The morning sun was falling on Zhu Di's face as he came out of Qianqing Palace.
He raised his head slightly, and the dazzling sunlight made him close his eyes slightly.
At this season, the northern country is still covered in ice. But in the south of the Yangtze River, spring has arrived.
There is moist air with the fragrance of flowers in the nose, and there is a soft and affectionate wind in the ears.
The scenery here is actually very familiar to him. After all, this is the place where he grew up. When he was a child, he and his brothers played hide and seek in the majestic palace city. They hid behind the palaces and secretly watched his father lead the way. The ministers went to court.
Time flows slowly, the scenery remains the same but the people have changed.
He is no longer the high-spirited young man he once was, and the Forbidden City has a new owner.
Sighing softly, he looked back at the Qianqing Palace where the ministers were lining up to enter, and then slowly walked towards the other side.
~~
There was a eunuch in front of him to lead the way, guiding Zhu Di to the path he had walked countless times from childhood to adulthood, and he could find the path with his eyes closed.
The Forbidden City was beautiful, but Zhu Di had no intention of lingering on it. His eyes almost never squinted, and his eyes never rested on the carved beams and painted buildings for a moment. To be precise, it wasn't that he didn't like the Forbidden City, but that he didn't like the capital.
Because things that are too beautiful always feel a little fragile in his eyes.
Gradually, Yong'an Palace arrived, and the eunuch leading the way silently retreated.
Zhu Di crossed the threshold of the palace gate and as soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw the old man busy in the garden.
To be precise, that place used to be a garden, but now it is a flat piece of land.
The old man in coarse cloth slowly dug down the hoe in his hand, dug out the soil, and then skillfully used the other end of the hoe to smash the clods of soil.
If he were not in the Forbidden City but in the countryside, the old man in front of him would be an ordinary old farmer.
Gray hair, curved back, messy beard, arms that are still strong but have become dull...
"Father is old!" Zhu Di suddenly thought to himself, "He is much older than the last time he went to Beijing to celebrate his birthday!"
He watched quietly without making a sound, but the old man who was working had already spoken first, "What about the doorkeeper? Didn't you see your father working? Come here and help!"
"Hey!" Zhu Di finally came to his senses, ran over in a few steps, took the hoe from the old man's hand, and dug it down with a bang.
"The hard lumps of soil have been trampled to pieces. If there are grass stems and tree roots, you can pick them out." The old man stood on the side, sweeping the dust off his body, then casually clasped his arms and squatted aside.
"Dad, why do you always do this?" Zhu Di was obviously not as skillful with a hoe as he was with a knife. He looked a little clumsy and was far less agile than the old man.
"Plant the land!" the old man said, "It's a pity that such a large piece of land is empty. We have nothing to do every day, and we are idle when we are idle. Then we can plant some melons and beans, and we can eat fresh ones in the summer." "As he said that, he grabbed a clod of soil and threw it directly on Zhu Di's butt. "Why don't you pick up that stone under your feet?"
As he said that, he stood up with a bit of disgust, "The longer I grow up, the more I grow back. I don't even know how to farm, and I know how to wield swords and guns all day long. In this life, a man wields swords and guns to avoid being bullied, but to live a good life , it’s still a reliable method!”
Zhu Di shook his head and smiled bitterly. When he looked up again, he saw the old man walking to the door of the palace, taking the thermos from the eunuch's hand, and pouring tea.
He just poured a bowl and placed it at the wind outlet to let the breeze blow.
"Why are you coming back so late?" the old man asked with his hands on his hips.
"Border military information, Oara tribe..."
"Are we going to fight again? Are you going to go in person?" the old man asked.
"Yes! The emperor just promised to let his son lead the army!" Zhu Di held back a smile.
"Who asked you to stop?" The old man was displeased, "You are young and work harder, and help us regulate this area today." After saying that, he paused and asked, "How many days can you stay?"
"I'll go back to Peiping tomorrow!" Zhu Di turned the hoe awkwardly, as if the land under his feet had a grudge against him, using great strength.
The old man was a little surprised and moved his eyebrows, "So urgent? Why don't you stay for a few more days?"
"The military situation is very strong. This time we are going to fight in the fortress. My son has a lot of things to worry about before he goes back. Food and fodder, vanguard, the order of sending troops, the cooperation of each department, the division of the battlefield...all have to be worried about by my son!"
Zhu Di said, picked up another stone and threw it aside.
The old man looked at him and whispered, "Be careful!"
He is a lifelong veteran, and as soon as he heard these words, he knew that this battle was no small matter.
"Ah? Dad, what did you say?" Zhu Di turned around and didn't hear clearly.
"Let's see what you can do. In the Ming Dynasty, you are the only one who can lead troops to fight? You are almost fifty, and you still think you are a young man?" The old man glared and said, "It is best to send troops when the spring is cold and the weather is hot.
It's easy to hurt your body. Look at your face, it's even blue!"
"Hey!" Zhu Di stood there and laughed twice, "It's okay!"
"I have been stubborn since I was a child, as if nothing would happen without you!" The old man looked at him again.
"Hehe!" Zhu Di just laughed and said nothing.
Then neither father nor son spoke, and the old man just watched Zhu Di quietly working in the field.
"Okay, come here, sit down and have a rest!" After a while, the old man said.
Zhu Di carefully placed the hoe in his hand in the corner.
At this time Pu Bucheng also brought people and brought two bamboo chairs over.
The old man brought the cold tea directly to Zhu Di, "Drink it!"
"Dad?" Zhu Di was a little surprised.
"I can tell you didn't sleep last night. Let's have a sip of tea to refresh yourself." The old man leaned on the bamboo chair, "I know you are impatient, so let's let the tea cool down first!"
Suddenly, Zhu Di felt a little hot in the corners of his eyes.
The tea is still warm in your hands and warm in your mouth.
It goes down the throat and into the stomach. It is bitter at first and then the fragrance suddenly appears.
Zhu Di wanted to say something but felt his chest was clogged and he didn't know where to start.
After a long while, he looked at the old man's profile and said, "Dad, how are you...?"
"It's just a matter of time!" The old man stretched out his arms and said with a smile, "Hey, can't you wait for us to hurry up?"
Zhu Di was so panicked that he quickly waved his hand, "But my son didn't mean that."
The old man suddenly grinned and looked Zhu Di up and down, "When you met me before, you were like a mouse meeting a cat. Now that you have met me, you really look like a son!"
Zhu Di was stunned by these words.
"You are more stable than before!" The old man smiled again, closing his eyes and basking in the sun.
"Son, you are already this age!" Zhu Di lowered his head, feeling sour in his heart.
"Every time you take a step, you gain wisdom!" the old man said in a low voice.
Suddenly, Zhu Di felt a little panicked again.
"This is not right!" the old man said to himself, "It should be said that it is not too late for the prodigal to turn back!"
"Dad!" Zhu Di really couldn't sit still anymore and stood up sweating profusely.
The old man half-opened his eyes and said, "Sit!"
Zhu Di sat down obediently again, looking very embarrassed. The old man's words contained too much information. With just a few simple words, things that had not been pointed out before were pointed out. Zhu Di was palpitating and also felt guilty.
Have regrets.
"When you were first born, we didn't think about how you would prosper in the future. At that time, we just thought about how you would grow up safely!"
"But there is a saying, I and my son were enemies in the previous life, and my son came to take revenge on me!"
"Ha!" He said, the old man smiled, "I hope you grow up. When you grow up, you won't be worried and you will plot against me."
"son....."
Bang! The old man hit Zhu Di lightly on the forehead.
"As long as you can live and understand, it's not too late. Let's not talk about the past!"