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

A few days later, Zhu Kai ran into the crown prince Zhu Biao in the imperial garden. When Zhu Biao saw his brother, he was stunned for a moment, then smiled gently: "Second brother, how are you these days?"

Zhu Kai smiled slightly and took a step forward: "Thank you for your concern, brother. I am doing fine. I wonder if you have made any new progress recently?"

Zhu Biao sighed: "Alas, the court has been busy lately, and my father has high hopes for me. The pressure is quite great."

Zhu Kai's heart moved, thinking this was a good opportunity to clear up the misunderstanding, so he said: "Brother, you have worked hard and made great contributions. I admire you. If there is anything I can do to help you, just let me know."

Zhu Biao seemed a little surprised, but soon regained his composure: "Then I will tell you the truth. Recently, some unfavorable remarks about you have been circulating in the court, saying that you intend to seize the throne. Although I don't believe it, I have to be on guard."

After hearing this, Zhu Kai's expression became serious: "Brother, this is wrong. My second brother has been taught by our father since he was young, and he knows the importance of brotherly harmony. What's more, I only want to benefit the people, and I have no other thoughts."

Zhu Biao heard this and looked at Zhu Kai with complicated eyes: "In this case, I hope you can understand my situation. After all, the position of the crown prince is of great importance and cannot be lost."

Zhu Kai nodded and said, "Don't worry, brother. I will be careful with my words and actions and will never embarrass you."

After the conversation, the gap between them seemed to be eased. However, Zhu Kai knew that it would take more time and effort to completely eliminate the doubts of the prince and his supporters.

Just as Zhu Kai was thinking about how to further resolve the conflict, an urgent report came from Suzhou Prefecture, saying that there had been heavy rains in recent days and the river bank was in danger of bursting. Upon hearing the news, Zhu Kai immediately decided to go to Suzhou Prefecture in person to direct the flood control and disaster relief work.

After arriving in Suzhou, Zhu Kai immediately inspected the river bank and quickly organized people to reinforce the embankment. At the same time, he also arranged for people to distribute food and clothing to the affected people to appease the people.

At a temporary resettlement site, Zhu Kai met an old woman who had lost her home. She tearfully told Zhu Kai about her family's misfortune: "Your Highness, my house was washed away by the flood, and now I have nowhere to live!"

Zhu Kai held the old woman's hand and comforted her: "Don't worry, old lady. The court has mobilized supplies to rescue you. We will help you rebuild your home as soon as possible."

The old woman burst into tears of gratitude and thanked him repeatedly: "Thank you, Your Highness, thank you, Your Highness!"

While Zhu Kai was busy with disaster relief, news came from the capital that the crown prince was too ill to preside over government affairs. Zhu Yuanzhang urgently summoned Zhu Kai and ordered him to return to Beijing to temporarily take over the crown prince's position. Although Zhu Kai was reluctant to leave the disaster area, he still obeyed his father's order and hurried back to the capital.

After returning to the capital, Zhu Kai found that the situation in the court was more complicated than he had imagined. On the one hand, the prince's illness worsened, causing panic among the prince's faction; on the other hand, the news that Zhu Kai was acting as the prince's responsibilities caused a lot of discussion.

One day, Zhu Kai was reviewing memorials when a guard came from outside the door to report: "Your Highness, the Minister of Revenue wants to see you."

Zhu Kai put down his pen and said calmly, "Please ask him to come in."

Li Tingrui, the Minister of Revenue, walked into the study with a serious look on his face: "Your Highness, the prices in the capital have skyrocketed recently, and the people are having a hard time. The Ministry of Revenue has limited inventory and it is difficult to cope with emergencies."

Zhu Kai frowned and asked, "This is a matter of public welfare, why didn't the Ministry of Revenue report it in time?"

Li Tingrui bowed his head and explained, "Your Highness, it is not that we are negligent. It is just that the court has been in turmoil recently and many matters have piled up, and we have not been able to handle them properly."

Zhu Kai pondered for a moment, then said: "Lord Li, please go back and stabilize the situation first. I will discuss countermeasures with my father as soon as possible and try to resolve this matter as soon as possible."

After sending Li Tingrui away, Zhu Kai fell into deep thought. He knew that in order to fundamentally solve the problem, he had to find out the reason for the soaring prices. So he secretly sent his confidant Liu Quan to investigate the market and secretly collect evidence.

A few days later, Liu Quan returned with the intelligence he had gathered and reported: "Your Highness, according to investigation, the price surge this time is due to some unscrupulous merchants hoarding goods. They deliberately raised prices to make a profit."

