Ming Dynasty: The ghost betrays the Confucian sage, my son Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 11 Zhu Di: Brother Prince, I have a very powerful master

Imperial Palace, Main Hall.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao looked anxious and walked back and forth.

Kneeling in front of him were Zhu Ping and Zhu Fan's two younger brothers.

"The fourth child actually slipped out of the palace, and you guys, as brothers, didn't stop him?" Zhu Biao shouted angrily.

"Brother Prince, we thought he was just talking." Zhu Xi said aggrievedly.

"Yeah, who would have thought that he could really sneak out of the palace?" Zhu Fan agreed.

"How did he get out of the palace from the main hall? There are many checkpoints. How did he get out?" Zhu Biao frowned tightly.

At fourteen years old, he has the air of an elder brother.

The two younger brothers Zhu Xi and Zhu Fan were even a little afraid of him.

At this time, the sound of footsteps came, and Zhu Yuanzhang hurriedly walked into the main hall.

"That bastard Fourth Brother ran away again?" he was furious.

"Father, I have sent Jin Yiwei to look for him in the palace, but he couldn't be found." Zhu Biao looked worried, "If he really slipped out of the palace, he is only eight years old, and he will be in trouble."

When the Ming Dynasty was founded, the capital was a mixed bag, and many people hated the Zhu family.

What if we catch a prince?

As the eldest brother, Zhu Biao's favorite brother is Zhu Di, so he is naturally worried.

"You bastard! I'll break his legs when you get him back." Zhu Yuanzhang fumed angrily, "How did he, an eight-year-old child, escape?"

Zhu Biao reported that he had gone to ask in person, but none of the guards at several checkpoints had seen the fourth prince.

Zhu Yuanzhang was also anxious after hearing this.

"Father, the eldest brother of the Crown Prince."

At this moment, Zhu Di's head poked in from the door, his big black eyes rolling.

"Fourth?"

"Where did you go?"

"We're so anxious."

Zhu Biao, Zhu Xi and Zhu Fan all surrounded him.

Zhu Di looked very proud and bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang: "My son, I pay my respects to my father."

"Humph, Fourth Brother, you can do it." Zhu Yuanzhang smiled coldly.

He took off his shoehorn, raised it and started beating him.

clap clap clap!
The shoehorn fell on Zhu Di, and he gritted his teeth and endured it. He had been used to being beaten by shoehorns since he was a child.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked angrily while beating him: "Tell me, where did you go?"

"My son came out of the palace for a walk." Zhu Di replied.

"How did you get out?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

"Isn't that simple?" Zhu Di was still very proud. "I have observed that Mr. Song's carriage can go as far as the main hall. When the guards checked, they only looked inside Mr. Song's carriage. I hid under Mr. Song's carriage. You’re out of the palace like this.”

"Are you so proud?" Zhu Yuanzhang was furious.

The shoehorns in his hand fell like rain.

Zhu Biao saw that it was almost done, and quickly went up to pull Zhu Yuanzhang and said: "Father, if we continue to fight, the fourth child will be injured. Let's punish him to copy books."

Only then did Zhu Yuanzhang stop and glared at Zhu Di: "Don't you know how dangerous it is outside? How many times has your elder brother told you?"

"There's a fart danger, haven't I come back yet?" Zhu Di snorted.

Zhu Yuanzhang got angry and picked up the pointer on the table to beat him.

Zhu Xi and Zhu Fan quickly went up and pulled Zhu Yuanzhang out.

"Father, don't be angry, I will punish the fourth child." Zhu Biao waved his hand.

The brothers cooperated tacitly and took Lao Zhu out. Lao Zhu left angrily.

Zhu Di was still kneeling on the ground, raised his head and said hurriedly to Zhu Biaoxing: "Brother Prince, I have a very powerful master today, who is even more powerful than the imperial guards."

Zhu Biao rolled his eyes, not caring what teacher he was studying under, thinking it was a child's trick.

