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

Chapter 58: Buying and selling official positions! Zhu Kai wants the Ming Dynasty to perish! ?

Zhu Yuanzhang ignored the dumbfounded Zhu Biao and pulled Zhu Kai to sit on the steps of the Jinshen Hall. He said to Zhu Kai with great satisfaction, "Today I saw you and your brothers digging potatoes in your second uncle's vegetable garden. I was so happy. I was born a tenant farmer. Even if my son is noble, he must know how to eat food."

"Yes, Dad, you are right."

Zhu Kai nodded and said, "This palace is like a besieged city. People outside want to come in, and people inside want to go out. It's true that I'm a prince, born noble, but no matter how noble I am, I still have to eat grains, right? Just because we're princes, we can't just stop shitting, right?"

Zhu Yuanzhang found such rough and unorthodox words particularly pleasing to his ears, even more pleasing to his ears than Zhu Biao's talk of reasoning.

“Hahaha…well said!”

Zhu Yuanzhang patted Zhu Kai's shoulder vigorously. He felt that expressing his satisfaction with Zhu Kai with words would seem a bit fake, but he didn't know how to express it in other ways. He could only pat Zhu Kai's shoulder to express his approval and happiness for him.

This kid is really to my liking.

"It's approved. When the prince turns fifteen, he must go out for ten days every month to experience the people's life."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes turned, and he immediately came up with an idea: "When they come back from outside, they must write down what they saw and learned outside and show it to us. It doesn't matter what they saw or heard, even if they went to the Qinhuai River or the Qingguan Pavilion, they must write it down for us."

What is "education for all"?

This is what it means to teach everyone!
Going to a brothel requires one to write a review of their experience. Which prince would dare to go there?

Including Zhu Kai, everyone had a look of sorrow on their faces, but when answering Zhu Yuanzhang's question, they answered very clearly and crisply:
"Dad is right, we have to let those younger brothers write!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "Well, you have to write it too."

"Hmm? I have to write it too?"

When Zhu Kai heard this, he realized that Zhu Yuanzhang had not forgotten him, and he immediately said in dissatisfaction:
"Dad, aren't you going too far? I was able to go out before, why should I have to write after they go out?"

bargain?

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't buy it: "How about you write down what you didn't write down when you left the palace before?"

"Uh... forget it then."

Zhu Kai had no choice but to agree.

Seeing Zhu Kai's face full of reluctance when he heard about writing, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and patted him on the head: "Little bastard, I haven't settled accounts with you about potatoes, sweet potatoes, and fishermen yet. Why didn't you tell me about such good things first?"

"..."

Zhu Kai was speechless. It turned out that Zhu Yuanzhang was waiting for him here.

He couldn't help but laugh in his heart: Old Zhu is so narrow-minded. What does it matter if I tell you first or not? Won't you know it sooner or later?

Really, you are so petty.

By the way, looking at Zhu Biao who was standing next to him and didn't understand what was going on, Zhu Kai felt that since he and his younger brothers had all written their reflections, how could his eldest brother be left out?
We are all brothers, so we should be neat and tidy.

"Dad, big brother has to go too, right?"

Zhu Kai said to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Whether you are the King of Wu or the Emperor of Ming, my elder brother has been helping you at home and has been taught by those Confucian scholars. He has long lost touch with reality. You need to let him go out and see the real life of the people."

Looking at Zhu Biao, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help sighing in his heart, but he also agreed to Zhu Kai: "Well, that makes sense, but your eldest brother is too busy, so you can go out for two days every seven days, but you still have to write your experience."

"That's natural."

Zhu Kai said happily: "Brother is our role model and the crown prince of Ming Dynasty. You should write at least 5,000 words, right?"

"We'll see."

Five thousand words?
After hearing this, Zhu Biao glared at Zhu Kai in feigned anger. He felt uncomfortable if his second brother didn't cheat others for a day.

It's true that he likes reading, but to write 5,000 words...

Thinking about his own wrist, Zhu Biao couldn't help feeling tired.

But writing a personal reflections is not what Zhu Biao is confused about now. The most important thing is... why Zhu Kai didn't get beaten today.

Selling official positions and titles!
This is something that only a foolish ruler would do, and Zhu Kai actually proposed that Zhu Yuanzhang do it. Isn't this a slap in his father's face?

But why isn’t Dad angry? Instead, he looks very happy?
Zhu Biao couldn't figure it out.

