Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

Yingtian Prefecture, the Imperial City.

The court assembly at Fengtian Hall had just ended.

Today, Zhu Yuanzhang did not go directly to the East Pavilion to review memorials as he usually did. Instead, he took a detour and headed straight for the inner palace.

He was still wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, and he walked with a swagger.

The eunuchs and palace maids following behind had to jog to keep up, and they didn't dare to breathe too loudly.

The Emperor seems to be in a very unusual mood today.

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, seemingly lost in thought. It was only because of his unfathomable strength and familiarity with his surroundings that he might have actually tripped and fallen.

Soon, Zhu Yuanzhang arrived at the Kunning Palace where Empress Ma was located.

Zhu Yuanzhang paused outside the palace gate, took a deep breath, and then walked into the palace.

The courtyard was very quiet.

You can see that all the eunuchs and palace maids are moving very quietly, as if they are afraid of disturbing the Empress over there.

Empress Ma was sitting on the veranda sewing clothes, with an apricot-yellow undergarment spread on her lap, the needle and thread moving nimbly between her fingers.

Empress Ma looked to be in her early thirties.

Her hair was neatly combed and adorned with only a plain silver hairpin. There were already a few fine lines on her face, but her eyebrows and eyes were gentle, making her look like the mistress of an ordinary household.

Because she had practiced martial arts, Empress Ma didn't look like someone in her fifties at all.

Hearing the noise, Empress Ma raised her head and saw that it was Zhu Yuanzhang. She smiled and said, "So early today... Are you hungry? There's still some porridge warming in the pot."

"I'm not hungry." Zhu Yuanzhang walked over and sat down on the stone bench next to her.

Empress Ma put down her needlework, glanced at him, and asked, "Is something the matter?"

The couple had been together for many years, and they could tell what was on each other's mind with just a glance.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't speak immediately, but took out a secret report from his pocket and handed it over.

Empress Ma took it and unfolded it to read.

Her hand trembled after just one glance.

The secret report was written by Zhu Biao himself, with neat handwriting and clear organization.

First, it explained how the jade pendant was found in the mountain village, how the birthmark was verified, and how the identity was confirmed.

He also talked about the situation of Zheng's adoptive parents, Zhu Hui's life over the years, and his innate superhuman strength, which allowed him to summon axes and shields out of thin air.

Finally, he added: "My second brother is simple and honest, and values ​​loyalty. I have already set off to escort him back to the capital. He will arrive in Yingtian in about three days."

Empress Ma looked at it for a long time.

So long that the sewing basket was knocked over, and needles and thread were scattered all over the floor.

She didn't pick it up, but instead looked up at Zhu Yuanzhang, her voice trembling slightly, and said, "It really...it really is our Li'er..."

"Biao'er saw the jade pendant with his own eyes, and the birthmark matches. There's no mistake." Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was a little hoarse.

Empress Ma suddenly stood up, then sat back down, then stood up again, walked around the courtyard twice, and finally tears fell.

"Twenty-two...twenty-two years..."

She wiped her face, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "When did you find out?"

"Biao sent a secret message the day he discovered it, but it took three or four days to get there. We only received it yesterday," Zhu Yuanzhang confessed honestly.

"Why didn't you say so sooner!"

"It's not that we're afraid... that if something goes wrong, you'll be disappointed." Zhu Yuanzhang rarely showed a slightly guilty expression.

Empress Ma glared at him, tears still streaming down her face, but a smile had already appeared on her lips.

"Happy...how could I not be happy! Even if there are mistakes, at least we have a clue, which is better than having no news at all for years!"

She crouched down to pick up the needle and thread, her hands still trembling, and she couldn't pick it up no matter how many times she tried.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang quickly squatted down to help.

The two of them, head to head, were tidying up the small basket of needles and thread in the yard, their movements a little clumsy.

"Biao'er said in his letter that Li'er grew up in the mountains and is very strong. She can eat ten catties of meat in one meal..." Empress Ma suddenly asked.

