Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

It takes half a month to travel from Xi'an to Yingtian by horse-drawn carriage.

So, we went back by flying boat again.

The flying boat stopped at a post station on the official road ten miles outside Xi'an, surrounded by five hundred imperial guards.

Zhu Yuan circled the flying boat three times, reached out and touched the hull, then turned to Zhu Biao and asked, "Brother, were these flying boats all made by the Ministry of Works?"

"That's right, no one in this world besides our Great Ming has such a large flying boat," Zhu Biao said with a smile, taking the lead on the gangway.

Four Imperial Guards followed closely behind, and then Zhu Hui.

After everyone had boarded the flying boat, Zhu Biao instructed the Taoist official at the bow, "Set sail..."

The Taoist priest was an old man with a white beard, wearing a gray-blue Taoist robe. Upon hearing this, he bowed and accepted the order, walked to the magic array at the bow of the boat, and began to chant incantations and make hand gestures.

"Buzz..."

The ship trembled slightly, and the talismans engraved on the hull lit up one by one, emitting a pale blue light.

The ground began to move away.

The flying boat slowly rose into the air, ten feet, twenty feet, fifty feet above the ground...

This wasn't Zhu Hui's first time riding in a flying boat, but each time he was always amazed.

He leaned against the crystal window, staring down at the view, looking like a country bumpkin.

He saw Xi'an shrinking smaller and smaller, like a model on a sand table. Streets became thin lines, and pedestrians became ants.

The Qinling Mountains in the distance meander like a dragon, their peaks still covered in snow.

As the airship accelerated, the view began to change.

"It's much faster than riding a horse!" Zhu Li exclaimed.

"It can fly two thousand miles a day, but it's expensive in spirit stones. This trip will burn through three hundred low-grade spirit stones," Zhu Biao said while drinking tea.

The flying boat pierced through the clouds, below lay the magnificent landscape of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Biao took out the memorial to review, while Zhu Hui, having grown tired of the scenery, began to yawn.

"Go to sleep if you're tired, the bedroom is over there." Zhu Biao said without looking up.

"I'm not sleepy, I just... miss my wife," Zhu Li said honestly.

Zhu Biao paused, looked up, and said with a half-smile, "Only been out for a few days?"

"Five days and three hours," Zhu Hui remembered clearly.

Zhu Biao chuckled, shook his head, and continued reviewing the memorials.

After the flying boat had been flying for a while, a Taoist official came in and asked, "Your Highness, Luoyang is ahead. Should we land and rest?"

"No need, let's keep flying and keep going!" Zhu Biao said, shaking his head.

"Yes."

Zhu Li was hungry, so she prepared to go to the small kitchen to find something to eat.

The kitchen was stocked with dry food, dried meat, fruit, and some wine.

He brought out a bunch of food and placed them on the tea table. The two brothers ate and chatted at the same time.

Because it was already afternoon when they responded to the heavens, after flying for a while, it was now evening.

It was pitch black outside the window, except for the occasional lights that could be seen when passing through towns, like stars scattered on the ground.

After Zhu Biao finished reviewing all the memorials, he rubbed his temples and walked to the window.

"Brother, you're saying that those brightly lit places are inhabited by people from our Great Ming Dynasty?" Zhu Li suddenly asked.

"Um."

"How many people would that be?"

"According to the Ministry of Revenue's statistics last year, there were 63 million people," Zhu Biao said.

Zhu Hui tried to calculate it on his fingers, but couldn't figure it out, so he simply gave up.

"With so many people, can they all get enough to eat?" he asked again.

Zhu Biao was silent for a moment, then said softly, "I'm working on it."

The airship glides through the night, the stars seeming within reach.

Zhu Hui gazed at the stars for a while, then suddenly said, "Brother, when you become emperor, make sure everyone is well-fed."

Zhu Biao turned to look at him; moonlight shone through the crystal window onto his younger brother's honest face.

"Okay." He nodded seriously.

……

As time went on, the flying boat entered the territory of Southern Zhili.

Below is the Jiangnan water town, with waterways like a net, rice paddies like chess pieces, and villages with white walls and black tiles scattered like stars.

