Unexpectedly, Zhu Yuanzhang was still concerned about this national event when his life was dying, and he was still concerned about his children and grandchildren, Zhu Yunwen felt infinite emotion in his heart, tears appeared in the corners of his eyes, and said: "Grandpa Huang, you better have a good rest." Uncle Fourteen won. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head slightly with great difficulty, and said weakly: "This is what my illness looks like, and no matter how much I rest, it will be a few days of hard work." I have to do a few more things for you before I die. I ask you, have you inquired about the thing called canned food? ”

"Imperial grandfather ......" Seeing that his imperial grandfather was still thinking about his foundation when he was dying, Zhu Yunwen was very moved, but he couldn't bear to let Zhu Yuanzhang, who had run out of oil, think about it anymore, didn't speak again, just lay on Zhu Yuanzhang's bedside and cried.

At this moment, two very embarrassing coughs came from behind Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Yunwen didn't have to look back to know that it was the voice of his good friend Huang Zicheng, and what he meant Zhu Yunwen was also very clear, just thinking that Zhu Yunwen would further drain his value when Lao Zhu was still alive, and let him issue another edict or something like that, so as to limit the power of the vassal king and find a policy basis for the future plan to reduce the domain.

Zhu Yuanzhang has become a human being, how can he not know what Huang Zicheng means, although he doesn't like Confucian thoughts, he thinks that it is all fooling people, the main thing is to fool them as emperors, let them appoint Confucian ministers, corporal Lixian, and give them a high salary, it seems that only in this way can the world be governed, Zhu Yuanzhang scoffs at these theories, Lao Tzu fights the world with poverty and white, no one has to rely on it, and he still achieves great things through the ages, but he knows that this Huang Zicheng is Zhu Yunwen's henchman, At the moment, Zhu Yunwen is still a little weak, and it is not a bad thing to let him have his own iron core, after all, for the emperor, it is much better for his ministers to be stupid than disobedient, he glanced at Zhu Yunwen, who was still whining and crying, and said with a kind face: "Okay, Yunwen." People are inherently dead, grandpa and my life is worth it. You will be an emperor in the future, don't always be so weak, be strong like a man. Tell Grandpa about your fourteenth uncle's canned food, I heard that it was a sharp weapon. ”

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang was no longer an emperor, but an ordinary old man, an ordinary old man who had lost his son, and when he was dying, he took the trouble to teach his young grandson the practice of preserving the family business.

Zhu Yunwen wiped his tears and said with great emotion: "Yes, Grandpa Huang." As far as the grandson knows, the canned food invented by Uncle Fourteen is a very good thing, which can keep the military food good for a long time, and the reason why they succeeded in attacking Warat was because of this thing, and there was no need to mobilize the whole country to mobilize military rations. ”

"Yes, yes." Zhu Yuanzhang lay on the bed and muttered, with infinite emotion in his heart, and said: "This fourteenth uncle of yours is also clever, and he can actually make such a thing, but I didn't expect that even he, an obedient child, would actually hide his secrets with me." This can, I'm afraid he had already made it. ”

Zhu Yunwen lowered his head and did not speak, to be honest, he was also very dissatisfied with Zhu Ao's behavior of hiding his own interests, he also felt that Zhu Ao should have come up with this sharp weapon a long time ago, in his concept, the whole world, it is not the king's land, since Zhu Ao has invented such a sharp equipment, he should first think of dedicating it to the imperial court, and he hides it like this, isn't it ill-intentioned.

Zhu Yuanzhang is so shrewd, he knew Zhu Ao's intentions after thinking about it a little, this kid is afraid that he wants to enjoy this sharp weapon alone, and he will not take it out until he is about to die, so that no one will force him to hand it in. Zhu Yuanzhang was very reluctant to admit such a fact, but he had to admit that his children had begun to fight for the throne. It seems that the temptation of the throne is too great, they can't hold it in front of this huge interest, and they sighed heavily, and said slightly: "King Yan must not worry, King Su must not be guarded against." ”

Zhu Yunwen raised his head suddenly, a trace of light radiated from his eyes, it has been so long, the imperial grandfather finally said this, before he always persuaded himself to have a good relationship with the feudal king, to love the feudal king, and jointly defend the Ming Dynasty, now he finally saw the ambition of the feudal king, began to understand his worries, and spoke to himself, not only was there a burst of emotion in his heart, but he choked back tears and muttered: "Imperial grandfather ......"