After hearing this, Zhu Kai was furious: "How dare you take advantage of the national crisis to rob people!"

He immediately issued an order to thoroughly investigate the matter and punish all those involved in the case according to law.

One day, Zhu Kai was handling official business in his house when he suddenly heard a noise coming from outside the door. He put down his pen and ordered his servants to go see what happened.

After a while, a servant came running in with a panic on his face: "Your Highness, there is a group of people outside surrounding the gate of the mansion, asking you to come forward to solve their problems."

Zhu Kai frowned slightly, then stood up and walked out: "Take me to see it."

When he arrived at the gate of the mansion, he saw hundreds of people gathered there, all of them looked haggard and anxious. Zhu Kai walked up to them and asked gently, "Fellow villagers, why are you so excited? If you have any questions, please tell me and I will do my best to help you."

An elderly man walked out of the crowd, knelt on the ground, and said in a trembling voice: "Your Highness, we are farmers from a nearby village. Due to the severe drought this year, our crops have failed and we are starving to death in the fields. I beg Your Highness to have mercy on us and save us!"

Zhu Kai felt a pain in his heart when he heard this, and he quickly helped the old man up: "Old man, please stand up and talk first. I will definitely find a way to help you get through this difficult time."

The old man stood up, tears of gratitude flashing in his eyes: "Thank you, Your Highness!"

"Come here," Zhu Kai ordered loudly, "Prepare disaster relief supplies immediately and make sure every citizen has food to eat."

When everyone heard this, they all knelt down and kowtowed to express their gratitude: "Thank you, Your Highness!"

Zhu Kai waved his hand, signaling that there was no need to do so: "Fellow villagers, please stand up quickly. These are what I should do."

Zhu Kai was discussing the next flood control plan with his staff in his mansion when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the door. Not long after, a guard came in with a nervous look on his face: "Your Highness, it's bad. A large number of bandits were found outside Suzhou City and are approaching the city!"

After hearing this, Zhu Kai's face suddenly changed, and he immediately ordered: "Gather the troops immediately and prepare for battle!"

Under the leadership of Zhu Kai, the defenders of Suzhou City quickly assembled and were ready for battle. Zhu Kai personally went into battle and stood on the city wall to command the battle.

Outside the city, the bandits approached the city wall aggressively. A big man in the lead waved a big knife and shouted loudly: "Listen, people in the city, as long as you hand over all your food and property, we will let you go! Otherwise, we will kill you without mercy!"

Zhu Kai snorted coldly and responded loudly: "You bandits are harming the people and your crimes are unforgivable! Today, I will bring you to justice!" The bandit leader laughed: "Do you think you can stop us?"

"All soldiers, listen to my orders," Zhu Kai said sternly, "Protect the people, defend our homes, and live and die with the city!"

With Zhu Kai's order, the city gates opened with a bang, and the defenders poured out like a tide, engaging in a fierce battle with the bandits. During the battle, Zhu Kai led the way and fought bravely, greatly boosting morale.

After a fierce battle, the bandits were finally repelled and Suzhou City was saved. Zhu Kai stood on the city wall and looked at the enemy going away. He felt both the joy of victory and the worries about the future.

"Your Highness," the staff member beside him said softly, "Although we won this battle, we also suffered heavy losses. If the bandits attack again, I'm afraid we will be unable to resist them."

Zhu Kai pondered for a moment and said, "We must strengthen the city's defenses and find allies to jointly resist the invasion of bandits."

Zhu Kai received a secret letter from Nanjing, which mentioned that the prince intended to unite forces from all over the country to jointly maintain the stability of the Jiangnan region. After reading it, Zhu Kai secretly thought about it and decided to send an envoy to Nanjing to communicate with the prince.

When the messenger returned, he brought back a handwritten letter from the prince. Zhu Kai opened the envelope and saw the words: "Second brother, I am very pleased to learn that you have successfully repelled the bandits. I am willing to fight alongside you and jointly maintain peace in Jiangnan."

After reading the letter, Zhu Kai was quite excited: "The prince is willing to cooperate with me, which is crucial to consolidating the situation in Jiangnan."

That evening, Zhu Kai invited several local prestigious gentry to dinner to discuss how to strengthen cooperation with the prince and how to better govern Jiangnan.

During the dinner, Zhu Kai spoke first: "Everyone, in recent days, the prince has been willing to join hands with me to jointly maintain the peace and development of Jiangnan. I think this is a rare opportunity. We should seize this opportunity to strengthen our ties with the central government."

