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

Full of curiosity and expectation, Zhu Kai led everyone on a meticulous exploration journey on the newly discovered land. They shuttled through lush forests, waded through gurgling streams, and crossed over rolling hills. During the exploration, everyone was surprised to find that deep in this land, there was a large and prosperous country.

The country's urban architecture is unique, with tall towers shining golden in the sun, and the bustling streets are bustling with people. The market is filled with a wide variety of goods, from exquisite handicrafts to novel agricultural products. Zhu Kai looked at all this and a strong idea came to his mind. He was determined to have friendly contact with the ruler of this country and open a new chapter of friendly exchanges.

After returning to the camp, Zhu Kai couldn't wait to say to Gu Wen: "Gu Wen, look what a great opportunity this is. This may be a great opportunity for us to establish diplomatic relations with other countries. By establishing friendly relations with this country, we can spread the culture and technology of the Ming Dynasty, and at the same time learn their uniqueness." Gu Wen frowned slightly, nodded thoughtfully and said: "Your Highness, this matter is indeed of great significance, but we need to act with caution. After all, we don't know much about the culture, customs and temperament of this country, and we may cause unnecessary trouble if we are not careful."

Zhu Kai thought carefully about Gu Wen's words. He knew the stakes involved, but his determination did not waver. After careful preparation, Zhu Kai set out on the road to the country's palace with carefully selected gifts and full of sincerity. Along the way, they passed through beautiful countryside and quaint villages, and every scene gave them a deeper understanding of the country.

Finally, they arrived at the gate of the palace. The palace was magnificent, and the walls were carved with exquisite patterns, showing the glorious history and profound heritage of this country. Zhu Kai tidied his clothes and led everyone into the palace. When he met the king of the country, Zhu Kai bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, I come from the distant Ming Dynasty. This time, I come with the most sincere wish to establish friendly exchanges with your country. We hope to overcome the barriers of mountains and seas, so that the people of our two countries can communicate and cooperate like relatives."

The king sat on the high throne, squinting his eyes slightly, carefully examining Zhu Kai, and said slowly: "Guests from afar, your purpose is not clear yet. How can I believe you with just a few simple words? In this complex world, there are too many people with ulterior motives under the banner of friendship." Zhu Kai still kept smiling, and he replied calmly: "Your Majesty, we brought the specialties and culture of the Ming Dynasty, which are symbols of our sincerity. We hope to communicate with your country and develop together in various fields such as trade, culture, and technology. We are not here to plunder or invade, but just hope to build a bridge of friendship."

After hearing what Zhu Kai said, the king fell into deep thought. After a moment, he said, "Then show us your sincerity first." Zhu Kai nodded slightly, and then ordered people to present the gifts that had been prepared long ago. The exquisite silk shone softly in the sun, and the delicate texture seemed like flowing streams; the porcelain was even more exquisite, and the patterns painted on it were lifelike, as if all the beauty of the world was condensed in this small object. When the king saw these gifts, he showed a hint of surprise and appreciation in his eyes. He gently stroked the silk, feeling the unique touch, and carefully looked at the porcelain, praising the superb craftsmanship.

Although the king appreciated the gifts, he said, "These gifts are indeed exquisite, but the establishment of diplomatic relations requires long-term consideration. This is related to the future of our country and the well-being of our people. We cannot make a decision lightly just because of these gifts." Zhu Kai was not discouraged by the king's hesitation. He continued, "Your Majesty, we in the Ming Dynasty have advanced technology and rich knowledge. In agriculture, we have efficient planting methods and irrigation technology, which can greatly increase the yield of crops; in the field of architecture, we have unique architectural design concepts and solid construction technology; in medicine, our medical skills can treat many difficult and complicated diseases. If we can communicate with each other, it will benefit both countries. We are willing to share these technologies and knowledge with your country without reservation."

In the following days, Zhu Kai actively communicated with the ministers of the country. He invited the ministers to visit the books, tools and models they brought, and introduced them to the advantages of the Ming Dynasty in detail. The ministers were moved by Zhu Kai's enthusiasm and sincerity, and they also developed a strong interest in the culture and technology of the Ming Dynasty. In a private conversation with the king, the minister said: "Your Majesty, establishing diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty may bring us new opportunities. We can learn their advanced agricultural technology to increase our grain production, and learn their construction technology to build more solid and beautiful buildings, which will be a great boost to the development of our country." However, the minister had a different view. He said: "Your Majesty, we can't just see the opportunities, but also consider the unknown risks that may be brought. The culture and customs of the Ming Dynasty are very different from ours, and this difference may cause conflicts and contradictions in the process of communication. We need to evaluate carefully and not make decisions blindly." The king listened to the opinions of the ministers and hesitated in his heart. He didn't know how to weigh the pros and cons.

Zhu Kai knew the king's concerns, so he decided to meet with the king again. After meeting the king, Zhu Kai said sincerely: "Your Majesty, we understand your concerns. To show our sincerity, we are willing to provide some technical support to help your country develop. For example, we can send agricultural experts to your farmland to personally guide farmers on how to use new planting methods and irrigation techniques; we can also let construction craftsmen communicate with your craftsmen and teach them advanced construction techniques. We hope to prove our sincerity and friendship through these practical actions." The king was moved by Zhu Kai's sincerity, and he finally said: "Okay, let's try to establish some trade first. We can start with some simple commodity exchanges to see if the cooperation between the two sides can go smoothly." Zhu Kai heard the king's decision and said happily: "Thank you, Your Majesty, I believe this will be a good start. We will definitely cherish this opportunity to make the trade between our two countries more and more prosperous."

