Zhu Houzhao is not ignorant, he is different from Jia Baoyu, he is just too careless, or subconsciously chose to escape, to escape the fact that his father is old.

Facts are facts after all, and they do not disappear because of subjective evasion.

Zhu Houzhao suddenly burst into tears, he found that he had missed a lot, Liu Jin and Gu Dayong somehow, seeing that the prince was sad for no reason, they couldn't help but be terrified, and the two hurriedly knelt down to ask for guilt.

"I, I'm ......" Zhu Houzhao pursed his lips, wiped his tears with his sleeves: "I want to go back to the palace to see my father and mother......

After speaking, Zhu Houzhao turned his head and left.

"Your Highness!" Qin Kan stopped him in a deep voice behind him.

Zhu Houzhao turned around, but saw Qin Kan looking at him gently, the soft light in his eyes was like the sun in winter, warm and comfortable, illuminating every darkness in the world.

Zhu Houzhao was no longer excited, his emotions gradually eased, but there were still tears in his eyes.

Qin Kan smiled faintly: "Your Highness, your son wants to raise and don't treat you, but Your Highness still has time, come to the kitchen with the minister, the minister will teach you a very ordinary soup, you have learned to go back to the palace and make it for your father to drink, the soup is ordinary, filial piety is priceless, I hope Your Highness will learn with your heart, your father is rich in the world, there is nothing else to ask for, what he wants may only be a bowl of soup made by your own hands." ”

Zhu Houzhao's tears welled up again, he gritted his teeth and nodded vigorously, choking so much that he couldn't say a word.

A fire broke out in the kitchen of the Qin Mansion, and curling smoke swayed through the chimney.

This time Qin Kan didn't have any utilitarian intentions, he just wanted to do something for the poor father, for the son who was about to lose his father, he didn't want to invite flattery, he didn't want to welcome the horse, he just wanted to fulfill the family love of a father and son. So much for.

The material is simple. Chicken, thin stem, thin umbrella, small mushrooms, green onion and ginger. Fine salt, there were no chili peppers in this era, and it could have been replaced with dogwood. Considering that Emperor Hongzhi's weak body could no longer be stimulated by spicy stimulation, Zhu Yu could be dispensed with.

After the oil boils, the chicken is stir-fried, the ingredients are poured with water, and the simmer is slow for half an hour, and a pot of fragrant chicken stewed mushrooms is completed.

Zhu Houzhao is not a good student, or he has no talent for cooking at all, his eyes are staring without blinking, and he constantly memorizes the steps of Qin Kan's cooking, he learns very seriously. However, the practice is a mess.

Breaking countless dishes, Zhu Houzhao hurriedly took out the first work of his life and held it in front of Qin Kan, who raised his chopsticks and tasted it. His face was a little pale. Shook his head with a wry smile.

Zhu Houzhao's expectant gaze suddenly lost his brilliance.

Gritting his teeth, Zhu Houzhao stood up. rudely pushed away Liu Jin and Gu Dayong, who were a little frightened and wanted to come forward to help, and continued his second practice.

And then the third, the fourth......

I don't know what kind of faith supports him, from the sun to the sunset, Zhu Houzhao's cooking skills have not improved much, but he still repeats it again and again.

Qin Kan's smile was a little bitter, to be honest, the things made by Zhu Houzhao were very delicious, the color, fragrance and flavor were the same, he didn't take any of them, either salty or light, either too fat or too bitter, every time he cooked a pot of black things that didn't know what the ingredients were, Qin Kan sighed.

Obviously the same material, the same condiment, why Zhu Houzhao always makes people so unappetizing, the unknown strange smell that exudes even makes people want to vomit, what's the problem?

"Your Royal Highness, forget it, after returning to the palace, you let the eunuch in charge of the imperial dining room, you can do it, and it will be the same for your father to taste, there is your hard work in it, and it can be regarded as your own hand, and your father will not mind." Qin Kan let out a long sigh.

Zhu Houzhao's face has been smoked black and white, and he wiped his face with his sleeves, Zhu Houzhao said stubbornly: "I don't!" I must make a bowl of soup for my father completely, and I am the only one who makes the soup from beginning to end! ”

Liu Jin and Gu Dayong glanced at Qin Kan with resentment, and stomped their feet with a sad face: "My little ancestor, how can such a despicable thing be done by your golden body?" The old slave will die, so the old slave will help you do it, and you will say that you did it to Your Majesty, what is the difference? ”

Zhu Houzhao was furious, like a roaring lion cub, and roared viciously at the two: "Get out!" How can it not make a difference? The difference is huge! Is my filial piety also something you can replace? What do you minions know! Get lost! ”

Liu Jin and Gu Dayong were shocked when they saw the prince's rare anger, and hurriedly retreated to a distance and knelt on the ground to plead guilty.

