Chapter 13: Martial Training! The Young Ones' Days of Hardship!

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Within the Great Foundation Hall, a dark and oppressive atmosphere hung over everyone’s hearts like a heavy bank of storm clouds. Fear seemed to fill the very air, mingling with tension and unease.

Then, in that suffocating silence, shrieks suddenly rang out, shattering the stillness.

“Ahhh!”

“It hurts, Imperial Father! Your son knows he was wrong!”

Zhu Quan was pinned face-down on the floor, the whip lashing mercilessly against his backside.

And he was not alone. Prince Su, Zhu Ying; Prince Liao, Zhu Zhi; Prince Qing, Zhu Zhan; and several others were all sprawled out, receiving the family discipline.

Old Zhu swung the whip without the slightest sign of relenting.

“You little brats haven’t even learned how to act like decent human beings, yet you’ve already mastered putting on airs!” Old Zhu gritted his teeth and cursed them, imitating Zhu Gaochi’s every word and cadence. His voice was filled with fury and disappointment.

“You dare bully others and run wild even inside the Great Foundation Hall! If we let you leave the capital and govern your own fiefs, how will you treat the common people then?”

The more he spoke, the angrier he became, and the whip came crashing down once more.

The young princes screamed without pause. Even Zhu Gaochi, the person who had started the whole affair, could hardly bear to watch.

There was no helping it. The children were still young, and mistakes had to be punished—but damn it, there was no need to beat them like this!

“Ahem. Grandfather, perhaps you really should stop. Look, Zhu Quan’s already rolled his eyes back…”

Zhu Gaochi forced himself to speak, only to be met by Old Zhu’s sharp gaze.

“I’m beating my own sons! It’s perfectly justified!”

“Didn’t they lecture you about filial conduct? Today, I’ll teach them what true filial conduct really means!”

Zhu Xiongying immediately stepped forward as well, choosing to stand shoulder to shoulder with Zhu Gaochi.

“Grandfather, the princes are only children at heart. Surely it isn’t as serious as you make it sound…”

“Exactly, Grandfather.” Zhu Gaochi pointed at Zhu Quan’s rear with a grin. “Look, Seventeenth Uncle’s already been beaten until he’s blooming like a flower. If you keep going, how will he ever find a wife?”

His deliberate joking sent the other imperial descendants into fits of laughter, easing the oppressive atmosphere considerably.

The anger in Old Zhu’s heart faded by several degrees.

In truth, he had been holding back all along and had never truly used his full strength. They were his own sons, after all. How could he really beat them to death?

Now that Zhu Gaochi had stepped forward to plead for mercy, he had given Old Zhu a way to save face. Old Zhu took the opportunity to toss aside the whip and stop the beating.

Taking advantage of the moment, Old Zhu began lecturing all his sons and grandsons.

“You’d all better remember this!” His deep, powerful voice echoed through the hall.

“Our Zhu family was once nothing more than a family of commoners. We were granted Heaven’s Mandate, drove out the Tartars, restored China, and only then secured this empire.”

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“In the future, every one of you will leave the capital and take up your own fief. If any of you dares run rampant in your territory, violate the law, and prey upon the common people, I will teach you a lesson you’ll never forget. This is what awaits you!”

The imperial descendants were thoroughly cowed. They lowered their heads and did not even dare breathe too loudly, engraving Old Zhu’s words firmly in their hearts.

Old Zhu then swept away in a rage. After walking a few steps, he still remembered to turn back and call for Zhu Xiongying and Zhu Gaochi.

The two brothers followed behind him, scarcely daring to breathe. The ruthlessness Old Zhu had displayed moments earlier was still fresh in their minds.

They arrived at a pavilion by the water. Old Zhu gestured for them to sit before smiling.

“Grandson, Gaochi, did I frighten you just now?”

Zhu Xiongying nodded, then shook his head.

Zhu Gaochi, however, wore a sly grin. His eyes rolled mischievously as he said, “Your grandson wasn’t afraid. I was actually rather pleased. After all, wicked people must be dealt with by someone even more wicked.”

Old Zhu immediately burst into laughter and scolded him, “You little rascal! Are you taking a jab at me by talking about someone else?”

How could Zhu Gaochi possibly admit it? He instantly raised both hands in surrender.

After his little performance, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

Old Zhu then earnestly educated the two children, especially his eldest legitimate grandson, Zhu Xiongying, warning him that he must love the people as though they were his own children and become a wise ruler.

