With the eunuch singing, Zhu Cixuan walked into the house.

Zhu Mai went up to him and gave a gift, "Brother!"

Zhu Cixuan supported her, "Yu'er, when will you and my brother and sister have to be so polite?"

Zhu Mo Yu looked at Zhu Cilang and felt something different in his heart.

Zhu Cilang looks very similar to Emperor Chongzhen. His face is square, his eyebrows are slender, and his eyes are warm and energetic. However, he hasn't seen him for the past two years, and he has no freedom and briskness as before. He has become more mature and persistent, and has a faint sense of majesty.

This is probably what others call the emperor's aura! Zhu Mai thought to herself. "The emperor is the emperor now, and Yu'er dares not be rude in front of you."

Zhu Cixuan said: "I am the emperor, but I am your brother. No matter when, this is your home, and I will always protect you."

Zhu Ma's face moved slightly and nodded deeply. She pulled Princess Zhaoren behind her, "Zhaoren, come and see the emperor brother."

Zhaoren looked at the strange man in front of him and shouted timidly: "Zhaoren has met the emperor's brother!"

Zhu Cilang squatted down and touched her head with great pampering eyes, saying a little disappointed: "Zhaoren is so tall, I, the elder brother, should..."

As he said that, he touched around his body, and finally took out a piece of jade pendant and handed it to Zhaoren and said, "Zhaoren, this is given to you by the emperor, please take it."

Zhaoren looked at Zhu Mai and nodded when he saw her, then took it. "Thank you, brother."

As night fell, Zhaoren was taken down by the palace maid to rest. Zhu Cixuan and Zhu Mai were sitting opposite each other, with several cups of tea in front of him, "Shiuer, have you ever seen your princess?"

Zhu Mei nodded, "The emperor's sister-in-law is very good, she has rewarded a lot of things. Zhaoren likes her very much."

Zhu Cilang smiled and said, "I was reluctant to marry Zuo Shuai's daughter to win over Zuo Jun. But when I married her, I found that she was gentle and well-educated, and completely different from her father and brother. If the mother was still alive, she should be very satisfied with her!"

Seeing that Zhu Ma’s face was dull, Zhu Cilan shook his head gently on his own, "Oh! I won’t talk about this anymore. By the way, Yuer, when will Zhou Xian marry you?"

Zhu Ma's face turned red, "Brother,..."

Zhu Cilang smiled and waved his hand, "What's the shame of getting married when a woman is married? And let's ask you to marry Zhou Xian, this was decided by the father at the beginning, so it would be better to do it as soon as possible."

Zhu Mai looked up at Zhu Ciyang, and saw that he was not joking, so she said strangely: "Brother, don't you blame Zhou Xian?"

Zhu Cilang was obviously silent for a moment, "You can't say you're aggrieved! After all, if it weren't for him, we might not even be able to get out of the capital that day. But as a minister of the Ming Dynasty, he betrayed the Ming Dynasty, and I will never forgive him for this."

Seeing Zhu Mai was silent, Zhu Cixuan continued: "I saw that my father was very busy every day in the palace, but I didn't know what he was busy with. It was not until I became this emperor that I knew how heavy the burden on him was. But no matter what, as a descendant of the Zhu family, I should bear such a burden. After becoming the emperor, I also understood that in a high position, the decisions made were not entirely determined by myself. I understand Zhou Xian, but I will not forgive him, but if he repents, everything can be made up. Yu'er, I want you to bring you a message to Zhou Xian. If he is willing to submit to the Ming Dynasty again, I will protect him as king."

Zhu Mai frowned and finally shook her head, "Emperor brother, I have persuaded Zhou Xian like this, but he is always unwilling to answer. Once I asked anxiously, he said to me, "The emperor is the most ruthless. Today's promise will be promised tomorrow. For example, Huo Guang, Liang Ji, Cao Cao, and Wang Mang, no matter whether they are loyal or treacherous, who can fully gain the trust of the emperor? Even if he believes in you, the emperor, he does not believe in your successor. He is carrying the life and death of more than 100,000 soldiers and nearly 10 million people. From the moment he turns his mind and becomes independent, he can only move forward."

Zhu Cixuan was silent for a moment and said, "If Zhou Xian was worried about the disaster to his family, I could issue an order to declare the world and let future generations obey."

Zhu Mai shook her head and smiled bitterly: "Brother, you didn't understand Zhou Xian's words. He said that human nature is selfish, and in the face of imperial power, all promises are not reliable."

Zhu Cilang shook his head helplessly with a loss and said, "It seems that there is an inevitable battle between me and Zhou Xian."

Zhu Ma's face was stunned, "Brother..."

Zhu Cilang waved his hand, "Yu'er, I am the emperor and should do my best for the Ming Dynasty's rejuvenation. Even if I have the old feelings, it is not worth mentioning in the face of the great righteousness of the world. I just let you get stuck in the middle and make things difficult for you."

Zhu Mei lowered her head, remained silent for a long time, and suddenly asked: "Brother, are you planning to send troops to the north while Zhou Xian and the Manchu Lu fight?"

Zhu Ciyang curled the corner of his mouth and smiled faintly: "Emperor sister, you look down on your elder brother too much! Brothers are fighting against the wall to defend against their humiliation. How could I not know this? Besides, if Zhou Xian is fighting against the Manchu captain, if I take advantage of the trouble and send troops, I will lose the heart of the world in an instant. How could I be so stupid?"

Zhu Mei nodded with confidence, "Brother, if Zhou Xian was defeated in the North, will you still take him in?"

Zhu Cilang did not hesitate, "Of course."

He was stunned, "Yu'er, what do you mean? Is Zhou Xian's war in the north unfavorable? Is this what Zhou Xian asked or did you ask yourself?"

Zhu Mai shook her head and said, "It's not Zhou Xian's intention. After I returned to Jinan, I heard about the situation of fighting with the Manchus. Although I don't understand some of them, I can also see that the situation is not good, because soldiers are recruiting in all parts of Shandong. Even all young and strong men are required to gather together for two months of training, and even scholars cannot be exempted. This is a situation that would not have happened in the past."

Zhu Cilang was silent.

In the eyes of the people of the world, the Ming Dynasty was still orthodox. Even in Shandong under the rule of Zhou Xian, many people were interested in the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Cilang was not ignorant of the situation in Shandong.

Zhu Cilang had known about what Zhu Ma said for a long time.

From all perspectives, Zhou Xian's strength is not as strong as the Qing army. The Ministry of War inferred that he would intervene in the war in Henan, but felt that he would not have a large-scale war with the Qing army just to surrender Henan's rebel army.

Zhu Ciying also believed this. Because not long ago, Zheng Chenggong reported that Zhou Xian sent fifteen ships and five thousand soldiers to Keelung, including five warships.
Chapter completed!