As trade developed, the relationship between the two countries gradually became closer. Daming's silk, porcelain, tea and other commodities were warmly welcomed in this country, and the country's characteristic agricultural products and handicrafts also found a broad market in Daming. In the process of trade, merchants from the two countries communicated with each other and their understanding of each other became deeper and deeper. Zhu Kai was filled with joy when he saw all this. He proposed again: "Your Majesty, in order to further deepen our understanding of each other, we can send envoys to each other. Envoys can live in each other's country for a long time and have a deep understanding of each other's culture, customs and political system. This can avoid misunderstandings and conflicts caused by information asymmetry." The king felt that Zhu Kai's proposal made sense and agreed to it. However, some problems also arose in the process. Due to the large cultural differences between the two countries, some misunderstandings and conflicts are inevitable in the process of communication. For example, in terms of etiquette, Daming has strict etiquette norms, and this country also has its own unique etiquette habits. In a diplomatic occasion, officials from both sides had some disputes because of their different understandings of etiquette. For example, in terms of eating habits, people in Daming like light food, while people in this country like spicy food. At a banquet, the guests from both sides were unhappy because of the taste of the dishes. Zhu Kai realized the seriousness of these problems and said to the officials of the country: "This is just a temporary difficulty. As long as we respect each other, we can solve it. We can't give up our friendly relationship because of these small differences. We should understand and accept each other's culture with an open mind, and at the same time we should introduce our culture to each other so that we can continue to integrate in mutual exchanges." The official of the country said: "I hope so, otherwise this diplomatic relationship may not last long."

Zhu Kai was not troubled by these problems. He worked hard to coordinate the two sides. He organized cultural exchange activities to allow artists, scholars, and craftsmen from both countries to show each other their works and skills. He also formulated some rules and etiquette for cultural exchanges to avoid unnecessary conflicts due to cultural differences. With his efforts, one problem after another was solved.

After a period of hard work, the relationship between the two countries has become more and more stable. The exchanges between the people of the two countries in the fields of trade, culture, technology, etc. have become more and more frequent, and the friendship between them has become deeper and deeper. The king said to Zhu Kai: "Thank you for your efforts, which have enabled our two countries to live in harmony. Your wisdom and sincerity have given me a bright future for friendly exchanges." Zhu Kai said modestly: "This is our common wish. We all hope to build a peaceful, friendly and prosperous world. The friendly relations between our two countries are just the beginning. I believe that with our joint efforts, this friendly relationship will continue and will affect more countries."

Therefore, batches of energetic students from Daming set foot on this new land. They studied hard in the universities of this country, learning the language, history, science and other knowledge of this country. At the same time, students from this country also came to Daming. They were attracted by the prosperity and profound cultural heritage of Daming, and studied eagerly in the academies of Daming. These international students became the messengers of friendly exchanges between the two countries. They brought the knowledge they learned back to their own countries and made important contributions to the development of the two countries.

The craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty worked together with the craftsmen of this country to jointly develop new technologies and products. They combined the mechanical manufacturing technology of the Ming Dynasty with the material technology of this country to develop more efficient and durable agricultural tools; they combined the shipbuilding technology of the Ming Dynasty with the navigation experience of this country to create more solid and fast ships. These scientific and technological innovations not only provided a strong impetus for the economic development of the two countries, but also further deepened the friendly relations between the two countries.

However, Zhu Kai was not satisfied with the status quo. He knew that the maintenance and development of friendly relations required continuous efforts and innovation. He began to think about how to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in the field of art. So he proposed to hold an art exhibition of Daming and this country. At the exhibition, Daming's paintings, calligraphy, sculptures and other art works were exhibited together with this country's music, dance, drama and other art works. Artists from the two countries exchanged their creative experiences and learned from each other's artistic skills. This art exhibition not only allowed the people of the two countries to appreciate art works of different styles, but also gave them a deeper understanding and appreciation of each other's culture.

Zhu Kai was busy in a foreign country for the establishment of friendly relations between the two countries. However, the arrival of an urgent letter was like a sudden gust of wind, breaking his originally calm heart. He hurriedly opened the letter and after reading the contents of the letter, the sweat on his forehead rolled down like dewdrops rolling on lotus leaves in the morning. He was extremely anxious.

He hurried to find Gu Wen, and his anxious look was like an ant on a hot pot. He held Gu Wen's hand and said, "Gu Wen, look at what is written in this letter. It seems that a major change has occurred in the country, but the specific situation is unknown. I feel like there is a little rabbit in my heart, and I must go back as soon as possible." Gu Wen frowned, like a pool of spring water ruffled by the wind. He responded, "Your Highness, this is really tricky. What about the establishment of diplomatic relations here? This is the result of our hard work for so long, just like the flowers we carefully cultivated, we can't let them wither like this." Zhu Kai paced back and forth, and his footsteps seemed to be knocking on his tangled heart. After thinking for a moment, he said, "We have to arrange things here first, just like anchoring a ship that is about to sail, so that our efforts cannot be in vain."

Zhu Kai was anxious to find the king of that country. His anxious expression was like a child complaining to an adult. He said, "Your Majesty, there is an emergency in the Ming Dynasty, just like a haze suddenly appeared in the calm sky. I need to return to the country immediately to deal with those troublesome things. I hope Your Majesty understands. This is like a wanderer away from home hearing the call of his hometown. I can't ignore it." The king looked at Zhu Kai's anxious look, and his eyes were like a warm fire in winter. He said, "In this case, you can go back without worry. The affairs here are like a precious seed. I will have people properly water and fertilize it so that it will continue to thrive." Zhu Kai was grateful and his tears were like beads that had broken off the string. He said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. When I solve the domestic affairs, I will be like a bird returning to its nest, with new hope and vitality, and continue to promote friendly exchanges between the two countries." (End of this chapter)