Parallel Ming Dynasty: The more he compared, the more devastated Zhu Yuanzhang became.

Inside the Fengtian Hall of the original world, Zhu Yuanzhang was sitting on the dragon throne, the supreme ruler.

Below the palace steps stood the court officials, heads bowed and bowing in submission.

My beloved ministers, today you may speak your mind freely and without reservation. Even if you directly criticize me, I will not hold it against you in the slightest.

Today, I only wish to hear your opinions on this strange and unusual phenomenon that has appeared from the sky.

As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, the hall fell silent. All the civil and military officials were intimidated by Zhu Yuanzhang's long-standing imperial power, and no one dared to be the first to speak out.

After all, keeping quiet won't leave any room for error or mistakes. Even if Zhu Yuanzhang said he would never pursue the matter, once he figured out what you were thinking and what you were planning, wouldn't he bring up the past again and secretly make things difficult for you?

Nobody would believe that!

The fundamental principle for an official to establish himself is to never make mistakes.

Learning from history, a famous prime minister of a previous dynasty once said, "In the court, one must fight with unwavering determination; any retreat means certain death!"

While this statement may not be entirely appropriate in today's context, it does reveal the extraordinary nature of the imperial court. Every word you utter could potentially become a stumbling block that trips you up and ruins your future.

Seeing that all the civil and military officials in the prince's court remained silent, Zhu Yuanzhang was already used to it.

These seasoned veterans never easily express their opinions, let alone utter a single dissenting or offensive word.

But at this moment when the hall was deathly silent, Zhu Yunwen suddenly stepped forward, breaking the awkward silence.

"Your Majesty, I believe this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity bestowed upon our Great Ming by Heaven."

Although my grandson also appeared in the video of this strange phenomenon, and even though my grandson is mediocre and useless compared to Zhu Duo from another world, it is undeniable that Zhu Duo's vision and wisdom are far beyond those of ordinary people. The things he created and the methods he came up with are a huge driving force that can change the world for my Ming Dynasty, for all the people under heaven, and even for the whole world.

Therefore, we must immediately select personnel to thoroughly study all the techniques and methods demonstrated by Zhu Duo in the video conference, leaving no stone unturned and not missing a single one.

As soon as Zhu Yunwen finished speaking, Prince Qin, Zhu Shuang, immediately stepped forward and took over the conversation without hesitation, saying loudly, "Your Majesty, I believe that we still need to make thorough preparations for war immediately."

In this other world depicted in the video of the strange phenomenon, there emerged a genius like Zhu Duo. Moreover, Zhu Duo had single-handedly changed that world, making it a completely different realm from our Ming Dynasty.

It's no exaggeration to say that the power of that world is far greater than ours!

That is why we must make thorough preparations in advance. If it weren't for this strange and bizarre phenomenon, we would still be unaware that there is more than just our world.

The world that possesses Zhu Duo, regardless of whether it is backed by immortals, ghosts, or some other unpredictable being, must not be underestimated by us in the slightest.

This celestial phenomenon merely allowed us a glimpse into the differences between two worlds. But what if, next time, the phenomenon manifests as a direct confrontation between these two worlds?

With the current strength of our Ming Dynasty's army, are we truly confident of defeating them?

Zhu Shuang's far-sighted considerations had barely left his lips when the officials in the hall began to whisper and murmur amongst themselves.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang, sitting on his throne, slowly nodded, his face showing approval.

Indeed, what we see now is merely a phenomenon reflecting the differences between two worlds. But what if other celestial phenomena appear in the future, such as the two worlds suddenly colliding and exchanging things?

What will they do then?

Are we to bow down and beg for peace with the Ming Dynasty on the other side?

Judging from what we see now, the Ming Dynasty on the other side is probably much stronger than them.

The Ming Dynasty simply couldn't do the simple thing of selling refined salt to ordinary people at an affordable price!

Once someone took the lead and started the conversation, the officials below the palace steps no longer held back and spoke freely, each expressing their own opinions.

Zhu Yuanzhang, seated on his throne, listened attentively with a calm expression, neither nodding in approval nor offering any rebuttal.

After a while, when everyone had finished discussing it, Zhu Di suddenly stepped into the hall, bowed solemnly to Zhu Yuanzhang on the throne, and paid his respects.

The ministers, who had been discussing amongst themselves, fell silent instantly, holding their breath and eager to hear what insightful opinions Zhu Di would have to offer.

