The king chooses his ministers, and the ministers choose the king. This has been the case since ancient times.
Thinking that this was Fan Zeng's test for him, Zhu Di immediately bowed respectfully and said sincerely: "Military advisor, Zhu Di is late."
"No, the young master is not too late."
Fan Zeng gently stroked his long beard, looked at Zhu Di with great satisfaction, and said: "I thought that the young master would have to wait for ten days and was desperate before he dared to come to me in person. I didn't expect that the young master would come earlier than I expected.
A lot, good, good.”
Fan Zeng made two "good" comments in a row, but he praised Zhu Di to a point of embarrassment, and then asked: "Commander, if I come late, or don't come at all, will you leave me, Military Advisor?"
"Of course not. My lord is very kind to me. Even if his descendants cannot be brought up, I will not take the initiative to betray him.
However, if the young master cannot even pass this test, it also proves that the young master does not have the qualifications to be a master. Even with my help, it will only be a matter of time before he is annexed by other princes. Therefore, I may only do my duty and not
With all your heart.”
Hearing Fan Zeng's heartfelt words, Zhu Di was moved and ashamed. Fan Zeng had never had second thoughts, but it was really inappropriate for him to doubt his loyalty.
Feeling so moved, Zhu Di couldn't help but think of what his father had told him in the past.
"Di'er, if your father encounters an accident in the future, you will worship Commander Fan as your second father. With Commander Fan's full support, even if you cannot be king and hegemon in troubled times, you will definitely have a place in this world."
Zhu Di naturally didn't understand it at the beginning, but now he understands it and thought to himself: "Dad, did you expect that such a day would come?"
Zhu Di shook his head, got rid of all the distracting thoughts in his mind, looked at Fan Zeng, and said in a deep voice: "Cao Mengde is willing to treat his military advisor with the courtesy of a teacher. Zhu Di is not as good as Cao Cao in both civil and military skills, but his respect for the virtuous is by no means inferior to him."
With that said, Zhu Di knelt down under Fan Zeng's doubtful gaze and continued: "The military advisor has no children. Zhu Di is willing to worship the military advisor as his father, and he will treat his father as his biological father from now on."
Fan Zeng couldn't help but grow up when he saw this. He had made it very clear that he would never betray him no matter what, but he didn't expect that Zhu Di would actually worship him as his second father?
"Young master, please get up, you are really embarrassing me. I am so virtuous and capable."
"If Yafu doesn't agree, Zhu Di won't get up."
With that said, Zhu Di raised his head, looked at Fan Zeng with great sincerity, and saluted, "Zhu Di wants to take Yafu as his father out of respect. He has no other ideas. Please ask Yafu to accept Zhu Di as his son."
Fan Zeng saw that Zhu Di's eyes were clear and did not seem to be fake, so he was naturally excited and excited.
Fan Zeng still has no children, and he is extremely sorry for this. He has a very good relationship with Zhu Yuanzhang. He originally regarded Zhu Di as his nephew. Now that he has such an outstanding descendant as Zhu Di, he takes the initiative to worship him as his father and provide for him in his old age. Fan Zeng naturally feels that
Overjoyed.
Fan Qiang held back the excitement in his heart, supported Zhu Di with a slight trembling, and said: "Good boy, in this case, I will serve you as my son. However, the etiquette of monarch and minister cannot be abolished. Outside, we still treat each other as monarch and minister. No outsider can treat him like a monarch."
Father and son are worthy of each other.”
"That's...okay."
Zhu Di nodded, then bowed his head and said, "My son, Zhu Di, meet my father."
Dong Dong Dong...Zhu Di kowtowed three times in a row, each sound louder than the last.
"Okay, okay, Di'er, I got hurt."
Fan Zeng hurriedly helped Zhu Di up, and Zhu Di said: "It's just a few heads, it won't be broken. The child is also a martial arts practitioner, so he is not so squeamish."
Fan Zeng smiled happily, his eyes filled with joy.
"Di'er, do you know my father's intention of not looking for you?"
"Didn't Yafu want to test the child?"
Fan Zeng nodded, then shook his head and said: "That's just one of them. In addition to testing you, there is another purpose."
