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

Chapter 54 Zhu Yuanzhang: I Don’t Want to Be Emperor
The skills Zhu Yuanzhang had learned from beating his son came in handy. He swung his feet left and right, and his shoes immediately flew to the side. He subconsciously caught them with his hands... Zhu Yuanzhang smiled embarrassedly and said, "I took off my shoes to dig potatoes, not to beat my son. What would I do with my shoes?"

I put my shoes down, took off my socks, and jumped into the ground, but Zhu Chong frowned and said in disgust:

"Dad, why don't you wash your feet first? These potatoes are very precious, you can't dirty them."

I almost said, "Dad, your feet are so stinky."

"Bastard thing..."

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately retracted his foot, shouted to the imperial guards to wash his feet first, then jumped into the ground and started digging.

As expected of someone who had done farm work before, he had already learned the technique of digging potatoes while observing from the side, digging a bunch of potatoes at a time.

Weighing the potato in his hand and feeling its weight, Zhu Yuanzhang really believed it this time.

This potato can really produce 20 to 30 dan per mu.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes turned red in an instant.

Auspicious!

Auspicious sign for the Ming Dynasty!

If I could dig so many potatoes when I was a child, why would I rebel?
How could my father, mother, sister and brother starve to death?

Zhu Yuanzhang had tears in his eyes. He cried and dug, digging out memories that he could not bear to look back on...

Wang Guangyang, Zhao Yong and Song Lian were all silent when they saw the potatoes dug out from the ground.

My face is almost swollen from being hit by Zhu Kai.

Song Lian was especially shocked. He could not utter a word and could only mutter to himself, "Great Ming auspicious sign! This is auspicious sign for Great Ming!"

"...This old bastard!"

Wang Guangyang was unwilling to pay attention to Song Lian and followed Zhu Yuanzhang.

He took off his shoes, rolled up his trouser legs and sleeves, jumped into the field and started working.

Zhao Yong and Song Lian were no exception and jumped into the field together.

Whether they support Zhu Biao or want to drive away Zhu Kai, their hearts... are with the Ming Dynasty.

With potatoes producing dozens of shi per acre, how could the Ming Dynasty not prosper?
After digging two potatoes, he was exhausted and panting. Zhu Di, who was standing next to him, saw Wang Guangyang's actions and couldn't help but said, "How about you go and rest over there? Let's do it ourselves?"

"Your Highness, Prince Yan, I'm fine... I just feel a little..."

Before Wang Guangyang finished speaking, he heard Song Lian cry out in pain: "Ouch, my waist!"

Song Lian was already sitting on the ground, holding his waist, in great pain.

"Uh...King Yan has a point."

Wang Guangyang stood up and walked towards the ridges of the field.

Their loyalty to the Ming Dynasty does not need to be measured by whether they worked with Zhu Yuanzhang.

This is physical work and I really can't do it.

……

As time went on, more and more people came. Ma Xiuying came, and the concubines from the harem also came. Except Ma Xiuying, no one else went down to the fields. They stood between the ridges and watched, watching the auspicious signs of the Ming Dynasty being dug out one by one.

Perhaps they don’t understand the significance of potatoes to the Ming Dynasty, but these potatoes... are really a lot.

Then they kept digging until the evening, but they still hadn't finished digging over a hundred acres of land.

Zhu Yuanzhang was also tired and out of breath, but he was mostly happy now.

This is truly a good omen for the Ming Dynasty!

"Dig! Let's keep digging!"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and gave the order: "Let the imperial guards take turns to dig out all these potatoes for us." He couldn't wait to know how many potatoes could be dug out from this one hundred acres of land.

“Boss, Boss…hahahaha, you are right, Kai’er is also right, this is a good omen, it is a good omen for our Ming Dynasty!”

Zhu Yuanzhang called over the exhausted Zhu Biao, then held Li Zhen's hand tightly and said emotionally: "If we had potatoes back then, our family wouldn't have starved to death... I would rather not be the emperor, but I want to give the potatoes to my father."

Li Zhen was also quite excited, but he felt that what Zhu Yuanzhang said was a bit false. If Zhu Yuanzhang was given a chance to choose, he would probably still choose to be the emperor.

