Chapter 127: Zhu Yuanzhang and his son know of Zhu Ying

Lin Fu was full of emotion at this moment, sitting in the elder's seat, his eyes full of gratification and satisfaction, witnessing the wedding ceremony of his young master Zhu Ying in the capacity of an elder, on behalf of the deceased Old Madam.

Now his young master had started a family and established a career.

In his imagination, he would also see his young master have his own descendants in the future, enjoying family happiness.

For Lin Fu, this was his greatest comfort in this life; life to this point was already worth it.

"Old Madam."

Lin Fu tilted his head slightly, looking up at the sky, looking at the night sky, as if he had seen his Old Madam appear, smiling, as if he had seen the spirit of his Old Madam in heaven.

"The task you entrusted to this old servant, I have already completed."

"Young Master is married, and now he has even stood out, having stood firm in this world."

"May your spirit in heaven rest in peace! In the days to come, this old servant will definitely do my best to take good care of Young Master, to comfort your spirit in heaven."

Lin Fu's expression trembled slightly, whispering, the voice although light, was full of endless loyalty and firmness.

He had lived his life for Zhu Ying.

"Yuer, go to the room and wait for me."

Zhu Ying turned around, facing Shen Yuer, hanging a gentle smile, and said gently.

"Yes."

Shen Yuer nodded obediently, and under the careful support of two maids, walked down from the platform slowly and walked toward the military camp official residence.

Zhu Ying turned to face Bu Wan, full of solemnity and gratitude, nodded slightly, signaling to Bu Wan, his eyes conveying thanks.

Bu Wan responded with a smile, carrying an elder's blessing for a junior.

Afterward.

Zhu Ying strode to the edge of the platform.

At this time, the drill ground was brightly lit, like daylight.

Twenty thousand border army soldiers sat around the bonfires, their gazes all fixed on where Zhu Ying was.

Zhu Ying took a deep breath, his voice echoing throughout the drill ground: "Brothers! Today, I, Zhu Ying, am married!"

"Congratulations, General!"

"Congratulations to the General!"

"Wish the General early birth of a son, and a house full of descendants!"

In an instant!

On the entire drill ground, more than twenty thousand border army soldiers used all their strength to let out deafening cheers.

For these border army soldiers, being able to witness Zhu Ying's grand wedding with their own eyes, and having the honor to participate as guests, was what kind of glory, enough for them to remember for a lifetime.

"I have heard the brothers' blessings."

"Zhu Ying here, thanks all the brothers."

Zhu Ying cupped his hands and said with a laugh.

And his gaze was fixed on the drill ground.

Although the night was deep, he couldn't see the faces of every border army soldier, but he could truly feel the sincere blessings transmitted from every brother-in-arms.

No hypocrisy!

No fawning!

Even less insincerity!

"Bring the wine!"

Zhu Ying shouted loudly, carrying a heroic spirit, seemingly wanting to release the joy in his heart at this moment.

On the side.

Liu Lei quickly came with a pot of wine and a wine bowl, quickly filling a cup.

Zhu Ying held the wine bowl steadily, raised it high, facing all the border army brothers-in-arms.

At this moment, Zhu Ying's expression was solemn and serious, and he said loudly: "This first bowl of wine, I toast to the spirits of the soldiers who followed me into the Northern Frontier to kill the Jianzhou Jurchens and spilled their blood on the Liaodong battlefield!"

Having said that, Zhu Ying tilted his head and drank the wine in the bowl in one gulp.

And the tens of thousands of border army brothers-in-arms on the drill ground heard these words, and memories appeared on their faces one after another.

In their eyes, there was deep nostalgia for the deceased brothers-in-arms; that was the friendship of fighting side-by-side and sharing life and death!

Every battle, every charge, seemed to be vividly before their eyes.

After this war started, many of their brothers-in-arms remained in foreign lands forever, dying heroically in the desperate fight with the enemy.

And now, they, the survivors, could sit here, not only the result of their own brave fighting, but also inseparable from the life-risking protection of their brothers-in-arms at critical moments.

"Toast to the spirits of the brothers-in-arms in heaven!"

At this moment, all the generals and soldiers on the drill ground raised their wine bowls high.

