Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

"It's nothing, my brother just asked me if I liked the milk tea," Guanyinnu quickly replied in Chinese.

"It suits my taste, it's delicious. Brother, your bow is pretty good, how many stones does it weigh..." Zhu Li grinned.

Wang Baobao was taken aback by his sudden question and paused for a moment before replying, "Ten shi (a unit of dry measure)."

"Can I give it a try?" Zhu Li's eyes lit up.

Wang Baobao frowned: "This bow requires arm strength..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Li had already taken down the bow, casually pulled an arrow from the quiver, nocked it, and drew the bow with movements so fluid that it didn't seem like he was using a Mongolian bow for the first time.

The bow is fully drawn.

Wang Baobao's pupils contracted.

A ten-stone bow—he only had fifty men capable of drawing it at full strength, yet this simple-minded prince seemed to have barely used any force…

Zhu Li aimed at an old locust tree in the courtyard and let go.

call out...

The arrow pierced the air and struck a tree branch about the thickness of a thumb thirty paces away, snapping it in two with a crack.

"A fine bow, but the arrows are a bit light. The arrows we use for hunting in the mountains are heavier than this," Zhu Li exclaimed.

Wang Baobao stared at him for a long while before asking, "Have you practiced archery?"

"I didn't train specifically, I just practiced hunting. There are bear demons in our mountains, and the arrows are too light to pierce the skin," Zhu Hui said honestly.

As he spoke, he drew another arrow, this time pulling it back even more fully, the bow groaning softly.

"call out..."

The arrow pierced straight through the tree trunk, which was as thick as a bowl, and the fletching of the arrow was still trembling.

Wang Baobao stood up and went into the courtyard to check.

The arrow pierced the wood three inches deep; that force... was enough to penetrate some precious armor.

He turned to look at Zhu Hui, and his expression changed.

"Your Highness has excellent archery skills."

"It's alright, the main thing is the bow is good." Zhu Li hung the bow back up and grinned sheepishly.

The atmosphere subtly eased.

Lunch was served, consisting of grassland dishes that Wang Baobao had specially ordered the chef to prepare.

Roasted lamb leg, hand-pulled mutton, etc...

Zhu Hui's eyes lit up when he saw the meat, and without any hesitation, he grabbed a piece of lamb chop and started gnawing on it.

"It smells delicious, even better than the roasted food in the palace!"

Guanyin Nu was a little embarrassed: "Your Highness..."

"It's alright, let His Highness eat. When people from the grasslands eat, they eat meat in big bites and drink wine in big bowls." Wang Baobao laughed instead, and picked up a piece of meat himself.

Zhu Li nodded repeatedly and took another big gulp of milk tea.

The two of them actually developed a tacit understanding while eating.

After a few rounds of drinks, Wang Baobao became more talkative.

He talked about things on the grasslands, about riding horses with Guanyin Nu when he was a child, and about old news from the Northern Yuan court.

Zhu Li listened, occasionally interjecting a word...

"And then what?"

"That's quite interesting."

Guanyin Nu watched from the side, feeling a warmth in her heart.

What she feared most was that her brother and husband would be at odds, but now it seems... things aren't so bad?

Halfway through the meal, Wang Baobao suddenly asked, "Your Highness, I heard you almost beheaded Xiang Liu?"

"No, the Hydra didn't even meet with me, it just ran away on its own..." Zhu Li mumbled, gnawing on a lamb leg.

Speaking of this, Zhu Yuan was quite annoyed. He was still wondering if the snake soup would taste good, but it had just run away.

Wang Baobao remained silent.

He had invited Xiang Liu, and he had personally met Xiang Liu. If a fight really broke out, he would be no match for Xiang Liu, even with his army.

However, considering how easily this prince had captured her...

Suddenly I wasn't so surprised anymore.

"Your Highness is truly awe-inspiring..." he said, raising his cup.

"It's alright, it's mainly because I'm too strong." Zhu Li clinked glasses with him.

Wang Baobao: "..."

After a few more rounds of drinking, Wang Baobao, feeling the effects of the alcohol, suddenly sighed.

"What's wrong, brother?" Zhu Li asked.

