Daming: Old Zhu, we agreed not to rush!

Chapter 403 If you don't sweep a house, why sweep the world?
Yingtian Mansion, the Forbidden City.

After Zhu Fan returned from Su Jing, the fourth child Zhu Di was also a little impatient.

Although there are precedents of being taught by Su Jing alone, my brothers have done it twice, and I have only done it once, so I am still a little anxious.

However, Lao Zhu now has no extra thoughts to care about Zhu Di's thoughts.

Because the front line of the Northern Expedition frequently reported good news, the army led by Xu Da was invincible.

This makes Lao Zhu extremely happy.

"Go out to eat today!"

In Fengxian Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang, who had just finished approving the memorial, stood up and said.

The food in this imperial dining room is naturally delicious, but it will make you feel tired after eating too much.

After leaving Fengxian Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang first went to the harem to find Queen Ma.

"Chongba, why do you have time to come to my place today?"

Queen Ma said in surprise.

According to Lao Zhu's daily schedule, he has a light meal at noon, then takes a lunch break, and continues working in the afternoon.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "We are in a good mood after the victory on the front line. I heard that the second Jinling Hotel branch has officially opened for business, so we just thought about going to eat together. Sister, let's go."

"The victory of the Northern Expedition is indeed worth going out to celebrate."

Empress Ma nodded and said, "It's just Chongba, just the two of us. Isn't that a little missing?"

Lao Zhu looked at Queen Ma and said, "Sister, who else do you think you should bring with you? It's time for Biao'er to complete the project now, so it's not appropriate."

Lao Zhu's move directly predicted Queen Ma's thoughts.

However, Queen Ma said with a smile: "Biao'er better not let him run away, I'm talking about your sincerity."

Liu Bowen?
Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned and asked: "Sister, why do you think of Liu Bowen?"

Queen Ma said: "This Jinling Hotel, wasn't it the first time you ate at Chongba with Uncle Chengyi? Now that the branch has opened, it's just right for you to go to Uncle Chengyi."

Hearing this, Lao Zhu's memory was suddenly pulled back.

Last year, he and Liu Bowen went to Lishui County for a private visit incognito. They stayed at the Jinling Hotel and had several meals.

"Sister, you are right, working with Bowen is a good idea."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, and then took Queen Ma out of the palace and went straight to Chengyi's residence.

Now in Uncle Chengcheng's house, Liu Bowen is quite happy to be at ease.

Although Lao Zhu arranged a task for Liu Bowen, Liu Bowen didn't seem to care much and didn't take any action at all.

Liu Bowen now spends most of his time at home reading, writing and raising flowers.

Life was quite pleasant.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang has now released his house arrest, Liu Bowen does not like to go out very much.

Maybe it's because I'm older and my health isn't that good.

"Berwin."

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice shocked Liu Bowen who was watering the flowers in the yard.

He immediately turned around and was about to salute, but saw Zhu Yuanzhang and Queen Ma appearing in front of him.

"I pay homage to Your Majesty, and to the Queen."

Liu Bowen knelt down and saluted respectfully.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately said: "No gifts, no gifts!"

Queen Ma said from the side: "Uncle Chengyi, get up quickly. There is no need for you to be like this at your age."

Liu Bowen stood up, looked at the two of them and asked curiously: "I wonder what brings your Majesty and the Queen to my residence?"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "Bowen, we are here with the Queen today. It is obviously not official business. I will give you a chance. Guess what we are here for."

Liu Bowen thought for a while, shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, I can't guess it."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said: "Liu Bowen, there are things you can't guess! We came here today to ask you to have dinner with us."

Queen Ma immediately said: "Your Majesty, do you really think that Uncle Chengyi can't guess it? It's just for your majesty's face. How can such a trivial matter bother Uncle Chengyi?"

"Sister, why do you always like to tear me down?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was a little angry, turned to Liu Bowen and said, "Bowen, are you really what the queen said?"

Liu Bowen is a little confused now, thinking that you and your wife, one emperor and one queen, are just teasing me, an old man, right?
"Reporting to your Majesty, I really can't guess it."

Liu Bowen finally chose to offend Queen Ma. After all, Queen Ma's generosity was well known to both the government and the public.

"Look, sister, Bowen said it himself."

Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have won the bet and was quite happy.

Empress Ma said: "Your Majesty, don't be anxious."

Then she said to Liu Bowen: "Uncle Sincerity, since you said you couldn't guess what happened today, now that you know that His Majesty is here to eat with you, you should be able to guess where to eat."

