Chapter Four: Attending the Banquet

Inside the Huagai Hall, the air was thick with the rich aroma of wine and meat.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who usually made do with noodles, pancakes, and a plate of tofu for breakfast, was never stingy when it came to hosting his fellow villagers. He was truly generous, offering the finest wines and the best cuts of meat. The staff at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices knew the Emperor’s temperament well; he was a man who cherished old ties, especially enjoying meals with the folks from his hometown of Fengyang. Consequently, they exerted every ounce of their effort, preparing a banquet of chicken, duck, fish, and meat that was even more meticulous than the feasts held for high-ranking officials.

The long tables were laden with an array of dishes, a feast for both the eyes and the palate. Yet, among the hundred or so villagers from Fengyang, not a single one dared to sit or pick up their chopsticks. They stood there, looking nervous yet expectant, their eyes fixed on the movements toward the rear hall.

"Hahaha, my fellow villagers, please, sit! Don't be so formal, don't be so uneasy. Just do as you would at home!"

Before long, a figure clad in a bright yellow dragon robe emerged from the rear hall, accompanied by a hearty, warm voice. It was Zhu Yuanzhang, accompanied by Zhu Biao. Upon seeing him, the villagers finally felt at ease; they knelt in succession, hailing "Long live the Emperor."

"Long live, my foot!" Zhu Yuanzhang laughed heartily. "Living to be a hundred is a tremendous blessing—that’s what you call a centenarian!"

His impoverished upbringing had exposed him to far too much death since childhood. In turbulent times, human life was as cheap as grass—not just for others, but for his own kin as well. Later, having read history, he learned of the First Emperor of Qin’s desperate, folly-filled quest for immortality, only to be deceived time and again and end up with no heirs by the age of fifty. Zhu Yuanzhang had no interest in such things. That was true in his past life, and after fifteen years of living in the modern era, having absorbed even more information and realizing that immortality was nothing but a delusion, he was even less inclined to pursue it. The so-called "Ten Thousand Years" was nothing but nonsense.

"All of you, stand up. There’s no need for so much ceremony. The rules in this palace are endless, and you’ll never finish learning them, so just ignore them. Be yourselves, just as if you were back at home!"

Zhu Yuanzhang’s cheerful, down-to-earth words immediately eased the tension of the villagers, who found him remarkably approachable. At his urging, they took their seats. Zhu Yuanzhang sat at a table with the elders, while Zhu Biao joined a table of younger men. As they ate, they chatted about everyday life. Zhu Yuanzhang shed all pretense; without his dragon robe, he spoke no differently than any other seasoned farmer from Huai-Xi.

"How has everyone been living? Is there enough grain to eat?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked, popping a piece of tofu into his mouth.

"Ever since you became Emperor, Your Majesty, you’ve exempted us from corvée labor and grain taxes. We don't have to serve, and we don't have to pay taxes. Not only can we fill our bellies, but we can even afford to buy meat for the holidays! We never dreamed life could be this good," an elder said, his face full of gratitude and happiness.

"That’s right, it’s all thanks to your great blessing, Your Majesty," the others echoed. The atmosphere grew warm, and the initial awkwardness vanished.

"Hahaha, when I wasn't Emperor, you had to pay taxes. If you still had to pay them now that I am, wouldn't I be a useless Emperor? I have to make sure my fellow villagers get to share in some of the luck!" Zhu Yuanzhang laughed. "What about the nobles? Do they still dare to enclose land, seize farmland and forests, or bully the common people?"

"They don't dare, they don't dare! Ever since you issued that decree, those noble lords have been as meek as lambs. They don't dare do such things anymore. Not only do they not seize land, but they even compete to repair bridges and pave roads. If they see a family struggling, they even offer grain and supplies to help them survive."

"Exactly! The noble lords are excellent now! Especially the Duke of Korea—he’s truly beyond compare. He’s a famous philanthropist in our parts!"

The crowd chimed in with laughter, their faces glowing with happiness and gratitude. Zhu Yuanzhang smiled along with them, but his heart had turned ice-cold. A surge of suppressed fury simmered beneath the surface.

The scene before him mirrored his memories. In his past life, he had asked them the same questions, and they had given the same answers, lulling him into a state of immense satisfaction. Yet, he later discovered it had all been a lie! The "full bellies" and the "meat during holidays" they spoke of applied only to themselves and that small group of original Fengyang villagers. By then, they had already been corrupted by the nobles. As for the "greatest philanthropist," Li Shanchang... he was the one causing the most havoc, treating human lives like dirt, and the Li family was the one profiting the most!

Everything had changed! The Ming Dynasty had only been established for a few years, and everything had already gone to rot! If this were his past life, he would have flipped the table on the spot upon hearing such blatant deception. Let them eat? Not a chance!

However, his fifteen years in the modern world had broadened his horizons and deepened his insight. He had contemplated the problems of the Ming Dynasty and considered various solutions. He remained a man who could not tolerate evil, but he had learned to hold his ground. In his past life, upon learning of Li Shanchang and the others' misdeeds in the Central Capital, he had flown into a rage and acted immediately. This allowed them to sense the danger and cover their tracks, leading to the loss of crucial evidence and forcing him to swallow the injustice.

This time, he would learn from his mistakes. He would not be caught off guard again! He needed to quietly secure the key evidence and then strike them with a thunderous blow to settle the score from his previous life!

"How is the construction of the Central Capital coming along? Is it going smoothly? Are the commoners working there living well?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked, suppressing his rage with a warm expression.

