Ming Dynasty: Zhu Biao's younger brother, the most rebellious son in history

Crown Prince Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Kai who was looking so proud beside him, and he also had some doubts in his heart.

"Second brother, you used to spend money lavishly when you were in the palace, and you were also very generous in rewarding your servants. I didn't expect that you have been even more extravagant outside in the past year or so. You must have spent a lot of money just now."

"Brother, please don't say that.

In the past year or so, I have set up many businesses and transactions in the grasslands and Liaobei area, and I will definitely not let myself suffer any losses.

How could I possibly suffer a loss? Don't forget who I am. This little bit of money is just a drop in the bucket for me."

Although Wang Baobao didn't say anything, the approval and determination revealed in his eyes had been seen through by others.

The prince also understood. No wonder this guy was so powerful and was willing to be a lapdog to Zhu Kai.

Whatever Zhu Kai says is what it is. Who would have thought that he has already gained so many benefits? This is probably what the saying "money makes the world go round" means.

"Wang Baobao, the imperial court has always been worried about how the people on your side will survive after you surrender.

The court also wanted to allocate some money over there, but later we found out that Zhu Kai had already opened a lot of businesses over there, so that you all could have something to do and have enough food and clothing, which was also a very good choice.

Judging from your appearance, you are most likely to have made money. The most important thing is that the people can live and work in peace and contentment. This is the only way to ensure the stability of your tribe."

When Wang Baobao heard the prince say this, he felt a little embarrassed.

Having followed Zhu Kai for such a long time, he did make some money, but it was definitely not as much as they imagined.

Zhu Kai is the leader. Those who follow him eat meat, and he and the people in the entire tribe can drink some soup.

However, since Zhu Kai was here, he couldn't tell all the truth.

Every business transaction account is in Zhu Kai's hands.

Wang Baobao was just cooperating with him to do some trivial things and had no access to core business and accounts at all. How dare he speak nonsense in front of the prince?

If I say anything wrong, it would be like selling out Zhu Kai, and he would not let me off easily.

The prince was also thoughtful, but then he changed his attitude, smiled, and said to Zhu Kai.

"How much silver did you give Mao Xiang just now?"

"Who said I gave him silver?"

"If it's not silver, then could it be stone? Aren't you kidding me?"

Zhu Chong glanced at Zhu Kai and got the other party's permission before he spoke in a low voice.

"Your Highness, that...the bag that my second brother gave him does not contain silver, but gold. It is real gold."

After saying this, everyone present was dumbfounded, including Prince Zhu Biao.

Even though he was already the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, had so much wealth around him, and would be the heir to the Ming Dynasty in the future, he was still very surprised when he heard this.

Zhu Kai is already famous for his generosity and is well-known.

However, he had not expected Zhu Kai to be so generous. This bag of gold must contain at least 50 taels, and this was a conservative estimate. It was very likely to be more.

Zhu Gang had never thought that his second brother could be so generous.

"Brother, sometimes I really don't understand why you do this?
When we were at the inn before, this guy acted very superior. He didn't tell you anything and was very arrogant towards you.

Now he is following his duties to escort us back to the capital safely.

It's only right that you give him a little reward, but you're too generous. This bag of gold must be worth at least fifty or sixty taels."

Zhu Chong sighed and said.

"Brother, I feel a little sorry for you.

If an outsider saw this, they would wonder how much wealth we have accumulated in the past year or so. In fact, it is not that exaggerated. It’s just that you are generous. "

Crown Prince Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Kai in confusion and asked.

"Second brother, come here and tell Big Brother the truth quietly. What kind of leverage do you have in his hand?"

Zhu Kai said helplessly.

"Brother, we are brothers, can you please expect me to be well?
I have just met him and we were just acquaintances before. What leverage could I have on him?

Besides, even if I have something on him and want to bribe him, I can't do it in front of so many of you.

I just think that his official position is relatively high. After all, he is the commander-in-chief of the entire Jinyiwei. If he is rewarded with a small amount of silver, it really does not take him seriously.

I feel bad about spending this gold, but some money still needs to be spent even if it hurts. I would rather suffer myself than give face to others.

I am just that kind of person. It's all because of my own face-saving mentality. If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have been so generous. Instead, it would have caused you all to doubt me."

Of course, there is more than just this simple reason why Zhu Kai did this. There must be other reasons, but he is not in a position to tell them now.

Zhu Kai did this mainly because he knew that Mao Xiang did not take him seriously and his attitude was very arrogant. Perhaps he was secretly in cahoots with Hu Weiyong.

He had to take out the gold in front of so many people to confuse him and make him doubt himself, so that he could achieve his ultimate goal.

On the other side, Mao Xiang was holding a bag of gold in his hand. He thought it was a bag of silver and certainly didn't take it seriously, so he was about to put it in his arms.

However, after weighing it in his hand for a few times, he felt that something was wrong.

The person next to him said to him.

"Master Mao, the money the King of Sai gave us for drinks this time is not much, and you just refused for such a long time."

"Nonsense, even if it's just one or two taels of silver, we can't openly accept it in front of the prince and so many people. This is part of our job. If we accept his reward, we will be criticized by others."

"The emperor usually gives more rewards than this."

"The emperor is the emperor, and the King of Sai is a vassal king. How can he be compared with the emperor? Moreover, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still here, so it is necessary to make a few more excuses."

Mao Xiang explained to the person next to him while looking at the small bag in his hand.

He suddenly found that something was wrong with the bag, it was not silver at all, but gold. He stopped immediately, opened the bag with both hands, and found that it was really a bag of gold. He was a little shocked and suspected that he was dazzled.

