Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

The palace was quiet in the early morning, with only the occasional eunuch and palace maid bowing their heads in greeting.

Zhu Biao pointed out various places to Zhu Hui along the way, and when they passed the Wuying Hall, he even pointed it out to him, saying, "Father usually meets with ministers here."

Zhu Hui looked around curiously.

The palace is huge, with buildings standing side by side, their eaves and brackets adorned with carved beams and painted rafters.

He was used to living in the mountains, and seeing all this made his eyes dizzy.

"Brother, where do you usually live?" he asked.

"The Eastern Palace is over there. It's not far from me when you move to the Wu Prince's residence. It's only a quarter of an hour's walk away," Zhu Biao said, pointing in a direction.

"Can I visit you often?"

"Anytime is fine." Zhu Biao smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

The library is located behind the Wenhua Hall and is a three-story building.

The old eunuch guarding the pavilion saw Zhu Biao and quickly bowed, saying, "Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"I brought my second brother to look at some books, you go about your business." Zhu Biao waved his hand.

The old eunuch stole a glance at Zhu Hui, then lowered his head and stepped aside.

The room was quiet, with a faint scent of ink and old paper in the air.

The bookshelves stood in rows, piled high with books.

Zhu Hui looked up until her neck ached.

"So many books..."

"About 70% of the world's books are stored here."

As Zhu Biao spoke, he walked to a bookshelf, pulled out a few books, and said, "The books about monsters that you wanted, such as the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the In Search of the Supernatural, the Lost Records, and other accounts of monsters, are all here."

Zhu Hui took it and opened a book.

The book is handwritten, with neat handwriting and illustrations.

He pointed to a painting and asked, "Brother, what's this?"

The painting depicts something with a human face and a snake's body.

"The Zhulong, according to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, is a creature that brings day when its eyes are open and night when its eyes are closed," Zhu Biao explained.

"Does such a thing really exist?" Zhu Hui asked curiously.

"Perhaps it existed in ancient times, but now... it's hard to say," Zhu Biao said, shaking his head.

"Second brother, what kind of monsters did you see on the mountain?"

After thinking for a moment, Zhu Hui said, "Most of them are minor demons, like weasel demons, fox demons, chicken spirits, wolf demons, and the like..."

"You killed them all..." Zhu Biao asked curiously.

Although he had cultivated the Confucian path, he had never actually tried killing demons, unlike his younger brothers who were already able to slay demons in their own territory.

Zhu Hui thought for a moment and then said, "Hmm! I killed some of the harmful ones, and let the harmless ones go."

Zhu Biao was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Second brother, can I see your axe?"

Zhu Hui looked around, then at Zhu Xiong Ying, who was lying by the bookshelf playing with the hem of his clothes.

"This won't work; it's too small, we can't operate freely here."

"No need to demonstrate, just observe the appearance," Zhu Biao said.

Zhu Hui thought for a moment, then walked to the window, his back to the bookshelves inside the pavilion.

He raised his left arm and placed his right hand on the tattoo.

A glimmer of light.

A bronze-colored axe appeared in his hand.

The axe handle is six feet long, and the axe head is thick and wide, engraved with ferocious beast face patterns.

The blade was not sharp, even somewhat dull, but the whole axe exuded an indescribable sense of weight, as if it could crush mountains and rivers.

The air inside the pavilion suddenly felt heavy.

The old eunuch at the door couldn't help but shudder, looking over with suspicion and uncertainty.

This old eunuch was also a master, but even with just this one axe, he felt the breath of death.

Zhu Xiong Ying sensed it too. She raised her head, blinked her big eyes, but wasn't afraid. Instead, she stretched out her little hand and said, "Second Uncle, Liang!"

Zhu Li quickly put the axe away.

We mustn't let Xiong Ying touch it, or he'll get hurt.

"That's it. I usually use it to chop firewood; it works quite well."

Zhu Biao stared at his empty hand for a long time before saying, "Second brother, try not to take this axe out of the palace in the future."

Why...?

"It will scare people," Zhu Biao said tactfully.

In fact, for a split second, he felt his heart skip a beat.

The aura emanating from that axe was not something that ordinary weapons should possess.

He even felt that if that axe were to come down, the entire palace would collapse.

Zhu Li simply said "oh" and didn't ask any further questions.

He wandered among the bookshelves, found a few more books on military strategy and farming, and carried a stack of them.

