My father is Jiajing

Early in the morning, after Zhu Zaigui finished his routine exercise, he asked someone to call Zhu Yi and Zhu Yijun over.

The father and his two sons sat together at a small table in the restaurant. Their breakfasts were almost the same, either a bowl of ordinary whole-grain porridge with a fried pancake, or a cup of soy milk with some fruits and vegetables.

As for other precious ingredients, they are almost invisible on their tables.

But we cannot conclude that Zhu Zaigui and his two sons lived a simple life.

You have to know that it is still winter now. Being able to eat fresh fruits and vegetables in this season is enough to show the luxury of Zhu Zaigui and others.

After all, in the Ming Dynasty, which had no high-tech support and relied almost solely on manpower, it was impossible to eat fresh fruits and vegetables.

The cost of these things is definitely beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

"Dad, I don't want to eat this melon. It's not sweet."

As a young child, Zhu Yijun's eating problems were almost the same as those of children hundreds of years later: they were all picky eaters.

Zhu Zaigui looked at Zhu Yijun's aggrieved look, and saw him turning the piece of fruit on his plate over and over again but unable to eat it. Suddenly, he felt itchy in his palms and wanted to slap him!

However, Zhu Zaigui finally held back.

After all, the fruits and vegetables of this era have not undergone systematic cultivation, and it is an indisputable fact that their sweetness and taste are poor.

Moreover, children are naturally picky about their mouths, and they find it almost impossible to swallow food that is not to their liking.

Zhu Zaigui looked at Zhu Yi who was eating peacefully beside him. Seeing how well-behaved and sensible he was, Zhu Zaigui actually felt sorry for him in his heart.

Zhu Yi is now eleven or twelve years old and is considered a sensible child. However, due to the death of her mother, she has gradually become silent.

Zhu Zaigui felt very uncomfortable seeing this. He wished Zhu Yi could be as cute and active as he was when he was a child, playing on his lap.

Unfortunately, such times are gone forever.

When children grow up, they will have their own troubles. No matter how attentively adults care for them, it is impossible for them to return to their innocence.

Moreover, sometimes excessive care can also become a psychological burden.

Therefore, when it comes to raising children, Zhu Zaigui was also groping for the way and lamenting the hardship.

Zhu Zaihui ignored the picky eater Zhu Yijun. He looked at Zhu Yijun and said, "Kunkun, how about going out for a walk with daddy later?"

When Zhu Yi heard his father's voice, he couldn't help but look up at Zhu Zaigui.

As he was growing up, Zhu Zaigui often took him out to play, including to places like the mountains and rivers surrounding the capital, the Great Wall, military camps, and the palace and cabinet, which are places that ordinary children would never be able to visit.

Now when Zhu Zaigui said he wanted to take him out to play again, Zhu Yi was actually not very surprised or surprised.

He just nodded gently and continued to eat with his head down. If most parents saw him so well-behaved, they would be so pleased that they would think that his ancestors were blessed.

But Zhu Zaigui didn't like Zhu Yi's obedience.

Because Zhu Zaigui could feel that Zhu Yi’s obedience was not really due to his mother’s early death, which left him with a knot in his heart.

This kind of knot was called childhood trauma, as the fashionable term used hundreds of years later.

So when Zhu Zaigui looked at Zhu Yi, who was so well-behaved, he tried his best to help him get out of this mood and state.

As a result, before Zhu Zaigui could continue speaking, Zhu Yijun on the side started to stand out.

Zhu Yijun said excitedly, "Okay, okay, I love going out to play. Dad, where are you going to take me and my brother to play?"

When Zhu Zaigui heard the voice of Zhu Yijun, the conspicuous man, he immediately felt unhappy.

Well, well, you are all here!

If you like wandering around so much, how come you in history became a super otaku who hasn't been seen for decades?
Zhu Zaigui glanced at Zhu Yijun with a bad look on his face, "Finish the leftovers on your plate! Otherwise, I'll break your butt in two!"

Zhu Zaigui still had a sense of majesty in front of Zhu Yi and Zhu Yijun. His stern face frightened Zhu Yijun, who was about to show off, so much that he hung his head and ate the fruits and vegetables on the plate with a wronged look.

Seeing that Zhu Yijun had been dealt with, Zhu Zaigui turned his gaze towards Zhu Yi.

