Gao Chi of the Ming River

After Zhu Gaochi explained the matter one by one, Zhang Fu and others left.

When Zhu Gaoxu left, he hesitated for a moment, then turned to Zhu Gaochi and said, "Brother, if you go out of the house these days, you'd better bring more guards."

Zhu Gaochi was stunned, then smiled and said, "I know, don't worry."

Zhu Gaoxu sighed, "Brother, don't just say yes."

"When did you become such a mother-in-law?" Zhu Gaochi smiled and patted Zhu Gaoxu's shoulder, but unexpectedly found that Zhu Gaoxu was already taller than him.

Looking closely, I suddenly found that at some point, his younger brother had grown into a tall and steady young man.

I can't help feeling in my heart, hey, time really flies by this time.

"Brother, what my brother said is true!" Zhu Gaoxu said very solemnly.

"Okay! I see." Zhu Gaochi patted Zhu Gaoxu with a smile.

Zhu Gaoxu is helpless, his big brother always looks like this leisurely and leisurely no matter what time he is!

Don't you care about your own safety? !

When he walked out of Songzhuyuan, he turned his head and glanced at Zhu Gaochi, who was still standing under the eaves with his hands behind his back, and his slender eyebrows were curved. Zhu Gaoxu was a little complicated. He was once jealous of the elder brother who was very important to his father. In fact, he is now Also very jealous.

But envy, but not disgust, but respect in my heart.

I only think that I have to work hard, work hard, and catch up with this brother.

It's just... sometimes, looking at this person, he always has a feeling that no matter what he does, he can't catch up.

************

Zhu Gaoxu and others were sent away.

Zhu Gaochi turned around and went into the study, and hurried to the desk, feeling a little disappointed that the special letter that would appear on the desk every three days hadn't appeared yet.

Slowly sitting down on the chair behind the desk, Zhu Gaochi slowly opened some letters on the desk and read them intently.

After seeing a certain letter that said, "Li Jinglong led the army out." Zhu Gaochi frowned, Li Jinglong?

Rubbing his chin, thinking of the past few days, when he followed Mr. Monk to analyze and understand the ministers of the court in detail, the eight words Mr. Monk said——

"Low-minded and arrogant, fierce and discouraged"

If Li Jinglong leads the troops, then... don't worry too much.

But, still need to be careful.

Zhu Gaochi was thoughtful, thinking about the letter that hadn't appeared yet, and couldn't help worrying.

Why... haven't you come yet?

However, in the battlefield, it is natural that the delivery of the letter is not fast.Zhu Gaochi comforted himself.

Sighing softly, Zhu Gaochi continued to look down at the letter intently, picking up the brush from time to time, and writing something.

Then... the moonlight began to spill into the study.

Until outside the study, the voice of Zhiqin sounded——

"My lord, it's getting late, you should rest."

Zhu Gaochi came back to his senses, and raised his voice, "Understood, you don't have to keep vigil, go down and rest."

Zhiqin outside the study wanted to open the door and go in, and took the prince to rest on the bed!It's been a few days.Ever since the lord went to war, the prince has not slept until the third watch every night!

Going on like this is not good for your body!

Although I know that this is an extraordinary period, but... the prince should also pay attention to his body.

Zhiqin stood outside the study, staring at the door, tightly twisting the handkerchief in her hand, really!Both the prince and the prince strictly forbid anyone to go into the study, not even cleaning it!

Sanbao walked over at this time, looked at Zhiqin's twisted handkerchief, and said, "Zhiqin, your handkerchief..."

"Three Guarantees!" Zhiqin turned her head, tears in her eyes, "What should I do? The prince won't rest anymore!"

Sanbao was stunned, then smiled wryly, "There is no other way, Zhiqin, go down and rest. I'll just stay here and guard."

Zhiqin shook her head hastily, "I want to stay here too!"

*********

Zhu Gaochi in the study listened to the conversation between the two outside and smiled.

Hey, these two people.

Forget it, they won't go if you drive them to rest.

Zhu Gaochi lowered his head, thinking, quickly deal with the letters, and go to bed early tonight.

It's just that I haven't read the letter yet, even if I'm lying on the bed, I can't fall asleep.

