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

Chapter 73 The real duty of the Jinyiwei! Protecting the Ming Dynasty for generations to come!

Zhu Yuanzhang already knew the harm that land annexation would bring, and he sent Zhu Biao to Huguang to solve the land problem first. With Zhu Yuanzhang's methods, the land problem of the nobles would have to be solved sooner or later, and he might even massacre them. Zhu Kai would not let this bad luck happen to him.

Moreover, with the example of Feng Sheng mortgaging the land, Zhu Kai could not guarantee whether his elder brother Zhu Yuanzhang had received any information and was ready to hand over the hot land to him.

No, I won’t even touch it!
Zhu Kai said to Tang He with disdain: "Give me all the wine you have at home, don't try to fool me with just a few bottles!"

When Tang He heard Zhu Kai's words, a smile immediately appeared on his face.

No land, just wine.

Is there such a good thing?

What's a few bottles of wine? Three hundred hectares of land can be exchanged for ten times the amount of wine.

"Look at what you said. Brother Kai helped me so much, and he only wanted a few bottles of wine. If I continue to fool him, how can I still be a human being?"

Tang He patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Kai'er. I will write a letter and have someone send it to Fengyang as fast as possible. Then I will ask them to take out all the wines in my five cellars and send them to you."

Zhu Kai was satisfied: "This is pretty good."

Tang He was at least a duke, and he was also a wine lover, so how bad could his wine be?
As long as Zhu Kai is satisfied!
But when he stared at Zhu Kai with wide eyes, he found that Zhu Kai had no intention of moving. He instantly understood that Zhu Kai was a man who would not help him until he got the wine.

"Can I just write it now?"

Tang He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and began to write a letter to someone in Fengyang, asking them to send all the wine in the wine cellar to Yingtian Prefecture for Zhu Kai. After he finished writing, he showed it to Zhu Kai and said, "Now you should tell me, right?"

"Easy to say, easy to say."

Zhu Kai put the letter away and asked Mao Xiang to send someone to deliver it. Then he started to talk business with Tang He: "In fact, spying is also a science. One type is war spy, and the other type is non-war spy. I call these two types of spy special agents... people with special working abilities."

Next, Zhu Kai gave Tang He a detailed introduction of the two types of agents, war and non-war, from all aspects. After hearing this, there were only two words in Tang He's mind: trouble!

Isn’t it just killing those people that Zhu Yuanzhang dislikes?

What's the big deal?
Anyway, Zhu Yuanzhang has already given the power, so just catch the person and kill him!

It’s not as troublesome as Zhu Kai said.

But think about it, the intelligence network he set up became Zhu Yuanzhang's killing tool, and Zhu Yuanzhang would also be branded as a foolish and tyrant. However, Tang He had to endure the headache and listen to Zhu Kai.

If Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to kill someone, was it necessary to go through so much trouble?
No need to.

However, if you don't make simple things complicated, how can you save yourself from the fire?

You should not lose a single cent of what you deserve.

Moreover, there is a reason for making the establishment of the Jinyiwei complicated. This personal army of the emperor, responsible for spying and assassination, should not just be a tool for the emperor to eliminate dissidents. It should have a greater role.

For example... the world.

……

"Old Tang, don't think it's troublesome. This team is the emperor's personal army. If we are to do something, we must do it in the most professional way. If we are not professional, how can we be called the emperor's personal army?"

Zhu Kai had already started drinking with Tang He. He held up the wine glass and said to Tang He, "I have finished talking about the work within the Ming Dynasty. The next step is to deal with the outside world... Our army, the emperor's personal army, not only needs to eliminate dissidents, but also needs to share the worries for my father. Let's talk about fighting outside the country."

"Our intelligence department should be divided into two major organizations and four small departments. One for Ming Dynasty and one for outside Ming Dynasty. The two organizations should not interfere with each other. Then, we can divide the internal and external departments into two more departments, one for intelligence and the other for assassination. The two should not be involved with each other and should not interfere with each other..."

Similar to FBL and CLA in the future United States, they use this method very clearly.

Zhu Kai only put forward a general idea. He did not interfere too much in the specifics of how to do things. He just needed to draw up the structure of the team, and naturally there would be professionals to do these things.

Zhu Kai would not underestimate the world, nor would he underestimate Zhu Yuanzhang.

