Chapter 179: Midnight Weeping

The banquet ended, and as they walked home, basically all the ministers couldn't help but hum the song Zhu Gaoxu had been singing.

After the banquet ended, Zhu Yuanzhang called Zhu Gaoxu aside alone.

He brought him to the Imperial Study.

The grandfather and grandson sat down casually, and Zhu Yuanzhang said to Zhu Gaoxu, "You little monkey, you're really leaving tomorrow. I won't go to see you off tomorrow, and I won't let anyone else go either. Do you have any regrets now?"

Hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Zhu Gaoxu replied without hesitation, "This grandson has no regrets."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed after hearing this, nodded, and said, "That's my, Zhu Yuanzhang's, grandson; that's a real man of our Zhu family."

After first praising Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression shifted, and he said with some worry, "This time going to the North, you are nominally there to suppress bandits, but in reality, you are going to help me govern the North, resolve the issues of disaster victims and displaced people, and restore and accelerate construction in the North."

"At the same time, you must write to me without missing a single word about everything you hear and see along the way. If you encounter any good officials, recommend them to me; if you encounter any corrupt or rotten officials, I grant you the Imperial Execution Sword—you may look into it and execute them for me directly!"

"So you must be clear: compared to killing bandits, these matters are what you should be worried about."

How could Zhu Gaoxu not understand Zhu Yuanzhang's words?

On the surface, it was to suppress bandits, but in reality, it was to protect Zhu Gaoxu.

It was also to preserve Zhu Yuanzhang's face.

Once in the North, the bandits would actually be the easiest thing to resolve.

Even if he encountered large-scale, formidable bandits that were truly hard to chew, he could come back and tell Lao Zhu.

At that time, troops would naturally be sent secretly to provide support.

Even if Zhu Gaoxu only wiped out a dozen or so bandits, he could still say he had completed the mission upon his return.

But restoring construction was not; that was a real challenge.

If he went there openly for that purpose,

first of all, many corrupt officials would definitely have received the news.

They wouldn't know what to use to hoodwink Zhu Gaoxu.

He would definitely be obstructed at every turn.

And if things went poorly and he returned in disgrace, it wouldn't look good on Zhu Yuanzhang's face either.

So, making it look like a bandit-suppression mission on the surface was very good.

Zhu Gaoxu nodded, indicating that he understood.

Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang let out a hiccup from the alcohol and said, "Since that is the case, it is getting late. If you want to rest in the palace tonight, go find Eunuch Li."

After saying this, Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and left.

And Zhu Gaoxu naturally would not stay in the palace alone.

He was leaving tomorrow, so even if he didn't return to the Military Camp today, he had to sleep at home.

Thinking this, Zhu Gaoxu also stood up and walked outside.

Lao Zhu went to find Empress Ma, while Zhu Gaoxu headed outside the palace.

Sitting in his Feudatory Prince Carriage, Zhu Gaoxu suddenly thought of something.

He slapped his forehead and said, "First, make a trip to Li Quan's place."

Ada, who was following, immediately ordered people to turn the carriage around.

Soon, Zhu Gaoxu arrived in front of the Drunken Immortal Workshop.

Zhu Gaoxu knocked on the door.

Li Quan had already taken off his outer garment and opened the shop door wearing only his undergarments.

Seeing that it was Zhu Gaoxu outside, Li Quan hurriedly apologized, "This lowly one did not know it was the master who had come. I have startled the master; this lowly one deserves to die."

As he spoke, he was about to kneel, but Zhu Gaoxu reached out to stop him and then said, "This Prince has no time for these empty formalities with you."

Hearing Zhu Gaoxu's words, Li Quan looked at Zhu Gaoxu with some confusion, not knowing what the urgent matter was.

Then, Zhu Gaoxu took a bag of rice seeds from his bosom.

"This Prince has a field outside the city, over a thousand mu. When the time comes, plant these rice seeds. You must remember to tend to them carefully. This Prince is leaving tomorrow; there is no need to see me off."

After saying this, Zhu Gaoxu handed the Hybrid Rice Seeds rewarded by the system to Li Quan, then boarded the Feudatory Prince Carriage and drove away.

Li Quan watched the departing Zhu Gaoxu, truly unable to understand why his master had to deliver such a bag of seeds in the middle of the night.

He didn't see anything different about them.

However, seeing how much importance Zhu Gaoxu placed on them, Li Quan still carefully tucked the bag of seeds into his bosom, then watched until Zhu Gaoxu completely disappeared from his field of vision before closing the shop door.

Walking on the road home, Zhu Gaoxu thought to himself and confirmed that he hadn't forgotten anything, only then feeling at ease.

He was leaving tomorrow; if he forgot something, it might be half a year before he returned.

Wasting half a year was not something Zhu Gaoxu was happy about.

Finally, Zhu Gaoxu returned to the Wangfu of the Prince of Yan.

His father and mother had already rested, and Zhu Gaoxu also returned to his room quietly.

It was just that he did not know that inside Zhu Di's room, although the lights were already out, the couple had not yet fallen asleep.

The main reason was that Zhu Gaoxu's mother, Xu Miaoyun, was crying.

"The Old Man is truly heartless. Our son is leaving tomorrow, and we don't know when he will return, yet he won't even let us go see him off."

"That is his own grandson! This trip will take at least half a year, and a year is even possible. Gaoxu is so young; as his mother, how can I be at ease without giving him some instructions?"

Hearing his wife's complaints, Zhu Di did not speak, only holding Xu Miaoyun in his arms.

How could he not want to see his child off?

But he knew Zhu Yuanzhang's intention: the lower profile Zhu Gaoxu kept this trip, the better.

If it were truly done with great fanfare, it would only harm him instead.