The Ming Dynasty: Starting with taking Old Zhu on a journey to the future

"You're trying to secure a future for your family."

Jiang Huan knew that Zhu Yuanzhang would pass away in the thirty-first year of the Hongwu reign.

It is now the twenty-sixth year of the Hongwu reign.

Only five years remain.

He offended Lan Yu; if Lan Yu were to die, it wouldn't matter.

He feared that Lan Yu was not dead, but the old emperor had passed away.

By then.

Their fate is self-evident.

"Yes."

"You're quite straightforward. Aren't you afraid that after you die, I'll have to support your wife and children?"

Jiang Huan was not angry at all upon hearing this.

Somewhat surprised, he said, "This is for the best."

Jiang Huan's attitude surprised Lan Chen somewhat.

As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he didn't care about being cuckolded.

"You're quite tolerant."

"As long as they can survive, these things don't matter."

Upon hearing this, Lan Chen slowly stood up.

He neither agreed to nor refused Jiang Huan's request.

Whether her father will survive is still unknown.

After all, whether Zhu Yunwen or Zhu Di ascended the throne, their own fathers were always obstacles.

Eliminating the emperor's apprehension is a long and arduous task.

……

The Eastern Palace.

In the study, Zhu Yunwen sat upright at his desk, while a young man stood before him.

He was dressed in the red official robes of the Hanlin Academy and held a Confucian classic, the Book of Rites.

Read the contents and interpretations aloud softly.

"The general principles of rites are to embody the laws of heaven and earth, follow the four seasons, govern yin and yang, and conform to human nature; therefore, they are called rites..."

Seeing that Zhu Yunwen wasn't paying attention, Huang Zicheng put down the book of etiquette and asked.

"This is the fifth time His Highness the Crown Prince has been distracted today."

Upon hearing this...

Zhu Yunwen slowly stood up and sighed softly, "Alas."

"Has His Highness the Crown Prince encountered any difficulties?"

Zhu Yunwen did not hide anything from Huang Zicheng, who was both his study companion and teacher.

"To be honest, in the past, after my grandfather finished handling the court affairs, he would call me to his study to learn how to handle them."

"But these days, my grandfather finishes his state affairs early and stays in his study, and doesn't ask me to learn how to handle government affairs anymore."

Upon hearing this, Huang Zicheng's expression turned serious.

This is indeed a big problem.

"But what has happened recently?"

Zhu Yunwen nodded.

"Does the gentleman know Lan Yu's son, Lan Chen?"

Lan Chen?

Huang Zicheng nodded: "I've heard a little about him. Among the sons of noble families, Lan Chen is one of the few who did not enter the court to serve as an official."

Generally speaking, the eldest son of the Duke of Liang would hold a high position in the court.

For example, Chang Yuchun's son Chang Mao, Xu Da's son Xu Huizu, Li Wenzhong's son Li Jinglong, and so on.

These people all held very important official positions in the imperial court.

Logically speaking...

As the son of the Duke of Liang, Lan Chen would at least be a sixth-rank official if he were to become an official.

However, Lan Chen did not become an official and rarely appeared in the public eye.

"Then do you know what kind of person this is?"

Huang Zicheng nodded, having heard some of the rumors.

"Rumor has it that Lan Chen is a believer in Taoism, obsessed with seeking immortality and spending most of his time at home cultivating Taoism, refining elixirs."

"Duke Lan Yu of Liang even went to great lengths to find a doctor, hoping to cure Lan Chen's brain, but to no avail."

"After that, it was dropped."

Seeing that she couldn't cure Lan Chen's mental illness, Lan Yu decided to let him roam free.

After all, the Duke of Liang's mansion could afford to support a fool.

"This person should be in the Jinyiwei prison."

He has been obsessed with cultivating Taoism and becoming an immortal for many years, so he rarely appears in the public eye.

Obsessed with cultivating immortality?

Zhu Yunwen was somewhat depressed.

Did he really succeed in cultivating it?

"Why is His Highness the Crown Prince asking about this person?"

Zhu Yunwen slowly spoke: "Sir, you may not know this, but Lan Chen was once summoned by the Emperor."

"Summoned?"

"Why would His Majesty summon Lan Chen for no reason?"

If Lan Yu hadn't intended to rebel and exterminate his entire family, most people in the court probably wouldn't know who Lan Chen was.

It was indeed rather strange for the emperor to suddenly summon a disgraced official.

"In his confession, Lan Chen said that he could see into the future and even travel through time."

"Therefore, I was summoned by my grandfather."

"I initially thought that Lan Chen was just making up a trick to save his own life."

"I never imagined he actually knew some magical arts."

Huang Zicheng looked solemn.

"You mean, Lan Chen really learned immortal techniques?"

Zhu Yunwen shook his head: "I don't know whether that counts as magic or not. I only know that he took my grandfather away for a while."

"I don't know exactly where they went, but according to Lan Chen, they probably went to the future."

"After that, my grandfather became cold towards me. He used to frequently teach me how to handle government affairs, but that became less frequent."

To say that Lan Chen knows immortal arts...

I've never seen an immortal imprisoned in a royal prison, their life and death controlled by the emperor.

It's hard to believe, but Lan Chen did indeed disappear for a period of time with his imperial grandfather.

Traveling to the future?

After pondering for a while, Huang Zicheng guessed Zhu Yunwen's concerns.

"Is your worry because you fear His Majesty has truly foreseen something from the future?"

Zhu Yunwen nodded.

If the Emperor could see the near future.

What should I do if I have failed as emperor?

If that's the case, it would explain why the emperor was somewhat cold towards the crown prince.

It is clearly sometime in the future.

Zhu Yunwen made a mistake, which displeased Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Your Highness, there is no need to be anxious. If His Majesty has indeed seen a glimpse of the future, as long as His Majesty has no intention of deposing you, it means that you have not made a serious mistake."

There is still room for redemption.

Given Zhu Yuanzhang's personality.

If we really saw Zhu Yunwen become emperor, it would be a complete mess.

They probably already deposed Zhu Yunwen long ago.

Since it wasn't scrapped, it means there's a problem, but there's still room for maneuver.

"However, Lan Chen is the son of Duke Lan Yu of Liang. If he continues to live, it will inevitably affect Lan Yu's survival."

"His Majesty's determination to eliminate Lan Yu is to pave the way for you."

"Lan Chen possesses immortal arts; compared to the Duke of Liang, he is the greatest threat."

"This person must be eliminated!"

The only way is to get rid of Lan Chen.

Only in this way can the possibility of Lan Yu's case being overturned be completely eliminated.

If Lan Yu dies, it will inevitably implicate a group of nobles.

In the present day, marriage alliances between nobles and feudal lords are highly intertwined.

Only by eliminating Xun Gui can Zhu Yunwen secure his position as crown prince.

Only in this way can the ambitions of the other princes to seize the throne be extinguished.

The only option is to kill Lan Chen.

In the future, the foolish things Zhu Yunwen did will not be revealed to Zhu Yuanzhang.

If Lan Yu wants to live, she must overturn the verdict.

However, the case of Lan Yu's alleged rebellion cannot be overturned.

If this case is overturned, then Zhu Yunwen's position as crown prince will also be overturned.

Lan Chen must die.

Zhu Yunwen was naturally aware of this.

After pondering for a while, Zhu Yunwen asked, "Jiang Huan, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, has always kept Lan Chen by his side for protection. It will be difficult for us to get rid of him."

"Sir, do you have any ideas?"