My father, Zhu Di, was granted a second life by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Chapter 15: Taming Not Just Horses, But Also People's Hearts

Practicing horsemanship and archery was a compulsory course for the sons of military officers, and the same was true for the heirs of feudal princes.

The autumn air was crisp and clear, and Zhu Yuanzhang was in high spirits. On a whim, he took his princes and grandsons to the Xiyuan Horse Ranch.

Duke Feng Sheng of Song and Duke Fu Youde of Ying happened to be in the capital, so they went together.

Zhu Yunxi was not good at riding horses, Zhu Yunwen was not very skilled either, and Zhu Gaochi was even worse. It was a miracle that he didn't fall off. Therefore, the important task of taking care of Zhu Gaoxi fell to Zhu Youdun.

This was Zhu Gaoxi's first close encounter with Zhu Youdun.

Domineering yet restrained, calm and composed.

Without even asking for his opinion, Zhu Youdun simply tied him to his body.

Zhu Gaoxi disliked him, but dared not make a move, fearing that Zhu Youdun would hit him too hard and cause him internal injuries.

"I heard you're not honest?" Zhu Youdun asked casually.

"No," Zhu Gaoxi hurriedly argued.

Zhu Youdun laughed it off and ignored it.

Zhu Gaoxi felt that his subtext was: he was the one who dealt with all kinds of dishonest people.

Fu Youde's eldest son, Fu Zhong, was the husband of Princess Shouchun. When Zhu Youdun became famous in one battle last year, Fu Zhong was serving under him.

Fu Zhong took the initiative to come over and greet Zhu Youdun, "Your Highness."

Zhu Youdun took a short knife from his waist and threw it to Fu Zhong, "For Rong'er."

Fu Zhong's eldest son was named Fu Rong.

"This is too precious," Fu Zhong said, bowing with his hands clasped in thanks.

"Only good things are worthy of Rong'er," Youdun replied calmly.

Zhu Gaoxi was ignored throughout the entire process, unable to get a word in edgewise, and could only watch from the sidelines.

Upon arriving at the horse farm, I saw a black horse galloping wildly and throwing people off.

Fu Zhong's eyes lit up. "I heard that a batch of Mongolian horses just arrived, and they're very fierce and hard to tame."

"Shall we give it a try?" Zhu Youdun asked.

Fu Zhong shook his head. "All four princes are here."

He was referring to the four vassal kings, Zhu Zhi, Zhu Zhan, Zhu Quan, and Zhu Pian, who were about to be transferred to their respective kingdoms.

Marquis Wu Gao of Jiangyin and Vice Commander-in-Chief Ping An of the Right Army arrived at the horse farm first and came over to report.

"What just happened?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked, referring to the incident of falling from the horse.

"It was a wild horse that three or four people couldn't tame," Ping An replied.

"Why don't you do it yourself?" Zhu Yuanzhang said, frowning.

"My leg injury has not yet healed," Ping An said, making an excuse.

With the princes and grandsons present, how could he possibly show off?

"Where is Wu Gao?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

"Your Majesty, I have tried it," Wu Gao replied as he stepped forward.

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment, then looked at Zhu Quan and the others, "Which of you will go?"

Zhu Zhi, Zhu Zhan, Zhu Quan, and Zhu Pian looked at each other in bewilderment. If they couldn't tame them, they would lose face big time, and how could they win over the people after taking up their fiefs?

Furthermore, it would also offend the Emperor.

Losing face is a minor matter; losing the emperor's favor is a much more serious issue.

Just as things were about to get awkward, Zhu Youdun stepped forward and said, "Grandfather, why don't you let me try first, and then let the uncles handle it when there are more difficult wild horses to tame?"

"Wait a little longer, let Fu Zhong go first," Zhu Yuanzhang said directly.

Fu Zhong acknowledged the order and strode towards the arrogant black horse.

He patted the horse's back, hugged its head to try and get close to it, then mounted the horse and lightly cracked the whip.

The black horse suddenly raised its hooves and galloped away.

Fu Zhong fought him for half an incense stick's time before he accidentally fell off his horse.

Zhu Yuanzhang pursed his lips, narrowed his eyes, and ordered, "Wu Gao, you go again. Don't be lazy or try to slack off."

"This humble general obeys the order," Wu Gao said, walking over with solid steps.

