Chapter 83: Can’t I Go Have a Look at the Imperial Ancestral Temple?
It was not until Zhu Youjian pulled out his gun and handed one to each of them that the mood shifted.
Firearms!
Old Zhu Di and Zhu the Fourth were instantly delighted, eagerly accepting the weapons, itching with excitement.
“To hold such a divine weapon and not put it to use truly leaves me dissatisfied!” Old Zhu Di looked around, gave Zhu Gaoxu a subtle glance, and then nudged little Zhu Di with his chin.
Understood!
Zhu Gaoxu immediately caught on, putting his arm around little Zhu Di’s shoulders and grinning, “Fun, isn’t it?”
“It is.” Little Zhu Di was thoroughly fascinated by the firearm.
“Know how to use it?”
“No.”
Zhu Gaoxu chuckled, “Never tried it before, have you?”
“No… What are you up to!?” Little Zhu Di instantly grew wary.
“Look at you! To think I call you Father, yet you guard against your own son like I’m a thief!”
Zhu Gaoxu even sounded aggrieved, then shook his head and sighed, “I was thinking, with nothing to do these days, why don’t we go hunting with these firearms? But seeing your attitude, seems there’s no need to take you along.”
“Don’t say that!” Little Zhu Di immediately perked up, “Father, I want to go hunting…”
“Are you out of your mind? Hunting in the dead of winter? Get lost, don’t bother me!”
Zhu Yuanzhang did not even turn back, impatiently scolding him.
Little Zhu Di looked utterly wronged, glaring fiercely at Zhu Gaoxu, then turned to fiddle with the rifle.
Old Zhu Di and Zhu the Fourth immediately fell silent at this, clearing their throats, pulling in the third brother as a translator, and resumed their idle chatter, acting as if nothing had happened.
...
“Go play with your uncle.” Once Old Zhu had had his fill of fun and tossed the firearm to the child, he turned back, pondering, “Grandson, what did you mean just now by ‘sweep the enemy’s lair clean’?”
This...
Zhu Youjian thought for a moment and decided there was no need to hide it, so he said, “Actually, in the dynasty after ours, the Ming, the Manchu Qing dynasty was founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, and the campaign you mentioned was carried out against these Jianzhou Jurchens.”
“During the reign of Emperor Chenghua, that is, during the reign of the King of Yi, the three Jianzhou military garrisons established in Yongle’s time rebelled against the court after the Tumu Crisis weakened central control.”
“Because our dynasty imposed economic restrictions on the nomadic tribes, frequently adjusting border trade, the steppe tribes often suffered shortages of clothing and food...”
Old Zhu nodded in approval, “Not bad, this boy knows his history—he understands how the Tang dynasty fell. You can’t allow the barbarians to be well fed or let their strength grow too great!”
“Grandson, continue!”
Zhu Youjian nodded and went on, “So Dongshan, then Deputy Commander of the Jianzhou Right Guard and leader of the Jianzhou Jurchens, resumed their old ways. If the court refused to provide, they would plunder instead, repeatedly raiding our Ming borders.”
---
“Although the main forces of the court were always engaged with the Oirat, Tatar, and other Mongol-Yuan powers, even a small detachment was more than enough to crush the minor Jurchen tribes.”
“Thus, during a court debate, the emperor imprisoned the appeasers and decreed a campaign to sweep through the Jianzhou Jurchens and exterminate them root and branch!”
At that time, the leader of the Jianzhou Jurchens, Dongshan, was the fifth-generation ancestor of Nurhaci, serving as Deputy Commander of the Jianzhou Right Guard—at least in name, Nurhaci’s line had once been vassals of the Ming.
“He has spirit—he’s one of ours!” Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at young Zhu Jianshen, nodding approvingly.
Seeing Old Zhu’s anger rising but not yet peaking, Zhu Youjian added, “What’s more, the Qing dynasty even distorted your portrait, making it... Even I dare not describe it...”
“Speak freely!”
Old Zhu’s face darkened at once, and he waved his hand.
“Forgive me, great ancestor!”
Zhu Youjian glanced around, then approached little Zhu Di and whispered, “Ancestor, may I borrow your boot for a moment?”
“Oh, here, take it!” Little Zhu Di promptly complied.
Ah!
The smell was overpowering! Zhu Youjian regretted using such a prop but still demonstrated, shaping the boot like a shoehorn and said honestly, “On the Qing portrait, your face is shaped just like this.”
Is that even human?!
Zhu Yuanzhang’s face visibly darkened. He grabbed the boot and hurled it at little Zhu Di, then stood and fixed a cold stare on Old Zhu Di.
“Fourth, is it absolutely necessary for those three Jianzhou garrisons to exist?”
Old Zhu Di and Zhu the Fourth instantly straightened, hastily promising, “Father, during the Yongle reign, there will be no more Jianzhou Jurchens!”
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, and only then did the two breathe a sigh of relief.
Terrifying!
How could every mangy cat and dog in the future dare to jump about!
Truly infuriating!
Perhaps Zhu Youjian’s demonstration was too vivid, for Old Zhu paced restlessly, agitation written all over him. At last, he waved his hand, “Come, let’s go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. I must see what sort of portraits my descendants have painted of me!”
Stunned!
Zhu the Fourth was unfazed.
But Old Zhu Di’s legs had already gone weak—worse than being the only one in class who hadn’t handed in homework.
The Imperial Ancestral Temple?
But there’s no portrait of you in the Imperial Ancestral Temple in Shuntian Prefecture!
You’re still in Nanjing, the old nest!
“Father, forgive me—after the capital was moved to Beijing, it became a rule not to keep portraits in the new temple...”
Old Zhu Di scrambled to explain, turning to Zhu Qiyu and sternly saying, “Qiyu, which hall in the palace displays the Great Ancestor’s portrait? Hurry and take the Great Ancestor to see it!”
---
“Yes, yes, I’ll arrange it at once...” Zhu Qiyu was sweating with anxiety, replying repeatedly.
“No!”
Zhu Yuanzhang’s face was expressionless; he fixed him with a deep look and said coldly, “We’ll go to the Ancestral Temple! I want to see this temple that doesn’t display my portrait for myself!”
Thud!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Father, your son is unfilial!”
Old Zhu Di, frightened, dropped to his knees. Except for Zhu the Fourth and little Zhu Di, who were both clueless, everyone else understood at once.
Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu, and their brothers all bowed their heads and knelt one after another.
With the ancestors all kneeling, Zhu Youjian naturally followed suit.
Thud!
Though Zhu the Fourth and little Zhu Di didn’t know exactly why, their hearts pounded wildly and, swept up by the atmosphere, they knelt as well.
Even young Zhu Jianshen obediently knelt beside his uncle.
“Well, Fourth, tell me—what’s wrong with the Ancestral Temple? What wonderful thing have you done to please me this time?”
Zhu Yuanzhang sat back on the dragon throne, face blank, eyes glinting coldly.
“Father, after the capital was moved... your son, your son...” Old Zhu Di stammered, nerves getting the better of him.
“Speak!”
Old Zhu’s eyes grew even colder, his shout echoing.
“I left you in Nanjing!” Old Zhu Di blurted out, bracing himself.
What!?
Left Father in Nanjing!?
Zhu the Fourth’s scalp tingled. Since meeting Father, he had never even imagined such a rebellious act as turning him into a lonely old man.
Staring at Old Zhu Di as if seeing him for the first time, he was shocked and terrified by the sheer audacity of the old man.
Little Zhu Di hung his head, a mixture of dread and thrill spreading through him, muttering inwardly:
Impressive! Was I always this bold in old age?
...