Emperor Hongwu held a banquet in the Fengtian Hall to receive his most capable godson Mu Ying, and called Mu Chun back to the palace to accompany him in drinking and entertaining him. During the banquet, Emperor Hongwu gave Mu Ying 200 taels of gold, 5,000 taels of silver, 500 treasure notes, and 100 pieces of colored silk.
After the banquet, both father and son returned home.
Xiping Hou Mu Ying came back, and besides himself, he was holding the hand of a little boy who had just learned to walk, and a string of concubines followed behind him.
Not all of the concubines were stunningly beautiful. One woman was dressed as brightly as the green peacock in the Xiaoling Mausoleum, and the accessory around her waist was a cow horn dagger.
The mansion of Marquis Xiping has not seen the male owner for six years. When she heard that her husband had returned, Mrs. Geng was as excited as a dead tree coming back to life. But when she saw a string of concubines that looked like candied haws, it was like a basin of cold water was poured over her head: This guy is worse than being a widow!
I waited for it every day, every night, every year, but this is the result.
Seeing his wife's unhappy face, Mu Ying began to highlight the key points and said: "They are all daughters of various chieftains in Yunnan. They intermarry with our Ming Dynasty to show their loyalty. You should take good care of them and not neglect them."
It's not that I'm lustful and want to sleep with these women, I sleep with them for the country.
"Yes, Lord." Geng responded with her eyebrows lowered and her eyes looked out, "Lord, why can't you see Sheng'er? Did his maternal family take him away?"
Mu Sheng is the second young master of the Mu family. He was born to Geng and his maternal grandfather is Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing.
Mu Ying said, "Oh, Sheng'er didn't come back. He stayed in Yunnan to guard it."
Without her own son coming back, Geng suddenly felt like she had no desire to live. She numbly led a group of concubines to the backyard to arrange accommodation for them. She divided the colorful silk that the emperor had just bestowed on them, and made tailor-made clothes for the concubines, four sets of clothes for each season, and several sets of head ornaments and jewelry.
Since she married into the Mu family, she had to change into Ming Dynasty clothing. Otherwise, if someone saw her, they would accuse her of not managing the household properly and being unruly.
As disappointed as Geng was, Mu Chun was as happy as ever. He suppressed his smile and said, "Dad, you just came back to report on your work. You still have to go back to Yunnan to continue guarding the city. When will Dad leave? Your son will see you off."
Mu Chun was eager to get rid of this plague god as soon as possible.
Mu Ying was too lazy to pay attention to the eldest son. He held the youngest son, who was not even as tall as his knees, and said, "His name is Mu Xin. He is your younger brother. He will stay in the capital to receive education and will not return to Yunnan. Xin'er, this is your older brother."
Mu Xin was only two years old, a naive child. At this moment, he was picking his nose out of boredom and dozing off. Upon hearing this, he quickly released his index finger from his nostril, brought out a little unknown object with his fingertip, and stretched out his hand and said, "Brother, give me a hug."
Muchun looked at the suspicious object on his fingertips.
Mu Xin knew that his elder brother thought he was dirty, so without saying anything, he put his fingertips in his mouth and sucked them, saying proudly, "It's clean now."
Mu Chun almost vomited out the food and wine at the banquet in Fengtian Hall. No wonder his father wanted to send his youngest son to be raised in the capital. Was this child raised like a puppy in Yunnan
Mu Ying said: "Don't blame him, you did this kind of thing when you were a child."
Muchun denied, "I didn't, I wouldn't, Dad is talking nonsense."
"Take your brother to meet the ancestors." Mu Ying carried his youngest son to the ancestral hall to burn incense to the ancestors, and Mu Chun added the name of his youngest brother Mu Xin to the family tree.
Mu Xin staggered to burn incense and kowtow. Seeing that he was tired, Mu Ying ordered someone to take his youngest son back to the room to sleep.
Mu Ying is not without fatherly love, he just doesn't like Mu Chun. The younger son who eats boogers is cuter than the eldest son.
Fortunately, Mu Chun no longer cares about it. This kind of daily favoritism does not irritate him at all.
As soon as his youngest son left, Mu Ying took off the mask of a loving father and immediately revealed his true face as a "tiger father". He took out a whip and lashed it on the ground, "Kneel down, rebellious son! Tell me in front of our ancestors why you refuse to get married?"
