Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

Seeing that Tao Zhongwen had been meditating with his eyes closed for a long time without any reaction, Zhu Houcong began to worry.

After returning to the Prince of Xing's residence that day, the Prince of Xing, who had tasted the forbidden fruit for the first time, actually wondered if he would leave behind a royal heir.

He even secretly sent his personal eunuchs to inquire among the common people, wanting to know how young the youngest man with children could be.

The eunuch found out that the earliest man in the entire Anlu Prefecture to have an heir was already thirteen years old.

There aren't even any twelve-year-olds, let alone eleven.

Therefore, Zhu Houcong stopped thinking about it that way.

Zhu Houcong had already seen Lu Chen's face with his own eyes, and it was almost exactly the same as the face he saw when he looked in the mirror more than ten years ago.

His birth mother turned out to be the maid he had slept with years ago, and their birth dates were almost identical.

After confirming Lu Chen's birth mother from the wet nurse, Zhu Houcong was overjoyed.

That woman actually became pregnant with his child and gave birth to his eldest son.

Although she was soon given to the steward of the Lu family as a concubine, Zhu Houcong simply did not believe that her husband could have a son with her who looked almost exactly like him when he was young.

Unfortunately, Zhu Houcong was soon dealt a harsh blow by another incident.

According to the wet nurse, the emperor may have also slept with that maid.

It's quite common for brothers to look alike!

Is Lu Chen his son or his younger brother?!

Reason told him that it was almost impossible for an eleven-year-old boy to impregnate a woman, and that Lu Chen was most likely the posthumous son of the late emperor, his own younger brother.

But whether from a personal perspective or from the perspective of consolidating the foundation of the state, Zhu Houcong desperately wanted him to be his eldest son.

However, this matter could not be verified at all. The late emperor had already passed away, and Lady Wang had also been dead for two years.

Whether or not the late Emperor actually slept with Lady Wang, and when that happened, remains a secret that will never be known.

Even a blood test was useless; he had already summoned the imperial physician to inquire, and whether they were father and son or brothers, their blood was compatible.

Since he could not verify the matter through evidence, Zhu Houcong could only place his last hope on Tao Zhongwen, a Taoist master.

This is a truly enlightened master. Yesterday, he predicted "fire" during the day, and that night, a fire actually broke out in the palace.

He said, "Fire is inevitable, but we must protect Your Majesty." The fire burned the entire palace to the ground, but he actually emerged from the fire unharmed.

Lu Bing and Lu Chen deserve credit for rushing into the fire to save the emperor, but if it weren't for Master Tao's magic protection, how could things have gone so smoothly!

Such a Taoist master with supernatural powers would surely be able to glimpse the secrets of heaven for me.

Hmm, Master Tao's expression doesn't look quite right.

Although Tao Zhongwen was still in a meditative posture, his face gradually began to turn bluish-purple.

puff!

Tao Zhongwen suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Your Majesty, this humble Taoist is unharmed."

As he spat out the blood, Tao Zhongwen opened his eyes.

"It's just a backlash from the Heavenly Dao, which will only shorten my lifespan by a few years."

"I have fortunately fulfilled my mission and have managed to glimpse the secrets of Heaven for Your Majesty."

"The Immortal Master has spared no effort in sacrificing his lifespan to glimpse the secrets of heaven; this is a great achievement, and I will certainly reward him handsomely."

Seeing that Tao Zhongwen, despite spitting out blood, still spoke with a strong voice, Zhu Houcong comforted him briefly before getting down to business.

"Is Lu Chen a descendant of the late Emperor or my own son?"

"This humble Taoist priest first offers his congratulations, Your Majesty."

Tao Zhongwen bowed slightly.

"That prince possesses the aura of a hidden dragon, far surpassing ordinary members of the royal family; he is undoubtedly His Majesty's heir."

"I knew it. That child looks exactly like me when I was young. He must be my son."

Upon hearing these words from Tao Zhongwen, Zhu Houcong could no longer conceal his elation, but he quickly frowned again.

