Chapter 19: The Lü Family! The Crown Prince's Downfall through Indulgence!

East Palace, the Crown Prince's residence.

Zhu Yunwen returned to his chambers, his mood heavy and sullen. Inside, the Crown Princess, Lady Lu, sat with needle and thread, diligently mending garments. Sensitive to her son’s unusual demeanor, she paused her work, set it aside gently, and rose to approach him with soft, measured steps.

She reached her son’s side, tenderly stroking his hair as the strands slipped through her fingers. "My child, what is the matter?" she asked, tilting her head with eyes full of concern. "Are you not meant to be practicing martial arts this afternoon? Why have you returned so early?"

Zhu Yunwen suddenly looked up, tears clinging to the corners of his eyes; he had clearly been sobbing. Seeing this, the gentle expression on Lady Lu’s face flickered with alarm.

"My child, has someone bullied you at the academy?"

Zhu Yunwen slowly shook his head. His throat seemed constricted, and he could only continue to sob softly—a repressed, mournful sound that seemed to release all the grievances and sadness held within his heart. Watching her son in such a state, Lady Lu felt a mixture of heartache and anger. Her own eyes reddened as she hurriedly pulled him into a tight embrace, patting his back in a long effort to soothe him.

Finally, Zhu Yunwen spoke. "Mother, I do not want to go to the Great Ben Hall anymore. I do not want to practice martial arts either. I..."

Hearing this, Lady Lu’s expression darkened. She forced herself to suppress her irritation, shifting back to a gentle countenance as she whispered, "My son, you were born to nobility. If you do not study or train, how will you take on great responsibilities in the future?"

Lady Lu recalled the past. When she first married into the East Palace, she had only desired a peaceful life, harboring no grand ambitions. But after she bore a son to the Crown Prince, Zhu Biao, that ambition took root like spring weeds, spreading wildly and impossible to uproot. Especially after the death of Lady Chang and her own elevation to Crown Princess, this ambition had swelled. She was now the primary wife of the Crown Prince, and her son was a legitimate heir!

"It was with great difficulty that I persuaded your father to send you to the Great Ben Hall to study with focus. How can you give up halfway?" Lady Lu frowned, speaking with earnest gravity.

"Mother!" Zhu Yunwen cried out, tears spilling anew. "What great responsibilities? The eldest brother has received the Mandate of Heaven; he is the one truly destined for it!"

"I do not want to compete anymore, nor am I willing to. I cannot win against him!"

At these words, Lady Lu’s complexion shifted violently. Her gentle features hardened instantly. She gripped Zhu Yunwen’s shoulders tightly and demanded, "Yunwen, what exactly happened? What is this about the 'Mandate of Heaven'? What are you talking about?!"

Zhu Xiongying is the one destined by heaven? Hah, that remains to be seen!

Zhu Yunwen recounted the entire sequence of events. Upon hearing it, Lady Lu was similarly struck with utter shock.

***

A divine object? The Art of Heavenly Fire? He could actually summon fire from the heavens? How on earth did this Zhu Xiongying accomplish such a thing?

For a moment, Lady Lu felt a wave of dizziness; her heart quivered, and a sense of panic took hold. After all, the concept of "the divine right of kings" was etched into the very bones of the Chinese people, thanks to the Confucian theory of "interaction between heaven and humanity." Now that Zhu Xiongying possessed a divine object and had mastered the Art of Heavenly Fire, combined with his status as the eldest imperial grandson, who could possibly shake his position as the Grand Heir?

Thinking of this, Lady Lu’s expression turned grim and unpredictable. She had plotted so meticulously for so long; she would not stand by and watch Zhu Xiongying effortlessly ascend to the position of Grand Heir while her own son gained nothing!

"My child, do not panic. Leave this matter to me!" Lady Lu gritted her teeth, a trace of ruthlessness flashing in her eyes. "This is no 'Mandate of Heaven'—it is clearly the folly of a child neglecting his duties. I shall report this to your father at once!"

