The strongest eldest son of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 21 You three, introduce your eldest brother to yourself!

The three brothers spoke in extremely low voices.

"Second brother, where do you think Father is taking us? Judging from the direction, it doesn't seem to be to the hunting grounds outside the city."

Zhu Gui asked in a low voice, her eyes full of curiosity.

Zhu Shuang pursed his lips and lowered his voice: "Who knows? It doesn't matter where he goes, as long as we can sneak out of the palace, it's better than staying in the palace being forced to study by the tutor. Maybe he'll take us to a fun place."

Zhu Su, who was standing to the side, was holding his herbal medicine manual and whispered, "Second brother, let's behave ourselves. Otherwise, if we anger Father again, we'll get beaten again."

"What are you afraid of? Father seems to be in a good mood right now, so he might not hit us."

Zhu Shuang said nonchalantly, and then reached out to snatch the herbal medicine atlas from Zhu Su's hand, "What's so interesting about this tattered book of yours? Let me see it."

Zhu Su quickly protected the map, and the two began to tug at it, instantly making the carriage noisy. Zhu Gui also joined in the commotion, clapping and cheering.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat at the front of the carriage, his brows furrowed, surrounded by the noisy chatter of his three sons. His already irritable mood was now exacerbated, and he had a terrible headache.

"Shut up!"

Zhu Yuanzhang shouted sternly, and the carriage fell silent instantly. His three sons immediately stopped what they were doing, lowered their heads, and dared not utter another sound.

But after a short while, Zhu Gui couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Father, where are we going? How much longer do we have to walk?"

Zhu Shuang chimed in, "Yes, Father, just tell us, and we promise we won't make a fuss."

Annoyed by their questions, Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed his throbbing temples, too lazy to pay attention to them. He simply said coldly, "Stop talking nonsense, you'll find out when we get there," and then closed his eyes to rest, unwilling to speak again.

The three sons, having failed to get what they wanted, were still unwilling to give up. They would occasionally steal glances at Zhu Yuanzhang, mutter to themselves, and sometimes even pull and fight, causing Zhu Yuanzhang to frown frequently. However, he was too lazy to discipline them anymore, feeling only an immense headache and secretly regretting bringing these three rebellious sons along.

After a bumpy journey, the group finally arrived in Chenzhou several days later and headed towards Zhu Yao's Liu residence.

At this moment, the Liu residence was quiet and the sun was shining brightly. Liu Bowen and Zhu Yao were sitting at the stone table in the courtyard, playing a game of Go.

Zhu Yao held a chess piece, frowned, stared at the chessboard, and pondered for a long time before slowly placing a piece, but it was still easily countered by Liu Bowen.

He shook his head helplessly and said with a smile, "Mr. Liu, your Go skills are really too high. No matter how I play, I can't beat you. You can calculate every move perfectly."

Liu Bowen put down the chess piece, looked at Zhu Yao, and showed a hint of surprise on his face: "Young Master Zhu is joking. You are intelligent and quick to learn, but I didn't expect you to not know how to play Go?"

"I've been busy managing the family business since I was a child, so I haven't had much contact with Go. This is my first time playing Go seriously, so naturally I can't beat Mr. Liu," Zhu Yao said with a smile.

Liu Bowen nodded, his admiration for Zhu Yao growing stronger. Such intelligence and humility were truly rare. "Young master, you are exceptionally talented. If you are willing to study diligently, it won't be long before you are on par with me."

Zhu Yao smiled but didn't reply. His gaze drifted towards the direction outside the mansion gate, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. He asked softly, "Mr. Liu, when do you think... my father will be back?"

Since Zhu Yuanzhang left, he had often thought of him, after all, he was his biological father.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bowen sighed softly and said in a calm tone, "Young master, my master... is very busy with business and has countless affairs to attend to. I don't know when he will return."

He paused, looking at Zhu Yao's expectant eyes, and added, "In my opinion, the master probably won't be back anytime soon. After all... the Chamber of Commerce can't do without him, and he has too many things to deal with. He doesn't have the leisure to come to Chenzhou to live a quiet life."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yao's expectant expression faded slightly, and a hint of disappointment crossed his heart. He nodded gently and said in a low voice, "That's true. My father is very busy. It's already very kind of him to come and see me once in a while."

Just then, the steward rushed in, his face beaming with joy, and reported urgently, "Young Master, Mr. Liu, great news! Master is back! Master and his men are already at the gate!"

"What? My dad's back?"

Zhu Yao jumped to his feet, his disappointment instantly replaced by ecstatic joy. His eyes lit up, and he couldn't believe his ears. "Are you serious? My dad really came back?"

"I wouldn't dare lie to you, young master. It is indeed the master who has returned. He is right outside the gate, waiting for you to come out and greet him," the steward quickly replied.

Zhu Yao could no longer contain his joy and turned to run towards the gate of the mansion, not even bothering to tidy up the Go board on the table.

Liu Bowen, who was standing to the side, was also completely stunned, his face full of surprise.

He never expected that Zhu Yuanzhang would actually come back!

As the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty, who is busy with countless affairs of state, why would he make a special trip to Chenzhou again, and so quickly?

Liu Bowen composed himself, quickly got up, and hurried after him.

Zhu Yao hurried out of the mansion gate, the wind ruffling his clothes, his face full of undisguised joy, his eyes eagerly searching through the crowd at the gate.

He immediately spotted Zhu Yuanzhang standing at the very front.

Zhu Yao hurried forward, his voice filled with joy: "Dad! You're really back!"

Looking at Zhu Yao's beaming face, Zhu Yuanzhang's irritation instantly dissipated, and a gentle smile appeared on his face. He reached out and patted Zhu Yao's shoulder: "Yao'er, your father is back. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Zhu Yao's gaze subconsciously swept over Zhu Yuanzhang's back. When he saw the three young men standing next to Erhu, the smile on his face paused slightly, and a hint of doubt appeared in his eyes.

These three young men, dressed in fine clothes, bore a striking resemblance to Zhu Yuanzhang in their features, yet also retained a touch of unruliness. They were curiously observing him and the gate of the Liu residence.

Zhu Yuanzhang noticed Zhu Yao's gaze, and a hint of embarrassment flashed across his face. He coughed lightly and explained in a somewhat unnatural tone, "Yao'er, there's something I need to tell you."

"After your mother passed away, your father struggled on his own. Later, he couldn't support himself anymore, so he remarried. These three are your brothers, the children of your father and his other wives."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yao felt a slight unease, as if something uniquely his had been taken away.

But he also knew that in this era, it was common for men to have multiple wives and concubines, let alone his father, who was the emperor. It was perfectly normal for him to have multiple wives and several younger brothers.

So many years have passed, and Father can't stay alone forever. He shouldn't be so sentimental. Zhu Yao suppressed the discomfort in his heart, nodded gently, and said in a calm tone, "Father, I understand. They are all my brothers. From now on, we are all one family."

Seeing that Zhu Yao wasn't angry, Zhu Yuanzhang's embarrassment dissipated considerably, and a relieved smile appeared on his face. He quickly turned to his three sons behind him and scolded, "What are you three standing there for? Come here and introduce your eldest brother!"