Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

The days after marriage are like milk tea with honey, so sweet it's almost unreal.

Zhu Hui would sleep until she naturally woke up every day, and then either accompany Guanyin Nu for a walk in the mansion, watching her clumsily learn to embroider.

He could either go to the palace to talk to Empress Ma and take the opportunity to enjoy the newly developed snacks from the imperial kitchen.

He could go to the East Palace to play with Zhu Xiong Ying, whose four-year-old nephew loved this second uncle who would lift him up high.

That morning, Zhu Hui wandered over to the East Palace again.

Zhu Xiong Ying was toddling in the yard when she saw him. She stretched out her little arms and rushed over, saying, "Second Uncle! Hug me!"

Zhu Li picked up the little guy, lifted him above his head and spun him around twice, making Zhu Xiong Ying giggle nonstop.

Madam Chang came out of the house, smiling and shaking her head, saying, "Second brother, don't spoil him."

"You can't spoil a boy; he has to be tough." Zhu Li put Zhu Xiong Ying on his shoulder and let him ride.

While they were playing, Zhu Biao came out of the study, holding a scroll of documents in his hand, his face somewhat gloomy.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Zhu Li put his nephew down and went over to ask.

Zhu Biao looked at him, then at Zhu Xiong Ying who had run off to find his mother, and said softly, "Your third brother has gotten into trouble."

"Third brother... Zhu Shuang?" Zhu Hui thought for a moment before realizing that he was talking about Zhu Shuang, whom he had actually only met a few times.

"Yes, in Xi'an Prefecture, they forcibly seized 500 hectares of farmland to build some kind of racecourse, resulting in the deaths and injuries of seven people." Zhu Biao's tone was calm, but his eyes were cold.

Zhu Hui scratched his head and said, "Then what should we do..."

"Thirty-seven households have come to Yingtian to file a complaint with the Emperor, bringing their families with them. They are now kneeling outside the Meridian Gate. This is the petition that the Office of Transmission just delivered. Father already knows about it."

Zhu Biao handed him the document and said.

Zhu Hui couldn't understand many of the characters, but he recognized the words "King of Qin," "seize," and "murder."

"Is Dad angry?"

"He was very angry. He smashed a cup in the Fengtian Hall and said he was going to Xi'an to break Zhu Shuang's legs," Zhu Biao said, rubbing his temples.

Just then, a young eunuch came running up, panting, and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty summons you to the Fengtian Hall!"

Zhu Biao took a deep breath and said to Zhu Hui, "Second brother, come on over!"

……

The atmosphere inside the Fengtian Hall was oppressive.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon throne, his face ashen, and terrifying pressure surged from all directions around him.

Wherever it went, many things were overturned.

Sure enough, there were broken pieces of porcelain on the ground, and the palace maids and eunuchs were kneeling on the ground, trembling with fear.

"Father." Zhu Biao bowed.

"Father..." Zhu Hui also bowed.

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed to a stack of petitions on his desk and said, "Biao'er, look at what your good brother has done!"

Zhu Biao stepped forward, picked up the petition, and flipped through it page by page.

The more he looked, the sullen his face became.

The complaint was written in detail.

In the winter of the ninth year of the Hongwu reign, Prince Zhu Shuang of Qin set his sights on 5,000 mu of fertile land outside Xi'an Prefecture and wanted to build a royal horse racing track.

The local people were unwilling to relocate, so Zhu Shuang ordered his guards to forcibly demolish their houses and drive the people away.

Seven households resisted, resulting in the deaths of three and injuries to four, one of whom succumbed to his injuries.

Five hundred hectares of farmland were seized, and more than three hundred households were displaced.

Even worse, in order to intimidate others, Zhu Shuang beheaded the three ringleaders of the resistance and displayed their heads at the entrance of the racecourse for three days.

"You beast... those are ordinary people, subjects of our Great Ming! Everything Zhu Shuang eats and drinks comes from grain grown and cloth woven by ordinary people. How dare he do this!"

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

Zhu Biao put down the petition and calmly said, "Father, I will handle this."

"What are you going to do?" Zhu Yuanzhang glared.

"According to the Great Ming Code, those who forcibly seize farmland shall be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane and exiled for three thousand li. Those who kill a person shall pay with their life. However, Zhu Shuang is a prince, and there are eight provisions for deliberation..." Zhu Biao paused and said.

"Eight Deliberations my ass... The prince is subject to the same laws as the commoner! That's the rule we set!" Zhu Yuanzhang roared.

Zhu Yuanzhang's true thoughts were definitely different from what he said, but no matter what he said, he had to do things for others to see...

And at this moment, he was truly filled with rage.

Zhu Biao shook his head and advised, "Father, that's true, but if we really kill a prince, the court and the public will be in an uproar. What will our other brothers think?"

