Zhu Gaochi put down his chopsticks and tapped himself with his chubby finger.
"I..." Then, pointing at Zhu Xi, "Your eighteenth uncle, your twelfth uncle, your sixteenth uncle, and those uncles and cousins who are not here today!"
Zhu Zhuan and Zhu Bai put down their chopsticks and looked at him seriously.
"We are all blood relatives, we are all one family!" Zhu Gaochi said with a smile, "A family eats in the same pot! As the saying goes, a family has several members, that's what it means." As he said, he used chopsticks to give three people to each of them.
Everyone picked up a chopstick of mutton and said, "I am in you, you are in me, we will never separate, never give up!"
"A round pot, everyone shares and eats the contents of the pot, impartially. Use two chopsticks, long on one side and short on the other, in pairs!"
Speaking of this, Zhu Gaochi said with a smile, "My nephew still remembers that when the old man was here, when I ate with my uncles, we would all sit around a pot and eat each dish together. It seems to be a rule to share meals, but that
It’s with outsiders.”
"If we are separated, we are estranged! If we are separated, we are no longer a family!"
There was some silence in the pavilion, except for the sound of the pot simmering.
After a long silence, Zhu Bai slowly said, "Actually, in the past, my father and I didn't always eat in the same pot or at the same table! Only the eldest brother, we ate together with our father every meal, regardless of each other.
!”
"But brother, except for the occasional private meal, he always shares meals with us."
As he spoke, he sighed, "I still remember one time, when I was very young, when I was eating with my eldest brother, I used my chopsticks to pick up my eldest brother's plate, and my father gave me a scolding!"
Zhu Gaochi looked at him and poured down another plate of meat, "What did I train you for?"
"Father said!" Zhu Bai smiled bitterly, "... said I was unruly... said I had transgressed!" He said, smiling bitterly again, "I was still young at that time, and I felt aggrieved after being scolded.
, I felt that my father was very partial. But when I grew up, I realized that we, the people of the Heavenly Family, are one family. But above all family members, the king and his ministers come first, and the king and his ministers come first before we become family."
"That time, my father said that not obeying the rules of the king and his ministers will disturb the order of the country, and not obeying the rules will harm the elders and children. If you go to rob your elder brother's things when you are so young, will you be able to repay it when you are older?"
Zhu Gaochi smiled and said, "You also said that the king and his subjects come first and then the family!"
After saying that, he stood up and walked aside, filled up the warm rice wine, and personally delivered it to everyone.
"There are some things that I, a nephew, should not say!" Zhu Gaochi sat down again and said with a smile, "But now, if I don't say it, all uncles will be upset!"
At this point, he sighed, "We have all studied since childhood and were taught by famous teachers. We should all know that the most powerful people in this world throughout the ages are the royal family and the Tian family."
"Patricide, brothers, brothers, and even mother-killing... among all kinds of beastly acts, the golden branches and jade leaves of all dynasties have done the most!"
"I know you feel uncomfortable, and you always have nowhere to vent your anger. But think about it..." As he spoke, Zhu Gaochi let out a long sigh, waved his hands to all the servants around him, and then opened his mouth and thought, "Today I will simply
Let’s just say it, think about it, is the emperor really unkind to you?”
"Uncle Twelve, don't deny it yet!" Zhu Gaochi continued before Zhu Bai could say anything, "Based on what you have said over the past year, no other emperor would be able to tolerate it, right?"
Zhu Bai sneered, "What did I say? I can't tell?"
"You know what you said. When you dealt with the other uncles, the emperor could have dealt with you as well. He can drive one sheep and herd ten sheep. It's just a matter of him opening his mouth, but he
I still don’t even have a harsh word to say to you!”
"That's because I stand upright and I don't mean any harm!" Zhu Bai said dissatisfied.
"Do you think this is justified? Is this the reason?" Zhu Gaochi asked again, "You said that you were involved with the fifth and sixth uncles, but from the beginning to the end, did the words you said make the emperor feel happy?
"
"You said it yourself, the emperor and his subjects come first and then the family. He is the emperor, and you make the emperor feel uncomfortable. Why should the emperor make you feel comfortable?"
"On this basis, he can take your life! Even if he doesn't take your life, he will trap you within Fengyang's high walls for the rest of his life, making your life worse than death!"
"But! He didn't do that? He thought you were the old man's son, the uncle of the Ming Dynasty, and the flesh and blood of the Zhu family, so he didn't care!"
"Yes, he has reduced the vassal state, but he has not turned a blind eye to anything he did to the kings in Beijing. Why is he looking after you all day long, not allowing you to do this, not allowing you to do that! He
He also told you that if you don’t want to be in the capital, there are plenty of places to go in the world, and he doesn’t hesitate to be a king, but it’s you who don’t want to go!”
"Our surname is Zhu, but we are ministers. Everything we have is the kindness of the emperor. When the old man was here, it was the kindness of a loving father and ancestors. When the old man is gone, it is the kindness of the emperor!"
"Everything we have is, to put it bluntly, a favor from the Emperor. If the Emperor can give it, he will naturally receive it!"
boom!
Zhu Bai drank his wine glass heavily, "I understand, but I just feel suffocated!" As he spoke, he raised his head suddenly, drank the wine cleanly, and said loudly, "I'm not stupid! I know that the emperor doesn't need a reason to kill someone,
I also know that there is no reason to explain!”