Mao Xiang stopped by the roadside on his horse.

When he saw that what Zhu Kai gave him was not a bag of silver but a bag of gold, he suddenly panicked.

At first he thought it was because it was too dark and his eyes were blurry, but after careful identification, he was sure that these were indeed solid gold and not silver.

It seems that Zhu Kai is really generous, but this generation of gold really dazzled him. I don’t know why Zhu Kai did this. Is he trying to bribe himself?
Mao Xiang's palms were full of sweat and he was shaking.

It’s not that he had never seen so much money before, but he didn’t understand why Zhu Kai did this.

He knew very well that he had offended Zhu Kai along the way because of his arrogance.

Could this guy be trying to use this opportunity to mess with me?

Will His Royal Highness know that this is a bag of gold? Zhu Kai didn't say it just now, but will he tell the prince after he leaves? All this is unknown.

The Jinyiwei next to him looked at his panic and was also a little curious.

"Commander, what's wrong? Are you too tired on the journey? Why don't you stop and rest for a while?"

"No, I'm not too tired, I'm just a little confused now..."

"You all rode very fast all the way back. I'm afraid you didn't even have time to drink a sip of water on the road. You must be a little stuffy. Someone, come and get some water for the commander."

Then, the person next to him immediately threw a bag of water over.

"Commander, please drink some water first.

I've heard that His Highness Zhu Kai has a very strange personality. It must be hard for you to be with him. Did he give you a cold look along the way?

I didn't expect that he would not take you seriously. I must talk to the emperor about this matter when I return to the palace."

Mao Xiang sneered after hearing this.

"Zhu Kai is the son of the current emperor. What can I do if he wants to give me a hard time?

But this guy's personality is indeed very strange, which I did not expect. No wonder the emperor is a little afraid of this son.

Now it seems that he is really thoughtful and everything he does is unexpected, including what he did today."

"Master Mao, he just gave you a bag of silver, what does that mean? He just bought people's hearts.

Even if he has a huge problem with you, he won't show it at this time. He will definitely pretend in front of the prince and others. But you don't have to take it to heart. It's just a bag of silver, not enough for the brothers to drink."

When Mao Xiang heard this, he immediately shook his head and said.

"It's because I just saw what he gave me that I feel a little uncomfortable now."

"what?"

The person next to him took it and saw that there was a bag of gold inside. Even he was shocked.

"This... Why did His Highness Zhu Kai reward us so much? This amount of gold is more than our salary for several years. Isn't this a bit too exaggerated..."

"Yes, the emperor has repeatedly said that he hates people around him to make private payments or even accept bribes.

He suddenly gave me so much gold that I was really overwhelmed. I wanted to share some of it with you all so that you can have some drinks. It can be regarded as a reward and everyone can benefit from it. "

The man next to him nodded as he listened, but he quickly refused.

"Commander-in-chief, if this is just a bag of silver, it is not a big deal. If the prince gives it to you as a reward, it would be fine if you give some to your brothers.

This is too much gold, and we dare not afford it."

After hearing this, Mao Xiang sighed helplessly.

"In fact, you guys don't dare to bear it. Even I don't dare to bear it. Now there is no other way. We can only take this gold back and hand it over to the emperor, and let the emperor deal with it."

"Commander, please think twice before you act. Is this really feasible?"

"Why not? The emperor hates us making friends in private. Just hand the gold over to the emperor and he will be very satisfied. He won't have to worry about other things."

"The biggest question now is, has His Highness Zhu Kai told others about giving you the gold?
When he was rewarding you just now, he didn't say that it was gold. If he didn't tell others, it would be equivalent to a bribe to you, trying to win you over.

You exposed this matter directly in front of the emperor. Isn't this equivalent to backstabbing the prince? You have offended him and he will definitely target you."

After listening to what the people around him said, Mao Xiang felt a little chilly and now he was not sure what to do.

If Zhu Kai hadn't told anyone else about this, it would have been fine if only the two of them knew about it.

But now this matter has been known by people around him, and it will spread sooner or later. Instead of waiting for the emperor to ask him, it would be better for him to explain it first.

This would become a handle on him. How could he lead the entire Jinyiwei in the future?
“No need to say too much, I’ve already thought about it.

We still have to tell the emperor about this matter. I dare not accept so much gold casually. No matter what the prince thinks, we have to explain it clearly to the emperor.

The Ming Dynasty is currently facing a tight treasury situation. Even if it is a reward from the prince, I should give it to the entire Ming Dynasty, and it will be used as silver for the treasury in the future. It is not wrong."

Mao Xiang was really a very smart man. He knew that this bag of gold was a hot potato and it would be better to get rid of it quickly.

After he thought it through, he immediately calmed down and no longer cared about Zhu Kai's situation. He rode his horse back to the palace to prepare. As soon as he arrived at the palace, he explained the matter to Zhu Yuanzhang. He would definitely not blame himself.

On the contrary, Zhu Yuanzhang might reward himself. Then, not only would he have a reputation as a virtuous person in front of the emperor, but he would also not offend Zhu Kai.

This is the best of both worlds. Maybe this was arranged by Zhu Kai. However, he doesn't have time to think about it now. He has to return to the palace first.

Mao Xiang is a very smart man and his reactions are quite quick, but every step of his plan is within Zhu Kai's calculations. Ever since he was given the bag of gold, Zhu Kai had already anticipated how things would turn out next.

This was the gift he gave to Zhu Yuanzhang before he came back. This gift could only be legitimate if it was given to the emperor through someone else's hands.

This is a win-win situation for all parties. Only Zhu Kai can come up with such a good idea. (End of this chapter)