Everyone shouted in unison, the sound shaking heaven and earth, as if wanting to break through this heavy night.

But under this night, this sound also appeared exceptionally tragic and solemn; this was a tribute to the deceased spirits.

Above the sky, the moon hung like a huge silver mirror, casting cold radiance, and countless stars flickered with weak light, as if countless spirits of brothers-in-arms were silently responding to their respect in the distant horizon.

"The second bowl."

"Toast to those border army brothers-in-arms who also followed me through life and death but did not come to Daning City."

Zhu Ying poured another cup of wine.

After the wine was full, he raised the wine bowl high again, his gaze crossing the heavy night, looking at the brothers guarding the border in various military camps in Daning Prefecture.

Then he tilted his head and drank it in one gulp again.

"Toast!"

The brothers-in-arms on the drill ground raised their bowls neatly again, accompanying Zhu Ying, expressing deep respect to those border army brothers-in-arms who could not guard Daning City and were sticking to various borders.

"The third bowl."

Zhu Ying revealed a hearty smile, raised the wine bowl again, his gaze scanning the brothers-in-arms on the drill ground.

"Today, I, Zhu Ying, am lucky! To be able to get married in the military camp, with more than twenty thousand brothers coming to attend the wedding banquet."

"For such a shocking wedding banquet, I, Zhu Ying, sincerely thank all the brothers for coming."

"This bowl of wine, I toast to all the brothers!" Zhu Ying said loudly, the third bowl of wine was drunk in one gulp again, his heroic posture fully displaying the true character of a soldier.

"Toast to the General!"

All the brothers laughed, all overflowing with joyful expressions, incomparably sincere.

They raised their wine bowls and respectfully toasted Zhu Ying on the platform.

"Hahaha, good! Brothers."

Zhu Ying laughed: "Nonsense, I won't say much more."

"Today, my personal guard battalion is on duty and patrolling, executing guard."

"Today, wine and meat are enough! Brothers, drink to your heart's content, and don't return until you are drunk!"

As Zhu Ying's voice fell.

"Thank you, General!"

"Today we will not return until we are drunk!"

"Cheers!"

As Zhu Ying toasted three bowls of wine, this military camp wedding banquet also entered a truly lively moment.

The drill ground instantly became lively and joyful.

The soldiers picked up their wine bowls one after another, walking with light steps, toasting each other.

Their laughter and shouts intertwined, very lively.

Some laughed heartily, their laughter hearty; some talked loudly, sharing each other's joy; and some drank heavily, drinking the wine in one gulp.

There were no tedious etiquette of the mansion banquet here, no atmosphere that made people feel constrained, only the purest, most sincere clamor.

Everyone cast aside their usual seriousness and restraint, laughing to their heart's content, enjoying this rare moment of joy.

Some soldiers patted each other's shoulders, saying words of blessing loudly; some pulled their close friends, sitting together, sharing interesting stories and memories on the battlefield; and some danced in the crowd, releasing their inner joy to the fullest.

The liveliness of the wedding banquet continued. The military camp was also a scene of joy.

This wedding banquet might not have invited many dignitaries, nor was it known to the whole city, but for Zhu Ying, being able to celebrate this major life event with his brothers-in-arms who had shared life and death in the military camp, he was already incomparably satisfied.

Today, he finally gave the woman he loved deeply a status, the status of a legal wife.

And even gave her a lively, full-of-true-feeling wedding banquet; in his heart, everything was worth it.

Time passed quietly in this lively and clamorous atmosphere, and before he knew it, it was late at night.

The liveliness on the military camp drill ground still showed no signs of stopping, the soldiers' enthusiasm was still high, and many were still drinking to their heart's content.

But Bu Wan and Huang Yao had already left one step ahead.

Zhu Ying wore a smile, walking toward the official residence belonging to his Regional Military Commissioner in the military camp.

Arriving in front of the official residence, he pushed the door open gently, his movements careful, fearing to disturb the tranquility in the room.

In the room, Shen Yuer was sitting quietly on the couch, with a red headscarf covered on her head.

She sat dignified, her hands folded on her legs, waiting quietly for the moment Zhu Ying lifted the headscarf.