"Thinking back to the past, I once led an army of 100,000 across the grasslands, traversing the northern deserts... Now I'm trapped in this tiny place," Wang Baobao said, looking out of the hall.

"Do you want to go out?" Zhu Li asked.

Wang Baobao smiled bitterly: "Go out? Go where... The Northern Yuan is gone, the various tribes on the grasslands have either scattered or surrendered..."

"We can go to Fishing Lake!" Zhu Li said.

Wang Baobao's hand trembled, and the wine spilled instantly.

Buyur Lake was the last stronghold of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, located in the far north, and was not even marked on the Ming Dynasty's maps.

How did this simple-minded prince know...?

Zhu Yuan scratched his head: "My older brother said that if you want to go, he can talk to Dad and have you lead the way."

Wang Baobao stared intently at him: "Your Highness...do you really say that?"

"Well, my brother said you are familiar with the grasslands and the terrain in the north. It would be a waste to keep you in Yingtian. But my brother also said it depends on whether you want to or not."

Zhu Li honestly relayed the story.

Wang Baobao fell silent.

Of course he wanted to go.

He didn't want to restore his kingdom; he wanted to see his former followers who had fled to the far north and see how they were doing. Also, he wanted to protect a few of his close friends.

But he dared not say this to Zhu Yuanzhang, for fear of arousing suspicion.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Biao had thought of it.

"Your Highness... what else did the Crown Prince say?" Wang Baobao asked in a slightly hoarse voice.

"He also said that if you're willing, he'll give you an official position and let you lead troops to the north to gather up those scattered tribes. Those who want to submit can submit, and those who don't... my elder brother said to let them go, as long as they don't go south to cause trouble." Zhu Yi said after thinking for a moment.

Wang Baobao's eyes reddened.

He raised his wine glass, drank it all in one gulp, then stood up and bowed deeply towards the direction of the palace.

"Wang Baobao...Thank you, Your Highness."

Guanyin Nu watched from the side, tears falling again.

She knew her brother had been suffering these past few days, but now he finally had a way out.

Zhu Yuan couldn't understand these intricate details, but seeing that the brother and sister were both crying, he scratched his head and poured Wang Baobao another cup of wine.

"Brother, let's drink."

"Drink!" Wang Baobao sat down heavily, and this time he really laughed.

The lunch didn't end until late afternoon.

Wang Baobao saw them to the door and watched Guanyin Nu get into the carriage. Suddenly, he said in Mongolian, "Sister, this husband... is alright."

Guanyin Nu smiled and said, "Mm."

As the carriage drove away, Guanyinnu leaned against the carriage, watching the street scene recede outside the window, and suddenly said, "Your Highness, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?" Zhu Li was yawning.

"Thank you for being kind to my brother."

"He's your brother, so it's only natural," Zhu Li said matter-of-factly.

Guanyin Nu looked at his honest profile, then suddenly leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

Zhu Hui froze, touching her face, her ears slowly turning red.

"What...what are you doing?"

"It's nothing." Guanyinnu blushed and turned to look out the window.

The carriage fell silent, with only the rumble of wheels rolling over the stone pavement.

After a long while, Zhu Li suddenly said, "Wife."

"Um?"

"Could you kiss me again just now?"

Guanyin Nu chuckled, turned to look at him, and saw his pleading expression, her heart softened.

She leaned in and kissed him again.

This time, the kiss was on the lips.

Zhu Yuan was stunned. After a long while, he finally grinned, looking like a fool.

By the time the carriage returned to the Wu King's residence, it was already dusk.

The gatekeeper said that the Crown Prince's residence sent an invitation in the afternoon, inviting them to come to the residence for dinner the next day.

"If my brother calls for dinner, there must be something delicious." Zhu Li's eyes lit up.

Guanyin Nu shook her head with a smile, saying that all this person thought about was eating and killing people.

But... it's pretty good too.

Simple, pure, and warm.

She took Zhu Hui's arm, and the two walked side by side into the mansion.

The red lanterns in the mansion were still hanging, emitting a warm glow in the twilight.

In the distance, from the direction of the palace, the bell tower rang out with melodious chimes.

Another night began in Yingtian Prefecture.