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

"What, can't sleep?"

Empress Ma couldn't help but ask.

Lying on the bed, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were filled with melancholy: "Yes, sister, I can't sleep."

"Why can't the second son understand this? Given our relationship, what can't we give him? Although we can't cure that illness, we still have Dad."

“That illness of my father’s could definitely be cured, and he could even be brought back to life, more normal than a normal person, but he still insisted on trying to kill himself.”

"Really, is this... really that serious?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed.

I felt a lump in my throat, and I couldn't figure it out no matter what I did.

That's his brother, his own brother!

They grew up together wearing open-crotch pants, and they were the best of friends during their childhood.

Why choose to die when you can live a good life?

The feeling of losing a brother is not much better than the feeling of losing a grandson of the emperor.

What frustrated Zhu Yuanzhang the most was that when he went to see his second son's body in the evening, his second son was lying quietly in the coffin with a smile on his face.

The second child left with a smile, a smile...

"My second brother... sigh, Chongba, he suffered too many blows in his early years."

"He faced setbacks everywhere he went. If it weren't for his wife, who gave him a goal to support his family and make a living, he probably wouldn't be alive today."

Empress Ma soothed Zhu Yuanzhang's chest. She seemed to understand her second son's thoughts and continued to explain: "Back then, when you led those brothers from Huaixi on the Northern Expedition, no one believed in you."

"To be honest with you, I sometimes think that our Northern Expedition failed more, after all, there has never been a successful Northern Expedition in history."

"And if we fail and you die on the battlefield, I'll think that life is meaningless and I'll go with you."

"So, even though my second brother doesn't seem to have much affection for his wife, the bond between them is very deep, especially since he has no children of his own, so this bond can only be placed on his wife."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang sighed again and said, "Now that you put it this way, I can understand a little."

“But the second son… he did something wrong! He died in front of Dad. We can’t even imagine how much of a blow that must have been to Dad.”

She watched helplessly as her son died.

Zhu Yuanzhang experienced this feeling once, when Xiong Ying died, and it was very unpleasant.

My father is getting old now, with no worries, and he only misses his children. Now that one of his sons has died in front of him, how painful must it be for him?

Zhu Yuanzhang truly could not imagine it.

Just thinking about it makes me feel suffocated.

Empress Ma's eyes sparkled: "Indeed, Father must be very upset about this."

"I'll go see him early tomorrow and try to comfort him if he seems upset."

"By the way, Chongba, didn't you send someone to call my eldest sister over? When she comes over in a while, you said that Father loved her the most back then. Let her stay with Father, and she should be able to recover."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "Yes, we can't comfort our father about this, so let our eldest sister come. I estimate... she'll be here soon."

"Alright, girl, let's not think about this anymore, let's go to sleep!"

Zhu Yuanzhang covered Empress Ma with a quilt, and then covered himself with one and went to sleep.

Seeing that he was getting sleepy, Empress Ma chuckled and began to drift off into a deep sleep.

But in fact, Zhu Yuanzhang was not asleep.

The image of his second son, Zhu Xingsheng, dying with a smile on his face kept echoing in Zhu Yuanzhang's mind, haunting him.

He still couldn't sleep all night.

.

….….…….….….

The next day.

Tianyun Temple.

Zhu Changye got up early; he hadn't slept well the night before.

after all….

Zhu Xingsheng is his son, his biological son.

She had the ability to save him, but her son refused and insisted on committing suicide.

It made him very upset.

They were all wondering if they had done something wrong, which was why they couldn't compare to his deceased wife. Even if they were alive, he would still search for her whereabouts.

I spent the whole night wallowing in self-pity.

And now,

Zhu Changye held a memorial tablet in his hand, which he had made himself and which belonged to his second son.

Zhu Changye looked at the memorial tablet, his eyes dim.

“Madam, tell me… am I unworthy of being a good father? Yesterday, should I have been tougher and rescued our second son regardless of what he thought?”

"As for his suicide attempt, his emotions actually come in waves. Once he gets through this period and can take his wife's death in stride, will things... get better?"

Did I do something wrong again?

Zhu Changye looked up at the memorial tablet belonging to his wife and fell into a daze.

And it was destined.

He received no response.

Shaking his head, Zhu Changye stopped thinking about it.

He placed the memorial tablet of his second son next to his wife.

The lady often said that she loved her children very much, and even after death she wanted to stay near them and protect them with her ghost.

Placing the second son's memorial tablet next to his wife can be seen as her protecting him, right?

Zhu Changye burned incense and paid respects to his relatives for a while before leaving the mourning hall to do other things.

However today,

He lacks enthusiasm for anything he does.

I thought I'd go for a walk.

Zhu Changye went for a walk outside. Thinking that Bai Miaomiao and the others would be coming to class today, he bought a bamboo basket, a few kilograms of white rice, and a few ounces of cane sugar to give them as snacks.

Then, considering that I would be teaching the children, I bought a few more tables and a few sets of writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

Because he had too much stuff, he went back and asked two disciples from Tianyun Temple for help.

Although walking around looks tiring, wasn't his original intention just to take a walk?

….….….….….…

Half an hour later.

A special guest arrived at Tianyun Temple.

