After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

Zhu Houzhao frowned and was about to get out of the carriage.

The Hongzhi Emperor reached out to stop him: "What are you going to do?"

"I'll go take a look."

As Zhu Houzhao spoke, he had already opened the car door.

The Hongzhi Emperor hurriedly instructed, "You are the Crown Prince, be mindful of your conduct."

Zhu Houzhao turned around and grinned: "Father, don't worry, there is no Crown Prince here, only Zhu Shou."

After saying that, he nimbly jumped off the carriage and ran towards the group of people.

The Hongzhi Emperor watched his retreating figure, his brows furrowing slightly, but he did not stop him further.

Mu Bin whispered, "Your Majesty, should I...?"

"Let's take a look first."

The Hongzhi Emperor waved his hand, his gaze fixed on the front.

Zhu Houzhao ran up to the group of people, looked up, and asked, "Who's making such a racket here?"

The burly man looked down and saw a teenager wearing a dusty t-shirt and with mud and grime on his face. He sneered, "Where did this brat come from? Get out of here and tell your boss to come out!"

Zhu Houzhao puffed out his chest: "I'm in charge!"

"you?"

The man sized him up, his face full of disdain, and said, "A little brat like you dare to act tough? Go away, go away, call your parents!"

Zhu Houzhao crossed his arms and said calmly, "I am the boss. Tell me what you need to say."

The man's followers behind him burst into laughter.

"A boss, my foot! He's barely grown his hair yet and he's already a boss?"

Liu Jin couldn't stand it any longer and shouted in a shrill voice, "How dare you! How dare you speak to our... young master like that?"

The thugs chuckled and said, "You androgynous bastard, are you asking for a beating?"

"Do you know...?"

Just as Liu Jin was about to introduce himself, Zhu Houzhao stopped him.

He wasn't annoyed, but stared at the leader of the group: "What exactly do you want?"

The man then stopped laughing, tapped his palm with his stick, and said, "Listen up! The entire Wuqing County is under my protection, Liu San's. No matter what business you're in or what industry you're running, you have to follow the rules."

"What are the rules?"

"Protection money!"

Liu San held up three fingers: "If you open a brick factory here, each kiln will cost thirty taels of silver per month. You have ten kilns here, that's three hundred taels. Pay it honestly, and I'll guarantee the safety of your kilns. If you don't pay..."

He grinned maliciously and pointed at the broken bricks on the ground with his stick: "This is what happens."

Zhu Houzhao blinked: "Protection money? What a boastful tone! Do you know who I am?"

Liu San laughed and said, "I don't care who you are! In Wuqing County, even the Heavenly King himself has to pay protection money!"

Zhu Houzhao raised his head: "What if I don't hand it over?"

"Not paying?"

Liu San's face darkened, and he stepped forward, glaring down at Zhu Houzhao.

"Kid, if you don't hand it over, believe me, I'll beat you so badly your own mother won't recognize you..."

Before the words were finished—

Zhu Houzhao suddenly jumped up and punched Liu San in the nose!

The Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty not only studied but also practiced archery and horsemanship, making him far superior to ordinary people.

Caught off guard, Liu San staggered back two steps after being hit, covering his nose as blood seeped from between his fingers.

"Ouch!"

He stared wide-eyed at the teenager in front of him, incredulous.

Zhu Houzhao shook his hand and said, "Besides my father, no one in this world dares to hit me!"

In the carriage some distance away, the Hongzhi Emperor's lips twitched.

Mu Bin's heart tightened at the sight, and his hand was already on the scabbard at his waist.

Xiao Jing turned pale with fright: "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince..."

"No rush, let's take another look."

The Hongzhi Emperor waved his hand, his eyes fixed on the distance ahead.

Liu San finally realized what was happening and flew into a rage: "You little brat! You dare hit me?! Brothers, get him! Beat him up!"

A dozen or so thugs rushed forward, raising their sticks.