"Aren't you illiterate? You can read now," Zhu Biao asked with a smile.

"I'll learn and watch at the same time! I'll watch slowly, since I'm free anyway," Zhu Hui said.

"Alright..."

Zhu Biao nodded, quite satisfied with his younger brother's studious nature.

The three stayed until almost noon before leaving.

On the way back to Kunning Palace, Zhu Xiong Ying got tired, so Zhu Li carried him on his shoulders.

The little guy held his head and sang an unknown song all the way.

As they passed near the East Palace, Lady Lü was standing under the eaves, watching them from afar.

Zhu Biao glanced at it but didn't say anything.

Lady Lü immediately bowed respectfully.

Zhu Li did see it and waved, calling out, "Sister-in-law!"

Madam Lü forced a smile and nodded.

The smile on her face gradually faded after they had walked away.

The maidservant beside her whispered, "Your Highness, that Second Prince looks simple-minded and doesn't seem to have any ulterior motives."

"It's good that he's simple-minded, but I'm afraid he's not," Madam Lü said calmly.

She turned and went inside, pondering to herself.

We need to find an opportunity to test this fool's abilities.

If he's really just a country bumpkin, then we should try to win him over; he might be useful in the future.

If it weren't for...

She looked at Zhu Yunwen, who was sleeping in the room, and her gaze softened.

Wen'er, your mother will definitely pave the way for you.

……

Inside Kunning Palace, Empress Ma had already prepared lunch.

It's a simple meal of four dishes and a soup, but the portions are generous.

Zhu Hui put down the book, washed his hands, sat down, and began to eat.

Zhu Xiong Ying sat on the small stool next to him, trying to scoop rice out with a spoon, getting it all over her face.

"Eat slowly, no one will take it from you." Empress Ma wiped his face with a handkerchief.

"I learned it from my second uncle," Zhu Biao joked.

Zhu Hui chuckled and placed a piece of meat on his nephew's plate.

While they were eating, a eunuch came to report that the Prince of Wu's residence had been prepared and they could move in at any time.

"So fast?" Zhu Li asked in surprise.

"Sixth Brother moved it neatly." Zhu Yuanzhang's voice came from outside the door. He strode in, still wearing his court robes, apparently having not changed them after court.

"Father." Zhu Biao and Zhu Li stood up at the same time.

"Sit down, sit down, we're eating! Li'er, the Wu Prince's residence isn't far from the palace, you can go to the palace to see your mother anytime." Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, sat down next to Empress Ma, and said to Zhu Li.

"What about the adoptive parents..." Zhu Li asked.

"The house has been found, it's just across the street from the Prince of Wu's residence, less than the length of an incense stick's burnt walk away," Zhu Yuanzhang said, looking at Empress Ma.

"Sister, how about letting Li'er move over tomorrow?"

Empress Ma was a little reluctant, but she still nodded and said, "It's time to move. It's not right for us to stay here all the time."

"Mother, I come to see you every day," Zhu Hui said hurriedly.

"Good, good." Empress Ma smiled.

After the meal, Zhu Yuanzhang called Zhu Biao aside and asked him a few questions about matters of state in a low voice.

Zhu Li didn't listen; he took Zhu Xiong Ying to play in the yard.

The little guy told him to squat down, then climbed onto his back and shouted, "Giddy up! Uncle's horse!"

Zhu Li actually crawled around in the yard, which made Zhu Xiong Ying laugh out loud.

Laughter reached inside the house, and Zhu Yuanzhang glanced outside, a smile spreading across his face.

"Li'er and Xiong Ying get along well," he said.

"We clicked. My second brother is simple-minded, and Xiong Ying likes him," Zhu Biao nodded.

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Biao'er, keep a close eye on that daughter of the Lü family."

Zhu Biao's eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "Father, rest assured, I know what I'm doing."

"It's good that you know what's going on. We know you're kind, but when it's time to be ruthless, we can't be soft-hearted," Zhu Yuanzhang said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Your subject understands."

Outside the window, Zhu Hui had already stood up and lifted Zhu Xiong Ying above his head, spinning him around.

The little one's laughter, like silver bells, filled the entire Kunning Palace.

Empress Ma stood at the kitchen doorway, watching with eyes full of tenderness.

The son who had been lost and found, this honest yet kind-hearted child, had finally returned home.