Zhu Yuanzhang, who commanded the wind and rain, lived a long and arduous life.

"Our father?"

Zhu Biao was stunned for a moment, then seemed to realize something: "It's the Emperor Emeritus, Father, you... could it be that the Emperor Emeritus appeared to you in a dream?"

Last time, he heard Zhu Yuanzhang say that Empress Chun appeared to him in a dream.

That was the first time he had heard Zhu Yuanzhang mention Empress Chun so formally in the palace.

Now, we are formally referring to the retired emperor.

The last time it was mentioned that Empress Chun appeared in a dream, so Zhu Biao believed that this time it was the same.

Zhu Yuanzhang was impatient, and those words just now were spoken unconsciously.

He was actually reluctant to talk about his father with Zhu Biao and his other children, and even Empress Ma was reluctant to discuss it with him.

the reason is simple.

They had never met their father and mother.

They will never understand, they will never understand, the burning passion within their own hearts.

"nothing."

"Biao'er, stop nagging, the rain has already started anyway."

"Go back, it's getting late, you should go back and get some rest."

Zhu Yuanzhang lost interest in conversation.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Biao opened his mouth.

In the end, he didn't say anything, bid farewell to Zhu Yuanzhang, and left.

After he left, Zhu Yuanzhang prepared to sleep hastily in the Kunning Palace.

According to the imperial physician,

My sister's pulse is becoming more and more stable, and she should wake up soon.

During this time, he would sleep hastily in Kunning Palace, hoping that his sister would see him first thing when she woke up.

Of course, he also wanted to see Empress Ma awake firsthand.

however.

Just as the quilt was laid out on the bed, a guard came to tell him that Mao Xiang, who had recently gone to Haozhou on his orders, had returned.

"He's back? Quick, call him over here!"

Zhu Yuanzhang quickly issued an order.

soon.

Mao Xiang walked in, covered in sweat.

To appear before the emperor in such a manner is truly disrespectful.

But Mao Xiang knew his father's temperament well. At that time, his father had asked him to rush to Haozhou to inquire about the Emperor Emeritus. It was extremely urgent.

His own attire was a silent testament to how busy he was with this matter that he had even forgotten to take care of his clothes.

as predicted.

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw Mao Xiang in this state, he looked him over carefully and said with emotion, "Mao Xiang, you've worked hard."

Mao Xiang cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, this is what I should do."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and asked, "Well, tell me, what have you found out?"

Mao Xiang replied, "Your Majesty, there is something fishy about what happened back then!"

"When I went to Haozhou, I spent a lot of effort to find the two kind people from back then. I asked them about what happened back then, and both of them remembered what happened back then."

"They said it was the first and last time in their lives that they buried someone else's remains, so it left a deep impression on them."

"Back then, the coffins of the retired emperor and Empress Chun were buried not far from their residence. There would often be noises at night, but it was nothing unusual."

"Until...until a year later, a wise man came to the village and stayed at his house. Then that night, the two of them kept hearing noises outside, and from time to time...they could also hear knocking sounds."

"The next day, when they got up, they found a note left by the master saying that he had left. That same day, they also found that the Emperor Emeritus's coffin was broken... and the Emperor Emeritus's body had disappeared."

"They suspect that some expert robbed the tomb, but there wasn't anything valuable in the Emperor Emeritus's coffin. What was that expert after?"

"They have been puzzled by this matter for a long time, and it has been a source of trouble for them for many years."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang frowned.

Mao Xiang paused, then spoke again, "Your Majesty, I have also inquired about the identity of that master, he…."

Mao Xiang was interrupted by Zhu Yuanzhang halfway through his sentence.

"Are you from Longhu Mountain?"

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke calmly.

Mao Xiang was stunned and asked in astonishment, "Your Majesty, how...how did you know? Did you send people to investigate other places as well?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed: "No, we only asked you to investigate this matter."

"Then Your Majesty..."

"Guess."

Guess?

There are all kinds of people in the world, and beyond Longhu Mountain, there are hundreds of religious sects.

So many places, so many directions.

You guessed wrong, but somehow you guessed the right answer: Longhu Mountain.

Mao Xiang instantly understood that the old man must know something.

"By the way, Your Majesty."

"This matter concerns Empress Chun and the Emperor Emeritus. After investigating the matter, I learned that the Emperor Emeritus's body had been stolen from Longhu Mountain, and I even took it upon myself to do some things."

Zhu Yuanzhang raised an eyebrow: "What is it?"

Mao Xiang took a deep breath: "I went to Taiji Mountain to check if Empress Chun's tomb had been robbed. The result was good; there were no tomb robbers."

"But... I found a bouquet of flowers."

A bouquet of flowers?!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's usually stern eyes welled up with tears, and his voice trembled slightly: "Is it...is it a gardenia...?"

Mao Xiang paused for a moment, then nodded emphatically: "That's right, it's a gardenia!"

"There is indeed a bunch of gardenias next to Empress Chun's tombstone. I was afraid I was mistaken, so I picked a few petals and brought them back."

Mao Xiang gently took out a few withered petals from his bosom.

Zhu Yuanzhang watched and watched…

His eyes grew increasingly moist, and his lips trembled.

“It’s a gardenia, our mother’s favorite gardenia. Our father… our father is really still alive. Father, you’ve come back… come back to see Mother.”

This iron-fisted Hongwu Emperor, at this moment, was like a crying child, carefully holding those few withered petals, crying like a child.

He didn't cry when Empress Ma was ill, nor when his eldest grandson died. Only when Empress Ma was on the verge of death did this Hongwu Emperor shed tears.

He couldn't cry, and he believed he couldn't cry.

He was not only a member of Empress Ma's family, but also the ruler of the Ming Dynasty, and all the officials and common people were watching him.

He does not live alone.

Countless people are watching his every word and action, speculating and pondering.

Therefore, he must be strong.

He was also very strong. Over the years of his military career, Zhu Yuanzhang had seen many storms and waves. Apart from Empress Ma and Zhu Biao, almost nothing could make him cry.

But tonight,

Upon seeing these few withered gardenias, Zhu Yuanzhang wept like a child.

This is his father, and this is his mother.

To his parents, he was indeed still a child.

Zhu Yuanzhang was fair to everyone in his life, but he was the only one who let his parents down. He returned home in glory and even became emperor, but he couldn't let his parents enjoy a single day of happiness.

He has let them down.

This was also the thing that Zhu Yuanzhang regretted the most.

And now!

Now!!!!

A bunch of gardenias appeared at Mother's grave. Only Father and the children knew that Mother loved gardenias the most.

The eldest, second, and third sons are all in Yingtian Prefecture. A few days ago, he sent someone to look for the three of them, and they were all in Yingtian Prefecture. The eldest and second sons' mother also appeared in his dreams, but the third son did not.

They're all in Yingtian Prefecture. Besides their father, who else would go to see their mother?

Mother was right when she appeared in my dream, Father... Father is really still alive!

"His Majesty…."

This was the first time Mao Xiang had ever seen the old man cry like this, and he was somewhat at a loss.

"Get out of here. Keep this to yourself. No one is to tell anyone, not even the Empress."

Zhu Yuanzhang choked up as he spoke.

Mao Xiang took a deep breath, clasped his hands in acknowledgment, and withdrew.