With those words, Lady Lu hurried away, leaving Zhu Yunwen alone in his room. The surrounding air seemed to solidify. After a long while, Zhu Yunwen wiped away his tears and walked to his desk. Underneath the inkstone lay a sheet of rice paper with only four characters written upon it: *Strive to be Emperor!*

***

The Wenhua Hall, where the Crown Prince conducted state affairs. To cultivate the Crown Prince’s governing abilities, the Old Emperor had ordered all official business to be processed by the Crown Prince before being sent to the imperial throne. Since the tenth year of the Hongwu reign, Crown Prince Biao had been overseeing the government, and he had grown adept at handling the complex, tedious affairs of state.

He was currently reviewing a memorial. Its content was simple: the national treasury was empty, and the Ministry of Revenue was running out of funds, barely able to maintain the initial provisions for the southern expedition. This was not good news for the imperial court. The soldiers were bleeding and fighting on the front lines; if they could not even be fed, how could they have the strength to fight? "Provisions before troops" was never merely a saying.

Thinking of this, the Crown Prince felt a headache forming. The empty treasury had not been a problem of a single day; it had been in a state of chronic tension. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the court had launched several northern expeditions. Last year, Xu Da and others had led a campaign north, and this year, the court was pushing south—no amount of wealth could sustain such constant consumption. Yet, they had to fight. The Prince of Liang in Yunnan remained a threat to the Ming; if not uprooted early, he would surely become a festering wound.

As he pondered, the Crown Prince suddenly heard a commotion outside, causing him to frown with displeasure.

Before he could ask, Lady Lu walked in, her face dark with urgency and anger.

"My beloved wife, what are you doing here?" Zhu Biao asked, startled, his expression darkening. "This is the Wenhua Hall. The inner palace must not interfere in state affairs. Leave at once!" After founding the Ming, Zhu Yuanzhang had drawn from the lessons of previous dynasties and issued a strict order forbidding the inner palace from interfering in politics. Even Zhu Biao dared not defy it.

Lady Lu did not waste time, speaking directly. "Your Highness, it concerns Ying'er!"

Hearing that it concerned his beloved son, Zhu Biao immediately pressed, "What has happened to Ying'er?"

"I do not know why, but today at the Great Ben Hall, Ying'er burned his textbooks and classics, claiming he had obtained a divine object and learned the Art of Heavenly Fire..."

"As soon as I heard, I realized the gravity of the situation. Ying'er must have been misled by villains and led astray into a life of idle folly. That is why I rushed here..."

The Crown Prince’s expression changed drastically, and he reflexively shouted in anger, "What an absolute disgrace!" Having studied the classics since childhood and been taught by great scholars like Song Lian, he embodied the Confucian spirit and could not tolerate his beloved son neglecting his studies for trivial games.

Meanwhile, in the Qianqing Palace, the Old Emperor stared at Li Xiyan with a dark expression.

"Your Majesty, the Grand Grandson has always been polite, diligent, and focused on his studies. But ever since he became close with Gaochi, his temperament has changed entirely. Today, he even burned his classics and claimed to have obtained a divine object and learned divine arts..."

Though Li Xiyan did not participate in court struggles, he understood that Zhu Xiongying’s status was extraordinary—he was the next Crown Prince of the Ming. As his teacher, he did not want to see such a fine boy ruined by that little fatty Zhu Gaochi, led down the path of idle decadence!

The Old Emperor listened, suppressing the fury in his heart, still unable to believe it.

"Master Li, could there be some misunderstanding? My grandson has always been well-behaved, and Chier is an obedient child as well. Could someone else have burned the books..."

Unexpectedly, Li Xiyan shook his head and gave a definitive answer.

"Your Majesty, please look clearly. This old official has already found witnesses. It was indeed the doing of the Grand Grandson!"

At these words, Zhu Yuanzhang could no longer contain himself. Rising abruptly from his chair, he kicked over his desk, sending ink, brushes, paper, and inkstones scattering across the floor.

"Those two miserable brats!"

"Someone! Bring Zhu Xiongying and Zhu Gaochi to me! I shall flay them alive!"