The tenth year of Lin De’s reign on the throne, the tenth year of Lin Xuan’s house arrest.

Lin De put down the memorial in her hand and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She was getting older, and looking at the memorials for a long time would always cause dry eyes.

The palace maid whispered beside Lin De, “Your Majesty, that side has sent over a memorial.”

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No one in the palace dared to call the prince, only referring to him as ‘that side’.

Lin De was stunned, and her hand shook unnaturally: “Really? Bring it over.”

The palace maid handed over the memorial, Lin De opened the memorial, and read it carefully. This was the first time Lin Xuan had written and sent a memorial after the siblings fell out. She thought he had written a memorial to scold her, but it turned out he was admitting his mistake in it.

Lin Xuan said that he had disappointed his uncle’s expectations and the officials who followed him. He never thought of becoming an enemy of his sister.

At that time, there were many people around him. They spoke in his ear every day that his sister was a woman, and the world could not be handed over to a woman. When those people mentioned Lin De, it was as if they wanted to drink her blood and eat her flesh.

At that time, Lin Xuan felt that so long as he became the emperor, everyone would perform their own duties, and his sister would be the princess, just like their mother, wouldn’t that be good?

He said that he now knew that he was wrong. In fact, he had known it for a long time, but he had been unable to lower his head, admitting that his mistake had ruined so many things.

Lin De read the memorial and put it back.

The palace maid asked in a low voice, “Your Majesty, won’t you go and have a look?”

Lin De shook her head and leaned back on the chair: “No, in the future…..during the holidays and festivals, just bestow some more things. You go and tell the Ministry of Internal Affairs that every expense of the prince’s manor will be compared to that in the palace.”

Palace maid: “Yes.”

“Go.” Lin De said.

The palace maid retreated in small steps and exited the room. Lin De pursed her lips tightly, and looked at the plaque above her head.

This plaque was inscribed by the late emperor himself. At that time, she was a little girl and was held in the arms by the late emperor. The late emperor said that the words inscribed were ‘Just and Honorable’.

The late emperor died, and she was supported by several old officials to sit on the throne.

When she was most anxious and frightened, her younger brother took the lead and tried to force her to step down in a coup.

At that time, she was sitting on the dragon throne. It was obviously midsummer and she was wearing a jacket, but she felt cold to the core.

So her fear disappeared. She didn’t have time to be afraid. She held the emperor’s last edict and remembered what the emperor said to her.

“Lin De, if one day someone tells you that you are wrong, don’t listen to them.”

“The officials can only try to persuade you, not force you. If they force you, then just kill them.”

“Once you take a step back, your fate will only be worse than death.”

“Someone!” Lin De heard her own voice, “Drag the offenders out and behead them!”

The gate of the palace was stained red with blood that day, those who followed her and those who didn’t follow her were frightened, and then she was no longer afraid.

She didn’t kill Lin Xuan. She still remembered that the late emperor once said to her, “If one day your brother makes a mistake, and it is not necessary to kill him, then spare him his life.”

Even now, she felt that the late emperor hadn’t left, and he was still in this palace, with General Chen always behind him. The late emperor seldom smiled, only in front of the general and his family members. The late emperor was very thin, always looking very spirited, very easy-going, even in old age, his eyes were never cloudy.

Lin De had long been unafraid of her throne being unstable. What she was afraid of now was that she would not meet the expectations of the late emperor, and that she would not be able to catch up with half of the achievements of the late emperor in her whole life. She lived in this kind of trepidation and could not find anyone to share her worries with.

Now she had two daughters. The fathers of these two daughters were not the same. She also copied the late emperor, not announcing the heir while she was still alive, and letting them spread their wings and gain experience in the six ministries.

She had several lovers, but her lovers always wanted more from her.

Wanted to confuse her with love, confuse her with a young and seductive body, just like they would confuse an ordinary woman, they believed that Lin De would give up power because of love, and because of love, they would get more, and even more unexpected benefits.

Lin De couldn’t remember those lovers anymore. It seemed that one of them was very beautiful, with a pair of dimples and endearing eyeteeth. He was always full of enthusiasm and had a lot of things he wanted.

