At the end of 1363, Zhu Yuanzhang led his army in triumph. The people in front of Duke Wu's mansion were like a flood of people, chariots and horses, and countless people were eagerly waiting for him.
Zhu Biao and his two older brothers stood in front of the Duke's Mansion to entertain them. Not long after, several cavalrymen came galloping over, in response to the Tianfu's prohibition on horseback riding.
Only military scouts under military orders can do this.
When the cavalry saw Zhu Biao, they immediately dismounted and saluted with clasped fists.
"My lord has an order! Let the last general invite the eldest son to go outside the city to welcome the triumphant army!
Someone on the side recognized that the leader was actually Chang Yuchun, the most popular general under Zhu Yuanzhang!
Even though they knew that Zhu Yuanzhang valued his legitimate son, he had never established a prince, and they still thought that Zhu Yuanzhang did not like the eldest son being too elegant, but now he did not dare to think so.
Inviting the eldest son to go outside the city to greet the army is a gesture, but he actually asked his confidant general to come and escort him personally...
Everyone looked at the elegant young man with more kind eyes. Even after hearing such a good thing, there was still no ups and downs on his face, and he still had a warm smile.
Xiao Zhu was naturally happy in his heart, but he couldn't reveal his happiness any more. He cupped his hands to Chang Yuchun and said, "Okay, I will follow General Chang to greet the army's triumphant return."
He ordered behind him: "Go over and report to mother, and tell her that I will go outside the city to greet her first."
Chang Yuchun also looked at the handsome and gentle young man in front of him with a smile. The lord asked him to pick up the eldest son because of his trust, and the more he was under the lord's command, the more he knew the eldest son's status in the lord's heart.
"Then please invite the young master and the general to ride on the same horse." Chang Yuchun personally helped Xiao Zhu onto the horse.
This was the first time in his life that he was riding a horse. He could feel the muscles of the horse undulating under his crotch. Everyone on the broad road in front of him spread out far away, which made the smile on Xiao Zhu's face even brighter.
Chang Shiwan's hard armor could be felt on his back, and the inexplicable sense of security allowed him to enjoy this rare happiness.
No one spoke along the way. The relationship between the two had already been established. It would be foolish to say another word at this time.
Not long after they arrived outside Yingtian City, the civil servants headed by Li Shanchang had been waiting here. Seeing Chang Yuchun rushing towards him with a young man, these smart people had all their thoughts changed.
Chang Yuchun dismounted first and reached out to help Xiao Zhu down. Then he put his right hand on the handle of the knife and followed Zhu Biao silently.
Xiao Zhu did not rush up to talk to the civil servants. Instead, he adjusted his posture first, stretched out his hands to push his hair back, and then fixed it with a gold ring.
At this time, Li Shanchang led everyone to take the initiative to come over, bow and salute, and said in unison: "I will pay my respects to the eldest son!"
A noble smile appeared on classmate Xiao Zhu's face and he clasped his fists and replied: "Zhu Biao has met you all!"
Then Xiao Zhu walked to the front naturally and looked into the distance to see the figure quietly waiting for the army.
The civil servants also breathed a sigh of relief. Although Zhu Yuanzhang had begun to express his position, they were not allowed to have any contact with the young masters of Zhu Yuanzhang's house until he was granted the title of Crown Prince!
Otherwise, given Zhu Yuanzhang's character, he would definitely not be willing to kill his sons, but he would not be reluctant to kill them.
Li Shanchang, Liu Bowen and others naturally knew Xiao Zhu's status, but since Zhu Yuanzhang was in his prime, they naturally did not want to get too close to Xiao Zhu, as top civil servants and advisers.
Classmate Xiao Zhu naturally knows this. It is completely unnecessary to act like a polite corporal now. It will only make these people think that he is just a nerd and has no authority at all.
Li Shanchang glanced at Chang Yuchun behind Xiao Zhu and thought, "They say Chang Shiwan is brave and foolhardy. This time he did the right thing."
"The two most powerful commanders under my lord now are Xu Da and Chang Yuchun."
"Now the lord specially sent Chang Yuchun to pick up the eldest son. That is to cultivate the relationship between the eldest son and Chang Yuchun so that the eldest son can rely on him in the army in the future!"
"It seems that the eldest son's status is indeed unbreakable..."
Some civil servants were silently thinking about how to get close to the eldest son in a low-key manner. It would be best to let their sons serve in front of the eldest son!
"When the lord comes back, we will prepare to invite the crown prince, and do a favor to the eldest son!"
Xiao Zhu was playing with the mutton-fat jade Guanyin in his right hand. He stood upright in front of everyone, feeling the glances from behind him from time to time, with a smile still on his face.