"Excellent, it’s going very well. The construction is moving fast. When we work for you, Your Majesty, we don't have to bring our own dry rations; you provide the meals—one solid, one liquid every day—better than what we eat at home. And we get paid! If we get sick, there are doctors to treat us for free, all paid for by the Imperial Court. It’s a goodness never seen since ancient times! Those chosen to build the capital are so happy, and so many others are green with envy. Everyone is fighting for a chance to go, saying we must never forget your grace, Your Majesty."

"That’s right, everyone is grateful for your kindness, Your Majesty, and we are all working with all our might. If you treat the people well, we cannot forget your grace. The city is being built so quickly. At the latest, it will be finished by the end of this year..."

*They are all working themselves to death out of gratitude?* It was Li Shanchang who treated people like cattle, driving them with whips day and night, working them to death to achieve such speed! Countless people had died because of it! *Grateful for my kindness?* Li Shanchang and his cronies were committing atrocities, and the people were blaming it on him, the Emperor. How many of those laborers wished they could tear him apart? How many wanted his bloodline to end?

*Good! Very good!* Li Shanchang and those nobles were doing "well," and these villagers were doing "well," too! Zhu Yuanzhang’s heart churned with fury, but his smile only grew wider, warmer, and kinder. He mingled with the villagers, chatting incessantly. The atmosphere became lively and harmonious. By now, the villagers were completely at ease, convinced that they had fulfilled their task without a single slip-up. They believed that upon their return, they would receive immense rewards. This "Emperor Zhu" was nothing to be afraid of; he was good to his fellow villagers and, truly, so easy to deceive! They were overjoyed, constantly toasting the Emperor, though they ate very little.

Zhu Yuanzhang refused no one. Having fought on the battlefield, he had a legendary capacity for alcohol, and his time in the modern era had introduced him to even stronger spirits. This was nothing to him. By the end of the banquet, the sun had begun to set. Accompanied by Zhu Biao, Zhu Yuanzhang departed the Huagai Hall, not forgetting to order the staff to pack up the leftovers for the villagers to take back to their inn.

...

Guided by designated officials, the villagers left the palace and returned to their lodgings. Soon, others quietly made contact with them. Not long after, swift horses departed Yingtian City, galloping toward the Central Capital of Fengyang.

...

"These folks from back home are truly living well! The first year they came, I hosted a banquet, and they devoured everything like starving ghosts, wiping the plates clean. Now, they can't even finish half the food on the table," Zhu Yuanzhang remarked with a nostalgic smile in the Wuying Hall.

The Wuying Hall was where Zhu Yuanzhang handled daily affairs and received officials. It contained a bed, and sometimes, if he didn't feel like returning to the Qianqing Palace, he would sleep there. After seeing the villagers, he had planned to go to the Kunning Palace to see his wife, whom he missed day and night. But after some hesitation, he had come here first.

*The closer I get to home, the more timid I feel; I dare not ask the traveler.* His longing for his wife was so profound that he felt a sudden, cowardly fear of seeing her. It wasn't that he didn't want to see her, but he was afraid that this might be another dream—a dream that felt incredibly real, yet one from which he would eventually wake. So, he decided to stay here for a while to steady himself.

"Perhaps they have learned the rules and are now too restrained to eat like they used to in front of the Emperor," Crown Prince Zhu Biao suggested.

"Restrained? I don't think they’re restrained at all! They’re just living better now, eating better food, so they don't find the royal banquet that special anymore!" Zhu Yuanzhang sighed inwardly. His son, Biao, was so kind-hearted, always assuming the best of people.

Zhu Biao paused, feeling that something was wrong with his father. In the past, every New Year’s audience, after listening to the Fengyang flower drums and eating with the villagers, his father would be in high spirits for days. Why did he look so unenthusiastic today, despite appearing happy moments ago? What was wrong with his father? Or... had he received news that he, the Crown Prince, knew nothing about? Had the villagers offended him?

Zhu Yuanzhang’s thoughts moved away from the villagers and Li Shanchang, focusing instead on the events he remembered would soon follow. On this New Year’s Day, he, as Emperor, had much to do! That evening, there was another banquet for the founding nobles and high officials. At that banquet, Liao Yongzhong, the Marquis of Deqing, would cause a scene and throw the feast into chaos. He would have him arrested, raid his home, and uncover infuriating evidence—treasonous letters, and items that only an Emperor should possess, including a dragon bed and imperial yellow robes. There were also two burned letters written to him by Liu Bowen... and Hu Weiyong, that "good Prime Minister," would be pulling strings behind the scenes, trying to use him as a blade to eliminate Liu Bowen.

The death of Liao Yongzhong would mark the beginning of his purge of the founding nobles! Now that he had returned, knowing the "good deeds" these nobles would commit in the future, he found himself impatient for the evening banquet! In his fifteen years of modern life, he hadn't killed anyone. Now, after fifteen years of refinement and the blood-soaked memories of the late Hongwu years, he wondered if the blade in his hand would be even sharper.

As he pondered this, there was movement outside. Eunuch Wang arrived to report that the Princes of Qin, Jin, Wu, Chu, Qi, and Tan had come to pay their respects. Zhu Yuanzhang’s thoughts were pulled back. Recalling the future actions of these beloved sons, a surge of anger filled his chest. He looked around, found no suitable tool, and his eyes landed on the sole of his sturdy shoe. He felt a sense of resolve.

"Let them all in!" Zhu Yuanzhang said, standing up and, under the bewildered gaze of Zhu Biao, beginning to stretch his limbs.