Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

Here.

Guanyin Nu, however, was looking at something else. In the corner of the cabin, there was a pile of seafood that had been caught: strangely shaped shells, colorful corals, and a few starfish that were still wriggling.

She crouched down and carefully picked up a palm-sized seashell.

The shell has a smooth surface with a pearly luster, and its interior is filled with dazzling iridescence.

"So beautiful..." she exclaimed.

"Take it if you like it," Zhu Li said.

"Is that alright?" Guanyinnu asked Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan laughed and said, "Princess, please take as much as you like. These are just trinkets that the sailors casually picked up; they're not worth much."

Guanyin Nu happily tucked the seashell into her bosom and then went to look at the coral.

The red coral branches are distinct, like small trees on land.

Zhu Hui also picked up a piece of coral, squeezed it, and found it quite hard.

"Is this edible?" he asked.

Chen Xuan's lips twitched as he said, "Your Highness, this is coral, it's not edible... But there are indeed edible things in the sea, such as kelp and laver, as well as various fish and shrimp."

"Oh, then I'll try some later." Zhu Li nodded.

After walking around the ship, everyone returned to the deck.

Just then, a group of sailors were training to climb the mast. The mainmast was dozens of feet high, and the sailors moved up and down it as nimbly as monkeys, which made Guanyin Nu tremble with fear.

"Aren't they afraid of falling?" she asked.

"It's something you learn through practice. In naval operations, you often need to climb the mast for lookout or to repair sails and rigging. You can't do it if you can't climb the mast," Chen Xuan said.

As they were talking, a young sailor climbed too fast, slipped, and fell from mid-air with a scream.

Guanyin Nu cried out in surprise.

Zhu Li, however, had already made his move.

He didn't even take out his axe; he simply pushed off the spot and shot into the sky like a cannonball, catching the sailor when he was still three zhang away from the deck before landing lightly on the ground.

The whole process took no more than two breaths.

A moment of silence fell over the deck, followed by a burst of enthusiastic cheers.

"Your Highness is mighty!"

"Thank you, Your Highness, for saving my life!" The sailor knelt and kowtowed, his voice still trembling.

Zhu Hui waved his hand and said, "It's alright, just be more careful next time."

Guanyin breathed a sigh of relief, and her eyes held a hint of pride as she looked at Zhu Hui.

This man could split mountains and rivers on the battlefield, and he would also casually save an ordinary soldier in ordinary times.

Chen Xuan remarked with emotion, "With Your Highness here, the soldiers feel much more at ease during this campaign against the Japanese."

After waiting at the port until late afternoon, Chen Xuan hosted a banquet in his honor.

They ate only seafood.

Steamed sea fish, braised prawns, stir-fried sea cucumber with scallions, garlic scallops... and a dish Guanyin Nu had never seen before: steamed sea urchin with egg.

Zhu Hui ate with great relish, especially the braised prawns, which he devoured two plates of by himself.

Guanyin Nu took a small bite and found the taste to be indeed delicious, but she still needed to get used to the fishy smell.

After the meal, Chen Xuan suggested going for a walk on the beach to digest their food.

As the sun sets, the sea is dyed golden red.

The waves gently lapped against the beach, making a soft, splashing sound.

Guanyin Nu took off her shoes and socks and stepped barefoot onto the sand.

The sand, having been baked in the sun all day, still retained its warmth, making it soft and comfortable to walk on.

She walked to the water's edge and let the waves wash over her feet again and again.

"Husband, look." She pointed to the horizon where the sea meets the sky.

The sun was slowly sinking below the horizon, casting a magnificent glow, and the clouds were dyed the color of flames.

Several seagulls flew across the sky on their way back to their nests, leaving behind long cries.

"It looks nice." Zhu Li stood next to her, took off her shoes, and imitated her by wading in the water.

"The sunset on the grassland is also beautiful, but it's different from here. On the grassland, the sun sets behind the horizon, but here... it's like the sun is sinking into the sea," Guanyin Nu said softly.