"Guess where I'm taking you this time?"

Zhu Yi raised his head again and looked at his father who cared about him. He was different from Zhu Yijun.

Zhu Yijun was often naughty and mischievous, but because his mother had been ill for a long time, he seemed precocious and obedient.

So after hearing Zhu Zaigui's question, he replied obediently: "I will leave it to my father to arrange everything."

Although Zhu Yi's words were not what Zhu Zaigui wanted to hear the most, Zhu Zaigui still gave a friendly smile.

Zhu Zaigui said: "This time, the place that Daddy is going to take you to is different from the places we have been to before. This time, Daddy is going to accompany your grandfather the Emperor on a southern tour of Chengtian Prefecture. Along the way, we will visit Henan, Hubei and other places."

"Then Daddy will take you to visit the natural and cultural scenery along the way, so that you can feel the charm of the great Chinese civilization! And practice the truth that 'reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles'."

When Zhu Yi heard this, his eyes couldn't help but light up with joy.

This shows that this is also the nature of children.

Even if he has a knot in his heart, he can still be happy and joyful as long as he can see what the new world is like.

And his smile was Zhu Zaigui's favorite and most heartwarming reward at this moment.

Zhu Yijun, who had been cooking obediently at the side, suddenly lit up with excitement when he heard that they had to go such a far place. It was obvious that he also wanted to go.

So before Zhu Yi could speak again, Zhu Yijun answered again.

Zhu Yijun said excitedly: "Okay, okay, I want to go, I want to go!"

Zhu Yijun jumped and shouted, his excitement evident in his words.

When Zhu Yi saw his brother so happy, he couldn't help but be infected by this happy mood, and a long-lost happy smile appeared on his face.

Therefore, this time Zhu Zaigui let Zhu Yijun off the hook and let him show off for a while.

After dinner, I'll find a reason to slap him on the butt to vent his anger today.

Otherwise, Zhu Zaigui felt that he would not be in a good mood all day.

Finally, Zhu Zaihui found an excuse that Zhu Yijun had stepped out of the restaurant door with his left foot first, and slapped Zhu Yijun twice on the buttocks. After these two slaps, Zhu Zaihui finally calmed down a lot.

However, Zhu Yijun looked at Zhu Zaigui's back with tears in his eyes as he left, feeling aggrieved and having no one to vent his grievances.

It seemed as if the two slaps he received were unfair.

If he had known this earlier, he would have followed his elder brother's example and said to leave with the right foot first.

But what Zhu Yijun never knew was that no matter how he answered, Zhu Zaigui would definitely beat him.

So, this was not a question of left or right foot at all, but rather a question of Zhu Zaigui just wanting to beat him up to vent his anger.

Arrived at the Wenhua Hall.

Zhu Zaigui was not in a hurry to start today's work. He first asked someone to find Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji.

As the year was coming to an end, Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji finally responded to the imperial edict and returned to Beijing.

When they returned to Beijing this time, any discerning person could see that they might be given important positions this time.

Especially Hu Zongxian, now everyone regards him as the new Minister of War.

Because Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, who had made many contributions under him, had been awarded titles for their merits, but he, as the military and political leader of the southeast and the great hero who commanded Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou to complete the task of resisting the Japanese pirates, did not receive any title.

Just based on this point, everyone can see that Hu Zongxian is trying to accumulate merits before making further progress.

Although being conferred a title is also a great joyous event.

But for capable civil officials, being granted a title is not their highest pursuit. Their highest pursuit is what the ancients called "cultivating oneself, regulating the family, governing the country and pacifying the world"!
If they were given titles, it would be tantamount to changing their ideals.

Therefore, this is why Wang Yangming was conferred the title of Xinjian Earl for his merits, but few people regard his title as something to be proud of.

When people talk about Wang Yangming's achievements, most of them focus on his "Xinxue".

Therefore, in the Ming Dynasty, a social atmosphere that valued culture over military affairs.

These civil officials with integrity and aspirations would rather have the title of "Three Orphans and Three Young Masters" as a prefix before their official titles, to be used on monuments and engraved on stone tablets to be passed on to future generations, than to be inexplicably grouped with military generals and nobles.

Therefore, Zhu Zaigui would naturally not go out of his way to arrange for Hu Zongxian to be awarded a lordship that he did not like or liked, so as to create a rift between Hu Zongxian and himself.

