Zhu Chong lay on the ground, and when he was beaten with sticks, he did not dare to dodge and just endured it.

Not to mention that he was beaten half to death, he was definitely injured internally.

He still didn't dare to say a word.

In fact, for Zhu Chong now, being beaten up has made him feel much better.

People are like this, they become more afraid when facing the unknown.

But when fear comes, it is not so scary.

Feeling that his father had stopped to rest, he quietly turned his head to watch.

My father was leaning on the desk, obviously a little tired.

Zhu Chong wanted to say something, but hesitated and said nothing. He knew the key point about the jade pendant was not here yet.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't stop crying after beating the second brother.

The killing stick was thrown aside, the jade pendant was broken, and his heart was broken too.

"We had nothing back then, but Brother Meng Tanghe remembered us and sent us a letter, asking us to follow him to join the Red Turban Army led by Lord Guo."

"I am not greedy for credit or money, and I share the profits with many brothers. I have gained a good reputation, and Mr. Guo did not abandon me and betrothed his eldest sister to me."

"Being able to marry the eldest sister is the greatest pride of my life. You don't know how beautiful the eldest sister was at that time. I fell in love with her at first sight."

"For a country like me, it's really beyond my reach."

"The name Zhu Guorui was given to me by my eldest sister after I got married."

"For many years, my elder sister has always been with me and has been with me through thick and thin. She has always taken care of the children. When we were fighting in the front, she was in the back, taking care of things and giving us advice."

"Without my elder sister, we wouldn't have this great Ming Dynasty."

"The happiest time in my life was when my eldest grandson was born and I raised him with my eldest sister."

"It was God's punishment for us that our eldest grandson died young, and our eldest sister followed him."

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke in a babble, as if he was talking to Zhu Chong, but more like he was talking to himself.

Zhu Chong crawled on the ground submissively, listening to his father talking about the past, and the fear in his heart gradually deepened.

He understood that all this was just the calm before the storm.

Zhu Chong was also extremely close to and dependent on his mother.

At this time, his heart was also full of regret and guilt.

Empress Ma took care of Zhu Chong's growth when he was young.

He felt very uncomfortable after breaking the jade pendant that his father loved and missed so much.

"Fortunately, my eldest grandson is back. I finally have something new to look forward to. I feel more hopeful about the future."

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly said with a sigh.

When Zhu Chong heard this, he was confused.

But he soon realized that perhaps his father missed him too much and became a little confused.

After Zhu Yuanzhang said this, he thought of his second son again.

He turned around and scolded: "You bastard, you are so arrogant, and you want your eldest nephew to make cakes for your concubine. Can she bear it?"

"He is the future emperor of Ming Dynasty. Who does she think she is to let our eldest grandson make cakes for him?"

Zhu Chong lay on the ground, a little dazed.

He couldn't help but ask, "Father, that teahouse was opened by Yunwen. I have inquired about it and found out that the teahouse is owned by my fourth brother. How could Yunwen go there?"

Zhu Chong had some understanding of some minor conflicts between his fourth brother Zhu Di and his nephew Zhu Yunwen.

Besides, given my nephew Zhu Yunwen's character, how could he possibly go to a teahouse to have breakfast?

This is absolutely impossible.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang scolded, "That is our eldest grandson, Xiongying. Your eldest brother's eldest son, our eldest grandson. The eldest grandson that your mother and I raised by hand."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Chong's eyes suddenly widened, and he forgot about the current situation and retorted:

"This is impossible, absolutely impossible. I saw my nephew buried with my own eyes."

"After staying in the funeral palace for nearly ten days, even if it was a fake death, it has become a real death."

"Even if they hadn't discovered it at the time, with such a thick coffin, not to mention that my nephew was only that young, even a brave general wouldn't have been able to get out of it."

"Even if he could come out, I remember that on the second day after the burial, the earth dragon in Zhongshan rolled over and my nephew's tomb collapsed."

“Even if my nephew had a great chance and really came out of the mausoleum, he would not be stranded outside.”

"With the Xiaoling guards guarding the place like this, even an eight-year-old child or a scout from the army would not be able to sneak in."

"Besides, even if he really walked out of the Xiaoling Mausoleum, even if my nephew had lost his memory, he was still wearing the imperial clothing of the Ming Dynasty."

"Who would not recognize it after seeing it? How could there not be any news of it?"

At this point, an idea flashed through his mind, and Zhu Chong suddenly became excited, although he still didn't dare to stand up.

His tone was no longer trembling and timid, but rather contained a hint of sudden enlightenment:

"Father, this is definitely a conspiracy, a huge conspiracy."

After saying this, Zhu Chong's thoughts suddenly opened up.

"So many coincidences, so many impossibilities added together, that is absolutely impossible."

"Father, think about it, why did my nephew disappear for ten years? There was no news for ten whole years, this is absolutely impossible."

"The timing of his appearance is such a coincidence. My eldest brother just passed away and he showed up. Why is it such a coincidence? There must be a conspiracy, a big conspiracy."

"This person can't possibly be my nephew. Maybe he was created by the remnants of the Mongols. Those shaman priests use some shady and secret methods."

"They must have been the ones who did this. They are going to destroy our Ming Dynasty!"

"Father, you must not be deceived."

Zhu Chong's tone revealed firmness. His doubts and ideas were all logical and flawless.

It was because I was watching from the sidelines that I could see it very clearly and was not influenced by any emotions.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that he has never met or had any contact with Zhu Ying.

But from this perspective, there is a lot of suspense.

With Zhu Yuanzhang's intelligence, how could he not know this?

This is also the reason why Zhu Yuanzhang delayed in announcing Zhu Ying's identity and directly summoned him into the palace.

He knew very well in his mind that it would be a shame to summon his eldest grandson into the palace or even enthrone him as the Crown Prince without absolute evidence.

It will definitely be opposed by civil and military officials, including nobles and royal family members.

Once this disturbance spreads, it will be extremely unfavorable for the eldest grandson's succession to the throne.

When he was around, he could still suppress it by force.

But he was already quite old, and Zhu Yuanzhang was also aware of his physical condition and life expectancy.

After his death and his grandson's succession, the Ming Empire would easily fall into turmoil.

If one thing is not right, it may fall apart.

Zhu Yuanzhang could not and would not accept such a price.

However, when Zhu Yuanzhang heard his second son's passionate opposition, he couldn't help but get angry.

He shouted, "Come here, drag this rebellious son out and behead him."

Zhu Chong shuddered upon hearing this, and immediately said solemnly: "Father, I am wrong. That is my eldest nephew. It is absolutely impossible for someone to impersonate him."