Mu Chun knelt on the futon, "Dad, we have already agreed that I only have eyes for the daughter of Duke Wei. All other women are not worthy of my attention."
Mu Ying's heart had long been "tempered into steel" by his eldest son. "Duke Wei is sleeping in Zhongshan, how can he give birth to a daughter? Don't say such unrealistic things."
Duke of Wei Xu Da died in the 17th year of Hongwu, which was the second year after Empress Xiaoci's death. He was buried in Zhongshan and was buried in the Taimiao. Xu Da's tomb is next to the Xiaoling Mausoleum and is a neighbor of Empress Xiaoci.
Mu Chun said: "In this case, I won't marry. Anyway, the Mu family already has four sons. Sons can give birth to sons, and the descendants will be endless. The incense will definitely not be cut off. I can just adopt one of them to me in the future. They are all of Mu family bloodline, and I believe the ancestors will not care who gave birth to them. Besides, I think Dad is in good health-"
Mu Chun was kneeling, his eyes just parallel to Mu Ying's waist, "Maybe next year I'll have a little brother."
Mu Chun swore that if Mu Ying secretly engaged him, he would strip naked and run naked in front of the other person's door, ruining the marriage, bringing shame to the Mu family, and making Mu Ying lose face.
No one knows a son better than his father. If it were someone else, Mu Ying would think it was just talk, but Mu Chun would really do it. He would trample on the reputation of the Mu family like the sole of his shoe.
Mu Ying looked down at his eldest son who didn't care at all. "Do you think the honor of the Mu family and the rise and fall of the family have nothing to do with you? Don't forget that you have the blood of the Mu family in your veins. The title of the Marquis of Xiping is also because your last name is Mu. If you don't have the last name Mu, you will be useless."
He added, "Since you have taken the initiative to ask to cut off your descendants and adopt your brother's son in the future, I don't bother to care about you anymore. I can't delay my brothers' marriages just for you. If your stubborn bloodline is passed on to the next generation, it might be a disaster that ruins the family and destroys the clan! It's better not to have it!"
Being humiliated by his father, Mu Chun simply stood up. Now he was half a head taller than Mu Ying. "What is the purpose of giving birth to offspring? To create an obedient puppet? Did I agree to your giving birth to me? I lost my mother when I was born. Did I force her to death? I grew up in the palace until I was seven years old. Did I eat a grain of rice from the Mu family? Did you hug me? Did you kiss me? Did you teach me to read and write, or teach me to ride a horse and shoot arrows?"
"Before I was seven years old, you were a familiar stranger to me. After I was seven years old, I was sent to the Xiping Marquis's Mansion. Within a few days, you hung me in the ancestral hall and whipped me—"
Mu Ying shouted, interrupting his eldest son's accusation: "That's because you were disobedient and skipped classes. I punished you to recite in the ancestral hall, but you took off your pants and ran around the hall peeing at the same time! You insulted our ancestors!"
Muchun: "I was only seven years old at that time! You just hung me up and beat me!"
Mu Ying: "When I was seven years old, I fought with a group of hungry people for tree bark every day, and was almost chopped down and boiled into a pot of meat soup! What did I say? You eat and drink well all day long and have gained a lot of weight, so what's wrong with me beating you up?"
Mu Ying's parents died of starvation during a famine, and he was a wandering orphan. Because of his fierce fighting spirit when protecting food, he was noticed by Emperor Hongwu and was taken in as an orphan.
Son, his life was changed from then on.
Mu Chun: "You only know how to look up old calendars, is that interesting? When you were seven, you ate tree bark, and when I was seven, I ate all kinds of delicacies. Can I be as resistant to beatings and humiliation as you? You forget how painful it is to be whipped after having a full meal, and kneel down to call daddy. Can I be like you?"
Mu Ying pointed at his eldest son and said, "So you hated me when you were seven years old! If I had known this—"
"You should have just beaten me to death that day!" Mu Chun roared, "Are you giving birth to a son, or a slave? Are you raising a son, or raising a punching bag? How great are you that you think you can kill or bully me just because you gave birth to me?"
"You don't like my mother, you hate the Feng family, but you don't dare to disobey my mother and divorce her. You maintain a loveless marriage. You feel wronged and helpless, but your failed marriage is my fault. Ah..."
Mu Chun pounded his chest, and the sound was like a war drum.
