Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

The Imperial Palace, East Pavilion.

Zhu Yuanzhang leaned against the soft couch, his face still a little pale, but he was in good spirits.

Those dozen or so little vixens were so persistent last night.

Jiang Huan knelt down to report.

"Of the thirty-six properties of the Qingcheng Sword Sect outside the mountains, twenty-eight have been seized. The remaining eight are under the jurisdiction of the Shu King, and a letter has been sent to the Shu King requesting his assistance."

"A preliminary inventory of the seized property revealed 120,000 taels of gold, over 3 million taels of silver, countless land deeds, 3,700 volumes of books, and a quantity of elixirs and weapons."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "Give half of the silver and some cultivation materials to the Prince of Wu's residence, put the classics into the Hanlin Academy, and have the Imperial Medical Academy and the Ministry of Works take a look at whether the elixirs and weapons are usable."

"Yes," Jiang Huan noted.

"Also, how have the various sects reacted?"

"Seven families have sent representatives to Beijing to express their willingness to cooperate with the registration. The leaders of the Shaolin, Wudang, and Kunlun sects have personally submitted letters with respectful wording."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "It's good that you know how to adapt to the times."

He waved his hand, and Jiang Huan withdrew.

Only the father and son remained inside the hall.

Zhu Biao took out a list from his sleeve and handed it to Zhu Yuanzhang, saying, "Father, this is the list of twenty-seven officials we uncovered last night when we were purging the remnants of the Lü family. They all have ties to martial arts sects. This is the evidence."

Zhu Yuanzhang took it, glanced at it, and sneered, "These people are eating the government's salary, yet they're siding with outsiders."

"Your subject has already drafted a plan for handling this matter." Zhu Biao handed over another memorial.

Zhu Yuanzhang opened it and read it.

The memorial to the throne states:

Twenty-seven officials should be executed according to the law, their property confiscated, and their relatives permanently barred from employment.

But Zhu Biao added a sentence at the end.

"However, Your Majesty is benevolent and virtuous, so you may spare him the death penalty, but instead dismiss him from his post and exile him, thus demonstrating Your Majesty's grace."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked up at his son.

Zhu Biao smiled and said, "Father, killing them all would cause too much of a stir in the court. Exile would not only cleanse the family but also show your magnanimity."

"Moreover, the journey to exile is long and arduous, so it's normal for something unexpected to happen," he added.

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter, patting his son on the shoulder and saying, "Good lad! You're just like your father!"

Zhu Biao's smile was gentle.

Yes, if they were all killed, outsiders would say the emperor was tyrannical.

Some died of illness on the way to exile; that was fate.

To achieve the goal while preserving one's reputation.

Black-hearted glutinous rice balls have black fillings but white dough.

"Do as you say. By the way, keep a close eye on Li'er. That kid is simple-minded; don't let anyone take advantage of him again." Zhu Yuanzhang tossed the memorial back.

"Your subject understands."

He paused, then asked, "What did Li'er do today?"

"I'm teaching my younger sister to read. I said I'd take her to the Imperial Garden to see the flowers this afternoon."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed: "Alright, let him play! This kid has quite the nerve."

……

The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Garden.

Zhu Li is showing Zheng Daya the flowers.

The little girl wore a newly made pink dress, with two little pigtails on her head, and bounced as she ran.

"Brother! This flower is so red!"

"That's a peony."

"What about this one?"

"Rose".

"This one! This one!"

"...I don't know him."

Zheng Daya covered her mouth and laughed, "Brother, you don't know him either?"

Zhu Hui nodded honestly and said, "I only knew wild vegetables and medicinal herbs before."

His adoptive father taught him which grasses were edible and which had medicinal properties, but he never taught him which flowers were beautiful.

The brother and sister wandered aimlessly in the garden, followed by two eunuchs and two palace maids. They wanted to go forward to serve them but dared not, because His Highness Prince Wu did not like people getting too close.

Reaching the pond, Zheng Daya pointed to the water and exclaimed, "Fish!"

"Yes, a koi fish."

"Is it edible?"

Zhu Hui thought for a moment and said, "It should be possible, but the palace doesn't allow it."

Zheng Daya gave an "oh," sounding somewhat disappointed.