But any more than that, she couldn’t remember.

Lin De closed her eyes and rested. She was once again back when she was a child. Back then, she didn’t have to think about anything. She could act like a spoiled child in her mother’s arms, go to her grandmother to steal a lazy day, her uncle was serious and kind, and she would play hide and seek with her younger brother in the palace, laughing every day and fantasizing about life when they grew up.

At that time, she wanted to be a general, and Lin Xuan wanted to be a military strategist.

There was no taboo in childhood, no one would take it seriously.

The palace had never changed, the sun would rise from the same place every day, day after day, it would never change.

The life of the common people was getting better and better, the late emperor had made a good start, the trade route had opened, the surrounding countries were subordinate to the Great Ming. The relationship Mongolia and the Jurchen had with the Central Plains was becoming closer and closer, and while she might not see the day of real unification, perhaps her descendants would.

She didn’t do anything spectacular in her life. What she could do was to protect the hard work of the late emperor, so that everything that the late emperor implemented would be without any obstacles as it was carried out.

“Your Majesty, please rest early.” The palace maid whispered.

Lin De stood up and walked to the bed.

——

The imperial examination was about to start again, and preparations were busy everywhere. Foreign ethnicities were already allowed to participate in the imperial examination during the time of the late emperor, but there have never been as many foreign ethnicities participating in the imperial examination as this year. Most of the foreign ethnicities participating were said to be foreign, but in fact, they have been intermarrying with the Han Chinese since their grandparents’ generation and were no different from the Han.

Buhe was one of them. His grandfather was Mongolian, his grandmother was Han, his father was Mongolian, and his mother was Han. He lived in a city where Mongolians and Han people lived together. He loved studying and was even better at it than the children of his Han neighbors.

He heard from his grandfather that before their family moved here, they lived on the grasslands. In the grasslands, they depended on the heavens for food. A fire, a natural disaster, or a plague among cattle and sheep would destroy a family’s livelihood just like that.

So he had always had a hope, that was, to successfully pass the county level imperial exam, then the provincial level, then the palace level, and finally become an official. He would then go to Mongolia, and make it so that his own people could live the same good life as him.

He saw himself as a Ming person, and he felt that being a Ming person was something to be proud of. The men were strong, smart, responsible, and the women were beautiful, capable, and wise. Countless people from foreign lands poured into the Great Ming, and only then did they know what outside of the Great Ming was like.

The common people were poor, the nobles were over extravagant, and slaves were not treated as humans.

The more miserable those people were, the more they felt that it was a supreme honor to be a Ming person.

The foreigners who fled during the Yuan Dynasty returned, and more and more foreigners poured in.

But these foreigners were not allowed to take the imperial examination.

Unless three generations had been born and lived in the Great Ming.

Buhe said to his friend, “Only this is considered the bearing of a great country!”

The friend shook his head and said, “Her Majesty…..is a woman. Women are always soft-hearted and emotional. She sees that the people of foreign lands are pitiful, so she allows them to enter the Great Ming and become the citizens of the Great Ming. This is a disaster rather than a blessing!”

Buhe was puzzled: “Wasn’t the late emperor the same? The late emperor never forbade foreigners from entering the Great Ming.”

Friend: “How can you compare the current emperor with the late emperor?!”

The friend said angrily: “The late emperor was not a mere mortal, he was born under the imperial star, he was born to be emperor!”

Buhe looked at his friend, who continued, “I was born a few decades too late! If I had been born a few decades earlier, I would have lived in the time of the late emperor!”

Buhe didn’t argue with his friend.

He also admired the late emperor, believing that the late emperor had never made any mistakes in his life.

But his friend believed that the only mistake the late emperor made was that he did not have his own child.

If it was the child of the late emperor, no matter male or female, they would definitely be better than Lin De and Lin Xuan.

If the daughter of the late emperor became emperor, they would recognize and accept it.

But it was not to be.

Buhe did not bother to argue with his friend. He just focused on his studies. Occasionally, he would go to the grassroots level to organize and conduct research with his classmates. He was so busy every day that his parents were worried that he would exhaust himself.

