Zhu Yuanzhang, who commanded the wind and rain, lived a long and arduous life.

Zhu Changye nodded with a smile: "That's right, and their people don't have to work. When they're hungry, they just kick a tree, and fruit will fall from it."

"Besides fruit, their land is covered in gold, and if you go into the sea, you'll find pearls everywhere!"

The children stared wide-eyed.

Zhu Yunwen sniffed, and subconsciously said incredulously, "So powerful? Isn't that even stronger than our Great Ming?"

Zhu Changye shook his head: "They are just rich, but their people are very lazy. No matter how much money they have, it won't work."

Zhu Bai exclaimed in amazement, "Master, what you said is so amazing, it makes me want to go there too."

Zhu Changye smiled and said, "They don't obey the Ming Dynasty's rules."

Zhu Xiong Ying's eyes gleamed, and he declared with imposing power, "Then our Great Ming will beat them until they submit to the rule of the Great Ming!"

The words fell.

Zhu Changye was stunned for a moment, and then an idea suddenly came to his mind.

The Ming Dynasty had many vassal kings, both in its early and late periods, and the number of vassal kings continued to increase, with more and more vassal kings appearing as time went on.

Some later historians have said that the Ming Dynasty was brought down by the princes.

But if…

If these princes and nobles of the Ming Dynasty were not enfeoffed in the interior, but instead went overseas to expand their territory and conquer foreign lands, wouldn't the financial burden of the Ming Dynasty be greatly reduced?

Will the Ming Dynasty turn out differently?

It should be noted that the vassal kings were indeed related to the demise of the Ming Dynasty.

There were already more than a dozen princes in the Ming Dynasty, but by the mid-to-late Ming period, these princes had grown and multiplied like spring rain, numbering nearly a thousand members of the imperial family, living off the Ming Dynasty's treasury.

The Ming Dynasty court paid around five million taels of silver to the princes and members of the imperial family every year!

Moreover, they wielded considerable power, amassing wealth and seizing land in their fiefdoms until things spiraled out of control.

Instead of doing that, why not let the Chinese people suffer less and let them go out and show off their power?

Zhu Changye seemed to be thinking about something, and then smiled and said, "Yes, instead of struggling in the inland, it would be better to... send troops out to fight."

"Being a bully at home isn't a real skill; being able to steal things outside is the true ability."

After Zhu Changye finished speaking, Zhu Xiong Ying and Zhu Bai were deep in thought.

Zhu Yunwen was still young and didn't understand any of this; he was busy finishing his food.

Zhu Yao was the same.

Judging from her eyes, she seemed to be secretly competing with Zhu Yunwen to see who could pick up food faster.

Two little foodies.

now,

Zhu Xiong Ying wasn't focused on eating; she asked curiously, "Master, where do they live?"

Zhu Changye thought for a moment and replied, "They are overseas, in the East China Sea, the South China Sea, the western continent of the Ming Dynasty, and the northern continent."

"Huh?" Zhu Xiong Ying's eyes widened. "So many places? I guess our Ming army can't take them all."

Zhu Changye laughed and said, "If the method is right, it is possible. For example, you can all go and rob, and other Zhu family descendants can also go and rob. Each descendant is responsible for their own area to rob. By gathering what they have robbed together, they can piece together a complete map of territorial expansion."

The words fell.

Zhu Xiong Ying blushed, looking very hopeful.

Perhaps influenced by his grandfather, or perhaps by Lan Yu's uncles and elders, he was fond of expanding territory and could not resist the future expansion of the Ming Dynasty's territory.

Zhu Bai frowned slightly.

He was older, and an uncle, so he knew more than the other two children.

He sighed and said, "Master, I still feel we can't fight."

Zhu Changye asked with a smile, "Why?"

Zhu Bai said, "Father has designated all foreign countries as non-conquerable. If we try to rob them, Father will punish us."

After he finished speaking, Zhu Yunwen turned pale with fright and lowered his head, saying, "Then... then forget it, big brother, let's not fight over it. Grandfather's stern face is so scary."

