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

Ma Xiuying was not surprised when he heard what Crown Prince Zhu Biao said.

Zhu Kai is a child who has had many wonderful ideas since he was young.

However, he was surprised that Zhu Kai did not want to fight for power, but actually wanted to make money. This was not something a prince of the Ming Dynasty should consider. He was more like a businessman.

"Ah, in fact, we all know Zhu Kai very well. He has always done many things that we can't imagine. I don't doubt that he can say anything unorthodox."

"My sons all have their own strengths."

Zhu Yuanzhang was very happy about Zhu Kai's idea. He felt that Zhu Kai was not focusing on competing for the position of crown prince, which was enough to make him feel relieved.

Although Zhu Kai was very smart, he was not the successor chosen by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang was not too partial to Zhu Kai, but he felt that Zhu Kai's intelligence should not be used in imperial affairs.

There should be a greater use for him. If he can assist Crown Prince Zhu Biao, and the two brothers join forces, there is no need to worry that the Ming Dynasty will not be able to prosper and attract all nations to pay tribute.

“Your Majesty, Zhu Kai doesn’t seem to be joking when he says these things.

If he really goes into business, do you think it is reliable?
Although the Ming Dynasty needs more silver to fill the treasury, it feels a little inappropriate to let this kid be a businessman."

"Mother, everyone has their own aspirations."

Zhu Biao initially suspected that Zhu Kai was joking, but the more he spoke, the more serious he became, and the prince had no choice but to support his younger brother.

In fact, he not only felt that he had lost a favorable competitor, but more importantly, what Zhu Kai said made a lot of sense, and they had no way to refute it.

Whether it is training the army or letting civilians live a good life, money is indispensable.

Only with more silver could the people of the Ming Dynasty have a better life and live and work in peace and contentment.

"If you ask me, I have never treated him badly since he was a child.

Moreover, when I gave birth to Zhu Kai and Biao'er, although the world was divided into many factions, the emperor had already stabilized the situation and had long been the overlord.

Logically speaking, they have never been short of money.

How come this child was born as if he was a beggar in his previous life, all he cares about is money, and he wants to sleep with money in his arms."

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard what Ma Xiuying said, he immediately burst into laughter.

"Xiuying, if you ask me, this is the son of Zhu Yuanzhang. Don't forget that his father started out as a beggar. He can be considered to have inherited my legacy."

When Ma Xiuying heard Zhu Yuanzhang say this, he couldn't help laughing.

It is said that heroes are afraid of meeting old neighbors, but Zhu Yuanzhang never rejected his past.

Sometimes, he even said it as a joke.

This is what it means to be open and honest. He is not afraid of anything.

Because now he is the one who holds power. Even if he was once a beggar looked down upon by everyone, what difference does it make?

"Father, you are joking, Zhu Kai.

He was serious when he said this, and it didn't seem like he was joking about any specific matter. We can't answer for him, so we should wait until he enters the palace and ask him about it. He will be able to answer in more detail."

After hearing what Crown Prince Zhu Biao said, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

At this moment, everyone was laughing and talking happily.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao's handling of the matter was correct. He did not say anything about Zhu Kai in front of Zhu Yuanzhang.

He knew that Zhu Kai had his own plans. His younger brother was very opinionated. He didn't need to answer any questions for Zhu Kai. Only Zhu Kai could explain his plans clearly in front of the emperor.

Just when everyone was happy, a eunuch came in from outside.

Zhu Di noticed that the eunuch was very young, with light steps and hurried pace. He did not look like the pale and skinny eunuchs in the palace.

His identity seemed to be very unusual. After coming in, he did not greet anyone and walked straight to Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report."

As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang saw the eunuch coming, his expression changed. His face, which had been smiling just a moment ago, immediately turned dark, as if a sunny day was suddenly covered with dark clouds.

Zhu Yuanzhang said seriously.

"what's up?"