"Your marriage is unhappy because the emperor and empress randomly arranged marriages, and my uncle beat you into a pig's head. What did you say? Not to mention disobeying the order to break off the marriage, even when my uncle beat you, you didn't dare to fight back! But you dare not touch anyone, but chase after an innocent person like me, beat and scold me! Aren't you just sure that I can't fight back? With your cowardly behavior, how can I respect you? Identify with you? Be proud of the bloodline of the Mu family?"
When Mu Chun got excited, he pulled out the ritual sword on the ancestral altar and with a swish, a cold light flashed.
Mu Ying's face changed, "Rebellious son! Do you dare to kill your father? I would rather give birth to an egg than you!"
Mu Chun danced with the sword and slashed his arm. Blood flowed out like a winding snake. "How I wish I wasn't your child. I hate having your blood flowing in my body. I'd rather have dirty soy sauce flowing in my veins!"
Century egg soy sauce: But what did we do wrong...
Mu Ying looked at the blood dripping from his eldest son's arm and said, "You are being unfilial by mutilating yourself in front of your father. Don't think that I won't enforce the family rules just because you suffered such a minor injury."
The distrust between father and son has reached its peak. Mu Chun is suffering both physically and mentally, but Mu Ying thinks that his eldest son is just trying to escape the family rules.
Mu Chun was completely disappointed. She just threw in the towel and raised her chin provocatively. "Who else can you hit besides me? My uncle? The emperor? If you were not my father, you would have died under my sword and been thrown into the Qinhuai River to feed turtles for insulting me like this."
The father and son hurled harsh words at each other, and the atmosphere became increasingly "heated".
A servant had already gone outside the ancestral hall to report the news. Mrs. Geng, the wife of Marquis of Xiping, had just settled a group of concubines and was instructing the servants to pick out a few reliable foster mothers for her new illegitimate son. Then she learned that the father and son, who had just reunited, had fought again in the ancestral hall.
When Geng heard this, he felt as if he was facing a formidable enemy and immediately felt that something was wrong:
When the young Geng married into the Marquis of Xiping's mansion, her stepson was still being raised in the palace. She gave birth to Mu Sheng and raised him like a treasure until he was five years old. Then Mu Chun returned home, and everything was different.
From now on, the best courtyard and the best things must be given to Mu Chun first before Mu Sheng can get his turn. Geng was young and hot-tempered, and she felt very upset, so when Mu Chun was punished for being naughty and was hung in the ancestral hall and beaten by Mu Ying, she did not immediately go to persuade him.
Although Mu Chun was young, he had a bad temper and was unwilling to accept the beating. After being beaten, he not only refused to beg for mercy but also cursed loudly. Mu Ying became more and more angry as he beat him, forgetting how severe the beating was. It was not until Mu Chun lowered his head and kept silent that Mu Ying realized that his eldest son had fainted and was barely breathing.
At that time, Mu Ying was so nervous that he was shaking even when trying to untie the knot. He simply cut the rope with a knife and carried Mu Chun to see the imperial physician.
Seeing Mu Ying running out with the blood-soaked Mu Chun in his arms, the young Geng had an idea in her mind: If I die like this, the position of the crown prince will belong to Sheng'er...
Afterwards, Geng was called into the palace by Empress Xiaoci and scolded, saying that she was an unkind mother for not dissuading her husband. If she did so again, she would definitely be divorced.
At that time, the young Geng cried and expressed regret, saying that she did not mean it. She was in a difficult position as a stepmother because her stepson had made such a big mistake. His father had taught him how to be a good person, and it was difficult for her to control him.
Empress Xiaoci's eyes were as sharp as torches, and she revealed her thoughts in one sentence: If her son Mu Sheng was hanged up and punished at the age of seven, would she stand idly by
"… Don't think that I don't know your secret thoughts. I have more than a dozen sons, including the crown prince, and none of them are my own. The emperor is a strict father and sometimes beats and scolds his sons. I will never let him do that. If Mu Chun gets into trouble again, it will be your turn to return to your parents' home. You don't want to be the wife of Marquis of Xiping, but there are many famous ladies who want to climb up to her position!"
Geng never forgot the wrath of Empress Xiaoci. It was the first time that Geng saw the kind-looking Empress Xiaoci get so angry. From then on, she dared not allow her husband to beat his stepson again, and had to intervene every time to stop him.
Geng said with ease, "Quick, call the Third Young Master Mu Ang, the eldest son-in-law Second Master Xu, and the eldest aunt to the ancestral hall to mediate."