This year was the second time for Buhe to come to Beijing. The last time he did not make it on the golden list, and he didn’t have much confidence this time, but he was still going to try, and he couldn’t let all the hard work in the past be in vain.

His family was not particularly wealthy, but they were not poor either. Successful candidates of the provincial level did not receive a salary if they didn’t do anything, so he became a minor official in the county government office and could receive some grain and silver taels. Since he became a minor official, his family members’ lives have gotten better and they have even saved some money.

Although he became a minor official, he could still take the imperial palace exam. After handing in the leave request, he set off on his way.

The friend who traveled with him was always happy to talk about the prosperity of the capital. There were always countless people in the streets of the capital, both men and women, young and old. Nowadays, women’s lives were better than before, and women were no longer prohibited from taking part in the imperial examination. This was a decree issued in the second year of the female emperor’s reign to the throne.

In the past, although it was said that women were not forbidden to take the imperial examination, but because they did not have this habit, no matter how well their literary talents were, no woman thought of taking the imperial exam.

After the female emperor ascended the throne, she used many means to encourage women to participate in the imperial examination, opening the door of convenience wide for all women.

There were constant objections inside and outside the imperial court, as well as the death remonstrance of the civil officials, but even so they were unable to stop her.

Nowadays, many minor officials in local governments were women.

There were also many court officials who were women, but there were still not many in important positions.

Among the hundred officials who could attend morning assembly to discuss politics, there were less than ten female officials.

It was probably because of this that the opposition had become less loud.

After Buhe came to Beijing, he lived in the courtyard where he lived three years ago. It was the same as always except the male owner had a two year old toddler in his arms. He still remembered Buhe, and he even told Buhe that his wife went to work after giving birth to their child. She was a small supervisor in a garment factory, overseeing more than ten people, and earning more than he did in the odd jobs he took.

So he just guarded their courtyard and took care of the children, his days quite enriched.

“There is a lantern festival at night, every district has one, and it is said to be a competition!” The male owner suddenly said, “You should also go out at night to walk around. It takes place once a year and it’s rare to see such amazing scenery.”

Buhe nodded: “Definitely.”

The male owner hugged his child, rocking the toddler skillfully, and said, “Then I’ll go out first, come to me if you need anything.”

Buhe saw the male owner out, and it was very lively outside the door. The children were running and laughing all the way with their school bags on their backs. Young women in trousers walked on the streets, carrying bamboo baskets and looking like they were going to go on a spring hike.

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Since women began to work more, it became troublesome to wear skirts, and this kind of fabric-saving trousers appeared.

Originally, few people wore trousers, but now fewer people wore skirts.

Buhe looked around him, and finally decided on two words that would describe the era he lived in perfectly——

Peace and prosperity.

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The four generals have all been conferred the noble title of duke, which was a high-ranking title, the highest title that all officials could earn in their entire lives.

The duke could attend morning assembly to discuss politics, and Lin Yuan gave them all the honor they deserved, but he didn’t actually give them much power.

A general without soldiers was a tiger with its teeth pulled out.

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Lin Yuan hadn’t seen Yang Zi’an and the others for a long time. Time seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye and they had all grown old.

The generals had taken off their armors and put down their swords. Lin Yuan personally led the hundred officials to welcome them into the imperial palace. When the several people met again, they all felt like everything had changed.

“Go, help the uncles up.” Lin Yuan instructed Lin De and Lin Xuan.

These two children were in their teens now, and their temperaments had become much more stable. Lin De no longer said that she wanted to be a female general, and Lin Xuan no longer said that he wanted to be a military strategist. As they grew older, they all knew what they would be facing.

The sibling relationship was still there, but even Lin Yuan didn’t know when their relationship would disappear.

In the face of absolute power and status, it was impossible for anyone to remain the same.

Lin De and Lin Xuan helped Yang Zi’an, Li Congrong and Zhu Yuanzhang up, and because Chen Baisong stayed in the capital all year round and was standing behind Lin Yuan, he was the closest person to Lin Yuan.

