Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

Among the civil officials, an imperial censor stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that we should prioritize defense. The northern frontier is bitterly cold, and a long and arduous expedition would likely weaken the nation. It would be better to reinforce the Great Wall and wait for the enemy to tire themselves out."

Another military officer immediately retorted, "Defense, defense, how long can we keep defending? That scoundrel Wang Baobao, he loses every time we fight, and then he comes back stronger. We might as well take the initiative and wipe him out in one fell swoop!"

"Easy for you to say, but where will the money and supplies come from? Where will the soldiers come from...?"

"Are we just going to let the Tartars harass the border residents?"

The two sides started arguing, spittle flying everywhere.

Zhu Li was getting drowsy listening to this.

When he fights in the mountains, he always goes straight for the target; he doesn't bother with all the fancy maneuvering.

While he was still dazed, he suddenly felt someone watching him.

Looking up, I saw Liu Bowen.

The old Taoist priest stood at the end of the civil official's line, but his gaze pierced through the crowd and landed on him, his eyes full of meaning.

Zhu Li scratched his head, listening to the chaotic arguing among the civil and military officials.

The noise is giving me a headache.

The debate continues.

Zhu Yuanzhang, seated on the dragon throne, listened expressionlessly, his fingers lightly tapping on the armrest of the throne.

Zhu Biao frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping over the arguing officials. His expression was calm, but a hint of coldness flashed deep in his eyes.

Finally, Zhu Yuanzhang raised his hand.

The entire room immediately fell silent.

"I understand now. You civil officials are responsible for defense, while the military officials are responsible for offense. But defense requires money, and offense also requires money. In the end, it all comes down to money," Zhu Yuanzhang said slowly.

Upon hearing this, all the officials immediately held their breath.

"Minister of Revenue, how much silver is left in the national treasury?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked, looking down at an old minister below.

Ordinary people use gold and silver, while cultivators use spiritual stones and other cultivation resources.

However, spirit stone resources can be obtained through competition, since the Ming Dynasty is not lacking in spirit stone mines. However, the Ming Dynasty lacks gold and silver mines, and even if they exist, they may not have been found.

Otherwise, the national treasury would not be short of gold and silver.

However, exchanging cultivation resources for gold and silver is not cost-effective, since the strength of a country depends on its cultivators, not ordinary people.

At this moment, the old minister stepped forward and said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, last year there were famines in various places, and taxes were reduced or exempted. In addition, there were military expenses in the northern frontier. The national treasury... the national treasury has less than one million taels of silver left."

"A million taels...is not enough to fight a war." Zhu Yuanzhang laughed, but his laughter revealed no emotion.

He paused, then suddenly turned to look at Zhu Biao: "Your Highness, what do you say?"

Zhu Biao bowed and said, "Father, I believe that the threat from the Northern Yuan cannot be resolved in a single battle. However, if we only focus on defense, we will only waste the country's strength."

How about…

He raised his eyes, his gaze clear: "Why not first eliminate internal troubles, rectify official corruption, replenish the national treasury, and when the time is right, launch a northern expedition to eliminate future threats forever?"

That's a well-said statement.

The civil officials nodded in agreement, finding the Crown Prince to be kind and steady.

Although the military officers were unwilling, they couldn't find fault with it.

Only Zhu Hui noticed that when Zhu Biao said "eliminate internal troubles," his gaze seemed to casually sweep over several civil officials.

The civil officials' expressions changed slightly, and they lowered their heads.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "What the Crown Prince says makes sense. Let's do it this way. Strengthen the defenses of the northern border and refrain from launching any offensives for the time being. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, please draft a plan."

"Your subject obeys the decree." The two ministers stepped forward.

"There is one more thing. The Crown Prince's twin son, the second son Zhu Hui, has just returned to the imperial clan after being enfeoffed as the Prince of Wu. He will begin attending court today to participate in government affairs. I hope all of you will give him your guidance," Zhu Yuanzhang said, changing the subject.

The officials replied in unison, "Your Majesty, we will obey your decree."

Zhu Hui quickly stepped forward and awkwardly bowed, saying, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him with a smile in his eyes and said, "Second son, you must come every day from now on. No slacking off."

