Chapter 101: The Zhu Family Children Quickly Became Close Friends!
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Hongxi’s young Zhu let out a deep sigh. “If I were the person I am now, I’d have Uncle Second and Uncle Third’s heads rolling across the ground.”
The Xuande Emperor, Zhu Zhanji, glanced at him and sighed inwardly.
Once that great, fat father of yours on your side passes away, you’ll understand what it means to stand alone at the summit, with no one to look up to but enemies.
When Fatty Father sacrifices to Heaven, his power knows no bounds.
“Still dreaming of Uncle Second and Uncle Third’s heads, Nephew?” Zhu Gaosui called from the bank in an exaggeratedly false smile, deliberately raising his voice until it rang across the hot-spring district.
More than a dozen yards away, Zhu Yuanzhang heard him and silently shifted around to face their pool, allowing Old Zhu Di to continue scrubbing his back.
Old Zhu Di shot him a murderous glare.
Stop looking for trouble!
Hongxi’s young Zhu flashed a grin. “Uncle, you’re joking. Who in the world doesn’t know that you’re an unbreakable, uncookable, resounding copper pea?”
“Come down, and I’ll scrub your back for you.”
“Good that you know it!” Zhu Gaosui gave him a sidelong glance. At those words, he instinctively retreated half a step, his expression sour. “No need for the scrubbing.”
From the corner of his eye, Yongle’s Great Fatty spotted Zhu Gaoxu sneaking about on the bank. He then looked at Zhu Gaosui, who stubbornly refused to get into the water, and asked in bewilderment, “Hey, Second, Third, why aren’t you two coming down for a soak?”
Zhu Youjian also glanced over curiously.
The Ming emperors were the ones who dissolved in water. The Prince of Han ought to be afraid of fire.
“Just soak yourself!”
Zhu Gaosui’s expression turned even uglier. His stomach churned violently, and he hurried back to Zhu Gaoxu’s side.
He and Zhu Gaoxu stared at the strips of grime floating on the water after the others had scrubbed themselves clean. Then they remembered how much hot-spring water they had drunk earlier after the Japanese had bathed in it.
Now they both felt like vomiting.
“Hey, what kind of attitude is that? I’m your elder brother, after all. You can’t shout at me and bully me!” Yongle’s Great Fatty complained, sneaking a glance at Old Zhu, who was watching them. He immediately looked even more aggrieved.
He squatted down in the hot spring until he sank to the bottom, leaving only the top of his head above the surface. He looked utterly spineless.
But his crouching down caused a disaster.
The grime they had just scrubbed off drifted right up to his lips, where Second Brother could see it perfectly clearly.
Blech!
Zhu Gaoxu was overwhelmed with disgust. After a bout of dry heaving, he waved his hand. “That’s it, Third. I heard there’s a Japanese daimyo nearby who possesses the bearing of an emperor. We need to go take a look.”
“Can’t have that!”
“Come on, come on! Let’s flatten him for Father!”
Indignant, the two men supported each other and ran off. Relying on their familiar faces, they bluffed a squad of Jianwen’s soldiers into letting them pass, then began a special operation to kill the man.
…
At the third small pool.
Though Zhu Xiongying was only nine, he was clever and quick-witted. Before long, he had struck up a friendship with young Zhu Jianshen, young Zhu Qiyu, and young Zhu Qizhen.
“All right, all right, stop fighting! You two have to stop before something happens!”
At those words, Zhu Xiongying and the excited young Zhu Qiyu finally stopped, panting heavily.
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“Look what you did to my father… Great-Uncle really knows what he’s doing!”
Young Zhu Jianshen tenderly lifted young Zhu Qizhen and examined him from head to toe. He could not find the slightest injury and praised Zhu Xiongying with open admiration.
He himself knew that he could not hit his father, so he had not raised a hand. Instead, he had merely told Zhu Xiongying and young Zhu Qiyu about the Tumu Fortress disaster and the Coup at the Palace Gates.
What?
He had turned a northern expedition into the defense of the capital?
And then stolen young Zhu Jianshen’s throne?
Zhu Xiongying, who had been raised from childhood on the imperial doctrine that the realm belonged to the family, was instantly furious. The little fellow charged bare-chested through the water and gave young Zhu Qizhen a thorough beating.
When he grew tired, he called over the timid young Zhu Qiyu to join him.
What a wonderful opportunity!
