured out all his thoughts.

"Father, the sons understand the painstaking efforts of their fathers, but the veterans who fight with their fathers are loyal, they will not betray their fathers, and they will also defend the country for their sons."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, with a gentle attitude, without a trace of impatience: "Biao'er, when you were young, I let you worship Song Lian as a teacher and receive traditional Confucian education." After you were made the crown prince, Zhu Zhen asked Li Shanchang, the prime minister of the left, to teach you. Along the way, you have always embraced Confucianism, which is based on benevolence. You are naturally benevolent, and under the influence of this kind of thinking, you have formed the idea of subduing your subjects with leniency and subduing the people with kindness, and you have rejected your father's way of dealing with certain matters......"

Zhu Biao shook his head, but he didn't dare to interject.

"You've never expressed your thoughts strongly in front of me, but I can see it. Prince, you have not been on the battlefield, you have not seen the darkness of the human heart. One day when you sit in this position, there will be thousands of knives on your neck, can you know which knife will be cut down first? The only thing you can do is protect your neck. ”

"Father, the son thinks that the heart of a loyal minister can be compared to brotherhood, and the emperor can exchange sincerity for sincerity as long as he uses sincerity."

"Unpredictable! I only believe in my own son! Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but raise his voice, although the prince's reaction was actually expected by him, "I never wanted to turn you into a wolf-like person, but I hope that the prince will know how to use grace and power, so that the courtiers will be convinced, and he will not dare to cross the thunder pool by half a step." ”

Like Zhu Yuanzhang knows Zhu Biao, Zhu Biao also knows Zhu Yuanzhang, although he does not agree with Zhu Yuanzhang's approach, but he has a deep understanding of his father's hard work and considerations. He no longer argues with Zhu Yuanzhang, cherishes his views in his heart, maybe one day he will understand his father's painstaking efforts and agree with his father.

"Erchen understands."

"Well, good! It's good that the prince understands! Have you looked back at the shadow behind you? It always changes as you change. Once you become the king of a country, you must treat everyone as your shadow, and the shadow will never betray the master. If you let them bend they, they will bend, and if you make them straight, they will be straight. Zhu Yuanzhang was meaningful, and a fan-like smile gradually appeared on his face, a smile that seemed to last forever, like a scene that gradually became clear in the distant mountains.

"The monarchs of all dynasties have worked hard to make the country eternal. God bless me! My sons, as long as you work together, it will be the blessing of the Ming Dynasty and the blessing of the people! ”

Zhu Di, who was listening attentively but didn't understand anything, saw that the gloomy clouds on his father's face had completely dispersed and regained his complexion, he knew that the crisis had been lifted, and his eldest brother had turned the danger into a disaster and was safe and sound, so he recited the majestic eulogy in his memory while the iron was hot.

"Father, the son will definitely help the eldest brother to sit firmly in the country! Ming Dynasty for thousands of generations! ”

"Well, good! Good! Zhu Yuanzhang set his eyes on Zhu Di, "Di'er, your eldest brother's country is your brother's country and the Zhu family's country." You need to be brothers and sisters and work together. And not only that, but you also have to teach your children and grandchildren. The Zhu family is a rope, and no one wants to break it up! ”

"Yes, Father. Listen to the teachings! Zhu Di and Zhu Biao replied in unison.

"Huh? Di'er, why are you hiding behind a short screen? Didn't go to the bow field? Haven't you always liked to bow the most? Zhu Yuanzhang was full of energy, thinking about whether he would also participate in the bow that he had not touched for many years on this happy day.

"Erchen, Erchen," Zhu Di, who was able to speak just now, seemed to have been caught by someone else in pigtails, and he didn't know how to explain to his father.

"You little ghost, what's behind the low screen?" Zhu Yuanzhang glanced inward.

The envoy walked straight to the back of the low screen, walked back and forth twice to check, before he could show his head from behind the low screen, Zhu Di opened his mouth, he felt that it was better to generously admit the stupid things he had done, so as not to attract more shame.

"Back to my father, there is nothing behind the short screen. It's just that Erchen has been to Fengtian Temple three times, and the low screen is always in the same position, the same face, the same posture, as if no one has ever dared to move it. Erchen was curious, felt that it was mysterious, and thought that there was something hidden behind it, so he ...... Erchen knows his mistake! Zhu Di knelt on the ground, waiting for his father to scold, and his flustered mind had settled down, because he remembered that his mother had taught him to "dare to act".

"Di'er, get up, my father will not punish you. It's just that you didn't watch your favorite bow tournament to see what's behind the low screen, is it worth it? ”

"It's worth it! There are several times a year in the bow competition, and you can still see more than half of them when you go to Erchen now. But Erchen didn't know what was behind the low screen, so he always hung in his heart. Erchen has only come to Fengtian Hall three times in five years, and Erchen must seize today's opportunity. ”

"Good! Know the importance and know the trade-offs, good son! Zhu Yuanzhang twisted his black and white beard, and was overjoyed that Zhu Di had inherited a good temperament from himself. However, under his gaze, he found a familiar face between Zhu Di's eyebrows, and his joy suddenly faded. Before the dusty memory could flood his mind, he shook his head and swept it away.

"Son's resignation! Erchen is going to the bow field! Zhu Di suddenly became anxious, ran away, and instantly regretted the thought of conceding several wonderful goals, and the words just now were completely forgotten.

As the pale pink clouds rushed in the clear blue sky, Zhu Di caught up on the bluestone ground, he was sure that he had more to gain than he lost today, not only was there nothing behind the low screen, but he was also frightened by the spikes on the wooden stick, and the most important thing for him to beat his chest was to delay the hot and moving bow, and he silently warned himself all the way not to do such a stupid thing in the future.

Concentrate:

(1) Quote from "Ming Hui Yao", Volume 13, Rite 8 (Jiali)