Chapter 109: Family Dinner

In the fifth year of Hongwu, the nineteenth day of the first month, evening.

The celebration banquet in Fengtian Hall was still going on, but Zhu Yong had already slipped out quietly.

Guanyin Nu was waiting for him at Kunning Palace.

Passing through the long palace corridor, he could see the lanterns glowing in front of Kunning Palace's gate from afar.

Zhu Yong quickened his steps; just as he reached the palace entrance, he saw Guanyin Nu standing on the corridor, one hand supporting the doorframe, the other hand feeling her swollen belly.

The five‑month pregnancy was already quite evident.

Zhu Yong stood there, momentarily at a loss.

"Prince…," Guanyin Nu's voice trembled.

Zhu Yong hurried forward, gently grasped her hand and called, "Minmin."

Their eyes met, and a thousand words were stuck in their throats.

Guanyin Nu spoke first, lowering her head, and said softly, "I… I am pregnant."

"I know, Father and Mother told me, it's been over five months," Zhu Yong said naively, his gaze falling on her belly, feeling an indescribable emotion inside.

"Hmm! The imperial physician said, likely late April to early May for birth…" Guanyin Nu blushed and replied quietly.

Zhu Yong's eyes lit up; he wanted to reach out to touch, but pulled back and said, "My hands are rough…"

"It's fine." Guanyin Nu took his hand and gently placed it on her belly.

Through the thick winter clothes, he could feel warmth and a slight fetal movement.

"It's moving," Zhu Yong said in surprise.

"Hmm, it's been moving a lot lately; Imperial Mother said it must be a mischievous little boy," Guanyin Nu laughed, though tears glistened at the corners of her eyes.

Zhu Yong clumsily wiped away her tears and said, "Don't cry, I'm back."

"I'm not crying, I'm happy," Guanyin Nu leaned on his shoulder.

The husband and wife stood there on the corridor, quietly embracing.

After a while, Empress Ma's voice came from inside, saying, "Yong Er, Minmin, it's cold outside, come in."

Only then did the two of them enter the room.

Inside Kunning Palace, a ground dragon was burning, filling the space with warm heat.

Empress Ma sat on the warm kang, smiling at them, "All right, the man is back, your hearts are at ease now?"

Guanyin Nu shyly released Zhu Yong's hand, sat beside Empress Ma and called softly, "Imperial Mother…"

"Alright, alright, I won't scold you, Yong Er, this battle lasted half a year, you've worked hard," Empress Ma said, holding her hand and then looking at Zhu Yong.

"Not hard at all, Mother, I just missed home," Zhu Yong said with a goofy smile.

"It's good that you're thinking of home; Minmin has been worrying about you these past months, losing appetite for tea and food; if not for the imperial physician watching over her, she'd have become emaciated," Empress Ma nodded.

Guanyin Nu whispered, "Imperial Mother…"

"Alright, alright, no more talk, Yong Er, go wash up and change clothes first; come back for dinner later. Tonight stay in the palace; your father will also come."

Empress Ma smiled and patted her hand.

"Yes, Mother…"

Zhu Yong stepped out, and a palace maid led him to the side hall for bathing and changing.

When he finished washing, changed into everyday clothes, and returned to the main hall, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao were already there.

Because several people hadn't eaten enough at the banquet, they had all come.

The family sat around a small table by the warm kang, with a few simple dishes on it.

A pot of stewed lamb, a plate of scrambled eggs, two kinds of greens, and a pot of rice.

No delicacies, just home‑cooked fare.

"Yong Er, sit," Zhu Yuanzhang said, pointing to the seat beside him.

Zhu Yong sat down, first picking a piece of lamb for Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma each, then serving vegetables to Zhu Biao and Guanyin Nu.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked on, a satisfied smile on his face, and said, "You've been out fighting for half a year, and you've finally learned to take care of people."

"Father, I've always been able to," Zhu Yong said naively.

"Yes, yes, our goofy son has grown up," Zhu Yuanzhang laughed heartily.

The family ate and chatted.

Zhu Biao asked about the specific details of the Goryeo war, and Zhu Yong recounted them one by one.

When the Battle of Kaicheng was mentioned, five thousand troops broke through West Gate; Zhu Yuanzhang nodded repeatedly, "The combination of unconventional and orthodox tactics is good."

When the Nüzhen matter was discussed, all males over fifteen were beheaded; Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a moment, then said, "It's right; the Nüzhen are wolfish, if not eliminated the trouble will be endless."

Empress Ma said softly, "It is indeed a bit excessive in slaughter."

"Girl, you don't understand; a wolf on the steppe, if you spare it once, it will remember you, and next time it will bite your throat off."

"Yong Er did the right thing, eradicating evil completely," Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said.

Zhu Yong buried his head in his food, saying nothing.

He understood in his heart that if the Nüzhen were not eradicated, they would become Great Ming's greatest internal threat a hundred years later.

Since there is a chance, the roots must be cut.

After the meal, the palace maids cleared the dishes and brought hot tea.