This emperor who was born in a commoner family in Huaixi, in terms of achievements... is no less than the Qin Shi Huang, Han Wudi, Tang Taizong and Song Taizu.

Anyway, all the opinions that should be raised have been raised, and all that remains is to divide the cake.

Zhu Kai drank the wine happily. He seemed to have seen the scene of his products being sold all over the world in the future.

……

Tang He drank some wine and staggered away from Zhu Kai's house. After getting on the carriage, the cloudiness in his eyes disappeared, and he carefully thought about Zhu Kai's words.

After returning home, Tang He had basically sorted out his thoughts. He immediately spread out his pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and told Zhu Yuanzhang everything Zhu Kai had said today about building an intelligence network. He also praised Zhu Kai for his great talent and said he was the most suitable person to be responsible for this work.

The most important thing is that Zhu Kai is very trusted by Zhu Yuanzhang and is also Zhu Yuanzhang's doted son. He is in charge of this intelligence agency and should not have too many restrictions, nor will he be suspected by Zhu Yuanzhang.

After writing the letter, Tang He asked someone to send it to Yingtian by express delivery over a distance of 600 miles and hand it to Zhu Yuanzhang.

After doing all these things, Tang He couldn't help but start analyzing the conversation between him and Zhu Kai tonight. He thought of Zhu Kai's disdain for the land in his hands, and couldn't help but become curious.

There seems to be something wrong with Zhu Kai's reaction.

Zhu Kai is a man who will not release the eagle until he sees the rabbit, and he is also greedy. How could he not care about the land and choose the so-called fine wine?
Even if Zhu Kai invented a grain that could produce dozens of dan per mu, three hundred hectares of land are definitely more valuable than the wine in five wine cellars, right?
What did he think?

Could it be that... land will become even less valuable in the future?

Thinking of this, Tang He thought of another thing. Feng Sheng's family's land was sold to Li Shanchang's son at a low price, and then the news of high grain yield was exposed. Now Zhu Kai sneered at it. Does he have a way to lower the value of the land?
Thinking of this, Tang He's eyes began to change. He always felt something was wrong. It turned out that this was what was wrong.

"No, I have to sell the land quickly. If I keep it, it will be a disaster."

Tang He believed that he must act in advance and sell the land so that the land would not rot in his hands in the future.

But...can it be sold?

Tang He couldn't help but feel worried again.

When Feng Sheng sold the land, he sold it under mortgage, and the price was very low.

It’s not that Tang He didn’t want to mortgage the land, but he was not given the opportunity to mortgage the land now, and he had no urgent reason to need money. He also didn’t dare to sell the land himself. What if it affected Zhu Yuanzhang’s plan?
He believed that Zhu Kai's contempt for land must have been due to some information he received from Zhu Yuanzhang, which happened to be known by Feng Sheng - otherwise, there was no reason why Feng Sheng mortgaged the land while Xu Da's family did nothing.

Logically speaking, if the news that the land was worthless had been revealed in advance, Xu Da's family should have sold the land, but now there is no movement at all, which is very problematic.

This shows one thing: Zhu Yuanzhang did not want outsiders to know that the land was becoming less and less valuable. Feng Sheng was just a blind cat that caught a dead mouse and got some information in advance that was not considered inside information, so he found an opportunity to sell the land.

Thinking of Zhu Yuanzhang... Tang He became more sober. These 300 hectares of land could not be sold even if they rotted in his hands. If they affected Zhu Yuanzhang's plan, he would be in trouble.

Tang He was not stupid, he was just too lazy to think about the affairs of the court. It was for this reason that Tang He gave up all his power and lived in seclusion in his hometown of Fengyang. But even so, Zhu Yuanzhang still did not let him go and considered giving him difficult tasks.

"I really don't want to work!"

Tang He wanted to cry but had no tears. He urgently needed a solution and quickly threw the hot potato in his hand away: "My dear disciple, my teacher's happy life depends on you!"

At this time, Tang He had already started planning a plan to trap his apprentice.

……

Tang He sent Zhu Yuanzhang a letter by express delivery over a distance of 600 miles. Zhu Yuanzhang received Tang He's letter very quickly. After opening it and reading it, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in agreement: "My young tiger is still the best. He can do more than those old guys who follow me!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was very satisfied with Zhu Kai's excellence, but this guy had a bad habit: he was unwilling to work.

