Chapter Two: The Yellow River Flood That Frightened Old Zhu to Tears

“Great-grandson, come down quickly, let grandpa hold you!”

Zhu Yuanzhang grinned broadly, stretching out his sturdy arms toward Zhu Xiongying perched in the tree.

But the little boy turned slightly, pouting, “Great-grandpa, I won’t come down! If I do, my father will break my legs!”

“With me here, who dares to lay a finger on my great-grandson?”

This wasn’t spoken to anyone else but directed at Zhu Biao standing behind him.

Zhu Biao’s face darkened.

That brat!

Now he’s learned to tattletale!

Zhu Yuanzhang beckoned to the child in the tree with a gentle smile, “Come down quickly!”

The boy pretended to think it over, then leisurely stood up, leapt from the tree to a stone bench, and then darted into Zhu Yuanzhang’s arms.

This scene left Lü Ben, standing at the doorway, dumbfounded.

Wasn’t this kid always weakly sick? Just half a month ago, he had a severe illness that nearly cost him his life.

Even if he had recovered, would he be this agile?

Zhu Yuanzhang, caught up in the moment, gave no thought to such doubts.

He pinched the tender little face of his great-grandson, doting, “My great-grandson has such spirit—just like our grandson, ha! Stronger than your father!”

Zhu Biao, historically the most stable crown prince, had one flaw—his lack of a firm, iron hand.

Now, this little one was making up for that, much to Zhu Yuanzhang’s delight.

Gradually restraining his smile, he said seriously, “Xiongying, you still have to study with your tutor. Otherwise, when you ascend the throne, you won’t even know how much money is in the imperial treasury. What will you do then?”

“Great-grandpa, don’t worry. I’m the best at accounting!”

The boy lifted his chin proudly, his face full of arrogance. “If Great-grandpa doesn’t believe me, give me a hundred thousand taels of silver. I’ll buy grain with it, and after a few days, sell the grain for at least five hundred thousand taels, and return the money to you!”

“Hahaha...”

Zhu Yuanzhang, who had just been serious, burst into laughter at the boy’s words. “My good great-grandson, you’ve got it all wrong!”

“Where am I wrong?”

Zhu Xiongying resisted, wriggling a little.

Understanding what he meant, Zhu Yuanzhang placed him on the stone table, “You spend all day in the Eastern Palace. It’s normal if you don’t understand the people’s situation. Biao, you explain it.”

Zhu Biao shot his son a stern glare. “This year, the weather has been favorable, and the grain harvest is abundant. In a few days, a large amount of grain will be harvested, causing grain prices to fall. You want to make money from grain? You’d be lucky not to lose your pants! Now get back to the study hall and learn properly from your tutor!”

With a big hand ready to grab his son’s collar, the boy deftly dodged.

“Father, you’re wrong...”

Hands on hips, the boy was full of defiance. “In previous years, new grain harvests meant prices naturally fell, but this year is different!”

“How so?”

Zhu Yuanzhang asked instinctively, just to avoid letting his beloved great-grandson’s words fall flat.

Unexpectedly, the boy’s next words almost made him lose his footing.

“In a few days, the Yellow River will flood, affecting the riverside areas! Especially Henan Prefecture, the largest grain producer, will be hit hard. The grain, about to mature, will be swept away by the floodwaters. How could grain prices not rise this year?”

The moment the words fell, the entire courtyard fell into a terrifying silence.

The only sound was a sparrow chirping in the jujube tree.

After a long pause, Zhu Biao finally reacted, sharply scolding, “Xiongying! This concerns the livelihood of the people; don’t speak nonsense!”

“Father! I’m not making it up. If you don’t believe me, send someone to investigate now!”

Halfway through his words, the boy picked up a small stone from the ground and casually threw it at the bird in the tree, continuing, “But whether you send someone or not doesn’t matter! When the time comes, the grain will have already been flooded! Instead of scolding me, wouldn’t it be better to discuss disaster relief strategies with Great-grandpa in the imperial study?”

[Ding! Congratulations, host! Injured Lü Ben, reward: five extra days of life!]

Hmm?

Receiving a system reward, Zhu Xiongying was very surprised.

Looking at Lü Ben, he realized the stone had hit him squarely on the head!

The old man grimaced in pain but dared not utter a word, his face turning red with suppressed anger!

He even suspected the boy did it on purpose!

Zhu Yuanzhang took several deep breaths, squatted down, and said earnestly, “Good grandson, the people’s livelihood depends on food. This is no joking matter!”

“I’m not joking. These things were told to me by the white-bearded grandfather! If Great-grandpa doesn’t believe me, give me a hundred thousand taels and see if I can make money for you.”

Little Zhu Xiongying held out his small hand, asking for silver.

“Ahem...”

Zhu Yuanzhang cleared his throat twice. “Great-grandson, you can’t make money with that!”

Then he looked skeptically at Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao understood instantly and shook his head repeatedly.

He had found Lü Ben as a tutor for the children; there was no one else.

No such thing as a white-bearded old man.

The oldest person in the Eastern Palace now was the old Zhu himself.

“Great-grandson, tell Great-grandpa, who is this white-bearded grandfather you mentioned?”

“Shh...”

The boy made a shushing gesture and whispered, “White-bearded grandfather told me not to reveal that he’s a celestial being!”

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao exchanged a glance, half-believing, half-doubting.

Then they asked, “Where did you meet this white-bearded grandfather?”

“Just half a month ago, when I was very ill! White-bearded grandfather took me to the sky, above the clouds, and told me many things. He also taught me many skills!”

“Half a month ago?”

“Yes!”

That was exactly when he had traveled through time.

That was when he learned all these things.

“So you mean...”

Zhu Biao’s eyes flicked, suddenly understanding. “You knew this half a month ago? Then why didn’t you tell us earlier?”

Such a big matter, true or not, it was best to prepare in advance.

If it were true, the people would be in danger!

“You didn’t ask either!”

“Would you have told us if we hadn’t asked?”

“Why would I say anything if you don’t ask?”

Zhu Biao’s face turned blue with anger at this little rascal.

“Biao, stop the nonsense! Hurry and come with me to the imperial study!”

“Yunqi, summon the Ministers of the Six Ministries to the imperial study immediately!”

“Also summon Duke Zhengguo, Duke Liangguo, and others to attend...”

...