Zhu Xiong Ying laughed and said, "It's alright, let's rob it! It's all the Emperor's fault, but your elder brother will protect you."

The three little ones all believed that Zhu Yuanzhang would stop them from expanding their territory.

But Zhu Changye didn't think so; he knew his own child best.

There was a reason why Emperor Chongzhen previously prohibited the conquest of neighboring countries.

Zhu Changye thought for a moment and then said, "You guys still don't really understand your grandfather."

"The policy of not fighting or plundering neighboring countries was established at the beginning of the dynasty. At that time, it was because the foundation of the Ming Dynasty was unstable, so it was necessary to stabilize the surrounding countries. Now that the Ming Dynasty is so powerful, your grandfather decisively used troops to fight in Yunnan, and he will probably use troops to fight in the north afterward."

"If you have any intention of seizing enemy territory, he will most likely agree."

Zhu Xiong Ying's eyes lit up.

"Yes, yes, yes, that's right!"

"Then I'll go and seize the western continent first, and leave the northern continent to Grandpa and the others!"

Zhu Xiong Ying was full of vigor, his eyes gleaming with an unprecedented sharpness.

Seeing that his elder brother had spoken, Zhu Yunwen hurriedly said, "Me, me, me, elder brother, what about me? Which continent should I seize?"

Zhu Yunwen was still young and didn't understand the significance of expanding territory. He thought it was like a game where he could take whatever he wanted.

Zhu Xiong Ying laughed and said, "Yun Tong, why don't you go and rob something at sea? It's not dangerous at sea."

Zhu Yunwen hurriedly shook his little head: "The sea is no good. What's on the sea? It's all fish. I want to take over the land."

In their ingrained mindset, only inland countries like the Ming Dynasty were the most powerful, and if they were to plunder, they would naturally plunder the most powerful.

This was also the inherent mindset of our dynasty. We always regarded inland and grassland countries as our biggest rivals, but never considered those overseas.

This also resulted in them falling behind in the pace of development.

Zhu Changye smiled and looked at Zhu Yunwen: "Yunwen, let your master tell you a story. See if the sea is really that good!"

Zhu Yunwen's small eyes lit up: "Master, what story? I love listening to stories!"

Zhu Yao, who was happily munching on a chicken leg, put it down when she heard there was a story to tell.

Zhu Xiong Ying and Zhu Bai were also curious.

Zhu Changye pondered for a moment, then said, "Legend has it that in the Eastern Continent of Divine Victory, a spiritual stone from the sea transformed into a monkey..."

The rain outside was pouring down, almost drowning out Zhu Changye's voice.

The children listened intently, their ears perked up, not wanting to miss a single word.

"When Sun Wukong realized he needed a weapon, he dived into the East Sea. The East Sea Dragon Palace was filled with pearls, treasures, gold, silver and jade artifacts, fine wines and fruits. The palace was even a hundred times more prosperous and wealthy than the palaces of the Ming Dynasty."

"The Dragon King of the East Sea offered Sun Wukong fine wine and food, pearls, gold, and silver, and even presented him with the Ruyi Jingu Bang (Golden Cudgel), a treasure used by Yu the Great to stabilize the seas during his flood control efforts, which weighed thirteen thousand catties..."

Zhu Changye slowly sipped his tea: "So, how many treasures are there in the East China Sea?"

The four little ones all nodded like chicks pecking at rice: "Too much!"

Zhu Changye continued with a smile and asked, "Then... do you still think the sea is bad?"

"Alright! I'm not going to plunder the inland areas anymore, I'm going to plunder the sea!"

Zhu Yunwen screamed loudly.

After calling out, she looked at Zhu Changye expectantly and asked, "Master, please continue! Is Sun Wukong going to wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace?"

Zhu Xiong Ying and the other two also looked at Zhu Chang Ye with curiosity.

They were all intrigued.

Zhu Changye laughed and said, "Let's talk about it next time. That's all for today."