He obviously has strong abilities but is unwilling to show them. This is a huge waste for the Ming Dynasty. Would Zhu Yuanzhang be happy to see such a waste?
No!

Zhu Kai must enter the court.

Zhu Yuanzhang was thinking about how to trick his son, but gradually... Zhu Yuanzhang calmed down from his joy, took Tang He's letter in his hand and read it over and over again, and the look in his eyes became more and more confused.

"That rebellious son, is he so kind?"

He helped me without asking for anything in return, and only took the soup and the wine from the five wine cellars. Zhu Kai helped me with such a small profit... This was really not like Zhu Kai's style.

"He clearly knew that I arranged this for him, so why didn't he bargain?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was thinking about what Zhu Kai was going to do, and then the confusion on his face turned into solemnity.

This rebellious son must be thinking about how to benefit from this matter!

Zhu Yuanzhang was very aware of the importance of intelligence, especially in the business field. He did two businesses with Zhu Kai and made a lot of money. How did he make this money?
Didn’t you get the first-hand information from Zhu Yuanzhang?
And what should Zhu Kai do now?
Establish an intelligence network to monitor the world.

The intelligence network represents huge profits.

It represents profits that others cannot obtain.

Such a big piece of cake was placed in front of Zhu Kai, it would be strange if he didn't take a bite.

Zhu Yuanzhang could also leave Zhu Kai aside and figure out the business on his own. Even if he had no business acumen, he still had people like Liu Ji, Shen Rong, and Shen Sen who were very knowledgeable about business.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang always felt that the people under his command were still too weak compared to Zhu Kai. It was not that he looked down on them, but he really believed that Zhu Kai was better than everyone he knew in doing business.

Zhu Yuanzhang even felt that if those civil officials and military generals were tied together and went against Zhu Kai in the business field, he would most likely be sold out and have to help Zhu Kai count the money.

"This rebellious son only knows how to trick us!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was very angry. Zhu Kai was not interested in the vast empire he had conquered. Instead, he argued with Zhu Yuanzhang over every penny of business. Zhu Kai couldn't figure out whether business or the empire was more important.

Unable to guess Zhu Kai's thoughts, Zhu Yuanzhang could not tell Liu Bowen and others about the establishment of an intelligence network to monitor the world.

If Liu Bowen knew about this, he would definitely ask Zhu Yuanzhang to revoke his decision.

Liu Bowen was the most determined among the literati. If he knew about this, would this intelligence network still be established?

So, I still have to discuss it with Zhu Kai.

Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it and wrote a letter to Zhu Kai.

Instead of telling Tang He, he went directly to Zhu Kai to negotiate terms.

The letter to Zhu Kai was very simple: My unfilial son, what conditions do you want to negotiate this time?
The conditions can be negotiated, but if your conditions are too excessive, you'll be beaten.

After finishing the letter to Zhu Kai, Zhu Yuanzhang felt relieved, as if as long as he could negotiate terms with Zhu Kai, the matter would basically be settled.

Now, the most crucial thing is to establish the Jinyiwei.

Zhu Yuanzhang wrote a letter to Tang He, in which he directly referred to this intelligence team as the Jinyiwei.

In charge of imperial guards, patrols and arrests.

Zhu Yuanzhang liked Zhu Kai's plan to professionalize the intelligence team. By then, it would be legitimate to frame people for crimes.

But... Zhu Kai is still too young and has not seen the dark side of society.

Some people are blinded by greed and will use any means necessary. If you simply stand firm on the legal grounds, it is likely that those people will become fearless.

You can't just use open strategies, you have to use covert ones as well!

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang was also prepared to use Tang He's plan.

Gather those professional elites mentioned by Zhu Kai and incorporate them into the Jinyiwei. Use servants and women to monitor them as Tang He said, and treat them as secret agents and peripheries. Some intelligence that cannot be obtained through normal means can be obtained through them to achieve the ultimate goal.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't care whether the means were dirty or not. He just knew that the best means was the one that could achieve his goal.

After writing the two letters, Zhu Yuanzhang gave them to Yuan Qi and asked him to pass them on to Zhu Kai and Tang He. Then he went back to Kunning Palace after get off work. When he saw Ma Xiuying, he complained: "That rebellious son is asking me for money again. This kid is really unlike me. He is obsessed with money."

