Just as Zhu Yunwen arrived outside Renzhi Palace, he encountered a burly man who had just come out of the palace after paying homage to Zhu Biao.

The man was around fifty years old, with a murderous aura on his face, which was very intimidating and gave him a powerful presence.

Upon seeing Zhu Yunwen, he immediately stepped forward, his eyes red, and said:

"The Imperial Grandson!"

Zhu Yunwen looked at the big man, and some of the original owner's memories merged into his mind. He remembered that this big man seemed to be his maternal great-uncle, the most powerful military general in the late Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, General Lan Yu.

Lan Yu was extraordinary; he was virtually invincible in battle, comparable to several founding fathers.

Now that most of the founding fathers have passed away, Lan Yu has become the highest-ranking military officer.

"Grandpa!"

This is a great backer; Zhu Yunwen must cultivate a good relationship with him.

Lan Yu sighed: "It's not appropriate for you to address someone like that in the palace."

"Now that my father and mother are gone, I have few relatives left in the world. If I were to be concerned about how I address people, wouldn't that seem distant..."

Zhu Yunwen's words brought tears to the eyes of Lan Yu, a man of decisive action, and he couldn't help but speak softly:

"Child, your maternal great-uncle will always be your family, as will your two uncles. The Chang family, the Founding Duke, and the Lan family, the Liang State Duke, will always protect you!"

Lan Yu was the maternal uncle of Zhu Yunwen's mother, Chang Shi, making him Zhu Yunwen's maternal great-uncle.

It's perfectly normal for uncles to love their nephews and their nephews' sons.

Zhu Yunwen also knew Lan Yu's strength, and having this great-uncle to back him up was definitely a good thing.

However, because he was worried that Lan Yu would help Zhu Yunwen rebel in the future, Zhu Yuanzhang killed Lan Yu in history.

If you calculate the time, in a few months Zhu Yuanzhang will make Zhu Yunwen his heir apparent, and Lan Yu will die next year...

Zhu Yunwen's face was grim, thinking to himself that he had to take good care of his maternal uncle.

Lan Yu can't die! He was the vanguard on our path of rebellion...

So he stepped forward, pulled Lan Yu aside, and said:

"Uncle, I have something to tell you, and you must listen to it, because it concerns our fate!"

Lan Yu was taken aback, somewhat puzzled by this usually incompetent and cowardly grand-nephew:

"Yunwen, you speak!"

Seeing that no one was around, Zhu Yunwen said:

"If Your Majesty supports Zhu Yunwen, you will surely die."

Upon hearing this, Lan Yu's expression changed, and he pondered carefully.

After a moment, he nodded: "You're right. I never thought of that before. Yun-hu, you actually thought of it."

Zhu Yunwen squinted and said, "Grand Uncle, you don't want your whole family to be wiped out, do you?"

"So, Yunyu, what do you mean?" Although Lan Yu was a martial artist, he wasn't stupid.

"I aspire to the throne, and I need my maternal uncle's cooperation," Zhu Yunwen said, making a startling statement.

Lan Yu was overjoyed and said:

"Good, good! If anyone ever calls my grand-nephew a mediocre person again, I, Lan Yu, will chop him down! Haha, Yun Tong, since you have this idea, your great-uncle and the Chang family will do everything in their power to help you!"

Zhu Yunwen slowly spoke: "Right now, I only need my great-uncle to do one thing!"

"You said you'd brave mountains of knives and seas of fire," Lan Yu said domineeringly.

"Pretend to be sick, pretend to be seriously ill, so that everyone thinks you're failing."

Lan Yu was immediately bewildered: "Why is that?"

"Save my life! Your existence will keep my grandfather at ease. Only if you fall ill and are no longer a threat can you survive. Only if you survive can you help me."

Hearing Zhu Yunwen's words, Lan Yu pondered for a long time, then looked at Zhu Yunwen again, sighing deeply:

"Yunwen, have you been hiding your talents all these years? Your great-uncle has really underestimated you. Good, very good. Your great-uncle is truly pleased that you have such thoughts."

There was even a tear in the corner of his eye.

Lan Yu admired Zhu Biao greatly and doted on her nephew, Chang Shi.

It could even be said that, apart from Zhu Yuanzhang, Lan Yu is the one who cares most about Zhu Yunwen now.

Therefore, as long as Zhu Yunwen is willing, Lan Yu will spare no effort to help him ascend the throne.

Zhu Yunwen said, "In that case, Uncle, don't forget to get seriously ill."

"Hahaha, okay, I promise, I'll be so sick I won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow." Lan Yu laughed heartily.

After the two parted, Zhu Yunwen entered the palace and saw Zhu Yunwen crying his heart out. He almost couldn't help but laugh.

When Zhu Yunwen saw Zhu Yunwen enter, he said:

"Yunwen, you have been very disrespectful to my mother today!"

He spoke while tears streamed down his face, and he couldn't stop.

Zhu Yuntong sneered, "This is nothing! There's a long road ahead, and there will be many more instances of disrespect towards her!"

"You...aren't you afraid of what will happen after I become emperor..." Zhu Yunwen threatened Zhu Yuntong.

Zhu Yunwen's eyes sharpened instantly, and he said:

"Believe me, you have no chance."

"What, you want to compete with me?" Zhu Yunwen said disdainfully.

Zhu Yunwen smiled without saying a word, offered incense to Zhu Biao, and turned to leave.

...

The next day, in the Imperial Study.

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned as he looked at Jiang Huan, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard below, and said:

"Is Lan Yu ill?"

Jiang Huan said, "Yes, he said he accidentally fell and got a knife wound on his thigh. It's very serious, and he can hardly get out of bed."

"A knife wound from a wrestling accident?" Zhu Yuanzhang was dumbfounded.

"The imperial physician examined it and confirmed it was indeed a knife wound..." Jiang Huan thought for a moment, then added:

"Last night, he paid respects to the late Crown Prince and met with the grandson of the Emperor, Zhu Yunwen, and they had a long, secret conversation!"

Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his chin: "I chatted with Yunwen for a long time, and the next day I fell and got a knife wound..."

After dismissing Jiang Huan, he began to ponder the matter.

"Could it be that Yunhu made Lanyu fall and get injured? Why would he do that? Could it be... hiss... that he has some ulterior motive?"

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