Author: Hungry Disaster

"Let's eat!"

Zhu Houzhao greeted everyone, but still no one moved their chopsticks.

At this time, who has the heart to eat?

Zhu Houzhao poured himself a glass of wine and looked at Zhu Qiyuan: "After dad leaves, the Ming Dynasty will depend entirely on you. With your current ability, you are enough to control the Ming Dynasty without causing trouble. I just want to remind you one thing."

"With me gone, you can slow down the pace of opening up no-man's land and focus on broadening people's wisdom and cultivating talents."

Hearing that Zhu Houzhao was leaving his last words, Zhu Qiyuan's face became even more sad: "Dad"

Zhu Houzhao waved his hand, interrupted Zhu Qiyuan, and said: "In my generation, the Ming Dynasty has been constantly fighting foreign wars, and the emperors are suspicious of each other. Even if I have the intention to open up the people's wisdom on a large scale, I have many concerns."

"Now that the Ming Dynasty has been unified, everything has returned to peace. Broadening people's wisdom and cultivating talents are the top priorities, and it is most appropriate for you to complete it."

"But remember, in the process of cultivating talents, ideological education should be the first priority. Ideology is a kind of poison. If the talents cultivated have incorrect ideas, there will be endless disasters."

"Just like the Donglin Party and others, if their ideas become mainstream, will the talents they cultivate be loyal to the Ming Dynasty or to their own interests?"

It’s not that Zhu Houzhao never thought about building colleges and universities and cultivating talents all over the world. It’s just that at that time, various dynasties coexisted, various schools of thought were rampant, and people with unhealthy outlooks were everywhere.

The East Zhejiang Party, the Civil Service Group, and the Donglin Party are not only interest groups, but also academic factions. They wantonly build schools, and the minds of the students they cultivate will be affected by this kind of false Taoism.

He didn't want the talents he had cultivated to end up backstabbing him, and with Sun Moon Academy's stable output, he had no shortage of people to use, so he just put it on hold.

But things are different now. Schools like the Donglin Party were suppressed by him and almost disappeared. Zhu Qiyuan also needs a big achievement to benefit the world. It is the perfect moment to restart the talent training plan.

Although Zhu Houzhao spread martial arts all over the world, in fact most of the people at the bottom are still illiterate. Even if they can become somewhat famous in martial arts, they cannot reach a very high level.

Therefore, it is particularly important to broaden people’s wisdom.

"In your generation, we will do our best to cultivate and accumulate talents, deepen the foundation of the Ming Dynasty, and leave the matter of expanding the territory to Kai'er."

"One generation does what another generation does. We have stabilized our fundamentals. Let time determine where Ming Dynasty will go in the future!"

Zhu Qiyuan nodded: "My son will remember his father's teachings."

Zhu Houzhao looked at Zhu Qinghuang and sighed: "The thing that dad regrets most in this life is that he asked you to learn swordsmanship from Ren Piaomiao, which caused your temperament to become so cold."

"You have a cold temperament, and you will easily suffer in front of the complicated human heart."

What he worries about the most is this precious daughter.

Zhu Qinghuang has a simple and cold temperament. If he was born in the Jianghu sect, he might be able to live freely in the world, but Zhu Qinghuang was born in the royal family. This would be difficult. The human heart is sometimes the most terrifying thing.

Zhu Houzhao is not afraid of anything now. He is only afraid that after he leaves, his precious daughter will be plotted by others. In the entire Ming Dynasty, there are many people who have Zhu Qinghuang's ideas.

Was Li Shanchang's request for marriage really just to test Zhu Houzhao's attitude towards the surviving ministers of various dynasties? That's not necessarily the case.

It is more beneficial to marry Zhu Houzhao than to be against him.

"From now on, dad can no longer protect you, so you must be careful in everything."

Zhu Houzhao warned Zhu Qinghuang and pretended not to see Zhu Qinghuang's reddish eyes.

Zhu Qinghuang bit her teeth lightly, but still tried not to cry. She knew that her father didn't want to see her cry.

The daughter was sad, and it hurt her old father's heart. Zhu Houzhao didn't even dare to look at Zhu Qinghuang. He turned around and told Zhu Qiyuan again: "Protect Qinghuang well. Anyone who dares to let her be wronged will be destroyed directly."

"Don't worry, Dad, as long as my son is here, I will never let my sister suffer any injustice."

Zhu Qiyuan patted his chest and promised, with murderous intent in his eyes.

Zhu Houzhao doted on Zhu Qinghuang, so why didn't he do the same? When the brothers and sisters were in trouble, he would rather get hurt himself than let Zhu Qinghuang hurt a hair.

Anyone who dares to take advantage of Zhu Qinghuang must try his elder brother's sword to see if his sword is sharp enough and capable of killing people.

As long as Zhu Qinghuang is not willing, no one can force Zhu Qinghuang, this is a brother's promise.

Zhu Houzhao drank the wine in the glass in one gulp, but it lost the taste, leaving only a bitter taste in his mouth. He looked at his eldest grandson Zhu Kai, whom he cultivated and whom he called "Yingguo is like me", with a complex expression and said: "Kai'er, think twice about everything.

