Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

Back at the Wu King's mansion, Guanyin Nu was practicing calligraphy in the backyard.

She studied the Four Treasures of the Study, bestowed upon her by Empress Ma, very diligently, but the brush always seemed to be out of control, producing crooked and uneven characters.

Zhu Li came in and saw that there was ink on the tip of her nose, making her look like a little kitten, and couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Guanyin Nu asked angrily.

"Nothing much, it's pretty. What's this character?" Zhu Li walked over, picked up the character she had written, looked at it, and asked.

"Peace, I want everyone to be safe..." Guanyin Nu whispered.

Zhu Hui felt a warmth in his heart and put his arm around her shoulder, saying, "Wife, I'm going on a long trip with my elder brother tomorrow."

Guanyin Nu's hand trembled, and a drop of ink fell onto the paper, spreading out in a blotchy pattern.

"Where to...is it dangerous?"

"Going to Xi'an, my third brother got into trouble. I'll go and deal with him. It's not dangerous, just a beating... and I'll try to persuade him," Zhu Hui said casually.

Guanyin Nu put down her pen, turned to look at him, and asked, "How long will you be gone?"

"Just a few days! My elder brother said that if you're bored staying at home all by yourself, you can go to the palace to keep Mother company, or visit your sister-in-law, or go to the school to see Daya. That girl likes you," Zhu Li said, patting her head.

Guanyin Nu was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, you... be careful."

"Don't worry, I can split a mountain with one axe, no one can hurt me," Zhu Hui grinned.

Guanyin Nu, however, could not laugh.

She recalled how, on the grasslands, before the men went to war, their wives would tie safety ropes around their necks.

"Wait a minute." She got up and went back into the house, rummaging through chests and drawers until she found a red silk ribbon, which she had taken from her wedding dress.

She braided the silk ribbon into a bracelet and tied it around Zhu Li's left wrist.

"This is a custom of our grasslands. People going to war wear this, and the Eternal Heaven will bless them with a safe return," she said softly.

Zhu Li looked at the red string on her wrist and felt a warm glow in her heart.

"Wife, you are so good."

Guanyinnu blushed and lowered her head.

In the evening, Zhu Biao sent someone to deliver the itinerary.

We will depart at dawn tomorrow, taking a direct flight by airship, and should arrive in Xi'an by evening.

Zhu Yuan asked Qingmei and Qingzhu to pack their luggage. Actually, there wasn't much to pack, just a few changes of clothes, plus his ever-present axe and shield tattoo.

Guanyin's servant was constantly busy, checking if the clothes were thick enough and if enough dry food had been brought, chattering like a little housewife.

Zhu Li sat by the bed watching her busy herself, finding it quite interesting.

Back in the mountains, his foster mother, Zheng Huangshi, was the same way. Every time he went hunting in the mountains, she would nag him for a long time.

"Wife, don't be busy, come and sit down." He beckoned.

Guanyin Nu walked over and sat down.

Zhu Li took her hand. Her hand was not as soft as that of a Han woman; there were thin calluses on her palms from practicing riding and archery, but it was very warm.

"When I come back, I'll bring you local specialties from Xi'an," Zhu Li said.

What are some local specialties of Xi'an?

"Uh... mutton stew with bread, I heard it from my older brother, it sounds really delicious," Zhu Li said, scratching his head.

Guanyin Nu smiled: "Alright, I'll wait for you to bring it back."

At night, Guanyin Nu slept restlessly, tossing and turning.

Zhu Liang was woken up by her and asked groggily, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I'm just... a little worried."

"What are you worried about? I'm very capable! Go to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow," Zhu Li said, pulling her into his arms.

Guanyin Nu nestled in his arms, listening to his steady heartbeat, and gradually felt at ease.

Yes, this guy can split a mountain in two with one axe, what's there to be afraid of?

……

Zhu Hui got up before dawn the next day.

Guanyin Nu also got up and personally dressed him and tied his cloak.

Outside the mansion gate, the flying boat was already floating in the sky.

Zhu Biao also arrived, dressed in casual clothes, looking like an ordinary rich young master, but the majesty in his eyes was undeniable.

"Big brother." Zhu Li walked over.

Zhu Biao nodded and said to Guanyin Nu, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, I will keep an eye on my second brother."

"Thank you, Brother Guanyin." Guanyin Nu bowed.

Zhu Hui turned around and waved to Guanyin Nu, saying, "Wife, let's go back!"

Then, with a leap, he landed on the flying boat.

Guanyin Nu stood in front of the mansion gate, watching the flying boat disappear into the horizon.