[Your Majesty, I believe that it is entirely futile for us to worry about war between our two nations at this moment.]

Instead of worrying unnecessarily, we should focus on what benefits Zhu Duo might bring us next.

After all, if an entity capable of creating such earth-shattering phenomena truly intends to bring the two worlds into direct contact, then any countermeasures, deployments, or preparations we make will likely be utterly meaningless.

The being hidden behind that strange phenomenon must possess the supreme power to annihilate both our worlds in the blink of an eye.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slowly again, signaling Zhu Di to continue.

[Besides, from the comments and messages in the strange phenomena, we can roughly see that another world is like a mirror image of our world. In that world, there is another subject, another father, and every one of you has another version of yourself living there.]

Their thoughts and ideas are likely no different from ours; this is also the first time they've learned of our existence, the first time they've encountered another world. Their people and our subjects are chatting enthusiastically and happily, even through these strange phenomena.

Therefore, even if the two worlds do eventually meet and connect, it's highly unlikely that war will break out. Instead, they will join hands and explore the endless mysteries of the universe together.

Therefore, what we should focus on most right now is how to learn from the great Ming Dynasty of another world, correcting our mistakes and striving to improve where we are not, using their experiences as a mirror to help us avoid countless detours and wrong paths!

After listening to Zhu Di's words, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded repeatedly with approval, saying, "Excellent! That's exactly right. What we should focus on most now is how to learn more useful skills from Zhu Duo that will benefit the country and its people."

Everyone must dedicate themselves to learning.

The only difference between our two worlds is Zhu Duo. Look at the earth-shattering changes that this one Zhu Duo brought to the Ming Dynasty in the other world!

"Yes!" All the civil and military officials bowed in unison in agreement.

Zhu Yunwen could only bow and agree with the others. He had stood up and said those words to take this opportunity to show his magnanimity and foresight. After all, the things that Zhu Yunwen did in the video were things that he had personally experienced and done.

The video compares Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Duo, which, to put it bluntly, is about putting them together to see who is better.

He had long been outclassed and utterly defeated by Zhu Duo!

If he doesn't seize the opportunity to perform well, even without Zhu Duo standing in his way, I'm afraid the entire court and the people of the world will not wholeheartedly accept him as the successor to the throne of the Ming Dynasty!

Suddenly, the scene shifted dramatically, transforming into a horrific natural disaster.

A massive flood suddenly struck Xuzhou, sweeping across the area and leaving countless people homeless and destitute. Large numbers of disaster victims poured into the capital, completely blocking the city gates.

Upon learning of the devastating floods and the suffering of the people in Xuzhou, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately mobilized manpower to rush to Xuzhou for disaster relief.

Even though Xuzhou was the birthplace of the Ming Dynasty and should have been the focus of all efforts to provide relief, the national treasury was empty and there was simply not enough money and grain to provide disaster relief. Helpless, Zhu Yuanzhang was furious, and all the civil and military officials were silent and dared not even breathe.

The reason why the national treasury was so empty was because of the sudden war on the border. At that time, the court was dispatching Lan Tian and others to lead a large army to the border to quell the rebellion, and most of the money and grain had already been used up.

However, the natural disaster had already broken out, and the people were suffering. It was impossible to sit idly by. Therefore, seeing more and more disaster victims pouring into the capital, the court had no other choice but to resort to this desperate measure: first, drive all the disaster victims out of the capital, and then slowly raise money and grain to arrange relief.

{New World: Floods in Xuzhou? I vaguely remember that, but I recall that flood didn't cause much of a stir at all!}

{Original World: Did it not cause too much impact? The consequences of this flood were devastating! According to later official statistics, nearly 80,000 people died in the flood, and millions of acres of fertile land were submerged. Since then, famine has broken out in many parts of the Ming Dynasty, and countless families have been torn apart, lost their homes, and become homeless.}

I heard that at the height of the disaster, some desperate people even resorted to cannibalism, exchanging their own children for food to survive.

{Original World: I am one of the survivors of that flood. I will never forget the horrors of that time. The government officially said that 80,000 people died, but the actual number was probably much higher.}

Moreover, after the flood receded, a terrible plague broke out. Even those who were lucky enough to survive the flood lived in misery, with starving people lying everywhere on the roads, a truly tragic sight.

At that time, several rebel groups even emerged out of desperation.

They rose up in rebellion, not for anything else, but simply to have a full meal and survive!