"Ah! They say he was born with superhuman strength and could summon axes and shields. He cleaved half a mountain in two with a single axe strike." Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up as he said this.

"Like us! When we were young, we were also..."

"Come on, you may have been a good fighter when you were young, but you never split a mountain," Empress Ma said, her tears turning into laughter.

"Then...then our son will surpass his father!" Zhu Yuanzhang said, sticking out his neck.

Empress Ma did not argue with him. She carefully folded the secret report, put it in her bosom, and placed it close to her heart.

"When will you arrive?" Empress Ma asked.

"If things go smoothly, it will be noon the day after tomorrow; if it goes slowly, it will be evening the day after tomorrow," Zhu Yuanzhang calculated the days.

"Where has your accommodation been arranged? The Prince of Wu's mansion was given to the fifth prince a long time ago, so we need to vacate it as soon as possible."

"I've already sent someone to handle it. The fifth prince has also sent word that the lad is sensible and has offered to be enfeoffed as the Prince of Zhou."

Empress Ma nodded, then, remembering something, said, "What about my adoptive parents' family? Biao'er said in his letter that they have an eight-year-old daughter."

"We've already sent someone to bring him here. We'll buy him a house in Yingtian, give him a sinecure, and support him. They raised our son and didn't let him freeze or go hungry. That's an immense favor."

Zhu Yuanzhang was never stingy in this regard.

"Of course, when Li'er comes back, I must take a good look at him. The letter said he looks like you when you were young. I hope he doesn't get as dark-skinned as you are now," Empress Ma said, wiping her eyes again.

"So what if it's black... black means you're healthy!" Zhu Yuanzhang retorted.

The couple chatted back and forth, and the atmosphere in the yard finally relaxed a bit.

……

Two days later.

On the official road, the carriage was still thirty li away from Yingtian.

Zhu Li pressed her face against the car window, staring out with wide, wide eyes.

The roads are getting wider and wider, and there are more and more vehicles and horses. The fields along the roadside are neat and tidy, and villages are connected one after another, with wisps of smoke rising from chimneys one after another.

The outline of the city could already be seen in the distance, its gray-black walls resembling a giant dragon lying on the horizon, towering terrifyingly high.

"Brother... is that Yingtian?" Zhu Li turned around and asked.

Zhu Biao was reading a newly arrived secret report when he heard this. He looked up at the window and said, "Hmm, Yingtian."

"It's much bigger than the county town." Zhu Li couldn't find any other words.

Zhu Biao smiled, put away the secret report, and said, "It is the capital of the Great Ming Dynasty, the number one city under heaven."

He was actually a little worried that Zhu Li might not adapt well.

This younger brother, used to being wild in the mountains, is suddenly thrown into this city of a million people, a place rife with scheming. Will he be like a fish out of water, losing his original nature...?

But...with him watching! Who would dare to scheme against his brother...?

Moreover... Zhu Li's next words dispelled his concerns.

"With so many people, there must be lots of delicious food!" Zhu Li said, her eyes sparkling.

Zhu Biao chuckled and said, "Yes, there are many delicious foods: roast duck, salted goose, lion's head meatballs, crab roe buns..."

He rattled off a list of dishes, making Zhu Li's mouth water.

"Brother, when will we get there? I'm hungry." Zhu Li rubbed his stomach.

"Soon, we'll enter the city before sunset, and then head straight to the palace. My parents are waiting." Zhu Biao glanced at the sky and added.

Zhu Li said "Oh," then suddenly asked nervously, "Brother, will Father and Mother... think I'm unsophisticated?"

He looked down at himself; he was still wearing the same coarse cloth clothes. Although they were clean, they were indeed shabby compared to Zhu Biao's brocade robe.

"No, if Mother saw you dressed like this, she would only feel heartache," Zhu Biao said with certainty.

Zhu Li breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back out the window to look at the scenery.

The carriage continued on its way.