Ming Dynasty: What's wrong with being a leisurely crown prince?

Chapter 34 Zhu Gaochi's Self-Doubt Caused by Zhu Gaochi

Zhu Gaoxu clenched his fists, and his eyes, which were filled with tears, turned slightly red as he looked at Zhu Gaochi.

"Boss, you're talking about me again! What makes you think I can't come up with something?"

You look down on me every day. Am I really that worthless?

"If you're so capable, then come and practice with me, and see who's no match."

Zhu Gaoxu was furious. He realized that he was sick today, which was why he came to find Zhu Gaochi.

After being repeatedly and subtly criticized by this person, he realized that Zhu Gaochi was calling him stupid for not even thinking of such things.

Zhu Gaochi not only overturned his thoughts, but his last sentence was especially unbearable.

Zhu Gaoxu was filled with hatred. Did this guy dare to fight him one-on-one?

All he does is talk; if he's so capable, why don't you give him a fight?

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaochi's lips twitched. He realized that this person was incredibly stupid.

How come this person can't see that he's teaching him?

Not only is he stupid, but he also has an insane temper and wants to challenge Zhu Gaoxu to a one-on-one fight.

What's the difference between this and sending him to fight Xiang Yu one-on-one?

Everyone says that Xiang Yu's bravery was unparalleled, but he had never seen Xiang Yu. He had actually seen how brave Zhu Gaochi was.

"Second brother, how dare you ask me to fight you one-on-one? If you're so capable, go and fight the old man yourself. Why don't you give it a try?"

Zhu Gaochi didn't want to go too far, lest he damage the man's already fragile self-esteem.

He realized that he had to go along with Zhu Gaoxu and smooth things over with him; if he went against him, Zhu Gaoxu would explode like this.

Zhu Gaoxu was so angry that he choked on his words.

Challenge Zhu Di to a duel?

How could this person say such a thing? Would he dare to say it?

But seeing Zhu Gaochi's amused expression, Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but feel a little resentful.

"Stop looking down on me. You want to challenge the old man to a duel? I'll be there in a bit and show you what I'm made of."

"Haha, second brother, a real man keeps his word. You said it yourself."

Seeing Zhu Gaoxu's embarrassed and angry expression, Zhu Gaochi immediately burst into laughter.

But seeing Zhu Gaoxu's increasingly grim expression, Zhu Gaochi immediately stopped smiling.

"Second brother, the key to solving those problems is to address the government's revenue and corvée labor."

The government's revenue comes from taxes, but the people are struggling now. If taxes are increased, the people will surely cry out in despair.

My family, the Zhu family, also came from a poor background. Emperor Taizu (Zhu Yuanzhang) devoted his life to the people and worked hard to improve their lives.

If the old man is forced to pay more taxes, he will never be able to see the founding emperor again.

But there is a group of people in the Ming Dynasty who have money and grain. If you can get money and grain from those people, how could the old man not value and give you important responsibilities?

You must understand that ordinary people only have a little money. Imposing additional taxes would not only make it impossible for the old man to answer to Emperor Taizu, but it would also cause public resentment and cause the court to lose the support of the people.

But those people are different; one of them might be worth the taxes of an entire region.

As for corvée labor, the current focus is on restoring people's livelihoods, and excessive conscription would be equally unbearable for the people.

But there are many people outside the Ming Dynasty. If we could get these tasks done by people from outside the Ming Dynasty, wouldn't the problem of corvée labor be solved?

Zhu Gaochi's words seemed to be filled with magic, causing Zhu Gaoxu's pupils to shrink, but his heart was deeply moved.

He understood these words, and they resonated deeply with him.

In Zhu Gaoxu's eyes, those poor, miserable people really didn't have much money or food, and you couldn't squeeze anything out of them.

But some people are different; they know very well how rich those people are.

What bothered him even more was that this matter seemed to be a blow to Zhu Gaochi, since almost all of Zhu Gaochi's supporters were from this group of people.

