18 years later.
April.
In the main hall of the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Emperor Hongzhi was reading memorials on the dragon table, his brows filled with fatigue.
Xiao Jing, the pen-wielding eunuch, stood behind Emperor Hongzhi with a bow. From time to time, he would step forward and gently replace the cold tea on the dragon table.
Suddenly, Emperor Hongzhi, who was reading memorials, stopped writing and looked out of the hall with a frown. A moment later, he slowly said,"
"Xiao Jing, where's the Crown Prince?
Did he go to Xishan Imperial Manor again?
Why do I feel like I haven't seen him in a while?
Immediately send someone out of the palace to find him. Tell him that I miss him!”
When Xiao Jing heard this, he revealed a terrified expression. As he knelt on the ground, he stammered.
"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince is not…not in the Western Mountain Imperial Manor. He is…he is in Da Tong!”
"Great Unity?"
Emperor Hongzhi's hands froze. Frowning, he turned to look at Xiao Jing and questioned sternly,"
"Why is he going to Datong? The border was an important place. That was a place where he could mess around! Send an imperial decree over and tell him to come back quickly!”
After Emperor Hongzhi said this, he suddenly remembered the Crown Prince's temperament and added,
"Just tell him that I'm unwell and ask him to come back quickly!”
When Xiao Jing heard Emperor Hongzhi's order, he was slightly stunned. He kowtowed in agreement, then stood up and left to make arrangements.
……
A day passed in the blink of an eye.
Zhu Houzhao, who was in Da Tong, got the news and rode his horse at full speed.
He didn't stop at all, and in just a day, he had traveled from Datong to the capital.
However, when he entered the Palace of Heavenly Purity, he saw Emperor Hongzhi in front of him. Not only did he not look sick at all, but he was actually reading the memorial in high spirits.
Zhu Houzhao, who saw this scene, was immediately puzzled. After entering the hall, he said to Emperor Hongzhi,
"Your son greets Imperial Father."
After Zhu Houzhao finished his etiquette, he straightened his body and turned to look at Xiao Jing, who was hiding behind Emperor Hongzhi. He was not angry, but he was dignified. He shouted coldly,
"Xiao Jing, how dare you use Imperial Father's health as an excuse to pass down a false imperial edict! What crime do you deserve!"
Xiao Jing was so frightened that he trembled on the spot. His body went limp and he knelt on the ground.
But he couldn't say that all of this was arranged by the Emperor.
He could only kneel on the ground with an aggrieved expression and remain silent.
Emperor Hongzhi looked at the angry Zhu Houzhao and knew that he was concerned about him. He was happy in his heart and took over the conversation.
"This one ordered the decree to be passed down like this. If you didn't say this, would you have returned so quickly?”
After Emperor Hongzhi finished explaining, he changed his tone and continued to admonish,
"Pin 'er, Datong is not like the capital. It's an important place on the border, and the Dayan Khan of the Tartars is eyeing it covetously.
That place is not a place you can play around with. I called you back because I was afraid you would cause trouble there.”
When Zhu Houzhao heard this, he turned his gaze back to Emperor Hongzhi with a helpless expression.
Just as he was about to defend himself, he heard Emperor Hongzhi say gently.
"Actually, it's mainly because Imperial Father misses you. Also, your Imperial Mother hasn't seen you for a while, right?”
When Zhu Houzhao heard this, his heart warmed up, and the words that were about to come out of his mouth froze.
He was an orphan in his previous life and had never felt the warmth of family.
In this life, he was reborn into the Ming Dynasty and became the son of Emperor Hongzhi. Only then did he truly understand the feeling of having someone to dote on, love, and care for him.
Therefore, when he heard Emperor Hongzhi's words, Zhu Houzhao's gaze turned gentle. He looked at Emperor Hongzhi and said softly,"
"After your son pays his respects to Imperial Father, I will go to Imperial Mother's side to take a look.”
Emperor Hongzhi nodded, his face full of love.
After closing the memorial, he stood up and walked towards the Warm West Pavilion while waving at Zhu Houzhao.
"Your mother is not in a hurry. I have not seen you for a long time. Come, accompany me for a good chat.”
……
West Warm Pavilion.
Father and son.
Zhu Houzhao hesitated for a while before saying,
"Imperial Father, your son can't stay in the capital for too long. Your son has to return to Datong tomorrow.”
Emperor Hongzhi was stunned when he heard this. He was displeased when he heard that Zhu Houzhao was returning to Datong.
"Pin 'er, didn't zhen say it just now? Datong was one of the Nine Borders, and there was the Dayan Khan of the Tartar Empire eyeing the Great Wall, making it a far cry from the capital.
If you haven't handled things properly, just send a few servants over. You're the crown prince of the current dynasty, how can you put yourself in danger?”
Zhu Houzhao looked conflicted, not knowing if he should say the next words.
Emperor Hongzhi saw the change in Zhu Houzhao's expression and asked tentatively after frowning slightly.
"Pin 'er, did you do something in Da Tong?”
Zhu Houzhao scratched his head and looked embarrassed. After a moment of silence, he said vaguely,
"Imperial Father, your son was there to train his soldiers…"
When Emperor Hongzhi heard this, he immediately heaved a sigh of relief and said with a relaxed expression,
"Training soldiers? That's good! That's good!"
Zhu Houzhao stole a glance at Emperor Hongzhi and added,"
"Your son even helped them update their weapons…"
"Upgrade weapons?" Emperor Hongzhi frowned and said uncertainly,""Datong is an important border town, so there's no harm in upgrading weapons.”
After Emperor Hongzhi replied, he secretly remembered this matter.
After the Crown Prince left, he planned to have Xiao Jing send someone to Da Tong to see what this new weapon looked like.
If it was just for fun, he could just switch back to his original weapon.
After Emperor Hongzhi made up his mind, he saw that Zhu Houzhao did not continue speaking. His heart immediately calmed down and he said frankly.
"Pin 'er, is it worth it for you to return to Da Tong for such a small matter? Just hand it over to the servants to deal with it. If it doesn't work, I'll get Xiao Jing to send someone over!”
When Zhu Houzhao heard this, he subconsciously opened his mouth to stop him.
"No need!"
Emperor Hongzhi saw Zhu Houzhao's hasty reply and grew increasingly suspicious. He probed,"
"Pin 'er, are you hiding something from Imperial Father?”
Silence…
Only the breathing of Emperor Hongzhi and Zhu Houzhao could be heard in the huge West Warm Pavilion.
Just as Emperor Hongzhi's mood began to become anxious and he was about to continue asking.
Zhu Houzhao suddenly sighed.
"Sigh…"
When Emperor Hongzhi heard Zhu Houzhao's long sigh, his expression instantly changed and his heart trembled.
Zhu Houzhao said to Emperor Hongzhi with a serious expression.
"Imperial Father, your son will tell you the truth.
The reason why your son trained in Datong and changed weapons for the Datong border army was that he was a soldier.
It is because the Dayan Khan of the Tartars is about to invade the border, so your son has to appear in Datong and take charge of the situation.”
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。