Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

"Alright, that's enough fun, second brother, give the knife back to him," Zhu Yuanzhang said.

"Oh." Zhu Li sheathed her sword next to Yamamoto Kazuo and returned to the ranks.

Yamamoto Kazuo struggled to his feet, bowed his head, and retreated behind Fujiwara Kiyomasa, not daring to raise his head again.

"Is there anything else, my two envoys?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Kim Sung-hwan took a deep breath and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, we are deeply impressed by the divine might of Prince Wu. May we ask Your Highness... who your teacher is and what path you have cultivated?"

He wanted to find out the details.

Zhu Hui scratched his head and replied, "I don't have a master... I practiced on my own."

Nobody believes that.

But no one dared to ask again.

"Since everything is alright, you may leave. The Ministry of Rites will host a banquet in your honor," Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand.

"We take our leave."

The two groups of envoys withdrew from the Fengtian Hall.

As they walked out of the palace gates, Kim Sung-hwan whispered to Fujiwara Kiyomasa, "Fujiwara-kun, did you see that?"

Fujiwara Kiyomasa wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "I saw it... It's beyond human capability."

"We must send a message back home immediately. This King of Wu... must not be provoked." Kim Sung-hwan's voice trembled.

"Then...then what about our plan..." Fujiwara Kiyomasa hesitated.

"Cancel! Cancel everything! Any action against the Ming Dynasty before we figure out the details of this King Wu is suicidal!" Kim Sung-hwan said decisively.

Before they arrived, Goryeo and Japan did have some ulterior motives, such as secretly supporting some remnants of the Yuan dynasty, or creating friction at border outposts to test the strength of the Ming dynasty.

Now, there's no need to test the waters.

That prince could easily crush their top experts with his bare hands.

What's the point of playing this game?

……

Inside the Fengtian Hall, all the officials dispersed, leaving only Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, and Zhu Hui.

"Second son, what do you think those two envoys will say when they get back?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Zhu Li thought for a moment: "Would they say I'm very capable?"

"and then?"

"And then...they didn't dare mess with us anymore?"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed loudly: "That's right! They won't dare to provoke you anymore, but they will be afraid, they will unite, and they will try to find ways to deal with you."

"Why? I didn't hit them." Zhu Li asked, puzzled.

"Because you are too strong, so strong that they can't sleep. Second brother, remember, there are some people in this world who are more afraid of you the stronger you are, and the more afraid they are, the more they want to get rid of you."

Zhu Biao walked over, patted his younger brother on the shoulder, and replied.

"Then let them come. I'll take them down one by one with my axe," Zhu Hui said with a simple smile.

"We don't need to wait for them to come; we can go first," Zhu Biao said, a cold glint in his eyes.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his eldest son: "Biao'er, what do you mean...?"

"Goryeo and Japan are ultimately potential threats. Rather than waiting for them to make underhanded moves, we should take advantage of the current high morale of our army and pacify them in one fell swoop to eliminate future troubles."

Zhu Biao said calmly.

"How many soldiers are needed?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

"Five hundred thousand is enough, but we need to equip ourselves with enough flying boats and Taoist cultivators to advance by both land and water." Zhu Biao had clearly made plans in advance.

"Who is the commander?"

Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Hui and said, "My second brother will be the commander, Xu Da will be the deputy, and I will be in charge of the rear command."

Zhu Hui's eyes widened. "Me? I don't know how to lead troops!"

"You don't need to know how. You just need to stand there at crucial moments, like today, and the enemy will be terrified. Uncle Xu will handle the actual fighting."

Zhu Biao said with a smile.

"Then...can my wife go?" Zhu Li asked.

Zhu Biao was taken aback, then chuckled and said, "You're only thinking about your wife... Go, let her go, and let her see how her husband sweeps across the land."

"Okay!" Zhu Li grinned.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his two sons with eyes full of satisfaction.

"Biao'er, how long will the preparations take?"