Seeing this scene!

Zhu Ying revealed a gentle smile.

Although after returning to Daning, everything that should have been done had been done, but now that the wedding banquet was held, and they were married properly, from now on, Shen Yuer completely belonged to him.

Taking a deep breath, calming the joy in his heart, he walked up slowly.

Zhu Ying picked up the prepared scale rod and lifted Shen Yuer's headscarf gently.

Today's Shen Yuer, wearing a gorgeous wedding suit, appeared even more beautiful and moving.

"Yuer." Zhu Ying walked up and gently held Shen Yuer's hand: "From today on, you are my wife."

"Husband." Shen Yuer looked up and called gently.

"Rest." Zhu Ying said gently.

Afterward, everything was understood without words!

Beiping City, inside the Yan Prince's Mansion main hall.

"Subordinate, greets the Prince." Zhang Yu wore battle armor, in full military attire, and having just returned, he appeared somewhat dusty; he bowed and saluted Zhu Di.

"Haha, General Zhang."

Zhu Di was full of smiles, walking down from the high position with big strides.

Walking to Zhang Yu's side, he reached out and patted Zhang Yu's shoulder heavily, appearing very kind.

"It's good that you are back. I have already asked people to prepare wine and meat in the military camp, just waiting for the expeditionary soldiers to return to be rewarded."

"Subordinate has disappointed the Prince." Zhang Yu looked up, his face full of shame.

"This expedition to Liaodong, less than thirty thousand of our fifty thousand Beiping army soldiers returned, and among them, there are many wounded and disabled."

When saying these words, Zhang Yu's voice carried a trace of guilt.

Looking at Zhang Yu, who was lowering his head and looking ashamed, Zhu Di's face didn't show the slightest anger.

On the contrary, Zhu Di carried a comforting smile, then comforted: "General Zhang! The Battle of Tieling, I already know the cause and effect."

"Nahachu's means are vicious, setting an ambush with the lives of a city; Marquis Lan Yu didn't see through it, let alone you?"

"In this battle, that you could return alive and bring back nearly thirty thousand brothers is a fortunate thing."

Zhu Di's eyes were full of understanding and tolerance, not carrying any anger at all.

Although Zhu Di was in Beiping, he knew the situation on the Liaodong battlefield like the back of his hand.

Even many major military affairs were known to him in advance, while the Yingtian side was still completely ignorant.

This was Zhu Di's means; his intelligence network was like an invisible massive net, spread all over, keeping many pieces of news in his eyes.

Regarding the Battle of Tieling, Nahachu's ruthless layout, even if Zhu Di had encountered it, perhaps he would have found it difficult to see through the killing intent at a glance.

Although Marquis Lan Yu was ambushed and almost ended up with his entire army wiped out, Zhu Di didn't look down on Marquis Lan Yu at all.

On the contrary, toward Marquis Lan Yu, Zhu Di carried a kind of reverence from the bottom of his heart; this reverence had nothing to do with character, but was a sincere recognition of Marquis Lan Yu's ability to command troops.

In Zhu Di's eyes, the military wisdom and command ability Marquis Lan Yu displayed on the battlefield were worth him learning.

"Thank you, Prince, for your forgiveness."

Zhang Yu looked up, his eyes full of gratitude.

"Zhu Ying. You should have met him, right?" Zhu Di asked with a smile, his eyes flashing with a trace of curiosity, full of desire to explore Zhu Ying.

"Back to the Prince." Zhang Yu replied immediately: "Met many times. And when setting off to return, I also traveled with General Zhu Ying for a few days."

"Then tell me, what kind of person is this Zhu Ying."

Zhu Di narrowed his eyes slightly: "I have already heard quite a few pieces of news about him in Beiping, but after all, it was just hearsay."

"Today, I also want to know what kind of person this Zhu Ying is."

Zhu Di's voice carried a trace of exploration.

Hearing this!

A look of contemplation appeared on Zhang Yu's face; he lowered his head slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said: "Back to the Prince. If viewed from my perspective, from the perspective of a military general, Zhu Ying is a fierce general of the current era."

Zhang Yu's voice was very firm, as if narrating an indisputable fact.