In fact, Zhu Kai didn't know why his father was so happy. He wanted to use the issue of selling official positions to completely dispel Zhu Yuanzhang's idea of ​​letting him participate in court affairs.

If you do this, you will be a tyrant. Which emperor would dare to do this?

It would be strange if Zhu Yuanzhang wasn't furious.

However, Zhu Kai saw that Zhu Yuanzhang was not as furious as he had imagined!
Instead, he looked very happy, as if one of his wishes had been fulfilled.

Zhu Kai didn't understand the real meaning, but he still took the credit for himself without hesitation. After all, he was the one who proposed it. If he didn't have any credit, he wouldn't have to participate in court meetings in the future, and his freedom would bring him ease. Now that he had the credit, it didn't matter.

Zhu Kai had a lot of ideas in his mind that only a foolish ruler would come up with, and he was sure to make Zhu Yuanzhang annoyed next time.

Zhu Yuanzhang was very happy, but he was also tired, especially after digging potatoes for the whole afternoon. He stretched his body, then stood up and said, "Okay, let's stop here today. Boss, you take me back. Oh, I'm really old and haven't worked hard. I'm not used to working so hard."

"Then I'll go back to sleep too."

Zhu Kai patted his butt and stood up. "I haven't been back to Fengxian Temple for several days. I don't know if Lai Fu, that bastard, has helped us clean up the house... By the way, Lan Yu is still being raised at my second uncle's house. Dad, can I bring Lan Yu back?"

"Go again tomorrow."

Zhu Yuanzhang glared at Zhu Kai fiercely and said, "You bastard, Lan Yu is a general of the Ming Dynasty and the future of the Ming army. Why did you give a dog such a good name? Change it back immediately."

"Haha...I've changed it. Now I'm Miss Lan!"

Zhu Kai answered Zhu Yuanzhang's question with a smile, and before Zhu Yuanzhang could kick him, Zhu Kai had already run away.

With Zhu Kai's departure, only Zhu Yuanzhang and his son Zhu Biao were left in Jinshen Hall. As for Yuan Qi, he was just Zhu Yuanzhang's shadow and could be ignored.

Zhu Biao realized that Zhu Yuanzhang asked him to send him back to the palace because he had something to say.

As a son, Zhu Biao could sense that Zhu Yuanzhang was angry at this moment. He used to think that he was angry at Zhu Kai for speaking without restraint, but now it seemed... his father was angry with him.

Zhu Biao couldn't tell what was wrong, but something was right.

Zhu Yuanzhang walked around the Jinshen Hall twice.

Then he said to Zhu Biao, "Let's go", and then he carried him on his back and walked in front of him, slowly walking towards Kunning Palace.

Zhu Biao also chased after him and said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Dad, I'm sorry, I disappoint you."

At this time, there were only Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao.

The guards and Yuan Qi followed from a distance behind. No one came forward, and no third person would know what they were talking about.

"Disappointed? Not really. Biao'er, you've done very well. It's just... Kai'er is too good."

At this point, Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "Boss, you have to promise me one thing. No matter what happens, no matter who whispers in your ear, you can't let Kai'er leave Yingtian Prefecture to become a fief. His fiefdom is in Yingtian Prefecture."

"Well, that's natural."

Zhu Biao agreed with Zhu Yuanzhang's words. He always felt a sense of estrangement when he was with his other brothers... It was not because they did not have the same mother, but because... when those brothers were with him, they always showed some respect to the 'crown prince' and the 'crown emperor of the Ming Dynasty'.

This kind of respect from his family was not what Zhu Biao wanted.

He prefers chatting with Zhu Kai. They don't care about their identities. It's just a conversation between brothers. They can talk about anything, no matter what. When the two of them chat together, they can have a heated discussion about whether Zhu Yuanzhang used to be a 'beggar' or 'alms collector'. What else can't they talk about?
After taking two more steps, Zhu Biao asked:

"Dad, you agree with my second brother's proposal to 'sell official positions and titles' and 'grant titles to those who transport grain', don't you?"

Zhu Yuanzhang did not answer Zhu Biao's question immediately, but asked him: "What do you think?"

"I think this is not a good idea. Selling official positions and titles can indeed temporarily solve the food problem for this northern expedition, but do we still have to rely on selling official positions and titles to obtain food and fodder in future wars?"