Therefore, before he was summoned back to the capital this time, he was first granted the honorary title of "Prince's Guardian" by an imperial decree, so that he could stand proudly among the officials with this title.

Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji were waiting outside the palace early.

Now, after hearing Zhu Zaigui's summons, the two of them could not help but excitedly follow the eunuch who came to summon them, and head towards Wenhua Palace, which they had never been to in all these years.

After arriving at Wenhua Hall, Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji became even more excited.

They had been exiled for so many years and now they had finally fulfilled their wish to return to the capital and meet Zhu Zaigui again. They were so excited about the long-awaited reunion and the hardships they had gone through that they could not contain themselves.

"Your Highness, Governor-General of Zhejiang and Minister of War Hu Zongxian pays his respects to His Majesty the Regent!"

"Your Highness, your Highness, the Governor of Zhejiang and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Zhao Zhenji, pays his respects to His Majesty the Regent!"

After Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji were brought to the Wenhua Hall, they immediately paid homage to Zhu Zaigui when they saw him.

In fact, for high-ranking officials like them, in informal occasions like when Zhu Zaigui was summoned in advance, they did not need to use formalities and could just bow.

But at this time, Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji both used great gifts at the same time, which shows how excited they were when they met Zhu Zaigui.

Zhu Zaigui smiled and stood up, walking over from his seat, "Mr. Hu, Mr. Zhao, there's no need to be so polite. I haven't seen you two for a long time, and I'm very happy to see you two return with honors this time!"

Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji stood up and said to Zhu Zaigui excitedly, "We two are able to achieve what we have today thanks to your cultivation, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Zaigui laughed again, "What did I cultivate you for? This is all your own ability. If you don't have this ability, even if I give you more opportunities, it will be in vain."

"So, you two don't need to be so modest. Just accept the credit for your achievements. Your Majesty, I, and the court will never be stingy when it comes to treating meritorious officials."

Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji were moved and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Zaigui looked at the two of them at this moment, and his mood was also very good, "Someone come and give them a seat."

Zhu Zaigui called someone over and gave seats to Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji.

Then Zhu Zaigui returned to his position.

Zhu Zaigui looked at Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji again and asked, "What is the situation at the naval base in Taiwanwo and the Longjiang Shipyard?"

Hu Zongxian bowed slightly, looked up at Zhu Zaigui, and replied with a hint of excitement: "Everything is going well at the naval base in Taiwan Wo. Now Yu Dayou and Wang Zhi have also made contact with the Western barbarians entrenched in Taiwan Wo. Both sides are relatively restrained and no direct conflict has broken out."

"At the same time, we also informed them of the ownership of Taiwan Nest and warned them to leave within a certain period of time or dismantle the military buildings on Taiwan Nest."

"But now they have ignored our request and continue to do as they please. They have also ordered the surrounding pirates to test our resolve. Yu Dayou and Wang Zhi lived up to expectations and wiped out all the pirates who came to test us."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zaigui nodded with satisfaction.

He also knew that if he asked the Western barbarians who had been entrenched in Taiwan for some years to leave, they would definitely not obey.

Therefore, there will be a war between the two sides, which is an unavoidable fact.

However, this is not the time to start a war. After all, there are only a few ships in the navy now, and the ships and artillery of those Western barbarians are not to be trifled with.

If we start a war rashly and lose, we will have to wait at least another ten years before we can raise a strong navy to turn the tables.

Therefore, the current negotiations with the Western barbarians are still mainly based on verbal battles.

When the Ming Dynasty has equipped the Japanese navy with huge ships and heavy artillery that are enough to crush the whole field and can be put into actual combat, it will be time to flex its muscles and teach them a lesson, so that they can consider carefully whether it is better to come to the Ming Dynasty and be a foreign merchant who abides by the rules, or to be the enemy of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Zaigui said: "This matter was handled well. After the Yongle treasure ship has completed its sea trials and has a few more frigates to form a new combat unit, we will go and have a good chat with these Western barbarians."

"If they obey, the Ming Dynasty can also provide them with sufficient security protection within the scope of the navy's strength. If they don't obey, then we can let them test the power of the Yongle treasure ship to see whether their ships are faster and their guns are farther, or our ships are faster and their guns are farther!"

------

Ask for monthly ticket~~(End of this chapter)