Yang Zi’an had aged well. He had good looks when he was young, and when he was old, he only appeared elegant and refined. He was a famous scholar general. He had three sons and a daughter, but the children were born late in his life, and had not yet started their own families.

Li Congrong still looked like when he was young. He was rough-skinned and thick-skinned, and he didn’t even look old. Except for his gray temples, he still appeared young just looking at his face and physique.

Lin Yuan led them into the palace, and after bestowing titles and rewards, it was followed by a banquet.

The dancing girls swept in. Lin Yuan didn’t drink much at the banquet. He was not one to be fond of what was in the cups and just occasionally drank some fruit wine. Lin Yuan had never been drunk despite these many years, and in this banquet he only drank a few cups. He mostly just sat and watched the dance.

These dancers were all tributes from foreign lands. Foreign lands needed silk and tea, but they didn’t want to part with gold and silver jewelry. In the early years, there were indeed beauties, but later the appearance of the tribute women became more and more ordinary. Those beauties have all married and started their own families, while these dancers had voluntarily stayed in the palace.

According to their words, they have learned to dance all their lives, and they felt they should dance for others to see. If they don’t dance, they don’t know what they could do, so Lin Yuan let them stay in the palace. Dancing was their work, so if they didn’t want to dance anymore they could simply resign.

Anyway, the Great Ming was currently short of women, whether it was to work or marry, they could choose whatever they want.

After the singing and dancing were over, and the hall became quiet, Lin Yuan sighed: “I haven’t seen you all for so many years.”

Li Congrong was the most daring. He didn’t see him for so many years but he didn’t feel that his relationship with Lin Yuan had become unfamiliar and alienated. He said, “It has been some years! We are all old!”

Li Congrong only came back to his senses when these words fell, and said quickly: “We are old, Your Majesty is not old, Your Majesty is forever young, looking just like a young man of twenty!”

Lin Yuan was amused by Li Congrong. What kind of person was Li Congrong before? There was never a scheme in his heart, always saying what he wanted to say, and now he actually learned to speak. When one has experienced a lot of things, one would also gradually change, and no one would remain the same forever.

Now looking at Li Congrong and the others, Lin Yuan already felt a little like they were strangers.

The friendship was still there, but he always felt like…..he couldn’t remember all that clearly.

This was probably what it felt like to be at a high place. All the people who accompanied him back then left, only Chen Baisong and Er Liang were left, and only Chen Baisong could be considered a confidante.

Lin Yuan said a few more words to them, all of which were ordinary words about daily life, whose child was getting older, and was at the marriageable age.

Or how have they been at the borders over the years, and whether the borders were peaceful or not, what military officials have the talent.

After talking for more than two hours, Lin Yuan saw that they were tired, so he told them to rest in the palace and return to their manors tomorrow.

Lin Yuan returned to his living quarters, cleaned up and washed, while Chen Baisong watched.

Don’t know why, but Lin Yuan suddenly turned around, his eyes colliding with Chen Baisong’s.

After so many years, Lin Yuan could no longer judge whether Chen Baisong’s appearance was handsome or not. He smiled at Chen Baisong: “Why didn’t you chat with them for a while?”

Chen Baisong was sitting on a chair, holding a teacup in his hand, which was filled with milk tea. He took a sip and put it down after thinking it was too sweet: “Chat about what? How were they doing at the borders all these years? In any case it is all the same old topics. There’s nothing interesting to talk about.”

Lin Yuan nodded: “That’s true.”

Chen Baisong didn’t have any deep friendship with them.

Time and distance have also wiped out any original meager trace of friendship.

After Chen Baisong had cleaned up, the two of them laid in bed talking. The life expectancy of the ancients was short. After forty, they were considered old people. Lin Yuan paid great attention to diet and exercise these years. Most emperors died of exhaustion, getting up earlier than chickens and sleeping later than dogs, and despite that they also had to make time to bestow his favors on the harem.

He heard that there were emperors who saw several concubines in a single night. It could be considered quite the epitome of virility indeed.