{Original World: Back then, even the government officials were starving! Countless people starved to death on the roadside while desperately waiting for government aid!}

{New World: The losses were really that severe? I remember there were so many laborers helping with the disaster relief!}

{New World: I'm a local from Xuzhou. That flood was indeed a once-in-a-century disaster, but in our world, it didn't reach such a devastating level. Because as soon as the flood broke out, the government sent people to provide relief.}

Moreover, according to the older generation, all of this was thanks to the help of a company called the Peace Trading Company!

New World: That's right! It's the Peace Trading Company!

In our Great Ming Dynasty, the Peace Trading Company is a well-known and top-ranked trading company. Not only is its reputation renowned, but its businesses span all walks of life, and it often contributes money and effort to provide various forms of assistance and relief to the people!

When Xuzhou suffered a devastating flood, it was the Heping Trading Company that poured all its resources into purchasing mountains of relief supplies and recruiting tens of thousands of laborers to rush to the disaster area, thus helping Xuzhou weather that catastrophic disaster!

-

In the video footage.

Under the guise of going on a sightseeing trip, Zhu Duo, accompanied by more than a dozen personal guards, headed towards Xuzhou. He traveled smoothly along the way, relying entirely on money to pave the way.

But the scene changed in an instant. After arriving at two prefectures around Xuzhou, Zhu Duo immediately recruited a large number of young and strong laborers in the name of the Peace Trading Company. At the same time, he purchased a huge amount of disaster relief supplies and rushed to Xuzhou, the area most severely affected by the disaster.

At this very moment, Zhang Shouwang, the prefect of Xuzhou, was overwhelmed with the flood disaster and exhausted from dealing with the mountain of relief efforts.

Inside the Xuzhou government office, the door to Zhang Shouwang's official residence was suddenly pushed open, and a subordinate rushed in in a panic.

The hectic pace of the past few days had already made Zhang Shouwang irritable, and he immediately shouted angrily, "What's the rush? Can't you see I'm busy dealing with the disaster?!"

"My lord! My lord! Great news! Incredible good news! Countless laborers have poured into Xuzhou from the southeast, and they have rescued many disaster-stricken people along the way!"

"What? The imperial court's disaster relief team has arrived? My request for assistance was sent less than a day ago! How could the imperial court act so quickly!"

"It seems... they weren't sent by the imperial court," the subordinate stammered in reply.

"Who exactly is it?"

"I really don't know, and I can't see the way at all."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shouwang immediately led a group of officials from the government office and rushed over.

The group trudged along the muddy road for more than ten miles before finally arriving at the place their subordinates had described. Looking up, they saw, just as their subordinates had said, that the place was full of laborers busy with disaster relief.

Moreover, these laborers were dressed in all sorts of different clothes, clearly indicating that they were a team temporarily recruited and assembled.

Zhang Shouwang rushed forward to inquire who had helped him behind the scenes, but after asking several laborers, they all repeated the same thing: "We don't know who the employer is. We only know that someone paid us a very high wage to come and help with the disaster relief, so we followed them!"

Zhang Shouwang was both surprised and curious. The more he couldn't find out the identity of the person behind it, the more he wanted to know which kind person had come to his aid in this time of crisis.

So he immediately found the foreman in charge of the group of laborers, and after repeatedly bowing and pleading, he finally managed to glean a few clues from him.

The manager replied, "We were only ordered by our own business to come to the disaster relief effort. As for who the real owner of the business is, we who are doing this work have no idea."

Zhang Shouwang quickly pressed on, "May I ask which business it is?"

"Peace Trading Company"

Zhang Shouwang couldn't figure out who was behind the Heping Trading Company or why they had traveled all the way to Xuzhou to help. But he knew very well that if Xuzhou could safely weather the flood, the Heping Trading Company would be the greatest contributor, and the person behind the company would be the one who saved the people from disaster and deserved the greatest credit!

At this thought, Zhang Shouwang felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

Xuzhou is finally saved!

-

{New World: It turns out that the Peace Trading Company was actually orchestrated by Prince Zhu Duo!}

{New World: So, the fact that Xuzhou survived this devastating flood is all thanks to Prince Zhu Duo!}

{New World: If it weren't for Prince Zhu Duo, wouldn't we have suffered the same fate as our compatriots in the other world—nearly 100,000 people perished, countless families were destroyed, and we ended up in a living hell?}

{New World: This flood in Xuzhou was a once-in-a-century natural disaster, yet Prince Zhu Duo single-handedly saved it!}