I?
Qi Jiguang was a little confused.

Then he looked at Emperor Jiajing.

What surprised him was that the emperor seemed to have no reaction at all.

It seemed as if he agreed with the old man’s self-proclaimed title.

Zhu Houcong then said in a cold voice: “Master Chengzu, you don’t have to waste your energy.”

“Qi Jiguang was a general of the Jiajing Dynasty. How could you recruit him?”

“His family and relatives are still in the Jiajing period.”

At this time, Qi Jiguang suddenly looked back.

Looking towards Zhu Di.

His eyes were filled with disbelief. Cheng Zu Ye? !
Zhu Di ignored Zhu Houcong’s words.

Qi Jiguang looked at the heroic old man in front of him with a trembling voice.

He said, “You are Emperor Chengzu?”

Zhu Di glanced at Qi Jiguang.

He sighed and said, “I really don’t like being called Taizong or Chengzu.”

Get the exact answer.

Qi Jiguang half-knelt, clasped his fists and said, “General Qi Jiguang greets Emperor Yongle. May the Emperor be well and healthy.”

It’s interesting.

Zhu Di nodded.

He knew that his family did not like the title of Chengzu, but if he called him Taizong, it would also anger Zhu Houcong.

Emperor Yongle tried not to offend either side.

“Since you know that I am Yongle, you can consider what I say.”

“The Yongle Dynasty lacks talented leaders.”

“It’s a pity that you stayed in the Jiajing Dynasty.”

“If you are willing to come, I will appoint you as the commander of the Shenji Camp.”

“In this way, I won’t have to lead the Northern Expedition myself.”

Faced with Zhu Di’s recruitment, Qi Jiguang was also somewhat excited.

Naturally, I have heard of the Shenji Camp.

They are equipped with the most sophisticated firearms.

It was the first organized army in the entire history that used firearms.

As for the lack of talented generals during the Yongle reign, this seems to be true as well.

After all, Emperor Taizu was too murderous, and a large number of generals were killed in the Jingnan Campaign.

As a result, during the Yongle reign, there were no generals available, and the emperor had to lead the Northern Expedition himself.

At this time, Zhu Houcong was also observing Qi Jiguang’s expression.

“Could this kid really have been instigated by Master Chengzu to rebel?”

“If this is the case, then wouldn’t my life be in danger?”

Zhu Houcong muttered to himself.

However, after much consideration, Qi Jiguang finally rejected Zhu Di’s invitation.

“I’m sorry I can’t agree to that.”

“Nowadays, Japanese pirates are rampant in the south. The threat from the northern barbarians during the Yongle reign is far less serious than that during the Jiajing reign.”

all in all.

The Yongle Dynasty did not lack a Qi Jiguang.

But during the Jiajing period, if Qi Jiguang was missing, the Japanese pirates would really cause chaos.

“Besides, my family is still in the Jiajing Dynasty. Please forgive me.”

Zhu Di didn’t mind it too much.

“Since you don’t want to, I won’t force you.”

Seeing this, Qi Jiguang also hurriedly spoke.

“If you want my method of training soldiers, I can write it down now for your reference.”

Zhu Di did not refuse.

The Qi family army is very powerful, and its training methods are naturally desirable.

Even if it is not needed now, it may not be needed later.

There is no harm in having one more set of training methods.

“Boss Zhuang, it’s time to continue my dream of becoming an immortal and practicing Taoism.”

In response, Zhuang Mu nodded.

“Or Hou Yi shooting down the sun?”

Zhu Houcong nodded.

If you want to be the only one in the world, you have to go through some hardships.

Zhuang Mu immediately began to mix the drinks.

Just then, the lame man who liked to drink walked in.

Emperor Wanli’s hobbies were beautiful women and drinking.

Zhu Houcong glanced at Zhu Yijun.

Zhu Yijun also glanced at Zhu Houcong.

The grandfather and grandson did not know each other.

At this time, Yao Guangxiao asked softly: “You should know the identity of this person, right?”