"Fourth, don't even think about going out in the future." He said speechlessly.

Zhu Di blinked slyly.

……

Spring hasn't started yet. The wind blew from the north, bringing a biting chill, ruthlessly passing through every corner.

The trees on both sides of the street have bare branches and no life at all.

Fourth Master Zhu was practicing boxing in the yard with his upper body bare.

Every punch and every kick was as violent as a violent storm, and wherever the punch passed, the air seemed to be torn apart.

The skin looked extremely red in the cold wind, and the whole body was covered with sweat and steaming.

Hey!
He took a deep breath and closed his fist.

After finishing the exercise, he directly picked up a bucket of cold water in the yard and poured it down from the beginning.

Most people can't bear this sour taste.

He returned to the house and put on a Confucian uniform, holding a book in his hand and began to read.

After reading for half an hour, he raised his head and whispered: "Zhu Balang is on duty early again today? Aren't you here to deliver breakfast?"

There was no other way, so he packed up and went out by himself.

I went to the street and bought two sesame cakes and ate them while rushing to the Salt Gang.

Pedestrians on the road were all bundled up in clothes and walking in a hurry.

Such a cold winter is difficult for ordinary people.

Especially the refugees, they have no livelihood.

As the leader of the Beggar Clan, Fourth Master Zhu understands that even though he has annexed the Nu Jiao Clan, the wealth gained cannot satisfy everyone.

The Nujiao Gang is engaged in water trading. In this winter, water transportation has stopped because the rivers in the north are frozen.

Fourth Master Zhu guessed that the Yulong Gang, known as the Three Thousand Tsing Yis, would also be having a hard time.

This was his chance to conquer the Fish Dragon Gang.

After the spring begins, it will be more difficult for them to use water transport to envoy Zhu Shou and let the government put pressure on the Yulong Gang.

At that time, it will be his time to conquer the Yulong Gang.

However, the premise of all this is that he must make money, a lot of money.

……

After arriving at the Salt Gang, they are now also the Beggar Gang.

There are more than a hundred large iron pots in the yard, all of which are steaming.

"See the gang leader." Everyone saw him coming in and paid homage together.

Fourth Master Zhu smiled and said hello.

He has passed on the method of making salt to them, and now everyone is working in full swing.

Ye De came up and pointed to the bags piled under the corridor, with excitement on his face: "Gang leader, there are almost more than 20,000 kilograms of salt. They are all fine salt. We are prosperous."

"Too little, keep making it." Fourth Master Zhu waved his hand.

He has learned that the government now collects salt at about three-thirds and three cents per pound.

Ten kilograms of salt is equivalent to three taels and three cents of silver, and twenty thousand kilograms is less than seven thousand taels.

For Ye De and the others, that would definitely mean making a fortune.

But for Fourth Master Zhu, it was far from enough.

"Gang leader, we have picked up almost all the salt ore that fell outside the salt mine outside the city." Ye De frowned, "If we continue to make salt, we will need to dig up the mountain, but that mountain belongs to others."

"Let's find out whose family it belongs to. Let's buy the mountain." Master Zhu said, "When the time comes, we'll dig a salt well on the spot."

"My subordinates have checked and found out that the mountain belongs to the family of Lord Lu Ben, Minister of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China." Ye De blinked, "In the eyes of outsiders, the salt mine is a salt-poisoned mountain, and no crops can be grown. Maybe Lord Lu still has it?" I’m really willing to sell it.”

Fourth Master Zhu frowned.

Luben? Isn't that Princess Lu's father and Zhu Yunwen's grandfather?

It's definitely not the case now. At this moment, Zhu Biao is still only a fourteen-year-old boy and not yet married.

"Master Lu is very powerful. He is a great scholar in this world." Ye De continued, "He even specially accepted a few disciples from poor families as disciples."

"Oh? You know all this?" Fourth Master Zhu asked with a smile.

Of course he had heard of it too.

This Lu Ben was very famous in the capital, especially among young scholars.

(End of this chapter)