gnovel Chapter 22 Miao Jin Refuses to Marry the Crown Prince
Chapter 22 Miao Jin Refuses to Marry the Crown Prince
Because of a stroke, Duke Tang He of Xinguo was unable to move around easily, so Zhu Youdun personally led a carriage to meet him outside the city.
The occasion, which should have been reserved for the Crown Prince, was overshadowed by Zhu Youdun.
Zhu Yunwen suppressed his displeasure.
Seeing his old comrade drooling incessantly, Zhu Yuanzhang's tears streamed down his face.
The two people sat facing each other, holding hands.
They looked at each other speechlessly, only tears streaming down their faces.
Looking back on the past, I am filled with emotion.
At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang was just a penniless monk named Zhu Chongba.
Zhu Yuanzhang joined the uprising because of a letter from Tang He.
Tang He wrote a letter, asking Zhu Yuanzhang to go to Haozhou to find him.
As a result, the letter was seen by the other monks in the temple, who clamored to report it to the authorities and claim the reward.
Having nowhere else to turn, Zhu Yuanzhang went down the mountain and sought refuge with Guo Zixing.
At that time, Tang He was already a commander of a thousand under Guo Zixing.
However, he preferred to follow the orders of the soldier Zhu Chongba and was extremely loyal to Zhu Chongba.
While in Hezhou, Guo Zixing's brother-in-law Zhang Tianyou was dissatisfied with Zhu Yuanzhang's control and questioned Zhu Yuanzhang's strategy of holding Hezhou. Tang He stepped forward again and firmly supported Zhu Yuanzhang, leading troops to repel Chen Yexian.
……
The past events are still vivid in my mind, but the once valiant general is now speechless.
She just held Zhu Yuanzhang's hand and kept crying. When she saw Zhu Youdun, she nodded repeatedly, wanting to say a few words of praise, but she couldn't make a sound.
He just kept nodding.
"Of course it's good to have stew, regardless of whose grandson it is," Zhu Yuanzhang said proudly and smugly.
With such a talented grandson, his life is complete.
Heaven has been kind to him.
Over the years, he has worked diligently and conscientiously, from dawn till dusk, and now he is finally reaping the rewards.
Grandfather had more than one grandson, Zhu Youdun.
Zhu Yunwen felt a deep bitterness in his heart.
Zhu Gaoxi was not jealous; he was self-aware and knew that he was indeed inferior to Zhu Youdun in many ways.
However, it doesn't matter, why do we have to compare ourselves to Zhu Youdun?
No matter how capable he is, there are only twelve hours in a day. Time is limited, and it's impossible for him to excel at everything.
Zhu Gaoxi doesn't believe that there's a track that can surpass Zhu Youdun.
After seeing Tang He off, Zhu Youdun wrote down all the details that his grandfather needed to pay attention to in his daily life on a piece of paper and handed it to Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Shangbing, asking them to serve him diligently.
Three days later, Zhu Youdun set off.
Zhu Yuanzhang escorted him all the way to the Longjiang Wharf. Suddenly, Zhu Gaoxi saw a fleeting glimpse of Xu Miaojin's shadow.
To verify that it wasn't a misperception, Zhu Gaoxi turned his gaze to Zhu Yunwen. Seeing that Zhu Yunwen's face was ashen, he instantly understood that it really was Xu Miaojin who had come to deliver Zhu Youdun.
Xu Miaojin's heart belongs to Zhu Youdun.
Marrying him is only a matter of time.
Zhu Gaoxi felt utterly dejected.
He couldn't control Xu Miaojin's true feelings.
"Come back soon, remember?" Zhu Yuanzhang pitifully instructed again and again.
"Grandfather, I will definitely come back on time," Zhu Youdun promised with utmost sincerity.
Zhu Gaoxi thought that Zhu Youdun standing at the bow of the boat looked incredibly cool and stylish, and was indescribably extraordinary.
When he grows up, he wants to be just as majestic.
Zhu Yuanzhang assigned the naval commander Chen Xuan to accompany Zhu Youdun to ensure his safety.
"Protect the stew well," Zhu Yuanzhang repeatedly instructed.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, this humble general will do everything in his power to protect the Crown Prince," Chen Xuan replied respectfully.
On the way back to the palace, Zhu Yuanzhang held Zhu Gaoxi's hand tightly, as if afraid of losing him.
