Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

No one dared to answer.

"Do you know, or do you not know?" Zhu Biao emphasized.

Qian Bancheng said in a trembling voice, "This humble subject... has heard a little about it..."

"Heared about it?"

Zhu Biao looked at him and slowly said, "Boss Qian, weren't you just calculating with the King of Qin that the racecourse could earn 500,000 taels a year? That's what you call having heard a little about it..."

Qian Bancheng was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground.

Zhu Biao continued, "Knowing this, yet not advising against it, not reporting it, but instead aiding and abetting the evildoer—what crime is that?"

The hall was deathly silent.

Zhu Shuang suddenly crawled to Zhu Biao's feet, hugged his leg, and cried, "Brother, I was wrong, I was really wrong! Please forgive me this time, I'll never do it again!"

She cried so hard that her face was covered in snot and tears.

Zhu Biao looked down at him, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

"Third brother, you are a prince, the face of the Ming Dynasty. What kind of behavior is it to kneel here crying and sobbing? Get up!" His voice remained calm.

Zhu Shuang dared not rise.

Zhu Biao waved to the Imperial Guards and said, "Help the Prince of Qin up."

Two Imperial Guards stepped forward and lifted Zhu Shuang up.

Zhu Biao then looked at Zhu Hui, who had been standing at the door, and said, "Second brother, come here."

Zhu Li was staring blankly at the roasted lamb leg when he heard his older brother call out. He said "Oh" and walked over.

Only when he made that everyone noticed him.

My attention was focused on the Crown Prince just now, but now I see that this young man is tall and strong with honest eyes, but his waist is empty, he is not carrying any weapons.

Wait, when did he get an axe in his hand?

Only then did everyone notice that Zhu Hui was holding a bronze-colored long-handled axe in his right hand, the axe surface engraved with ferocious beast patterns, and the blade gleaming coldly in the candlelight.

That axe looked very heavy.

Zhu Hui walked to Zhu Biao's side and slammed the axe on the ground.

Boom!

The blue brick floor was cracked with fine, spiderweb-like lines, and the axe handle was embedded three inches into the ground.

Some people in the kneeling crowd gasped.

Zhu Biao said to Zhu Shuang, "Third brother, this is your second brother, Prince Zhu Di of Wu, do you remember him?"

Zhu Shuang stared blankly at Zhu Hui. Of course, he knew this second brother. Last time when he responded to the Heavenly Emperor, he and his fourth brother had made things difficult for his second brother.

Moreover, my second brother's reputation has been quite impressive lately!

"Second...Second Brother..." Zhu Shuang called out dryly.

Zhu Hui nodded and said very seriously, "Third brother, Father sent me and my eldest brother here. He said he's going to break your legs."

These words were so blunt that Zhu Shuang's face turned green.

Zhu Biao coughed lightly and said, "Second brother, Father was just saying that in anger."

"Oh, so should we fight or not?" Zhu Li asked.

"I won't fight yet, but I need to ask your third brother a few questions. Third brother, who gave you the idea for the racecourse?" Zhu Biao asked Zhu Shuang.

Zhu Shuang's eyes darted away: "No... no one gave me any ideas, I came up with them myself..."

"You came up with this yourself, Third Brother. You've never liked to use your brain since you were little. Would you have done something this big without someone encouraging you?" Zhu Biao laughed.

Zhu Shuang lowered his head and remained silent.

Zhu Biao didn't press him. He turned to the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and said, "Zhou Kui, the chief secretary of the Prince of Qin's residence, Liu Meng, the commander of the guards, and the fifteen people on this list, take them all down."

He handed me a piece of paper.

The commander accepted it respectfully and said, "Yes!"

Immediately, the Imperial Guards withdrew from the hall, and soon a commotion, shouts, and pleas for mercy could be heard outside.

The people in the hall were terrified.

Zhu Shuang's face turned even paler. He knew that Zhou Kui and Liu Meng were his two most trusted men, and that they had handled many things.

"Big brother... Zhou Kui, he..."

"What's wrong with him?" Zhu Biao asked, looking at him.

Zhu Shuang dared not say anything more.

At this moment, more than a dozen people were brought in from outside. The two leading men were a man in his forties, dressed in a civil official's robe, tall and thin, who was none other than Chief Clerk Zhou Kui.

The other one, dressed in military officer's armor and with a fierce face, was Commander Liu Meng.

The two men were forced to kneel down, and when they saw Zhu Biao, they were terrified.

"Your Highness..." Zhou Kui's voice trembled.

Zhu Biao didn't look at him, but said to Zhu Shuang, "Third brother, these people are the parasites around you. They encourage you to do whatever you want so that they can make money and gain power from it."

Today, your elder brother is cleaning up your house.