"What's wrong with that?"

Ma Xiuying was very supportive of Zhu Kai's choice, and said to Zhu Yuanzhang confidently: "Kai'er has no interest in politics, so being a rich man is not bad, and Kai'er's actions will also help enrich the national treasury, right?"

"Besides, Kai'er is kind-hearted. No matter how big his business is, he will never mistreat the people."

Zhu Yuanzhang agreed with Ma Xiuying's evaluation of Zhu Kai, but he felt uncomfortable and wanted to beat his son. However, Zhu Kai was not in Huguang, and Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang had gone to Fengyang and had not returned yet. The eldest child in the family... was Zhu Di.

Thinking about Zhu Di being called "Little Zhu Kai", Zhu Yuanzhang had an idea in his mind...

……

Before Zhu Yuanzhang sent the letter to Huguang, a major event also happened in Huguang.

The investigation of the Xihun Tower caused a huge sensation in the entire Huguang area. Many scholars, wealthy merchants, landlords and other families who could afford skinny horses began to feel insecure, and many skinny horses were driven out of their homes.

However, the skinny horses that were driven out were sent back by local government officials: The prince had ordered that no one could drive the skinny horses away, and since they had been bought, they must stay at home.

Moreover, Zhu Biao also issued an order that only the main culprit in the buying and selling of skinny horses would be punished, and the rest would be innocent.

Few of the thin horses had good origins, and Zhu Biao did this to protect these women.

No matter how bad Mr. Zhu is, those women are innocent.

It was precisely because of the innocence of these women that Zhu Biao hated matchmakers, human traffickers, brothel madams and pimps even more.

If Zhu Kai had not forcibly stopped it, all the brothels in the world would have been banned by Zhu Biao.

Zhu Kai found a very good reason: "Brother, once the brothels are thoroughly investigated, some officials will use despicable means to target the brothels in order to please you and flatter you. At that time, the ones who suffer will still be the brothel women."

Zhu Biao issued an order, and officials in certain places, in order to complete Zhu Biao's order and gain the favor of the prince, would take extremely extreme measures against brothels. And the brothel madams, pimps, and the bosses behind the scenes, in order to clear themselves of any connection and avoid punishment, would also take extremely extreme measures against the brothel girls. At that time, all the sins would be attached to those girls.

After hearing Zhu Kai's explanation, Zhu Biao suddenly understood... My second brother is right. My original intention was to rescue those brothel girls, but if those brothel girls suffer greater persecution because of my order, wouldn't I be doing something bad with good intentions?
However, Zhu Biao could not think of any suitable solution, so he could only ask Zhu Kai.

Zhu Kai didn't have any solution. He simply didn't want Zhu Biao to close down the brothel.

I, Zhu Kai, have an incompatible relationship with gambling and drugs, but I can't let Huang disappear in my hands.

As for the solution, there is none.

Zhu Kai could only say to Zhu Biao: "Brother, in fact, when it comes to the solution, the root of the problem lies in us. Tell me, if we can make sure that all the people in the world have enough food to eat, will they still be willing to sell their children?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao suddenly realized and made a great wish: he must let the people live a good life and prevent them from selling their children, and make his own contribution to saving the women in the world from being confined to brothels.

However, Zhu Biao overlooked one point.

There would be no killing without buying and selling. The people of the world are well fed, and some people are getting richer and richer, so they will come up with more tricks.

"Second brother, tomorrow at noon, I will read out the crimes of Zhu He, the owner of the Soul-Stirring House, in front of the people at the Caishikou, and punish him accordingly. That fellow has committed so many evil deeds that even slow slicing of him would not be too much!"

This shows how much Zhu Biao hated Zhu He: "Second brother, do you want to go with us? After all, it was you who arrested Zhu He."

"Oh, that Mr. Zhu, his name is Zhu He? The name sounds nice, but who knew he is such a wimp, not even as good as Miss Lan."

Zhu Kai got angry when he thought about how Zhu He didn't even put up a fight when he tried to arrest him. You're the godfather of Huguang, so why don't you put up a fight?
"I won't go. It's boring."

With his hands behind his back, Zhu Kai left. He was thinking...how he should sell wine.