After reading the last letter, I wrote down some things.Zhu Gaochi carefully folded the letters, got up, and looked at the moonlight outside the window. It must be the third watch at this time.

Glancing at the window sill, if he didn't appear on the desk in time in the past, he would usually appear on the window sill at midnight, but at this time... not yet...

Zhu Gaochi was very disturbed.

Dad... are you okay?

After standing in a daze for a long time, Zhu Gaochi came back to his senses, thinking of Sanbao and Zhiqin who were guarding outside the study, Zhu Gaochi turned around and walked out. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Zhiqin leaning against the door frame and leaning against the door frame. Drowsy, covered with Sanbao's coat, and Sanbao turned around almost as soon as Zhu Gaochi opened the door, and saluted respectfully, "I have seen the prince."

"Sanbao, send Zhiqin back to sleep. I'll sleep in the study tonight." Zhu Gaochi said softly, paused, looked at Ma Sanbao's haggard look, and said, "Don't keep guard, take a good rest, If you have enough rest, you can protect me, right?"

Ma Sanbao was startled, looked up and saw Zhu Gaochi's gentle eyes with a slight smile, then lowered his head, and said in a low voice, "Your servant will definitely protect your son! But... please take care of yourself too."

Zhu Gaochi nodded with a smile, "Don't worry. I will."

Only then did Ma Sanbao help Zhiqin to retreat.

Zhu Gaochi watched Ma Sanbao and Zhiqin leave, then closed the door, turned around, and walked to the book case. A few steps away, he saw an extra letter on the book case.

Zhu Gaochi was startled, then couldn't help grinning, and walked over quickly.

As he got closer, he saw a picture in the shape of a meat bun drawn in ink on the seal of the letter.

Zhu Gaochi quickly opened the letter, took out the letter, and opened it for a look.

The content of the letter is very simple:

Li Jinglong will definitely attack Beiping, Chi'er should be more careful!

Look carefully at the handwriting, it is very hasty, it must have been written in a hurry.

Zhu Gaochi stared and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

It seems that Dad is safe and sound now...

Staring down at the word Li Jinglong, Zhu Gaochi's heart sank. It seems that the peaceful days in Peking are coming to an end.

********************

September 1391 AD.

Zhu Di led his army to rescue Yongping, which was besieged by the imperial army. After hearing the news, Li Jinglong led his army to rush towards Beiping!

On this day, early in the morning, Zhu Gaochi hurriedly summoned Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Gaosui, and Zhang Fu.

"Li Jinglong is coming." Zhu Gaochi cut to the chase and went straight to the point.

Zhu Gaoxu and the others suddenly tensed up.

Zhang Fu looked dignified, "Your Majesty! This subordinate is going to prepare now!"

Zhu Gaochi waved his hand and smiled gently, "Don't be nervous! You go and withdraw the defenders at the Marco Polo Bridge outside Beiping."

Zhang Fu was taken aback.

Zhu Gaoxu was surprised, but Zhu Gaosui said in a hurry almost immediately, "Brother! No! That's our first guard in Beiping City!"

"It's okay." Zhu Gaochi smiled leisurely, picked up the tea bowl and took a sip of tea before continuing to speak slowly, "I just want to let him know that our Beiping has no ability to guard..."

After Zhu Gaochi finished speaking, he chuckled at Zhang Fu.

Zhang Fu thoughtfully, looked at Zhu Gaochi, bowed his hands respectfully, and said, "Yes! This subordinate will prepare now!"

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui were still very puzzled at this time, but after seeing Zhang Fu coming out after being ordered, they had no choice but to stay aside disgruntled.

After Zhang Fu retreated, Zhu Gaochi looked at Gao Xu and Gao Sui with a serious expression, "From today onwards, Zhangye Gate and Xihe Gate will be guarded by the two of you!"

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui were stunned, they didn't expect that the eldest brother would let them be responsible for guarding the city gate, they were a little excited, and hurriedly handed over their hands.

After giving some detailed instructions, Zhu Gaochi asked Gao Xu and Gao Sui to go down and get ready.

He also handed over the things written in his hand to Sanbao, and asked Sanbao to hand it over to Mr. Li, the chief envoy of Beiping.

Sanbao hurriedly responded.

So, today——

A notice was posted around the city gate of Peking.

