Zhu Di: My fourth son is a great emperor of all time?

Chapter 89 Mutual Probing, Seeing What the Fourth Brother Is Thinking
The Imperial Study was so quiet that only the sound of breathing could be heard.

Zhu Di remained silent, and Zhu Gaoshuo dared not utter a sound either.

All I could do was complain in my heart; this act of exposing everyone's secrets under the cover of darkness was simply too much!

Did Zhu Gaoshuo really have no intention of becoming emperor?

Of course not.

He was not originally from this dynasty; he had transmigrated here and possessed great skills, but had no opportunity to use them.

Seeing those around him swept up in the torrent of history, seeing the common people living in unbearable suffering, and witnessing the fierce struggle between Zhu Di and his three sons, Zhu Gaoshuo felt a chill in his heart.

But in the end, he could not resist his inner desires: to become emperor, to become an unparalleled emperor, and to create a peaceful and prosperous world with his own hands!
He wanted to ensure that the people could live a peaceful and prosperous life, and he wanted to use his abilities to change the course of history and create a golden age for all time!
Therefore, he studied all the maps of the Ming Dynasty and finally set his sights on Xunzhou!
This place is remote. If Zhu Di goes there, he'll probably forget he even has a son within two years.

Only Zhu Gaoshuo knew that in the present Ming Dynasty, from the emperor down to the common people, everyone thought Xunzhou was a remote and desolate place, plagued by floods, miasma, and epidemics, with countless difficulties. But in reality, it was a treasure land.

Xunzhou is located on the southern border of the Ming Dynasty, and its coastal location means it has abundant marine resources.

The mineral deposits, accumulated over tens of thousands of years, lie quietly beneath the mountains and peaks of Xunzhou.

On islands far from the mainland, there are even plant species that thrive independently.

The year-round high humidity and high temperature environment may seem unsuitable for survival, but it is actually conducive to the cultivation of tropical plants!

In addition to native plants, it is also more conducive to introducing crops and fruits from Southeast Asia, which will inevitably greatly increase yields!

More importantly, Xunzhou has rubber trees!

With rubber trees come rubber sap. Before the advent of petroleum refining and separation technology, the importance of rubber was beyond imagination!
Zhu Gaoshuo kept all these plans in his heart.

On the surface, he maintained the image of a playboy who indulged in eating, drinking, and having fun.

In reality, he was befriending talented individuals in the imperial court.

He originally thought that after the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, he would go to his fiefdom and everything would fall into place naturally.

Unexpectedly, the sudden appearance of the sky revealed all his secrets!

Now that he was kneeling, Zhu Gaoshuo felt uncertain.

Given his father's temper, it would be perfectly reasonable for him to kill him now.

What kind of emperor is he?
In the end, he was just a prince who usurped the throne!

But Zhu Di was also conflicted.

Firstly, as Zhu Gaoshuo said, he couldn't punish him for something that hadn't even happened yet.

Secondly, Zhu Di was also feeling guilty.

If I were to kill Zhu Gaoshuo simply because he might one day usurp the throne from Zhu Zhanji, how would future historians and the people of the world judge me?

He, Zhu Di, personally seized the throne from Zhu Yunwen!
If he deserves to die, wouldn't he also deserve to die like Zhu Gaoshuo?!

Unfortunately, the content on the screen ended there.

Zhu Di wanted to see what his great-grandson Zhu Zhanji would do!
Unfortunately, the heavens were determined to oppose him!

"Tell me, you wanted to go to Xunzhou just to do these things?"

Zhu Di finally spoke.

“Father, Father, I’m going to Xunzhou to take up my fiefdom, of course, so that I can be far away from you.”

Zhu Di slammed his fist on Wen Zhen again: "You despise your father that much?!"

Zhu Gaoshuo was helpless; he couldn't very well admit that he wanted to be the greatest emperor of all time.

“Father, you’re very strict with me. I’m not like my three older brothers. Xunzhou is a convenient place. You can let me go wherever I want.”