"What is it?" Zhu Di asked.
Fan Zeng sighed: "The factory guards were almost wiped out. This makes my father, like you, unable to tell who is loyal and who is traitorous."
Zhu Di showed a look of surprise, widened his eyes and said, "So, Ya's father seems to be doing nothing, but he is actually trying to lure out people with ulterior motives?"
Fan Zeng looked at Zhu Di with admiration and said: "Di'er is really smart. He can understand it just by mentioning a few points. Yes, as a father, I just want to see how those people can't stand it when my lord is gone.
"
"Did Yafu find out?"
"Naturally, otherwise how could I be worthy of my forbearance during this period of time." Fan Zeng sneered.
"Please tell me, my father, who is loyal and who is traitorous." Zhu Di said eagerly.
Fan Zeng smiled and said: "Xu Shiji, Li Wenzhong, Zhu Wenzheng, Wu Rui... they are all on your side, Di'er."
"so much?"
Zhu Di showed a look of surprise, but then he said doubtfully: "But General Xu Shiji clearly ignored the child, and instead flirted with Zhao Kuangyin."
"That was what my father asked Xu Shiji to do on purpose."
Hearing what Fan Zeng said, Zhu Di once again showed a look of surprise: "Ya Fu is responsible for stabilizing Cao Cao, and General Xu Shiji is responsible for stabilizing Zhao Kuangyin?"
"That's right."
"I see."
Zhu Di finally understood why his former uncles suddenly ignored him. This was Yafu's plan in advance.
"So, except for them, the rest of the generals who command the army have different intentions?"
"That's not necessarily true. Xue Ju is very ambitious and must be determined to rebel. However, Li Guo and others are still waiting to see. If they are handled properly, they may not rebel."
Anger flashed in Zhu Di's eyes and he cursed angrily: "Father has great trust in Xue Ju. Did Xue Ju repay him in time? This man is really a wolf-hearted man."
"Xue Ju and others are just suffering from the disease. My father has laid out a comprehensive plan to ensure that these traitors will die a good death. However, the top priority now is to re-establish the Ming Dynasty's orthodoxy." Fan Zeng said solemnly.
With the surrender of the Can Ming Dynasty to Qin Hao, the Ming Dynasty orthodoxy no longer exists, but Zhu Ming in Xuzhou still fights for the Ming Dynasty. Naturally, it will not work if this continues, so Zhu Ming must carry the Ming flag and let the people of the world
I know that Zhu Ming will be the orthodox Ming Dynasty from now on.
Hearing what Fan Zeng said, Zhu Di couldn't help but have a flash of heat in his eyes, but then Fan Zeng poured cold water on him.
"Di'er, my father and General Xu Shiji will assist you in becoming king and reestablishing the Ming Dynasty's orthodoxy."
"Okay, uh? King?"
Zhu Di frowned and asked, "Why not proclaim himself emperor?"
Fan Zeng shook his head and said: "Di'er, if it were your father, it would be okay to proclaim himself emperor, but you are too young and have no meritorious achievements. Who would be convinced even if you proclaimed yourself emperor?
In addition, this is not a good opportunity to proclaim the emperor. Now the hidden dangers in our Xuzhou have not yet emerged, and the princes of the Central Plains are surrounded by wolves.
If he proclaims himself emperor at this time, these princes will definitely send troops to attack together. If the internal hidden dangers are not eliminated, they may not be able to repel the invading troops.
Therefore, my father’s idea is to proclaim himself the king first, carry the banner of the Ming Dynasty, and establish an orthodox title. After Di’er has achieved great achievements, he can legitimately proclaim himself the emperor.”
"I see, Di'er understands, just do what Yafu said."
The next day, Fan Zeng summoned the generals of Zhu Ming Dynasty and publicly announced that the young master Zhu Di would succeed the late lord Zhu Yuanzhang. At the same time, he reestablished the Ming Dynasty and supported Zhu Di as the king of Ming Dynasty.
With the assistance of Fan Zeng, Zhu Di established the Ming Dynasty, made Pengcheng its capital, and became the King of the Ming Dynasty.