Although he knew Zhu Yuanzhang was very angry, Zhu Yunwen still cleverly said:

"It's nothing, just some misunderstandings on the way."

His feigned generosity left Zhu Yuanzhang speechless, saying:

“Yunyi, being too kind is not always a good thing. Although you don’t want your grandfather to know and are unwilling to tell the truth, it doesn’t mean that your grandfather doesn’t know.”

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up, his hands behind his back:

“We have set up the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and it’s not just for show. From the time you set off until you returned, although we selected ten of the elite of the elite for you, we still secretly dispatched several more powerful Embroidered Uniform Guards to protect you along the way.”

Zhu Yunwen was slightly surprised, as this was something he hadn't expected, mainly because he hadn't anticipated that Zhu Yuanzhang cared about him so much.

Zhu Yuanzhang turned to look at Zhu Yunwen and said:

"When you went to the disaster area, you encountered an assassination attempt, but fortunately you were quick-witted and didn't fall for it, thus escaping unscathed. On your way back, you were poisoned by the local post station manager and then attacked by bandits."

You've managed to escape both times thanks to your quick wit. I'm very pleased with your prudence and intelligence. However, escaping unscathed doesn't mean you can be so merciful. In my opinion, that postmaster deserved to die too.

Zhu Yunwen frowned and said, "He was just confused for a moment and misunderstood his grandson. He still has a sense of righteousness in his heart. After realizing his mistake, he was very remorseful. So I think his crime does not deserve to die."

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed helplessly and said:

"Sigh, you and your father are very similar in this respect. Being too kind is a good thing, but it's not necessarily all good. Well, since you've spared his life, we can't just kill him."

Zhu Yuanzhang observed Zhu Yunwen for a few more moments, and finally couldn't help but speak:

“You should know that Zhu Yunwen did all these things.”

Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly and said:

"I understand, my grandson isn't that stupid."

This made Zhu Yuanzhang laugh, and he said:

“We didn’t say you were stupid. Ever since that night when you suddenly fell seriously ill but miraculously recovered, to be honest, you seem to have changed a lot. Of course, this change is excellent, and we are very happy to see it.”

Zhu Yuntong did not want to say more about this matter, lest he say too much and make a mistake.

Zhu Yuanzhang took another deep breath and said:

“We are very unhappy with Zhu Yunwen’s actions. However, we shouldn’t pursue the matter too much, since he is the grandson of the emperor. If we handle this matter in a high-profile manner, it will definitely have a negative impact on our royal family. Therefore, we have decided to punish him privately. What do you think?”

Zhu Yunwen nodded and said:

"It's all up to Grandfather to decide. After all, my second brother didn't cause me any real harm, so a little lesson is enough."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said:

"You're still too soft-hearted."

Zhu Yunwen also smiled and said:

"That assessment is inaccurate. My grandson is soft-hearted, but it depends on who he is dealing with. He is soft-hearted when he should be, but he will never be soft-hearted when he shouldn't be."

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment, then he remembered how Zhu Yunwen had brutally murdered the son of the Yingtian Prefecture Magistrate when he left the capital.

Then he thought of how he had ordered the killing of two county magistrates and dozens of bandits.

Then it dawned on me that this grandson, who claimed to be kind, didn't seem so kind after all.

Perhaps it really is a matter of having different attitudes towards people and things.

"Alright, we won't keep you any longer. You must be tired from your journey. Go back and rest. Tomorrow, don't forget to attend the morning court session. We'll reward you handsomely in front of all the civil and military officials."

Generally speaking, these imperial grandsons would not attend the morning court session.

Unless Zhu Yuanzhang intentionally supported him, such as when Zhu Yunwen was repeatedly brought by Zhu Yuanzhang to the morning court to meet with civil and military officials.

While listening to their discussion of the imperial ambassador, he also summoned Zhu Yunwen to the imperial study to help him process memorials.

All of these things proved to the outside world that Zhu Yuanzhang had high hopes for Zhu Yunwen at that time.

However, things are different now.

Zhu Yuanzhang should value Zhu Yunwen even more.

However, Zhu Yunwen did not let his guard down at all.

He knew that to make his business succeed, he couldn't just focus on this so-called change in the present moment.

Great things require perseverance.

When Zhu Yunwen returned to the East Palace and arrived at his own bedchamber, he found his younger sister, Princess Yilun, and Princess Jiangdu practicing calligraphy in the main hall.

Upon seeing Zhu Yunwen return, the two maids excitedly ran over.

Zhu Yuntong patted his two younger sisters on the head and said:

"How have you all been while I was away for more than two weeks? Has anyone bullied you?"

The "nobody" that Zhu Yunwen mentioned was naturally the Crown Princess Lü!

Upon Zhu Yunwen's inquiry, both Princess Yilun and Princess Jiangdu shook their heads and said:

“No one is bullying them.”

Zhu Yunwen was relieved, but then he realized that something was not quite right.

Because there was a bruise on Princess Jiangdu's forehead, he immediately frowned and asked:

What happened to your forehead?

Princess Jiangdu immediately covered it up: "I accidentally tripped and fell. Third Brother, it's alright, don't worry about me."

However, Princess Yilun, who was standing to the side, opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but was stopped by a look from Princess Jiangdu.

Their subtle movements naturally did not escape Zhu Yunwen's notice.

Then Zhu Yunwen frowned and said:

"Tell me honestly, what exactly happened?"

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