The eunuch next to him turned green again.

Just then, the sound of children's laughter came from afar.

Zhu Hui looked up and saw Chang Shi leading a three- or four-year-old boy over.

The boy, with a robust and chubby face, wearing an apricot-yellow jacket, was none other than Zhu Xiong Ying, the eldest grandson of the emperor.

"Second Uncle!" Zhu Xiong Ying saw Zhu Hui, broke free from Chang Shi's hand, and ran over.

Zhu Li crouched down to catch him and said, "Run slowly."

"Second Uncle! Look!" Zhu Xiong Ying held up the small wooden sword in her hand. "Father made it for me!"

The wooden sword was rough, but it was shaved smooth and had no burrs.

Zhu Hui took it, weighed it in her hand, and said, "It's fine."

"Second Uncle, do you know how to use a sword?"

"No, I'll use an axe."

"An axe... let me see it quickly..." Zhu Xiong Ying's eyes lit up.

Zhu Hui hesitated for a moment, then raised her left hand and pressed the tattoo on her arm.

A bronze-colored axe appeared out of thin air.

Zhu Xiong Ying exclaimed "Wow!" and reached out to touch it.

Madam Chang quickly stepped forward and said, "Ying'er, don't touch it."

"It's alright, it won't hurt anyone." Zhu Li laid the axe flat, with the blade facing outwards.

Zhu Xiong Ying carefully touched the axe head; it was icy cold to the touch, and the animal patterns on it were ferocious.

"Second Uncle, is this heavy?"

"Not heavy."

"Can I take it?"

Zhu Hui thought for a moment and handed over the axe.

Zhu Xiong Ying tried to catch it with both hands, but failed. The axe sank downwards, and Zhu Hui quickly caught it.

"It's still heavy," Zhu Xiong Ying said, pouting.

Chang watched with a pounding heart.

That axe was clearly no ordinary object, yet my second uncle just casually let the child play with it…

Zhu Hui didn't care. He put away the axe, picked up Zhu Xiong Ying with one hand, and said, "When you grow up, your second uncle will teach you how to use it."

"real?"

"real."

Zhu Xiong Ying hugged his neck and laughed.

Seeing this scene, Mrs. Chang felt a warmth in her heart.

Second Uncle is really good to Ying'er, unlike some people...

She thought of the concubine in the Eastern Palace, and her eyes turned cold.

"Second Uncle, let's go play over there!" Zhu Xiong Ying pointed to the artificial hill in the distance.

"it is good."

Zhu Hui carried her nephew and held her younger sister's hand as they walked towards the artificial hill.

Lady Chang followed behind, while the palace maids and eunuchs followed at a distance.

As the sun set, it cast long shadows of the three people.

At the other end of the garden, Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma stood side by side, looking in that direction.

"Look, our son, our grandson, our... goddaughter?" Zhu Yuanzhang grinned.

Empress Ma rolled her eyes at him and said, "What goddaughter? She's our granddaughter."

"Yes, yes, granddaughter." Zhu Yuanzhang readily agreed.

Empress Ma watched Zhu Hui's retreating figure, carrying one child in each arm and holding the other's hand, and suddenly whispered, "Chongba, Hui'er is back. This house finally feels like a home."

Zhu Yuanzhang took her hand.

"Yes, it's good that you're back."

……

As night fell, Zhu Hui returned the tired Zhu Xiong Ying to Madam Chang and led the yawning Zheng Daya back to the Wu Prince's Mansion.

Halfway there, he suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky.

The starry sky is dazzling.

He remembered what his elder brother had said during the day: their father had flattened Mount Qingcheng with a single palm strike.

Zhu Hui raised his right hand and gave it a loose clench.

Then he shook his head.

Forget it, I don't want to.

He continued walking, holding his sister's hand, humming a folk song from the mountains, the tune completely off-key.

Zheng Daya hummed along, and before she knew it, she was leaning against him and had fallen asleep.

Zhu Li carried her on his back, walking quietly.

Moonlight spilled onto the palace path, making the bluestone slabs gleam with a silvery light.

In the distance, the eaves of Fengtian Hall stood silently in the night.

Zhu Li lifted his younger sister up a little higher and continued humming.

The tune is still way off track.

But there's light in her eyes.