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at his eldest son and said, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

"When I go to Xi'an, I will first return the land and compensate the victims. As for Zhu Shuang, I will punish him by deducting three years' salary, cutting his guards in half, and confining him to the Imperial Clan Court for a year," Zhu Biao said slowly.

"That's all..." Zhu Yuanzhang said, dissatisfied.

"This is only what is on the surface. Your Majesty has investigated and found that the people who instigated Zhu Shuang to do this were Zhou Kui, the Chief Secretary of the Prince of Qin's Palace, and Liu Meng, the Commander of the Guards, along with seventeen others."

These people will be beheaded, their property confiscated, and the proceeds used to compensate the people. Furthermore, all officials in Xi'an Prefecture who knew about this but failed to report it will be dismissed and investigated.

Zhu Biao smiled slightly and said.

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes: "You mean..."

"Zhu Shuang was foolish, but those parasites around him deserved to die even more. Killing them would appease public anger, teach Zhu Shuang a lesson, and would not shake the system of vassal kings."

Zhu Biao's voice was gentle, but his words were sharp: "As for the third brother, after this incident, he will not dare to do it again for at least five years."

The hall was quiet for a moment.

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly laughed, a somewhat chilling laugh, and said, "Biao'er, you're more ruthless than me. We only wanted to break that beast's legs, but you wanted to break his spine."

Zhu Biao bowed and said, "Your subject is simply acting in accordance with the law."

"Alright, handle it according to the law. You go and do it well. As for Zhu Shuang... tell him that if there's a next time, we'll go to Xi'an ourselves, twist his head off, and use it as a football."

Zhu Yuanzhang sat back on the dragon throne and said.

"Yes," Zhu Biao replied.

Zhu Hui listened from the side, completely confused, but he understood one thing: his third brother had gotten into big trouble, and his eldest brother was going to Xi'an to beat him up.

"Big brother, I'm going too," he suddenly said.

Zhu Biao turned to look at him, puzzled, and asked, "What are you going to do?"

"I'll help you beat him up... I'll help you persuade your third brother," Zhu Liu changed his words.

Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled and said, "It's fine for the second son to go. Let him see what family discipline is all about."

Zhu Biao thought for a moment and nodded: "Alright, then second brother, come with me, but... you have to listen to me and not do anything reckless."

"I'll listen to my elder brother," Zhu Li nodded honestly.

"Go back and prepare. We'll set off early tomorrow morning. Father, those aggrieved people outside the Meridian Gate..." Zhu Biao said, then turned to Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Let them register at the Office of Transmission, pay the compensation they owe, and treat their injuries as they need. Tell them that the court will stand up for them," Zhu Yuanzhang said, waving his hand.

"Your subject understands."

……

Once outside the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Hui finally spoke, asking, "Elder brother, are you really going to beat up our third brother?"

"It's not about beating, it's about teaching, Second Brother. We are the royal family, and the whole world is watching. If Zhu Shuang dares to seize farmland today, he will dare to prey on the people tomorrow."

"What did Father fight for in order to establish this empire? Wasn't it to ensure that the common people had food to eat and clothes to wear? If our own family breaks the rules first, how can we maintain our rule?" Zhu Biao walked along the palace road, his voice very soft.

Zhu Yuan seemed to understand, but he remembered what his adoptive father, Zheng Dazhu, had said: "Yu'er, one must have a conscience and not bully honest people."

"That third brother bullied an honest person, he deserved to be beaten," he concluded.

Zhu Biao laughed, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Yes, he deserved it, but..."

He stopped and looked at Zhu Hui, saying, "Second brother, this trip to Xi'an might bring some things you don't like: corrupt officials, rampant local bullies, and the suffering of the people... You need to be prepared."

Zhu Hui scratched his head and said, "If I don't like it, I'll just cut it down."

"We can't just cut things down arbitrarily; we have to do it according to the law. Laws, laws, with laws, people all over the world will know what they can and cannot do."

"If we punish our third brother according to the law today, the other princes will know where the bottom line is tomorrow."

Zhu Biao shook his head in reply.

"Oh." Zhu Li didn't really understand, but he trusted his older brother.

As the two brothers reached the gate of the East Palace, Zhu Biao suddenly said, "Second brother, go back and tell Guanyin Nu that this trip might take ten days to half a month."

"Can I bring my wife...?" Zhu Hui asked.

Zhu Biao chuckled: "We're going there on business, not for leisure."

"Never mind then, she'll be so bored all alone in the mansion," Zhu Hui said with some disappointment.

"You could let her come to the palace often to keep your mother company, or... go and keep your sister-in-law company, or let her go to the school to see your younger sister, Daya. That girl has been talking about missing her sister-in-law a lot lately."

Zhu Biao thought for a moment and then said.

"Okay!" Zhu Li's eyes lit up.

……