Zhu Di: My fourth son is a great emperor of all time?

Chapter 18 Zhu Di's Suspicion? Then Let's Fight at Xuanwu Gate
"Father, please spare him!"

Zhu Gaochi immediately panicked and knelt down.

This whole affair was entirely unreasonable on their part.

Therefore, he didn't dare to refute the old man at all.

Zhu Di ignored his eldest son and looked at Zhu Zhanji with a solemn expression. "Promise me that from now on you will not lay a hand on any of your relatives. You must never do anything that would kill your own flesh and blood."

It wasn't just for his sons.

He was actually doing it for Zhu Zhanji.

Zhu Di believed that Zhu Zhanji's unexplained early death was due to the blood oath, even though his eldest grandson was not present at the time.

But it came true in the end.

He hoped to change all of this.

Zhu Zhanji, kneeling on the ground, had tears welling up in his eyes.

He also knew that his grandfather's words were not a suggestion, but an order, an order that could not be refused.

"Grandpa, I swear I will never let the tragedy of brothers killing each other happen again."

Zhu Di nodded, but the long sword in his hand was still pressed against Zhu Zhanji's neck.

"Grandpa has forgiven you. Now it depends on whether the people of the world will let you go."

Zhu Zhanji's fate is no longer in Zhu Di's hands.

Rather, it is the people of the world.

After all, what Zhu Qizhen did was too outrageous.

Zhu Zhanji was the one who had to take responsibility for this.

After all, if he were dead, Zhu Qizhen would never have been born.

This frightened them so much that they dared not look up.

Including Zhu Gaoshuo.

This was the first time he had experienced Zhu Di's ruthlessness.

Everyone had seen how much he had doted on Zhu Zhanji.

To secure the throne, even the life of a good grandson can be taken with a laugh.

At this moment, Zhu Gaoshuo finally understood why the three brothers were so afraid of Zhu Di.

No one spoke for a moment, and it's unclear how much time passed.

As if instructed by Zhu Di, Wang Zhong barged in without any hesitation.

"Your Majesty, the people of the capital have many complaints about the Tumu Crisis. A scholar named Yu Qian wrote a poem that has spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital."

"Read it aloud!" Zhu Di shouted coldly, his brows furrowed with anger.

"Does being a hostage necessarily mean Qin Shi Huang? It could also be Zhu Qizhen. Does sharing a table and drinking with a foreign leader necessarily mean Li Shimin? It could also be Zhu Qizhen."

Was it always Emperor Huizong who was captured by foreign tribes? It could have been Zhu Qizhen. And was it always Zhu Di who personally led the expedition? It could have been Zhu Qizhen.

Zhu Di looked at Zhu Qizhen with cold eyes, and tightened his grip on Zhu Zhanji's neck, causing blood to seep out.

Zhu Di's eyes suddenly sharpened. "What do the people of the world think of me?"

Wang Zhong was also sweating profusely, and said truthfully, "The people are grateful to Your Majesty, and the Confucian scholars no longer hold a grudge against Your Majesty for executing Fang Xiaoru's ten clans. They have all accepted the Jingnan Campaign."

Zhu Di clearly didn't believe it and roared, "Old man, if you dare to lie again, I'll chop you up too!"

"Your Majesty, it is absolutely true." Wang Zhong knelt down and said anxiously, "The people say that without the Jingnan Rebellion, there would be no Prince Qi!"

Fourth brother?

Zhu Di's thoughts are in turmoil.

He couldn't detect any sign of lying on Wang Zhong's face.

In other words, after learning about the actions of the fourth prince, Zhu Di, as emperor, the people of the Ming Dynasty no longer cared whether his ascension to the throne was illegitimate.

Zhu Di never expected that his tireless efforts over the past decade, aimed at changing the world's perception, would inexplicably lead to his success.

All of this was not because he conquered a vast territory, but simply because he had a fourth child.

The incident involving Zhu Qizhen ironically deprived Jianwen of the opportunity to rebel.

And all of this is because of the fourth brother.

Zhu Di put down his sword, and the eldest son immediately rushed up and hugged Zhu Zhanji.

Overjoyed, he wept aloud.

He knew that his son's life had been saved.

Zhu Gaochi looked at Zhu Gaoshuo with gratitude in his eyes.

But at that moment, Zhu Gaoshuo's mind went blank. He thought, "I'm doomed."

Sure enough, Zhu Di's cold voice rang out again the next second.

"Fourth Prince, which of you do you think I should pass the throne to?"

Sure enough, once Zhu Di became suspicious, he would never stop.

Zhu Gaoshuo knew very well that this was the old man testing him.

As a son, he enjoyed a higher reputation among the people than the emperor.

The old man could never be at ease.

Zhu Di was indeed very conflicted.

The crown prince had been acting as regent for many years, and almost all the ministers in the court were his supporters.

The second and third brothers have influence throughout the military.

On the contrary, the fourth prince was just a regional king, with no power in either the court or the army.

But he was, by chance, the emperor that Tianmu had predicted would be the greatest emperor of all time.

"Father, are you kidding me? This should be asked of the Crown Prince. I am just a prince who is about to be enfeoffed," Zhu Gaoshuo said with some dissatisfaction.

Zhu Gaoshuo appeared completely unafraid of Zhu Di.

He has a clear conscience.

He didn't anger the old man, and to be honest, in the end, it was he who saved the Ming Dynasty.

Naturally, they were not afraid of Zhu Di's tests.

Zhu Di's expression changed, but he chuckled and patted Zhu Gaoshuo on the shoulder, saying, "Father was just asking casually."

"Since it's just a casual question, I'll just give a casual answer."

Zhu Gaoshuo took a deep breath and said seriously:

"Father, if you ask me, there's no need for all this trouble. Why don't we just take you to Xuanwu Gate, where Emperor Taizong killed Li Jiancheng, and let us fight it out and see who comes out alive?"

Choosing an emperor is nothing, why make it so complicated?

Let's just go straight for Xuanwu Gate!

This was an unexpected answer, and Zhu Di was taken aback.

I really didn't expect Zhu Gaoshuo to give such an answer.

Before he could say anything.

The second son jumped out excitedly and said, "Dad, I think the fourth son is absolutely right!"

Prince Zhu Gaoxu of Han was very much looking forward to it.

They clearly took Zhu Gaoshuo's words seriously.

Of the four brothers, even including Zhu Zhanji, he was the best in martial arts.

Moreover, he was the second oldest of four brothers.

Just like Emperor Taizong Li Shimin back then.

Therefore, when he heard Zhu Gaoshuo's words, he was already filled with endless imagination.

Zhu Di walked slowly toward his second son with his hands behind his back.

Seeing his father's imposing gaze, he quickly shut his mouth and knelt down with a thud.

Kneeling before the old man is nothing new; I'm used to it.

Zhu Gaoxu felt that his father wanted to punish him for his rebellion.

To his utter surprise, Zhu Di did not blame him for this; instead, he helped him up.

"Second son, I'm sorry."

Although Zhu Di did not continue speaking, just this one sentence made Zhu Gaoxu's eyes instantly turn red.

He understood what the old man wanted to say.

The second prince remained unmoved upon hearing that he had been roasted to death, but Zhu Di's heartfelt apology made him lose all control of his emotions.

She burst into tears.

It was as if, at that moment, years of discontent vanished.

He didn't care about the throne anymore.

If my nephew wants the throne, then take it; he doesn't want to rebel anymore.

However, at this moment, Zhu Di solemnly said, "Second son, from now on you will be in charge of overseeing the country!"

(End of this chapter)