"emperor……"

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately understood when he saw the eunuch hesitated for a moment and didn't say anything, so he put his ear closer.

This eunuch was actually whispering something in Zhu Yuanzhang's ear.

Zhu Yuanzhang was only seen frowning slightly.

Everyone was curious about the conversation between the two of them.

However, since the emperor did not let them know openly, it must be something they should not know. As for things they should not know, they should not ask too much, which is better for both of them.

"Is this serious?"

"It's true."

"Where's the secret letter?"

Facing Zhu Yuanzhang's question, the eunuch slowly took out a small bamboo tube from his sleeve. The bamboo tube was probably only the size of a thumb. It should have been tied to a pigeon, or sent through some secret channel.

Zhu Yuanzhang carefully opened the bamboo tube, and then said to the eunuch next to him.

"It is really too late today. Let Mao Xiang, the commander-in-chief of the Jinyiwei, go to the study early tomorrow morning to wait for me."

"The slave obeys the order."

"Go back."

"Yes!"

The eunuch walked out immediately without speaking to anyone at the table, including the Queen Mother and the Crown Prince.

Zhu Chong also realized that something was wrong. Even if he had a high emotional intelligence, he didn't dare to say anything at this time.

Zhu Yuanzhang opened the note in the bamboo tube, took a look at it and frowned slightly.

Everyone must have been a little nervous when they saw Zhu Yuanzhang frowning, but Zhu Di habitually guessed that what Zhu Yuanzhang did was caused by some problems between Zhu Kai and Wang Baobao.

At this moment, he was also very worried about Zhu Kai. He had said long ago that Li Wenzhong was unreliable, and it was still not reliable to let him stay in the inn with the Royal Guards to protect Wang Baobao.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang noticed that his expression had changed a little, and then he relaxed his brows and returned to his expressionless look. Even though he tried his best to hide his feelings, everyone could still see that the atmosphere at this time was very tense.

None of them dared to speak, or even to say more.

When Empress Ma saw Zhu Yuanzhang like this, she didn't seem surprised.

Zhu Di was the real master at observing people's words and expressions.

He could judge this matter from Empress Ma's expression. He should know that Zhu Yuanzhang had no secrets in front of Empress Ma.

No one spoke. Zhu Yuanzhang put down the note in his hand, looked up and spoke to everyone.

"Why did I interrupt you?
There is nothing special, everyone continue to eat, don't waste the delicious food arranged by the Queen, and don't waste it, just eat it all."

Empress Ma also said that when she saw Zhu Yuanzhang's mood calmed down so quickly.

"These kids are also concerned about you, but it's nothing, you don't have to worry about it."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao was the only one present who dared to ask questions that raised everyone's doubts.

However, he didn't want to pry into the secrets that Zhu Yuanzhang deliberately concealed at this time. He was just worried whether this matter was related to Zhu Kai and Wang Baobao.

"Father, the eunuch just now looked a little unfamiliar. I often go in and out of the palace, but how come I have never seen him before?"

"He was arranged by me and he only takes orders from me. You naturally haven't seen him before, but don't mind. He didn't greet you just now. This was also the order I gave him."

Zhu Di immediately understood that this eunuch must be helping Zhu Yuanzhang complete some secret mission.

Even the Crown Prince doesn't know, so it seems that the only person present who knows the truth is Queen Ma.

"Father, please don't think too much.

We don't mean to pry into your secrets or privacy, but this eunuch looks a little sneaky.

I'm worried if it has something to do with Zhu Kai and Wang Baobao?

Zhu Kai and Wang Baobao are both in the capital, and they just came back from the border, so I am not so confident about Li Wenzhong."

"Prince, since you have said so, I must criticize you. Even though you are in front of your brothers, please don't be unhappy to hear it."

"Father, please tell me if I have any shortcomings. I will make improvements in time."