It could both help Zhu Di solve his problems and weaken Zhu Gaochi, so how could Zhu Gaoxu not be tempted?

The people outside who were hired for corvée labor were a real eye-opener for him.

In Zhu Gaochi's view, this was how it should be; those barbarians outside should do these things for the Ming Dynasty.

As for fighting?

Who in the surrounding area can challenge the Ming Dynasty? Who dares to challenge the Ming Dynasty?

Although Zhu Gaoxu was extremely tempted, he suppressed it tightly.

He looked at Zhu Gaochi with suspicion and uncertainty, and for a moment he couldn't figure out what Zhu Gaochi meant.

Why should Zhu Gaochi help him?

Moreover, this matter is not beneficial to Zhu Gaochi, so why would Zhu Gaochi tell him?

Is there something he didn't expect about this?

Having suffered many losses in the past, Zhu Gaoxu has become much more cunning now.

Thinking about it carefully now, Zhu Gaoxu suddenly realized that Zhu Gaochi was not deliberately making things difficult for him, but genuinely wanted him to use his brain.

He didn't notice it when he was angry, but he realized it now.

The more this happened, the more Zhu Gaoxu frowned and his expression became solemn.

This Zhu Gaochi has become too strange; he's nothing like the Zhu Gaochi he knew.

Even after using all his brain cells, Zhu Gaoxu still couldn't understand why Zhu Gaochi would help him.

He clearly wanted to compete for Zhu Gaochi's position, but this person was so kind.

"Boss, are you crazy? Should I go find the imperial physician to take a look?"

Zhu Gaoxu looked at Zhu Gaochi, and he really couldn't think of any other reason besides Zhu Gaochi going mad.

Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain why Zhu Gaochi treated him this way and why he said these things to him.

Zhu Gaochi was taken aback when he saw Zhu Gaoxu, who was still angry, suddenly showing concern for him.

This person's brain circuits are a bit abnormal.

"Second brother, I was just trying to help you, and you turn around and say I'm crazy. Do you think that's appropriate?"

Zhu Gaochi was genuinely amused by Zhu Gaoxu. He had considered many possible reactions from Zhu Gaoxu, but this was the one he hadn't anticipated.

Actually, he said all this so that Zhu Gaoxu could test Zhu Di and see what Zhu Di's attitude was.

I also wanted to see how Zhu Gaoxu would react.

There are some things he isn't entirely confident about, so letting Zhu Gaoxu lead the charge and wade through the waters is the best way for him to cross the river.

Zhu Gaochi had seen Zhu Gaoxu's expression just now; this man really couldn't hide anything, it was all written on his face.

Although he didn't know if Zhu Gaoxu did it on purpose, based on what he had just learned, he roughly knew what kind of person Zhu Gaoxu was, and he was still confident.

After hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu was even more confused about Zhu Gaochi's approach.

Now he suddenly misses the old Zhu Gaochi, at least he wouldn't give him such a headache.

"Boss, you've changed so much."

I'm competing with you for your position, and you're still helping me like this? I don't trust you.

"Not bad, second brother, you've already started to have doubts. That's a good thing."

But I believe you, because we just made a promise.

Zhu Gaochi's first sentence made Zhu Gaoxu a little flustered again, but when the second sentence came out, Zhu Gaoxu didn't know what to say.

He only treated that promise as a gimmick and didn't take it seriously at all.

As it turned out, Zhu Gaochi spoke frankly and sincerely, and he didn't even know how to refute him.

But upon closer reflection, why did he object? It was clearly a good thing for him.

This made Zhu Gaoxu even more confused. No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like Zhu Gaochi was helping him. What was going on?

Throughout the entire process, he kept an eye on Zhu Gaochi. Zhu Gaoxu could tell that Zhu Gaochi had truly lost his former hypocrisy and cunning, and was speaking with such sincerity.

But the more this happened, the more uncertain he felt.

What exactly was Zhu Gaochi after?