He paused, then said in a cold voice, "Zhou Kui, forcibly took seven women into his household, drove three to their deaths, and committed embezzlement and perverted the law. The evidence is conclusive. He shall be executed."

"Liu Meng, who ran a casino and lent money at exorbitant interest rates, causing the deaths of thirteen people, shall be executed."

"The remaining fifteen shall be punished according to the law."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Imperial Guards dragged Zhou Kui and Liu Meng away.

The two struggled desperately, crying out that they were innocent.

Zhou Kui shouted, "Your Highness! Your Highness, save me! I did all this for you!"

Liu Meng also shouted, "Your Highness! I'm innocent!"

Zhu Shuang's lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something, but Zhu Biao glared at him and stopped him.

Soon, two short screams came from outside, then silence.

Everyone in the hall kept their heads down, not daring to breathe.

Zhu Biao then turned to the guests and said, "Gentlemen, have you all seen what happened today?"

"I...I saw it clearly..." the crowd replied in trembling voices.

"It's good to see that the Ming Dynasty has laws and the royal family has rules. Anyone who dares to violate them will face the consequences. This banquet is over for today. Please go back!"

Remember, go back and do good business, be an honest person, and the court will not mistreat law-abiding citizens.

Zhu Biao softened his tone and said.

"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!" The guests, as if granted a pardon, scrambled out of the hall.

In the blink of an eye, the once bustling hall was now empty except for Zhu Biao, Zhu Hui, Zhu Shuang, and a group of Imperial Guards.

The dancers and musicians had already been taken away.

Zhu Shuang slumped into the chair, covered in cold sweat.

Zhu Biao walked to the head seat and sat down, gesturing for Zhu Hui to sit as well.

Zhu Hui put away the axe, sat down next to his elder brother, and kept glancing at the roasted lamb leg.

Zhu Biao said to Zhu Shuang, "Third brother, come and sit down."

Zhu Shuang cautiously moved over, not daring to sit all the way down, only touching half of the chair.

"The land occupied by the racecourse will be returned to the people. Those who are killed will be compensated 500 taels of silver each. Those who are injured will be treated until they recover, and you will pay for all expenses."

Your three years' salary will be used as compensation.

Zhu Shuang nodded vigorously, saying, "Yes, yes, yes..."

"The number of guards in the Prince's Palace will be reduced by half, and I will replace the people around you with a group of honest and law-abiding ones."

"yes…"

"You yourself will be confined to the Imperial Clan Court for a year to study diligently and learn the 'Great Ming Code'."

Zhu Shuang's face fell, but he dared not contradict her, saying, "Yes..."

After Zhu Biao finished speaking, he looked at Zhu Hui: "Second brother, do you have anything to say?"

Zhu Yuan was breaking up a lamb leg when he heard this. He looked up, thought for a moment, and said very seriously to Zhu Shuang, "Third brother, don't bully the common people in the future, or Father will really break your legs."

Even if Dad doesn't hit me, I will.

Zhu Shuang: "..."

Zhu Biao laughed: "Second brother is right. Third brother, remember this: our Zhu family's empire was given to us by the people. Why did Father rebel back then? It was because we had no food to eat."

You have food to eat and clothes to wear now, yet you go and steal the food from ordinary people. If your father finds out, breaking your legs will be the least of my worries.

Zhu Shuang lowered his head and said, "Brother, I know I was wrong..."

"If you admit your mistake, you should correct it. Tonight, you will set off to Yingtian to report to the Imperial Clan Court. I will handle the matters in Xi'an Prefecture," Zhu Biao said, standing up.

"Leave now?" Zhu Shuang was taken aback.

"Now," Zhu Biao said firmly.

Zhu Shuang dared not say anything more and obediently got up.

The Imperial Guards escorted him out to prepare.

Only the two brothers remained in the hall.

Zhu Li finally broke off a leg of lamb, took a bite, and mumbled, "Brother, this lamb is roasted quite well."

Zhu Biao couldn't help but laugh when he saw this.

"Brother, would you like some..." Zhu Li asked, holding up a leg of lamb.

Zhu Biao felt a warmth in his heart when he saw his simple and honest appearance.

This younger brother is simple-minded, has a clear sense of right and wrong, which is good.

"Second brother, we'll stay at the Prince's mansion tonight. Starting tomorrow, we'll begin auditing the accounts of Xi'an Prefecture. It'll probably take a few days," Zhu Biao said.

"Oh, can I go eat mutton stew?" Zhu Li asked.

"After I finish my business, I'll take you out to eat," Zhu Biao said with a smile.

"Okay!" Zhu Li was delighted and ate the lamb leg even more happily.

Outside the window, it was completely dark.

The Qin Prince's mansion was brightly lit, but the atmosphere was completely different.

One banquet, two heads, and a prince was escorted back to the capital overnight.

The news spread like wildfire throughout Xi'an.

Many people couldn't sleep that night.