Neither my father nor I ascended the throne; neither Emperor Huizong nor Emperor Chengzu, father and son, ever got to.
We were just being delusional!
Zhu Xiong Ying was completely petrified, his eyes wide with shock. How could this be? How could this be? My father was the Crown Prince, and I was the eldest son...
In contrast, Zhu Biao's first thought was that he was not Emperor Huizong.
He said that he had already begun to oversee the country alone as early as the fourth year of the Hongwu reign.
He not only cultivated a solid team, but also handled national affairs admirably. It's not Zhu Biao's boast, but unless he suffered from a brain disease, it's hard to imagine that he would be incompetent after ascending the throne.
Zhu Biao then realized that neither he nor his eldest son had ever touched the throne.
Why?
Perhaps because they were brothers, Zhu Biao also thought of his father's unspeakable "fate." He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with a deep gaze, everything understood without words.
Old Zhu was instantly stunned and subconsciously looked away. This fate was not something he could decide.
To divert attention from the awkwardness of the situation, he cleared his throat and said, "If that's what Liu Xian says, then which of my sons is Emperor Huizong?"
As he asked, Zhu Yuanzhang critically examined his other sons. His second son, the Prince of Qin, favored his concubine over his wife and was tyrannical, showing no trace of his good character.
Prince Jin, you are foolish!
The Prince of Yan is good in other aspects, and he fights like I do, but he is too domineering and certainly cannot govern the country well.
King Zhou only knew how to compose poems and compose essays, and he spent his time among women.
…………
Zhu Yuanzhang criticized each person one by one, feeling that none of them could compare to his own crown prince. He thought it was no wonder that these sons, who were considered less talented, received the temple name Huizong if they were allowed to ascend the throne.
Tears streamed down his face, and he felt a deep sense of injustice. Why was his life so cruel? Why did Biao'er have to leave us so early? Heaven had been so unkind to me, Old Zhu.
"Your Majesty is mistaken. You have already been extremely kind to Heaven by rising from a beggar to become the ruler of the world."
As for other shortcomings, perhaps they are there to compensate for them; you can't have everything good.
Liu Xian turned her head to the side, her eyes shifting slightly, her expression a mix of teasing and seriousness.
At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang realized that he had unknowingly blurted out his innermost thoughts, and his face flushed red.
Before he could argue further, Liu Xian began answering the questions he had asked earlier.
"Emperor Huizong wasn't the emperor's son, but rather..." Ling Xiao drawled, startling Zhu Yuanzhang again before continuing:
"Your Majesty's grandson, Emperor Huizong, was the second son of Crown Prince Zhu Biao, Zhu Yunwen. After the Crown Prince's early death, Your Majesty was deeply grieved, so you made up your mind to establish Your Majesty as the Crown Prince. In the end, Your Majesty Zhu Yunwen successfully ascended the throne."
Then, after only four years on the throne, Zhu Yuanzhang automatically continued in his mind.
Among the even larger group of imperial grandsons than the princes, Zhu Yunwen looked up in astonishment, his heart pounding like a drum.
He is the emperor!
Although Zhu Yunwen was the second son of the Crown Prince, he remained unknown in the shadow of his elder brother, who was favored by the Crown Prince.
The sudden news overwhelmed him. Zhu Yunwen mustered up his courage to go see his grandfather, but was met with a cold and even disgusted look.
Zhu Yuanzhang felt as if he had been struck hard by a giant hammer; he had figured out one thing.
The Crown Prince certainly died young, but Xiong Ying, his eldest grandson, must have predeceased him as well; otherwise, how could the second son of the Eastern Palace have become the Crown Prince?
He lost his son first, then his grandson; all the greatest suffering in the world befell him.
Zhu Yuanzhang thought bitterly, "If it weren't for Liu Xian, I would also have to deal with a widow."
In the future, I will be all alone, sitting on the throne by myself. Is it really because Heaven has given me too much, and now it wants to take back some of what I value?
At that moment, he suddenly felt someone grasp his hand. Zhu Yuanzhang looked up and saw that Empress Ma had walked up to him at some point.
Holding her husband reassuringly, Empress Ma, her eyes still filled with shock and pain, looked up at Liu Xian and said:
"My life was saved by you, Liu Xian. Is there any chance that Biao'er and Xiong Ying can escape death?"
Upon hearing this, the two "short-lived" men looked up expectantly.
Apart from Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma, the answers that others wanted to hear were more or less different from those of the emperor and empress.
"How could I know? Heaven's secrets are unpredictable. A single move can affect the whole situation. Your fate has been altered. Perhaps your son and grandson will not die young, or perhaps they will remain the same as before."
Unexpectedly, Liu Xian responded with a very cold attitude, toying with the small, exquisite rice dumpling on the table, completely ignoring the surging emotions of the crowd.
Zhu Xiong Ying was still young, and upon hearing this, she impulsively wanted to ask more questions, but Zhu Biao, who noticed something was wrong, grabbed her hand and stopped her.
Zhu Biao found it difficult to express his current feelings. Being "prophesied" to die young would make anyone feel bad, but Liu Xian had left him with a glimmer of hope. How could he not be tormented?
However, upon discovering that his eldest son had thoughts of offending Liu Xian, Zhu Biao immediately stopped him.
This white snake demon will not tolerate Xiong Ying because of her mortal status...
Floating in mid-air, I could clearly observe the group's every move and the subtle expressions on their faces.
It was quite an eye-opener. Some people were heartbroken, some were secretly delighted, and some were so stupid that they just showed their joy on their faces.
Zhu Yuanzhang had already figured it out.
First, we must pay close attention to the health of the Crown Prince and the eldest grandson of the Emperor, and it would be best if they could both survive.
The Crown Prince's lineage was always Zhu Yuanzhang's ideal, his cherished memory, but Zhu Yunwen was a good-for-nothing—Zhu Yuanzhang's indifferent face.
Secondly, we need to figure out who Emperor Chengzu was, and for the sake of the country, we should nurture this son or grandson well.
Upon realizing this, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't hesitate and directly asked Liu Xian in front of his many descendants.
"It's quite simple, isn't it? The Crown Prince has ascended the throne, and his uncles and elders are already dissatisfied. Besides, Your Majesty, your grandson might have something wrong with his head, as he actually wants to reduce the power of the vassal states not long after he ascended the throne."
Liu Xian laughed mockingly, using extremely harsh language.
Zhu Yuanzhang cried out in his heart, "Fool, fool, the biggest fool ever! He has not been a father for three years, let alone your imperial grandfather!"
Besides, you haven't even gotten your footing yet, and you're already thinking about cutting off the vassal states. How can your uncles and elders not resist?
The other princes also became dissatisfied, saying, "What kind of son is this, the one my eldest brother gave birth to?"
All sorts of gazes pressed down on Zhu Yunwen, making him tremble.
His voice trembled as he said, "That fool was attacked by so many uncles and elders."
Hopefully, there won't be too many, otherwise the entire Ming Dynasty will be engulfed in war, and leaving such a bad example will surely be followed by future emperors.
"Not much, the main problem is that your grandson drove several uncles and elders to their deaths," Liu Xian said excitedly.
After saying this, he scanned the crowd for a moment, then pointed at Zhu Di, who was trying to hide behind the crowd, and said:
"Look, that's your Emperor Chengzu. He pretended to be crazy to escape the executioner's blade, and then raised an army to punish his own nephew."
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