Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

Zhu Biao sat in the chair, without moving.

He tapped the table lightly with his right index finger.

"Buzz..."

A very soft sound.

But suddenly the air in the entire restaurant froze.

It wasn't a metaphor; it was a genuine freeze. The attacking assassins suddenly slowed down, like insects that had fallen into syrup.

Confucianism and Legalism both dictate that words become law... and are fixed!

Although it's only for a moment, for a master, a moment is enough.

Zhu Li moved.

He pressed his left hand onto his left arm, and the Xingtian Shield appeared out of thin air. It was an ancient bronze color, with a ferocious beast head engraved on its surface.

As the shield appeared, he had already grasped the Xingtian Axe in his right hand.

Then he did something very simple... he slammed the shield to the ground.

"boom...."

The shockwave exploded outwards from the shield.

The wooden floorboards shattered into pieces, and tables, chairs, and dishes were all thrown away!

The eight assassins were struck as if by an invisible hammer, and simultaneously coughed up blood and flew backward!

The two people at the door crashed through the door panel and flew into the street.

The couple smashed through the wall.

The shopkeeper crashed into the counter, shattering it to pieces.

The three people who rushed in from the backyard rolled around in a heap.

The dark figure that lunged down from upstairs fared the worst; it was blasted back into the private room by the blast wave, crashing into half of the wall.

Everything happens in the blink of an eye.

The restaurant fell silent.

All that remained was a scene of utter devastation, and eight assassins lying on the ground groaning.

The four Imperial Guards, still in their sword-drawing stance, froze in shock.

Zhu Hui put away the shield and the axe, then quickly propped up a table, nearly dropping the plate of roasted lamb chops on it.

He picked up a lamb chop, took a bite, and mumbled, "Brother, it's still edible."

Zhu Biao smiled, stood up, and walked to one of the assassins.

It was the husband from that couple; his chest was caved in and blood was coming out of his mouth, but he was still alive.

"The White Lotus Sect?" Zhu Biao asked.

The assassin gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Zhu Biao did not press for answers, but told the Embroidered Uniform Guards, "Take them all down, check their identities, backgrounds, and accomplices."

"yes!"

The Imperial Guards stepped forward and bound the man.

Zhu Biao walked back to the table, sat down, picked up a lamb chop, and ate it slowly.

The other customers in the restaurant were terrified and huddled in a corner, trembling.

Zhu Biao said gently, "You've all been frightened. Today's meal is on the house, and the court will compensate for any damage. Please go home now!"

The guests, as if granted a pardon, scrambled away.

The shopkeeper crawled out of the ruins, his face contorted with grief: "My shop..."

"I'll pay you double," Zhu Biao said.

The shopkeeper dared not speak.

Soon, the prefect of Xi'an arrived with a large contingent of soldiers. When he saw the mess on the ground and the eight seriously wounded assassins, his face turned pale.

"Your Highness...Your Highness! I have failed in my duty! I deserve to die!"

"They deserve to die a thousand deaths. There were eight White Lotus Sect assassins hiding in Xi'an, and you didn't even notice," Zhu Biao said calmly.

The prefect knelt down and kowtowed.

Zhu Biao looked at him for a long time before saying, "I'll give you three days to eradicate the White Lotus Sect in Xi'an. If you can't do it, you'll have to report to the imperial prison yourself."

"Yes! Yes!" The prefect kowtowed repeatedly.

Zhu Biao ignored him and asked Zhu Hui, "Second brother, have you eaten?"

"That's about it." Zhu Li finished the last piece of lamb chop.

"Let's go then!"

The two brothers got up and walked outside.

As he reached the door, Zhu Biao suddenly stopped and glanced back at the assassins being led away.

"Big brother, what are you thinking about?" Zhu Hui asked.

"I'm wondering why they chose today to make their move. We've been in Xi'an for three days now. The first few days at the Qin Prince's Mansion, the guards were so tight that they didn't have a chance."

"I'm only bringing four guards with me today, it seems like the best opportunity..." Zhu Biao said slowly.

He paused, then laughed: "But how did they know we'd come out today, how did they know we'd come to this restaurant?"

Zhu Liang scratched his head and said, "Did someone inform on us?"

"Yes! They have people in the Xi'an Prefectural Government Office," Zhu Biao nodded.

It's snowing again outside.

Zhu Biao looked up at the falling snowflakes and said softly, "Second brother, how come there are always so many bad people in this world?"