Zhu Xiong Ying et al.: …..

That's only half the story. If it weren't their master but someone else, they would all have the urge to kill that person.

In fact, Zhu Changye had no intention of telling them much about the story of "Journey to the West". He only wanted to describe the island scenery to them and plant a seed in their hearts, which would be enough.

In particular, Zhu Xiong Ying, who is very likely to be the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, should be talked about overseas affairs more and have a longer-term vision. This would be beneficial to the overall national fortune of the Ming Dynasty.

Since we've already mentioned "Journey to the West," but haven't finished telling the story, it's so that the four children can keep it in mind and deepen their understanding of this overseas story.

"Master, please tell me a little more, just a little bit... please."

Zhu Yao immediately started acting cute and rolling around on the ground.

Unlike Zhu Xiong Ying and the others, who only knew Zhu Chang Ye as their master, she also knew that the old man in front of her was her great-grandfather. Was it shameful to act cute and beg for the story to continue? No, it wasn't shameful at all!

Zhu Changye looked at Zhu Yao, and for some reason, his memories stirred.

I recalled some scenes from decades ago.

"What? Dad, you're stopping halfway through the story? Tell me about the Battle of Red Cliffs, how Cao Cao's army burned all their ships, and then what? If you don't tell me, do you believe I'll stop cooking halfway through today too?"

"Ahem, I'll listen next time."

"Then I'll cook next time!"

"You brat, threatening your old man like that! If you don't want to cook, then don't cook. I'll cook for you, but you won't eat my cooking tonight either."

"Oh no, no no! Dad, we were wrong! If you don't tell us the rest of the story, we won't listen. We'll listen next time."

In my memory, Zhu Chongba, who was only six years old, would always get a headache and grit his teeth when I told him half of a story.

Every time he was halfway through a story, he would go home and complain to Chang Le, hoping his mother would stand up for him. But to his surprise, Chang Le would just cover her mouth and chuckle, leaving him feeling helpless.

"Sigh, where did he learn such a bad habit? It's ingrained in his bones."

Zhu Changye chuckled.

They also felt ashamed of their own behavior.

This bad habit hasn't changed in decades. It's like an unconscious habit: only tell half the story, leaving a hook for the children to read, and then telling it again next time, leaving another hook for the next time, repeating this endlessly.

"Okay, Yao Yao, listen next time."

"I'll tell you the whole story next time."

Zhu Changye responded with a smile.

Zhu Yao had a long face and looked sullen.

Zhu Changye had no choice but to keep putting food on the little guy's plate to calm him down.

.

….….…….….….

after eating,

The five disciples were meditating and cultivating. During the process, Zhu Yao and Zhu Yunwen couldn't sit still and ran out to play. However, Zhu Bai was patient and was willing to meditate for the whole time.

soon.

It looked like it was almost noon. Zhu Xiong Ying only practiced at Tianyun Temple between morning and noon.

It was noon, so Zhu Xiong Ying summoned Zhu Bai and Zhu Yun Tong, said goodbye to Zhu Chang Ye, and went straight back to the palace, planning to come again tomorrow.

Back at the palace, Empress Ma and Zhu Yuanzhang kept pressing Zhu Xiong Ying for details about how he had enjoyed the food served to the immortals.

Zhu Xiong Ying didn't ask, but recalling that meal, he only knew that Zhu Chang Ye ate very happily, so he simply said that his master was happy.

This answer immediately brought joy to Empress Ma and Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Haha, as long as you enjoy the food, that's all that matters!"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed loudly: "Sister, let's go, we should go to Tianyun Temple!"

Empress Ma nodded with a smile: "Yes, let's go see our father... cough cough, Master Xiong Ying."

Zhu Xiong Ying was stunned upon hearing this.

What?

So, Grandpa and Grandma are going to go find Master?

Only then did he realize that his parents were dressed differently today.

Grandma was wearing a red dress, which looked very festive, while Grandpa was wearing a black dress.