Prince Aphrodisiac Wine... No, Prince Health Wine has already started selling, but Zhu Kai is not very satisfied with the sales volume.

However, this brothel can be used.

Anyone who goes to a brothel has some health problems, so selling them some health-preserving wine to help them replenish their body could be a sales channel.

Since brothels cannot be closed down for the time being, it's a good opportunity to make use of them.

"Forget it, if you don't want to go, then don't go. It's just the right time to clean up at home. When we finish the things at hand, we will respond to the sky."

The Chinese New Year is approaching, and Zhu Biao is also eager to return home.

……

Zhu Kai did not go to see the execution of the Huguang godfather 'Master Zhu', but he heard that the scene was quite grand, with the crowd of people stretching for three miles. The executioner cut Zhu He with 124 knives, and Zhu Biao then ordered his head to be chopped off.

The people were very excited about the killing of Zhu He. Zhu He thought he had a good reputation among the people, but in fact he was a beast that the people dared not speak out against. The people wished they could eat his flesh alive!
None of Master Zhu and his men are good people.

Zhu Biao also took this opportunity to greatly increase his reputation, and his prestige among the people of Huguang reached its peak!
Zhu Kai was happy about Zhu Biao's improved reputation, but he was very unhappy when facing Tang He. Tang He, this bastard, actually sold him out.

Holding the letter sent by Zhu Yuanzhang, with the simple words "rebellious son" on it, Zhu Kai knew that what he and Tang He had said had reached Zhu Yuanzhang's ears.

This is a good thing, and Zhu Kai also hopes to let Zhu Yuanzhang know, but when facing Tang He, Zhu Kai couldn't help but taunt: "Old Tang, are you the spy sent by my father to my side?"

After hearing Zhu Kai's words, Tang He immediately realized that he was exposed, but he didn't want to be like Meng Duan, who would be embarrassed if he was found out.

He is thick-skinned and shameless.

Instead, he said to Zhu Kai with a smile: "Brother Kai, what are you talking about? Whether it's you or His Majesty, we both have the same surname. You can't write two Zhu characters with one stroke. How can you say you are a spy?"

"hehe!"

Zhu Kai could only respond with a chuckle to Tang He's words.

He was Zhu Yuanzhang's man and had never changed since the beginning.

However, Tang He was already old, and the wine in the house had been taken away by me. What kind of money could I squeeze from him?

This is a poor old man.

"Lao Tang, you should be thankful that you are poor."

Zhu Kai looked at Tang He and said with a smile: "If you were not poor, you would have been plundered by me."

Being despised by Zhu Kai, Tang He did not feel unhappy at all. Instead, he agreed with a smile, expressed his gratitude to Zhu Kai, and then talked about the letter Zhu Yuanzhang wrote to him.

Zhu Kai cannot be allowed to read this letter, because it contains many things that Zhu Kai opposes, and only he can do it.

"His Majesty said that this intelligence team is called the Imperial Guards, and they are the emperor's personal troops!"

Tang He said to Zhu Kai, "Your Majesty is still going to let you be responsible for what Brother Kai is going to do. As for the rest... I will be responsible."

Zhu Kai was not surprised when he heard what Tang He said, as if this team should be called Jinyiwei.

Seeing how calm Zhu Kai was, Tang He became more confident in his guess.

Sure enough, Zhu Kai already knew the name of this intelligence team.

Zhu Kai ignored what Tang He thought, and said to him: "This is a business between me and my father. Let me and my father discuss it. You don't need to worry about it."

After Zhu Kai prepared to return to Yingtian, he went to talk to Zhu Yuanzhang himself: "The matter of Huguang has been resolved. My brother and I are going to Yingtian to celebrate the New Year. You, shouldn't go back?"

"I won't go back."

Tang He nodded and said, "I won't go back to Fengyang either. I want to stay in Huguang."

He stayed in Huguang and completed the task assigned by Zhu Yuanzhang to form the Jinyiwei.

Zhu Kai had no objection: "Since you have chosen to stay in Huguang, you'd better be careful in your actions. If my eldest brother finds out, you will be in trouble."

"Your Majesty will explain everything to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

……

Zhu Kai wants to answer the sky, but there are some things that Zhu Kai needs to explain.

For example...Jinyiwei.

