Ming Dynasty: I, Zhu Yunwen, started by resurrecting my grandmother.

The obese man was terrified and immediately dismounted and knelt on the ground: "Good sir, please spare my life! I am not Zhu Gaochi, I am just a common soldier."

Zhu Yunwen was also taken aback.

He looked closely by the moonlight and saw that although the person in front of him was dressed in the clothes of a prince and was also very fat, it was not Zhu Gaochi.

Just as Zhu Yunwen was wondering, a cold star flew straight toward his face.

It was a sharp arrow.

Zhu Yunwen quickly leaned back, and the arrow flew past his nose, hitting a large tree behind him.

Zhu Yunwen was also terrified, realizing that the person in question was actually Zhu Gaochi.

Zhu Yunwen was furious. He slapped his horse's rump and went after him.

Zhu Gaochi turned around and shot another arrow.

"Yun-ho, watch out!"

Zhao Ning'er called out from behind.

Zhu Yunwen pulled on the reins, and the arrow struck the left eye of his warhorse.

The horse crashed to the ground with a loud thud.

Zhu Yunwen jumped off his horse and looked around; Zhu Gaochi had already disappeared into the night.

Zhao Ning'er asked in surprise, "Yun Tong, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. We've fallen for Zhu Gaochi's trick of escaping unscathed."

"So, your elder brother is quite something, much better than his two younger brothers."

Zhu Yunwen nodded: "Yes, we've tied this round."

"There are three brothers in total, and you caught two of them, which is not bad." Zhao Ning'er's lips curled up.

Not long after, Yu Qian led the jailers to put out the fire and returned. He first tied up the fat man who was impersonating Zhu Gaochi without saying a word.

After learning what had happened, Yu Qian was quite surprised.

"King Wu, we owe you a great debt this time. You are truly a brilliant strategist," Yu Qian praised.

"Lord Yu, you're too kind. It's just a pity that Zhu Gaochi got away."

Zhu Yunwen pointed at the fat soldier.

"No, it's already quite remarkable that we were able to capture the brothers Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui."

"However, Zhu Gaochi is indeed no simple man; someone was actually willing to impersonate him and die in his place."

"Yes, Zhu Gaochi is much more cunning than we imagined. I will report the situation to His Majesty and ask him to grant an extension."

"Then thank you very much, Lord Yu."

At this moment, Zhao Ning'er walked over and said, "Uncle Yu, I've helped you so much this time, shouldn't you thank me?"

Zhao Ning'er's father, Zhao Sili, the military commander, was very close to Yu Qian, so Zhao Ning'er called Yu Qian "uncle".

Yu Qian knew this girl was not to be trifled with, so he smiled slightly and said, "Uncle certainly wants to thank you, but I wonder how you'd like me to thank you?"

Zhao Ning'er put her hands behind her back and smiled mysteriously: "I know Uncle Yu is a very good person. It's a great blessing to work under you. Tomorrow, I'll come here and be an ordinary jailer. Please take me in, Uncle."

"Ning'er, what are you talking about?"

"That won't do! You're a rich young lady, how can you work in such a filthy place?"

"No, Uncle Yu, you're wrong."

"I'm here specifically to deal with those corrupt officials and treacherous villains, like Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng. I'll arrest them all, and then pluck out every single beard from their heads," Zhao Ning'er said, hands on her hips.

Upon hearing this, Yu Qian thought to himself, "This girl is indeed ruthless."

He couldn't help but touch his beard, thankfully it was still there: "That won't do. We at the Dali Temple are very particular about evidence when handling cases. No matter who we arrest, we must have sufficient evidence."

How can you arrest people arbitrarily?

"Is that so? Then let me ask you, what was your reason and evidence when you locked Zhu Yunwen up last time?"

"this--."

Upon hearing this, Yu Qian realized with a start that this girl had been going around in circles all along to settle scores with him.

He smiled slightly: "Last time, Zhu Yunwen pretended to faint in our Dali Temple prison. Do you think I didn't notice?"

Do you think he could get out if I didn't let him?

"So, you're saying you intentionally let him go?"

"I didn't say that. Figure it out yourself."

At this moment, Zhu Gaoxu, who was at the bottom of the well, asked loudly, "Have you finished talking? Can you pull us up now? Zhu Gaosui has already been sated."

Yu Qian then remembered this: "Quick, hurry up and salvage it!"

"Sir, the smell is too strong. Nobody wants to do this."

"Insolence! If you won't do it, do you expect me to do it myself?"

Kunning Palace.