Zhu Biao shook his head and said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Father, you are the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, representing millions of people. You cannot have any stain in their hearts."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not agree with Zhu Biao's words:

"What's there to be afraid of if there's a stain? We're human beings, not gods in heaven. How can we not make mistakes? How can we not have stains?"

Zhu Yuanzhang never cared about what others said about him. He only knew that the one who laughed last was the winner. It was this kind of disdain for fame, turning a blind eye to other people's comments and sticking to his own heart that allowed Zhu Yuanzhang to reach his current position step by step.

There were so many blemishes on him that even among the people there were countless versions of his stories. Zhu Yuanzhang didn't care: "We live in the palace, and the people live outside the palace. The ones who connect us with the people are the scholars and officials. Biao'er, those who followed us to conquer the world in the past have changed their hearts."

Therefore, this bridge cannot be controlled only by scholars!
Otherwise, he would be fooled by court officials like a fool, and then be dragged into the gutter and capsized.

The scholar-officials can be used, but they cannot be trusted.

It is still safer for the Zhu family to use it.

Zhu Yuanzhang continued to say to Zhu Kai: "Today, before Kai'er talked about selling official positions and titles, there was a sentence that touched me. When Kai'er refuted Wang Guangyang, he said that if there is too much grain, the land will be worthless... Did Biao'er understand what this sentence meant?"

This is the real test question.

Zhu Biao had been working in government affairs for many years and had been in charge of Zhu Yuanzhang's affairs for many years, so he had a very thorough understanding of Zhu Yuanzhang's mind.

If there is too much food, the land will become less valuable.

When there are more officials, they become less scary.

With more titles, the status of the nobles is not so unattainable.

hiss……

Zhu Biao suddenly understood the whole story. His father was... killing three birds with one stone!

Ask the wealthy families who have surplus food at home to send the food to the front line. When they complete the task, they will get the title when they return!
Zhu Yuanzhang was afraid of those nobles who followed him to conquer the world!

So we are trying to find ways to weaken their influence!
But now the rebellions inside and outside the Ming Dynasty have not been completely quelled, and Zhu Yuanzhang still has to rely on those military generals.

Just as Zhu Kai said, if there is too much food to eat, the land of the rich will become worthless.

If more people are given titles, will the people still think that these powerful people are superior?
Zhu Yuanzhang has always had an idea in his mind that the emperor and the people should rule the world together, rather than the emperor and the literati as the saints said.

Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to destroy the saint, so how could he flatter them?
The most important point is that with more titles, the status of the rich will be improved, and the status of merchants will also gradually rise...

You know... Zhu Yuanzhang listened to Zhu Kai's advice and prepared to develop business.

Business matters, the Northern Expedition, and weakening the influence of military commanders...

Of the three things, Zhu Kai only mentioned "selling official positions and titles".

It untied the knot that had troubled Zhu Yuanzhang for a long time and perfectly solved all the problems.

"Dad, with so many titles, aren't you afraid of those generals rebelling?"

Zhu Biao expressed his concerns: "Military generals have earned their merits through military exploits. Now you are saying that you can get a title by transporting grain. Aren't you afraid that it will discourage the soldiers?"

"I was afraid before, but now I'm not afraid anymore."

Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have great courage and said to Zhu Biao:

"Now, with Kai'er and you... I'm not afraid anymore. You are the emperor of our Ming Dynasty. Kai'er is the head of our Zhu family and the co-leader of our sons who have been crowned as kings! With him around, our family won't be in chaos. If our family isn't in chaos, then the Ming Dynasty won't be in chaos."

"Dad is right, a harmonious family brings prosperity!"

When Zhu Biao heard Zhu Yuanzhang say that Zhu Kai was the head of the Zhu family, he smiled happily and said, "Dad, you made a wise decision by choosing my second brother as the head of the family."

Logically speaking, Zhu Biao was the crown prince and the future emperor, so he should be the head of the Zhu family.

But when he heard that Zhu Kai was arranged by Zhu Yuanzhang, he was very happy.

Finally I found something for Zhu Kai to do.

How could such a capable person sit idle?
Zhu Yuanzhang expected Zhu Biao's reaction, but he still couldn't help asking: "You don't blame me for not being the head of the Zhu family?"

"Dad, what you said is true. I am so happy that my second brother is the head of the family. He can protect our family well."