In history, the Jinyiwei was established in the 15th year of Hongwu, but now, Zhu Kai found a way for Zhu Yuanzhang to deal with the literati and nobles, so he couldn't wait to realize his dream of "the king and the people governing the world together."

Since the Jinyiwei have come out, Mao Xiang and Jiang Li, the future first and second commanders of the Jinyiwei, should also appear in advance, right?
Zhu Kai has enough manpower to complete the construction of the Jinyiwei.

In the evening, after Tang He left, Zhu Kai called Mao Xiang and Jiang Li over as well: "Er Gou, San Gou, you two can no longer be my bodyguards."

"what?"

Mao Xiang and Jiang Li immediately panicked.

Then they became panic-stricken. They had been following Zhu Kai just fine, eating and drinking well, and had been like brothers for a long time. What was going on today?

Mao Xiang and Jiang Li immediately knelt down in panic.

Finally, it was Mao Xiang who spoke first: "Second Prince...ah no, Brother Kai, is there anything I haven't done well enough? You can beat us or scold us, but please don't drive us away, okay?"

"What are you thinking? Why would I chase you away? I have other plans for you."

Zhu Kai stepped forward and kicked Mao Xiang, and kicked Jiang Lin as well: "My father arranged for me to do this job. You guys have been following me for so long, and you still want me to work?"

"Oh oh oh."

Mao Xiang and Jiang Li immediately expressed their loyalty.

"I will let the Second Prince command me! I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Zhu Kai then asked, "Mao Xiang, how is the sales of this Prince Health Wine?"

"It's selling very well. The first batch of 3,000 jars of wine has been sold out, and the second batch will be delivered soon."

When Mao Xiang heard Zhu Kai asking about business matters, he immediately perked up and said with a rosy face, "Your Highness, this health wine...everyone who has used it says it's good. We've attracted a lot of repeat customers because of it."

The price of the health-preserving wine is quite high, but the medicinal materials in it are genuine. Zhu Kai asked the Imperial Medical Bureau for a few prescriptions for replenishing qi and strengthening yang and added them to the wine. Although it is not very useful, after drinking it, he will definitely feel hot all over and full of energy.

"When you make money, don't forget to give half to big brother. This is to help him gain popularity. Don't delay big brother's business."

After Zhu Kai told Mao Xiang about the money, he said to him, "During the New Year, work with Tang He to set up a stall. I want to see a shop belonging to us in every county in Huguang! Remember, every county government must have our own shop!"

"what?"

Mao Xiang didn't understand why Zhu Kai did this, and said with some confusion: "Brother Kai, that's too much trouble, can't we just sell the wine to merchants from all over the place?"

"Who said I only sell alcohol?"

Zhu Kai glanced at Mao Xiang and said, "Selling wine is only a small part of my business. I want to open a grocery store. We will be involved in all the businesses that the people need, from small things like needles and thread to big things like ironware, salt, and grain."

“The most important thing is that the stores opened in various places must be big enough!”

Such a big business needs to be opened throughout the whole Huguang area... Mao Xiang felt a little embarrassed after hearing this. How could he accomplish this by himself?
However, thinking carefully about what Zhu Kai said, Mao Xiang suddenly realized something, and after thinking for a while, he asked Zhu Kai: "Brother Kai, doing business... is it just doing business?"

"No."

Zhu Kai said, "There are some things you are not qualified to know. Once you have done the first step, I will tell you what to do next. San Gouzi... the same goes for you. Once you have done the first step, if you can't even do the first step well, then you will be a lieutenant for the rest of your life."

Mao Xiang and Jiang Li now understood.

Zhu Kai is trying to secure a bright future for them.

Zhu Kai is helping Zhu Yuanzhang. Doesn't this mean that he will be able to show up in front of Zhu Yuanzhang in the future?
Thinking about it, in the Yiluansi, they were just a captain leading ten strong men, with a lot of small flags, general flags, etc. If I hadn't followed Zhu Kai, how could I have had such a good opportunity?
In the past, I could only see Zhu Yuanzhang from afar, but now I have the opportunity to reach the sky in one step.

All of this was brought to them by Zhu Kai.

Thinking of this, Mao Xiang and Jiang Lin became excited, threw themselves on the ground again, and knelt in front of Zhu Kai: "We dare to die for your Highness!"

The two of them were really excited. If it weren't for Zhu Kai, they would never have had the chance to succeed.