Zhu Di also came over and looked at Zhuang Mu.

Although Zhu Gaochi was fat, his ears were very sensitive.

Listen to the soft voices of Yao Guangxiao and Zhuang Mu.

Zhu Houcong and Zhu Yijun each took a glass of wine.

One of them lay on a recliner, fell asleep, and dreamed of becoming an immortal.

One sat in the corner, quietly tasting the taste of dream wine.

Hearing this, Zhuang Mu whispered, “I know.”

Zhu Di asked hurriedly.

“Is this guy also the emperor of Ming Dynasty?”

Zhuang Mu nodded.

Hearing this, Zhu Di looked at Zhu Yijun.

At this time Zhu Gaochi also spoke.

“But from what I’ve observed about this person, he’s rather quiet and he’s also lame.”

“That doesn’t look like an emperor.”

Zhuang Mu responded in a low voice.

“Come to think of it, this person actually has some relationship with Zhu Houcong.”

Zhu Di was slightly stunned.

“There are relationships?”

Zhuang Mu nodded.

“Well, if I’m not mistaken, this lame emperor should be Emperor Wanli, Zhu Yijun.”

“Hearing the name, I guess you should know what it is?”

The names of the Zhu royal family are all in strict order.

Zhu Yijun, of this generation, if nothing unexpected happens.

They should be the grandchildren of Zhu Houcong.

That is, the grandson of Zhu Houcong?
He could be the emperor’s grandson, but why didn’t Zhu Houcong recognize him?

“Zhu Yijun, grandson of Zhu Houcong?”

Zhuang Mu nodded.

“Then why do these two look like they don’t know each other at all?”

Grandfather and grandson, as heirs.

Even if we don’t meet often, at least we should know each other.

Even if Zhu Houcong didn’t know Zhu Yijun.

But Zhu Yijun should know Zhu Houcong.

In response, Zhuang Mu whispered, “King Zhao should know something about this matter.”

Zhu Gaosui, who was standing aside, heard this.

He hurried forward and recalled things about the Jiajing Dynasty.

After thinking for a moment, he responded, “Dad, I’m afraid these grandfather and grandson really don’t know each other.”

Then Zhu Gaosui told the story of the two dragons never meeting each other.

Most of the offspring died young.

Zhu Di frowned.

He looked towards Yao Guangxiao and said, “Many of their offspring died young. Old monk, do you think there is something fishy going on here?”

Yao Guangxiao didn’t know, so he asked Zhuang Mu.

“Your Majesty, you should ask Zhuang Mu about this matter. How would an old minister know?”

It’s hard to make a conclusion since I haven’t been there.

In response to this, Zhuang Mu spoke up.

“Zhu Houcong is such a smart man, if there is something fishy going on, how could he not know it?”

“Don’t think too much about it, old man. It’s just a genetic defect. It’s also a hereditary problem.”

Genetic defect? Hereditary?
Zhu Di was confused.

At the same time, Zhu Gaochi didn’t know why he always felt a chill on his back.

Zhuang Mu continued to explain at this time: “Ahem, you also saw the scene in the dream just now.”

“Over hundreds of millions of years, as organisms reproduce, offspring will inherit the abilities of their parents.”

“For example, beaks, exoskeletons, eyes, etc.”

“What is beneficial will be passed on to the next generation, and similarly, what is disadvantageous will also be passed on to the next generation.”

“The genes of your lineage are actually not that good.”

“Plus, most of the concubines in Emperor Jiajing’s harem were from noble families, and the nobles often intermarried with the royal family, so the gene pool was narrow.”

In fact, most of Zhu Houcong’s descendants died young due to many factors.

There are definitely genetic defects.

Zhu Zhanji had only two sons.

Zhu Qiyu had only one son.

Zhu Qizhen was a special case, but the emperors after him had very few offspring.

The emperor had many beauties in his harem, so if it wasn’t a problem with the women, then it must be a problem with the men. Secondly, the imperial physician system had serious drawbacks.

