When it comes to competing for favor, Lu has enough experience to talk about. In Lu's view, everything is false, only favor is real.

Although in all aspects, if Zhu Xiongying really came back, his son would have no advantages in all aspects, but what would it matter even if he was really canonized as the crown prince?

There was one thing that Zhu Yunwen didn't know, but Lu knew it very well.

Zhu Xiongying died of a heart disease at the beginning. There was no cure for this disease, and the only thing he could do was to linger on.

At that time, Lu also helped to find a doctor and medicine. He learned that with this kind of disease, the patient would not live past the age of twenty. There might be ways to delay the disease, but it would definitely not be able to cure it.

Even if Zhu Xiongying came back now, he is only eighteen years old. How long can he live?

Even if he lived longer, he was still a short-lived man after all. When the time came, the throne would pass to his own son.

If the rumor that Zhu Xiongying does not have congenital heart disease is true, then it is false.

At the time, the Imperial Hospital knew all about this matter.

By this calculation, the real Zhu Xiongying will not live long, and the fake Zhu Xiongying will not be able to ascend the throne. Even if he can deceive Your Majesty, can he shut up the world's gossips?

This way, my own son has been invincible from the very beginning.

Zhu Yunwen was slightly excited when he heard his mother Lu's advice, but then he sighed and said, "Grandpa Emperor no longer has me in his heart. He rarely lets me interfere in the affairs of the court. He just wants me to study hard."

"Grandpa Emperor often leaves the palace, and it's just to visit my eldest brother. My eldest brother was once so favored, and now that he's back like this, how can I have any hope at all?"

"My master and my cousin have already compromised. Even if I am alone, I can't do anything."

Zhu Yunwen is now truly in despair, and even his confidant Mr. Huang Zicheng has almost expressed his attitude.

Not to mention his cousin Li Jinglong, who almost told him explicitly that he didn't need to worry about the throne.

Zhu Yunwen, who had no power to begin with, couldn't find any place to rely on.

If his mother, Concubine Lu, had not come today, he would have been ready to accept his fate. He hoped to get a good fiefdom and live an honest life as a vassal king. He hoped that his elder brother would not depose him.

"As long as His Majesty is alive, the size of the power makes no difference. You have been with your grandfather for so many years, don't you know his temperament?"

"Even if the civil servants in the court are on your side, so what? It will only make His Majesty kill them again."

Lu analyzed calmly that although she was in the harem and did not interfere in political affairs, she probably still understood some of the trends in the court.

For example, if a certain minister was executed or his family was exterminated, such major events would be easily known in the palace.

Zhu Yunwen couldn't help but retort when he heard this: "But, when my father passed away, the emperor hesitated between me and my fourth uncle. In the end, it was Mr. Liu Sanwu who supported me, so the emperor appointed me as the crown prince."

Lu sneered and said, "What do you mean by supporting you? Your Majesty had no choice at the time. No matter how good the Prince of Yan was, he was still the fourth son. In terms of seniority, it was never his turn to inherit the throne."

"Your Majesty summoned all the ministers to the East Pavilion Gate to discuss the appointment of a crown prince, and even first proposed the Prince of Yan, just to borrow the ministers' words."

"If we really want to establish the King of Yan, we must first abolish the King of Qin and the King of Jin. Only then can we be justified. Do you think it is possible?"

After hearing his mother Concubine Lu's analysis, Zhu Yunwen suddenly realized that he had always believed that he was able to be appointed as the crown prince because of the support of the civil officials. Now he realized that he had been determined long ago.

Whether to establish him or not is entirely in the hands of the Emperor, and it is not something that civil officials can interfere with.

"But mother, what should I do now? Should I just sit and wait for death?" Zhu Yunwen asked doubtfully.

How to compete is the key. Watching the throne that belongs to you slip away is like a cooked duck flying away. How can you be willing to do that?

Hearing this, Lu sighed slightly and said, "It's your father's fault that he passed away too early. If he were still alive, I can guarantee that even if your eldest brother really came back, the throne would only be yours."

When Lu said this, he was not just talking nonsense, but was really sure of it.

If Your Majesty dies and Crown Prince Zhu Biao ascends the throne, Lu, as the Empress, will be fully capable of suppressing Zhu Xiongying.

Emotionally speaking, Zhu Biao's relationship with Zhu Xiongying was far less close than that with Zhu Yunwen.

By then, the Lu family will have many ways to question Zhu Xiongying's identity.

It's all because of too many coincidences. His Majesty, who was in his sixties, was in good health, but the Crown Prince, who was less than forty, suddenly died of illness.

