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

Chapter 74 Zhu Kai’s plan for a naughty kid!

Zhu Kai didn't say anything, just listened from the side. By the way, he made an appointment with Ma Xiuying to go and see those girls.

Not long after, Zhu Yuanzhang came in angrily. After arriving at Kunning Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang sat down on a chair and complained to Ma Xiuying angrily: "The boss has been out for so long, and he has not made any progress. It's snowing so heavily, and he actually gave me good news that there will be a good harvest next year! Just like those ministers, they only know how to talk about the past. Why don't they think about how many people will freeze to death or starve to death in such a heavy snow?"

All you know is congratulations...what's the use?

Zhu Yuanzhang was even more worried about the people.

When Ma Xiuying heard that it was a matter in the court, she did not want to say anything, but when she heard Zhu Yuanzhang scolding Zhu Biao, Ma Xiuying immediately retorted: "What's the point of being angry now? It's snowing so heavily, how can you change these things? In the final analysis, it's still because the country is not strong enough. You and Biaoer should have a good talk about how to make the people richer."

As long as the people are prosperous and have money in their pockets, they will be able to solve their own problems when faced with major disasters. This is the fundamental thing.

Zhu Yuanzhang scolded Zhu Biao for being impractical, but Ma Xiuying directly said that it was Zhu Yuanzhang's fault.

Zhu Kai was listening nearby and secretly gave Ma Xiuying a thumbs up in his heart.

If we talk about confronting Zhu Yuanzhang, it has to be Ma Xiuying!
After the argument, Zhu Yuanzhang had no place to vent his anger.

"..."

Is this gunpowder?
I just complained to you, do you have to scold me like that?
Ever since Zhu Kai sent those little girls over, Zhu Yuanzhang's status plummeted. Zhu Yuanzhang often complained about his children, but Ma Xiuying, with her motherly love, did not give Zhu Yuanzhang a chance to defend himself.

This day is simply unbearable!
Looking at Zhu Kai who was watching the fun with a smirk on his face, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately vented his anger on Zhu Kai: "What are you looking at? Rebellious son... I haven't settled accounts with you yet, but all you do is talk about money with your father all day long, money, money, money... Are you obsessed with money? You talk about money in everything you do. You are the second prince of the Ming Dynasty, the head of the Zhu family, and the head of the royal clan. Is this how you work?"

Zhu Kai didn't say anything, but just looked at Ma Xiuying pitifully.

Mom, look, my dad is scolding me again.

Ma Xiuying immediately became unhappy. She had just praised Zhu Kai for his growth after his trip, and she felt sorry for Zhu Kai's weight loss. But when Zhu Yuanzhang came, she contradicted her and scolded Zhu Kai for not doing things well.

This……

"What are you talking about? Kai'er went out to help Biao'er clean up the cancer in Huguang and catch corrupt officials. What did Kai'er do wrong? Now that he's back home, you're scolding him?"

"Zhu Chongba, are you used to scolding others in the court? Do you do the same at home? Biao'er and Kai'er are already outstanding enough, and you are still not satisfied... What is there to be dissatisfied with?"

Ma Xiuying really couldn't understand what Zhu Kai and Zhu Biao did wrong that made Zhu Yuanzhang so dissatisfied.

"..."

Only then did Zhu Yuanzhang realize that he had hit a wall.

Ma Xiuying is now very protective of her own son and doesn't give anyone else any chance. Even if Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to refute, he has no chance at this moment.

Think about it again, the reason why Ma Xiuying became what she is now is because of those girls sent by Zhu Kai, right?
Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry!
I really want to beat my son to cheer him up.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt relieved when he thought that Zhu Kai had returned. With Zhu Kai, a tough and rebellious son, around, he wouldn't have to let Zhu Di take the beating for him.

Zhu Di was still young after all, and was not very good at fighting. In addition, he was a little young, so when Zhu Yuanzhang attacked Zhu Di, he would always hold back carefully, for fear of hurting Zhu Di.

But now everything is fine, Zhu Kai is back.

Zhu Yuanzhang's heart began to become manic again.

Looking at Zhu Kai who was watching the fun nearby, Zhu Yuanzhang laughed: "Sister is right, Kai'er... has really grown up! Haha..."