The notice is very simple. One is that from now on, Beiping will be under martial law, and people are not allowed to leave the city.Go home immediately at night and don't stay and make trouble.The second is that every three days, people can go to the government office to receive rice grains, and every seven days, the government office will hold free clinics.Thirdly, all the people in Beiping who have been registered for more than 15 years can sign up to participate in the defense of the city.

As soon as the notice came out, the common people gathered around one after another. Looking at the notice, some read it aloud, some pointed, and there was a lot of noise and excitement for a while.

Zhu Gaosui lay on the top of the city tower, watching the discussions among the people below, couldn't help curling his lips, "Brother is troublesome!"

"The third young master's words are wrong! The son's move is very subtle!"

Zhu Gaosui frowned and turned his head to look, "Master Daoyan, what do you mean?"

Daoyan looked at the people below, and said slowly, "Although the enemy army has not yet arrived, the whole city is under martial law, no secret labor is allowed to enter the city, rice grains are distributed, free clinics are opened, people's hearts are stabilized, and the people's approval is sought. Only those with 15 years of household registration are allowed. Signing up means firstly that there will be no unreasonable conscription, and secondly, it means that the King of Yan has a strong army. The former will stabilize the hearts of the people, while the latter implies to the people that the King of Yan is sure to win this battle, and the last point is that those who have registered permanent residence for more than 15 years , that is, people who have been in Beiping for many years will have a sense of belonging to Beiping, and once they participate in the defense of the city, they will definitely do their best!" After finishing speaking, Dao Yan couldn't help but nodded at Zhu Gaosui, who was thoughtful, and smiled slightly. "So, the son's move seems simple, but it is actually subtle."

"But... in this case, not many people sign up to join the army." Zhu Gaosui muttered.

"It's not expensive! And... the poor monk dares to bet that there will be more people who sign up to join the army!" Dao Yan said, smiling.

Zhu Gaosui touched his nose and thought to himself, that would be the best!

Now Beiping's defense force is only in the hands of the three brothers, which is less than [-].

And Li Jinglong's soldiers...

Zhu Gaosui frowned.This battle to defend the city will definitely be very hard.but--

He, Zhu Gaosui, would never take half a step back!

************

At this moment, in Beiping Yanwang Mansion, Fanghua Courtyard...

Zhang Rongyue walked into Xu's yard.

Seeing Mrs. Xu sitting on the couch, staring at the big tree whose leaves have begun to wither outside the window in a daze.

The expression is calm, but the eyes are very dull.

Zhang Rongyue paused slightly.

He spoke softly, "Princess?"

Mrs. Xu slowly came back to her senses, looked at Zhang Rongyue, and smiled slightly, "Miss Zhang, you are here. Sit down."

Zhang Rongyue nodded slightly, and sat down on the round stool brought by the maid.

"You... Did you fulfill your wish yesterday?" Xu looked at Zhang Rongyue and asked.

Zhang Rongyue was taken aback.

Mrs. Xu sighed softly, "This morning, when the prince came to greet me, I asked... I hope Miss Zhang will not blame the prince, but I was worried, so I asked."

Zhang Rongyue lowered her head slowly, feeling a little ashamed and resentful. Yesterday...although she never regretted it, she was still very ashamed to be known by people other than Shi Zi.

"Miss Zhang, actually... I envy you very much."

Zhang Rongyue was taken aback.

"Because I... If I had your courage back then, maybe I wouldn't be like this now." Xu said with some self-mockery.

Zhang Rongyue couldn't help but look up.

"Or, from the beginning, I compromised, and I chose... the Xu family, so, it's different." Xu said a little vaguely.

However, when Zhang Rongyue heard the sentence, "I chose the Xu family", she felt a little clear in her heart.

"Women, if you can, it's better to marry a man who will love you... And if the two love each other, it will be even more happy, but, since ancient times, the word love always hurts others and oneself, ah , Shizi’s way of doing this, I actually agree with it, it’s the best way for you, wait...everything is over, you can go home.” Xu took Zhang Rongyue’s hand, said softly, suddenly After a pause, he said in a soft voice, "Actually, this is also what Shi Zi meant."

Zhang Rongyue just lowered her head, hummed softly, but one hand was hidden in the sleeve, clenched into a fist, and the nails were deeply sunken into the flesh.