Young Zhu Qiyu immediately upheld the principle of brotherly affection by younger-brother assault and launched a fierce attack on his elder brother.
“Fun! Fun!”
Young Zhu Qizhen grimaced in pain, splashed the water excitedly, and bounced about, shouting without pause.
When had he ever been beaten in his entire life?
He had long since forgotten what pain felt like. Being beaten was, in its own way, a novel experience.
Father, you brought this on yourself.
Young Zhu Jianshen reached out and stroked the head of Zhu Qizhen, who was three years younger than himself. With a sigh, he said sincerely, “Great-Uncle, Uncle, please calm down. My father wasn’t trying to provoke you. He only thought your strength was as weak as a woman’s. He couldn’t even feel it when you hit him, so he wasn’t having any fun.”
An eight- or nine-year-old boy—especially a grandson raised by Old Zhu—was bound to be bursting with arrogant masculine pride.
Who could endure such provocation?
How could I possibly let that go? I’ve only just learned martial arts!
Zhu Xiongying flew into a rage and charged forward with a howl. “Brother Shen, I know you’re being filial, but stop being filial for a moment! Move aside and let me beat him to death!”
“I want to hit him too!”
Young Zhu Qiyu’s excited little hands pounded away at his elder brother’s backside. He mainly targeted that spot because hitting it did not hurt his hands.
At last, young Zhu Qizhen began to cry from the pain.
“All right, Great-Uncle. My father knows how formidable you are now!”
Young Zhu Jianshen obediently walked over and asked solemnly, “Father, next time you want to fight the Oirats, could you discuss it with me first?”
“Sniff… I-I’ll do whatever you say!”
This time, young Zhu Qizhen had been beaten into submission. Sniffling, he agreed in a sobbing voice.
Behind them, Zhu Youjian had been secretly observing everything. At those words, he froze.
When Fortress Ancestor went on campaign, you were only two years old. How exactly were you supposed to discuss it with him?
You couldn’t even speak baby talk!
After thinking it over, Zhu Youjian walked over, squatted down beside young Zhu Jianshen, and said, “Keep an eye on your Great-Uncle and your uncle-father. I’m going to discuss something with your Imperial Ancestor.”
“Yes! I’ll definitely keep watch over them!” Young Zhu Jianshen nodded earnestly.
“Good boy!”
Zhu Youjian vanished from the spot.
Young Zhu Jianshen was already eleven, no longer a small child. He had been raised by Wan Zhen’er, who had spent more than a decade in the inner palace, and from an early age he had been surrounded by malice and intrigue.
His mind had already matured considerably. He had plenty of schemes tucked away in his belly—far more than Zhu Xiongying, who was several years younger, could match, let alone young Zhu Qizhen and young Zhu Qiyu.
The moment Zhu Youjian left, Zhu Xiongying threatened young Zhu Qizhen.
“Don’t cry. If you dare disobey Brother Shen, I’ll beat you again next time!”
“I’ll listen! I’ll listen to everything!”
Young Zhu Qizhen shrank his little body beneath the water, leaving only his head above the surface as he nodded repeatedly, his heart filled with grievance.
I’m only eight years old!
I’m at an age when I can barely control my bladder, yet somehow I managed to control my emotions!
Although he had been beaten for no good reason, the experience caused the young Fortress Ancestor to etch the words Oirat and Tumu Fortress deeply into his tender heart.
“Good boy. Don’t cause Brother Shen any trouble!”
Imitating Zhu Youjian’s tone, Zhu Xiongying patted his little head and smiled in satisfaction.
“Great-Uncle, please don’t call him that. It won’t be good if the Imperial Ancestor hears you.”
Young Zhu Jianshen corrected him with a serious expression.
Zhu Xiongying waved the matter away. “We each use our own terms. You call me Great-Uncle, and I’ll call you Brother!”
Young Zhu Qiyu nodded like a pecking chick. “Yes, yes! Brother Shen, from now on I’ll call you Brother, and you can call me Uncle!”
Young Zhu Qizhen tilted his head and asked cautiously, “Then… I’ll call you Brother, and you call me Dad?”
No, please!
“No, no, absolutely not!”
Young Zhu Jianshen’s expression collapsed. He muttered, “If the adults find out, you two will make my life miserable!”
…
“Foster fathers, I’m doomed! I desperately need your support through loving donations!”
“Bang, bang, bang—three deep bows!”
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