Princess Dongdao originally felt quite wronged and couldn't understand why Zhu Yunwen harbored such resentment towards Dongdao.

However, after Zhu Yunwen said that, she realized how foolish she had been and how much she had angered him.

Goryeo could become part of the Ming Dynasty, but the Eastern Island Kingdom would be suppressed by the Ming Dynasty forever and would not even be able to establish a state.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not expect Zhu Yunwen to be so ruthless. Although this did not seem to be Zhu Yunwen's style, since Zhu Yunwen had already said so, Zhu Yuanzhang naturally would not stop him.

It's just a mere island nation in the east; it doesn't really matter if we don't have it. Let them suppress us; Zhu Yunwen is in charge anyway, and Zhu Yuanzhang will still choose to listen to him.

And so the matter was settled, and the princess of the Eastern Island was taken away.

Zhu Yunwen would absolutely not spare her life. To show her mercy would leave behind a threat that the Ming Dynasty would likely have to confront in the future.

The Eastern Island Kingdom and the Goryeo Kingdom have already been tried; next up is Zhu Yunwen.

Although Zhu Yunwen hated Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yuanzhang very much at this moment, he was still very afraid.

His face was filled with fear. He no longer had the courage to look at Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunwen.

Zhu Yunwen remained silent, while Zhu Yuanzhang, with a look of disappointment and frustration, stared at him and said:

"As a member of the royal family, it is truly disappointing and heartbreaking that you would do such a thing."

Upon hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Zhu Yunwen swallowed hard. He wanted to retort, but ultimately dared not say anything, only revealing a mocking sneer as he said:

"The victor is king, the loser is villain. Things have come to this, and I have nothing more to say. Do with me as you please."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned deeply, and after a long while, he sighed and said:

"No matter what, you are my grandson. Although I spared your life once, you have no remorse. Now you have gone astray. It is truly heartbreaking."

"Very well, this time I won't kill you, but from now on, you will be trapped like your fourth uncle in that dark room outside the palace, to die alone."

Upon hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Zhu Yunwen gave a bitter laugh, his face once again revealing an arrogant and unruly smile.

Because his life was spared, he was no longer afraid. Since Zhu Yuanzhang did not kill him, he did not have to face the fear of death.

In his view, as long as he doesn't die, he's actually making a profit in the current situation.

Thinking of this, the arrogant and smug look on his face grew even stronger.

However, at this moment, Zhu Yunwen slowly spoke:

"Do you think it's a good thing that we're not killing you?"

Zhu Yunwen immediately looked at Zhu Yunzhuo, who then continued:

"Sometimes, living is the greatest punishment. You have several decades left to live. And you'll spend those decades in that tiny room, with poor food and shelter..."

You may be unwilling to accept it, but what can you do? Because you will never have another chance to turn things around.

The pain of being given hope, only to slowly erode it into despair over time, is truly the most unbearable, and you seem unaware of it yet.

Upon hearing Zhu Yunwen's words, Zhu Yunwen's expression turned ugly once again.

He didn't know if Zhu Yuntong was right, but just by listening to Zhu Yuntong's description, he could clearly imagine how tragic and terrible it would be if such a scene really happened.

At this moment, Zhu Yunwen seemed to have become a demon, destroying Zhu Yunwen's fragile psychological defenses and pulling him back to reality from his already limited moment of pride.

He took a deep breath and realized that it seemed there was no forgiveness whatsoever for his punishment.

But Zhu Yunwen spoke up again:

"Are you already scared? That's a bit too early. Don't rush. Slowly, savor the pain of despair in the darkness. That feeling will make you reflect on yourself. Reflect on the bad things you've done."

Zhu Yunwen's words were like knives, stabbing him in the heart again and again.

Zhu Yunwen's expression became somewhat numb.

He was taken away in a daze and locked away forever in that dark and sunless house.

When he entered, he saw the disheveled Prince Yan, Zhu Di, in the room.

When Zhu Di noticed someone entering, he was taken aback for a moment, then looked up blankly at Zhu Yunwen before lowering his head again expressionlessly.

It's as if you're seeing a stranger, or even someone insignificant.

This scene made Zhu Yunwen's heart skip a beat. He slowly walked forward, glanced at Zhu Di, and then tentatively called out:

"Fourth Uncle?"

Zhu Di, sitting on the ground, showed no reaction. Zhu Yunwen was utterly terrified. He quickly stepped forward and looked at his fourth uncle, the one he had once considered among the many princes who could threaten him.

But at this moment, they were completely ignoring him. This made him feel inexplicably uneasy.

After being shaken a couple of times by Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Di spoke weakly and coldly:

"Don't try to claim kinship here. Even if you call me 'Dad,' I won't give it to you when there are cockroaches."

Zhu Yunwen stared in disbelief and said:

"Fourth Uncle, what are you saying?"

Zhu Di glanced at Zhu Yunwen with disdain, then continued:

"The victor is king, the loser is villain. You lost, and I lost too. This is our fate. Although we didn't die, being locked up in this dark and sunless place is more terrifying than death."

At first, someone would bring them food, but after a while, even the servants who brought the food found it troublesome.

They only bring small amounts of food every few days, which is never enough to fill my stomach. So the cockroaches and insects here have become my daily food source.

Upon hearing Zhu Di's words, Zhu Yunwen's hand trembled slightly.

He pointed to a cockroach crawling not far away, and Zhu Di's eyes immediately lit up.

He quickly stepped forward, grabbed the cockroach, and, as if he had seen a delicacy, hurriedly put it in his mouth and ate it in two bites.

Zhu Yunwen looked disgusting, but the more he looked at him, the more he regretted it. This place was truly unfit for human habitation. Even the dignified Prince Yan, Zhu Di, was forced to eat cockroaches in this place.

It's easy to imagine how terrifying this place was; it was something Zhu Yunwen could not accept.

But what can he do if he doesn't accept it now? There's no way he can escape from this place.

Only then did he finally realize what Zhu Yunwen meant by what he had said earlier.

Zhu Yunwen told him that he would have a long time to regret his actions in this place, and ample opportunity to repent for the hateful things he had done. It seems that he was absolutely right.