He thought so in his heart, but he could never say it out loud. He advised Zhu Yuanzhang: "Your Majesty, the past is over. Let's look forward and build a stable country for our children and grandchildren so that they don't have to suffer the hardships we have suffered."

"Yes, you are right. We are doing this for the descendants of the Ming Dynasty and for the people of the Ming Dynasty."

After Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, he called Zhu Kai over and wanted to kick him, but his legs were already as if they were filled with lead and he couldn't move. He could only point at Zhu Kai and curse, "You bastard, why didn't you tell us earlier that you had such a good thing?"

Zhu Kai still had the strength to complain to Zhu Yuanzhang:

"Dad, you are being unreasonable. Isn't it the same if I say it first or do it first? Didn't you see it all? You turned against me after you got the auspicious sign... Dad, I wronged you. Turning against me is really your style. I shouldn't blame you."

“…Rebellious son!”

If he wasn't really tired, he would have chased Zhu Kai for two miles to catch him and beat him up.

Song Lian at the back started again, saying:
"This Second Prince... has no respect for his father and the emperor, and is extremely rebellious. He must not continue to stay in Yingtian Prefecture!"

"Forget it, let's go eat and take a rest."

Zhu Yuanzhang sent everyone away, leaving the imperial guards to continue digging potatoes by lamplight at night: "Boss, Kai'er, and Chaozong, Zhao Yong, and Song Xueshi, come with us to Jinshen Hall."

It was the first time in history that Zhu Kai and Zhu Biao were allowed to go to the Jinshen Hall together, and were accompanied by important court officials.

Song Lian seemed to have guessed that Zhu Yuanzhang called Zhu Kai over in order to shut him up and say that he wanted to drive Zhu Kai away. After all, it was Zhu Kai who brought out the auspicious sign, so they had no reason to continue to drive Zhu Kai away.

Thinking of this, Song Lian narrowed his eyes, thinking about how to drive Zhu Kai away.

……

Arriving at the Jinshen Palace, Song Lian immediately knelt down and said, "I congratulate Your Majesty for caring about the people and the way of heaven. You have received the mercy of heaven and this auspicious sign..."

He said a lot of nonsense, all of which were words he thought of while on the way.

He had already made up his mind to stop Zhu Yuanzhang from speaking before he could.

This auspicious sign could not have been brought out by Zhu Kai. Even if it was not the crown prince, it must have been Zhu Yuanzhang. It is absolutely impossible to say that the potatoes were produced by Zhu Kai.

But before Zhu Yuanzhang could say anything, Zhu Biao said firmly: "Mr. Song, this potato is auspicious, it was made by my second brother Zhu Kai, and it has nothing to do with my father and me. The potato you see this time is the result of my second brother and second uncle's three experiments."

It is a auspicious sign brought out by Zhu Kai, and no one can take it away.

Upon hearing this, Song Lian remained silent.

This was not what he wanted to hear. Zhu Biao... cared too much about his younger brothers.

But you are the prince. For the future stability of the Ming Dynasty, you must let Zhu Kai leave!
"Okay, let's not talk about potatoes anymore." Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted them and said, "Even if potatoes are a good omen, they have no bearing on the present. Let's talk about this first. We haven't collected enough food and grass for the northern expedition. How should we raise food and grass?"

Wang Guangyang stepped forward first and asked Zhu Kai: "Second Prince, I would like to ask... can these potatoes be used as grains?"

"I do not know either."

Zhu Kai shook his head and said, "This requires experimentation. The land in the Imperial City vegetable garden is relatively fertile, so there is more talent. If it is moved to other places, it may not be as good, but even if it is worse, it will still be higher than the current grain yield per mu."

As for the fact that potatoes cannot be used as staple food, I won’t tell them that. I will tell my eldest brother or father privately later.

Zhu Kai also heard that Zhu Yuanzhang called him over not to talk about the auspicious sign of potatoes, but to ask about the matter of grain and fodder for the northern expedition.

I don't want to get involved in this.

Our family is not yet an adult, so Dad, you can't hire child labor.

(End of this chapter)