"Although my second brother looks like he has nothing to do, I know very well that he wants to do something, but he doesn't want to be constrained. For example, the potatoes that yielded dozens of dan per mu this time, and the sweet potatoes that will be harvested in a while, are all the result of my second brother's hard work."

Thinking of what Zhu Kai had done, Zhu Biao sighed:

"My second brother usually likes cleanliness the most. He often takes out his quilt to dry in the sun and never wears a piece of clothing for more than three days. But the other day when I went to my second uncle's vegetable garden to see my second brother, his clothes smelled sour, but he still had no intention of returning to Fengxian Hall. Today he was still wearing the same clothes, which shows that my second brother has the Ming Dynasty and our family in his heart."

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang also sighed.

I didn't expect that the little kid who I beat with a belt a few days ago grew up overnight.

Zhu Kai has grown up, and Zhu Yuanzhang has resolved one of his worries. What he is worried about now is Zhu Biao.

Kai'er has grown up, but the eldest brother is still young. Can he manage Daming and take over our position?
"We are not worried that Kai'er will not be able to take good care of our family. We are worried about you."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Biao and said worriedly:

"I'm old now, and I don't know how many more years I can sit on the throne. Biao'er, to be an emperor you must not only be kind, but also have ruthless means! You are soft-hearted and not ruthless enough. The civil and military officials in the world are not servants of our Zhu family. They all have selfish motives now. Look at Zhao Yong... He used to be such an upright man, but what about him now? Just because Kai'er's masters are from our old family, he thinks Kai'er is not close to them and wants to drive Kai'er away... There will be more and more people like this in the future. What will you do?"

"Of course I believe in my second brother. He is the person I trust the most! As for me... my second brother is responsible for the killing and decision-making. If he knew my difficulties, he would definitely not sit idly by."

Zhu Biao answered very affirmatively, but he felt that his chips were not enough just by saying it.

After thinking for a while, Zhu Biao suddenly came up with a brilliant idea and said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Dad, why don't you make the Ming Dynasty a vassal state as well, and let your second brother be the common ruler of the world. He said... wherever the sun and the moon shine, it is the territory of our Ming Dynasty, and your second brother is the heroic ruler! Why don't you take a look..."

The second brother is the future head of the Zhu family. He is in charge of his brothers. So...

As an older brother, how can I fall behind?
"What nonsense! We established the Ming Dynasty, and you little bastards despise the throne?"

However, Zhu Yuanzhang was not as furious as expected. Instead, he was very interested in Zhu Biao's proposal: "You are right, but... there are still not enough people and the land is not big enough..."

While speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang already had an idea in his mind.

But he calmly asked Zhu Biao: "Aren't you afraid that your second brother will rebel against you?"

"He is the common ruler of the world, who is he rebelling against?"

Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and thought to himself that his father was not honest.

Dad, if you heard that my second brother was rebelling, I guess your mouth would stretch to the back of your ears, right?

Zhu Yuanzhang felt relieved when he heard Zhu Biao say this. He was no longer sleepy and patted Zhu Biao on the back:
"Come on, let's discuss how to make this little bastard the ruler of the world."

"Dad, if you want to say this, then I won't be sleepy anymore."

Zhu Biao laughed out loud, looking very proud:
"I've had some ideas for a long time, but I haven't been able to realize them yet. Let me tell you about my ideas today."

"Well, yes."

Zhu Yuanzhang felt that his position as emperor was as stable as a rock, and no one in the court dared to rebel against him!

So everything he does now is for the future.

Zhu Biao, Zhu Kai... How do they govern such a vast world?

Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to know, and he wanted to know very urgently.

……

A sneeze!

Zhu Kai was soaking in the bathtub and couldn't help sneezing. Lai Fu wanted to come over to serve him but was driven away by Zhu Kai. He didn't know that his father and elder brother were arranging for him to be the leader of the world, and he was still thinking about what he meant by selling official positions and titles.

Logically speaking, selling official positions and titles is something only a foolish ruler would do. Zhu Yuanzhang was a man of great talent and strategy, so naturally he would not allow any tarnish on his reputation.

But why does Dad look so happy?

It's not that he was worried that Zhu Yuanzhang might be suspicious, but that there were things that Zhu Kai didn't want him to know, but he couldn't control them in his own hands.

Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude was unclear, and Zhu Kai squinted his eyes and thought about what others said.