Liu Bowen thought for a moment and replied: "It should be the newly opened Jinling Hotel in the capital."

"Uncle Cheng is right to the point. Your Majesty wants to invite you to dinner at the Jinling Hotel in the capital."

Queen Ma said with a smile, not forgetting to give Zhu Yuanzhang a meaningful look.

Lao Zhu also knew what this meant.

Liu Bowen couldn't guess what he was doing, but he was just trying to save some face for you.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore, let's go."

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't say anything in front of Queen Ma, so he could only say haha ​​and hurry over.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Liu Bowen lowered his head and responded, feeling relieved in his heart.

Soon, the three of them arrived at the Jinling Hotel.

Of course, simple disguises are still necessary, otherwise with the identities of three people, I am afraid that they will have to have three floors inside and three floors outside, and the business of this Jinling Hotel branch will not be possible.

In the private room, Zhu Yuanzhang opened the menu and glanced at it, quickly ordered a few dishes, and then said to Liu Bowen: "Bowen, what do you want to eat, I will order it for you. It is similar to the menu in Lishui County."

Liu Bowen immediately said: "Thank you, Your Majesty, but I think all the dishes at Jinling Hotel are good. Why don't you ask the Queen?"

Lao Zhu didn't think this was a courtesy. The food at Jinling Hotel was indeed quite delicious.

"Sister, what do you want to eat?"

Zhu Yuanzhang turned to look at Queen Ma and asked.

Queen Ma replied: "I just want a soup, and the rest doesn't matter."

"Okay, then add another emerald white jade soup."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

After ordering the dishes, it was time to have some tea and wait for the food to be served.

"Your Majesty, why are you so happy today that you went out of the palace to invite the old ministers to come and have dinner with you?" Liu Bowen asked curiously.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "Bowen, we have a great victory on the Northern Expedition. Do you think we should come out to celebrate?"

"I see."

Liu Bowen nodded and said: "That is indeed what it should be, but I think it would be even more beautiful if Uncle Ren Yuan was here at this time."

Su Jing?

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his brows and said, "Bo Wen, this is just a meal, why do you still miss Su Jing?"

Liu Bowen replied: "Your Majesty, this Northern Expedition has a huge relationship with Uncle Ren Yuan. The success of this Northern Expedition is also inseparable from Mr. Su. Naturally, Mr. Su is even more beautiful."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Liu Bowen and said, "Oh, tell me, why does the Northern Expedition have a huge relationship with Su Jing?"

Liu Bowen replied: "Your Majesty, before this Northern Expedition, your Majesty must have asked Uncle Ren Yuan."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. This matter might be considered a secret to others, but Liu Bowen had no need to keep it secret.

Liu Bowen was perhaps the first to know about Su Jing's ability to predict future events.

"Then what? What Su Jing said is just a direction, not the final result."

Zhu Yuanzhang said lightly.

Liu Bowen continued: "Your Majesty, the Northern Expedition requires a lot of food and grass, and the potatoes and sweet potatoes donated by Ren Yuanbo last year have a large yield, which is the key to ensuring the food and grass for the Ming Dynasty's Northern Expedition."

"There is also the telescope. Although the veteran is a civil servant, he still knows a thing or two about leading troops to fight. The telescope is of infinite use in the confrontation between the two armies."

"I don't need to say anything about the improvement of firearms. I dare not say that Ren Yuanbo took the lead in the victory of the Northern Expedition, but his contribution is definitely huge."

This time, Liu Bowen directly counted Su Jing's previous contributions in detail.

Empress Ma also echoed from the side: "Your Majesty, what Uncle Chengyi said is absolutely true. Mr. Su should share the credit for the Northern Expedition."

"When the Northern Expeditionary Army returns and rewards are given based on merit, Your Majesty must not forget Mr. Su."

Zhu Yuanzhang felt a little strange when he saw Liu Bowen and Queen Ma in front of him singing and speaking for Su Jing.

Why do I still want to have a relationship with Su Jing when I go out for a meal?
"We know, the Northern Expedition is indeed due to Su Jing."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in agreement, and this matter officially became an issue.

Queen Ma raised the corner of her mouth and looked at Liu Bowen beside her, who also smiled in return.

The two of them each have their own plans and different goals, but the process is unified.

Empress Ma simply wanted to fight for Su Jing, and Zhu Yuanzhang could not forget what Su Jing had done.