The last chuckle sounded like a fake smile. When Zhu Kai saw it, he immediately realized something. He already knew that Zhu Yuanzhang would never let him go.

But what does it matter?

Zhu Kai looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and smiled slightly, then said silently in his heart: "Dad, our fight has just begun!"

At night, Zhu Kai returned to Fengxian Hall and saw his fifth brother Zhu Di waiting outside the hall. Upon seeing Zhu Kai coming back, Zhu Di ran towards him as if he had seen a savior and said, "Second brother, you are finally back... Your fifth brother has missed you so much these days."

He really wanted to do so. After all, if Zhu Kai didn't come back, it would be Zhu Di who would be beaten.

"Brother, do you know that during the time when you and the eldest, third, and fourth brothers were away, our father was really cruel. He beat me alone and almost made me depressed. I don't know what was wrong with my father. He even checked my homework. If I couldn't memorize it, he would beat me. If I couldn't memorize it, he would beat me. In the end, I memorized it, and he even said that I stuttered when reciting the Analects, and I should be beaten too..."

Zhu Kai didn't seem to understand the reason, and instead said to Zhu Di: "Fifth brother, you know that our father likes to beat his sons. Now that the four of us are not here, you are the only one in the palace. If he doesn't beat you, who should he beat? Your sixth brother is so good at studying and doesn't cause trouble, so you are the most suitable one."

Hearing Zhu Kai's words, Zhu Di seemed to have thought of something, and said to Zhu Kai thoughtfully: "Second brother, from what you said, it seems that it is because I did not train my younger brothers well, right?"

If my younger brother starts to act up, how can my dad pay attention to me?

Zhu Di seemed to have found the door to a new world, and kept pulling Zhu Kai to ask for ways to make his brother more naughty.

Zhu Kai naturally taught the child in whatever way he could. It was difficult to make a child obedient, but it was a simple matter to train a naughty child.

Zhu Kai is the best among the naughty kids. Is he still afraid that he won’t be able to raise a naughty kid?
……

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't know about Zhu Kai's "naughty kid" plan, and he was thinking about how to beat Zhu Kai.

The Chinese New Year is just a few days away. It is inappropriate to beat children during the Chinese New Year. They should be beaten as soon as possible!

On the twenty-fifth day of the first lunar month, Zhu Yuanzhang called Zhu Kai to Wuying Hall, and after he stepped back, he asked Zhu Kai directly: "Do you understand everything that Tang He told you? What you said makes sense, but I don't quite believe what you said. Tell me, what do you want?"

What I am talking about is the establishment of the Jinyiwei.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't believe that Zhu Kai would be so kind to help him. This guy was the kind of person who wouldn't release the eagle until he saw the rabbit. He must have seen some benefits, so he came out to make arrangements in advance.

Thinking about the decision he made and how much money Zhu Kai had earned... Zhu Yuanzhang felt heartbroken just thinking about it.

Zhu Kai must have seen some benefits in the establishment of the Jinyiwei, so he took the initiative to help Tang He. Zhu Kai had a big appetite, and Zhu Yuanzhang didn't believe that he could be satisfied just by taking advantage of Tang He.

After all, it is he and Zhu Kai who have to negotiate the terms in the end.

After hearing what Zhu Yuanzhang said, Zhu Kai immediately said, "Dad, look at what you said. We are both named Zhu. Do we need to talk about money? Uncle Tang said that you can't write two Zhu characters with one stroke. It was only after hearing what Uncle Tang said that I suddenly realized how wrong I was before."

"is it?"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Kai in surprise.

This guy stopped talking about money and started talking about feelings?
After Zhu Kai went out for a trip, has he really grown up?

Zhu Yuanzhang said that he didn’t believe this was true. Are they going to talk about feelings now?

"Are you really awake?"

"Ah."

Zhu Kai nodded vigorously and said to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Dad, we don't talk about money."

"is it?"

Zhu Yuanzhang held out his hand and said, "Then return the money you took from us. We will record every penny for you. Not a penny less will be accepted."

"..."

Zhu Yuanzhang is still as stingy as ever.

He wanted to take back the money he had already given away...The only person in the world who could do such a thing was Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Dad, how can I ask for the money I gave away back?"