"Three months is enough for provisions, weapons, airships, and personnel deployment," Zhu Biao calculated accurately.

"Then let's launch an eastern expedition three months from now!" Zhu Yuanzhang made the decision.

"yes!"

……

The Palace of the King of Wu.

Guanyin Nu was practicing archery in the courtyard.

She used a small recurve bow, with the target set thirty paces away.

Three arrows whizzed past, all hitting the bullseye.

"Wife, you're amazing!" Zhu Li clapped as she walked in.

Guanyin Nu put down her bow, wiped her sweat, and said, "My husband is back. How was court today?"

"Two envoys came, one from Goryeo and one from Japan, wanting to fight me, but I beat them up," Zhu Li said simply.

Guanyin Nu, however, sensed something amiss: "They...are they here to test us?"

"My brother said they came to test the waters, but it's alright, I scared them all away." Zhu Li sat on the stone bench, picked up the teapot and drank directly from it.

Guanyin Nu walked over and sat down next to him, saying, "Husband, have you ever thought about... why they came to test us?"

"Because I'm good?"

"Because you are so powerful that they are afraid of you. It's the same on the grasslands. If one tribe is too strong, the other tribes will unite to deal with it."

Guanyin Nu said softly.

"Then let them unite, I'll chop them all down with one axe." Zhu Hui didn't care at all.

Guanyin Nu looked at his honest profile and suddenly smiled.

Right.

In the face of absolute power, all schemes and plots are a joke.

"Husband, how much effort did you use today?" she asked curiously.

"How much... I didn't use much force, I just blocked it casually and stepped on it," Zhu Li replied, scratching his head.

"What if you use force?"

Zhu Hui thought for a moment before saying, "I don't know either. I haven't used my full strength yet..."

He paused for a moment and then continued, "My elder brother said that we can't use even half our strength, or we'll tear down Yingtian Prefecture."

Guanyin Nu gasped.

Guanyin Nu, however, understood the significance of it.

Split the sky.

Those are not words that ordinary people can say.

"Husband, you..." she hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

"What's wrong?"

"Who exactly are you?" Guanyin Nu finally asked the question that had been hidden in her heart for so long.

Zhu Hui looked at her and smiled sheepishly, "I am your husband."

Guanyin Nu looked at him and suddenly reached out to hug him.

"daughter in law?"

"No matter who you are, you are my husband." She buried her face in his chest, her voice muffled.

Zhu Hui paused for a moment, then grinned and gently patted her back, saying, "Yes, I am your husband."

As the sun set, it cast long shadows of the two of them.

In the distance, at the imperial palace, Zhu Biao stood by the window of the east pavilion, looking towards the direction of the Wu Prince's residence.

Jiang Huan, standing behind him, said, "Your Highness, the envoys from Goryeo and Japan have already left the city, and judging from their direction, they are heading straight back to their respective countries without stopping."

"Hmm, send the Golden-Winged Roc to follow them and see if they come into contact with the remnant Yuan forces along the way," Zhu Biao said calmly.

"Yes."

"Furthermore, order the naval forces in Dengzhou, Ningbo, and Fuzhou to begin intensive training immediately. Instruct the Ministry of Works to expedite the construction of flying boats. I want to see three hundred new flying boats launched within three months."

Zhu Biao turned around, walked to the map, and continued, "Also, have the Taoist Research Institute send the blueprints for the latest improved 'Wind Control Talisman' and 'Water Avoidance Talisman' to the Ministry of War for mass production."

"Yes!" Jiang Huan accepted the order.

"Three months... In three months, the world will be different," Zhu Biao said, looking at the map of Goryeo and Japan.

As soon as he finished speaking, a smile appeared on Zhu Biao's face.

Outside the window, a golden-winged roc soared across the sky, flying northward.

That was the one Zhu Yuan captured, and now it's become a messenger for the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The era of the mythical Ming Dynasty is slowly unfolding.

And some people are destined to become the protagonists of this era.