Zhu Gaoxi sighed inwardly, thinking that if Zhu Yunwen saw this scene, he would probably be even more jealous.
Zhu Youdun, this superstar, overshadows the brilliance of all the surrounding stars.
Back in the palace, life went on.
Although it may seem like something is missing, you'll get used to it over time.
That's what Zhu Gaoxi thought anyway.
When his adoptive father first left, he also had a long time to adjust.
Zhu Gaochi was meticulous but physically inconvenient, Zhu Shangbing was careless, and Zhu Gaoxi was too young.
The trio managed to keep Zhu Yuanzhang's standard of living from declining too much.
Zhu Yunwen was a man of great things and had no time to pay attention to such trivial matters.
Before long, Zhu Yunwen's mind started to wander again.
He always found excuses to go to the Duke of Wei's mansion to ask for advice on military strategy, and Zhu Gaoxi knew that he wanted to see Xu Miaojin.
However, Xu Miaojin hid in her own courtyard and refused to come out no matter how Zhu Yunwen tried to probe her.
Zhu Gaoxi was driven out multiple times, which was very humiliating.
Xu Huizu was at his wits' end; he tried everything, from kind words to harsh ones, but Xu Miaojin simply wouldn't listen.
She will not marry anyone but Zhu Youdun.
Who cares if he's the Crown Prince or the Heavenly King himself?
Xu Miaojin almost burst into a tirade.
However, Zhu Yunwen still refused to give up and made a gentle promise: no matter when, as long as Miaojin wanted to marry, he would definitely marry her.
He wanted to test whether the power he held was effective against Xu Miaojin.
Zhu Gaoxi saw things more clearly than anyone else.
He didn't care how Xu Miaojin felt; he only cared whether Xu Miaojin obeyed him.
Zhu Yunwen was very dissatisfied with Xu Huizu for not being able to handle even this simple matter.
If Li Jinglong hadn't been ordered to guard Gansu, he would have replaced Xu Huizu long ago.
Unable to win over Xu Miaojin, Zhu Yunwen's marriage could not be delayed.
Zhu Yuanzhang temporarily chose Ma Quan's daughter, who was the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, as the bride. Zhu Yunwen had no objection and said that he would leave it to his grandfather to decide.
The daughter of Lü Gui, a constable of the Loyal Military Command, is gentle, refined, and well-mannered. Zhu Yuanzhang intends to marry her to Youdun.
Zhu Yunwen strongly agreed.
If Xu Miaojin insists on marrying Zhu Youdun, it is impossible for her to become the principal wife.
Zhu Yunwen absolutely refused.
"If she's willing to humiliate herself, then so be it," Zhu Yunwen thought ruthlessly.
"Let her be trapped in the infighting within the inner quarters for the rest of her life, with no chance of ever rising above it."
"The Lü family will always be above Xu Miaojin."
The marriage arrangements for Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Shangbing were almost finalized, and they were just waiting for Zhu Youdun to return so that they could hold the investiture ceremony together.
Zhu Gaoxi did not want to get too close to Zhu Yunwen, fearing that he would be used by him, so he asked Zhu Yuanzhang for a separate residence with a large open space inside.
Zhu Gaoxi wanted to grow some grains and vegetables there, making it his own paradise.
It was also a testing ground, where all the knowledge learned from agricultural books was put to the test.
Food is the most important thing for people, and Zhu Gaoxi wanted to use agricultural planting as a breakthrough to surpass Zhu Youdun in the future.
One day, he will make Xu Miaojin look at him with new eyes.
Upon seeing the vegetable garden, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but burst into tears and blurted out, "Sister."
The imperial eunuch Huang Liang also wiped away tears, saying that the Empress had also cultivated a vegetable garden like this in the Kunning Palace in the past.
At that time, most of the vegetables Zhu Yuanzhang ate every day were grown in that vegetable garden.
Zhu Gaoxi directed a group of eunuchs to work every day, keeping them extremely busy.
The harvested vegetables and fruits, when handed over to Zhu Shangbing, were all transformed into delicious food, making Zhu Yuanzhang extremely happy.
Zhu Yunwen seemed to have noticed Zhu Gaoxi's growing distance, and often came to the vegetable garden to try and get closer to him.
Zhu Gaochi often privately instructed Zhu Gaoxi to treat the Crown Prince in a friendly manner.
Zhu Gaoxi did not want to argue and accepted everything.