Originally, there was no problem for his son to ascend the throne, as he was appointed Crown Prince.

It just so happened that Zhu Xiongying had returned, and that he had been raised by His Majesty since he was a child. Lu could already guess that the September enthronement plan that had been scheduled was no longer possible.

When Zhu Yunwen heard this, he felt a little aggrieved. Why did his father pass away so early, leaving him and his mother alone and helpless?

"If you want to gain the attention of your grandfather, you must start with small things and increase your importance in his majesty's heart bit by bit."

After sighing, Mrs. Lu spoke seriously to Zhu Yunwen.

Zhu Yunwen's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he asked hurriedly, "Mother, what little thing should we start with?"

Lu replied, "Don't worry about studying for now. From tomorrow on, no matter what method you use, you must appear before His Majesty more often."

"Remember, don't show your intention to compete for the crown prince position. You should even take the initiative to offer to give the crown prince position to your elder brother in front of His Majesty. Speak well of your elder brother in front of His Majesty."

Zhu Yunwen was stunned and said in confusion: "Mother, this... this is not just handing over the throne to someone else."

Mrs. Lu shook her head slightly. She knew her son was young and inexperienced, so she did not blame him. She explained, "A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. A person who is superior to others will be criticized by the crowd. Sometimes, retreating in order to advance is the best way."

"Think about it, why did His Majesty not let him into the palace even though he knew about your elder brother's existence? You said His Majesty slept in Kunning Palace last night and rode out on His Majesty's dragon sedan before the morning court session."

"This shows that your elder brother is very important in His Majesty's heart, and no one can interfere with him. The fact that he did not directly enter the palace to announce your elder brother's return only shows that there are still doubts about your elder brother's identity."

"So much so that even His Majesty, no matter how much he favors her, would not dare to act rashly."

Zhu Yunwen's mother, Concubine Lu's analysis, suddenly enlightened him, as if his eyes had been opened, and the thread of things became clear to him immediately.

For a moment, Zhu Yunwen seemed obviously different.

Zhu Yunwen still had some questions and asked, "Mother, why should I speak well of my elder brother in front of the Emperor? It would be enough to win the Emperor's attention."

"Wouldn't this actually help Big Brother?"

Mrs. Lu shook her head and said, "You still don't understand His Majesty's character. Since His Majesty has attached importance to your elder brother, in a certain way, you, who have been appointed as the crown prince, are an enemy against your elder brother in His Majesty's mind."

"That's why His Majesty deliberately distanced himself from you. But in my opinion, even if that's the case, it means His Majesty still loves you, and maybe even feels a little guilty."

"If you want to regain His Majesty's approval, your elder brother is the hurdle you cannot avoid. Only if you take the initiative to stand up in front of His Majesty, acknowledge your elder brother's existence, and even show a gesture of giving up your position, can His Majesty feel more guilty."

"In this way, you will have the opportunity to get close to His Majesty again. After all, even if you are not the crown prince in the future, you are at least a vassal king and need to govern the place."

"Like other imperial grandchildren, Your Majesty will also care about them, but there are slight differences."

"In this way, you will have the opportunity to gradually increase your status in His Majesty's heart, and your performance will be noticed by His Majesty."

"In the future, we just need to wait for the opportunity and act accordingly. Right now, we know too little about your elder brother and have no way to deal with him."

"The best thing is that you need to give more advice to His Majesty and let your elder brother enter the palace as soon as possible. Only when your elder brother enters the palace and moves from the dark to the light, can we have a way to deal with it."

After listening to this, Zhu Yunwen looked at his mother with shock in his eyes.

Is this really the virtuous mother in his mind, who practices music, chess, calligraphy and painting every day, takes care of her husband and children, and does not care about worldly affairs?

At this moment, Zhu Yunwen realized that he was so outstanding that even Mr. Huang Zicheng and his cousin Li Jinglong were far inferior to him.

Who says women are inferior to men? At this moment, Zhu Yunwen felt like a stupid donkey. His mother could quickly analyze the whole thing just by knowing some information.

Even when a response plan was proposed, he looked at the wisdom in his mother's eyes and suddenly felt ashamed of his own intelligence being praised by others.

Was I really born after my mother carried me for ten months?

At this moment, Zhu Yunwen was not only worried.

Perhaps sensing her son's thoughts, Mrs. Lu smiled slightly, like a hundred flowers blooming, and said, "Although you look like me, your personality is quite similar to your father's."

Zhu Yunwen came to his senses, and his ministers also said that he had the same character as his father, which seemed to be true.