Zhu Kai looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, saying that he did not follow the rules: "I won't give you the money, but I can spend it for our Ming Dynasty and for my father's Jinyiwei."

Hearing Zhu Kai's words, Zhu Yuanzhang was reluctant and even looked down on him: "You rebellious son, you have a good plan. You took the money I gave you and used it to do the work of the Jinyiwei. Isn't it the same as me spending my own money?"

After being taken advantage of by Zhu Kai twice, Zhu Yuanzhang learned his lesson. He did not believe a word of Zhu Kai's excuse that he did not want money: "Let's talk about money and things, don't do these useless things. Besides, you said you don't care about money...but you don't even want to return my money to me. How can this be called growth?"

"Dad, I can give you the money, but are you sure... can you get anything done with that little money? If you want to train the Jinyiwei into a comprehensive intelligence team, it will cost more than tens of millions!"

Zhu Kai explained to Zhu Yuanzhang, "I will not only spend your money, but also spend all the money I have now and the money I will earn in the future. Dad... You must know that this money is not a small amount. I will invest even the income of the next ten or twenty years. You must know how much money I have to spend, right? Based on the income of three million taels of silver a year, it will be thirty million taels in ten years and sixty million taels in twenty years. Moreover, your son's business will grow in the future, and the money will only be more than sixty million taels! Don't you agree?"

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't know how to do business. He just watched Zhu Kai do business and followed his example. Zhu Yuanzhang was obviously frightened by the numbers Zhu Kai said. He immediately asked in surprise, "Does it cost so much?"

"Of course, this is the Jinyiwei who monitors the whole country, and it cannot be limited to the territory of the Ming Dynasty, but also the surrounding areas. All places where the sun and the moon shine, the Jinyiwei must monitor."

Zhu Kai continued to paint a rosy picture for Zhu Yuanzhang, "Dad, how much do you think it will cost to monitor the whole country?"

“That’s a bit much.”

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard that he had to spend so much money, he immediately said distressedly: "Kai'er, the Jinyiwei, we just want to monitor those disobedient people and find evidence of their crimes. It's not as complicated as you said. Otherwise, you can return the money to us, and Dad will not let you participate, okay?"

After saying this, Zhu Yuanzhang stared at Zhu Kai, and Zhu Kai immediately understood what Zhu Yuanzhang meant.

This old guy is still worried now.

Just want the money back.

dream!

"Okay, I'll ask my wife to settle the bill and send the money to you later."

Zhu Kai curled his lips and said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "If I hadn't seen that you and my elder brother were very tired, I wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess. Jinyiwei, the Supervisory World... the civil and military officials don't like me in the first place. If I did this job, wouldn't they scold me to death?"

Zhu Kai pretended to be disgusted and said that he would not do this job anymore and would never take it over again. As for whether it could be done in the end and who would do it, it had nothing to do with Zhu Kai.

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard that Zhu Kai was going to quit, he immediately realized that it would be an difficult job to be a Jinyiwei.

But what if... Zhu Kai is just pretending?

What should I do if he just wants to cheat me of my money?
But, there is no such way to cheat people out of money. He clearly wants me to pay for it myself and doesn’t even let me invest a penny… Zhu Kai doesn’t want anything, what can he use to cheat my money?
Zhu Yuanzhang had never seen such a trick. He didn't ask for a penny and even invested money into himself. How could there be such a trick to cheat people out of money?

It’s definitely not a trick. Zhu Kai must have really grown up. He is no longer obsessed with money, but wants to help more people.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang forgot about asking Zhu Kai for money just now, and looked at Zhu Kai angrily: "You rebellious son, why is it so difficult for you to do something? If you really want to do something, would I not give you money?"

Facing Zhu Yuanzhang's unreasonable words, Zhu Kai was speechless. He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang helplessly and asked, "Dad, do you want me to do it or not? Please give me an answer, otherwise I will have to guess all kinds of things. How can I guess what you are thinking?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that his nose was crooked. If you, a rebellious son, hadn't been cheating me all the time, would I have to be so cautious?
When Zhu Yuanzhang thought of the good things Zhu Kai had done, helplessness was written all over his face.

It’s all this rebellious son’s fault!

Looking at Zhu Kai who looked aggrieved, Zhu Yuanzhang directly scolded him: "When did I tell you not to do it? It's you who don't want to do it, and you're blaming me?"