Zhu Houzhao turned his head to look at Qin Kan, his eyes were very helpless: "Qin Kan, you know my mind, tell me, what should I do?" ”

Qin Kan smiled gently: "It doesn't matter if you don't do it once, try it a few more times, it doesn't matter if you don't do it in one day, learn a few more days, Your Highness will one day bring the soup with all the color and flavor to your Majesty, Your Highness doesn't have to be in a hurry." ”

Zhu Houzhao was extremely depressed, so he sighed for a long time, and saw that the sky was already dark, and the city gate was about to close, so he had to say goodbye to Qin Kan.

Qin Kan sent Zhu Houzhao out of the door, and watched the guards of honor of the pro-army guards walk away with his chariot, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

If you want to be a man, you must be a man first, today's experience is something that Zhu Houzhao in the history books has never had, and I believe it will have a great impact on him.

The history of the future must have been rewritten, even if Zhu Houzhao is absurd, but at least he will not be a faint king, he understands what is what he should cherish.

A person who knows how to cherish, knows how to be grateful, and knows how to protect his beliefs, and a person who is willing to make soup for his father, it is certain that he will never be a bad person.

The logic is simple, but it works everywhere.

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Zhu Houzhao entered the city and did not return to the East Palace, but directly entered the Inner Palace (Author's note: The East Palace where the Ming Dynasty prince lived was actually called Qingning Palace, located in the east of the outer palace of the Imperial Palace, on the left side of the Imperial Horse Prison, and the inner and outer palaces were bounded by Chonglou, and the two were isolated at night. ）

According to the rules, if the prince wants to live alone in the East Palace when he becomes an adult, he is not allowed to stay in the Inner Palace. But rules are dead, but people are alive.

Emperor Hongzhi has only one queen and only one son, and the harem is as simple as a glass of boiled water, and Zhu Houzhao sometimes plays too late in the palace. The palace gate fell, and it was too late to leave the palace. He also habitually lived in the palace, sometimes Emperor Hongzhi spent all night in the imperial study to review the recital, and Zhu Houzhao slept in the imperial study. Therefore, for the prince to enter the palace at night, the forbidden army and the eunuchs and maids in the palace have long been surprised.

Tonight, Zhu Houzhao's behavior was a little abnormal after entering the inner palace, and he didn't ask his father and queen mother for peace. But accompanied by a group of eunuchs and palace maids, they broke into the imperial dining room that they never set foot in on weekdays.

Liu Jin and Gu Dayong stood anxiously outside the door and stomped their feet, cursing the troubled Qin Qianhu thousands of times in their hearts, while Zhu Houzhao went into the imperial dining room, kicked the eunuch in charge of the kitchen out of the door, and worked alone inside.

The door of the imperial dining room was closed, and a group of cooks, eunuchs, and palace maids were in a hurry outside. I don't know what stimulated His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to come to the kitchen to scourge him, but he didn't dare to go in and disturb him, so he could only hear the sound of the dishes breaking inside. Liu Jin and Gu Da rubbed their hands and stomped their feet in a hurry. I'm about to cry.

…………

…………

When the lamp is in hand, the glass palace lamp in the imperial study is shining. The study was as bright as day, and Emperor Hongzhi was casually draped in a dragon robe, reading the book under the candlelight, with a focused expression and a melancholy face.

The floods in the south of the Yangtze River, the drought in Liaodong, the rebellion of the Tusi in Sichuan, and the disturbance of the Japanese in the southeast, not to mention the little prince of the Tatars (Boyan Mengke) frequently violated the border, almost every year before the winter, the border army had to fight with the Tatars several times, obviously winning less and losing more, every time the border was ravaged and plundered by the Tatar army, the governor of Xuanfu Datong was still cheeky and whitewashed the peace, and he would be victorious.

Emperor Hongzhi put down the red pen, rubbed his tightly twisted eyebrows, and sighed worriedly.

Such a Daming country, such a devastated ancestral society, teach him how to hand over to Zhu Houzhao with confidence? Can that fifteen-year-old child's thin shoulders bear such a heavy responsibility?

There was a sound of hurried footsteps outside the hall, and a eunuch hurriedly entered, kneeling on the ground and trembling: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has entered the imperial dining room for some reason......"

Emperor Hongzhi frowned and said in a deep voice: "What did he do when he entered the imperial dining room without any trouble?" ”

"The slave and maid don't know, His Highness drove everyone out when he entered, and closed the door, no one was allowed to enter, I don't know what they were busy in, and the slave and maid didn't dare to peep."

Emperor Hongzhi pondered for a moment, put down the notebook in his hand, stood up and said, "Set up the imperial dining room, I will go and see it myself." ”

The emperor traveled, the eunuchs and palace maids of the inner palace gathered, the Hongzhi Emperor rode the sedan chair, the warriors of the forbidden palace opened the way, and the eunuchs and palace maids of the inner palace followed, fortunately, the Hongzhi Emperor was thrifty and self-disciplined, and rarely used the full honor guard, and more than 100 people hurriedly went to the imperial dining room.

…………

…………

When Emperor Hongzhi came to the door of the imperial dining room on the south side of the inner palace, Liu Jin, Gu Dayong and others, who were in a hurry, knelt on the ground one after another.