Zhu Yuanzhang took the hand of this weak grandson, then reached out and hooked it, signaling Huang Zicheng to come forward.

Huang Zicheng didn't dare to slack off, and after seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's gesture, he immediately walked to the front, knelt down in front of Zhu Yuanzhang's bed, and said respectfully: "Minister Huang Zicheng knocked to see Your Majesty, what does Your Majesty command?" ”

Zhu Yuanzhang is old, there are only a few days left in his life, his brain has long been without so much storage, he can only remember some important things, and said to Huang Zicheng weakly: "You go and draw up a will, although it is said in the "Ancestral Training" that if there are traitors in the court, the kings can raise troops to appease, but King Su is not among them, he has established the country independently, and is no longer an ordinary vassal king. If there is really a traitor in the court, King Su can only supply grain and grass, and must not send troops through Lanzhou, unless all the vassal kings in the country fail, he can raise troops to appease, and after success, he must return to the country within three days, there must be no mistake! ”

Huang Zicheng heard Zhu Yuanzhang say such a long sentence in one breath, his heart was very excited, he knew that since then, King Su is equivalent to being locked in the Hexi Corridor, although he is likely to sit big, but if you want to grab Zhu Yunwen's throne, I am afraid it is not so simple, in the ancient patriarchal society, blatantly disobeying his father's will is a very serious matter, when the time comes, I am afraid that King Su will come, and there are not many people to support him, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing: "The minister will do it immediately!" ”

After that, he kowtowed to Zhu Yuanzhang again, and then ran to write the holy decree in a hurry.

Zhu Yunwen also breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, but he was still not happy, King Su had a sharp weapon like canned food and should be presented to the imperial court, how could he hide it privately? Said tentatively: "Grandpa Huang, the matter of that can." ”

Zhu Yuanzhang naturally knew what he was talking about? But the question is, is it possible, if he is alive, he will definitely not dare not give it to Zhu Ao, but now that he is about to enter the ground, maybe the holy decree will go to see Zhu Biao and Queen Ma before he reaches the Su Kingdom, and after he is gone, with just an edict, Zhu Ao will obediently surrender and hand over such an important thing? Don't be too real, his old Zhu is also a person who has fought all his life, and he deeply knows the greed of human nature, once it comes to fundamental interests, it is not easy for his mother and son, not to mention Zhu Yunwen, the nephew emperor, he doesn't want Zhu Yunwen to make trouble for himself, he shook his head slightly, and sighed: "That thing was made by your fourteenth uncle with hard work, don't think about it now, if he wants to give it to you in the future, you can exchange things with him, but don't come hard." ”

Zhu Yunwen was slightly disappointed and muttered, "Yes, my grandson knows." ”

Zhu Yuanzhang knocked a few more times, he felt very tired, he didn't want to talk more, and said: "Okay, I'm tired, I want to sleep for a while, you can go and rest, don't burn yourself, it's good to have people here." ”

Zhu Yunwen hurriedly let go of Zhu Yuanzhang's hand, covered him with the corner of the quilt, and said, "Grandpa Huang, rest early, your grandson is in the main hall, just find a place to rest." ”

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head slightly, he didn't care about him anymore, he was too tired to care about it so much, Zhu Yunwen could do whatever he wanted, anyway, he was young and strong, and it was no big deal to stay up, closed his eyes, fell asleep deeply, and no longer paid attention to all kinds of mundane things.

Zhu Yunwen quietly retreated from the side of the bed, instructed the palace maids and eunuchs on duty to take care of Zhu Yuanzhang, and inform him immediately if something happened, and then slowly retreated to the outer hall.

