Chapter 65: Emperor Yuan Compiles History

Toghon Temür was just about to express his gratitude, recalling how his ancestor, Emperor Yingzong of the Yuan dynasty, had executed the surrendered Emperor Gong of the Song. Since Emperor Gong had only managed to secure the title of a state duke, Toghon Temür considered himself fortunate to receive the title of a commandery prince.

Thinking of the long-delayed History of Yuan, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly had a mischievous idea. He declared, "Hear my decree: Appoint Prince Gongshun Toghon Temür as the Editor-in-Chief of the *History of Yuan*, grant him a residence, and station him in Nanjing to compile the historical records."

"This subject, Toghon Temür, thanks Your Majesty for your boundless grace." The former Yuan emperor breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he remained useful, he would not have to worry about being executed.

Hearing this, Zhu Shuang was shocked by the old emperor's whimsical idea. After the former Yuan emperor departed, Zhu Shuang asked, "Aren't you afraid he might fabricate malicious gossip about you in the history books? What if he writes something like 'the thief from Haozhou'?"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled warmly at him and replied, "You are the deputy editor-in-chief and will be responsible for reviewing the work in the future. If any problems arise, yours will be the first head I chop off."

Looking at his son, who was now taller than himself, Zhu Yuanzhang patted his shoulder with great delight. "You've grown taller, darker, and much sturdier. The Crown Prince is often in poor health; you must strive to assist him."

Hearing this, Zhu Shuang maintained a calm expression. Under the astonished gaze of Crown Prince Zhu Biao, he reached out, placed a hand on Zhu Yuanzhang's shoulder, and encouraged him, "You are only forty-seven years old, keep up the good work and your future is full of promise."

"Look, this is the realm that I, your lonely self, have conquered for you."

Shortly after, a travel-worn Zhu Shuang entered the estate of the Duke of Wei. Minmin and Xu Miaoyun were startled to see a footprint resting right on his forehead.

Holding his trophy in hand, Zhu Shuang coaxed his newborn son. Six-month-old Zhu Shanghuang, chubby and rosy-cheeked, reached out his little hands with a giggle to grab it.

Zhu Shuang gently moved the imperial boot aside and said softly, "Little Zhu, be a good boy. This belongs to your grandfather and it's a bit dirty. Next time, Daddy will snatch you a brand new one that hasn't been worn yet."

Minmin said with a worried expression, "You didn't pick a fight with the Emperor just to vent your anger on behalf of me and our son, did you?"

Xu Miaoyun gazed at him with burning eyes. Zhu Shuang took off the temporary Feiyu guard uniform he had borrowed and changed back into his Daoist robe. "How could that be? I merely stripped off that old man's shoes. If there hadn't been over a hundred thousand soldiers stationed outside the city walls, I would have stripped off his entire imperial robe."

Having his hard-earned savings accumulated over four years confiscated by the old emperor naturally made him furious. Since he could not take his anger out on the common people, he had no choice but to take it out on the emperor.

"You're already a father, yet you never act serious. The Great Ming Emperor already looks unfavorably upon my family. And now you've gone and arranged for your son to become a Buddhist monk at the Huangjue Temple in Fengyang ahead of schedule, is that it?"

Minmin was furious. Did they really think a commandery princess had no temper at all? She had endured fear, anxiety, and grievances all for the sake of this family.

Though scolded from head to toe, Zhu Shuang simply hugged his son and chuckled. Xu Miaoyun, however, seemed to have figured something out. She spoke up, "Could the Prince of Qin's actions be a deliberate attempt to soil his own reputation?"

"Alas, the things your husband wrongfully did in the northern territories under the guise of an imperial decree—if not for the Empress protecting me, being stripped of my peerage would have been a light punishment. The more absurd I appear, the less the Emperor will suspect me."

"Our Emperor in the future will truly be a sovereign whose words are law and who wields absolute, independent authority."

Xu Miaoyun wore a look of profound sorrow, and just as she was trying to devise a countermeasure for him, Zhu Shuang stuffed the sleeping child into Minmin's arms and swept the lithe and graceful Xu Miaoyun off her feet.

Xu Miaoyun let out a soft cry of surprise. Holding her, Zhu Shuang dashed at a hundred-meter sprint and darted straight into her bedchamber.

Seeing him anxiously latching the door shut, Xu Miaoyun blushed deeply and said, "Husband, it is still broad daylight. Didn't you say you would wait until I turned seventeen?"

Zhu Shuang grabbed her hand, pulled her into his arms, and said urgently, "You are sixteen now, I cannot wait any longer."

Unlike Minmin, Xu Miaoyun had been raised according to Confucian propriety since childhood. Covered in the kisses Zhu Shuang had peppered across her face, she gently pushed him away and asked, "Can't we wait until our grand wedding two months from now?"