Mu Ying has four sons, Mu Chun, Mu Sheng, Mu Ang, and Mu Xin who just ate his nose. The eldest son-in-law is Xu Zengshou, the youngest son of Xu Da, Duke of Wei, who is known as the most dandy in the capital. Upon learning that his father-in-law was coming home, Xu Zengshou hurriedly took the gifts and brought his wife to see his father-in-law.
There is strength in numbers. Just when Mu Ying and Mu Chun were about to burst into flames, Geng chased them to the ancestral hall, saying the old saying, "If you want to kill him, kill me first."
Everyone rushed in and saw Mu Chun's arm covered in blood, and they cried out in disbelief.
Geng just kept crying. Mu Ang, the third young master of the Mu family, picked up the sword on the ground. The married aunt was busy bandaging Mu Chun's wound. Xu Zengshou grabbed the whip in his father-in-law's hand and said, "If you have anything to say, talk it over. Don't fight. There is no overnight hatred between father and son. Peace is the most precious thing."
Xu Zengshou had a very good father, Xu Da, Duke of Wei. Unfortunately, Xu Da had been gone for three years. Xu Zengshou, a good man, did not know the hunger of a hungry man, and thought that all fathers and sons in the world would reconcile.
For the sake of his daughter and son-in-law, Mu Ying put down the whip. The father and son looked at each other with disgust, snorted coldly, and left.
No matter how chaotic the wealthy families in Beijing are inside, they must have good husbands, good wives, good sons, good daughters, and a harmonious Ming Dynasty family outside.
The next day, Mu Ying entered the palace. As soon as Emperor Hongwu saw his godson's face, he knew the matter was over. "Mu Chun still refuses to get married? Didn't you tell him that as long as he likes her and she has a clean background and is not a prostitute, you can make a break and help her?"
Mu Ying was stunned. "Before we even got to this point, I and my son started arguing. He even drew his sword and cut himself, saying that he didn't want to continue the bloodline of the Mu family and would rather have soy sauce flowing in his veins. After that, everything got out of control and the argument became unbearable."
Emperor Hongwu was very sorry and sighed, "What an injustice! I didn't act as a good matchmaker back then, which led to you and Feng becoming a couple of enemies. Before Empress Xiaoci passed away, she felt very regretful when she read about this matter. She said that Mu Chun was pitiful and that she would marry anyone he wanted in the future as long as the other party had a clean family background. She told me not to act on my own again and repeat the same mistake, creating another couple of enemies and ruining Mu Chun's happiness."
"Originally, I planned to marry Princess Shouchun to him, but Empress Xiaoci's last words before her death changed my mind and granted Princess Shouchun to the Fu family. Now that you have returned to the capital, you can help Mu Chun get married to ease the strained relationship between you and your son. It's a great opportunity, but why is it getting more and more tense?"
Mu Ying said: "It's hard to explain. I am incompetent and have wasted a great opportunity given by God."
Twenty-three years of old hatred is like a tangled mess, how can it be easily untied
The father and son each said their own thing, and each insisted that he was right and that the other was always at fault. It was as if there was a wall as high as the sky between them, and they were shouting at each other through the wall and could not communicate normally at all.
Emperor Hongwu asked: "What are you going to do next? Mu Chun is 23 years old. If he doesn't get married, people will think he has some shameful problems."
Mu Ying thought of his eldest son's extreme behavior last night and said, "He is sick. He is seriously ill."
"Tsk, how can you talk like a father?" Emperor Hongwu couldn't stand it any more. "All obedient children are alike, but all disobedient children are different. Don't be deaf or dumb, don't be a fool, as a father, you should be more open-minded."
Mu Ying was not convinced, "Does it mean that as a father, I have to give in to my son?"
Emperor Hongwu said: "Sometimes you have to give in. Chun'er was pushed to the limit and would rather cut himself with a sword than stab you. He is much better than some of my sons."
The author has something to say: Wow, Chunchun is so pitiful, it’s a miracle that he has not developed an antisocial personality and is still kind by nature.
I'm giving away 100 red envelopes tonight. Dear readers, please cheer up as you start work on Monday.
Congratulations to reader hl for receiving a 100-point bonus
№2 Netizen: hl Comment: "Hu Shanwei" Score: 2 Published time: 2019-02-24 20:35:01 Reviewed chapter: 125
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