Ming Dynasty: Charge, Emperor Yongle!

By the dim candlelight, Zhu Di read the blood-written letter word by word.

Those handprints represent not just one person, one county, or one prefecture, but an entire province. Henan Jiangbei Province was the core region of the Yuan Dynasty's rule in the north and the most central region of the Ming Dynasty's rule in the north, without exception.

The Ming Dynasty established its capital at Yingtianfu (present-day Nanjing) and extended its reach southward through the Jiangzhe Province. The Henan Jiangbei Province was a crucial passage to the north.

"Get up first."

"Yes."

Tie Xuan stood to the side with his head down, waiting.

He didn't know if the Prince of Yan, the most powerful man in the Ming Dynasty, could give him hope, but he knew the outcome wouldn't be worse than before. He had survived so many life-or-death crises, so a short while wouldn't matter.

"Zhang Wu!"

Zhu Di shouted loudly.

"Creak!"

The commander of the guards, Zhang Wu, pushed open the door and entered, bowing respectfully: "Your Highness."

"This person is suspected of a case in Fengyang."

Some say he's a witness, others say he's a criminal.

"Whether he is a witness or a criminal, I don't know. I'm handing him over to you now."

"Take good care of him. If anything goes wrong, I will hold you responsible."

Zhu Di said indifferently.

"Submit your orders!"

Zhang Wu couldn't help but glance at Tie Xuan a few more times before solemnly replying.

Tie Xuan stepped forward, bowed to Zhu Di and Yao Guangxiao respectively, and left behind Zhang Wu.

"Monk."

"I am very pleased with this gift."

"From this day forward, you will be the chief monk of the Prince of Yan's residence."

"However, since you sent this person, you must know what to do."

Zhu Di glanced at Yao Guangxiao below him, his eyes gleaming.

"Amitabha!"

Yao Guangxiao chanted a Buddhist prayer, clasped his hands together, and said, "Then it depends on what Your Highness wishes to do?"

"If it's just a matter of seeking a sliver of hope, hand the person over to His Highness the Crown Prince, or His Majesty."

"That's fine."

"What I want is not just to please my elder brother and father."

Zhu Di chuckled self-deprecatingly: "You think you can get away with just playing innocent? There's no such thing as a simple matter in this world."

From the moment Zhu Yuanzhang appointed a group of scholars from eastern Zhejiang as officials in his Prince Yan's residence, this was no longer a simple court struggle.

The literati of eastern Zhejiang were initially led by the Four Gentlemen of Eastern Zhejiang: Liu Ji (Liu Bowen) of Qingtian, Song Lian of Pujiang, Zhang Yi of Longquan, and Ye Chen of Lishui. Thus, they formed a solid group of officials from the coastal areas of Jiangzhe Province, the largest province in terms of population and economy during the Yuan Dynasty.

In contrast, the birthplace of the dragon was Huaixi, centered around Fengyang, where Zhu Yuanzhang's founding team of scholars established the Huaixi group. Later, Li Shanchang was granted the title of Duke of Han, becoming the head of the civil officials of the Ming Dynasty. The Huaixi group and the Huaixi nobles became increasingly closely connected and inseparable.

At the beginning of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the main forces in the court were those from Zhejiang and Huaihe, as well as some nobles and civil officials who did not take sides (including Xu Da and Tang He).

The Four Gentlemen of Eastern Zhejiang: Liu Ji was skilled in strategy and astronomy and military tactics; Song Lian was praised by Zhu Yuanzhang as the "foremost civil official of the founding of the country" and was the chief compiler of the "History of Yuan"; Zhang Yi had the talent to govern the people and suggested dividing troops to cultivate land; Ye Chen was learned and talented and once reformed the tax system to reduce the burden on the people.

In the 22nd year of the Zhizheng era (1362), Zhu Zong and Kang Tai, who had surrendered to Hongdu, rebelled. Ye Chen vowed to never surrender and was killed by the rebels.

In the second year of the Hongwu reign (1369), Zhang Yi, the Imperial Censor, died of illness.

In the second year of the Hongwu reign (1369), Song Lian was ordered to compile the History of Yuan Dynasty. He rose through the ranks to become a Hanlin Academician and a drafter of imperial edicts, and was responsible for establishing court etiquette.