"We also know that we are ministers and we should be submissive. But he...he is too cruel!"
"Ask yourself, are you ruthless?" Zhu Gaochi asked, "Tang Taizong was a great hero who made great achievements, but what did he do in private?"
"Everything done by the fifth uncle, the sixth uncle, the seventh uncle, and the seventeenth uncle, if placed in Li Tang's eyes, hehe, it would be a crime of death by a thousand cuts. But even so, the current emperor...touched those uncles
Not a finger?"
At this time, Zhu Zhen and Zhu Zhen looked at each other, both wanting to change the subject.
"Brother Twelve!" Zhu Ming also advised, "Actually, the emperor still cares about family ties!"
"Uncle Eighteenth is not entirely right!" Zhu Gaochi said again, "Family affection? Think about it, do those uncles who committed crimes have affection for the emperor? They don't show affection, so why should the emperor do so? The emperor doesn't want to let the old man off, and those
The uncles and kings have hatred and grudges in their hearts!"
"I didn't do anything to them. They got angry first. Isn't this shameless because of trying to make an extravagant move? The reason why the emperor is tolerant to a few people, even if they make him angry, is because he is only annoyed, not angry.
There is no hatred, let alone hatred!”
Zhu Bai looked at the empty cup in his hand, "What exactly do you want to say?"
Zhu Gaochi sighed, stood up and filled the wine glass.
"I'm going to Myanmar in a few days to send brother Shang Yu of my second uncle's family to the feudal clan for marriage!" Zhu Gaochi said slowly, "When he lands, he will be the Prince of Baoan County. According to the old man's rules at that time, he should be in Shaanxi.
Find a place to be a fiefdom."
"After moving the feudal vassal, he was demoted to the title of Duke of Zhenguo. This time, the emperor restored his royal title!" As he said, Zhu Gaochi looked at everyone, "Yes, our emperor is not willing to create so many vassals on the land of the Ming Dynasty.
The king comes out and lets the court support him!"
"But your Majesty is willing to let the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty lay another foundation for the children and grandchildren of the Zhu family! Isn't it better to go out and fight whether it's a dragon or a tiger than to stay at home?"
After saying that, he paused and said, "Your Majesty, you want to see that we are all well!"
"Hmph..." Zhu Bai snorted coldly, "Okay? Thirteenth brother died strangely..."
"That's because he deserves it!"
Zhu Gaochi's words can be heard all around.
The three of them raised their heads at the same time and looked at Zhu Gaochi in surprise.
"The Emperor didn't allow me to say it, but I can't care less today!" Zhu Gaochi said expressionlessly as he took a sip from the wine glass, "Uncle Thirteen committed suicide because he sent someone to assassinate him but the assassination failed!"
Buzz!
The heads of the three people buzzed at the same time.
"Impossible!" Zhu Bai shouted, "He is a scholar..."
"Would I lie to you?" Zhu Gaochi looked at him, "The so-called rebellion of the other uncles is actually nothing substantial. And the thirteenth uncle..." As he said that, he opened his belly,
Revealing the hideous wound, "I was there that day. If I hadn't been lucky, Uncle Thirteen's people would have killed me!"
hiss!
The three of them gasped!
"Ambush an assassin in the street and kill the emperor!" Zhu Gaochi sneered, "What a courage! What a ruthless method! But in order to cover up the family scandal, the emperor did not allow anyone to mention this matter, so he buried the thirteenth uncle according to the prince's etiquette.
She also asked the concubine to raise the thirteenth uncle’s eldest son herself.”
"Your Majesty, your benevolence and righteousness have been exhausted!" Zhu Gaochi picked up the wine glass again, "He is the Emperor, and we are the ministers. Our status as monarch and ministers has been determined, so why should we be at odds with him?"
"Don't you think it's ridiculous? Are you at odds with him? In fact, you are at odds with yourself! I believe it's too late for those uncles in Fengyang to regret it now, right?"
He took another sip of wine and put down the glass, "What I said to my uncles today was actually what the emperor asked me to say. Otherwise..." As he said, he smiled and looked at the people, "You also
You know, I am timid and afraid of getting into trouble!"
"As long as it has nothing to do with me, I won't bother to come forward! To put it bluntly, what does it have to do with whether my uncles die or not? Even if I am in the presence of Minister Wang, the prince's hat will not fly!"
"The emperor asked me to persuade you! He still leaves some room for you!"
With that said, he went to get the wine again.
"To put it bluntly, you have to accept it even if you don't accept it, because no one has the qualifications or ability to disobey! People, you have to learn to recognize the current situation. The emperor has given you steps again and again, we can't just accept it, can we? Isn't it good for everyone to be happy?"
The three of them remained silent, but their expressions were much more relaxed and complicated.
That’s it for the words.
There are some things that don’t need to be said in depth, they just want to think about it themselves.
At this time, Zhu Gaochi suddenly realized that the wine was gone.
"Peony, here comes the wine!"
"Here we come!" Shaoyao responded charmingly, and then walked over in a charming manner.
Suddenly, the three uncles who had been deep in thought all raised their heads, and then they couldn't move their eyes away.
Shaoyao, who was looking directly, did not dare to raise his head, his cheeks were rosy.
"What's wrong with Lao Zhu's family?" Zhu Gaochi cursed in his heart, "Are they all looking at what others are getting?"