I dare not use strong medicine to treat children.

When Prince Zhuangjing had a fever, the imperial physician only used mild tonic medicine to treat him.

In addition, in the 18th year of Jiajing’s reign, a smallpox outbreak occurred, resulting in the death of two princes.

Furthermore.

The entire social system of the Ming Dynasty was relatively repressive.

As a prince, his education system is also quite oppressive.

Emotions often add to the burden on the body.

These factors combined naturally result in most offspring being unable to survive to adulthood.

Of course, the most important thing is that Zhu Houcong had actually been taking elixirs from the very beginning.

Just not very often.

However, the harm caused by the elixir was still passed on to the offspring.

According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, metal and stone poisons can be passed on to future generations.

Everything was fine before, the second son, the third son, and the fourth son all died at birth.

Starting from the fifth son, most of them died at birth.

“In short, it’s all the harm caused by Zhu Houcong’s practice of Taoism.”

As for conspiracy theories, I think it’s unlikely.

Zhu Houcong had eight sons and five daughters.

Among them, two of the eight sons survived to adulthood, a one in four probability.

Of the five daughters, only one survives to adulthood, a one in five probability.

According to probability, the son’s survival rate is even higher.

After all, the princesses of the emperor basically married down from their parents’ side, so they posed no threat.

All conspiracies are based on interests. Harming Zhu Houcong’s daughter will basically not bring any benefits, and may even lead to trouble.

Therefore, it can be judged that this is basically more due to Zhu Houcong’s own factors.

“genetic defect?”

“Of my four sons, only one died young. Boss, whose fault do you think this is?”

Obviously, the problem is definitely not with Zhu Di.

Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu, and Zhu Gaosui all lived safely until they were over forty years old.

And Zhu Gaochi’s descendants.

Ten sons and seven daughters.

Among them, only three sons lived beyond the age of forty.

And none of the daughters lived past the age of thirty.

Zhu Gaochi coughed twice slightly.

“Dad, it’s all because of this unfilial son and grandson who insisted on practicing Taoism and refining elixirs.”

Zhu Di ignored these words.

He continued to ask Zhuang Mu: “Zhu Yijun, how is he doing as an emperor?”

Zhuang Mu was wiping the glass cup in his hand and glanced at Zhu Yijun in the corner.

Responded: “Don’t they say that grandchildren look like grandfathers?”

“Emperor Wanli is different. He is much better than his grandfather.”

After hearing this, Zhu Di felt a little better.

As long as he is better than Zhu Houcong.

He did not attend court for more than twenty years.

If this kind of atmosphere continues to spread, the Ming Dynasty will not fall, which will be unacceptable to heaven.

“Better than Zhu Houcong.”

“Alas, I don’t have high expectations for these descendants.”

“As long as I am a king who maintains the status quo, I will be satisfied.”

Since the emergence of Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Houcong.

Zhu Di’s expectations for subsequent emperors had been greatly reduced.

Not to mention the emergence of a powerful ruler, as long as he is a king who can maintain the status quo, he will be satisfied.

Yao Guangxiao frowned at this.

I began to think about what Zhuang Mu meant by this.

Zhu Yijun was much more outstanding than Zhu Houcong.

In fact, this sentence has two levels of meaning.

A positive meaning naturally means that Zhu Yijun is better than Zhu Houcong.

A derogatory term, this excellence does not refer to ability, but other aspects.

“Your Majesty, I think you should not be too happy too soon.”

Yao Guangxiao had just finished speaking.

Zhuang Mu smiled and said, “You may have misunderstood what I meant.”

“As the saying goes, a disciple surpasses his master. What I am saying is not about Zhu Yijun’s ability, but other aspects.”

Zhu Di’s smile froze instantly.

Not referring to ability?

That is?

Zhuang Mu nodded.

“That’s right. Zhu Yijun inherited his grandfather’s legacy and took not attending court to the extreme.”

“Even though Zhu Houcong did not attend court, he was still able to control government affairs. Although he did not do good things, he would still handle some things sometimes.”

