Prince Zhu Shuang of Qin had been a popular choice after Zhu Biao's death, and logically speaking, he should indeed be the successor to the throne and become the crown prince.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang did not decide to choose from among his brothers.

The specific reasons are quite complex, with various factors contributing to the problem.

It's possible that in Zhu Yuanzhang's mind, the throne had to be given to Zhu Biao and his descendants.

In his view, this was what constituted continuation and inheritance, perhaps because he didn't know which son to pass it on to.

After all, his sons were all outstanding; whether it was Zhu Di, Zhu Shuang, or Zhu Gang, they were all exceptional individuals.

They were among the most capable sons of Zhu Yuanzhang, except for Zhu Biao.

However, it would be more difficult to choose one of them to succeed him.

The situation became even more difficult to manage afterward.

If the second prince, Zhu Shuang, is chosen, then the third prince, Zhu Gang, and Zhu Di will inevitably raise an army in rebellion.

If Zhu Gang or Zhu Di were chosen, the others would still not be convinced.

This was definitely not a situation that Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to see, so after considering various factors, Zhu Yuanzhang almost never thought of choosing a successor from among his other sons.

This made his sons very dissatisfied, and although they dared not say it out loud, there was always a knot in their hearts.

Chang'an is now called Xi'an.

At the Prince of Qin's residence.

Zhu Yunwen smiled as he looked at his second uncle.

King Zhu Shuang of Qin looked a little old, but his eyes were still wise.

He squinted at Zhu Yunwen and said:

"Yunwen came all this way to see Second Uncle, could it be that he just wanted to visit him?"

Zhu Yunwen smiled. He couldn't be the first to speak up on this matter. What if Zhu Shuang didn't give him face and instead reported him to the emperor about his collusion? Wouldn't Zhu Yunwen be in big trouble then?

Therefore, he decided to take the initiative in the conversation and not express his opinion first, so he said:

"Many things happened in the capital, which made Yunwen feel uneasy. So he quietly left the capital and came to his second uncle's place."

Zhu Shuang smiled and said:

“Your mother has only been dead for a short time, and you’ve already run so far. If people find out, you’ll probably be remembered with a bad reputation.”

Zhu Yunwen's face darkened, and he clenched his fists, saying:

"My mother died a gruesome death, not even properly buried. Is there really a need for a three-year mourning period? Second Uncle, are you here to reopen old wounds? It seems you're not very welcoming of your nephew's arrival?"

Zhu Shuang hurriedly waved his hand and said:

"Yunwen, don't misunderstand, your second uncle is just concerned about you. By the way, there's something your second uncle has been very puzzled about."

Zhu Yunwen: "What is it that you're wondering, Second Uncle?"

Zhu Shuang paused for a moment, then his smile faded, and he spoke seriously:

"How could Zhu Yunwen have undergone such a dramatic change? To be honest, I still can't believe it. He used to be so despicable, but now he seems to have been reborn."

This...is simply too unbelievable! Could it be that he's really been biding his time for over ten years? If so, then this person's cunning is far too profound.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen immediately became interested and said:

“I’ve always been puzzled by this matter, and since my second uncle brought it up, I won’t hide it any longer. The change in Zhu Yunwen started the night he fell ill. That night, my mother actually did something to him.”

Zhu Yunwen grew bolder and spoke his mind directly.

Since his mother was already dead, he believed that even if he told Zhu Shuang, Zhu Shuang would never reveal it.

After all, once it's out in the open, no one can hold a dead person accountable.

Lady Lü died because she hired someone to kill Zhu Yunwen, and Zhu Yuanzhang even made her body be left to rot in the wilderness, without burial.

So now, they don't care if others know what methods they used against Zhu Yunwen in the first place.

Zhu Shuang frowned and said:

"It seems that this Zhu Yunwen is indeed a very cunning person. Perhaps he originally intended to keep his true colors hidden until your mother wanted to kill him, at which point he knew he could no longer pretend, and that's when he revealed his true colors. This man is truly terrifying."

Zhu Yunwen didn't respond to the question; instead, he looked at Zhu Shuang and said:

"Second Uncle, don't you really want to know why I came here?"

Zhu Shuang smiled, then stood up, took a deep breath, and said:

"Why don't you go find the fourth brother? He should be stronger, and he's on the northern border. Although he doesn't have any troops at his disposal right now, he'll have more sooner or later. Wouldn't it be safer for you to go to him?"

Zhu Yunwen once again displayed his hypocrisy and theatricality, saying to Zhu Shuang:

"It doesn't matter who I find, I only have one goal, which is to avenge my mother."

He himself didn't believe this. He wanted to avenge his mother and thus decided to rebel.

There are very few people like this in history!

Even if there is one, it's nothing more than using it as an excuse, like he does. What they really care about is still that position, isn't it?

Zhu Shuang saw through his scheme but remained silent, only letting out a cold laugh inwardly, thinking:

Zhu Yunwen is indeed no match for Zhu Yunwen. With such petty schemes, he still pretends to be so serious. He really thinks people are fools.

So Zhu Shuang said, "Do you think Second Uncle would do something so dangerous?"

Zhu Yunwen, in his self-righteous indignation, said:

"Second Uncle, there's no need to pretend in front of your nephew. Don't you have any thoughts? After my father passed away, that position should have been yours. Even if my grandfather had made me take it, I would have felt uneasy. Now that it's not my turn, I feel even more indignant on your behalf. If you are interested in that position, I believe there are many people in the world who would support you and consider you the rightful heir."

Zhu Shuang said indifferently:

"Since you've been so frank, I'll be frank too. As long as your royal grandfather is alive, even if I'm ambitious, I would never dare to make any underhanded moves."

"Don't doubt your imperial grandfather's abilities. Even on his last breath, he would have enough power to keep the entire court and us princes and grandsons firmly under his control."

Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly and said:

"Of course I understand, then we'll wait until he's breathless..."

Zhu Shuang frowned and looked carefully at Zhu Yunwen, who in turn looked at Zhu Shuang.

The atmosphere was incredibly oppressive.

After a long silence, Zhu Shuang took a deep breath and said:

"In any case, it seems I have no use for you, do I? Nowadays, you seem to have no power in the court. Before, you had a group of civil officials supporting you. Now you are all alone, and it seems there is no need for me to cooperate with you."

Zhu Yunwen smiled and said, "Who said I have no power in the court? Although several powerful figures are gone, there are still some who remain in the court in secret."

At least I still have people in the court. How does Uncle know I won't be needed in the future? After all, who can predict what will happen in the future, and Uncle, you are so far away from the capital.

Don't you hope that one day, when this is actually implemented, someone in the capital will be there to work with you from the inside out?

Zhu Shuang raised an eyebrow; he was intrigued.

He admitted that Zhu Yunwen had no other skills, but he was good at winning people over!