Before he figured out how Zhu Kai made money, Zhu Yuanzhang had to let Zhu Kai continue doing the work. Only by doing it continuously could he see clearly what Zhu Kai's plan was.

At worst, when Zhu Kai becomes successful, I can just find a way to copy his business, right?
Anyway, Zhu Kai doesn’t have as much money as I do.

After Zhu Yuanzhang made up his mind, he asked Zhu Kai: "Tell me, what do you want to do?"

"Dad, this is what I think. Aren't Jinyiwei your tools for monitoring the world? But training professional intelligence personnel and professional assassins requires a lot of manpower and material resources, as well as money..."

Zhu Kai said to Zhu Yuanzhang, "But they need an identity that stays on the surface, and they also need a place to gather intelligence, summarize intelligence, and sort out intelligence at any time. So I plan to set up a business in every prefecture and county. From small things like needles and thread to big things like salt, iron, and grain, all will be sold through this business. This is a department store..."

Zhu Kai called all grocery stores state-owned by the Ming Dynasty, paid all the taxes required, and used the remaining money to train professional talents for the Jinyiwei and to meet their expenses in obtaining intelligence.

After talking about his plan, Zhu Kai's face was filled with discomfort: "Dad, this money is all mine. Just think about it... How difficult are the first few steps? How much money will it cost?"

"Well, you're right, it does cost a lot of money."

They also had to pay taxes, train talents, and pay salaries... Although they didn't know the exact figures, when Zhu Yuanzhang thought about the expenses, he knew it must be a very large expense.

Fortunately, I have Zhu Kai, a sucker, to help me spend money.

Zhu Yuanzhang lowered his head and began to think about the rationality of Zhu Kai's suggestion. After thinking for a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes immediately lit up: "Kai'er, do you think you need a workshop for your needles, thread, iron, salt, grain, etc.?"

If you build these workshops yourself and recruit enough farmers to the workshops, you can then sell the produced goods to department stores. You don't have to worry about a backlog of goods in your workshops.

How could Zhu Kai not know what Zhu Yuanzhang meant?
While secretly thinking that Old Zhu was really good at taking advantage of every opportunity, Zhu Kai howled, "Dad, what do you mean by this? Not only did you not invest a single cent, but you also want to make money from your son? This, this... How can there be a father like you in the world?"

Seeing the expression on Zhu Kai's face, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately realized that he had made the right move. He smiled and put his arm around Zhu Kai's shoulders, asking him to sit on the steps with him: "Kai'er, how can you say that? If you go find other workshops, won't the money be earned by others? We are still father and son, and we are both from the Zhu family. You just said that you can't write two Zhu characters with one stroke, so don't worry about these details. If you need money in the future, you can come to me for it. How can I not give it to you?"

Zhu Yuanzhang made it clear that he wanted to cheat Zhu Kai. Zhu Kai would not be wronged. He said to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Dad, you can't do this. I won't earn a penny if I do this, and I have to take out all my savings. You are cheating your son."

"Nonsense, where did we trick you?"

Zhu Yuanzhang had a stern face and didn't want to talk to Zhu Kai about making money: "This money is either mine or yours. Anyway, it belongs to our Zhu family. What's the big deal?"

"I don't care. I want to take part in your workshops, too."

Zhu Kai held up three fingers, "I don't want much, just 30%!"

"Money, money, money, you only know how to ask for money!"

Zhu Yuanzhang angrily slapped Zhu Kai on the head, "Didn't you just say you didn't want money? Now you want to take advantage of it?"

"I saw that my father and elder brother were working so hard, so I wanted to do my best to show my appreciation. But you are now trying to trick your son."

Zhu Kai's face was full of grievance, "Dad, you can't cheat me like this. I am your son after all. If I have no money in the future, will you let me starve?"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said, "No, I have something to eat, how can I let you down?"

Zhu Yuanzhang felt so comfortable looking at Zhu Kai's aggrieved expression.

Zhu Yuanzhang had always been cheated by Zhu Kai, but now he finally got his revenge. How could he not be happy?
As a father, I have been in the industry for two years longer than Zhu Kai. How can I keep making mistakes because of Zhu Kai?
Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help feeling proud inside. The more he looked at Zhu Kai's aggrieved expression, the more aggrieved he felt.