Zhu Di snorted coldly: "Fourth Prince, do you really think your father is getting old and dying?" "Your subject wouldn't dare!"

Despite constantly referring to himself as "your subject," Zhu Di felt no fear whatsoever in Zhu Gaoshuo's heart.

If it were anyone else, they would probably be banging their head on the ground and trembling with fear by now.

Zhu Gaoshuo, however, was still able to talk a good game.

With such courage, he truly seems to be of Zhu Di's blood!

"Your Majesty, I am deeply concerned about the border regions. I beseech you to grant me permission to serve as a prince, to secure the borders, reassure the people, and uphold the prestige of our Great Ming Dynasty!"

The might of the Ming Dynasty.

These four words pierced Zhu Di's heart.

Regardless of who succeeds to the throne, aren't they all of the bloodline of the Ming Dynasty? Aren't they all doing it for the sake of the Ming Dynasty?
"Fourth brother, get up."

Finally, Zhu Di relented and allowed Zhu Gaoshuo to stand up from the ground.

Zhu Gaoshuo rubbed his knees, which had gone numb from kneeling, and grimaced, "Dad, you, you talk to me later, my, legs, are numb! Ouch! Hah! Ah!"

"How dare you make such strange noises in the Imperial Study!" Zhu Di was so angry that he wanted to make him kneel down again.

"Yes, yes, it's all my fault for not kneeling enough. I have no experience. I will definitely kneel more when I go home in the future."

Zhu Gaoshuo's legs were truly numb, and he felt like he wanted to curl up into a ball, wishing he could turn into a fish.

After gurgling on the ground for a long time, wriggling like a caterpillar, it took Zhu Gaoshuo quite a while to recover.

"Father, I know your worries."

Zhu Gaoshuo knew his usurper father all too well.

He was just too concerned about his image; otherwise, he wouldn't have worked so diligently and conscientiously for so many years, nor would he have both compiled the Yongle Encyclopedia and sent Zheng He on his voyages to the Western Ocean.

"Your Majesty is a benevolent ruler, and the safety of the people is always on your mind. Your son will do his best to relieve your worries. Your son will not say anything about having no ulterior motives."

Zhu Gaoshuo paused. The atmosphere was already extremely tense. Now, even the slightest spark could ignite a fire that would cost him his life.

"After seeing the scene in the sky, I was moved. Not by the idea of ​​a great emperor, but by the peace and prosperity of the world, the health and well-being of the people, and the harmony of the people and the smooth governance of the government."

Zhu Di sighed, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the moonlight on the steps outside the palace.

Who wouldn't be tempted!

Can we blame the fourth brother?
No.

If anyone has a grudge, it's that he failed to become a great emperor and bring prosperity to his realm.

"Your son begs, Father, to give your son a chance."

Zhu Gaoshuo seized upon this moment when Zhu Di was soft-hearted.

Yes, it was all part of his calculations. He wanted a mix of truth and deception, first to suffocate Zhu Di with anger and suspicion, then to use kinship and the grand cause to bind him, and finally, to leverage his own advantage as the youngest son.

"Father, I am the fourth son, and I also wish to accomplish something worthy of our ancestors. The future that the Heavenly Curtain speaks of is not necessarily inevitable! It is neither destiny nor something that has remained unchanged since time immemorial! Can we, the Zhu family, bow down to a mere illusion that is not true?"

Zhu Gaoshuo became more and more excited as he spoke, and Zhu Di became more and more satisfied as he listened.

This fourth child really reminds me of myself.

Indeed, what he said makes sense!
However, Zhu Di was still not at ease: "Since you insist so much on the matter of going to your fief, I will let you go."

"Thank you, Father!"

Zhu Gaoshuo hurriedly thanked him, but when he knelt down, his legs were still numb, and he fell flat on his face, rolling over and knocking Zhu Di down as well.

(End of this chapter)