Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

If the imperial lineage were to die out in the future, the throne would fall to this only close relative of the Prince of Xing.

These fifty-five sons of military officers, who were Lu Chen's trusted followers when he was still a nobody, are bound to rise to prominence.

Their fathers, led by Gao Mingqian, were officers of the Linqing Imperial Guard, just like the military officers of the Xingwang Mansion back then.

As long as Lu Chen inherits the throne, Gao Mingqian's current heavy bet will surely bring extremely rich returns.

Gao Mingqian himself could very well follow the path that Lu Song once walked.

However, all of this is based on the premise that Lu Chen can truly inherit the throne.

If the Emperor had not died without an heir, Gao Mingqian's plan would have come to nothing.

After all, His Majesty already has three princes. Although they are all still young, there is a greater chance that one of them will grow up and successfully inherit the throne.

Making such a huge bet on a low-odds game is not something a cunning old fox like Gao Mingqian would do!

What exactly was the reason that led Gao Mingqian to make this decision?

Could it be?!

Yes, I did have some preconceived notions!

Why was I able to understand the truth of this matter at the grave of Lu Chen's birth mother, Wang Shi, that day?

Besides learning from the constable who knew Wang that the "Lady Yousheng" had given her maid, Wang, to Lu Kun, the ugliest steward in the Lu family, as a concubine at the end of the thirteenth year of the Zhengde reign, she also confirmed another matter!

That's Lu Chen's real age!

Lu Chen was indeed born in August of the fourteenth year of Zhengde's reign. The time of Wang's conception coincides with the time when she was given to Lu Kun.

What was your first reaction when you first saw Lu Chen's face in Wadian Town?

The imperial offspring that His Majesty left in Chengtian Prefecture!

Only after confirming that Lu Chen was indeed only twelve years younger than the Emperor did she rule out the possibility that the Emperor had slept with the wet nurse's maid, Lady Wang, when he was still the heir apparent of the Prince of Xing.

Then I thought of my late father, Emperor Xian, and Prince Xing back then.

However, there's no way Gao Mingqian could know this information!

His first reaction must have been the same as mine: that Lu Chen was the Emperor's offspring!

When the Emperor left Chengtian Prefecture for the capital, he was almost fourteen years old.

It was indeed impossible for the eleven-year-old Crown Prince of Xing to impregnate Lady Wang, but the thirteen-year-old Crown Prince of Xing was capable of doing so!

As for Lu Chen's age, that's not a problem either.

If even Lu Kun's identity as a son of a concubine is fake, why can't his age in the records be fake as well?

It's not so easy to tell a sixteen-year-old boy from an eighteen-year-old boy just by looking at them.

Before confirming Lu Chen's real age, even he himself hadn't considered the possibility of Emperor Xian, let alone Gao Mingqian!

Yes, in Gao Mingqian's eyes, Lu Chen was not the offspring of Emperor Xian at all, but the dragon seed of the current emperor.

If Lu Chen is truly the Emperor's son, then he is the eldest prince!

The Emperor had few children; all his sons were born to his concubines, and he had no legitimate sons.

If there is a legitimate heir, then the eldest son should be chosen; if there is no legitimate heir, then the eldest son should be chosen!

Since there is no legitimate son, the eldest son of the emperor is the first choice for crown prince!

It was certainly not something Gao Mingqian would do to gamble everything on a prince who had only a slim chance of succeeding to the throne.

But he was willing to bet everything on the eldest prince, the future crown prince!

Gao Mingqian, that old fox, really knows how to play his cards right!

Unfortunately, his judgment was wrong from the start!

Sun Dexiu smiled slightly, picked up the teacup, and took a small sip.

Since Gao Mingqian has already placed a heavy bet on Lu Chen due to a misjudgment, he shouldn't even think about getting out!

Unlike Gao Mingqian, according to Eunuch Huang's plan, whether Lu Chen becomes a prince for life or inherits the throne in the capital like the Prince of Xing back then, he will be deeply bound to him for life.

Planning for Lu Chen is, in fact, planning for himself.

Sun Dexiu could feel her heart pounding wildly, and a dangerous and crazy thought slowly emerged from the bottom of her heart.

If things go according to Eunuch Huang's plan, all I need to do now is befriend Lu Chen and try to become his close friend.

After Lu Chen was granted the title of Prince, she became the chief eunuch of his royal palace and went to his fiefdom with him.

After that, we'll have to leave it to fate.

If one is extremely lucky, one may rise to the top and become the highest-ranking eunuch, known as the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, or the Inner Minister.

He was revered as the Ancestor by all the eunuchs in the world.

If you don't have great luck, you'll be a eunuch in a prince's palace for the rest of your life.

Although one could live a life of wealth and comfort, it could also be said that one wasted one's life.

If this is the final result, will I really be willing to accept it?

If there's no other way to think of a solution, then of course we have no choice but to accept reality.

But what if there were an opportunity to actively seize the power to change this destiny?!

Lu Chen has not yet returned to the royal family. Although he has not yet been able to enjoy the princely status he deserves, it is not without its benefits!

After being granted the title of Prince, he had to ask for permission even to leave the city, and local officials would keep an eye on everything he did.

Any slight deviation could lead to impeachment.

The current Lu Chen is completely different!

He was just a lowly captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; he could go wherever he wanted and do whatever he wanted without anyone watching him.

The only people who could control him were his superiors, Shen Xuan and Gao Mingqian.

How could these two possibly dare to disobey the eldest prince's wishes?

What does this mean?!

Lu Chen possesses a tremendous advantage that no other vassal king has had since the founding of the dynasty, especially since the Xuande era.

Lu Chen is now completely free. He can go anywhere in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty, as long as he wants.

Of course, in order to delay the time before this face is recognized, going to the capital is definitely out of the question, and Nanjing should also be avoided as much as possible.

He can do things that even the most powerful princes wouldn't dare to touch or even think about!

For an ordinary feudal lord, establishing his own power was simply impossible!

But Lu Chen is different. Now Gao Mingqian has placed a heavy bet on him, and with himself added to the mix, the entire imperial guard system of Linqing Prefecture has actually become part of this prince's forces.

The Eastern Depot's spies, who were originally supposed to monitor and check the Jinyiwei's thousand-household garrison in Linqing, joined forces with the Jinyiwei and could completely control the situation in Linqing.

If he can delay the time when Lu Chen's face is recognized for a few more years, he is fully capable of establishing a powerful underground force.

Once Lu Chen is recognized as a prince and granted the title of Prince, he will also have the ability to continue to remotely control this underground force!

Lu Chen is the son of Emperor Xian and the younger brother of the current emperor. In terms of succession, he is far superior to distant relatives such as Prince Ning in the past.

If one intends to participate in the struggle for the throne, there is no need to raise an army to quell the rebellion; simply defeating the competitors is sufficient.

At that time, this underground force can serve as a hidden sword, clearing away all obstacles for the prince!