At this time, Huang Zicheng had already drafted the edict and sent it out, he and Qi Tai entered the palace together, and after seeing Zhu Yunwen, he bowed his head and said: "Minister Qi Tai, minister Huang Zicheng visit the grandson." ”

Zhu Yunwen stood up very politely, helped them up, and said politely: "Two gentlemen, please get up quickly, you don't need to be so polite." ”

Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng slowly stood up, arched their hands to Zhu Yunwen and asked, "How is the emperor's illness?" ”

Zhu Yunwen pulled the two of them aside, found two seats and motioned for them to sit down, and whispered, "Grandpa Huang has already slept, let's not disturb him." ”

Huang Zicheng moved his body and whispered: "Your Highness, the edict that the emperor just said has been issued. In addition, some people complained to the court of the illegal acts of some vassal kings, such as the king of Qi, the king of Zhou, the king of Dai, the king of Xiang, etc., who ignored the ban of the court in the fiefdom, built a large number of buildings, entered and exited the specification of the Yu system, and preyed on the common people, and robbed the people's daughters, which had a very bad impact on the local area. ”

Zhu Yunwen has long been very dissatisfied with the behavior of these uncles, Zhu Yuanzhang is still alive, they dare not take the court seriously, and when Zhu Yuanzhang dies, who can control them, and said: "It will not work for a long time, the people's will is the cornerstone of the country." The water can carry the boat or overturn the boat, if they are allowed to toss and toss the hearts of the people of my Ming Dynasty, what should I do? ”

Huang Zicheng also agrees with Zhu Yunwen's proposition, to be honest, he has always admired Zhu Yunwen, because Zhu Yunwen's actions fully meet the standards of a Confucian saint. He was glad that he had the opportunity to personally cultivate a Kuangshi Ming Monarch, and rejoiced, and said in a low voice: "Now that the vassal kings have a suspicion of being too big to get rid of, and they don't have much respect for His Royal Highness, the reason why they don't dare to act excessively now is because the emperor is still alive." Once the emperor returns to the sky, His Royal Highness will have to prepare early. ”

The three people present were shocked by these words, they never thought that Huang Zicheng would be so bold and say these words in the palace of the Ming Dynasty, he really bullied Zhu Chongba to be sick, and he didn't have time to take care of you, otherwise if he heard it, and then gave you a charge of separating flesh and blood, you would not be able to eat and leave.

Zhu Yunwen hurriedly stretched out his hand to stop him, and said softly: "Sir, don't say it again, you have your own opinions." No matter who it is, they can't mess with our Ming legal system. By the way, Mr. Fang Xiaoru, who you mentioned to you, have you visited? ”

Qi Tai saw that Zhu Yunwen mentioned Fang Xiaoru with a reverent expression, and knew that this Mr. Fang was about to develop, so he arched his hand and said: "When Hongwu was twenty-five years old, someone recommended Fang Xiaoru to the emperor, but at that time, the emperor said that it was not the time to appoint him, so he only gave him a loose official and did not grant him a formal official position. He is now teaching the prince to read at the king of Shu, and the king of Shu respects him very much. However, I don't think Fang Xiaoru wants to be a teacher who looks for chapters and sentences for the rest of his life, he still has ambitions in his heart. He has always preached that he will govern the world with benevolence and righteousness, but he is afraid that he is like Zhuge Kongming, waiting for the master in the grassland. ”

Zhu Yunwen was very happy after hearing this, and said with a look of fascination, and said with an expression of friendship with the saint: "I remember that in the fifteenth year of Hongwu, when my father was alive, someone recommended Mr. Fang, and at that time, the imperial grandfather admired his serious demeanor, so he said to his father: 'This is a person with a dignified character, you should always appoint him until you are old. It's a pity that my father died before he could appoint him, and I have long admired Mr. Fang's moral articles, and I want to govern the country with such a great sage. ”

What Zhu Yunwen didn't know was that in the fifteenth year of Hongwu, when someone recommended Fang Xiaoru for the first time, Zhu Yuanzhang did appreciate his moral style, but after a period of contact, Zhu Yuanzhang found that this was too idealistic and stunned, with a face of making a report, except for writing articles to explain Confucianism that he didn't like, he couldn't do anything well, so he gradually alienated him.