Empress Ma was very worried when she learned that Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui had been arrested, after all, they were her own grandsons.

Empress Ma wondered what Zhu Yunwen was up to. Did he intend to arrest all three of Zhu Di's sons and then execute them all?

If that were the case, Zhu Di would have no heir.

How could she, as the grandmother, bear that pain?

Suddenly, someone darted in through the door.

Empress Ma looked closely and was also surprised, because she realized that the person who came was none other than Zhu Gaochi.

Zhu Gaochi had already learned that Empress Ma had somehow come back to life.

After much deliberation, he concluded that in the capital, only Empress Ma could save the three brothers.

Zhu Gaochi prostrated himself on the ground: "Grandmother!"

"You...you are Zhu Gaochi?" Empress Ma's voice trembled.

"It is indeed your grandson."

Empress Ma held him in her arms and began to cry.

After a long while, Empress Ma stopped crying: "Gao Chi, get up quickly."

Zhu Gaochi then stood up with difficulty.

Because he was so fat, when he knelt down and stood up again, his face turned red, he felt dizzy and lightheaded, and his blood pressure soared to over 200.

Empress Ma looked at him and asked, "What's the situation outside?"

Zhu Gaochi then recounted the entire incident.

Of course, he didn't mention that he shot Zhu Yunwen with two arrows.

After hearing this, Empress Ma sighed, "Yu Qian of the Dali Temple is incorruptible and not easy to talk to."

"I beg Grandmother to save Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui." Zhu Gaochi cried as he said this, though he was only in a dignified manner.

"I'm very happy to see that you brothers have such a good relationship."

Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yuntong were incompatible; they were like fire and water.

Although Zhu Yunwen is also my grandson, now that he is the emperor, it is not appropriate for his grandmother to forcibly interfere in politics.

This violates the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty," which clearly states that women are not allowed to interfere in politics.

Besides, what your father did last time was indeed a bit excessive.

No matter what, Zhu Yunwen has now been appointed emperor by imperial decree, so your father has to listen to him, right?

"I'm in a dilemma too." Empress Ma's expression turned worried as she said this.

"Does Grandmother mean you're going to watch Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui die in prison?" Zhu Gaochi asked, his expression filled with grief.

What saddened him was not that his two younger brothers might lose their heads.

What he was worried about was losing the help of Zhu Gaosui and Zhu Gaochi.

His father had a hard time conquering the country and becoming emperor, which meant that he could never become the crown prince.

Empress Ma placed her hands in front of her abdomen, paced back and forth in the hall, and slowly said, "How about this, Grandmother will give you an idea."

"Grandma, do you have any good ideas?"

night.

At Xu Huizu's residence.

Xu Huizu has already returned to the capital by imperial decree.

He is feeling uneasy right now.

He could vaguely sense that Zhu Yunwen no longer trusted him.

The root cause is that he had a very special relationship with Zhu Di.

Because his older sister, Xu Miaoyun, married Zhu Di.

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen was not entirely at ease with him and transferred him back to the capital from the front lines.

One of the main reasons was the fear that he might secretly collude with Zhu Di.

Xu Huizu had just finished writing a memorial when a guard came in and reported to him, "Zhu Yuntong requests an audience."

"Who do you think wants to see me?" Xu Huizu was surprised.

Because he had just returned to the capital, many people did not know about it.

"It is indeed that King of Wu, but he has already been deposed."

"Allow me to greet you personally."

Xu Huizu came out and descended the steps to greet him.

Zhu Yunwen bowed and said, "Greetings, General Xu."

Xu Huizu held Zhu Yuntong's hand and said with a smile, "Although I'm in another city, I've already heard that you've made a great contribution."

"General Xu, you flatter me."

The two entered the hall hand in hand, took their seats as host and guest, and were served tea by servants.

Xu Huizu looked at Zhu Yunwen and asked, "It's so late, what brings you here?"

Zhu Yunwen got straight to the point: "I'm here to tell you that I've arrested your two nephews, Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui."

"I know about this," Xu Huizu said calmly.

Zhu Yunwen originally thought Xu Huizu would be furious, but to his surprise, he remained very calm.

"Aren't you angry with me?"

"You were acting under orders, so how can you be blamed for this?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen thought to himself, "Everyone says Xu Huizu is a loyal minister, and it seems that what they say is true."

"May I ask what General Xu's attitude is?"

"Detain Zhu Gaoxu to prevent future troubles."

"Why does General Xu say that?"

Since ancient times, loyalty to the country and filial piety have been difficult to reconcile.