Before departing from the capital, Zhu Houcong had already appointed his second son, Zhu Zaiyi, as Crown Prince, his third son, Zhu Zaiji, as Prince Yu, and his fourth son, Zhu Zaizhen, as Prince Jing.

Since he is the emperor's own offspring, Lu Chen is the eldest son of the emperor and should be named the crown prince.

There would be no problem having Lu Chen supplement the imperial genealogy; his face alone would shut up all the ministers, nobles, and members of the royal family.

However, it would be more difficult to appoint him as the crown prince.

Now that we have a crown prince, whom I just appointed, how can we change it so easily?

If he insists on changing the title, not only will he certainly be opposed by the court officials, but it will also greatly damage the emperor's prestige.

However, not appointing the eldest son as crown prince would also present significant problems.

It's fine while I'm in power, but if the crown prince succeeds to the throne in the future, the Jingnan Rebellion might be repeated.

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Eldest Prince has come of age. I have observed that His Highness possesses an extraordinary potential, far surpassing that of the former Crown Prince Ai Chong and the three princes in the palace."

Just as Zhu Houcong was racking his brains over how to arrange things for his eldest son, Tao Zhongwen spoke up again.

"Now Your Highness is only a hundred paces away from His Majesty. The aura of the true dragon and the aura of the hidden dragon have begun to clash. If this continues, it will affect the lifespan of both His Majesty and Your Highness."

Once Your Highness is recognized as a prince and registered in the imperial genealogy, your potential will be even greater. Staying by His Majesty's side may not be a good thing.

This humble Taoist priest has glimpsed the secrets of heaven. If His Highness the Crown Prince had grown up in the deep palace, he would probably have died young long ago. It is precisely because he has been away from His Majesty for a long time that he has been able to grow up safely among the common people.

If I were to return to the capital with His Majesty, I fear I would repeat the mistakes of Crown Prince Ai Chong.

"It's that serious?!"

Upon hearing Tao Zhongwen's words, Zhu Houcong was greatly alarmed.

"After the death of Crown Prince Ai Chong, the Immortal Master told me that the two dragons should avoid meeting each other, lest their dragon energies clash and each shorten their lifespan."

I wholeheartedly agree. I avoided seeing the three princes who were born later whenever possible, and they have survived to this day.

"The eldest prince is now an adult. After returning to the capital with me, he will naturally live in a separate residence, not in the palace. This is much farther away than the three younger princes. Will this pose a danger?"

"His Highness the Crown Prince is different from the three princes in the palace."

Tao Zhongwen slowly opened his mouth,

"As His Majesty's eldest son, His Highness's potential for future success is much stronger than that of other princes. Furthermore, His Highness grew up among the common people, so his potential for future success has never been diminished and is now at its peak."

"Forgive my bluntness, but if Your Majesty insists on bringing His Highness the Eldest Prince back to the capital, I fear there will be unspeakable events."

"How can this matter be resolved? I beg the Immortal Master to teach me."

Recalling the pain of losing his son five years ago, Zhu Houcong was still shaken. He had finally found his eldest son, who had grown up successfully, and he could not afford to have any more mishaps.

"Your Majesty, this humble Taoist has glimpsed that Lady Wang was once favored by the late Emperor Xian and thus became entangled in karma. In the eyes of Heaven, she actually owes Emperor Xian an heir."

Tao Zhongwen finally said what he really wanted to say.

"His Majesty's southern tour was originally for the purpose of burying Empress Dowager Jiang and Emperor Ruizong Xian together."

The Xianling Mausoleum is now severely flooded. If the eldest son of the emperor were to be recorded in the imperial genealogy as the son of Emperor Xian and preside over the renovation and expansion project of the Xianling Mausoleum, it would be a way of repaying the karmic debt owed to Emperor Xian on behalf of his birth mother.

Chengtian Mansion is the residence of His Majesty when he was still a prince, and it can nurture His Highness's potential for future power, ensuring his safety.