Ten years later, when someone recommended him to Zhu Yuanzhang again, Zhu Yuanzhang knew that this person was not suitable for governing the country, and was only suitable for being raised like Li Bai to discuss poetry, so he said the above words, because he didn't like to discuss poetry with others.

What Zhu Yuanzhang never expected was that Fang Xiaoru's personal charm and talent had already been deeply imprinted in Zhu Yunwen's heart, which had a great impact on his future administration, and of course it also had a very bad impact. For example, when King Yan crossed the Yangtze River and came to Jinling City, someone persuaded Zhu Yunwen to go to other places first and try to revive, but Fang Xiaoru, who was very virtuous, persuaded Emperor Jianwen to defend the city and wait for reinforcements.

Although it is said that after Zhu Yunwen lets the city leave, he may not be able to avoid the fate of defeat, but sitting in the city and waiting for the elm pimple head to come up with the attention, Fang Xiaoru actually insists on righteousness and awe, which really makes people doubt his ability.

Although he later died for Zhu Yunwen's martyrdom, and by the way, he pitted a bunch of people, which is worthy of Emperor Jianwen, but this is of no help to his Jiangshan Sheji.

In a word, a person like Fang Xiaoru is suitable for making friends with him, but it is not suitable for appointing him to govern the country.

Zhu Yunwen's attention to Fang Xiaoru was known to Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng for a long time, they would not eat his jealousy because of this, the official positions of the two adults were not low, and they would not eat anyone's vinegar, and said: "Your Highness has been working too hard these days, you must pay attention to your body." ”

Zhu Yunwen shook his head slightly, forced out a hint of laughter, and said, "Thank you two gentlemen for your concern, the emperor's grandfather is in poor health, how can he rest at ease." You should retreat first, and if there is something to do, the Lone Society will send someone to summon you. ”

"The ministers are leaving." Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng slowly stood up from their chairs, bowed to Zhu Yunwen, and said softly, for fear of waking up the master sleeping inside, and then slowly withdrew from the Jinshen Palace.

The two walked side by side on the road, and when they came to a small alley where no one was around, Huang Zicheng withdrew all his entourage and quietly said to Qi Tai: "Lord Qi, judging from the future, I am afraid that the emperor's illness will ...... this time."

Qi Tai was cautious, and when he heard this, he immediately stretched out his hand to signal Huang Zicheng not to make a sound, and then said in a reproachful tone: "How can Lord Huang make such a big rebellious statement, if you let someone with a heart hear it, your net worth and life will not be guaranteed." ”

Huang Zicheng didn't seem to care about this, smiled and waved his hand, glanced at Qi Tai with a frivolous look, and said to Qi Tai with a little dissatisfaction: "When did Lord Qi become so timid, there are just you and me here, as long as you don't report me, who will know?" Besides, we are all Taisun's henchmen, Taisun trusts us so much, and when he ascends the throne in the future, we will work together to defend the country for him. How can you be afraid to speak out for fear of personal calamity? ”

Huang Zicheng's words aroused Qi Tai's male enthusiasm, no matter what, I also let it out, anyway, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the emperor will not be able to do it this time, and he will definitely ascend the throne in the future, they are all Taisun's henchmen, even if the current conversation is heard, which one dares to denounce them if he eats the heart of a bear and a leopard, isn't that stupid? said: "According to Lord Huang's plan, after the new monarch succeeds to the throne, if he wants to govern the country, where should he start first?" ”