"Zhao Yong said... my bitch!"

Zhu Kai was shocked. He finally understood why Zhu Yuanzhang agreed with what he said about selling official positions and titles.

He wants to make the title worthless!

There are many turtles in a shallow pond, and big brothers are everywhere.

The titles that those civil and military officials had worked so hard to obtain are being sold wholesale like they are on the street. Who will still look up to civil and military officials?
Of course, those who helped donate and transport grain could forget about getting a title like Xu Da's, or a title like a marquis or an earl. Viscount, baron, lord and other lower-level titles could be obtained by the wealthy. If Zhu Yuanzhang really did this, the factors causing unrest in the world would be reduced by at least 70%.

Perfect!
“I didn’t expect that I’m actually a genius!”

Zhu Kai muttered to himself, and then a painful expression appeared on his face: "Damn it, if I do this, then Dad will always come to me to discuss things. Wouldn't I be as miserable as my eldest brother, sitting on a chair every day discussing things?"

Zhu Kai felt extremely uncomfortable when he thought about being locked in a cage.

"No, I have to summarize the tricks used to cultivate a tyrant. If my father comes to me again in the future, I will use the same tricks as he used to cultivate a tyrant."

Zhu Kai, feeling that he had caused himself a big trouble, decided to take his brothers out of the palace to have some fun in the coming days.

How can you be a good second prince without causing outrage among both humans and gods?

Lying in the bathtub, Zhu Kai pondered:

"If Dad is really planning to sell his official position, he can take this opportunity to make a fortune. No, I have to tell my wife..."

……

In fact, even if Zhu Kai didn't have to think of a way himself, there would be people who would try their best to stop Zhu Kai from participating in the Ming Dynasty's politics.

In the vegetable garden of the imperial city, the second prince Zhu Kai and Duke of Cao Li Zhen, bought seeds from foreign merchants, and actually grew high-yield grains of dozens of dan per mu. When the people heard about it, they all cheered and knelt down towards the direction of the imperial city, begging for such high-yield seeds.

The only people who felt uncomfortable were the nobles, merchants, and landlords of the Ming Dynasty.

They hated Zhu Kai so much that they gnashed their teeth!
He even secretly made a little man in the room, wrote Zhu Kai's name on it, and pricked it hard with a needle.

You guys can produce such high-yield crops, what’s the use of the crops we have at home?

In the past, ten acres of land could feed one person, but now one acre of land can feed ten people. Thinking about the decreasing value of land, the people in the scholar-official class feel heartbroken.

The value of grain was depreciating more and more. When the grain price in Yingtian Prefecture fell sharply, a black hand suddenly appeared from nowhere and started buying up grain in large quantities, buying as much grain as possible.

The price of grain has been falling sharply day by day. The scholars and other people who have grain at home are feeling heartbroken about losing money. Now some young man who didn't know where he came from dares to buy grain in such a big way. How can they just sit there and wait to die?
Cut your losses and run away quickly. If you keep saving like this, you'll lose everything.

Just when the people were cheering and the scholars were gritting their teeth in hatred...

An imperial edict issued by Zhu Yuanzhang came from the Ming Dynasty Palace.

When the Ming Dynasty marched north and was short of food and fodder, if one donated 5,000 dan of grain and had it transported to the front line, one would be awarded the title of lord; if one donated 50,000 dan of grain and had it transported to Beiping, one would be awarded the title of baron; if one donated 100,000 dan of grain and had it transported to Beiping, one would be awarded the title of viscount; and if one donated 500,000 dan of grain, one would be awarded the title of marquis!

Along with this decree, there is another piece of news...

Anyone who obtains the title by donating grain and fodder has everything he deserves, except the compassion money from the Ming treasury.

This is called equivalent title.

When this decree was issued, Yingtian Prefecture was shocked.

Can the title be bought with money?
so easy!

So what are you waiting for?

Hurry up and transport food and supplies to Peking.

Those wealthy families who wanted to obtain the title wanted to transport the grain away... but they suddenly woke up to find that all their grain had been taken away by the mysterious businessman.

Now, with the issuance of Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial edict, the mysterious businessman spread the word again: sell grain.

However, the price of grain is 30% higher than before.

This……

Everyone understood that someone had learned in advance that one could obtain a title by donating grain, and had come out to make plans to get rich.

The literati, landlords, and wealthy classes who had previously sold their meat and grain and ran away were so angry that they cursed at home.