My father fought his whole life for the Ming Dynasty, and now that I have inherited his title, I must naturally be loyal to the court.

Zhu Gaoxu is a fierce tiger. You finally managed to capture him, so how can you let him go?

"Release the tiger back into the mountains; the consequences will be dire."

"Do you really think that way? He's your own nephew."

"You may not believe it, but I am currently writing a memorial to His Majesty about this very matter."

As Xu Huizu spoke, he handed the newly written memorial to Zhu Yunwen.

Zhu Yunwen took the document and saw that, sure enough, Xu Huizu had earnestly advised him in his memorial to detain Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhu Yunwen was immediately filled with respect, thinking to himself that this was what it meant to put righteousness before family.

"Your righteousness is admirable, but I suspect His Majesty might not listen to you."

Why?

Zhu Yunwen picked up the teacup and gently blew on the tea leaves floating on it: "Your Majesty is a very suspicious person."

He trusted Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng; he would think twice before speaking to anyone else in his presence.

After listening to Zhu Yuntong's words, Xu Huizu pondered for a moment and said, "You are right."

Just then, a figure flashed past the window.

"Who?"

Zhu Yunwen shouted, then jumped out, and saw a man mount a horse and ride away.

It's Zhu Gaochi again?

It turns out that Empress Ma told Zhu Gaochi that Xu Huizu had returned to the capital and asked him to come and ask Xu Huizu for help.

However, Zhu Gaochi was a little uneasy because he wasn't sure whose side his uncle was on, so he came over to eavesdrop.

Unexpectedly, Xu Huizu was talking to Zhu Yunwen, and Xu Huizu's attitude was very clear: he was determined to be loyal to the court to the death.

Zhu Yunwen's study.

Zhu Yunwen was sitting at his desk reading Xu Huizu's memorial.

Qi Tai stood by with his hands at his sides.

After reading the memorial, Zhu Yunwen neither commented nor agreed, and then handed the memorial to Qi Tai.

Qi Tai took it with both hands and examined it carefully.

Zhu Yunwen asked, "What is your opinion on the matters reported by Xu Huizu in his memorial?"

Qi Tai pondered for a moment: "Your Majesty, I think Xu Huizu's words and actions are somewhat eccentric. Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui are his own nephews. Instead of protecting them, he advised Your Majesty to detain Zhu Gaoxu. This is not inhuman."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen nodded: "What you say is quite right, my dear minister. I also feel there's something fishy about this. Is it possible that he's resentful because I transferred him back from the front?"

"This possibility cannot be ruled out."

If Your Majesty were to give Xu Huizu an important position, the risk would be extremely high. If he were to side with Zhu Di, the Ming Dynasty would no longer belong to Your Majesty.

Therefore, I suggest that Your Majesty arrest him on charges of secretly colluding with an enemy state and imprison him in the Dali Temple jail.

Zhu Yunwen shook his head: "No."

Firstly, the court lacked capable generals, and Xu Huizu was a rare talent.

Secondly, there is no evidence to support the claim that he was secretly colluding with enemy countries;

Thirdly, his father, Xu Da, made great contributions to the dynasty. If I were to punish Xu Huizu without cause, it would inevitably cause turmoil.

First, keep him confined in the capital. With him under my nose, he can't cause any trouble.

If one day he reveals any wrongdoing, it will not be too late for me to punish him.

"Your Majesty is very thoughtful."

Zhu Yunwen stood up and paced back and forth in the hall, slowly saying, "You once told me that Zhu Yunwen had to die."

However, they captured Zhu Gaoxu the first time and Zhu Gaosui the second time.

Now all that's left is to capture Zhu Gaochi.

I sense that Zhu Yunwen is no longer the simple-minded man he used to be; it's as if he's become a completely different person.

Qi Tai blinked: "Your Majesty is right. Does that mean Zhu Yunwen has already transformed from a caterpillar into a butterfly?"

"I can't figure it out either. It's just a rumor that he woke up one morning and was a completely different person."

"Could he be some kind of celestial being descended to earth?" Qi Tai seemed to suddenly remember something.

Is there such a saying?

"Yes, back then, Liu Xiu was said to be the reincarnation of the Purple Star."

And Zhao Guangyi, everyone says he was a little golden dragon reincarnated.

"What?"

Both of them were emperors.

"So, does that mean Zhu Yunwen might become emperor in the future?" Zhu Yunwen's voice began to tremble as he said this.

He shouted towards the door, "Someone come here!"

At this moment, two armored warriors entered from outside and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please give your orders!"

"Go, immediately bring Zhu Yunwen to me!"

"promise!"