Zhu Shuang released her and frantically searched everywhere in the room like a headless fly.

Finally, in a chest hidden beneath the bed in her bedchamber, he found a set of phoenix coronet and ceremonial robes.

After tossing them to Xu Miaoyun, he stripped down to nothing in the blink of an eye. Seeing Xu Miaoyun covering her face like a dazed little bird, he urged her, "Put them on quickly! I've been holding back for two years and I'm about to burst into flames."

Xu Miaoyun said with a aggrieved expression, "But those are my wedding ceremonial garments."

Under Zhu Shuang's burning gaze, her pretty face flushed crimson as she put them on, piece by piece.

With blazing eyes, Zhu Shuang pounced on her like a ferocious tiger amidst her startled cries.

"Husband, don't—don't wrinkle it!"

"You mustn't tear it, it will ruin it!"

The golden spear fought through three thousand arrays, while silver candlelight bathed seven or eight beauties. Physical barriers melted away as they bridged the clouds together.

Xu Miaoyun had long since lost count of how many times she had fainted, lying lazily in Zhu Shuang's arms like a small cat, tracing circles on his chest.

She reproached playfully, "Couldn't you have held out for just two more months?"

"Holding Minmin's child, I saw envy in your eyes. In my eyes, both of you are my true, first-wived brides. Whatever Minmin has, Miaoyun shall have as well."

Zhu Shuang breathed heavily. Ever since Minmin became pregnant, he had abstained from physical intimacy.

He had almost crossed the line with the former Empress Qi, but at the very last moment, thinking of his two wives and his unborn child, he had bolted out of the room under the Empress's astonished gaze.

In his past life, he had been scoundrel, but in this life, he had a wife and child.

He might not be a saint, but he wanted to be a good husband and a good father.

Stroking Xu Miaoyun's dark hair, he said earnestly, "Radiant like light clouds veering the moon, graceful like swirling winds flowing over snow."

"Am I truly that beautiful?"

"In my eyes, you are the most stunning beauty in the world."

Just as the two of them were being affectionate, the window was tapped by Ma Sanbao.

That was the signal that Xu Da had returned to the estate. Startled, Zhu Shuang didn't even bother to put on his clothes; he immediately bolted out like a gust of wind.

Closing the door of the bedchamber, he vaulted straight over the back courtyard wall.

Following the imperial banquet, Xu Da had returned home wearing his court attire.

Not seeing his eldest daughter in the main hall—where Miaoyun usually waited for him to return from court—Xu Da felt something was amiss. Calling along Xu Huizu, who had accompanied him, the two of them made their way to the back courtyard and knocked on the door.

It was Xu Miaoyun's weary voice that answered, "Father, your daughter has caught a slight cold today. Forgive me for not being able to welcome you at the door."

"Miaoyun, open the door. Father will summon an imperial physician from the palace to treat you."

"Your daughter is afraid of passing the illness to you. I have already consulted a female physician in Jinling city; a couple of days of rest and I will be quite well."

Ever since his beloved wife had passed away, he had raised her single-handedly from childhood. Hearing his daughter behave so uncharacteristically, Xu Da grew suspicious.

His good brother Xu Huizu found a pair of boots in a corner by the door, and with a twitch of his eyes, said, "Father, it seems a thief has broken into the house."

Upon seeing the five-clawed golden dragon pattern on the boots and recalling how Zhu Yuanzhang had descended the city wall barefoot, Xu Da said in a deep voice, "Indeed a little thief has broken into the house—a flower-picking thief at that. Huizu, notify all the servants to close the estate gates and guard every pathway within the courtyards."

"Today, this old man will make that scoundrel pay the price."

Xu Huizu led a dense crowd of estate servants, armed with military staves, to search every suspicious corner.

Xu Da's servants were broad-shouldered and thick-necked, every single one bearing scars on their faces and looking fiercely intimidating. They were all veterans retired from the battlefield.

Seeing that array of force, Zhu Shuang decisively abandoned his plan to run back to Minmin's room and hid instead in the back courtyard's drill ground.

"The sun is almost setting, yet you're still working out? His Highness the Prince of Qin is truly diligent."

Xu Da, having changed into a narrow-sleeved practice outfit, approached the drill ground with his hands behind his back.

Holding a small stone padlock and feigning composure, Zhu Shuang greeted him, "Greetings, old father-in-law. This son-in-law practices self-discipline every day; discipline brings me joy."

"Does the Prince of Qin possess divine strength from birth, or can a mere ten-pound stone padlock really make you break out in a sweat?"

Zhu Shuang had just gone through an intense, earth-shattering battle and his legs felt weak. Seeing the short staff clutched in Xu Da's hand made him feel even more apprehensive.