The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the Somersault Cloud, Old Zhu was so envious he cried!

Zhu Ming rode on a somersault cloud, flashing across the sky above Donghua Gate, heading straight for the Imperial Pharmacy inside the Forbidden City.

This scene was discovered by the Imperial Guards on duty at Donghua Gate.

One of them looked horrified and shouted, "Something's wrong! Help! There's an assassin..."

Before he could finish speaking, he received a hard slap on the back of the head.

The man, clutching his head, turned around with a wronged expression: "Brother Li, there's an assassin! Why did you hit me?"

Hearing this, a slightly older guard couldn't help but slap him again, then said with exasperation:

"Tiezhu, Tiezhu, I think a donkey kicked your brain! There's no such thing as an assassin flying through the sky!"

Tie Zhu covered his head with one hand and whispered in his defense, "But I clearly saw someone stepping on white clouds..."

He was halfway through his sentence when

Tie Zhu's eyes widened suddenly, and his mouth involuntarily opened wide.

Only then did he finally realize what was happening.

Under heaven, there seems to be only one person who can fly around on auspicious clouds!

Seeing his reaction,

Brother Li snorted coldly and said irritably, "Now you know who that person who just flew over is, right?"

Tie Zhu lowered his head and said obediently, "I know, it's the Sixth Prince."

Brother Li glanced at him sideways.

He thought to himself that this young man had just started working in the palace and was usually quite sensible.

So he lowered his voice and patiently advised, "You've just started your shift, and there are many rules in the palace that you're not familiar with yet. There are two people in the Forbidden City that you absolutely must not offend."

Tie Zhu immediately straightened up and blurted out without thinking, "I know, it's His Majesty and the Crown Prince!"

Brother Li rolled his eyes upon hearing this, reached out and slapped him on the head again, saying irritably, "Wrong, completely wrong!"

"Huh?" Tie Zhu was dumbfounded.

The person you absolutely cannot offend in the entire Forbidden City is not actually the Emperor.

No, is that right?

So he quickly lowered his posture, cupped his hands in greeting to Brother Li, and said, "Brother Li, as you know, I've just started working in the palace, and I don't know any of the palace rules."

"I'll have to trouble Brother Li to give me some pointers in the future, so that I don't accidentally offend some important person and cause a huge disaster one day."

Upon hearing this, Brother Li deliberately coughed twice, clutching his shoulder, feigning aches and pains all over his body. He completely ignored the man's words and instead casually sighed:

"I don't know what's wrong with me lately, but after these past few days of duty, my shoulders, back, and everything else are incredibly painful!"

Seeing this, Tie Zhu could easily see through the other party's ulterior motives. He felt a pang of heartache, gritted his teeth, and said resolutely, "Brother Li, don't say anything more. When we change shifts tonight, it'll be my treat. Let's go out for a couple of drinks!"

Brother Li's eyes suddenly lit up, and he leaned closer to ask in a low voice, "Are there girls to keep you company there?"

Upon hearing this, Tie Zhu felt a pang of pain in his heart, realizing that the old man actually wanted to drink and romp around with women, but he still forced a smile and nodded, "Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Brother Li stopped talking about where he was in pain, reached out and patted Tie Zhu's shoulder, unable to hide the smile on his face.

"Not bad, not bad. Since you're so sensible, little brother, I, as your older brother, can't keep things to myself. I'll tell you all about the taboos in the palace."

After saying that, Brother Li put away his joking expression, lowered his voice, and carefully told Tie Zhu about the places in the Forbidden City where one needed to be careful with one's words and actions.

"What you said earlier is not wrong. His Majesty and the Crown Prince are naturally untouchable, but I want to talk about two other people."

Tie Zhu immediately leaned forward, pricking up his ears to listen attentively.

Brother Li looked around and, seeing that no one was around, whispered, "Let's start from the bottom up. The second one is the Empress, who lives in Kunning Palace. The Empress and His Majesty have gone through thick and thin together and have a deep affection for each other."

"Even if you accidentally offend His Majesty, as long as the Empress is willing to plead for you, you might still have a chance to live."

Tie Zhu asked instinctively, "What if I offend the Empress?"

Upon hearing this, Brother Li looked at him speechlessly and said calmly, "Then you can inform your family to start the feast. No, if it really comes to that, you won't even need to inform your family; someone will do it for you!"

Tie Zhu shrank back in fright and chuckled sheepishly, "Brother Li, I was just talking nonsense. How could someone as insignificant as me have the chance to offend Her Majesty the Empress? Don't you think so?"

Brother Li glared at him fiercely and warned him in a serious tone: "There are some things you can't say carelessly. Be careful what you say, or you might get into trouble one day and lose even your tongue."

Tie Zhu panicked and quickly covered his mouth with his hand, not daring to say another word.

Brother Li then composed himself, patted his shoulder, and said in a gentler tone, "But you don't need to be too afraid. Her Majesty the Empress is kind by nature. As long as you behave yourself, are careful with your words and actions, and do not offend her, she will never make things difficult for those who serve under her."

Tie Zhu nodded emphatically, making sure to keep this rule firmly in mind.

Brother Li continued, "Just remember how powerful the Empress is. Now, let me tell you about the most untouchable person in the palace, who is the Sixth Prince who just flew over our heads on a cloud."

"Putting aside the fact that the Sixth Prince is showered with love and affection, he is also a direct disciple of the Dao Ancestor. Perhaps one day he will achieve enlightenment and join the ranks of immortals."

"If you dare to offend him, even the underworld won't dare to take you in. You'll probably only be able to live as a lonely ghost from now on."

Tie Zhu felt a chill run down his spine. He subconsciously swallowed and cautiously asked, "Brother Li, since I arrived, everyone's been saying that the Sixth Prince is a direct disciple of the Dao Ancestor. Do you think that's true or false?"

Brother Li glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby before lowering his voice and saying, "Whether he's a direct disciple of the Dao Ancestor or not, how can we guards say for sure?"

"But you just saw it with your own eyes: the Sixth Prince flew into the deep palace on auspicious clouds. This ability cannot be faked."

"Regardless of how much of the rumor is true or false, just remember one thing: never provoke this prince."

Tie Zhu nodded firmly and said seriously, "Brother Li, don't worry, I, Liu Tie Zhu, have always been honest and law-abiding, and I would never provoke those big shots!"

Upon hearing this, Brother Li's serious expression vanished instantly, replaced by a rare hint of shyness, his eyes filled with anticipation as he asked, "So... what time do we set off tonight?"

Tie Zhu readily agreed, "We'll set off after our shift ends. I'll need to trouble Brother Li a lot in the future to teach me the rules and ways of the palace."

Upon hearing this, Brother Li beamed with joy, patted his arm, and said with great loyalty, "Of course! If you have any questions in the future, feel free to ask me. I promise to teach you all the ins and outs of the palace."

Tie Zhu quickly bowed and clasped his hands in thanks, his posture extremely respectful and honest.

But in a place where Brother Li can't see,

A flash of shock and surprise crossed his eyes, as if he were harboring some other thoughts.

I never imagined that the rumors were true.

This Zhu family really produced a prince with a divine destiny. How come all the good things in the world fall on Zhu Yuanzhang's head?

No, I must send this message back as soon as possible. I absolutely cannot allow this mysterious Sixth Prince to grow up.

We must nip it in the bud as soon as possible!