"Mother, what should we do after my eldest brother enters the palace?" Zhu Yunwen put aside his wild ideas and asked again.

Mrs. Lu said, "When your elder brother enters the palace, there will be many ways to deal with him. Your elder brother doesn't know many people in the palace except His Majesty. Oh, there is also Yunhuan and Mingyue. It's no big deal."

"Think about it. From childhood to adulthood, you have been taught court etiquette, royal manners, and Confucianism. How much have you learned so far? Your eldest brother has been wandering in the wild for ten years. When he enters the palace, the contrast will be obvious."

"Don't say that your elder brother may not be as smart as you. Even if he is smarter than you, how long will it take him to learn all these? It's still unclear whether he can be qualified for the throne by then."

After hearing this, Zhu Yunwen finally felt relieved. With his mother's earnest teachings, he felt that he had fully understood the current situation, and confidence emerged in his eyes again.

But at the end, Zhu Yunwen asked worriedly: "What if big brother is really very smart and can learn it right away?"

Hearing this, Mrs. Lu rolled her eyes at her son and said speechlessly, "If that's the case, then you should be a good brother to your eldest brother and stop imagining things."

"You praised your elder brother in front of His Majesty earlier. His Majesty cares most about the harmony between brothers. When the time comes, the fiefdom will definitely not be too bad. Even your elder brother has to accept this favor."

"It's better to leave the capital, stay away from disputes, live a stable life, and we can be rich and worry-free."

After hearing this, Zhu Yunwen finally understood his mother's clever tactics. She had planned everything out, and had thought of all the ways forward and retreat. She was completely invincible and had nothing to worry about.

Being able to attack when advancing and defend when retreating, at this point, Zhu Yunwen has nothing to worry about.

Coo coo.

"Mom, I'm hungry."

Zhu Yunwen heard the obvious growling sound coming from his stomach and couldn't help but speak awkwardly.

Mrs. Lu smiled and said, "Let's go eat together. I'll ask them to heat up the food."

"Yeah." Zhu Yunwen nodded heavily, looking at his mother with eyes full of dependence.

…

Changfu, kitchen.

Zhu Ying felt warm as she looked at the bowl full of steamed pork ribs.

This was the same treatment he received when he visited his grandmother during the Chinese New Year in his previous life.

Every time he ate, his bowl was full of food. As a child, he would refuse and even feel unhappy.

Only when he grew up did he realize that it was his grandmother's full love.

But then my grandmother passed away and I never had the chance to accept it.

This moment seemed to be replayed. Zhu Ying did not refuse. She said thank you to her grandmother and started eating.

"Child, this is your home, so it would be inappropriate to say thank you." Lan said happily.

Seeing her grandson eating so happily, her eyes turned into crescent shapes.

She might have had some other thoughts about Zhu Ying, but in Lan's heart, she really liked him very much. When Zhu Xiongying passed away, Empress Ma died of grief.

Lan also suffered a serious illness, but fortunately she managed to survive.

Ye Yueqing sat next to Zhu Ying, and placed the tea within Zhu Ying's reach for fear that Zhu Ying might choke.

"Be straightforward. As a man, you should eat meat and drink wine with big mouthfuls. Don't learn from your uncle and act like a woman."

Upon seeing this, Lan Yu laughed heartily, pushed away the wine glass, placed two large bowls of wine on the table, and handed them to Zhu Ying.

Zhu Ying was not polite either. He took it, toasted with Lan Yu, and drank it all in one gulp.

Chang Sheng, who was having dinner with Lan, seemed a little embarrassed. He glanced at Lan subconsciously, but was met with a cold stare.

Lan Yu looked at his nephew and liked him more and more.

Smart and resourceful.

And it's very much to his liking.

Earlier, he was worried that Zhu Ying looked a little weak, not tough enough, and had too much of a literary air.

But just the way he was eating made Lan Yu's eyes light up. This was obviously the way soldiers eat, swallowing the whole thing.

He was totally different from the scholars in savoring their food slowly and carefully, which made Lan Yu approve of it immediately from the bottom of his heart.

After drinking a large bowl of wine, Lan Yu said with a slurred voice: "My nephew is good in every way, except that he is a little too thin. But it doesn't matter. I will take care of leading the troops to fight."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ying swallowed the rice in his mouth in the face of his uncle Lan Yu's complaints, and then smiled faintly and said to Lan Yu: "It's been a long time since we've had any activities. There should be a martial arts training ground in the mansion."

"I really miss the days when I rode horses on the desert grasslands. If you are interested, why don't we lend a hand later?"