Boy, you are too naive.

You want to take money from me? No way!

There's no window left for you!
"Kai'er, you are still young and need more experience."

Zhu Yuanzhang said to Zhu Kai earnestly, "I have suffered a lot from you, but I know that every failure makes you wiser. Haha... Our fight this time is just a clash between businessmen, and has nothing to do with anything else."

After hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Zhu Kai seemed to put down the burden in his heart: "Yes, Dad... You are right, you win this time."

"But, Dad...you have to leave some soup for your son, right?"

"How about this... Dad, can I ask the department store to organize a caravan to transport supplies in your workshop? Think about it, Dad. This company is very big and has branches all over the country. The amount of goods needed is not small. I will organize a caravan to transport the goods. The freight... Dad, you have to let your son earn some money."

"Let's go!"

Zhu Yuanzhang had just cheated Zhu Kai, and his self-confidence was overflowing, but he still said to Zhu Kai: "You can't ask for too high a price for this transport product."

"Don't worry, Dad. It's 10% lower than the market price. After all, it's our family's business. How can I charge more?"

After Zhu Kai finished speaking to Zhu Yuanzhang, he was still a little hesitant: "Dad, I still feel that this business is a loss. You see... we only have a verbal agreement, and it is not written in black and white. We can still discuss it, right?"

"Discuss? What is there to discuss? A man's words are spoken and cannot be taken back. You are the son of our Zhu Yuanzhang, how can you change your mind just like that?"

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up impatiently and said, "Let's write it down in black and white and stamp it with our seal. Is that all right?"

"Dad... we can't do this. Aren't you betraying your son?"

Zhu Kai was still nagging in Zhu Yuanzhang's ear, but Zhu Yuanzhang was happy and he didn't care about Zhu Kai's nagging.

Not long after, a cooperation agreement with Zhu Yuanzhang's seal was freshly released. To be on the safe side, Zhu Yuanzhang also made two copies, one for Zhu Kai and one for him, both of which were stamped with his seal.

In this cooperation agreement, Zhu Yuanzhang gave Zhu Kai full authority to manage the department store and the caravan without adding a penny, and the workshops belonged to Zhu Yuanzhang... Maybe Zhu Yuanzhang felt that it would be bad to cheat Zhu Kai too much, and Zhu Kai needed to spend a lot of money to train Jinyiwei professional intelligence personnel, so he was very generous and let Zhu Kai settle the workshop fees every six months. "Here you go!"

Zhu Yuanzhang handed the cooperation agreement with his seal to Zhu Kai. Seeing the aggrieved expression on Zhu Kai's face, Zhu Yuanzhang was very annoyed: "Get out, get out! You rebellious son, you are so reluctant to do some work, do you believe I will beat you up?"

Having said that, Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and prepared to look for his belt.

"Great! You're really great!"

Zhu Kai gave Zhu Yuanzhang a thumbs up.
"I admit it today. A man should stick to his word. But next time... I will definitely not be fooled!"

"Dad, you are becoming more and more cunning! I am convinced!"

Hearing Zhu Kai's resentful words, Zhu Yuanzhang laughed proudly: "Hahahaha, you rebellious son... you are still too young. What hasn't your father seen? You still want to trick me? Go and have fun!"

"Boy, learn from us, you are still far from it!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was so proud. Zhu Kai gave a thumbs up and walked out: "Dad, don't regret it!"

"We regret it?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, "If I regret it, I won't be your father!"

"Row!"

After Zhu Kai finished speaking, he took the paper with Zhu Yuanzhang's cooperation agreement stamped on it and left.

After leaving Wuying Hall and walking a long way to make sure that Zhu Yuanzhang could not hear him, Zhu Kai took the cooperation agreement signed with Zhu Yuanzhang and read it over and over again.

Hahahaha...

You old fox, you still want to cheat me?

No matter how cunning the fox is, it can't beat a good hunter!
Dad, if you regret it later, don't blame me for turning against you!
Can Zhu Yuanzhang’s workshop make money?
can!
But his throat was strangled by Zhu Kai.

If you want to sell goods to me, that’s fine, but the price cannot be too high. If you don’t agree, I will look for other workshops to cooperate with.