"Yes, it will crawl out of the sea again tomorrow," Zhu Li said.

Guanyin Nu smiled: "My husband always speaks so frankly."

The two walked slowly along the coastline, leaving a trail of footprints that were quickly smoothed over by the waves.

After walking for a while, Guanyin Nu suddenly stopped and bent down to pick something up from the sand.

It was a pearl the size of a thumb, round and white, gleaming with a warm glow in the setting sun.

"I'm so lucky!" she exclaimed in delight.

"If you like it, string it together into a necklace," Zhu Li said.

Guanyinnu shook her head and handed the pearl to Zhu Hui, saying, "Husband, take this. It's a gift from the sea. Taking it with you when you go to sea might ensure your safety."

Zhu Hui took it, put it in his pocket, and said, "Okay, I'll take it with me."

It was already dark when I got back to my lodgings.

The Dengzhou naval camp arranged a separate courtyard for them. Although it was not as luxurious as the Prince's Mansion, it was clean and tidy.

The faint sound of waves and the footsteps of patrolling soldiers could be heard outside the window.

After washing up, Guanyinnu sat by the window and combed her hair.

The sea breeze blew in through the window, carrying a salty, damp scent.

Zhu Li lay on the table studying the nautical chart Chen Xuan had given him. It showed the route from Dengzhou to Japan, with the islands, ocean currents, and monsoon directions clearly marked.

"Husband, can you understand it?" Guanyinnu asked.

"I roughly understand. Just follow this line and don't deviate from it," Zhu Li said, pointing to the winding red line on the map.

"What if it goes off-center?"

"If it goes astray... then we'll cut through the sea and go in a straight line," Zhu Hui said earnestly.

Guanyin Nu chuckled and asked, "How do you split the sea?"

"Seawater is water too. You can cleave a path with an axe, but my brother said not to chop randomly, or you'll scare the fish away," Zhu Hui said, gesturing as he spoke.

Guanyin Nu shook her head, no longer dwelling on the question.

She walked over to Zhu Hui, leaned on his shoulder, and looked at the nautical chart together.

The Japan in the picture is just a long, narrow string of islands, looking so small and so far away.

"My lord, do you think... the people of Japan know we're going to attack them?" she suddenly asked.

"You should know! My elder brother said the Embroidered Uniform Guard has been active there for a long time," Zhu Hui said.

"Will they... be afraid?"

Zhu Li thought for a moment and said, "Maybe, just like how the Koreans reacted when they saw me splitting the mountain."

Guanyin Nu was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Sometimes I think, if back when the Ming Dynasty was conquering the grasslands, there had been someone as powerful as my husband, who could split the Yanshan Mountains in two with a single axe, then..."

She didn't continue.

Zhu Hui turned to look at her, reached out and pulled her into his arms, saying, "Wife, let's not think about the past. Now you are the Princess Consort of the Ming Dynasty, my wife."

"Our children will be both Han Chinese and have the blood of the grasslands. My elder brother says this is called integration, and it's a good thing."

Guanyin Nu leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and her heart gradually calmed down.

Yes, the past cannot be changed, but the future can.

She looked up at Zhu Hui's honest face, then suddenly tiptoed and kissed him.

Zhu Hui froze, then grinned and said, "Wife, want to try again?"

Guanyinnu blushed, pushed him away, and said, "Go to sleep!"

The candle went out, and the sound of the waves came through the window, like a gentle lullaby.

Guanyin Nu opened her eyes in the darkness and whispered, "Husband, after we defeat the Japanese, shall we come back to the seaside for a few more days?"

"Okay, I'll build you a house so you can see the sea every day," Zhu Hui mumbled sleepily.

"Um."

Outside the window, a bright moon rose high in the sky, and the sea shimmered with silver light.

On Kyushu Island in Japan, thousands of miles away, the garrison at Hakata Bay is changing shifts.

Little did they know that a month later, this tranquil sea would be greeted by three thousand warships and a man capable of splitting the ocean.

But tonight, the sea is quiet.