Zhu Gaochi listened, his heart stirring slightly. To be fair, Old Zhu was not a bad emperor. He had always kept the common people in his heart.

His compilation of the Great Proclamation, which opened the door for commoners to bring accusations against officials, made it clear enough that the Hongwu Emperor truly did care for the people as if they were his own children.

But after listening for a while, Zhu Gaochi began to find it tiresome. You’re educating the future heir—why drag a future vassal prince like me into it?

He simply continued waving his enormous golden brick while staring blankly into the distance.

It was not until Zhu Xiongying suddenly knelt on the ground and spoke in a ringing voice that he came back to himself.

“Grandfather, your grandson wants to practice martial arts together with Gaochi!”

The moment those words were spoken, Old Zhu’s expression changed completely. His face filled with astonishment and confusion.

What in the world did that mean?

I’ve been patiently educating you for so long, and you still want to study martial arts? Isn’t that neglecting your proper duties?

Old Zhu rubbed Zhu Xiongying’s head.

“Do you know how difficult martial training is? Can you endure that sort of hardship? You should forget about learning it.”

To his surprise, Zhu Xiongying answered with absolute confidence.

“Grandfather, I once heard that you won the empire from horseback and secured the realm through divine martial prowess. If your grandson is to inherit the throne one day, it is only right that I take our ancestors as my example.”

“Besides, Gaochi has managed to persevere. Does Grandfather think I’m inferior to Gaochi?”

“Your grandson isn’t afraid of hardship!”

An emperor who studied martial arts was neglecting his proper duties.

Under ordinary circumstances, if Zhu Xiongying had proposed learning martial arts, Old Zhu would certainly have rebuked him.

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But today, Zhu Xiongying had first praised Old Zhu extravagantly, making him feel rather pleased with himself. Then he had pointed out that since Zhu Gaochi could persist in martial training, he certainly could as well.

After thinking it over, Old Zhu found that the boy had a point. In his own youth, he had not had the money to study martial arts. Everything he knew had been forged through real blades and real guns, through bloodshed on the battlefield.

Now that circumstances were better and his own eldest grandson possessed such ambition, why not simply go along with it?

After all, martial training could strengthen the body. And Zhu Xiongying was not emperor yet, so there was no need to worry about the complaints of the civil officials and gentry.

“Grandson, do you truly want to study martial arts? This isn’t merely a passing whim?”

Zhu Xiongying hurriedly nodded and answered earnestly, “Grandfather, your grandson wants to become an emperor who is accomplished in both civil and martial affairs—a ruler who commands from horseback—not an indecisive sovereign hidden away in the inner palace!”

“Hahahaha… Good! You truly are your grandfather’s grandson!”

Old Zhu laughed heartily and nodded, his face full of gratification.

“Since that is what you want, then follow Gaochi and practice martial arts together!”

Zhu Gaochi’s expression changed at once. How could he possibly let this opportunity pass?

“Grandfather, back in my father’s day, they all had to undergo military training. They wore straw sandals and wrapped their legs, then marched outside the city like soldiers. Seventy percent of the journey was on horseback, while the remaining thirty percent had to be covered on foot. As they grew older, they would also regularly practice military skills on the training ground.”

“Now that it’s our generation, we mustn’t let such an excellent tradition disappear! Since Brother Ying has taken the initiative, why not simply follow his lead? All the children in the Great Foundation Hall should become skilled in both the civil and martial disciplines and build a solid foundation from childhood…”

Zhu Xiongying: “?”

What the hell?

My dear little brother, are you a demon?

Those words sound so wonderful, but why do I feel as though you’re deliberately setting a trap for me?

Old Zhu cast a suspicious glance at Zhu Gaochi, but the latter spoke with such conviction and eloquence that he seemed utterly sincere.

To be honest, Old Zhu naturally understood that Zhu Gaochi was right. It was just that most of these children were only four or five years old, with the oldest barely six. If they were forced to practice martial arts, wouldn’t they cry for their fathers and mothers?

“Grandfather, the sons of our Zhu family must never be cowards!”

With that single sentence, Zhu Gaochi completely steeled Old Zhu’s resolve.

“Well said! Then it’s settled!”

Old Zhu made the decision on the spot. Beginning tomorrow, all the children of the Great Foundation Hall would train in martial arts together.

The imperial descendants, who were later tormented by Guo Ying until they cried out for their fathers and mothers, would come to call this day the Great Foundation Hall Incident.

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