Then, don’t try to imitate me.”

Zhu Kai didn't know why.

Zhu Houzhao also did not explain. Some things are understood once they are understood. If they cannot be understood, it can only mean that the time has not come yet.

Zhu Kai is very similar to him, but Zhu Houzhao doesn't want Zhu Kai to be like him. In the end, there are only a few people around him who can talk.

It is true that those who are in a position of power are ruthless, but they also need to leave some leeway. If they are too ruthless, they will end up alone.

His eyes passed over Changsun Wugu, Zhu Lie, Zhu Xiao, Zhu Ming, Tushan Qingxue, and landed on Ying Feixue.

The eldest grandson Wugou and Zhu Qiyuan were also husband and wife, playing the piano and the harp in harmony, but Zhu Hou didn't handle it kindly and had nothing to say about it.

When these three brothers Zhu Lie, Zhu Xiao, and Zhu Ming were born, Zhu Houzhao was still participating in the battle to destroy the heaven. Apart from their bloodline, they were not closely related to Zhu Houzhao.

In addition, Zhu Lie loves the art of merchants, Zhu Xiao's mind is full of swords, and Zhu Ming is devoted to studying alchemy. He is often nowhere to be seen, and the relationship is very cold, and there is nothing to talk about.

Tushan Qingxue, if she hadn't doted on her eldest grandson, how could she have accepted a fox girl as his grandson-in-law with Zhu Houzhao's paranoia?

Looking at Ying Feixue, who had a cold and noble temperament, and who seemed more like sisters than mother and daughter to Zhu Qinghuang, Zhu Houzhao didn't know how to speak for a moment.

They traveled to the Ming Dynasty with each other, and both had seen through the past, but he still held a sense of guilt in his heart.

Perhaps his conscience discovered it. In the end, he, who had always been self-centered, felt a trace of regret.

Zhu Houzhao asked himself whether he could be worthy of anyone in his life, but he owed three women.

One is his mother, Empress Dowager Zhang. If he had been gentler in his dealings, Empress Dowager Zhang would not have regrets before her death.

The second one was a stupid woman who was ruthlessly condemned to death after being used by him. He could save her, but he ruthlessly abandoned her just for the sake of his emperor's face.

The third one is Ying Feixue. As a husband, he is seriously unqualified. Even now, he doesn't know what Ying Feixue likes and dislikes.

"Take care of yourself."

There are thousands of words to say, but only one sentence is left: "Take care".

Zhu Houzhao didn't want to talk about this life or the afterlife. He didn't know whether he had an afterlife. Even if he had an afterlife, he wouldn't follow him anymore if he wanted to win Feixue.

A man like him doesn't know how to talk about love, let alone how to please a woman.

Ying Feixue glanced at Zhu Houzhao silently. There was no sadness or excitement, but her heart felt like a roaring river, rolling endlessly and unable to calm down.

Her marriage with Zhu Houzhao was just a calculation. She thought she could face it calmly, but then she realized that facing it was not that easy.

After living under the same roof for so many years, how could there be no feelings? It's just that Zhu Houzhao or Ying Feixue are too rational to express their feelings.

"Go back, everyone, and leave me alone for a while."

The table was full of delicious food, but no one was touching it. Zhu Houzhao said with waning interest, he had already explained everything that needed to be explained, and he had nothing more to say.

Everyone left, leaving Zhu Houzhao alone to reflect on the past, feeling the vicissitudes of time, and lamenting the impermanence of the world.

The high spirits when I first arrived at Dabao;

The anger when being used as a puppet by the ministers;

The helplessness when you want to do great things but encounter many obstacles;

The confusion after killing someone for the first time to establish authority.

Decisiveness to suppress the civil servant clique;

The joy when entering the Qiankun Pearl space for the first time and meeting the emperors of the Ming Dynasty;

The slightest regret after using that stupid woman and sending her to death;

Life is like a vast picture scroll, and all the things he has experienced are constantly presented in his mind.

Until the end, Zhu Houzhao suddenly discovered that the happiest thing in his life and the most worthy of boasting was not defeating the emperors of the Ming Dynasty and unifying the entire Ming Dynasty, nor participating in the destruction of the two giants of heaven and Buddhism.

But it was when brother and sister Zhu Qiyuan and Zhu Qinghuang had just learned to speak and shouted "Dad" to him.

That was the moment when he smiled the most heartily, happily and brilliantly in his life.

Perhaps it was from that time on that Zhu Qiyuan and Zhu Qinghuang became his lifeblood. He never liked the two brothers and sisters calling him "Father", but he liked to hear them call him "Dad".

Perhaps only in those kind words of "Dad" can he feel that he is a human being, a living person, a living person with seven emotions and six desires.

Rather than a cold and heartless machine that runs crazily for power.

"Suddenly looking back, no matter the country or the imperial power, it doesn't matter anymore, it doesn't matter anymore."

A faint sigh filled with so much complexity that even he himself might not be able to figure it out.
Chapter completed!