Zhu Yuanzhang took a sip of tea, looked at Zhu Yong and said, "Yong Er, this time you annihilated Goryeo and pacified the Nüzhen; the merits are great, but there are already criticisms in the court, saying your slaughter was excessive and harmed heavenly harmony. Are you prepared?"

Zhu Yong nodded, "Father, I know, but on the battlefield, mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself. The Nüzhen have raided Liaodong for decades, killing countless civilians; if I do not kill their men, future disaster is inevitable. The Goryeo Wang Zhuan overreached by attacking Great Ming's border; his kingdom's destruction is his own doing."

Wang Zhuan of Goryeo overreached by invading Great Ming's border; his kingdom's downfall is self‑inflicted.

"Well said! This is exactly what our Zhu Zhong Ba's son should be. Those civil officials know nothing; they only talk about benevolence and righteousness. If they were truly sent to the battlefield, they'd probably can't even hold a sword."

"Well said! This is truly the son of our Zhong Ba, those civil officials know nothing, they only spout empty talk of benevolence and righteousness, if we really sent them onto the battlefield they'd probably can't even hold a sword steady."

Zhu Yuanzhang praised it.

Zhu Biao said gently, "Second brother, don't worry. Our elder brother will handle this. Tomorrow at the morning court, if the Imperial Censor brings an impeachment, elder brother will have a response."

"Thank you, elder brother," Zhu Yong said with a simple smile.

"Family, why thank? By the way, second brother, you mentioned in a letter that you brought back some good things from Goryeo?" Zhu Biao waved his hand.

Zhu Yong only then remembered, hurriedly pulled two scrolls from his bosom and said, "Father, elder brother, these are what the White-bearded Old Man gave me on the road… um… in a dream."

He spread the scrolls on the table.

One is titled "The Birth of Fine Salt," which details, with illustrations, how to build salt fields by the sea—from tide intake, brine preparation, crystallization to salt harvesting, each step diagrammed.

It also explains how to extract edible salt from salt mines.

The other is "White Sugar Refining Technique," which not only includes process diagrams for boiling sugar, decolorizing, and crystallization, but also annotates the manufacturing methods and dimensions of the required tools.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao leaned in to examine, becoming more astonished the longer they looked.

"This… second brother, is the salt from the mine really… truly feasible?" Zhu Biao looked up, his eyes flashing.

"Of course it's feasible; this came from that White-bearded Old Man, so it must work," Zhu Yong said while eating.

Zhu Yuanzhang tapped his fingers on the table, pondering, "If this truly works, the price of salt could drop by more than thirty percent. Currently the government taxes a stone of salt at three qian of silver, yet the market sells it for over one liang."

Private salt continues to be illegal because the profit margin is too high.

Zhu Biao continued, "White sugar is even rarer; nowadays most sugar on the market is brown or black sugar, while white sugar is a tribute from the Western Regions, priced higher than gold."

"If Great Ming could produce white sugar itself…"

He did not finish, but the meaning was clear.

These are two revenue streams, and they could greatly fill the state treasury.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Yong, his gaze deep, and said, "Yong Er, keep these diagrams for now. After tomorrow's morning court, we'll summon the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue to discuss thoroughly."

"Alright, Father, I'll leave it to you." Zhu Yong rolled up the Blueprint and handed it to Zhu Yuanzhang.

At that moment, Guanyin Nu yawned.

Empress Ma saw this and laughed, "Alright, it's getting late. Minmin is pregnant and cannot stay up late. Yong Er, you two will stay in the side hall tonight."

"Thank you, Imperial Mother," Guanyin Nu rose and saluted.

Zhu Yong supported her, said farewell to Zhu Yuanzhang, Empress Ma, and Zhu Biao, and headed to the side hall.

The side hall had been prepared; the bed was soft, and the Charcoal Brazier burned brightly.

Guanyin Nu sat on the bedside, and Zhu Yong squatted down, clumsily helping her remove her shoes.

"Prince, I'll do it myself…" Guanyin Nu blushed.

"Don't move… you're two people now, be careful," Zhu Yong pressed her and said.

He carefully took off her shoes and socks, then helped her lie down and covered her with a quilt.

He himself sat at the bedside, watching her.

"Prince, aren't you going to wash up?" Guanyin Nu asked.

"I'll go in a bit, I'll stay a little longer," Zhu Yong patted her belly and said.

Guanyin Nu smiled, grasped his hand, and said, "Prince, these past six months I've worried about you every day."

"I know… from now on I'll try not to travel far, staying in the Capital City, watching over you, watching over the child," Zhu Yong said cheerfully.

"That won't do. Prince, you are the Wu King of Great Ming, the Grand General Zhenglu; you must go on campaign when needed, but… be careful and return safely."

Guanyin Nu shook her head and said.

"Hmm! I promise you, I will definitely return safely," Zhu Yong nodded.

The Husband and Wife talked a while longer, and Guanyin Nu gradually grew sleepy, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

Zhu Yong tiptoed to wash up, and when he returned, Guanyin Nu was already sound asleep.

He carefully lay beside her, listening to her even breathing, feeling an unprecedented steadiness in his heart.

This is what home feels like.