“I’m thinking that I’m getting old.” Patting Zhu Xiong Ying on the shoulder, Old Zhu said, “You should prepare to ascend the throne. I’ll hold out for you and keep an eye on things. I’m thinking that before winter, I’ll abdicate and you can ascend the throne.”

Although this had been discussed before, Zhu Xiong Ying still felt a little uneasy. "Grandpa Emperor, how old are you..."

“I know my own body. If it weren’t for the fear that you wouldn’t be able to hold onto the throne, I would have been gone long ago.” Old Zhu patted Zhu Xiong Ying’s shoulder and looked into Zhu Xiong Ying’s eyes. “I’m just holding on, holding on forever. If I lose my will to live, I’ll be gone too.”

Seeing that Zhu Xiong Ying remained silent, Old Zhu smiled calmly, "It's better that we're gone. We can go and keep your grandmother company and see your father. Seeing that you and Yin'er are doing well now, we can give them an explanation. It's good that we're gone. We suffered too much! Our parents died early, and we were always busy with rebellions and fighting for the country, never having a day off."

Old Zhu's eyes were slightly cloudy as he said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "I just think, if we die, we should be able to rest easy. If we die, we can see our parents, brothers, and sisters. We can protect your grandmother and your father. You don't know how badly the Guo family bullied us when we rebelled!"

Perhaps Old Zhu has truly grown old. Perhaps the old man before us is no longer just the ambitious and talented Emperor Zhu, but simply an old man. He reminisces about the time he spent with his parents in his youth, and also cherishes the memories of his time with his wife…

Seeing that Zhu Xiong Ying was a little sad, Old Zhu said nonchalantly, "If you can prove yourself and secure the throne, we can rest easy! If you are filial, then watch us die soon! When we die, bury us in Xiaoling Mausoleum, that's better than anything else."

"Grandpa, what will happen to your grandson if you leave?" Zhu Xiong Ying said, his voice choked with emotion. "I lost my mother when I was young, and my grandmother also passed away early. My father is gone too, so it's all up to you, Grandpa."

Looking at his equally unfortunate grandson, Old Zhu suppressed his bitterness and said, "You still have Yin'er and the Crown Princess. Even if Yun Tong is useless, at least he can talk to you. Ying'er, you are different from us. We have no one to talk to now. If you understand us, then do things well so that we can close our eyes in peace."

Zhu Xiong Ying forced himself to remain calm and joked, "If my grandson is a little troublesome, will Grandfather stay with him?"

Old Zhu slapped Zhu Xiong Ying on the head and said, "You bastard!"

"Don't hit my dad!" Zhu Wenying, who had been ignored for a long time, suddenly rushed over and hugged Old Zhu's leg. "Don't hit my dad, great-grandfather is bad!"

Old Zhu lowered his head and said softly, "Yin'er, your father and I were just arguing, we didn't hit him."

As he said this, Old Zhu said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "You still have Yin'er, he will protect you. Don't overthink it, you are the Crown Prince, the future Emperor. There will be hardships, but that's your business! You are the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty, don't act like a child!"

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded vigorously and said, "Grandson understands, but grandson is really reluctant to part with you."

“You have to be willing to let go, you absolutely have to be willing to let go!” Looking at Zhu Xiong Ying, Old Zhu was truly moved and saddened. “In this world, all we care about right now is you and Yin’er. But over there, there are our parents. They haven’t seen us live a good life, and we should fulfill our filial duties. Your grandmother has been waiting for us for many years.”

It can't be said that Zhu Yuanzhang had already decided to die, but perhaps he now felt that living was a torment for him. If he weren't worried about Zhu Xiong Ying, if he weren't worried about the Ming Dynasty, perhaps his spirit would have truly dissipated, and he would no longer be the ambitious and cunning ruler he once was.

Feeling conflicted, Zhu Xiong Ying didn't know what to say. He even wondered if his existence had given Old Zhu some bad ideas.

However, Zhu Xiong Ying also knew that Old Zhu was truly suffering. Old Zhu was someone who valued family ties extremely much, and now, in this world, the people Old Zhu truly cared about were probably Zhu Xiong Ying and Zhu Wen Yin.

In another world, there were too many people that Lao Zhu cared about, and Lao Zhu also made a choice.

Perhaps now, all Old Zhu wants is to see his beloved grandson secure his throne so he can leave without any worries.