Freight transportation...this is the logistics of later generations.

Moreover, it is logistics with official seal, which means it is the official post office. If Zhu Yuanzhang wants to leave Zhu Kai aside and do the logistics himself, I’m sorry... Official certification is more influential and convincing among the people.

The most important thing is that Zhu Yuanzhang handed over the cash flow of the workshop to Zhu Kai, and the settlement was made every six months... If Zhu Kai was willing, within half a year, Zhu Yuanzhang's workshop could only become a puppet of Zhu Kai's business.

Is there any business in the world that has better cash flow than a department store?

If you buy a room full of goods and sell one third of them, you’ve made back your investment, and the rest is profit.

Old Zhu, you are too inexperienced to do business with me.

Zhu Kai even thought that when his business grew bigger, he would set up a bank, and when the time came, he would use a piece of paper to settle the accounts, and all the money would be in the bank.

Humph... Zhu Yuanzhang was busy here and there, until in the end only a piece of paper was left.

Just thinking about it makes me feel satisfied.

Zhu Kai also became more convinced that Zhu Yuanzhang was the biggest leek in the world, and the more he was cut, the more vigorous it would grow.

satisfaction!

In the evening, after finishing his official business, Zhu Yuanzhang returned to Kunning Palace humming proudly.

After tricking Zhu Kai, Zhu Yuanzhang felt better for the whole day.

Ma Xiuying looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and could clearly feel his happiness. While serving him porridge and pickles, Ma Xiuying curiously asked, "You are so happy today, too. Did something happy happen to you?"

"Nothing, just a fool."

Zhu Yuanzhang drank a mouthful of porridge happily, and suddenly realized that something was wrong with Ma Xiuying's words: "So happy... Why, is there anyone else as happy as me today?"

"Kai'er."

Ma Xiuying said with a smile, "You two are indeed father and son. Even your happy moments are the same."

Zhu Yuanzhang, who was picking up pickles, suddenly stopped his chopsticks above the plate: "Kai'er is happy? The same thing that makes me happy? What is it?"

"Didn't you say that you cheated a fool today? Kai'er also cheated a fool today."

Ma Xiuying's gossip fire flared up. "Tell me, what kind of sucker was this to be tricked by you two?"

"..."

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly felt that the porridge in his hand and the pickles on the table were no longer fragrant.

He thinks Zhu Kai is a sucker, so who Zhu Kai thinks is the sucker is... us?

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't even drink the porridge. Zhu Kai was obviously cheated by us, so why did he say that he was taken advantage of?

I don't understand.

Zhu Kai has to invest so much money, and that money is real money.

But Zhu Kai, why do you say that you have been cheated?
Zhu Yuanzhang was basically certain that the sucker Zhu Kai was talking about was himself, but Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't figure out how Zhu Kai made money.

This is just like the Penguin Empire in later generations. Every time you draw a lottery, you can win a very rare limited skin with 10 yuan. Many players go to the lottery with the intention of making Xiao Ma Ge poor, but Xiao Ma Ge gets richer and richer.

Oops, what's going on?

Zhu Yuanzhang racked his brains but couldn't figure out how he had become a victim. After thinking for a long time, he was unwilling to give up. He stood up and walked out without eating. "Yuanqi! Yuanqi... call the Earl of Chengyi over here. I have something to ask him!"

Liu Bowen did not expect why Zhu Yuanzhang called him in the middle of the night, but Yuan Qi was waiting in person at the palace gate. Liu Bowen immediately realized that Zhu Yuanzhang called him to the palace at night and it seemed that something serious was going on.

"Mr. Liu, come here... let me tell you something."

Zhu Yuanzhang hurriedly pulled Liu Ji to sit down, took out the cooperation agreement signed by himself and Zhu Kai, and told Liu Ji the whole story.

Of course, Zhu Yuanzhang concealed the affairs of the Jinyiwei and mainly talked about department stores, logistics, and workshops.

After finishing the story, Zhu Yuanzhang asked Liu Bowen, "This is what happened. Mr. Liu, please help me analyze it. Did Kai'er take all our money?"

"Hearing what Your Majesty said, it seems that the Second Prince earns a lot of money."