"Your subject... Your subject will not slack off," Zhu Hui said, forcing a smile.

The court session continued, and several more political matters were discussed.

Zhu Hui was completely confused. What were these things: canal transport, salt tax, imperial examinations...? In his previous life, he was just an ordinary office worker; he had no idea about any of this.

Zhu Biao, on the other hand, always hits the nail on the head when he speaks, citing classical texts and presenting his points clearly and logically.

The civil officials nodded in agreement, and the military officers, though unfamiliar with the literary terms, also felt that the Crown Prince's words made sense.

Zhu Li secretly observed the twin brother.

In the sunlight, Zhu Biao's profile was soft, and his tone was gentle, yet every word he uttered carried undeniable weight.

A civil official raised the issue of embezzlement of disaster relief funds for the floods in Jiangnan, and demanded a thorough investigation.

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, "Investigate...investigate to the end! If you embezzle one tael, cut off one hand; if you embezzle ten taels, execute your entire family..."

The civil official turned pale with fright.

Zhu Biao spoke up at the opportune moment: "Father, while embezzlement is certainly hateful, the floods in Jiangnan are urgent. We should provide disaster relief first, and then deal with the crime. I suggest that we allocate 200,000 taels of silver and order the imperial envoy to go south immediately to open the granaries and distribute the grain."

The officials involved will be secretly investigated by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and no action will be taken until the facts are confirmed.

He looked at the civil official and said, "Imperial Censor Wang, what do you think?"

Imperial Censor Wang wiped his sweat and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince has considered everything carefully. I...I have no objection."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted and said, "Do as the Crown Prince says."

Zhu Li watched from the side, fully aware of what was going on.

Father said he wanted to kill someone, but his elder brother advised him to take care of the matter first and then kill.

It sounds like the elder brother is merciful, but if the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigates in secret... then what they find out is probably not just the people in front of us.

These are indeed shoddy glutinous rice balls.

The court assembly lasted for more than an hour before finally ending.

The officials bowed and took their leave, and Zhu Hui followed Zhu Biao outside.

As they passed by Liu Bowen, the old Taoist priest suddenly whispered, "Your Highness exudes a murderous aura, yet he conceals it. How strange."

Zhu Hui was taken aback and turned to look at him.

Liu Bowen smiled slightly, cupped his hands in greeting, and left.

"Second Brother, what did Liu Bowen say to you?" Zhu Su asked, leaning closer.

"I didn't hear you clearly," Zhu Li mumbled.

Zhu Biao glanced back at Liu Bowen's retreating figure and said calmly, "The Marquis of Chengyi is skilled in the art of observing qi. Since he said so, there must be a reason."

Second brother, don't overthink it.

The three walked out of the Fengtian Hall area, and the golden dragon above their heads slowly disappeared into the clouds.

The morning light was just right, shining on the palace walls in a golden hue.

Zhu Biao suddenly said, "Second brother, I'll go to your residence this afternoon; there are some things I need to discuss."

"What's wrong..." Zhu Hui asked.

"Regarding your adoptive parents' family, some people have gone too far. It's time to teach them a lesson," Zhu Biao said calmly.

He spoke casually, but Zhu Hui sensed the coldness in his words.

"Someone has harmed my parents?" Zhu Li's eyes darkened.

"Not yet, but there are signs. Don't worry, your big brother is here," Zhu Biao said, patting him on the shoulder.

Zhu Hui nodded, but he remembered it in his heart.

He can tolerate others playing tricks on him, but not on his family...

Absolutely not.

The axe-patterned markings on his left arm were slightly warm, as if responding to his emotions.

Zhu Biao noticed something, glanced at his arm, and smiled, saying, "Let's go! Mother said we're making dumplings today, and she wants us all to go to Kunning Palace."

"Dumplings are good!" Zhu Su cheered.

Zhu Hui laughed too, putting her displeasure behind her.

The three walked through the palace path, their shadows stretching long in the morning light.

The last wisp of dragon energy dissipated from the eaves of the Fengtian Hall, and the imperial palace returned to tranquility in the early morning.

But beneath this tranquility, undercurrents have already begun to stir.