Lin Yuan felt that compared with those emperors who were overloaded all day, he already had it a lot easier.

After he formed his own work team, he had fewer things at hand to take care of personally. He made a schedule, and it was clear what to do every day at what time period. When he went to court, he also made schedules and rules for the officials.

Preventing them from arguing and wasting time.

Lin Yuan looked at the bed canopy and said softly, “After I die, you will share the coffin with me, and I won’t give you a separate coffin. And don’t call me stingy.”

Chen Baisong hesitated: “Can that be done?”

In fact, there have been rumors about their affairs in the court and the people for a long time. His Majesty and the general go in and out together, and they often talk late into the night by candlelight. The most terrible thing was that neither of them were married. At first, the imperial court expressly hinted that they were not against His Majesty playing with men, and when it was the general…..that was fine too but there still need to be concubines, so that princes could be born and someone to inherit the throne.

But Lin Yuan turned a blind eye to it all. After Lin De and Lin Xuan were born, the opposition from the court became less.

These two children grew up by Lin Yuan’s side, the mother also lived in the palace, and the princess was full of admiration and respect for her elder brother. Everyone could see that in the hearts of the two children, their uncle was the most important person to them, as for their father, who knew how long he had long been forgotten by them.

When he went to investigate the provincial government, the princess’s consort let slip all the things that Chen Baisong had revealed to him when he was drunk. After he came back, he was dismissed and demoted to a commoner. The princess also divorced him, but Lin Yuan gave him permission to visit the palace once every ten days to see the children.

The princess’s consort felt deeply ashamed, and took his family back to his hometown. Now he had opened a school in his hometown, and he had done a fairly good job with it. The students he taught all had good grades.

Lin Yuan regretted it a little. Maybe he shouldn’t have entrusted important tasks to the princess’s consort in the first place. The princess’s consort was actually not bad. His theoretical knowledge was very good, but there were problems with his emotional intelligence and conduct. If he was just a scholar perhaps he could make some literary achievements.

But regret was useless.

Guo’er didn’t really care, she lived well in the palace and even had a lover, but she didn’t want to get married, and Lin Yuan didn’t force it.

Chen Baisong asked nervously, “Really?”

Chen Baisong believed in the afterlife and higher powers. He also believed that if they were buried together, they would be a married couple, and they could continue to be together in the next life as well. Moreover, Lin Yuan was the emperor, and ghosts and gods always had to give the emperor face. Perhaps they really could continue to be together in the next life.

Lin Yuan nodded: “I will arrange it, no matter who will leave first, we will be buried together.”

Lin Yuan squeezed Chen Baisong’s hand.

Chen Baisong was relieved, he closed his eyes and said softly, “Young master, don’t be an emperor in your next life.”

Lin Yuan said softly, “En?”

Chen Baisong: “It’s too tiring. For the sake of the world and for the sake of the people, but never for the sake of yourself.”

Lin Yuan squeezed Chen Baisong’s palm: “Who said I never thought for the sake of myself? If I didn’t, you wouldn’t be lying beside me. Instead it would be the empress.”

Chen Baisong would have been nervous when he heard the word “empress” in the early years, and he would have been angry and fearful, but not now. He just asked, “Then Lin De and Lin Xuan…..”

Lin Yuan: “After I die, someone will read my edict.”

Chen Baisong: “Have you already chosen?”

Lin Yuan nodded: “I have chosen.”

Lin De and Lin Xuan were siblings with completely different personalities, but they were not bad children. They both have smart heads.

In recent years, Lin Yuan watched how they got a foothold in the court, how they assembled their own team, and how they earned the support of the officials.

“Who did you choose?” Chen Baisong asked.

Lin Yuan said, “Lin De.”

Chen Baisong frowned: “I’m afraid it will be difficult.”

Lin Yuan smiled and said, “It’s not difficult, she could even concince Yang Shaowei.”

Yang Shaowei was Song Shizhao’s only direct disciple, and he was very much sly and sophisticated.

Chen Baisong said curiously: “Why not Lin Xuan? I see that he also has a lot of support.”

