To put it bluntly, it's just that Zhu Yunwen's reputation was so great that it was being embellished with increasingly fantastical stories.
This has raised concerns in the Eastern Island nation and has also served to curb its ambitions to some extent.
So this time, the so-called mission to send people to the Ming Dynasty for a friendly competition is actually an attempt to openly shatter the legendary status of the Ming Dynasty's Crown Prince.
There are two advantages to doing this. One advantage is that if the legend of Zhu Yunwen is truly broken, then it proves that Zhu Yunwen was not the all-around genius as rumored.
This would reassure the Eastern Island Kingdom and disappoint the people of the Ming Dynasty.
If the people of the Eastern Island Kingdom outshone the grandson of the Ming Emperor, then it proves that the people of the Eastern Island Kingdom were more capable than the grandson of the Ming Emperor.
The grandson of the Ming emperor was revered as a god during the Ming Dynasty. Since the people of the Eastern Island Kingdom have surpassed the grandson of the Ming emperor, does that mean that the people of the Eastern Island Kingdom are even more divine than gods?
This situation, which dealt a blow to the Ming Dynasty but boosted the status of the Eastern Island Kingdom, was clearly a great thing, giving the Eastern Island Kingdom unprecedented confidence.
This tiny, insignificant place likes to do crazy things when it's feeling confident.
If they were to actually win this competition, it would embolden them and make them feel that they could fight against the Ming Dynasty.
Although the Ming Dynasty was not afraid of the Eastern Island Kingdom, it had absolutely no reason to lose face in this so-called competition.
So Zhu Yunwen spoke up, saying to Zhu Yuanzhang:
"What was the Emperor's attitude?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "We'll postpone this matter for now, citing your absence from the capital. The final decision rests with you. We can't make decisions on our own."
Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly, and after a moment said:
"There's no reason to refuse something like this. This Eastern Island nation has always been ambitious and treacherous, so this is a good opportunity to teach them a lesson."
We must make them understand that our Celestial Ming Dynasty is not something their tiny, insignificant land can lay its hands on. Nor is it something they can compare to.
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said:
“We know you won’t let this go easily. In that case, we’ll give them a reply. But Yunwen, you should also be prepared. Since they dared to make such a request, they must have made some preparations. We can’t be careless.”
Zhu Yunwen nodded and said:
"Grandson understands, Your Majesty, please rest assured."
Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunwen talked for a long time, mostly about recent events.
The two chatted until the afternoon, when Zhu Yunwen finally stood up and said to Zhu Yuanzhang:
"It's been a while since we last met. It's rare to have such a pleasant chat between us. Why don't I cook some delicious food and we can have another drink together?"
Zhu Yuanzhang was naturally pleased and said to Zhu Yunwen:
"How about we get some more of that distilled spirit of yours? We've almost finished what you had last time."
Zhu Yunwen smiled and nodded, then went to the imperial kitchen. After some fuss, several of his specialty dishes and a large pot of distilled liquor were served.
Then Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yuanzhang ate, drank, and chatted happily.
After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Zhu Yunwen returned to the East Palace. Zhao Qingzhu, once again disguised as a male eunuch, said to Zhu Yunwen:
"Your Highness, I also heard this afternoon that the so-called princess and prince from the Eastern Island Kingdom, along with some envoys, were extremely arrogant, claiming that they would shatter the so-called myth and legend of the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty."
In this way, it seems you don't even have the chance to refuse the competition. If you refuse, they'll say that His Highness the Crown Prince is afraid.
Zhu Yunwen: "Girl, who said I was going to refuse? Such a good opportunity, of course I'm going to play with them. Otherwise, what would I be rushing back for?"
Zhao Qingzhu: "That's true, but I heard that among the geniuses they brought this time, there are some who are very skilled in martial arts. What should you do if you have to go up and compete with them?"
Zhu Yunwen frowned; this was indeed a troublesome matter.
Since transmigrating to this world, Zhu Yunwen has learned that the development of martial arts in this world has exceeded his imagination.
Like Zhao Qingzhu, a seemingly weak woman, after learning some martial arts and demonstrating her talent in that area, was able to fight against dozens of imperial guards all by herself.
Therefore, the martial arts in this world are indeed very powerful.
The more skilled someone is, the greater the gap becomes between an ordinary person like myself who has never practiced martial arts and someone who has.
Moreover, Zhu Yunwen has already returned, so if a competition is to be held, it will probably be some time from now.
It's unrealistic to expect someone to develop impressive martial arts skills in such a short time.
Furthermore, Zhu Yunwen had many things to deal with every day, so how could he devote himself wholeheartedly to learning martial arts?
Zhao Qingzhu also felt a bit of a headache and said to Zhu Yunwen:
"Actually, you have a very good physical foundation. If you really want to learn martial arts, you will achieve great things. However, learning martial arts is not something that can be accomplished overnight; it inevitably requires time and practice."
And those brought by the Eastern Island nation must also be masters from the Eastern Island itself. It would be quite an achievement to learn some basic martial arts in a short time; to become a master would be extremely difficult.
Zhu Yunwen paused for a moment, then said to Zhao Qingzhu, "We still need to practice martial arts, after all, it can strengthen our bodies and improve our health."
Of course, while it won't yield great results in a short time, as long as I can learn a move or two and acquire some basic skills before the competition, that will be sufficient.
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