“But Zhu Yijun is different. He is a complete hands-off boss.”

“If it weren’t for Zhang Juzheng, who extended the life of the Ming Dynasty for several decades, the Ming Dynasty would have perished at the hands of Emperor Wanli.”

“There is a saying that goes, the Ming Dynasty actually fell during the reign of Emperor Wanli.”

To sum it up in one sentence.

Zhu Houcong is the type of person who is sometimes online and sometimes offline.

Zhu Yijun is different, he is offline 24 hours a day.

He indulges in alcohol and sex every day.

Although this was related to his leg disability and his refusal to attend court.

However, its attitude of giving up is also very clear.

The key is that he is very rebellious.

Zhu Di held his forehead in a depressed mood.

Mental and mental exhaustion.

Can a normal person come out?
Are all my offspring so extraordinary and weird?

Just living off past achievements?

“Zhuang Mu, you know the entire history of our Ming Dynasty, right?”

Zhuang Mu nodded.

Seeing this, Zhu Di asked hurriedly.

“How many normal people are there?”

That’s right, Zhu Di’s bottom line kept being lowered.

He no longer expects a king to emerge who can maintain the status quo.

I just hope there are more normal people.

Don’t cause trouble, don’t make a fuss, but at least the affairs of state must be handled, that’s enough.

It doesn’t matter whether you have any achievements or not.

After all, in Zhu Yuanzhang’s power structure, as long as the emperor did not go against the will of heaven, there would not be any major problems.

Zhuang Mu was silent.

“It’s hard to judge whether this is normal or not.”

“However, one thing that can be judged is that the emperors of the Ming Dynasty… were all quite distinctive.”

Zhu Di said a little tiredly.

“Give me a drink.”

“By the way, let’s talk about all these characteristics at the same time.”

Use alcohol to numb yourself, and under the influence of alcohol, know the future of the Ming Dynasty.

In this way, if you can’t accept it, you can just take a nap.

Seeing this, Zhuang Mu brewed some wine and placed it in front of Zhu Di.

And then he said, “Old man, do you really want to know?”

Zhu Di picked up a jar of wine and waved his hand.

“Just say it.”

Seeing this, Zhuang Mu no longer hesitated.

He said, “Emperor Taizu, nicknamed Chongba, has a total of 16 emperors in the Ming Dynasty.”

“Let’s start with Zhu Zhanji.”

“Emperor Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji, also known as the Cricket Emperor, was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and songs, and he loved cricket fighting, so he was nicknamed the Cricket Emperor.”

“Emperor Yingzong Zhu Qizhen, also known as the foreign student, studied in Wala for a year, which means he was captured.”

“Emperor Daizong Zhu Qiyu, a normal emperor.”

“Emperor Xianzong Zhu Jianshen was a normal and outstanding emperor, but his characteristic was also very obvious, he was obsessed with his mother.”

Zhu Di was stunned.

Did you hear that correctly? What the hell?

Zhu Gaochi could hardly hold it anymore.

Probably not.

Seeing this, Zhuang Mu quickly explained: “This mother complex does not refer to the biological mother, but means that Zhu Jianshen only likes an older emperor.”

“You know his life story.”

“Emperor Xiaozong Zhu Youtang is a model couple. He does not take concubines and is diligent in government and loves his people. He should be a normal person, but he also has big problems.”

There was nothing wrong with Xiaozong’s governance attitude, but his governing ability and his indulgence in the growth of civil servants’ power were the drawbacks.

“Emperor Wuzong Zhu Houzhao, the general emperor, self-proclaimed general, absurd and unruly, the emperor of the leopard room.”

“Emperor Shizong Zhu Houcong, needless to say, the Taoist emperor.”

“Emperor Muzong Zhu Zaihou is relatively normal, there is nothing much to say.”

“Emperor Shenzong Zhu Yijun, the homebody emperor, the originator of the lazy emperor, did not attend court for 28 years, and enjoyed wine, women, and war.” (End of this chapter)