Lin Yuan sighed and said, “Lin Xuan is a man, and he naturally has an easier time in gaining support than Lin De, but even so, the two of them are on equal footing in the court.”

“He must be stronger than Lin De, and much stronger. If Lin De had no supporters, he would win.”

Lin Yuan’s face was cold, the gaze in his eyes not fluctuating: “But his achievements are the same as Lin De’s, which means that he is weaker than Lin De.”

Lin De was a girl. The help and support she could get in the court was extremely small. Lin Yuan had not helped her secretly at all in these years. But Lin Xuan was different. He always had people ingratiating themselves to him and countless sons of officials were willing to follow him. But even so, he failed to suppress Lin De.

Lin Yuan: “Ambition and capability are innate.”

Chen Baisong frowned: “What if Lin De can’t keep the throne?”

Lin Yuan smiled and said, “Then that’s because she’s incompetent. I’ll be in the coffin by then, and won’t have the time to uphold justice for her.”

“I have given her a chance, but as for the outcome, it’s not me who has the final say.” Lin Yuan pinched Chen Baisong’s chin, “Go to sleep, we have to get up early for morning assembly tomorrow.”

Chen Baisong nodded, he fell asleep quickly, and soon started snoring.

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The snoring was not too loud, and now Lin Yuan could only fall asleep listening to Chen Baisong’s snoring.

Chen Baisong put his arms around Lin Yuan’s waist when he fell asleep. He murmured, “I want us to rest in the same coffin.”

Lin Yuan coaxed softly: “Okay, sleep.”

Chen Baisong was satisfied, he hugged Lin Yuan and fell asleep.

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When the several great generals arrived in the capital, the capital became lively and noisy. After all, these were all generals with great military exploits. They followed His Majesty when His Majesty first stepped onto the path to the imperial throne. After several battles and guarding the borders, they returned to Beijing under the highest standard of courtesy.

Let’s talk about the houses first. They were all large manors that were seized and confiscated from before. The Ministry of Internal Affairs had already started to clean them up. According to the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the ponds were all running water, and would not stink even after more than ten years, unless the source was dried up.

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Speaking of the manor, it was equivalent to pushing it down and being rebuilt. The wood was all good materials, not to mention the furniture which was made with old craftsmanship by carpenters, so don’t mention splinters, there was no flaw at all, even the parts that touched the ground were flat and smooth.

They were all done in the current fashionable styles, with three-door wardrobes. Except for the room where the servants lived, the rooms where the general and his family would live were all large, as big as the main room of an ordinary family. There were tables and chairs inside, and the floor was also covered with carpets woven with coarse wool.

The floor was even tiled——that was porcelain tiles!

Tiles were also a new thing which was made by some young master of a wealthy family. It was easy to break when dropped, but it would not once on the ground, so as long as the carpet was laid over it, it would be very beautiful, easy to clean and good-looking.

Moreover, it was cheaper than ordinary porcelain firing. Don’t know how much a big kiln could make at a time. According to rumors, the young master’s family made a lot of money with this, and now they could live in a big manor in Beijing.

The people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs were very excited, and the listeners were also excited.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs also said: “Just speaking of the porcelain, now that was all good porcelain. If you ask for white porcelain, there is absolutely no variegated color. If you ask for painted porcelain, the color must be correct. As for pots, bowls, and pans, these are all prepared, although they are all bought, they are all fine goods.”

In the end, the people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs also summed up: “If I could live in that house for a few days, my life would be worth it!”

The listeners were also envious: “His Majesty’s heart is thinking of them!”

“Who say it isn’t so? They have followed His Majesty since many years ago. I heard that His Majesty was only a farmstead owner at that time, with 180 people working for him.”

“Our Majesty is the true Son of Heaven!”

Zhu Yuanzhang brought his family to Beijing and was about to find an inn to stay in. He expected that he would arrive early, and that the manor bestowed by His Majesty would have to be cleaned. But as soon as he entered the city, there were officials outside the carriage asking to see him, so Zhu Yuanzhang simply jumped out of the carriage.

