In the palace, on the open ground outside a small pavilion next to the Shaoyang Palace.

Zhu Yunwen, the grandson of the Ming emperor, held a stick and struck Zhou Ji on the ground repeatedly.

He used all his strength with each strike, and each blow hit Zhou Ji, damaging his internal organs.

After being hit more than a dozen times, Zhou Ji no longer had the strength to let out any more screams.

He lay helplessly on the ground, blood gushing from his mouth and nose. With a desperate and terrified look in his eyes, he tried to turn his head to look at Zhu Yunwen.

He was making muffled sobs, and it seemed as if he was saying something indistinctly:

"Stop hitting..."

It seemed to be uttering some inaudible pleas for mercy.

At that moment, he was truly afraid and regretful, but it was all too late.

After all, no matter how much he begged for mercy or what he said, Zhu Yunwen showed no mercy.

He only hit harder and harder with the stick in his hand.

Finally, after more than twenty forceful blows, Zhou Ji, who was lying on the ground, stopped reacting.

Generally speaking, twenty shots in a battle are unlikely to kill anyone.

But Zhu Yunwen used underhanded tactics; his goal was to kill Zhou Ji.

So he used all his strength each time. Twenty blows to the back would cause severe internal damage, leaving no chance of survival.

The commander of the guards stepped forward, checked Zhou Ji's breath, took his pulse, and then looked up at Zhu Yunwen and said:

"Your Highness, he is dead."

Zhu Yunwen was a little tired. After catching his breath, he handed the blood-soaked stick back to the guard and said casually:

"No matter their status, no matter how high their position, no matter how arrogant and domineering they are, this stick should take their lives."

The guard took the stick with trembling hands.

At this moment, the eyes of everyone present looking at Zhu Yunwen were filled with fear, mixed with awe and admiration.

It's hard not to feel awe for such a powerful and charismatic grandson of the emperor.

The head guard bowed to Zhu Yunwen and said:

"Your Highness, no matter where this matter goes, I will stand up and testify for Your Highness."

The dozen or so guards around him all knelt down and shouted in unison:

“We are willing to bear witness for His Highness the Imperial Grandson Ding.”

Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly and said:

"Take the body away and send it to the residence of Marquis Zhou Dexing of Jiangxia."

"yes."

With a wave of his hand, the head guard immediately sent two guards away to take the body away and quickly clean up the bloodstains at the scene.

On a pavilion not far away, Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, his face beaming with undisguised joy.

Zhu Yunwen's tough approach, domineering style, his methods of disaster relief in local areas, and the kindness and benevolence he displayed...

All of this, Zhu Yuanzhang only saw in one person, and that was the most powerful crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, his most beloved son Zhu Biao.

In his eyes, Zhu Biao was a perfect crown prince, a perfect candidate for emperor, and a perfect son.

Now, he seemed to see the shadow of Zhu Biao in Zhu Yuntong, because Zhu Yuntong's abilities and methods made Zhu Yuanzhang unable to find any fault with him.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood for a long time, and finally only said one word:

"good."

Perhaps in his view, Zhu Yunwen now truly possesses the qualities of an heir to the throne.

At that moment, Zhu Yuanzhang was absolutely certain that Zhu Yunwen was the future successor of the Ming Dynasty.

Unshakeable!

At least in his heart, this idea was unshakable.

He previously wanted Zhu Yunwen to be the heir to the throne because he had read the history books and did not want Zhu Yunwen, that idiot, to be emperor, nor did he want Zhu Di to be emperor. He also could not accept that Zhu Di's descendants had produced such bizarre and shameful emperors.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang at that time felt that only by cultivating Zhu Yunwen could he possibly change everything.

But now, his thoughts are far from that simple.

Based on observation, Zhu Yunwen was not as despicable as he perceived him to be.

At this moment, Zhu Yunwen's abilities were so impressive that even Zhu Yuanzhang felt that he didn't need much training; he was an excellent candidate.

When such an excellent option emerges when no one else has a choice, it's practically a done deal.

Zhu Yuanzhang was very happy that night.

However, he didn't rush to intervene in the matter. Instead, he went straight back to his palace and went to sleep.

He was lying in bed, still with a smile on his face.

He seemed to vaguely see the Ming Dynasty's renewed glory after his death, even surpassing its current glory.

That night, some were happy, and some were sad.

When Marquis Zhou Dexing of Jiangxia saw his son's corpse, he nearly collapsed.

He ranted and cursed wildly in his mansion, especially after learning that his son had been beaten to death by Zhu Yuntong himself. He cursed Zhu Yuntong even more in his mansion.

Without any regard for the consequences, they directly used the most vicious language to hurl the strongest insults at Zhu Yunwen.

Historically, Zhou Dexing, after learning that his son had been killed by Zhu Yuanzhang, even dared to curse Zhu Yuanzhang to his face.

It's not hard to see how this doting father would react to Zhu Yunwen, a grandson of the emperor whose reputation has always been questionable, after learning that his son had been killed by Zhu Yunwen.

The next day, in the morning!

Zhou Dexing, dressed in a plain white robe and with a stern expression, accompanied the civil and military officials to the imperial court.

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