Li Jinglong, accompanied by his son Li Wanghai, both dressed in ordinary clothes, arrived at Tianyun Temple.

"Father, not to be rude, but our family is of noble birth, at the level of a Duke. Is it really necessary for us to visit an old Taoist priest?"

"You're still hoping he'll take a second look at me? You think if he takes a liking to our family, we'll be rich? These dishes? Are you drunk and confused?"

Li Wanghai couldn't help but say.

Li Jinglong's lips twitched, and he couldn't help but want to hit his narrow-minded son.

However, when I thought about how he was my own son, my own flesh and blood, I held back.

"Hmph! Ignorance is no excuse. You'll see for yourself in a moment."

Li Jinglong was too lazy to explain.

Facts speak louder than words, and what you see with your own eyes is far better than what he says.

He brought his son here today specifically to try and see if there was any possibility.

He hoped that one day the abbot of Yun Temple would think highly of him and accept his son as a disciple.

Yesterday, the abbot was truly amazing. With just a few casual words, he silenced the Champa envoy. He has real talent.

If the abbot were to accept his own foolish grandson as a disciple, it would truly be a blessing the Li family had accumulated over generations; their ancestral graves would be emitting smoke from their graves!

However, Li Jinglong did not have high expectations, after all, what kind of disciples did the abbot take in? Princes and grandsons of the emperor, including the eldest grandson of the emperor, Zhu Xiong Ying!

Yes!

His status as a Duke was illustrious, but in the eyes of the Abbot, it was probably nothing special.

Li Jinglong didn't have high expectations; he just wanted to broaden his horizons as a way to let his mentally challenged son see the world.

As they continued their journey, since Li Jinglong and Zhu Changye had previously spoken amicably in public, the disciples of Tianyun Temple led the two directly to the backyard without consulting the abbot.

Upon arriving at the backyard, Li Jinglong was somewhat surprised.

Why is everyone chattering so much today? It sounds so lively.

It wasn't like this before.

Suspicious.

He led his son to a corner of the backyard and then secretly peeked over there.

"Father, look at you, you look like you've done something wrong."

"Wouldn't it be better if we went to see it openly and honestly?"

Li Wanghai scoffed at this and walked straight out. When he came out, he saw the scene in the courtyard.

Suddenly.

confused!

stunned!

Shock!

I felt my worldview was being challenged, and I kept rubbing my eyes, trying to look ahead again, thinking I was seeing things.

No matter how he looked at it, the scene in front of him was so shocking.

Li Wanghai stood there, stunned.

His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief!

He no longer dared to be careless, and suddenly ran back to his original position, shrinking his entire body.

"Father... Father, oh my dear father, what's going on? How come I saw the Crown Prince?"

Li Wanghai's voice trembled.

He thought he was seeing things, but after looking for a long time, he realized that it was the Crown Prince, that was definitely the Crown Prince!

The Crown Prince! He's the Crown Prince!!

How could the top Zhu family, who are second only to the emperor, be in this small, dilapidated temple!

Li Jinglong laughed and said, "Now, do you know what it means to be a frog in a well and have a limited view of the sky?"

He was all smiles.

Li Jinglong deliberately kept the truth from his foolish son. The foolish son, relying on his family's status as a noble family, was fearless and arrogant.

Li Jinglong was always troubled by how to stop this brat, but now... he's finally found a way.

Li Wanghai swallowed hard. "Father, I'm not trying to be rude, but why is the Grandson here? And who exactly is this Taoist priest... oops, I mean, abbot?"

"I just saw the Crown Prince running around busily, this... is going too far!"

Li Jinglong laughed and said, "You brat, just you wait and see. I can't say for sure about the identity of that abbot."

"But just remember, if he accepts you as his apprentice, our family will be blessed for generations to come, and our ancestral graves will be emitting smoke."

Previously, Li Wanghai would have scoffed at these words.

But now…

He felt a deep sense of identification.

Just kidding, what kind of simple person could a Taoist priest who could get the Crown Prince to do his bidding?

Li Wanghai glanced over again and exclaimed in surprise, "This, Father! That abbot is giving a lesson!"

Li Jinglong laughed and said, "That's right, let's not talk now, I want to see what the abbot is teaching, don't bother me!"

Li Jinglong laughed heartily and stood quietly to the side, watching the situation in the courtyard.

at the same time.

yard.

All six small tables that I bought were set up.

There are also a total of six sets of writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones on it.

When Zhu Changye felt the noise and came out of his house, he was shocked by what he saw.

So many people came!

"The abbot has come out."

"Haha, greetings, Abbot."

“….”

Almost all the children from the neighboring shelter came over.

Zhu Changye chuckled, then instructed Zhu Xiong Ying to go and bring the children over.

The first child came in, carrying a few fruits in his hand.

“Master, Brother Yuntian said that you should always repay kindness with kindness. These are some fruits I picked up yesterday when I went out for a stroll. You don’t charge tuition, and I can’t afford it either, so I brought these fruits with me.”

“This…” Zhu Xiong Ying dared not accept it and turned to look at Zhu Chang Ye.

Only after Zhu Changye nodded to him did he bring the fruits inside.