Zhu Hui thought for a moment and said seriously, "Then let's keep killing until no one dares to be a bad guy anymore."

Zhu Biao laughed loudly, "Good, keep killing!"

The two brothers boarded the carriage.

The carriage rolled across the snow and headed towards the Qin Prince's Palace.

Under the eaves of a house on the street, an old man selling charcoal lowered his head. Only after the carriage had gone far away did he slowly raise his head, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

He picked up his charcoal load, turned into the alley, and disappeared.

……

The study of the Prince of Qin's residence.

Zhu Biao sat under the lamp, writing a secret letter.

Zhu Li yawned beside him.

"Second brother, if you're sleepy, go to sleep first," Zhu Biao said.

"I'll wait for you, brother. Why does the White Lotus Sect want to kill you?" Zhu Hui asked, leaning on the table.

"Because I am the crown prince, if they kill me, the Ming Dynasty will be thrown into chaos, and in chaos, they will have an opportunity," Zhu Biao wrote repeatedly.

"Oh... will they come again?" Zhu Li seemed to understand but not quite.

"Yes." Zhu Biao put down his pen and blew on the ink to dry it. "But they don't have the chance anymore."

He folded the letter, put it in a bamboo tube, and summoned the Imperial Guards: "Send this urgent message back to Jiang Huan in the capital."

"yes!"

The Imperial Guards withdrew.

Zhu Biao got up, walked to the window, and looked at the swirling snow outside.

"Second brother, are you scared?" he suddenly asked.

"What are you afraid of?" Zhu Hui asked, confused.

"I'm afraid of assassinations like this, I'm afraid of open and covert attacks." Zhu Biao turned to look at him.

Zhu Hui sat up straight and said very seriously, "Brother, I have an axe."

Zhu Biao was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

Yes! He has an axe.

Xingtian's axe can cut down everything.

"Go to sleep!" Zhu Biao blew out the light.

The two brothers went back to their rooms.

A dark and windy night...

The snow began to fall heavier and heavier, turning the city of Xi'an into a white wonderland.

The lanterns in the Qin Prince's mansion swayed in the wind and snow, casting a dim, yellowish glow.

Far from the Qin King's mansion, inside a dilapidated temple, several figures were gathered around a fire.

"It's a failure," the old charcoal seller said in a deep voice.

"What is the background of the King of Wu who is by Zhu Biao's side?" a female voice asked.

"I don't know, but... he's very strong. There were eight of us, and we couldn't even touch a corner of his clothes," the old man said, his voice trembling.

Silence fell over the room.

The only sound was the crackling of firewood.

After a long silence, a woman's voice said, "Let's leave! We can't stay in Xi'an anymore."

"That mission..."

"What's the point of handling the mission? I will report to the leader and discuss it further."

The fire died down, and figures scattered into the wind and snow.

……

The snow stopped the next day.

Zhu Biao got up very early to continue handling the aftermath in Xi'an.

Zhu Li slept until the sun was high in the sky, and the first thing he did after getting up was to find something to eat.

At lunchtime, a member of the Imperial Guard reported: "Your Highness, the Xi'an Prefectural Government has identified seven White Lotus Sect spies and has apprehended them all."

"Okay, continue the investigation," Zhu Biao nodded.

He then asked, "Have the food supplies been distributed to the people whose land was seized?"

"It's been distributed, it was distributed this morning, and the people are kneeling to thank Your Highness."

Zhu Biao then smiled.

After finishing his meal, Zhu Biao said to Zhu Hui, "Second brother, the matter in Xi'an is almost settled. We can now return to the Heavenly Palace."

"Okay, I miss my wife," Zhu Li nodded and said.

Zhu Biao chuckled: "I've only been out for a few days."

"I do want to," Zhu Li said honestly.

"Okay, let's go back now." Zhu Biao patted him on the shoulder.

In the afternoon, the two brothers went to the Great Ci'en Temple to pray for Empress Ma.

The temple was bustling with worshippers, and the sound of the bells was melodious.

Zhu Hui tried to kneel and bow like his elder brother, but his movements were clumsy, which amused the little monk next to him.

As we left the temple, the setting sun was just right.

Zhu Biao stood on the steps, looking at this ancient capital with a history of thousands of years, and said softly, "Second brother, when the world is at peace, let's come to Xi'an again and have a good time for a few days."

"Okay." Zhu Li grinned. "Bring my wife along."

"Take it with you." Zhu Biao smiled as well.