My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 4: Hello, Lao Li
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Yuanzhang came to the dragon desk, spread out the paper, washed the brush and ground the ink, and took a deep breath.

Originally, these things were done by palace maids and eunuchs, but the content of this letter was too shocking and could not be known to anyone.

Therefore, it could only be done by Zhu Yuanzhang himself.

Picking up his pen, Zhu Yuanzhang wrote:
"The Immortal has sent me this letter.
I often hear…”

After writing a few words, he frowned, put the rice paper close to the candlestick, lit it and burned it.

You can't write like this.

It is still not confirmed whether Li Han is a real god or not, so I cannot be rash. If people knew that I, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was deceived, wouldn’t that be a huge scandal?

Where is the royal face?

If this Li Han is really a god, judging from his writing style, the whole article is written in plain language, the words and sentences are easy to understand, and there are also witty remarks that make people laugh. It seems that he is a free and easy person by nature and is not bound by the writing format.

It would seem a bit pedantic if I wrote my reply in such a flowery way.

After hesitating for a while, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to imitate Li Han's writing style to reply.

He spread the rice paper again and wrote:
"Old Li, how are you?"

After a few words, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but feel it was a bit absurd.

Li Han called his descendants "Lao Zhu". It seems that the two of them were good friends. If we calculate by seniority, this immortal Li Han is still his junior.

I call him Lao Li, but there is a generation difference between them!
However, since I was replying as "Old Zhu", there was nothing wrong with calling him "Old Li".

"I am very happy to receive your letter. Your evaluation of Empress Ma is very pertinent, but I also have some doubts in my heart. I hope you can clear them up."

Zhu Yuanzhang was eager to know why he killed his meritorious officials and what happened to the great changes in the early Ming Dynasty.

The most important thing is, who rebelled against Emperor Jianwen?
From Li Han's letters, we can learn that he and "Old Zhu" knew all the secrets of the Ming Dynasty!

But he couldn't let Li Han know that he didn't know these things.

"The founding heroes of the early Ming Dynasty were all good brothers of Zhu Yuanzhang. The death of Empress Ma was certainly one of the reasons why he killed them, but Zhu Yuanzhang also had his own reasons. I'm curious about your opinion, Old Li."

As he wrote this, Zhu Yuanzhang felt heartbroken when he thought of Empress Ma who was still ill.

But this reply letter concerned the life of Empress Ma and the future of the Ming Dynasty, so Zhu Yuanzhang had to continue writing.

Moreover, Zhu Yuanzhang also believed that the killing of the founding heroes was not a whim on his part, nor could it be simply attributed to cruelty and brutality.

"The great changes at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the disastrous defeat of Emperor Jianwen, and the execution of the founding heroes are indeed important causes and effects, but this matter cannot be generalized. The reasons are complicated. What do you think of this, Old Li?"

Having written this, Zhu Yuanzhang read the letter carefully several times, and after feeling that it would not expose himself, he finally wrote:
"I have a good friend who, like Empress Ma, has suffered from lung disease for a long time. I have been worried for many days. If Lao Li has any magic medicine, please give it to me.

I also present you with a jade ruyi that I have carried with me for many years as a small token of my appreciation. I hope Mr. Li will accept it."

There are not many words, but Lao Zhu feels that he has clearly expressed his meaning and there are no loopholes.

After all, the more you write, the more you expose.

The writing format is also written horizontally from left to right, imitating Li Han, and the punctuation marks are also written in imitation of Li Han.

Although he didn't know what the strange symbol was, Zhu Yuanzhang thought it was very useful to use it to break up sentences. Putting it in the text made the sentence clear and the meaning clear at a glance.

He sealed the letter carefully, then picked up the jade ruyi that had been with him for many years.

The jade ruyi is crystal clear, emitting a faint green light under the candlelight. You can tell at a glance that it is not an ordinary item.

But compared with the life of Queen Ma, what does a jade ruyi mean?
When you ask someone to do something for you, how can you not give them gifts?
After arriving at the temple, he checked it from top to bottom, inside and out, and confirmed that there was no sign of human intervention. He placed the envelope and the jade ruyi on the table in front of the shrine, and soon the shrine began to emit a faint blue light.

The blue light quickly enveloped the letter and the jade ruyi. When the blue light dissipated, the letter and the jade ruyi had disappeared.

Seeing this incredible scene again, Zhu Yuanzhang's confidence increased.

Perhaps the Buddha was moved by his sincerity and allowed his wish to reach heaven.

He summoned the palace guards and ordered them to guard the Buddhist temple. No one was allowed to enter except Zhu Yuanzhang.

……

It was another leisurely day. Li Han yawned lazily while cleaning the store.

The shop is close to the ruins of the Ming Palace. During the peak tourist season, many tourists come in to buy souvenirs.

It's just that it's the off-season now, so it's normal to have few visitors.

The antique business is all about picking up bargains. It’s the kind of business where you can’t open for three years but make a profit for three years after you open it.

However, there are no old goods in Li Han’s shop. Most of them are imitations, and most of them are from the Republic of China. Those from the Qing Dynasty are the treasures of the store.

It’s not that he hasn’t thought about going to places like Henan and Shaanxi to shop for goods, but firstly, the old goods have almost all been bought out, and secondly, he doesn’t have the money.

I can only guard the shop and wait for tourists to come, and try to fool as many as I can.

As night fell, Li Han prepared to close the shop. Before closing the shop, he habitually opened his mailbox to take a look.

Then, he froze.

Inside, there lay an antique envelope, and also a jade ruyi?
Whose thing is this?
However, this is the store’s private mailbox. Apart from the postman, I am the only one who has the key. Who would be so bored as to put the Jade Ruyi in there?
With doubts, Li Han put away the letter and Yu Ruyi and took them back to the store.

After locking the door, Li Han began to observe two things carefully.

The jade ruyi is crystal clear and feels cool and warm in the hand. It has a delicate texture and is naturally moist.

Although he is not very old, Li Han has been immersed in the antique industry for some time and is considered a semi-expert in jade.

He keenly felt that this was top-quality Hetian jade.

Moreover, the Ruyi is extremely exquisitely crafted, and it is obviously carved by craftsmen with superb skills, rather than an industrial product made by machines.

So, who put such a precious thing in his mailbox?

He looked at the envelope again, perhaps the answer was there.

After opening the envelope, taking out the letter and opening it, Li Han was delighted.

It turned out that it was Lao Zhu who replied.

Looking at the powerful calligraphy, Li Han couldn't help laughing out loud:
"I didn't expect that Lao Zhu, who never admits defeat, would actually write me a letter with a brush, and in running script."

Zhu Yuanzhang's running script is vigorous and powerful, with upright and comfortable characters, strong corners and strong strokes, and each stroke is clumsy, elegant and simple.

Li Han couldn't help but sigh that he had lost in the cultural competition.

Wish you all a happy May Day. I am a working people and I am still working and writing books on May Day. I am really the representative of working people. The higher-ups should give me a big award certificate.



(End of this chapter)