**********

Nanjing.

"Li Jinglong?! The emperor actually sent Li Jinglong!? That pustule, he only knows how to eat, drink and have fun, does he know how to fight?! Sheng Yong and Tie Xuan are better than him, they don't even recommend it!!"

"Okay, okay, Brother Fang, don't be so angry..."

"Zhang Shi! I'm not talking about you, you are the Minister of the Ministry of Officials. Although the matter of the war is out of your control, why don't you give the emperor a note at this moment?!"

Zhang Shi had no choice but to smile bitterly, "How do you know that I didn't pass the exam, but the emperor didn't accept it!"

"Hmph! Behaving like this! No wonder—"

"Brother Fang, be careful!" Zhang Shi said seriously.

So, there was silence.

After a while, a flat voice sounded, "I got a letter today."

"Ok?"

"It was given to me by an old friend."

Zhang Shi took it in confusion.

I saw that although it was a letter, it was actually a notice, and... looking at the signature, Zhang Shi couldn't help but widen his eyes, "Peking Chief?!" Zhang Shi exclaimed in a low voice.

"This, this..." Zhang Shi stammered a little.

"Although this notice is simple and there is nothing unusual about it, but after careful analysis of what is said in the notice, I have to say that it is really...exquisite!" Although the tone was plain, it was hard to hide his appreciation.

"This notice will never be issued by that lackey and traitor Li Ying!" Zhang Shi looked resentful and disdainful.

"That's right, it's not Li Ying, but the prince of Yan!" With a little sigh.

Zhang Shi was startled, then fell silent.

"Zhang Shi! Although... I said that I will stand on the emperor's side, but, to be honest, I... really admire the son of Prince Yan."

Zhang Shi sighed softly, thinking of his daughter, he couldn't help turning his head to hide the bitterness in his eyes.

"Brother Fang..."

"Ok?"

"If one day I'm not around, please take care of my family..."

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

*************

On this day, at the city gate of Beiping, Zhu Gaochi stood on the city gate, looking at the sand rising not far away, and the army marching towards Peiping behind the sand, Zhu Gaochi was very calm at this moment.

Finally... is it here?

"Your Majesty!!" Sanbao hurried to Zhu Gaochi's side in a strong outfit, and cupped his hands and said, "My lord, the concubine is here!"

Zhu Gaochi was startled, and subconsciously frowned, what did the concubine mother do here?

He hurriedly turned around and was about to go down the city gate, when he saw Mrs. Xu in light luggage, followed by Zhang Rongyue, walking towards him in a hurry.

Zhu Gaochi hurriedly stepped forward to salute respectfully, raised his head, and said solemnly, "Mother and concubine shouldn't be here!"

Mrs. Xu smiled slightly, "I am not only your mother and concubine, but also a commoner in Beiping, why can't I come here?!"

"Mother Concubine!!" Zhu Gaochi frowned, stepped forward and whispered, "This place is very dangerous, Mother Concubine should go back."

Mrs. Xu slowly shook her head, raised her hand, and wiped the dust off Zhu Gaochi's cheeks, "Don't worry. I will take care of myself and won't cause trouble for everyone." After finishing speaking, she turned and walked down the city gate.

Zhu Gaochi was taken aback.

Standing on the city gate, watching his mother and concubine go down the tower, she walked towards the temporary tea shed under the city gate, where rice was being boiled.After Mrs. Xu went in, she first said something, and then called the people who came with her to help cook the rice.

Zhu Gaochi stood on the gate of the city, and suddenly a few words drifted into his ears.

"Look! It's the princess!"

"The princess is here too!"

"The princess is not afraid at all..."

"The princess is not afraid, what are we afraid of!"

"that is!"

……

Zhu Gaochi couldn't help grasping the bluestone slab on the tower, feeling a little excited and a little sour.

**********

Zhang Rongyue glanced at the person who was helping to cook the rice porridge. She moved her footsteps quietly, and was about to pass by, but she heard Xu's soft voice, "Miss Zhang, please follow me. This place is more complicated, don't rush into it." What would be good."

Zhang Rongyue's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously looked at Xu Shi, only to see Xu's face was very calm.

Therefore, Zhang Rongyue lowered his eyes slowly.

It turned out that he was still so vigilant against himself...