Upon seeing this, the refugees on the field instinctively retreated, their faces showing fear.

They usually avoid these people when they see them, and dare not provoke them.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Liu Jin hurriedly stepped forward to protect his master.

Just then, a voice rang out from the crowd: "You are not allowed to touch the young master!"

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man rush out of the crowd.

The Hongzhi Emperor could see clearly from a distance that it was the same person who had been with his son in the outer city earlier.

This man, unarmed, stood in front of Zhu Houzhao, glaring angrily at the thugs who were collecting protection money.

Then, the second, the third...

Dozens of ragged refugees stepped forward and shielded Zhu Houzhao behind them.

Holding shovels and carrying poles, the fear in their eyes gradually disappeared, replaced by a long-suppressed anger.

Liu San was stunned.

He had been running rampant in Wuqing County for many years and had never seen such a sight before.

Normally, these peasants would avoid him at all costs!

What's going on today?

"Are you... are you planning a rebellion?"

Liu San mustered his courage and shouted loudly.

The man at the front spat, "Go to hell! The young master feeds us and gives us work, and you hooligans come here to cause trouble! Today, if anyone dares to touch the young master, I'll fight them to the death!"

"Yes! Fight with all our might!"

"Let's fight them!"

The refugees roared in unison, their voices deafening.

Liu San and his men were so frightened by this scene that they took two steps back.

Beside the carriage in the distance, Mu Bin said urgently, "Your Majesty, something's wrong! I'll go and get them right away!"

Emperor Hongzhi raised his hand to stop him: "If the Embroidered Uniform Guard intervenes, the Crown Prince's identity will be exposed."

"The scene is chaotic. What if His Highness gets injured?"

Looking at the scene, the Hongzhi Emperor saw the refugees protecting Zhu Houzhao so closely that Liu San and his men were forced to retreat step by step. He couldn't help but smile slightly: "Looking at this situation, does he look like he'll get hurt?"

Mu Bin looked closely and saw that the number of refugees was increasing, and in the blink of an eye, there were already more than a hundred people.

Holding various tools, they surrounded a dozen or so thugs, their eyes blazing with anger.

Liu San finally panicked and shouted with forced bravado, "You wait! Don't run away! I'm going back to get reinforcements!"

As he spoke, he led his men and scrambled out of the building.

The refugees burst into laughter upon seeing their disheveled appearance.

Zhu Houzhao emerged from the crowd, dusted himself off, and said, "Alright, alright, everyone disperse and get back to work!"

The refugees gradually dispersed, returning to their posts to continue their work.

Liu Jin squeezed through the crowd and walked to Zhu Houzhao's side, asking with concern, "Your Highness, are you alright?"

Zhu Houzhao was excited, but also a little regretful, saying, "There were too many people just now, and I didn't get to fight them enough before they ran away."

Liu Jin wore a bitter expression, thinking to himself, "How much more fun do you want?"

If anything happens to you, I could chop off ten heads!

"Your Highness, things aren't very safe here. What do you think about transferring Commander Li here?"

Zhu Houzhao hurriedly said, "Please don't! If Li Chun comes, how dare those thugs come?"

"Oh? You're actually hoping they'll come?"

"Of course! Otherwise, who would we fight?"

Zhu Houzhao rubbed his hands together, his face full of excitement, as if he hadn't had enough.

Liu Jin was terrified and hurriedly advised, "Your Highness, we shouldn't stay here any longer. Those ruffians just said they were going to call for reinforcements. What if they really do gather more people back..."

"What are you afraid of?"

Zhu Houzhao licked his lips excitedly and said, "If they dare to come back, it will be perfect for me... this young master to stretch my muscles!"

"Oh, my little darling!"

Liu Jin stamped his feet in anxiety, pleading, "You are of noble birth, how can you get entangled with these thugs? If you even get a scratch, I will die for you! It's getting late, let's hurry back to the palace!"

Zhu Houzhao turned his head away: "I won't turn back! I cannot break my promise!"