Father can be an enemy to the country

Just when Zhu Zhen was talking to each other and urging the nobles to die, Li Shanchang also came to the palace gate to ask for a meeting.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not receive him at Wuying Palace or Qianqing Palace. Instead, he was carried to the Imperial Garden.

Li Shanchang was sitting and carrying his carriage, and when he passed through the rockery trees, he smelled the fragrance of mutton soup.

When the carriage turned around the rockery, he saw Boss Zhu sitting cross-legged on the grass and basking in the sun.

There was a stove beside it. Several royal chefs were busy, a large pot was simmering mutton, and a small pot was frying lotus root clips.

"Old Li, come and sit here." Zhu Yuanzhang greeted him with a smile, and then ordered: "Hurry down, I'm almost starving to death."

The cook quickly put the prepared noodles into the pot.

Soon after Li Shanchang sat down next to the emperor, Eunuch Wu brought up a short table and placed it steadily in front of the two of them.

On the low table were two bowls of hot mutton noodles and a plate of golden lotus root clips.

"Do you have any impression?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked Li Shanchang, eagerly picking up a bowl and quickly putting it down. It was so hot that he pinched his earlobes with both hands.

Li Shanchang recalled with emotion: "Of course I will not forget it. Thirty-four years ago, when the superior came to my house, I served you this bowl of mutton noodles, as well as Xu Da, Tang and others who came with the superior. "

"We really didn't eat good food at that time, oh, this bowl of noodles is so delicious." Boss Zhu picked up the chopsticks, picked up the noodles with chopsticks, and recalled while blowing: "Yeah, this is the taste. "

"I really shouldn't have made it so delicious at that time, but it turned out that a whole lamb and forty pounds of noodles were not enough for you, so I had to fry two more pots of lotus root clips for you." Li Shanchang said with a bitter smile:

"In those days of war and chaos, the landlord's family had no surplus food. All the food rations in the old minister's family were reimbursed by you in just one meal."

"Hahaha! What we were thinking about at that time was to make you poor!" Zhu Yuanzhang laughed loudly: "If you don't join the gang, your whole family will be hungry!"

"Why did you bring so many starving ghosts with you?" Li Shanchang was speechless.

"Who told you to ruin all my food?" Zhu Yuanzhang said proudly: "We can only say that we are each other."

"The superiors really hold grudges." Li Shanchang said at a loss of whether to laugh or cry.

~~

Zhu Yuanzhang was talking about what happened after he left Haozhou to develop and conquered Chuzhou.

Chuzhou was the first big city he conquered, and he also received 20,000 shi of grain from the Chuzhou warehouse of the Yuan Dynasty. For the rebels, who have been short of supplies since leaving Haozhou, this is definitely a blessing after a long drought.

"We were very happy to receive so much food at that time. I thought that now the brothers can have enough to eat, and they can also recruit troops and become bigger and stronger." Boss Zhu recalled:

"As a result, the old man suddenly showed up and asked for an audience. We heard that the person who came was a civil servant, and we were even more happy now. We thought that we finally had a talent, so we hurriedly welcomed him."

"But after we met and chatted for only a few words, you asked us to open a warehouse to stock up on grain and distribute it to the people in Chuzhou who were suffering from famine." Zhu Yuanzhang said vaguely while eating noodles, "Tang, Zhou Dexing and the others were confused as soon as they heard this. If you don't do it anymore, I'll kill you, you ungrateful old man."

"This veteran remembers it." Li Shanchang said with fear when he thought about it: "Especially that black guy Zhou Dexing, who struck at him without saying a word. If Xu Da hadn't saved him with a sword, the veteran would have confessed on the spot."

"Actually, we wanted to kill you at that time, but mainly because we were afraid of ruining our reputation and no scholars would dare to follow us in the future, so we let you go." Zhu Yuanzhang took a sip of the soup as he spoke, which made him shake his head. .

"Actually, I saw that the people in Chuzhou were starving all over the place, so I had the courage to give it a try." Li Shanchang's eating appearance was much more gentle. He picked up the noodles with chopsticks and said: "I never thought that the superiors would listen to my advice. I advised you to distribute food to the people.”

"We were so hot-headed at the time that we did it. But the more we thought about it afterwards, the more panicked we felt about the loss. So we must capture you and work for us, otherwise the food will not be shared in vain?" Zhu Yuanzhang had already finished his drink while speaking. He drank the last drop of soup and shouted: "One more bowl!"

"It's not a loss if the superior distributes food and wins the hearts of the people, right?" Li Shanchang said with a smile.

"How did we understand this at the time? For our brothers, having enough food is the most important thing. People's hearts cannot be eaten?" Zhu Yuanzhang said with emotion:

"Later, when we saw the people of Chuzhou coming to join the army, we understood what the people's sentiments were. Unfortunately, in a blink of an eye, King Chuyang was driven out of Haozhou City, and we had no choice but to give Chuzhou to him.

"In the early days of starting my business, I was really working for the Guo family." Li Shanchang barely took a bite of noodles and felt extremely picky. Not to mention the lotus root clips. He was fourteen years older than Zhu Yuanzhang and could no longer eat such meaty and oily food.

"Yes, that bastard Guo Tianxu not only robbed our territory and soldiers, he also robbed our people, right Mr. Li?" Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Li Shanchang meaningfully as he spoke, obviously thinking of the part where Guo Tianxu abducted him. .

"Haha..." Li Shanchang smiled sheepishly and said, "I didn't say hello to the superior at that time and just followed him. It really shouldn't have happened."

"We all hated you so much at that time! Huh? You kept saying that you wanted to do great business with us! As a result, Guo Tianxu sent two beauties and kidnapped you!" Zhu Yuanzhang blew his beard and glared: "That's the beauty trap. Is it so difficult to defend?"

"Alas, this is my weakness..." Li Shanchang hurriedly defended:

"Besides, I am not so superficial. I just took advantage of the situation and enjoyed myself first, but I am always loyal to the superior in my heart."

He reminded Zhu Yuanzhang again: "Besides, didn't I ask Cunyi to tell the superior? I gained their trust and got into Guo Tianxu's inner circle. Otherwise, how could I fool him and go to Jiqing Road to bite the hard bone first?"

"Of course I know." Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "Otherwise, after conquering Jiqing Road, how could you be ranked first in the reward? At that time, many brothers did not understand and said that this old pervert had no virtue or ability. We had to explain to them that you were not perverted, but the mission required it."

"Later, I found out that you are perverted!" Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at Li Shanchang and laughed.

Li Shanchang also laughed to tears.

Just when the atmosphere was at its best, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly said in a gloomy voice: "It's a pity that you have changed and are no longer loyal to me as before. The only thing I can't tolerate from you is disloyalty."

"Haha, that's not entirely true. You have more requirements for me than this." Li Shanchang's smile turned cold, and he shook his head slowly and said: "It's like when we built Zhongdu City, we were a little hasty and too many civilians died. Then you pressed my face to the ground, burned my nephew, and tore my nephew to pieces!"

"So you instructed Li Cunyi to collude with Hu Weiyong to rebel against us?!" Zhu Yuanzhang asked coldly.