As for Liu Bowen, he had other ideas.

The dishes arrived soon, and Lao Zhu ordered a lot, eight dishes for three people.

"Eat quickly and see if the food in this branch tastes like ours."

Outside, Zhu Yuanzhang was not so polite, he picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

When Queen Ma and Liu Bowen saw Lao Zhu moving his chopsticks, they also started picking up vegetables and eating.

"Not bad, this taste is the same as what we eat in our restaurant."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded sharply, approving it very much.

Empress Ma smiled and said: "Your Majesty, that's natural. Although this branch is said to be opened by Ping'er, don't forget that one of the partners is Mr. Su. How can there be any problem with the taste?"

"That's true. This kid Su Jing is very particular about eating. The taste is also what it should be."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

Liu Bowen was surprised: "So this Jinling Hotel branch is actually opened by His Highness the King of Qin?"

Although Zhu Yuanzhang agreed to Zhu Xi's opening of a store, he made certain demands and could not rely on his status as King of Qin to open a store.

Otherwise, the store will be closed down directly.

So Liu Bowen could only guess that this store must have something to do with Su Jing, but he didn't know that it had something to do with Zhu Xi, the King of Qin.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "Bo Wen, this is the last time the second brother went to Su Jing's place, and it didn't take long after he came back."

"It did not take long. In such a short period of time, His Highness King Qin was able to open such a large store. It is really impressive."

Liu Bowen praised that he knew the last time Zhu Xi went to Su Jing's place, because after Zhu Xi came back, Lao Zhu found him not long after.

At that time, we were still talking about the "changes" of the Ming Dynasty. Liu Bowen still has a deep memory of the economic war in which Qin destroyed the six countries.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said: "Bo Wen, you are exaggerating. The second brother is the King of Qin, and it is just a restaurant. It is nothing."

Regarding Liu Bowen's praise, Lao Zhu only regarded it as a compliment.

Thinking that he was a majestic emperor, the whole world was conquered, and as his own son, Zhu Ping was also granted the title of King of Qin, so there was nothing praiseworthy about opening a restaurant.

Liu Bowen shook his head and said: "Your Majesty's words are wrong. Uncle Renyuan once told an old minister that if you don't sweep one house, how can you sweep the world?"

"The King of Qin is certainly noble, but His Majesty brought them all, but this restaurant was opened by the King of Qin himself. The difference is obvious."

How can we sweep the world without sweeping a house?
Hearing this, Lao Zhu stopped picking up the food and smacked the words in his mouth.

Empress Ma said: "What Mr. Su said is indeed very talented and profound. If you don't sweep one house, how can you sweep the world? I think this sentence is enough to set an example for the world's scholars."

"The Queen clearly understands, and the old ministers also think that this sentence is very wonderful and wonderful. It is very appropriate to be used to encourage young scholars all over the world."

Liu Bowen responded.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "It's true, Su Jing, this kid, what he said makes sense."

Liu Bowen continued: "His Royal Highness the King of Qin can make such a change, which is especially the result of Ren Yuanbo, and I admire him."

After going around in a circle, he returned to Su Jing.

"Don't just talk, eat something too."

Queen Ma took the initiative to scoop a spoonful of soup for Liu Bowen and said.

Liu Bowen immediately thanked him: "Thank you very much, Queen."

Queen Ma looked at the emerald white jade soup in her hand, suddenly remembered something, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, do you know what Fan'er said to me after he came back?"

"What? What did the third child say?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked curiously.

Queen Ma smiled and said, "Fan'er asked me a question, asking me if I knew there was a dish called Pearl Jade White Jade Soup."

When he heard the name of the dish, Lao Zhu's expression immediately changed. Of course he wasn't angry, but he was flooded with memories.

"How does the third child know this dish? Did Su Jing tell him?"

Zhu Yuanzhang reacted quickly and immediately thought of Su Jing.

Queen Ma nodded and said, "Yes, Fan'er told me that when I talked about being hungry with Mr. Su, Mr. Su told him about this dish and asked him to ask you, my father, but Fan'er I didn’t ask you, but asked me.”

"This kid Su Jing, how come he knows everything!"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hands, not knowing whether he was happy or angry: "But when it comes to hunger, what Su Jing said is really good. If a person is too hungry, his mouth will be bitter, and everything he eats tastes good."

After hearing this, Liu Bowen said: "Uncle Ren Yuan is a man who understands the sufferings of the people. This is something that I admire greatly."

(End of this chapter)