The other brothers who were blocking his way moved aside imperceptibly. Zhu Di cursed them in his heart for their lack of loyalty. Feeling the intense scrutiny of the gaze upon him, he forced a smile.
"Fourth brother, judging from your expression, did you already know that Emperor Chengzu was referring to you?"
Zhu Yuanzhang spoke slowly, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over someone in the middle of a snowstorm.
How should one answer this? If one says that he already knew, the emperor might think that this rebellious son harbored ill intentions and was not obedient to his elder brother.
He coveted the Ming Dynasty's throne, so when Liu Xian mentioned "Emperor Chengzu," Zhu Di immediately began to identify himself with the title.
Zhu Di felt wronged. If his father's idea were confirmed, he would have a lot of trouble to deal with in the future.
The problem is that his elder brother, the Crown Prince, is still alive. Zhu Di might feel a pang of sadness at times, but he would never covet the throne.
But if the eldest brother is dead, and the one above him is an unrelated and incompetent nephew, while he himself is facing imminent death...
Zhu Di slowly tightened his grip, kneeling before Zhu Yuanzhang with a gesture of reverence:
"Your subject has never had any disloyal thoughts. Your elder brother, the Crown Prince, is of outstanding virtue, and your subject has always been willing to serve him."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang did not reply, but his expression shifted unpredictably, causing the atmosphere to momentarily freeze.
After a long while, he finally closed his eyes tightly, veins bulging on his face.
What his fourth son said was true; under Biao'er's command, the fourth son could behave himself. However, Zhu Di also boldly hinted at something—
If he's not the eldest brother, no one else can tame him.
Zhu Yuanzhang knew that many people were waiting for his response.
Is it to maintain the crown prince's position by directly ordering the fourth prince to be either killed or deposed, or... to replace the crown prince?
Zhu Xiong Ying's palms were sweating. He knew that the future of the Crown Prince's lineage depended on his grandfather's decision.
Despite his confidence in his grandfather's favoritism towards the Crown Prince, Zhu Xiong Ying knew all too well that a wise and capable founding emperor would not be swayed by emotions at crucial moments.
Moreover, the halo bestowed upon Fourth Uncle by the living demon immortal was too dazzling, given the extraordinary achievements of Emperor Chengzu.
"Fourth brother, you're too bold."
It's unclear whether the criticism is that Zhu Di, as a prince, was too audacious to raise an army, or that he was too bold to openly express his ambitions in front of him.
After uttering this ambiguous remark, Zhu Yuanzhang ignored Zhu Di, who was kneeling on the ground.
A hint of disappointment flashed in Zhu Biao's eyes at first, but then he regained his composure. He had passed the test of the fourth prince, and his father would not touch him.
Zhu Di, kneeling here, was secretly overjoyed. Only when he relaxed did he realize that the cold sweat on his back had soaked through his inner clothes.
He gambled his life on his father's high regard for the future of the Ming Dynasty; he neither won nor lost.
His father didn't kill him; the rest is up to him...
Soon, the others also realized what the emperor meant.
The princes and grandsons were immediately filled with jealousy. Why did the fourth prince have such good fortune?
That's the Crown Prince!
Does Father not know how much of a threat the fourth prince will pose to the Crown Prince after today, and how many court officials will flock to the appointed "Emperor Chengzu"?
This time, not only was the fourth prince spared, but he wasn't even reprimanded. In the eyes of the court officials, this meant that His Majesty had tacitly approved the conflict between the two sides!
"That's right, host. Isn't it said that Zhu Yuanzhang was the only emperor in history who would be happy even if his crown prince rebelled? Why didn't he get rid of Zhu Di for his crown prince?"
He asked, puzzled.
"Hehe, don't say that such a thing never happened in history and is just a figment of later generations' imagination. Even if it were true, what do you take Zhu Yuanzhang for?"
Zhu Di was also his son, and was officially recognized as a wise and benevolent ruler of a prosperous era, much like a stock that would hit its daily limit up if someone got inside information.
Zhu Biao is currently performing well, but its future development is uncertain, and it is very likely that the stock will be delisted.
What do you think Zhu Yuanzhang should do?
Ling Xiao, adopting the posture of a willow fairy, leaned back in her chair with a lazy and leisurely air, answering the system in her mind.
"This system is something even Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't decide. So what are we?"
Ling Xiao gave the system a reproachful look and said softly:
"The mastermind behind market manipulation and leaking inside information!"
Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the quiet arena. It turned out that the dragon boat race had concluded and the winning team was coming over to claim their reward, as per the rules.
Zhu Yuanzhang raised his hand and ordered someone to reward them with some gold and silver. The dragon boat team went down the river, full of gratitude.
This incident broke the silence. Everyone wanted to put an end to the awkward situation from before. At least for now, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't want to consider who should be the crown prince.
Therefore, his gaze turned to the other protagonist mentioned by Liu Xian—Zhu Yunwen.
Zhu Yuanzhang asked with deep sorrow:
"Immortal Liu, how exactly did that rebellious wretch harm my children and grandchildren?"
It's one thing to be ruined, but the worst part is that you've accomplished nothing and even lost your throne. It makes me furious just thinking about it.
Old Zhu pondered that there was absolutely no problem with the seed of his son Biao'er, so it must be Zhu Yunwen's mother, Lady Lü, who had the problem!
The victims' children and grandchildren are also very concerned about this issue and want to know how that bastard Zhu Yunwen will torment them in the future.
Sorry, Ling Xiao's past isn't exactly great either; she specializes in gossip from various marketing accounts and popular science facts on Douyin (TikTok).
Then they heard that the first to suffer were the King of Zhou and the King of Qi. The King of Qi was imprisoned in Nanjing on charges of treason, and the King of Zhou was exiled.
The two kings of Zhou and Qi both turned to look at their nephew, their eyes practically blazing with hatred.
At this point, Zhu Yuanzhang was still able to maintain composure; his two sons did nothing wrong and were of questionable character, yet nothing happened.
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