Liu Bowen pointed to the agreement in the cooperation agreement and then said, "Your Majesty needs to make a clear calculation with the Second Prince about the goods transported by the caravan. You cannot let him calculate it all at once. You need to calculate it in batches. The settlement cycle for this money is a bit long. I think it is more appropriate to settle it every three months. Otherwise, it will take too long and the amount of money Your Majesty needs to invest in a short period of time will also increase. Three months is more appropriate."

After hearing Liu Bowen's words, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him in confusion: "That's it?"

"Yes, that's the profit."

Liu Bowen looked at Zhu Yuanzhang. He didn't know what Zhu Yuanzhang was confused about: "These are all profits that are exposed. They can be checked in the market."

I really don’t understand why Zhu Yuanzhang called me to the palace late at night.

I can't figure it out and I don't understand it.

The profits that Liu Bowen mentioned were all the profits that Zhu Yuanzhang could think of, but he didn't think these profits were useful. After all, he still had to support the Jinyiwei, a gold-devouring beast. If it was just these profits, Zhu Kai would not be able to make any money.

However, Zhu Kai said that he had been cheated today.

Could it be that the victim Zhu Kai was talking about was not me? But someone else?

Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang turned around and asked Yuan Qi: "Yuan Qi, did Kaier meet anyone else today?"

Yuan Qi immediately responded: "Your Majesty, the Second Prince only met with Your Majesty and the Queen today, and did not meet anyone else."

No...the victim couldn't be Ma Xiuying, it could only be myself.

However, even Liu Bowen could not see the profit in it, so where did the suckers that Zhu Kai mentioned come from?

Could it be someone else?
Zhu Yuanzhang sat in a chair and thought carefully, imagining where he had made a mistake. Liu Bowen watched Zhu Yuanzhang from the side. Based on his understanding of Zhu Yuanzhang, he seemed to have guessed why Zhu Yuanzhang had called him over.

His Majesty the Emperor is probably... scared by the Second Prince's betrayal.

But Liu Bowen had to admit that when it came to doing business, few people in the world could compare to Zhu Kai.

Zhu Yuanzhang... forget it, he was just a farmer and knows nothing about doing business.

Liu Bowen didn't think Zhu Yuanzhang was capable of doing business. He believed that Zhu Yuanzhang was only suitable to be an emperor and could not do anything else.

If he just behaved like an emperor, and then left the business to Zhu Kai, and let the official affairs be handled by the literati, wouldn't that be the end of it?

A hundred years later, Zhu Yuanzhang still has a reputation as a good emperor.

But how could Liu Bowen know that Zhu Yuanzhang, the old father, was obsessed with the "sucker"?

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't afford to be worse than his own son in business and was treated as a sucker by his son. He couldn't afford to be embarrassed.

"Impossible, there must be something fishy going on here."

Zhu Yuanzhang was sure that Zhu Kai was just taking advantage of him, and there must be something he couldn't see. He said to Liu Bowen, "Go and discuss this with Shen Sen. Oh... Shen Rong and Biao'er have also returned to Yingtian. You two can help us find out what's going on here!"

There must be something wrong!

Zhu Yuanzhang might not trust Zhu Kai in other matters, but when it comes to doing business, Zhu Kai's "cheating" behavior has never failed.

Moreover, Zhu Kai took out the money himself. That stingy miser took out the money himself. What a big hole he dug for himself!

No need to ask, there must be a problem!
No problem, he wrote the red characters backwards!
"Investigate. We must find out the problem."

Zhu Yuanzhang gave Liu Bowen a direct order: "If we can't find the problem, you are the one to blame!"

"..."

What is this called!
You can't beat your son, so why do you take the blame on me?
Liu Bowen despised Zhu Yuanzhang's behavior from the bottom of his heart, but Zhu Yuanzhang was the emperor after all, so Liu Bowen couldn't complain directly.

"As your majesty wishes!"

If you ask me to check, I will do it. Don't blame me if I can't find anything.

If you want to blame someone, blame your son. He is such a monster.

……

Soon, Liu Ji and Shen Rong and Shen Sen, father and son, explained the matter clearly, and the conclusion they came to was almost the same as what Liu Ji had told Zhu Yuanzhang before.

I didn't make any money at all.

This money basically does not exist.