Fu Zhong returned to the team, and Zhu Youdun checked him for any injuries.

He turned his head and whispered, "It's nothing."

The black horse was fiery and seemed to have gone mad, neighing incessantly and leaping and soaring through the air with abandon.

Wu Gao also returned defeated.

"A reward is offered: whoever can tame this horse will be promoted three ranks and rewarded with one hundred gold pieces," Zhu Yuanzhang vowed to subdue it.

Under the reward, there must be a brave man.

Five soldiers went into battle shirtless, only to be thrown to the ground by the black horse, falling over in disarray.

"There's stew, go ahead," Zhu Yuanzhang said, turning his head when he saw that the fire was ready.

"Little brother, be careful," Zhu Yunwen instructed.

Zhu Youdun nodded gently.

"Your Highness, rest assured, it's just a horse," Fu Youde said loudly.

Feng Sheng's face was filled with smugness.

His grandson was unmatched.

Zhu Yuanzhang reassured him, "Yunwen, don't worry."

Zhu Youdun handed Zhu Gaoxi to Fu Zhong, straightened his clothes, and calmly walked over.

He picked up several carrots and placed them near the black horse's mouth.

The black horse ate obediently, its earlier agitation greatly reduced.

After feeding him a bowl of carrots and giving him a bucket of water, Zhu Youdun leisurely mounted his horse.

I thought the dark horse would be obligated to help me, but this beast turned its back on me, became furious, ran wildly, kicked wildly, refused to accept any restraint, resisted frantically, and struggled desperately.

Zhu Youdun was as light as a swallow, like a plaster stuck to a horse's body. No matter how the black horse resisted, it could not throw him off.

After nearly an hour of maneuvering, the black horse gradually got used to and accepted its rider.

Thunderous cheers erupted from all around, deafeningly loud.

Zhu Youdun tamed not only a horse, but also the hearts of the soldiers present.

Zhu Gaoxi was filled with admiration and kept calling out "Brother, Brother".

After Zhu Youdun dismounted, he fed the emperor a bundle of straw before returning to the emperor's presence to report.

"You stewed it, how did you manage to do that?" Zhu Yuanzhang made no attempt to hide his admiration.

"Grandfather, I got lucky. Black Horse had an upset stomach, so I fed him some medicine," Zhu Youdun replied casually, as if he hadn't been the one who had just been in the limelight.

So that's how it is. No wonder the dark horse had such a bad temper.

Low murmurs arose.

Zhu Yuanzhang, having gained enough face, loudly announced the rewards: "Zhu Youdun, the heir apparent of the Prince of Zhou, is appointed as the Naval Commander-in-Chief, overseeing the defense of all coastal areas and maritime transport, and in charge of the coastal islands."

Zhu Gaoxi was stunned on the spot. This authority was too great!

Almost all the powers related to maritime transport were given to Zhu Youdun.

He secretly glanced at Zhu Yunwen and found that the Crown Prince was very uncomfortable, his face as cold as if it could freeze into a block of ice.

If he had known this would happen, Zhu Yunwen would surely have regretted not keeping Zhu Jixi alive.

Zhu Jixi had laid out all his advantages on the outside.

Zhu Youdun usually keeps a low profile, but I never expected him to have such a big move up his sleeve.

After Zhu Youdun expressed his gratitude, Fu Zhong and Wu Gao clasped hands with him in celebration.

Although the four Zhu brothers also lost face, seeing that Zhu Youdun was riding high, they all came over to offer their congratulations.

Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Shangbing, on the other hand, seemed somewhat slow to react.

Feng Sheng's wrinkled face nearly blossomed into a smile, and Fu Youde was also full of admiration.

Zhu Gaoxi returned to Zhu Youdun's embrace and felt a sense of security he had never felt before.

What is ability? What is power? This is it.

He can do what others can't.

However, Zhu Youdun remained calm and unmoved by the admiration and envy of others.

Zhu Gaoxi really wanted to crack open his head and see how he managed to achieve such a tranquil and peaceful state, like an old monk in meditation.

Back in the palace, Zhu Gaoxi realized just how serious the consequences of this incident were.

Xu Miaojin looked at Zhu Youdun with eyes so tender they could melt your heart.

Zhu Gaoxi's heart sank into an icy abyss.

The winner takes all; is Xu Miaojin going to be snatched away by Zhu Youdun?