ATPnovel Chapter 20 They're all our sons, why is there such a big difference?
Chapter 20 They're all our sons, why is there such a big difference?
Among them, the most mischievous was the second son, Zhu Shuang.
He was the eldest among the princes and spent his days leading his younger brothers in mischief, especially his two younger brothers, the fifth prince Zhu Su and the thirteenth prince Zhu Gui, in causing trouble everywhere.
The three of them spent their days idly, doing nothing and behaving recklessly, showing none of the demeanor expected of princes.
Zhu Shuang was short-tempered and often wandered the streets of the capital with his guards. If he saw any people he didn't like, he would scold and beat them, and even rob them of their property.
The people were angry but dared not speak out.
Although Zhu Su enjoyed studying pharmacology and herbs and loved tending to flowers and plants, he couldn't resist Zhu Shuang's constant enticements and was dragged into the streets to cause trouble a few times.
Zhu Gui was the most unruly. He secretly slipped out of the palace and colluded with the纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy families) in the capital to smash up shops on the street and harass women. Several times, the people reported him to the government, but the government dared not take action because of his status as a prince. They could only secretly report to Zhu Yuanzhang.
That day, Zhu Yuanzhang had just finished reviewing a batch of memorials when he received a report from a eunuch that Zhu Gui had once again led people to smash up several shops on West Street and injured the shop owners, causing widespread resentment among the people.
Zhu Shuang, as the elder brother, not only failed to discipline him, but also applauded and cheered from the sidelines.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's anger erupted instantly, and he immediately ordered Zhu Shuang, Zhu Su, and Zhu Gui to be summoned to the imperial study.
As soon as the three entered the room, they saw that Zhu Yuanzhang's face was ashen and his aura was frighteningly low.
Zhu Su, always timid, kept his head down and dared not utter a sound; Zhu Gui also hung his head. Only Zhu Shuang remained with a carefree grin, completely unaware of his mistake.
"You unfilial son!" Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his hand on the table, shouting angrily. Pointing at Zhu Shuang, he cursed, "As the elder brother, instead of disciplining your younger brother, you lead them to act recklessly, oppressing the people and destroying shops. Do you even have any respect for us, or for the laws of the Ming Dynasty?"
Zhu Shuang shrank back after being scolded, but remained defiant, muttering under his breath, "It's just a few shops being smashed, what's the big deal? Does Father have to be so angry?"
These words only added fuel to the fire. Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he trembled all over. He got up, picked up the cane beside him, and started hitting Zhu Shuang repeatedly, yelling as he did so: "I'll teach you a lesson for being so unruly! I'll teach you and your brother to run wild! Today I'll teach you a lesson, you little rascal, and see if you dare to do it again!"
The cane struck him, causing Zhu Shuang to howl in pain. He immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, repeatedly crying out, "Father, spare me!" and "Your son will never dare to do it again!" Zhu Su and Zhu Gui were so frightened that they also knelt down, trembling all over.
Zhu Yuanzhang beat his sons for a long time until his arms ached, then he stopped. Seeing his three sons kneeling on the ground, weeping bitterly, his anger subsided slightly, but his tone remained icy: "I'll spare you for now, but if you dare to misbehave again, I will not forgive you!"
After disciplining his three rebellious sons, Zhu Yuanzhang became increasingly irritable. The pressure of government affairs, the setbacks in the Ministry of Works, and his sons' unruly behavior left him exhausted.
At this moment, he missed Zhu Yao from Chenzhou even more. They were both his sons, so why was there such a big difference between them?
After a moment's thought, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately decided to make another incognito visit to Chenzhou to find Zhu Yao. He could not only enjoy the hot pot he had been craving, but also ask him about the cement research, and incidentally avoid the troublesome matters in the palace.
Late that night, Zhu Yuanzhang changed into the clothes of an ordinary commoner, avoided the palace guards, and quietly slipped out of the palace, taking only Erhu with him, intending to go to Chenzhou silently.
But as soon as they stepped out of the palace gates, they saw several familiar figures crouching furtively at the alleyway not far away. By the moonlight, they recognized them as Zhu Shuang, Zhu Su, and Zhu Gui.
Zhu Shuang was whispering to his two younger brothers, "Hurry up, let's sneak out and have some fun while it's dark. I've found a fun place in the west of the city..."
Zhu Su hesitated, holding a herbal medicine atlas, and said softly, "Second brother, I originally wanted to go to the mountains outside the city to collect herbs, but you insisted that there was something fun to do and dragged me out..."
Zhu Gui also looked reluctant: "I wanted to go to the Taoist temple in the east of the city to ask that old Taoist priest for advice on alchemy, but my second brother insisted on going with him to play first..."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang trembled with rage.
It turned out that these three people, instead of repenting after being beaten, secretly slipped out of the palace.
Zhu Su and Zhu Gui were clearly misled by Zhu Shuang to come out!
Zhu Yuanzhang strode forward, grabbed Zhu Shuang by the collar, and began to berate him: "You, Zhu Shuang! We just finished disciplining you, and not only do you not repent, you even dared to incite your younger brothers to sneak out of the palace! You are truly incorrigible! As the elder brother, instead of thinking about guiding your younger brothers to study properly, you lead them to fool around. What is your punishment?!"
Zhu Shuang was terrified to encounter Zhu Yuanzhang here. He dared not speak again, kneeling and begging for forgiveness, his cries even louder than before. Zhu Su and Zhu Gui also knelt down in fear. Zhu Su hurriedly explained, "Father, please forgive us! It was my second brother who said… said he would take us out to see the world. I originally wanted to gather herbs…" Zhu Gui also kowtowed, "I wanted to go to the Taoist temple, but my second brother insisted on dragging me out…"
After a while, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Shuang's disheveled state and then at his two trembling sons beside him, feeling both angry and helpless. If he took them back to the palace, given Zhu Shuang's temperament, he would surely continue to incite his brothers to cause trouble.
Why not take them with you to Chenzhou, let Zhu Yao discipline these good-for-nothing sons, let them see the outside world, and curb their unruly nature?
After a moment's thought, Zhu Yuanzhang stopped using his cane, pointed at Zhu Shuang, and angrily said, "As for you two—" He then looked at Zhu Su and Zhu Gui, "One loves to study herbs, and the other loves to seek immortality and enlightenment. These are good things, but you, this scoundrel elder brother, have misled them into fooling around all day. We'll remember today's incident for now, but if it happens again, we'll punish them severely!"
He then turned to Zhu Shuang, his tone icy cold: "Since you enjoy sneaking out of the palace with your younger brother so much, then come with us. If you dare cause any more trouble on the way, we'll break your legs!"
Zhu Shuang immediately kowtowed to express his gratitude, daring not to utter the slightest objection.
Zhu Su and Zhu Gui were also as if they had been granted a pardon, and kowtowed repeatedly.
The three men stood up, heads bowed, and followed behind Zhu Yuanzhang, barely daring to breathe. Zhu Shuang brought up the rear, his face still wet with tears, no longer daring to show the slightest hint of arrogance.
And so, Zhu Yuanzhang, along with his two tigers and three sons, secretly left Jinling under the cover of night and sped off towards Chenzhou.
The group sped along under the cover of night. At first, the three princes, out of respect for Zhu Yuanzhang's authority, followed obediently behind him, not daring to breathe too loudly. The carriage was quiet.
But not long after, Zhu Shuang couldn't contain himself any longer. He quietly nudged Zhu Gui next to him with his elbow, winking at him, and the two began to whisper among themselves.