Zhu Biao stood at the bow of the boat, looking at a map in his hand.

Zhu Hui leaned closer and asked, "Big brother, what are you looking at?"

"Look at Yangzhou. It's three hundred li east of here," Zhu Biao said, pointing to a spot on the map.

"Any good food in Yangzhou?"

"Yes, Yangzhou fried rice, lion's head meatballs, and three-ingredient steamed buns. Let's change our route and go to Yangzhou," Zhu Biao said, putting away the map and addressing the official.

"Your Highness, isn't this supposed to be Ying Tian?" The Taoist priest was taken aback.

"I'm just taking care of something on the way," Zhu Biao said casually.

The airship turned southeast.

Zhu Liang scratched his head and asked, "Brother, what are we going to Yangzhou for?"

Zhu Biao smiled and said, "Let's have a meal, and while we're at it... confiscate the homes of a few salt merchants."

This is said so casually, like talking about going to the market to buy a cabbage.

Zhu Li simply said "oh" and didn't ask any further questions; whatever her older brother said, she would do.

However, when the flying boat arrived outside Yangzhou, everyone stayed on the flying boat for one night, and only entered Yangzhou city together the next day.

Yangzhou has towering city walls, a canal that runs through the city, docks full of boats, and streets teeming with pedestrians.

It was afternoon, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys, bathing the entire city in a warm glow.

"Is this Yangzhou?" Zhu Li peered out the window.

"Yes, the most prosperous place in the world is also the most filthy place." Zhu Biao also looked down, but his eyes were somewhat cold and sharp.

The airship did not go directly into the city, but landed on a desolate riverbank ten miles outside the city.

It landed very smoothly, with almost no vibration.

The Taoist priest put away his incantation, and the glowing talismans gradually dimmed.

The hatch opened, and Zhu Biao was the first to walk down the gangway.

Three ordinary carriages were already parked on the riverbank, and a dozen or so Imperial Guards in plain clothes had been waiting for some time.

The leader was a lean man who immediately knelt on one knee upon seeing Zhu Biao: "Zhao Zhen, Commander of the Yangzhou Thousand-Household Garrison, pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Prince of Wu!"

"Get up, how is the situation?" Zhu Biao asked.

Zhao Zhen stood up and said in a low voice, "Three days ago, the Chen and Wang families, two of the three major salt merchants, began to transfer their assets. Their fleets traveled along the canal at night, and our people were keeping an eye on them."

The Li family hasn't made a move yet, but Old Master Li hasn't left his residence for three days.

Zhu Biao nodded and asked, "The Salt Transport Commissioner's Office?"

"Salt Commissioner Zhang Mingde has claimed illness and taken leave, but he is actually hiding in a villa outside the city, guarded by thirty guards. Your Highness, when should we make our move?" Zhao Zhen asked after a pause.

"No rush, let's eat first," Zhu Biao said, walking towards one of the carriages.

Zhu Hui followed and climbed into the carriage.

The carriage was ordinary, but it was lined with soft cushions, making it comfortable to sit in.

The convoy started and headed towards Yangzhou City along the dirt road.

Zhu Zhi couldn't help but ask, "Brother, what do salt merchants do?"

"Salt seller." Zhu Biao leaned against the carriage, closing his eyes to rest.

"Selling salt is illegal?"

"Selling official salt is not illegal, but selling smuggled salt is illegal. The salt and iron monopoly was a national policy of the Ming Dynasty. Salt merchants obtained salt permits from the imperial court, went to the salt fields to collect salt, sold it in designated areas, and paid taxes."

However, some people bypassed the imperial court, opened their own salt fields, smuggled salt, and did not pay taxes. They earned three times the profit per pound of salt compared to official salt.

Zhu Biao opened his eyes and patiently explained.

Zhu Hui thought for a moment and said, "Then the imperial court is collecting less money?"

"In ten years, we've lost 80 million taels of silver. That money should have been used to repair river embankments, provide disaster relief, and support the army," Zhu Biao said in a cold voice.

"Eighty million taels... how much mutton can that buy?" Zhu Li had no concept of money, but it still felt like a lot.

Zhu Biao chuckled and said, "Enough for you to eat for ten lifetimes."