The strongest eldest son of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 59 You bastard, you lied to me again!

As Zhu Yuanzhang recounted his past with Liu Qiao'er, he kept urging Zhu Yao to drink, bowl after bowl, his rambling voice filled with reminiscence and tenderness.

Zhu Yao listened intently and drank quite a bit more wine. His cheeks gradually turned red, and his eyes became hazy. As the effects of the alcohol rose, he gradually became unable to hold on.

He shook his head and asked in a muffled voice:

"Dad, tell me about your wedding with Mom..."

"Dad... what does my mom look like? Isn't she... especially beautiful? Dad? Say something..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Yao's vision went black, his head lolled to the side, and he passed out completely drunk, collapsing in front of the tombstone, breathing evenly.

Looking at Zhu Yao's drunken state, Zhu Yuanzhang's gentle expression gradually faded, replaced by a sense of guilt and helplessness. He sighed softly, took off his coat, and carefully covered Zhu Yao with it.

He bowed again to the tombstone and said softly, "Qiao'er, I'm sorry, I can't stay with Yao'er forever. There are still many things waiting for me in Jinling. I will definitely come to see you and your son again after I have settled everything."

"I'll give you an explanation sooner or later!"

After saying that, he stood up and winked at Erhu and Hu Weiyong, who were waiting not far away. The three of them turned around quietly and left the graveyard quickly, disappearing into the mountains and forests.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhu Yao slowly opened his eyes. His head was throbbing and his whole body was sore. What came into view was the familiar bed curtains, and a faint medicinal fragrance lingered in the air.

He struggled to sit up, rubbing his throbbing head. Fragments of drinking at the grave yesterday lingered in his mind, but he couldn't recall what happened afterward.

Just then, Chen Zhong came in carrying a hangover soup. Seeing that Zhu Yao had woken up, he rushed over and said anxiously, "Young Master, you're finally awake! You've been asleep for a whole day and night."

Zhu Yao frowned and asked in confusion, "Chen Zhong, how come I'm in bed? Wasn't I drinking with my father at my mother's grave? Where's my father?"

Chen Zhong looked somewhat troubled and slowly said, "Young Master, yesterday I followed your instructions and delivered some things to the cemetery. When I got there, I saw you lying alone in front of the old lady's tombstone, covered with a coat, fast asleep."

"As for the master, as well as Manager Gu and the master's bodyguards, they had already disappeared when I arrived. I searched everywhere but couldn't find any trace of them."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yao froze, his mind instantly clearing up considerably, and his headache seemed to lessen considerably. He slammed his hand on the edge of the bed, his face darkening.

He finally realized he'd been tricked! His father's promise yesterday that he wouldn't leave and would accompany him to his mother's grave was all a lie; he just wanted to sneak away while he was drunk!

"You bastard, you lied to me again!" Zhu Yao gritted his teeth, his tone tinged with anger and a hint of barely perceptible grievance. "It's always the same, you never keep your word!"

Zhu Yao sat on the bed, growing angrier the more he thought about it. He slapped the edge of the bed and gritted his teeth, saying, "You like to run away, huh?"

"You always sneak away when I'm not looking. Looks like I'll have to build a park; then let's see how you run away!"

A sly glint flashed in his eyes as he began to plan. He not only intended to build the park but also to set up numerous checkpoints so that Zhu Yuanzhang would have no chance of escape the next time he came.

Meanwhile, Zhu Yuanzhang and his entourage were galloping towards Jinling at full speed. On horseback, Zhu Yuanzhang had a smug smile on his face, his mouth almost reaching his ears.

"Hahaha, Yao'er is still too young. He was fooled by me after all!"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed loudly, his tone full of arrogance, "I am still the father after all. I've taught this kid a lesson, letting him know that experience counts!"

Erhu, standing to the side, frowned slightly, his face showing some worry. He said softly, "Your Majesty, I have a concern. If you play tricks on Young Master Zhu Yao like this, I'm afraid that next time, the young master will be on guard, and it won't be so easy for him to sneak away again."

Hu Weiyong quickly echoed, rubbing his still throbbing head, and said, "Your Majesty, Erhu is absolutely right. Young Master Zhu Yao is exceptionally intelligent and insightful. Having suffered a loss this time, he will certainly be more vigilant next time and will never be easily fooled again."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand dismissively, saying in a bold tone, "It's alright! I, Zhu Yuanzhang, have spent my life on the battlefield; what storms haven't I weathered?"

"He's just a mere kid; we don't believe he can actually lock us up!"

"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up, let's go back to the capital! There's a mountain of court affairs waiting for us to deal with in Jinling!"

Zhu Yuanzhang shouted loudly, spurred his horse on, and the steed galloped away, with Erhu and Hu Weiyong following closely behind.

As night fell, the city of Jinling was enveloped in tranquility, with only a few lights faintly shining from the depths of the imperial palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang disguised himself and quietly returned to the palace. He tiptoed to open the door, intending to rest quietly while Empress Ma and the others were asleep. However, he was shocked by the scene before him as soon as he stepped into the palace.

Empress Ma sat upright by the couch, her face gloomy. Two imperial concubines stood beside her, all three of them looking angry, their gazes fixed on her. The atmosphere was so heavy that it was hard to breathe.

Before Zhu Yuanzhang could speak, Empress Ma stood up first and questioned him sternly, "Chongba, tell me, where are the three children, Shuang'er, Su'er, and Gui'er? They haven't been seen for so many days. Have you taken them out to fool around again?"

The two imperial concubines standing nearby, their faces filled with worry and their eyes slightly red, quickly echoed, "Yes, Your Majesty, the three princes have been missing for so long, we are worried day and night. Please tell us, where are they? Are they safe?"

Empress Ma took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and asked again, "And you, where have you been these past few days? As the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, your departure without saying goodbye has caused widespread panic throughout the court. Are you aware of this?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was speechless when asked the question. His eyes darted around, and he stammered for a long time, unable to utter a complete sentence. His usual imperial majesty had vanished without a trace, leaving only a sense of embarrassment.

Seeing this, Empress Ma softened her tone and earnestly advised, "Chongba, I know you are wild and not used to being restrained, but you are now the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, not the cowherd who used to wander around. You can no longer be as willful as before."

"These past few days, you've been away from the palace, and Prime Minister Hu is also away. The ministers in the court are restless, and there are mountains of official business to attend to. If you had returned a few days later, the court would have been in complete chaos, and the people of the world would have suffered the most."

Zhu Yuanzhang, listening to Empress Ma's incessant nagging, felt utterly overwhelmed. He quickly waved his hand and changed the subject, saying, "Alright, alright, sister, we know we were wrong. We won't do it again next time."