When Zhu Yunwen arrived at the imperial study, he held a thorny rattan cane in his hand, knelt down outside, and said in a pitiful voice:

"Grandfather, your grandson Zhu Yunwen has come to apologize with a bundle of thorns on his back."

Zhu Yuanzhang, inside the room, snorted and, without even glancing at Zhu Yunwen, spoke directly:

"Someone, use the rattan cane in his hand to whip him a hundred times."

Outside, a member of the Imperial Guard took a thorny vine from Zhu Yunwen's hand. Zhu Yunwen's face turned pale, and he hurriedly said:

"Grandfather, I have something to say."

He planned to follow his mother's plan, to make the false accusation first, shift all the conflict onto Zhu Yunwen, and make himself appear as a filial prince who only wanted to seek justice for his mother.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang gave him no chance at all, coldly saying:

"We don't want to hear your explanation. We have our own judgment on right and wrong. What you've done has made us very angry. Let's hit you!"

Upon hearing this, the Imperial Guard dared not hesitate for a moment, gripped the rattan cane in his hand, and lashed it hard across Zhu Yunwen's back.

The whipping of the rattan cane and the pain of the thorns piercing his body immediately spread throughout Zhu Yunwen's entire body.

Zhu Yunwen let out a scream of pain, bracing himself on the ground with his hands, his forehead immediately covered in beads of sweat.

The Imperial Guard slapped him hard again, and he screamed in agony once more. After about ten slaps, his back was a bloody mess.

Zhu Yunwen was also trembling all over from the pain.

He simply couldn't understand how his grandfather, who used to dote on him so much, had become so ruthless towards him.

Although he couldn't understand it, he quickly blamed everything on Zhu Yunwen.

He believed that all of this was caused by Zhu Yunwen.

Otherwise, he would still be the emperor's favorite grandson, and he would certainly be the crown prince with the most stable position in the future.

But now, his grandfather is treating him this way, which makes him extremely resentful.

Although his cries were pitiful, Zhu Yuanzhang inside felt no pity whatsoever.

He held a book in his hand, which was naturally the history book of the Ming Dynasty that he had traveled through time with Zhu Yunwen.

After seeing Zhu Yunwen's questionable actions, Zhu Yuanzhang became even more determined to punish him.

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen's screams did not meet his expectations, and Zhu Yuanzhang's heart softened.

On the contrary, it made Zhu Yuanzhang inside feel extremely comfortable.

However, it was only after fifty or sixty strokes that the blows were completed.

Two ministers rushed over. One stepped forward to stop the Imperial Guards from continuing to beat Zhu Yunwen, while the other knelt outside the Imperial Study, shouting:

"Your subject, Qi Tai, Minister of War, requests an audience with Your Majesty."

Zhu Yuanzhang casually remarked:

"Come in!"

Qi Tai, the Minister of War, though somewhat old, was in good health. He quickly stood up and hurried into the Imperial Study, bowing once more.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyelids and said, "Mr. Qi, what brings you here in such a hurry?"

Qi Tai immediately said, "Your Majesty, I would like to ask, why was the imperial grandson whipped in such a way?"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted and said:

"This is a family matter, Mr. Qi, it's best not to get too involved. If it escalates into a national issue, things will become complicated."

This statement was actually Zhu Yuanzhang's way of reminding Qi Tai that if this matter could be handled as a family affair, it might not escalate to such a serious level.

If the court officials get involved and elevate this matter to a matter of state, then it must be handled strictly according to official procedures.

Qi Tai clearly understood what Zhu Yuanzhang meant.

However, he was very protective of Zhu Yunwen, so he continued:

"Whether it is a matter of state or a family matter, I believe that the imperial grandson should not be whipped in this way. After all, His Highness Zhu Yunwen is now the foundation of our Great Ming Dynasty."

These words instantly enraged Zhu Yuanzhang. He grabbed a teacup from the table and hurled it at Qi Tai, who immediately knelt on the ground, shouting:

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I am filled with trepidation."

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up angrily and rebuked:

"You're afraid? We're the ones who should be afraid. Who told you Zhu Yunwen was the foundation of our Ming Dynasty? Who was it?"

Qi Tai's forehead was covered in fine sweat, and he knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head.

He thought to himself, "Isn't it common knowledge that Zhu Yunwen is the foundation of the Ming Dynasty?"

It turned out to be Crown Prince Zhu Biao, but Zhu Biao had already passed away.

Since Zhu Yuanzhang could not choose an heir from among his other sons, he could only choose Zhu Biao's son from among his grandsons.

Zhu Biao's sons could only be Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yuntong.

However, Zhu Yunwen's reputation and abilities were so poor that a group of civil officials naturally defended him.

Of course, there was some personal motive involved, because Zhu Yunwen didn't have much background or power; his mother's family were originally civil officials.

Therefore, it was quite reasonable for these civil officials to want to support Zhu Yunwen.

In other words, Zhu Yunwen undoubtedly had a group of powerful military officers as relatives.

Zhu Yunwen, on the other hand, received more support from civil officials.

In the early Ming Dynasty, military officials held immense power, while civil officials were overwhelmed and unable to breathe.

These civil officials had long wanted to rise in power, so naturally they did not support Zhu Yunwen, the grandson of the emperor from a military family, becoming the future emperor.

Therefore, they only wanted to support Zhu Yunwen, so that these civil officials could turn the tables.

Therefore, in their view, both for public and private reasons, Zhu Yunwen should be protected.

Everything was going smoothly, and Zhu Yuanzhang and his officials were very optimistic about Zhu Yunwen. But for some reason, today Zhu Yuanzhang has suddenly turned against Zhu Yunwen.

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