We want to help the Ming soldiers in their northern expedition, but some people are taking this opportunity to make money!

Which bastard actually made a fortune from the national disaster?
All the baronship titles in my family are gone!
Check...

It was Xu Miaoyun from Duke Wei’s Mansion who was doing the grain and fodder business.

Who is Xu Miaoyun?

The fiancée of the second prince Zhu Kai. It was she who helped Zhu Kai take over the shop in Yingtian Prefecture last time.

It’s Zhu Kai again!

The scholars and officials were all furious. The land they held had depreciated massively because of Zhu Kai. Now Zhu Kai, taking advantage of his status as Zhu Yuanzhang's most favored son, got first-hand information from Zhu Yuanzhang and bought grain on a large scale.

This bastard!
There is simply no way out!

No, Zhu Kai is a nuisance, he just wants to cheat them out of their money.

Thinking about their own shops and their own food...all falling into Zhu Kai's hands, the literati, wealthy businessmen, and landlords were filled with hatred.

Because he had a heartfelt hatred for Zhu Kai, he suddenly felt that the villain hidden under his pillow was not enough to vent his anger, so he prepared another one and pierced the villain with holes.

For the senior officials in the court, those whose children were close to Zhu Kai were fine, as they felt that with Zhu Kai around, their future generations would have no worries. However, those officials who had nothing to do with Zhu Kai felt that Zhu Kai was a disaster and must be driven away.

The officials of Crown Prince Zhu Biao's party all felt that Zhu Kai was a nuisance. The crown prince's position was unstable with him, so Zhu Kai had to be driven away. It was not that these officials hated Zhu Kai that much. It was mainly because Zhu Kai was not someone they could control. His personality was too erratic and they couldn't grasp him.

In contrast, Zhu Biao had a gentle temperament and was willing to listen to their words. He was a good emperor who could be controlled.

If you were a senior official in the court, what would you think: an emperor who accepts the advice of his ministers or an emperor who is stubborn and self-willed?
……

In Yingtian City, the ones who suffered the most were Li Shanchang's family.

At the beginning, in order to help Feng Yuting raise money to buy shops and trade routes, Feng Sheng mortgaged his family's 2,000 hectares of land to Li Shanchang's son Li Qi. Now Li Qi went to Feng Sheng with the IOU written when he mortgaged the land, but was turned away by Feng Sheng.

Li Qi was so angry that he vomited blood.

When I mortgaged the land, you called me your good nephew all the time. Now I want the money back, but you say it’s a dead pawn!

Is there anyone who would turn his back on someone like that?

Li Qi thought Feng Sheng was trying to trick him.

Feng Sheng must have known in advance that there was high-yield grain in the imperial city, so he took action in advance.

If my father were also in the court, how could you cheat me?

Li Qi refused to leave and insisted on getting the money back.

The butler of Feng Sheng's mansion met Li Qi outside the door. He answered confidently: "My master wrote a letter to Duke Hanguo, saying that the land belongs to your family and has nothing to do with Duke Song's mansion anymore. Please go back, Mr. Li."

"Okay, you guys are awesome!"

Li Qi was so angry that he tore the mortgaged loan note into pieces. He looked at the housekeeper of Feng Sheng's house and said with gritted teeth, "I will remember this. If you eat my food, you must spit it out with interest! You just wait!"

After saying that, Li Qi left without looking back.

Thinking that his family's assets had shrunk by at least 30%, Li Qi felt as if a piece of his heart had been cut off.

When Li Qi returned home, he saw Uncle Fu, who was with Li Shanchang, coming to see him. He was stunned for a moment: "Uncle Fu, why are you here?"

Uncle Fu looked at Li Qi and said with a smile, "Young Master, the master asked you to go back to Fengyang to discuss something important."

"Dad asked me to go back to Fengyang?"

Li Qi's heart suddenly tightened, and he asked hurriedly: "I, does Dad know about what happened to me in Yingtian Prefecture?"

"How can anything in the world be hidden from the master's eyes?"

Uncle Fu didn't say anything more, "Master, come back with me."

Li Qi didn't dare to disobey Li Shanchang. He was like a defeated rooster: "I know. I'll go back now."

……

The Imperial Palace, inside the Kunning Palace.

Ma Xiuying went to the imperial kitchen to cook. Zhu Biao folded his hands in front of him, helplessly stopping.