An old gentleman nodded in agreement: "Your Highness is right. If we can get the support of the Crown Prince, the development of our Jiangnan region will surely reach a higher level."

Another young gentleman raised a question: "However, Your Highness, how can we win the trust of the prince? After all, there have been many misunderstandings before."

Zhu Kai smiled slightly: "That's exactly what I want to say. I have sent an envoy to Nanjing to have in-depth exchanges with the prince. I believe that as long as we cooperate sincerely, we will be able to eliminate the barriers between us."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Zhu Kai continued, "In addition, we also need to strengthen local governance and improve the living standards of the people. Only in this way can we truly win the hearts of the people."

A gentleman suggested: "Your Highness, why don't we jointly initiate a public welfare project, such as building a school or a hospital, which can benefit the people and show our sincerity."

After hearing this, Zhu Kai's eyes flashed with appreciation: "This is a great plan! We can start by building a school to provide better educational opportunities for the children."

After receiving the official document from the court, Zhu Kai felt reluctant to leave, but he also knew that this was an important step in his career. He immediately called his staff to discuss how to properly arrange the government affairs in Jiangnan so that all affairs could proceed smoothly after he left.

"Everyone," Zhu Kai said, sitting upright on the main seat, his tone firm but gentle, "I will be going to the capital to report on my work soon. Please take care of all matters concerning Jiangnan during my absence."

An older member of the staff cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, rest assured. We will do our best to ensure that everything is in order. However, does Your Highness need to prepare any special memorials or gifts for your visit to the capital this time?"

Zhu Kai nodded: "It is indeed necessary to prepare a detailed performance report and some Jiangnan specialties as a gift to my colleagues in the court. I will leave this matter to you, sir."

"Yes, sir." The older aide replied respectfully.

At this time, another young aide interrupted and said, "Your Highness, would you consider taking a few capable men with you to the capital? In case of any emergency, they will be able to take care of you."

Zhu Kai pondered for a moment and said, "This is a good suggestion. I would like to take two of you with me, and the rest of you will stay in Jiangnan to assist in management."

On the day of departure, Zhu Kai changed into his official uniform and set off for the capital with his entourage. Along the way, he kept reviewing his experiences in Jiangnan and thinking about how to play a greater role in the court.

After arriving in the capital, Zhu Kai first settled down in an inn, and then began to prepare for the next day's performance review meeting. He knew very well that this performance review was not only related to his own future, but also an explanation to the people of Jiangnan.

On the day of his report, Zhu Kai arrived at the court early and greeted the ministers of various ministries according to etiquette. Afterwards, he was led into the meeting room. Facing the officials in the room, Zhu Kai was a little nervous, but he still calmly began his report.

"My Lords," Zhu Kai's voice was clear and powerful, "Since I took over Jiangnan, I have been committed to improving the local people's livelihood. Through a series of measures, including building water conservancy projects, reducing taxes, supporting education, etc., Jiangnan's economy and social development have made significant progress..."

Zhu Kai described his achievements in detail and put forward some ideas for the future. His sincere words and attitude won the praise of many officials present.

After the report, the prince personally summoned Zhu Kai. "Zhu Kai," the prince said, "I heard that you have done a great job in Jiangnan, especially in dealing with the drought and bandits recently, which is even more admirable."

Zhu Kai replied modestly: "I just did my duty and I dare not take credit for it."

The prince smiled and said, "I have seen your ability. Now, the capital also needs capable officials like you to help me handle government affairs."

Zhu Kai's heart moved, knowing that this was an important opportunity, so he asked respectfully: "What instructions does the prince have?"

The prince hesitated for a moment and said, "I intend to appoint you as the Minister of Finance, responsible for the financial affairs of the entire country. What do you think?"

Zhu Kai took a deep breath. He knew that this meant a huge responsibility, but it was also an opportunity to show his talents. "I am willing to accept this appointment and serve the country."

The prince nodded with satisfaction: "Okay, then go back and prepare, and come to the Ministry of Revenue to take up your post tomorrow."

After Zhu Kai returned to the inn, he was filled with thoughts. He knew that he had a heavy responsibility, but he also firmly believed that as long as he worked hard, he would be able to live up to the trust.

In the following days, Zhu Kai quickly entered into his new role. He gained a deep understanding of the operating mechanism of the Ministry of Revenue and actively sought ways to change and innovate. Under his leadership, the Ministry of Revenue's work efficiency was greatly improved, and its financial situation was also significantly improved. (End of this chapter)