The inner court official was a handsome man with a white face and no beard. He aged well, with only a few fine lines at the corners of his eyes. He smiled and said with a smile on his face, “This lower official, Chu Lin, greets the general.”

Zhu Yuanzhang didn’t put on airs, he just came to the capital, and he hadn’t figured out this place yet: “Does Lord Chu have something important to discuss?”

Chu Lin smiled and said: “His Majesty ordered this lower official to take you to the manor, everything is already prepared.”

Of course, not having to go make do in an inn was a good thing, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. Chu Lin mounted the horse and led the way, and Zhu Yuanzhang’s carriage followed behind.

After reaching the front gates, Chu Lin said to Zhu Yuanzhang, “His Majesty said that the plaque will not be put up until the other two generals arrive.”

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: “I know.”

He understood what that meant, it would definitely not be hung with the general’s plaque. This plaque would only be hung when His Majesty had given them titles.

Zhu Yuanzhang took his wife and daughters inside first, and the servants entered the courtyard through the back door, carrying down the luggage first.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, Zhu Da Niang exclaimed. She grabbed Ma shi’s hand and stared with a pair of almond eyes that had widened: “Mother! This house! I have never seen such a house!”

The floor was covered with carpets, and walking on it was very soft. Where there was no carpet, there were bright tiles. The furnishings in the main room were all high-quality goods. The tables and chairs were all styles that she had never seen at the borders. She found a chair to sit on, and found that that was very soft too, padded with cotton pads inside.

“Xiao Niang! Let’s go to see the rooms!” Zhu Da Niang led her sister to the inner courtyard to find her boudoir.

Pushing them open one by one, every room looked good, but when they pushed open two adjacent rooms together, they could hardly breathe.

“This room…..must be just for us!” Zhu Da Niang closed her mouth, remembering what her friend said, that all the young ladies in the capital spoke in a low voice, walked in small steps, and ate in small bites. Although she felt that it was too tiring, she also felt that maybe they could integrate into the capital by learning from them.

Speaking of which, Zhu Da Niang actually felt a little inferior.

She heard the storyteller say that girls from big families, they all had slender willow waists, cherry blossom lips, and willow leaf eyebrows. They should speak softly, be generous and decent when dealing with people, and have the restraint of a lady from a big family, as well as be proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Learning how to manage the household should also be learned from an early age. Studying to read with their brothers at a young age, and though they did not have to be proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics, but they also should have read it.

There was also female skills, when embroidering flowers it must be able to attract butterflies, and the food they cooked must be able to attract praise.

Zhu Da Niang felt that she would not be able to learn all of this even if she was reincarnated again. It was too difficult. How was that a lady, that was simply a demon spirit who began to cultivate in their mother’s womb.

Just speaking of embroidery that attracts butterflies, Zhu Da Niang couldn’t do it. She didn’t like this kind of stuff. Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma shi also didn’t force the girls to learn it. They didn’t think of it when the girls were still young, and when the girls grew older they planned to find husbands to marry into the family instead. And since that was the case, there was no need to learn these things, with their father here, how could they be lacking in clothes and jewelry and makeup?

Instead, Zhu Yuanzhang hoped that they would be strong enough to control the family, and not to be controlled by their husbands who married into the family in the future. If they were coaxed by men, the Zhu family’s wealth would become another family’s, and the grandchildren might not follow the Zhu family’s surname. If that happened, even if he was already dead at the time, he would still sit up from the coffin angrily.

Zhu Da Niang looked at the room in front of her. It was very bright. The windows were pushed from side to side, pulleys were installed, and there were curtains. The curtains were made of cotton, but they were well woven and dyed in dark blue. If they were drawn when the sun was shining, the room would look like it was washed in pale blue light.

The desk was made of wood, but it had also been coated with a layer of paint, which was so well painted that nothing of the original wood color could be seen.

Especially the bed, there were no four-cornered pillars, and there was no canopy on the top, just a big bed, and the sheets and bedding were all neatly arranged.