Looking at Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Kai chasing each other in Kunning Palace.

Zhu Biao was helpless. One was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty and the richest man in the world. The other was the second prince of the Ming Dynasty with a noble status and the most favored by Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying. He had everything he wanted.

Aren’t these two people of noble status?

But now they are arguing over the unequal distribution of the spoils... no, the unequal distribution of the money.

The cause of the incident was very simple. Zhu Kai keenly realized that the opportunity to obtain the title by offering grain was inevitable, so he asked Xu Miaoyun and Feng Yuting to collect grain in Yingtian Prefecture, preparing to make a profit by buying low and selling high.

But when Zhu Kai was on the move, he discovered that there was another group of people in Yingtian Prefecture collecting food. Upon checking...

The investigation was traced back to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Moreover, the nobles and literati of the Ming Dynasty had not found any trace of Zhu Yuanzhang. They only knew that it was Zhu Kai who was collecting grain. Therefore, memorials impeaching Zhu Kai for profiting from the national crisis were sent to Zhu Yuanzhang one after another.

Zhu Kai is unhappy now. Oh... I will take the blame and you will keep all the money earned. How can this be possible?

At least you should give me half of it, right?

So Zhu Kai went to discuss with Zhu Yuanzhang, saying, "I'll take the blame for buying low and selling high for grain, but we have to split the profits 50-50, right?"
Zhu Yuanzhang was stingy, and Zhu Kai scolded Zhu Yuanzhang as a black-hearted maggot who turned his back on him after making money. Zhu Yuanzhang was furious... So, the two men started chasing each other in Kunning Palace.

As Zhu Kai ran, he complained to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Dad, you are so disloyal. In business, trust comes first, and you have to open eight doors, take in ten and leave six... Only in this way can the business last long. I only want 50% from you, which is not much. Besides, I was the one who told you about making money in business, and you turned your face and ignored me. How disloyal."

"Not being righteous is bullshit!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was scolded by Zhu Kai as a maggot with a black heart!
Although he was angry, he did not lose his mind. He chased Zhu Kai and started arguing:
"How much capital do I have? How much capital do you have? Split it 50-50 with me. Do you have that much capital?"

Zhu Kai was of course not convinced: "I am the one who took the blame for you - and I was only 30% higher, but you were 60% higher. Where in the world is there a businessman as black-hearted as you? Do you know how to cut leeks? You have to cut them one by one. If you cut too hard, the leeks won't grow."

After hearing Zhu Kai's words, Zhu Yuanzhang stopped chasing Zhu Kai and thought thoughtfully:

"Okay, I understand. I'll be gentler when I cut next time."

When Zhu Kai heard what Zhu Yuanzhang said, he thought to himself that this was not good and he wished he could slap himself twice.

The secret of doing business was learned by the good student of Daming again. Zhu Kai thought to himself: "I have to be careful when talking to Lao Zhu in the future. He is the best student who has made the fastest progress in Daming."

It is true that Zhu Yuanzhang was born into a peasant family, and Zhu Kai did not refute it!

But that was in the past, not now. The current Zhu Yuanzhang is a cultured man with a lot of knowledge.

In later generations, netizens on the Internet commented that Zhu Yuanzhang was the most hardworking emperor, without a doubt, and this is not an exaggeration.

He has to lead troops to fight and handle court affairs!
But even such a person never puts down his books. Even at his old age, he still reads until late at night. Now he can write beautiful handwriting and compose good articles.

The most infuriating thing is that Zhu Yuanzhang spent so much time improving himself every day, and after becoming emperor, he worked so hard every day, but he still had many children and grandchildren. He lived to be 26 years old and had 18 sons and daughters...

Such a hardworking person is learning all the time. It is really worth it for his enemies to be defeated by him.

Before, Zhu Kai couldn't believe that one person had so much energy, but now he believed it. Zhu's brain was not comparable to ordinary people. For example, Zhu Kai simply mentioned to Zhu Yuanzhang about doing business to make money, and Zhu Yuanzhang began to work hard on doing business.

For example, this time of collecting grain, and the last time of collecting shops, Zhu Kai did not tell Zhu Yuanzhang about these two things. Zhu Yuanzhang learned it by himself, and did it quite well.

Having such a father, Zhu Kai feels both pain and happiness.

