Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

After Zhu Yuanzhang slapped the emperor, he headed towards the inner palace, intending to seek praise from Empress Ma.

Before entering Kunning Palace, he straightened his back and cleared his throat, trying his best to look majestic.

Push the door open and go inside.

Empress Ma was sitting on the couch drinking tea, her complexion had softened considerably.

Chang was massaging her shoulders, while Zhu Biao stood to the side talking. When Zhu Yuanzhang came in, all three of them looked up at him.

"Sister, the matter is done." Zhu Yuanzhang grinned and asked for credit.

Empress Ma put down her teacup, looked him up and down, and suddenly frowned, saying, "You were quick to act this time..."

"That's right. Although my second son is capable, his father is no pushover either..." Zhu Yuanzhang said, touching his face.

"At your age, you're still saying these things..." Empress Ma glared at Zhu Yuanzhang and said.

Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled, "Isn't this... to vent our son's anger?"

"Hmph! It's good that you know how to stand up for your son. If you do this again, see if I don't beat you up..." Empress Ma said, glaring at Zhu Yuanzhang as she poured him tea.

"You're right, sister, hehehe..." Zhu Yuanzhang said, bowing and scraping.

Empress Ma glared at him and pinched Zhu Yuanzhang's waist.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately bared his teeth, but didn't dare to dodge.

Zhu Biao watched from the side, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Chang lowered her head and suppressed a laugh.

Empress Ma suddenly turned to Zhu Biao and the others and asked, "Does Li'er know about this?"

"I haven't told him yet, Biao'er, go and tell him," Zhu Yuanzhang said, rubbing his lower back.

Zhu Biao nodded and said, "Your subject will go immediately."

"Wait... Tell Li'er not to leave the palace recently, and to stay in the Wu Prince's residence. Also, tell him that his father leveled Qingcheng Mountain to avenge him, and that he should remember that his father was good to him."

Empress Ma called out to him.

Zhu Yuanzhang scratched his head and said, "Sister, why are you bringing this up..."

"You should say it, otherwise that silly boy will still think the world is at peace!" Empress Ma glared at him.

Zhu Biao smiled and agreed, then left Kunning Palace.

……

The Wu King's Mansion was not far from the imperial palace.

When Zhu Biao arrived, he found Zhu Li squatting by the garden pond, staring blankly at the water.

"Second brother..."

Zhu Hui turned around, saw it was Zhu Biao, and grinned, "Big Brother."

He stood up, still clutching a handful of fish food in his hand.

The koi carp in the pond gathered together, a vibrant mix of red and yellow.

"Looking at the fish!" Zhu Biao walked over.

"Hmm, this fish is quite plump; it should taste good braised," Zhu Li said honestly.

The eunuch serving nearby turned green with embarrassment.

Zhu Biao chuckled, waved for the eunuch to leave, and then said, "There's something I want to tell you."

"What's up?"

"We've found out that the seven assassins from last night were from the Qingcheng Sword Sect, and the money came from the remnants of the Lü family."

Zhu Li said "Oh," and continued scattering fish food, asking, "And then?"

Zhu Biao paused, observing his expression. His second brother showed no anger or lingering fear; he was simply listening.

"This morning, when Father was attending court, he flattened Mount Qingcheng," Zhu Biao said.

Zhu Li stopped scattering fish food.

He turned his head, blinked, and said, "...It's even?"

"Yes, with one palm strike, the mountain is gone, and so is the Qingcheng Sword Sect."

Zhu Hui was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "What about the people on the mountain?"

"They should all be dead," Zhu Biao said.

"Oh." Zhu Li said "oh" again and continued to scatter fish food.

Zhu Biao waited a while, but received no further response, so he couldn't help but ask, "Second brother, aren't you going to say something?"

Zhu Hui thought for a moment and said seriously, "Father has a really strong hand."

Zhu Biao: "..."

"Will that place still be able to be farmed in the future?" Zhu Li asked again.

Zhu Biao opened his mouth, unsure how to respond.

"Father said that the spiritual energy in that place hasn't dissipated yet, so planting fruit trees might be okay," Zhu Biao said with a wry smile at the end.

Zhu Hui's eyes lit up as she asked, "Can we plant peach trees? Ya Ya loves peaches."

"…able."

"That's good, big brother. Is there anything else...? I promised Yaya I'd teach her to read today." Zhu Hui was satisfied. He finished scattering the last handful of fish food, clapped his hands, and said.

Zhu Biao looked at his honest profile and suddenly smiled.

"It's alright, you can go now."

Zhu Hui nodded, turned and ran towards the side room where her adoptive parents and younger sister lived.

Zhu Hui ran a couple of steps and then stopped, turning back to say, "Big brother, tell Father to thank him."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank him for helping me get revenge. Although I felt I could have fought those assassins myself, my father intervened. That shows how good my father is to me."

"I remember..." Zhu Li said, scratching his head.

After he finished speaking, he ran away again.

Zhu Biao stood there, watching his second brother's back, his smile deepening.

Yes! My second brother isn't stupid.

He's just simple-minded; he remembers clearly who's been good to him.

……

The news that Qingcheng Mountain had been flattened with a single palm strike spread like wildfire throughout the world.

The topic was being discussed everywhere in the streets and alleys of Yingtian Prefecture.

In the teahouse, the storyteller pounded his gavel, spittle flying as he spoke: "Do you all know that yesterday morning, our Emperor revealed his true form! A thousand-foot-tall Dharma form, towering to the heavens and the earth, he struck the southwest with just one palm—BOOM! The three-thousand-year-old Qingcheng Sword Sect is gone!"

The tea drinkers below were dumbfounded.

"Really?"

"It's absolutely true! My second maternal uncle's nephew, who was traveling in Sichuan, saw it with his own eyes! What used to be Qingcheng Mountain is now just a bottomless pit!"

"My goodness... His Majesty is so powerful?"

"Nonsense! Otherwise, how could I become emperor?"

"And what about His Highness the King of Wu? I heard the assassins were targeting him?"

"Indeed! But who is His Highness Prince Wu? He's His Majesty's own son! It's said that when seven assassins surrounded him, His Highness swung his axe and killed them all!"

"ax?"

"That's right, His Highness the King of Wu uses a huge axe; I've heard it can split a mountain in two with a single blow!"

"Goodness...like begets like..."

Amid the murmurs, someone whispered, "What will happen to the martial arts sects from now on..."

"Still calling yourselves Jianghu?" someone nearby scoffed. "Didn't you hear the imperial decree? All sects must register with the government! Anyone who dares to conceal their registration will be punished for treason!"

"Would those major sects be willing to agree?"

"If you're not happy about it, then Qingcheng Mountain is the perfect example!"

In a corner of the teahouse, several ordinary-looking but sharp-eyed men silently drank tea, exchanged glances, got up to pay their bills, and left.

After leaving the teahouse, we turned into a dark alley.

"What did the sect leader say?" someone asked in a low voice.

"What else can we say? We can only register. The Qingcheng Sword Sect is gone. Are we, Emei, any tougher than Qingcheng?" another person said with a wry smile.

"But those industries..."

"Is industry more important or life? His Majesty's slap wasn't just hitting a mountain; it was a message to the world: the Zhu family rules the Ming Dynasty."

The group fell silent.

Yes, with that palm strike, all the rules of the martial world and the dignity of a sect became a joke.

Before absolute power, everything must bow down.