Except for the pillows and cushions, one could see that it was incredibly soft at first glance. Zhu Da Niang turned to look at her sister, walked to the door of the next room, and found that there was no difference between the two rooms except for the color of the curtains and the color of the sheets and bedding. The floor was covered with carpets, which were thick and soft, and were very comfortable to sit on if one wished to.

“Let’s go see our parents’ room?” Zhu Da Niang asked excitedly.

Zhu Xiao Niang was also curious and nodded again and again.

The two found the largest room, and when they opened the door, they were shocked by the scene in front of them.

This room was bigger than the two of theirs combined!

The brightness was only a second thought, the room had a bed, a bookcase, and a carved wooden table that pictured the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each of which was very lifelike.

Everything silently told them that someone had spent a lot of energy on the decorations.

When Zhu Da Niang and Zhu Xiao Niang had almost finished touring the place, they ran back to the main room, only to see that their parents were already eating some snacks.

It turned out that it was Chu Lin who heard that they were entering the city, and had already asked someone to go to the cake shop to buy the cakes that had just come out of the pot. It was very soft but did not stick to the teeth, and was just perfect when paired with tea.

“Come, the capital’s cakes.” Ma shi waved to her daughters.

Zhu Da Niang and her sister went over and ate one with Ma shi’s chopsticks, and were immediately overwhelmed by the taste.

No matter how good the borders were, they couldn’t make such cakes and pastries. The capital was indeed the capital.

“Mom, I saw your room!” Zhu Da Niang said, “It’s almost bigger than this main room!”

Ma shi said with a smile: “Speaking nonsense, whose bedroom is bigger than the main room?”

Zhu Da Niang quickly said: “I’m not talking nonsense, really, you can see for yourself. There is also a table, you can see it is good wood at a glance, I could smell the fragrance of the wood, and there are carvings of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea on it.”

Zhu Da Niang felt that she had lived in vain for the past few years!

She drank a sip of tea and couldn’t sit still with excitement. She already got used to being afraid when she was on the road, but now she was no longer afraid. Everything felt novel to her. The wind and sand in the borders were strong and everywhere, and there were few vendors on the streets, afraid the strong wind would blow away their goods. Women all wore practical clothes, which were easy to move in.

In the early years, there were many widows in the border city, their husbands having left in the early years, whether they were dead or alive there was no news at all.

After waiting for several years and more, until there was no hope remaining, the soldiers arrived. Many soldiers married the widows or girls in the local area, and they have been stationed at the border all their lives.

Even though Zhu Da Niang was a young lady from the general’s family, she didn’t have the habit of not leaving the door and remaining in the boudoir. Her mother made a good role model. When her father was busy her mother would go help out in the barracks so she and her little sister would take care of affairs at home.

Some of the servants hired were quite bold, wanting to coax the two sisters while the mistress of the house was away and embezzle some money from them.

The two sisters were inexperienced at first, and they fell for it several times. Later, they finally established prestige and sent those people to the government. Not only did they spit out all they took, but they were also jailed for two years for the crime of theft of huge amounts of money.

The servants thought that a big family like them cared about having face, and even if they found out, they would most likely just fire them and send them away. They were only contract workers so if they were really discovered they could just quit. In any case they’ve taken enough money from them.

Zhu Da Niang had known from then on that it was not a good thing to be a pushover and to place more importance on having face. Just like her father, who always meant what he said, this way others would not dare to coax and trick her and would be afraid of her instead.

Zhu Yuanzhang was drinking tea and looking at the scenery of the garden outside the main room, his eyes were a little dazed. After so many years, even his daughters had also grown to marriageable age, but occasionally, he still felt that he was still the same person who just came out of Huangjue Temple back then. The little monk who lived in a turbulent world who just wanted to eat fully.

If it wasn’t for the kindness of another landowner when his parents died, he wouldn’t even be able to find a piece of land to bury them.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Who would have thought that he would actually become a general now, living in such a luxurious manor and drinking freshly brewed tea?

Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head to look at Ma shi. Ma shi seemed to have sensed it, and she raised her head and met Zhu Yuanzhang’s eyes, pursed her lips and smiled.

Having a wife and daughters, wealth and status.

In this life, he knew contentment.

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