"Every time he commands troops, he is fierce and charges, always at the very front of the soldiers."

"And the foundation of his command lies in one sentence: the general does not covet life, and the soldiers do not fear death."

"It is precisely because of this that the Daning border army is incomparably strong under his leadership."

"Now the soldiers of the Daning border army call Zhu Ying the Daning God of War, and some even compare him to the fierce and invincible Overlord of Western Chu of the past."

"His bravery, his military tactics, are truly powerful, and I am deeply impressed." Zhang Yu said, his admiration for Zhu Ying overflowing, undisguised.

Hearing these, Zhu Di nodded thoughtfully.

"Daning God of War! Comparable to the Overlord of Western Chu of the past! Being able to get this title, it is indeed visible how fierce he is."

Zhu Di's eyes flashed with a trace of surprise, as if his understanding of Zhu Ying had deepened by another layer.

The first time he knew Zhu Ying's name was naturally when Zhu Ying's name first appeared in Yingtian, but Zhu Di had received the news even earlier.

The first time was when Zhu Ying was fiercely killing enemies in the northern frontier, killing a hundred people in one go.

At that time, some people mentioned the astonishing nature of Zhu Ying's bravery.

It was just that at that time, Zhu Di didn't pay too much attention, after all, in his view, compared to fierce warriors, obviously the latter—generals with both wisdom and courage—were more important and could attract his attention.

In Zhu Di's heart, an excellent general must not only have unstoppable morale but also the wisdom to command troops and the strategy to fight well.

"How is he as a person? How is his character?"

Zhu Di looked at Zhang Yu again and asked, still full of exploration.

According to what Zhu Di knew, Zhu Ying's real age should be less than seventeen; after all, when the Shen family sent Zhu Ying into the Daning border army before, according to what that criminal official said, his age was raised a little.

Achieving such success at such a young age, and even being granted the title of Champion, logically, he must be the kind of person who is young and frivolous. Zhu Di urgently wanted to know what Zhu Ying's character was, to prepare for the next step of winning him over.

"Prince." Zhang Yu thought for a while and answered seriously: "According to my understanding of General Zhu Ying, he is very pure and kind, and very values military loyalty. Simply put, he is a person who values friendship and righteousness."

"And he is never arrogant in dealing with people, nor does he have any young and frivolous arrogance."

Zhang Yu said, shaking his head lightly, sighing at Zhu Ying's uniqueness, full of recognition for Zhu Ying.

This was the impression Zhu Ying had in his heart.

Although he was much older than Zhu Ying, he had been a general in the army for many years, so his judgment of people was still very accurate.

However, after hearing these!

Zhu Di nodded, but a complex look appeared on his face, thinking secretly in his heart: "Achieving such success at such a young age, yet not young and frivolous, with no edge displayed! Could it be that there really is a perfect person in this world?"

Zhu Di's eyes revealed a trace of suspicion and confusion; this was completely different from what he had expected.

Zhu Di, this Prince who had long been enfeoffed, had already spent many springs and autumns in the Prince's Mansion in Beiping.

Being in such a high position, he was accustomed to looking down on all living beings, and over time, he considered himself to have an extremely profound insight into human nature.

In his heart, there is no perfect person; this is an unchanging truth in the world.

Whether it was the soldiers and generals charging on the battlefield, the officials scheming in the imperial court, the officials handling complicated affairs in the local government, or the ordinary people struggling for a living in the folk, all kinds of people had different identities.

Soldiers enlist mostly for that salary, hoping to fight bravely on the battlefield, gain war merits, and thereby obtain more material returns to improve the lives of themselves and their families.

Generals command large armies, harboring the hope of establishing great achievements on the battlefield, obtaining greater power, and making their names spread far and wide.

Civil officials all want to stand out in the imperial court, display their ambitions, expect power to rise, and at the same time leave their names in history to be remembered by future generations.

Merchants are even more shrewd; they will never do things that cannot be profitable. Without the drive of profit, they feel that even waking up early is a waste of energy.

In Zhu Di's view, as long as one is a person, one must have selfish motives, and for those in power, this selfishness is precisely the key to controlling subordinates.