Qingmei whispered, "Your Highness, let's go back inside! It's getting chilly."

Guanyin Nu shook her head and said, "Stand a little longer."

She looked at the empty street corner, and a piece of her heart felt empty too.

They've only been married a few days, and they're already reluctant to part ways.

……

The flying boat left Yingtian Prefecture and headed west.

Zhu Biao and Zhu Li sat in a room on the flying boat.

Zhu Biao took out a scroll and continued looking at the information about Xi'an Prefecture.

With nothing to do, Zhu Hui lifted the carriage curtain to look at the scenery below.

With his eyesight, he could clearly see the Jiangnan region in the depths of winter, with withered vegetation, empty fields, and only a few farmers occasionally busy in the fields.

"Brother, what are those people doing?" Zhu Li pointed to a field.

Zhu Biao looked up and said, "They're digging ditches. It's the off-season for farming in winter, so they're repairing water conservancy projects so that it'll be easier to farm next year."

"Oh! They're dressed quite lightly."

Zhu Hui watched for a while, then suddenly spoke.

Zhu Biao put down the file and looked out the window.

Indeed, those farmers were wearing patched cotton-padded coats and working in the cold wind.

"The people suffer! After paying taxes all year round, they barely have enough left to eat. If they encounter a year of disaster, they have to sell their children," Zhu Biao said softly.

Zhu Hui recalled that life in the mountains was tough when he was a child, but his adoptive parents never let him go hungry.

"Why is my third brother still trying to take their land?" he asked, puzzled.

"Because he felt that he was a prince, and the whole country belonged to the Zhu family, so what was a little land? But he forgot why his father rebelled back then."

Zhu Biao's tone turned cold.

"Why?" Zhu Li asked.

"Because there was no food to eat, when my father was a child, his father’s father, his father’s mother, and his older brother all starved to death. He was a monk and begged for food, so he knows what it feels like to be hungry."

"That's why when my father became emperor, he hated corrupt officials and those who oppressed the people the most." Zhu Biao said slowly, looking out the window.

Zhu Li seemed to understand, but not quite.

Zhu Biao continued, "Second brother, remember this: our Zhu family's empire was given to us by the people. The people can give it to you, and they can also take it back. Only by treating the people well can we secure our empire."

It was bad for the common people... The Yuan Dynasty is an example; it only lasted ninety years.

Zhu Li had never heard these words before.

But he felt that his older brother was right.

"That third brother deserves a beating," he concluded again.

Zhu Biao laughed: "Yes, he deserves to be beaten, but this time we're not just going to beat him up, we're also going to clean up the corrupt officials in Xi'an Prefecture."

He opened the file and pointed to a string of names.

"Zhou Kui, the chief secretary of the Prince of Qin's mansion, was originally from Shanxi. He became a Jinshi in the third year of the Hongwu reign. This man had a problem: he was lecherous. In Xi'an, he forcibly took seven women as concubines, three of whom committed suicide because they could not bear the humiliation."

Liu Meng, the commander of the guards, was originally a subordinate of Lan Yu. He was brave in battle, but greedy for money. Using the name of the Prince of Qin, he opened a casino in Xi'an, lending money at exorbitant interest rates, which led to the deaths of thirteen people…

As Zhu Hui listened, his brows furrowed even more deeply.

"Are these people even worse than my third brother?"

"Even worse, Zhu Shuang is muddle-headed, and these people are evil. They encouraged Zhu Shuang to act recklessly so that they could make money and gain power. If we kill them, Xi'an will be half as peaceful."

Zhu Biao closed the file and said.

Zhu Hui thought for a moment and said, "Then why not kill them sooner?"

"Because there was no evidence, the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigated for half a year before obtaining conclusive evidence. This time, taking advantage of Zhu Shuang's case, we'll eliminate him as well," Zhu Biao said calmly.

The carriage jolted slightly.

Zhu Hui suddenly realized that his elder brother's trip to Xi'an was not only to teach his younger brother a lesson, but also to kill someone.

It killed many people.

He glanced at Zhu Biao; his elder brother's face was calm, but his eyes were like ice.

At this moment, Zhu Hui felt that her elder brother was a little unfamiliar, but not completely unfamiliar.

Just like Dad said, my eldest brother is a black-hearted glutinous rice ball.

White on the outside and black on the inside.

But black is for bad people.

Zhu Hui scratched his head, thinking that this was fine too.

Bad guys deserve to be killed.

He touched the tattoo on his left arm; the axe lay dormant.

Hopefully, I won't need it this time.

But if you want to use…

Then let's cut it!