The door to the dining room was still closed, and there was a gurgling sound from inside.

Emperor Hongzhi became more and more puzzled, so he gently pushed the door open, but saw the prince Zhu Houzhao circling around the stove, busy and happy, his face was blackened by the smoke of firewood oil, sweat flowed, and his face was black and white, like a little flower cat.

Zhu Houzhao didn't know how bad his image was at the moment, he finally made a bowl of soup with his own hands, looked down at it by candlelight for a while, his brows gradually wrinkled, obviously very dissatisfied with the quality of the soup, and he didn't give up and scooped up a spoonful with a spoon and sent it to his mouth, as soon as he entered his mouth, he felt that the taste was strange and unpalatable, and he wanted to vomit.

Zhu Houzhao looked at the bowl of soup made by himself, and after a long time, he threw the soup spoon in his hand angrily, and then grinned and cried, tears flowing down his dirty face like pearls with broken threads.

Emperor Hongzhi looked angry and funny at the door, and said softly: "What's wrong with my son?" What are you crying about? ”

Zhu Houzhao turned his head and saw his father coming, wiped his tears and sobbed: "Father, Erchen wants to make you a bowl of soup with his own hands, but Qin Kan has taught me several times, but Erchen can't learn anything, Erchen is too stupid and useless, no matter how hard he works, the things he makes are so unpalatable......"

Emperor Hongzhi's eyes widened, staring at his crying son in front of him in a daze, and then looked at the bowl of black soup on the stove with no known texture, for a long time, Emperor Hongzhi's tears gushed out like spring water, like rain like a river, unstoppable.

With difficulty, Emperor Hongzhi walked to the stove, picked up the bowl of ugly soup made by Zhu Houzhao himself, and tears dripped into the steaming soup one by one.

"Me, my son,...... Finally grown up, my father was very happy,...... It's a pleasure. ”

Emperor Hongzhi was in tears as he brought the bowl of soup to his mouth.

Zhu Houzhao was shocked and said hurriedly: "Father, don't drink it, it's hard to drink......"

Emperor Hongzhi smiled with tears: "My son made it himself, no matter what kind of taste, to my father, it is the most delicious thing in the world." ”

After saying that, Emperor Hongzhi slowly drank the bowl of soup, he drank it very slowly, one bite after another, smacking his mouth with each sip, as if he was savoring the aftertaste, nodded with satisfaction, and took another sip......

There was silence in the imperial dining room, and the most noble father and son in the world wept silently, only the slow sipping sound of the father could be heard.

Outside the door, all the warriors of the forbidden palace, the eunuchs and palace maids were also moved by this scene, I don't know who took the lead, everyone knelt down facing the door, bowed their heads to the ground, and sobbed one after another.

The bowl of soup Emperor Hongzhi drank not a drop left, and even lost the emperor's majesty and licked the edge of the bowl with his tongue, then gently put down the bowl, looked at Zhu Houzhao with tears, and smiled happily with tears: "Houzhao, this is the best and most delicious bowl of soup that my father has ever drunk in my life, my father will not lie to you, my father can swear." ”

Zhu Houzhao said with tears in his eyes: "Father, if you study for a few more days, you will definitely make it more delicious than today." ”

Emperor Hongzhi smiled happily: "Good, good!" Father waited to taste. ”

Holding Zhu Houzhao's hand, just like when Zhu Houzhao was a child, Emperor Hongzhi was in a very good mood, and said with a smile: "Go, walk around the palace with your father, I won't approve the chapter tonight, the ancients said that stepping on the moon to find plum is an elegant matter, and our father and son are also vassals in the palace tonight." ”

"Okay." Zhu Houzhao happily held the hand of Emperor Hongzhi, the father and son did not take the chariot, walked slowly, and the warriors and eunuchs of the forbidden palace followed far behind, not daring to alarm this pair of the most noble but also the most pitiful father and son.

The bright moonlight dragged the shadows of the two people very long, very close, as if they were one.

Who said the moonlight in the palace was cold and scary? At least at this moment, the moonlight in the Ming Forbidden Palace is warm on the body, like sunlight, purer than sunlight.

Zhu Houzhao, who was led by Emperor Hongzhi, walked a few steps, his figure was stunned, and he looked sideways at Emperor Hongzhi, looking very carefully, as if he wanted to count the white hair on his father's sideburns over the years.

Qin Kan was right, it turned out that his father was really old, and his sideburns seemed to be dyed with a layer of severe frost, Zhu Houzhao stood on tiptoe, trying to help his father wipe off the hateful frost, wiped it a few times, but it never could be erased.

White hair and wrinkles, those are the traces carved by the years, and as the emperor and the crown prince, they can't resist the ruthless carving knife of the years.

Zhu Houzhao stopped his senseless movements, looked at Emperor Hongzhi fixedly, and somehow, tears flowed out again.

"Father, you never want to get old, okay?"

Emperor Hongzhi shook his head, and then looked up to the sky and smiled, smiling sadly and happily.

"Okay, my father will never grow old, my father promised you."