This philosophy was taught to him by his own father when he was still in Yingtian!

Regarding this, Zhu Di kept it in his heart and constantly verified it during his many years as a feudal prince.

As a person in power, Zhu Di understood that he could tolerate subordinates harboring selfish motives, and to a certain extent, he could also turn a blind eye to some things.

But he could not tolerate subordinates escaping his control, and selfishness was the best means to grasp subordinates.

Precisely because of this, when he heard many deeds of Zhu Ying, Zhu Di wanted to deeply understand this person through Zhang Yu.

He knew that knowing Zhu Ying's character would give him a chance to control him for his own use in the future.

Zhu Di paced slowly, wearing a thoughtful look.

He really couldn't believe that there was such a perfect person in this world.

"I absolutely do not believe that there is a perfect person in this world with no greed."

"As long as it is a person, there must be selfish motives. It seems that I still need to send more people to understand this Zhu Ying in the future, and send some spies into Zhu Ying's mansion." Zhu Di's eyes flashed with a trace of seriousness, secretly making a decision in his heart.

Suddenly.

Zhu Di stopped his steps, put a smile back on his face, looked at Zhang Yu, and asked: "According to what I know, Zhu Ying is not yet married, right?"

This question clearly hid some deep meaning.

"Indeed, he is not married." Zhang Yu answered immediately, "However, when I was traveling with General Zhu, I learned that General Zhu seems to have a childhood sweetheart."

"For a man, having a wife and concubines is very normal."

"With Zhu Ying's current status, he should marry a young lady whose family background is equal to his." Zhu Di tilted his head slightly and said meaningfully.

Hearing this, Zhang Yu's eyes lit up, as if he instantly understood Zhu Di's intention, and hurriedly said: "Is the Prince planning to introduce a marriage to Zhu Ying?"

Zhu Di smiled slightly, that smile carrying a bit of pride, and said: "I do know quite a few ladies from great families, and it is not difficult to find a few who are worthy of Zhu Ying."

Zhu Di thought that once the marriage introduction was successful, Zhu Ying would naturally become an object he could win over and would definitely be able to be used by him in the future.

However!

Just as Zhu Di was secretly calculating in his heart.

"Report!" Jin Zhong walked quickly into the Yan Prince's Mansion main hall, bowed, and reported to Zhu Di: "Report to the Prince, news came from Daning that the Daning Regional Military Commissioner Zhu Ying is married."

As soon as these words fell, the smile on Zhu Di's face instantly disappeared, and his face instantly became gloomy.

He stood up suddenly, his hands clenching into fists involuntarily, thinking secretly: "The plan to win him over that I finally came up with has been broken just like that!"

However.

On the surface, Zhu Di was still very calm.

"Zhu Ying married?" Zhu Di asked calmly: "Taking a wife or a concubine?"

"Back to the Prince," Jin Zhong replied immediately: "General Zhu Ying is marrying a legal wife."

"Legal wife?" Zhu Di frowned and continued to ask, "Which family's young lady is it?"

"Back to the Prince," Jin Zhong said cautiously: "It is a girl named Shen Yuer, it seems... it seems to be the daughter of the Beiping Shen family."

"However, it seems she has broken ties with the Shen family."

"This time General Zhu Ying is getting married, he neither sent betrothal gifts to the Shen family nor sent letters to the Shen family."

Jin Zhong said all the information he knew.

Zhu Di heard this, his brows furrowed even tighter, and his face clearly showed displeasure.

"He actually got married just like that."

"And it's a merchant's daughter."

Zhu Di's face became slightly ugly.

In his heart, he was actually somewhat annoyed.

The opportunity to win over Zhu Ying that he finally saw was gone just like that.

And in the capital of the Great Ming, Yingtian!

Inside the Wenyuan Pavilion.

Zhu Yuanzhang and his son Zhu Biao were sitting inside, the atmosphere appearing somewhat solemn.

At this time, they also received the news of Zhu Ying's marriage.

Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his beard lightly, seemingly thinking about something, while Zhu Biao frowned slightly, also revealing a thoughtful look.

The father and son's reaction to this news was hidden beneath these calm faces, making it difficult to fathom.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 128 =====

(End of chapter)