Is this what is going on?
Why does Zhu Kai say that he makes a lot of money?
Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't figure it out. Even on New Year's Eve, during the grand gathering in the harem, Zhu Yuanzhang pulled Zhu Kai aside and asked, "My rebellious son, tell your mother, did you cheat someone? Tell me... how did you make money from the department store and the caravan?"

"Making money? Dad, are you overthinking this?"

Zhu Kai curled his lips, then took out the cooperation agreement that he had been holding in his arms: "How about we switch? You run the department store and the caravan, and I run the workshop, okay?"

"..."

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his hand, but finally put it back with great hesitation.

Something was wrong, very wrong.

Zhu Kai's reaction was really different. If he could make money from this opportunity, he would definitely not say it directly, but would hide it from himself.

So when he talked about money before, was he planning to cheat people?
Zhu Kai deliberately told Ma Xiuying that he had cheated a fool, and then deliberately let me know through Ma Xiuying, so that I could cancel the agreement and he could pass the blame...

That might be it!

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately became alert. He had finally managed to trick Zhu Kai, and he couldn't ruin the opportunity just because he thought too much.

It shouldn't be like this!
"No need, just do it yourself."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said to Zhu Kai: "If you need money, just tell me and write me an IOU, and I will lend you the money."

"No need, I still have enough money to deal with Huguang."

Zhu Kai said to Zhu Yuanzhang, "I will run the business in Huguang for a while, and then I will open the business to Beiping. We will go to war next year, so it is appropriate to open a department store in Beiping."

"Well, it's up to you."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and drove Zhu Kai away.

Zhu Kai returned to Zhu Biao's seat. Zhu Biao gave the beef on his plate to Zhu Kai and asked, "Second brother, why did Dad look for you again? I heard that you made our dad very angry these days."

"Nothing. My father wanted to cheat me in business, but I didn't expect that I would be the one who got taken advantage of."

Zhu Kai said to Zhu Biao with a smile, "Brother, you have to be more careful in the future. Our father is more cunning than a monkey now. You have to be careful and don't be fooled by him."

Zhu Biao glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang, but found that Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes immediately glanced to the other side. But after a while, his head turned again, and seeing that Zhu Biao was still looking at him, he immediately turned his head away again.

"Well, my second brother's reminder makes sense. I will be more careful next time."

Zhu Gang, who was sitting next to Zhu Kai, immediately leaned over to Zhu Gang after hearing the conversation between Zhu Kai and Zhu Biao, and said, "Third brother, just now second brother reminded eldest brother to be careful of dad, and said that dad is an old fox."

"Well, second brother is right about this matter. We have to listen to him."

Zhu Chong agreed with Zhu Kai's point of view. "When it comes to dealing with our father, our second brother has the most say. It's right to listen to him."

"Well, Third Brother is right."

……

Zhu Yuanzhang could never have imagined that he would become an example of how to betray his son and be feared by his own children.

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't figure out how Zhu Kai made money, and Liu Ji, Shen Rong and Shen Sen couldn't see any problem either. Although Zhu Yuanzhang had doubts, he couldn't show them at the moment. He could only let Zhu Kai do it and deal with it when he saw the real problem.

Being treated as a fool by Zhu Kai was like a thorn stuck in the throat. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a way to pull it out.

……

The first month of the fifth year of Hongwu.

Before we figure out whether Zhu Kai considered himself a sucker or not, another matter is about to be put on the agenda.

Zhu Kai put on the new clothes made by Ma Xiuying and took his brothers to set off fireworks outside the palace. Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao had already summoned Xu Da, Li Wenzhong and Feng Sheng to prepare for the Northern Expedition.

This was the second Northern Expedition after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang attached great importance to it. He asked Ma Xiuying to help take care of Chang Yuru, while he brought Zhu Biao, Hu Weiyong and other court officials and generals to start planning the Northern Expedition.

They had already made a plan. After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the army would set out. Xu Da would lead 30,000 soldiers from Beijing to Peking to join the army at the front line and head to the border for a decisive battle with the remaining Yuan forces.

Zhu Yuanzhang's strategic deployment for this battle had a very clear purpose: the purpose of this battle was to prevent the remnant Yuan from moving south to cause destruction, and to make the remnant Yuan unable to move south for at least three years.

(End of this chapter)