Father can be an enemy to the country

But how can everything go as planned?

The agreement between Lao Liu and Miss Xu Er finally came to nothing...

It's not that the young son and daughter are in love, or the old parents are beating up the couple, but something happened at the sixth child's family.

The life of his uncle, Boss Zhu’s only living relative, Cao Guogong Li Zhen, has come to an end...

Li Zhen's health has been poor in the past few years. In the twelfth lunar month of last year, there was another cold. After that, she became bedridden. Nian Genxia suddenly became speechless.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma personally came to Cao Guofu to inquire about his illness. The emperor held his brother-in-law's hand and asked him: "Do you still know us?"

Li Zhen couldn't answer, so she could only cry in response. Zhu Yuanzhang also sobbed and couldn't stop.

After returning to the palace, Zhu Yuanzhang sent his son to visit Cao Guofu every day to inquire about his illness, and almost all the imperial hospital sent out troops to guard Cao's mansion. But it was no use.

On the tenth day of the lunar month, Li Zhen finally reached her deathbed. After hearing the news, I came with Queen Ma again to see my brother off for the last time.

Prince Zhu Biao also accompanied the princes.

There was a strong smell of medicine in the bedchamber of Cao Guofu. Zhu Yuanzhang sat beside the bed, holding Li Zhen's thin and cold hand and looking at his sallow and withered face.

Listen carefully, Li Zhen has already taken in air, but has no air left...

Zhu Yuanzhang had bid farewell to many people and knew that by this time, he would be close to dying.

With tears in his eyes, he whispered to Li Wenzhong on the side: "Bao'er, we have been thinking these days, when your father came to visit that day, did he have anything to say to us?"

"Your Majesty, when my father could speak, what he always said was, 'I was a farmer back then. Emperor Meng Renzu never gave up, and I was lucky enough to marry the eldest princess. Later, there was great chaos in the Central Plains, and the whole family was wiped out. I could take you to hide in Tibet and make a living by begging. But I surrendered to the emperor, and then I settled down and had no worries about food and clothing.'

"Later, his clothes and clothes were as dazzling as those of three generations, and his kindness was overwhelming. To this day, there is no one in this family who is more generous than a minister." Li Wenzhong was undressed and attended to the sick day and night, and his own condition was also very poor. But he couldn't care about himself and choked:

"Father said that the emperor's kindness to our family has never been seen in history. Although he was so heartbroken and could not repay it, he could not ask for anything more... If there is anything else that my father wants to say to the emperor, it must be that I hope I The royal protector has a heavy dragon body, so don’t be too sad.

"This is what I mean. My father is already seventy-seven. He has lived a long life and has been extremely blessed. He has no regrets. The emperor has treated my father with the utmost honor and favor. There is nothing to regret."

"Alas..." Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, but still said sadly:

"In those days, all our relatives were extremely poor, but your family was the only one who could barely afford to eat. My parents often called us home to steam grain pancakes for us. We could eat ten of them in one go with plain water. You But dad was never angry, and before he left, he gave us a bag so that we could feed the cows when they were hungry."

"We know that your family situation is not that good, and you still have to support your brothers. Every time you say no, your father chases you to the entrance of the village and forces it on us." As he spoke, he wiped away his tears and stopped. The tears kept pouring down.

"We swore at that time that if we became prosperous in the future, we would definitely let your father and your mother live a good life. Unexpectedly, when we became really prosperous later, your mother was gone... and the rest of our family members were also gone. Your father is the only one left. If we don’t do good to him, who will we do good to?”

Zhu Yuanzhang cried so hard that he held Li Zhen's hand tightly: "Brother-in-law, we really don't want you to go. Aren't you the most obedient to my will? I will issue an order now to keep you alive. Do you hear me? ?”

"..." But Li Zhen could no longer hear the emperor's voice.

The emperor in the world cannot change the number of days after all...

~~

Lao Liu was also waiting with his brothers in the outer hall, with Li Jinglong accompanying him.

Although Cao Guofu has one family and two kingdoms, its furnishings are very simple. There are no calligraphy or paintings hanging on the wall. The tables, chairs and benches were all very ordinary, and they used ordinary white porcelain tea sets. There were cracks in the cup rims. I don’t know how long they had been used.

In a daze, Lao Liu seemed to have returned to his grandfather's house. I didn't expect that my uncle's family, which was more noble than my grandpa's family, was just as stingy.

Even Li Jinglong, a well-known playboy in Beijing, actually wears very simple clothes at home. Looking at the half-worn cotton robe and faded cotton shoes on his body, Zhu Zhen really couldn't connect him with that gorgeously dressed and elegant young man.

Seeing several young highnesses looking at his attire, Li Jinglong said sarcastically: "You have to dress like this at home, otherwise my grandpa will be unhappy."

"My uncle is such a person." The prince sitting in the seat sighed softly: "He is always uneasy about the sudden wealth. He often says, 'Once rich and noble forget poverty, a gentleman will not do anything. '"

"That's what he said, and that's what he did." After a pause, the prince continued: "For many years, my uncle, like my father, only dresses to suit the body, not to be gorgeous. When eating, he only wants to be palatable, not to be extravagant.

"My father often gave him clothes, but if he wore them out, he would have to mend them before wearing them. As long as others couldn't see the patches... He said he didn't feel embarrassed that others would see the patches, but he was just afraid that others would say he did it on purpose. This looks like a disgrace to the court."

"What the prince said is true," Li Jinglong nodded and said seriously: "Grandpa has repeatedly told us since we were young about what he experienced when he was a farmer, and warned us not to forget our roots and not to be extravagant..."

When Li Jinglong said this, the third, fourth and sixth sons couldn't help but cast strange looks at him. He didn't listen to a word of his grandfather's words. There was no one outside who dared to spend money more than him.

"You should also remember my uncle's teachings." The prince glanced at the brothers and said calmly: "With the power of Cao Guofu, even though there are delicious food every day, why not continue? My uncle never extravagant and wasteful. Doesn’t he know how to enjoy? No, in this world it is easy to change from frugality to luxury, and no one can learn to be extravagant and wasteful.”

"The reason why he still practices frugality is, firstly, because he knows that the country is in its infancy and there is a shortage of money everywhere; secondly, he knows that his father, the emperor, uses diligence and frugality to transform the world. As a relative of the emperor, he must set an example and not drag his father and the queen down. Uncle Even if this is the case, how can we, the princes, not know how to be thrifty?"

"It's the eldest brother." The younger brothers hurriedly learned the lesson.

The second child and the third child knew that this was the beating of the elder brother. Lao Liu also felt guilty. Although Deng Duo and Hu Xian paid for the river lanterns and fireworks on the third night of the Lunar New Year, the blame came from the sheep, and the debt would eventually fall on him.

Seeing that none of his brothers were able to breathe, the prince was about to say a few words to lighten the atmosphere, but he heard his father's heart-wrenching cry coming from the bed, and then Li Wenzhong also burst into tears.

"Grandpa..." Li Jinglong heard the sound and hurried into the bedchamber. He saw the imperial physician and maid kneeling on the ground, all of them sobbing.

On the tenth day of the first lunar month in the twelfth year of Hongwu, Li Zhen, the Duke of Youzhu and Cao Guo, passed away at the age of seventy-seven.

I went to mourn and stopped watching the court for three days. I drove to pay homage to him, and he was posthumously named King of Longxi and offered his posthumous title.

The civil and military officials of the imperial court went to Cao Guofu to express their condolences.

When he was seven years old, he was buried at the origin of Douguang Mountain in Lingji Township, Xuyi County.

On the day of departure, I drove back and looked at the Xicheng Tower crying...