"Li Wenzhong is a man who is really incapable of handling important tasks. You can usually assign him some trivial tasks, but you cannot let him complete such an important task alone in the future. He does not have the ability to do so."

"My son, I understand."

"But you can rest assured. What the eunuch just said has nothing to do with Zhu Kai and Wang Baobao. I'm sure nothing will go wrong in one night. Just be at ease."

When Zhu Di heard what Zhu Yuanzhang said, he was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief and was no longer as nervous as before.

However, he really didn't want to stay in the palace. He thought it would be better to find a way to be with Zhu Kai. Zhu Di knew very well that as long as he stayed with Zhu Kai, he would not suffer any loss.

But he was already in the palace, and it would be inappropriate to propose looking for Zhu Kai at this time.

"Okay, Father, I just saw this eunuch acting suspiciously, and I thought something went wrong in the capital. If you have anything to say, just tell us directly."

"I don't have anything to do. You guys should eat quickly. After eating, go back and rest early. It's almost dawn."

Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang were also very worried that today's mysterious incident was related to Zhu Kai and Wang Baobao.

However, they were not worried about Zhu Kai's safety. What they were more worried about was that if anything really happened to Wang Baobao, Zhu Kai would be the first person responsible for this matter.

If Zhu Kai fell, they would have no one to rely on.

Even though His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was very attentive to their two younger brothers, he was ultimately not as good as Zhu Kai, and that was very certain.

Zhu Chong indeed felt it and was very tired.

At the same time, he could feel more clearly that Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to be urging them to leave quickly.

They all quickly picked up their chopsticks and took a few bites, drinking up all the chicken soup in the bowl. In fact, they were almost full.

Queen Ma saw how anxious they all were.

"You guys, eat slowly. Even though it's late now, you can't eat too hastily. It will make you feel sick."

Zhu Gang smiled and said.

"Mother, you don't have to worry about us. We have been in the borderland for more than a year. We have already been trained by our second brother. He told us to eat faster and not eat like a cat.

Besides, when fighting on the battlefield, we often don’t have much to eat, so being able to fill our stomachs is great. We seem to have long forgotten what it feels like to savor food.”

Ma Xiuying felt very distressed when she heard her son say this.

Zhu Di knew very well that even if he was anxious, it was impossible for him to leave the palace now. He had to wait until he found an opportunity. Just wait and see, there will be a chance sooner or later.

Tomorrow morning, there will be a high probability that Chang Yuchun's son Chang Sheng will be arranged to replace Li Wenzhong.

If I could apply to go with them at this time, I believe Zhu Yuanzhang would not refuse.

By then, he would have seen his mother and it would not be convenient for him to stay in the palace any longer. This seemed to be a best of both worlds solution.

Zhu Di then put down his chopsticks.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at them and they seemed to be full.

"I see that you guys have eaten a lot, so if that's the case, pack up and go back to your own rooms. I'm old and can't stay up late. I have to go to court early tomorrow morning."

"Father, Emperor, Mother, if that's the case, then let us take you back to your bedroom to rest."

"No need. You have been busy for such a long time today and you haven't had a good rest. You are all very tired. Go back and have a good sleep. You don't have to get up early to attend court tomorrow morning.

Just think of it as giving you a day to have a good rest. The same goes for Zhu Kai. He wouldn't get up so early if I didn't summon him."

"Well, since my second brother also plans to rest in the mansion for a day, we won't refuse. Thank you for your understanding, father.

Father and mother, please go back and rest early. We brothers will take our leave first."

"Yeah, let's go."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao took his brothers and left.

Only Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma were left in the room. At this time, Empress Ma stood up, walked behind Zhu Yuanzhang, put her hands on his shoulders and pressed them gently.

"Your Majesty, you must be tired after such a long time. Go back and rest first. We can talk about anything when we get back."

Zhu Yuanzhang placed his hand on Empress Ma's hand, and at that moment he felt relieved. (End of this chapter)