With only Liu Bowen left, he was unable to support the cause and fell ill at home, leading to a decline in the influence of Zhejiang's literati.

Although the officials in the Prince of Yan's palace included the sons of Zhu Sheng and Tao An, as well as the son of Hu Shen, a famous general from eastern Zhejiang, they were unable to provide Zhu Di with direct assistance.

On the contrary, since most of the officials under the Prince of Yan's mansion were from Zhejiang, and given Zhu Di's previous ruthless treatment of the sons of the nobles of Huaixi, he had offended Marquis Yongjia Zhu Liangzu, Duke of Song Feng Sheng, Marquis Yingchuan Fu Youde, Lan Yu and others, and would definitely be regarded as a thorn in the side by the nobles of Huaixi.

There were countless memorials impeaching the Prince of Yan for his misconduct and usurpation, but Zhu Yuanzhang kept them all hidden and did not issue them, which shows how much Zhu Di was disliked in the court.

"If that's the case, Your Highness should be bolder."

Yao Guangxiao lowered his brows and opened his eyes, speaking in a deep and enigmatic voice.

"continue."

Zhu Di raised an eyebrow, sensing something unusual, which only fueled his fearless and bold spirit.

"This year is the most solemn year since the founding of the dynasty. We have destroyed the Northern Yuan, recovered Hexi, controlled the northern desert and put the Northern Court under control."

"Both tribes of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate were impressed by Your Highness, and the northwestern kingdoms trembled with fear, sending envoys to offer their congratulations."

"The enemies that the court needs to be concerned about right now are none other than Nahachu, the Kaiyuan King of the Yuan Dynasty in Liaodong, the Liang King lineage of the Yuan Dynasty in Yunnan, and the Duan family, the local tyrants."

"The power of the chieftains in the Huguang region is nothing more than a minor ailment."

"I have heard that His Majesty has ordered the Crown Prince to preside over the ceremony of presenting captives at the Imperial Ancestral Temple at the beginning of next year, with His Highness taking the lead and the Duke of Wei and the Duke of Cao assisting."

"After the grand ceremony, His Majesty will surely bestow generous rewards upon meritorious officials and surrendered generals, and convene a court assembly."

Yao Guangxiao paused here, seemingly waiting for Zhu Di to react.

"call!!!"

Zhu Di let out a long sigh, looking at Yao Guangxiao with a complicated expression: "You damned monk."

"Are you trying to put me right on the fire?"

If Tie Xuan and this letter written in blood by the elders and folks of Fengyang were revealed at the grand court assembly at the beginning of the year in the sixth year of the Hongwu reign, it would shock the entire Ming Dynasty.

By then, he, the Prince of Yan, would not only be an enemy of the powerful and influential Huai Xi, but he would be a ticking time bomb. Who in the court would dare to befriend him?

"May this humble monk ask Your Highness?"

"Does Your Highness wish to wear a white hat?"

Yao Guangxiao suddenly asked Zhu Di a question that shook him to his core: "To become emperor?"

Honestly, Zhu Di had raised him from the bottom of his heart, and they had a very close relationship. In addition, Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma valued the eldest son of the legitimate wife. It was almost a pipe dream for Zhu Di to shake the position of the crown prince. After Zhu Biao, there was also the eldest grandson of the emperor, Zhu Xiong Ying, who was a well-known candidate for the imperial succession.

If Zhu Di were to vie for the position of crown prince now, not to mention anyone else, even his father-in-law Xu Da would not agree.

But he knew that in the original history, Zhu Biao died young due to long-term worries and anxieties, and Zhu Xiong Ying died suddenly in an accident, which led to Zhu Yunwen's ascension to the throne.

Zhu Yunwen learned a set of outdated Confucian methods, and was ruthless and merciless. The childless Prince Xiang, Zhu Bai, and his wife were forced to commit suicide by burning themselves, which shows his cruelty. If the Ming Dynasty fell into his hands, it would be a devastating disaster.

If Zhu Di were willing to surrender, how could the Jingnan Campaign have occurred in the original history? Besides, he was a time traveler, so how could he willingly submit to Zhu Yunwen?

The reason for participating in the Second Northern Expedition was precisely to strengthen its own power to some extent and change the original trajectory of the Ming Dynasty.