At this time, Huang Zicheng didn't talk nonsense with him anymore, and he didn't look around like he played on TV, he looked around to see if there was any, and said directly without scruples: "According to the current situation, the most important thing is to cut the domain." Nowadays, after decades of development, the vassal kings in various places have gradually become a tail-ending. Especially strong feudal clans like King Yan and King Su, their strength should not be underestimated, and they are a great threat to the imperial court. If you don't take advantage of the situation to cut them, I'm afraid that there will be unforeseen disasters in the future. ”

Qi Tai nodded thoughtfully, and said heavily: "Someone once raised the question of the vassal king to the emperor, thinking that if the vassal king continues to develop like this, it will definitely be a big tail in the future, but the emperor sent him to prison and sentenced him to death on the grounds that the person was separated from the flesh and blood, and since then, no one dares to mention the matter of cutting the domain, and these vassal kings have become more and more fearless, repeatedly violating the prohibitions of the imperial court, making the majesty of the imperial court in the local area disappear, and even more, some of them dare to call the name of the grandson, without taking into account the etiquette and law, If this continues, the rites and music will collapse, the four dimensions will not be open, and the country will not be a country. ”

Huang Zicheng finally saw his bosom friend, they are all believers in Confucianism, Confucianism believes that the basic way to maintain a country is etiquette, these vassal kings have no etiquette, it is almost the same as rebellion, and said: "What Lord Qi said is very true, and I also think that the current state is not in trouble with Mongolia outside, but the vassal king in the country. Mongolia outside is at most a disease of delicate mustard, but the vassal king in the country is a problem of henchmen, and it must be prevented, otherwise once it festers, it may erode the overall situation, out of control, and may even cause the rebellion of the eight kings of the Western Jin Dynasty and the disaster of crossing to the south. For the long-term peace and stability of the dynasty, for the grace of the grandson's acquaintance, I am willing to encourage the Lord Qi to eliminate this confidant for my Ming Dynasty. ”

"Lord Huang" Qi Tai was very moved to hold Huang Zicheng's hands, such a confidant, such a like-minded friend, I am afraid that I will never find a second one in this life, and said: "I am willing to work together with Lord Huang to create a peaceful and prosperous era that surpasses all dynasties." ”

In this way, two people with Confucian ideals clasped their hands together, sharpened each other, spurred each other, and worked together for their goals.

The time has come, the ninth day of the fifth month of the 31st year of Hongwu, according to historical records, this is the day before Zhu Yuanzhang died.

I don't know what's going on this day, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly felt that he was in good spirits, it seemed that his previous spirit and physical strength had returned, he was in a very good mood, and his interest was also very high, so he called Zhu Yunwen, who had been serving him, and said, "Yunwen, how is the weather outside?" ”

Zhu Yunwen has been serving Zhu Yuanzhang in the house, he hasn't been out of the house for a long time, and he doesn't know what the weather is like outside, so he turned his head and glanced at the eunuch on duty outside the door.

The eunuch immediately understood, bowed over, and said in a very sharp voice: "Long live the lord, return to the grandson, the sky outside is very good, the sun is warm, but it is not strong." ”

"Good, good. I love good days. Zhu Yuanzhang snorted dullly, struggled to support his hands, and sat up slightly.

This startled Zhu Yunwen, he immediately ran over to support Zhu Yuanzhang, and said with a worried face: "Grandpa Huang, what are you doing, slow down, let your grandson support you." ”

Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to be in good spirits, and sat up with the help of Zhu Yunwen, he felt that his body was energetic again, this feeling was really good, and said: "Let's go, let's go out to bask in the sun, I haven't been out for so many days, and I'm going to get moldy here." ”

"Okay, okay." Zhu Yunwen is very happy, no matter what, his imperial grandfather has the spirit again, this is a good thing, besides, he knows that Zhu Yuanzhang has the habit of basking in the sun, as long as he is not in particularly bad health, he will go to the sun, today he is willing to go out to bask in the sun, this is a sign that his condition is improving, no matter what, it is worth being happy, and said with a smile: "Grandson, I will accompany the imperial grandfather out to bask in the sun." He turned his head and said sharply to the eunuch behind him: "You guys come over quickly and carry the imperial grandfather out." ”