"Ah."

Zhu Kai hummed, and then said: "Ergou, Sangou, you two should stay in Huguang to do your work. My brother and I are not here. If you have any problems, you can go to Tang He for help."

Mao Xiang and Jiang Li both responded in unison: "Yes, sir!"

Just as Tang He said before, you can't write two Zhu characters with one stroke. Zhu Kai doesn't care whether Mao Xiang and Jiang Li will follow him wholeheartedly or still recognize Zhu Yuanzhang as their master. As long as he needs it, he has plenty of ways to gather a team loyal to him.

Mao Xiang asked, "Brother Kai, Sangou and I will stay in Huguang, what about your safety? How about Sangou and I escort you and the Crown Prince back to Beijing first, and then we will come back to do things?"

"Need not."

A shadow of a person appeared in Zhu Kai's mind, and then he laughed: "I have my own personal soldiers, my mother... has prepared them for me a long time ago."

……

The personal soldiers that Zhu Kai mentioned.

It’s Zhang Hao!

The son of Zhang Cheng who regards Ma Xiuying as the 'eldest lady'.

Moreover, they protected Zhu Kai more professionally.

There were two guards following him on the surface, but around Zhu Kai, there were no less than twenty figures hiding in the crowd.

These people are not all tall and fat; instead, there are some tall, some short, some fat, and some thin. But they all have one thing in common: they are ordinary.

Blending into the crowd, these people look like ordinary people.

But even among this group of people, if you pick out the weakest one, neither Mao Xiang nor Jiang Li would be his match.

Moreover, these people only obey Zhu Kai's orders!
Even if they were asked to steal, rob, or assassinate people, these people wouldn't even blink.

If they were to do the work of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, they would be more professional.

Zhu Kai knew that the reason why these people were so professional was inseparable from the training of the Forbidden City's top master - Zhang Cheng.

During the turbulent times, Zhang Cheng had always been protecting Ma Xiuying, and had mastered the skills of killing and arson, so assassination was a piece of cake for him.

His two sons were both prepared for Zhu Kai, so Zhang Cheng naturally tried his best to train them and make them Zhu Kai's most capable helpers.

But Zhu Kai was reluctant to put such a good person in the Jinyiwei.

He must have his own power!

Having his own power doesn't mean he has any intention of rebelling, and he doesn't need to rebel. He just wants to do things without being controlled by others.

Think about it, Zhu Kai wanted to do a shady business, and when he needed to hire someone, there was no one around him, so he could only go to Zhu Yuanzhang. But Zhu Yuanzhang was a wealthy landlord, so how could he let Zhu Kai hire someone for free?

Don't you have to try your best to negotiate the conditions?

Just kidding, I would never let Zhu Yuanzhang interfere in something that I am capable of doing.

Lest he covet his purse.

These people are more useful than being Jinyiwei!

They should kill people!
The next day, Tang He met Mao Xiang and Jiang Li, and learned that the two were ordered to stay in Huguang by Zhu Kai. After a little questioning, he found out that they didn't know much, and Zhu Kai kept them in Huguang only to make the first step of the plan.

In every county government in Huguang, a trading company was established with a very simple name: Supply and Marketing Department Store!

The company currently only sells wine and will gradually expand its business scope.

After learning about what Mao Xiang and Jiang Lin had done, a very bold idea popped up in Tang He's mind: The Second Prince participated in the establishment of the Jinyiwei, could it be that he wanted to use the Jinyiwei to do business?
It’s really fucked up to think that the Jinyiwei, who were given special privileges by Zhu Yuanzhang, had to be used for business.

Tang and Xiangxiang both felt sorry for this team.

But what does that matter?

This is the Zhu family's family affair, and I'm just a lousy worker.

Tang He did not refute anymore. Let him be and see what Zhu Kai can do. If Zhu Yuanzhang beats Zhu Kai by then, what does that have to do with Tang He?
……

From Yingtian to Huguang, Zhu Kai could ride his horse without restraint, leaving behind Li You's notoriety wherever he went.

But after returning to Yingtian from Huguang, Zhu Kai could no longer be so unscrupulous. After all, he was accompanied by Zhu Biao, and they were the ones who hated the wanton trampling of farmland the most. Although Zhu Biao loved his younger brother Zhu Kai, there were some things he could not do.

