Time Travel: After Seizing the Throne, I Lead the Ming Dynasty to Take Off

Chapter 1414

He didn't say anything, just watched as the monk Daoyan broke down, his eyes full of mockery, ridicule... and the kind of amusement he usually had when listening to stories or watching plays.

And at the same time.

Standing beside him, Lu Wei also watched the show silently, enjoying himself in silence, while skillfully pulling out a bag of melon seeds from his pocket.

Zhu Yuanzhang lived a comfortable life in Beiping.

In his spare time, Lu Wei would grow vegetables, go out for a stroll, listen to storytelling in teahouses, and wander around the streets and alleys of Beiping to listen to gossip about everyday life. As a result, Lu Wei developed the habit of always carrying some food in his pocket.

Lu Wei poured the melon seeds from the bag into his palm and handed them to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang, quite naturally, grabbed a handful and started chewing...

"Hmm... Our grandson is really amazing! He's really capable."

"When we first heard him say that he wanted to turn the fourth son, and this bald monk who's all ambition and rebelliousness, into his servants, we didn't believe it! But now we have to. If this bald monk were standing in front of our eldest grandson and still uttering something like 'slaying the dragon,' then we'd be ashamed to admit we're 'Zhu'!"

"Haha, this bald monk looks really ridiculous now."

"..."

With no worries left, Zhu Yuanzhang adopted a relaxed, old-fashioned pose, like an old man enjoying a melon-eating meal, his face all smiles.

It's exactly the same as when you hear stories like "Widow Wang went into the butcher's house" or "Fortune Zhang climbed onto someone's bed in the middle of the night" on the streets.

Zhu Di was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses and tentatively called out several times:

"Dao...Master Daoyan?"

"Master Daoyan, please calm down! My father is still here!"

"Master Daoyan...??"

"..."

At this moment, Zhu Di, the person in question, was much more normal. He was even so shocked by the way Daoyan had never shown such a side of himself before that he briefly forgot his troubles.

Until Zhu Di shouted many times in a row.

Only then did the monk Daoyan seem to regain his senses, stopping his incoherent and frantic cursing... as if waking from a dream.

When he came to his senses, even he was momentarily stunned and bewildered. Realizing that he had completely lost his composure, he quickly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and clasped his hands together: "Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, practicing the profound Prajnaparamita, illuminating the emptiness of the five aggregates, transcending all suffering and distress, Shariputra..."

He was reciting the Buddhist Heart Sutra, which promotes peace and tranquility.

But the fierce look on his face was impossible to hide.

Seeing that the monk Daoyan had recovered somewhat, Zhu Di secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the monk Daoyan calmed down.

However, the numerous trusted confidants and guards that had been mobilized earlier had been resting on the spot for nearly two hours in accordance with military orders—they were still there, in formation ready to march into battle, and each of them still believed that they were going to "purge the court of corrupt officials and quell the national crisis"—something that Zhu Di could not ignore.

A sense of resentment and anger welled up in Zhu Di's heart again, but he felt helpless.

He glanced at everyone and pondered for a long while.

Then, unwillingly, he looked at the monk Daoyan who was chanting the Heart Sutra beside him and said dejectedly, "Then I... will have no choice but to let the army retreat to their respective garrisons in Beiping?"

His words were a way of temporarily responding to Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude.

At the same time, he was secretly seeking advice from Monk Daoyan once again: He had longed for the supreme position of the world for so long, and even if he saw the sky falling, he could not so easily and completely admit defeat. He still wanted to see... whether this strategist and advisor who had believed in and supported him since eleven years ago could still see any hope that he could not see in this difficult situation.

As Zhu Di finished speaking...

Whether or not the monk Daoyan had some scheme or idea in mind, he suddenly opened his slightly closed eyes again.

He first glanced at Zhu Di in front of him.

Then his gaze fell upon the Prince of Yan's personal guard army, which had been preparing for battle for some time...

Finally... his gaze fell on Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor, who was leisurely eating sunflower seeds, as if with a deeper meaning.