Zhu Yuanzhang, a good student of the Ming Dynasty, would naturally firmly deny that he was a black-hearted businessman. He said to Zhu Kai with confidence: "At most, I can help them transport the grain to the front line, right? Like you said, ten in and six out... Where in the world is there a businessman as good as me?"

"You call this good? The money originally belongs to someone else, how can you say you are helping them transport it?"

Zhu Kai looked at Zhu Yuanzhang who was flattering himself and said with disdain: "Dad, you said you were born in the mud and even begged for food as a monk. I won't believe it even if you kill me. You are just a black-hearted landlord and a stingy miser."

"So many ministers in the court have jointly impeached you, but I suppressed them all. Tell me, how should this account be settled?"

Zhu Yuanzhang would never pay anything, and bargained with Zhu Kai: "If it weren't for us, you would have been driven out of Yingtian Prefecture by now."

"Hmm? Drive them out of Yingtian Prefecture?"

Zhu Kai's eyes lit up!
After making a lot of money, there is such a good thing?

"Then ask them to drive me away. I don't want to stay in Yingtian Prefecture anymore."

Zhu Kai looked very happy, and stretched out his hand to Zhu Yuanzhang at the other end of the table: "Let's split the money you earn 50-50. I don't need you to protect me. Just give me the money and I'll leave."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not expect that his words would hit the mark of Zhu Kai. He widened his eyes and said:
"No money, no money!"

"Dad, you don't do business this way."

Zhu Kai felt aggrieved. "I was the one who told you that you can make money by doing business. You really can't just turn your back on me. Let me tell you... I have a lot of good things in my hands. They were all given to me by the grandfather in my dream. If we can talk it over and split the money 50-50, we can continue to cooperate in business. Otherwise, everything my grandfather told me is mine."

"Your grandpa? That's my dad! What belongs to my dad is also mine."

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't buy it at all:
"You told me to make money by doing business, wouldn't I know that? It's just that I haven't freed up my hands to do it, otherwise how could you make money? Mine, all mine!"

"Alright...you two are making such a scene, wouldn't it be a joke if we let them out in public?"

Ma Xiuying brought in a pot of old duck soup. Zhu Biao quickly ran over to take it and put it on the table. Looking at Zhu Yuanzhang, who was glaring at her, and Zhu Kai, who was indignant, Ma Xiuying was angry and helpless: "You two are really something, father and son. It's just a little money. We are all family, why are you talking about different things? Kai'er... As your parents, won't the family property belong to you when we get old?"

"Mom, this is different."

Ma Xiuying came, and Zhu Kai and Zhu Yuanzhang stopped fighting. They sat down at the table and prepared to eat. After Zhu Kai sat down, he said to Ma Xiuying, "Mom, this inheritance is different from the money you earn yourself. It's like me and my dad. He does his business and I do mine. We are not close to each other. When I become bigger and stronger, you will be proud, right? Unlike my dad, who used my ideas to steal my business and didn't give me a penny after making money. How can you do business like this? Who will dare to do business with him in the future?"

"You can't say that. How much capital do you have? How much capital do we have?"

Zhu Yuanzhang drew a circle with chopsticks:

"Our current shop is equivalent to this palace, and your business is just a Fengxian Palace. The capital is different, so how can we split it 50-50?"

"Then how about four or six? Four or six?"

Zhu Kai looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and said, "Dad, the price can't be any lower. If we fight among ourselves and someone else takes away the leeks, then they will rot in someone else's pot."

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard that someone wanted to do business with him, he immediately became dissatisfied:
"Whoever dares to steal our business, we'll chop off his head!"

Ma Xiuying looked helplessly at Zhu Yuanzhang, who was like a miser, and sighed: "Chongba, let's eat."

"That's right, you chop off people's heads at will. You are doing business, not being an emperor."

Zhu Kai curled his lips, ready to teach this rule breaker a lesson: "Dad, when others compete with you for business, you chop off their heads. This is not doing business, but robbery. Business should be done according to the rules of business. You chop off people's heads at every turn... It's so interesting to fight wits and courage in business. If you rob like this, it's too unskilled and boring."

Doing business requires a battle of wits and courage, that's what makes it fun.

If Zhu Kai just wanted to make money, he should ask Zhu Yuanzhang for a navy.

Wouldn't it be enough to let them fight their way to the Wa Island and dig up the Iwami Silver Mine?

(End of this chapter)