How could Zhu Kai not know this? He could only ride his horse on the official road. Although Zhu Biao wanted to ride with Zhu Kai, he had to stay by Chang Yuru's side and take care of her.

Chang Yuru is pregnant and has been pregnant for more than a month. If it is a boy, he will be the third generation heir to the Ming Dynasty. No one dares to neglect him and must serve him carefully.

When Zhu Kai heard the news, there was only one thought in his mind: The third generation of the Ming Dynasty was born prematurely, is this my fault?
You know, in the original history, Zhu Xiongying did not make his voice heard until the seventh year of Hongwu. If you calculate carefully, the current Zhu Xiongying was born about two years earlier than in history.

Two years... But, it may not be Zhu Xiongying.

After all, Zhu Biao had daughters, but most of these daughters were nameless in history, so Zhu Kai really didn't know the details.

But Zhu Kai also hopes that the child in Chang Yuru's belly is Zhu Xiongying.

Being born two years earlier has its advantages. This way he can grow up two years earlier than in history. This may not be a bad thing for the Zhu family.

……

After stopping and walking along the way, when Zhu Kai and Zhu Biao brought their group back to Yingtian Prefecture, it was already the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month.

Yingtian Prefecture is extremely cold in winter. This year, there was a rare heavy snowfall in Yingtian Prefecture, and everything was covered in silver.

Needless to say, the court officials in the palace began to sing praises, saying that the coming year would definitely be a year of bumper harvest, and all this was thanks to Your Majesty's love for the people like his own children.

What's the point of saying this?

During the Little Ice Age, when food production was not high enough, the best way was... to expand!
Those foolish ministers only knew how to guard the small piece of land and constantly squeeze the people's fat and blood, as if as long as they were alive, the Ming Dynasty would be as solid as a rock.

Simply ridiculous!
Seeing the city wall of Yingtian Prefecture, it was covered with silver everywhere and looked very beautiful. Even Zhu Biao standing next to him sighed repeatedly: Next year will be another year of bumper harvest.

……

Zhu Biao went to see Zhu Yuanzhang, while Zhu Kai went to see Ma Xiuying with gifts, of course... also for the sake of those girls.

When Ma Xiuying saw Zhu Kai, she looked him up and down and said with a sigh, "Kai'er has grown up and matured since he went out, but he has become thinner."

As she spoke, Ma Xiuying patted Zhu Kai on the body and said in a reproachful manner: "You kid, you don't even know how to take good care of yourself when you go out."

"..."

Zhu Kai smiled and didn't try to explain.

There is a feeling that your mother thinks you have lost weight and she will not accept any rebuttal.

Even if Zhu Kai wanted to refute, he had no reason or opportunity to do so.

"Mother, these are the gifts I brought you from Huguang. They are all food. When I was out playing, I met some people and used some money to buy them."

Zhu Kai brought some snacks from Huguang to Ma Xiuying, and said, "There are some more. I asked Zhang Hao to put them in the car. Mother can give them to the children who gave them to you later."

In the end, it still involves the children who were rescued.

This is also one of the reasons why Zhu Kai found a job for Ma Xiuying.

In the harem, Ma Xiuying's family was the only one in power, and Zhu Yuanzhang was deeply in love with Ma Xiuying. Other women were just tools for bearing children. But even so, Ma Xiuying was also worried and troubled in the harem.

In the palace, Ma Xiuying is the Empress of the Ming Dynasty. There are some things she must think about in order to achieve a balance in the harem.

However, this kind of life was not what Ma Xiuying wanted. She just wanted to be the woman behind Zhu Yuanzhang in a low-key manner.

However, Zhu Kai's arrangement hit Ma Xiuying's heart just right. When she had nothing to do, she could go to teach those girls, teach them to read and write, and cook for them. Seeing these little girls smile more and more brightly under her care, Ma Xiuying was also happy.

Ma Xiuying knew that Zhu Kai and Zhu Biao were growing up, and Zhu Yuanzhang was determined to bring these two children into the court and let them contribute to the Ming Dynasty. His own two children had less and less time to spend with him. Now Zhu Kai brought her so many good girls, Ma Xiuying was so happy that she couldn't contain herself.

When talking about these girls, the smile on Ma Xiuying's face never changed, just two words: happy.

(End of this chapter)