My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

"Fourth brother...you just said that Yunwen...he's pressing me relentlessly."

"Even with his ruthless suppression of the regional military governors, how could you, holding only a corner of Beiping, possibly contend with the imperial court that possessed the entire nation's military and financial resources? How... exactly did you... succeed?"

Seeing that the atmosphere had eased slightly, Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Di and asked the question that had been bothering him.

As the Executive Vice Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he was very clear about the gap between the current princes and the central court.

Although the vassal kings were powerful, it was practically a pipe dream for a mere Prince of Yan to think he could overthrow the imperial court.

The gap between the vassal kings and the central government is now so vast.

Not to mention that later, in order to pave the way for Yunwen, his own father would definitely weaken the power of the vassal kings.

But that's exactly what happened; the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

Zhu Di remained silent for a while, a bitter smile appearing on his lips.

"Elder brother, Father, this matter is a long story, but in the final analysis, it is nothing more than the right time, the right place, and the right people."

"In addition... a bit of luck, or rather, it was Yunwen and his group of pedantic scholars who gradually handed the country over to me."

Zhu Di smiled and raised one finger.

"First of all, the timing was wrong. Jianwen's foundation was not yet stable, and his efforts to reduce the power of the princes were too hasty, which made all the princes in the country feel insecure."

"If it were just me, a vassal king, raising an army, it probably wouldn't have been long before it was suppressed."

"But precisely because of that little... Jianwen, before his power base was stable, listened to Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng and couldn't wait to take action against his own uncles."

"The King of Zhou, the King of Dai, and the King of Min were all deposed and reduced to commoners. The King of Xiang, unable to bear the humiliation, committed suicide by burning his entire family alive!"

"All the princes under heaven are in danger! This isn't just about reducing the power of the vassal states; he's forcing us to rebel!"

"As a result, many vassal kings adopted a wait-and-see attitude, and some even secretly helped and supported me."

Zhu Di paused for a moment, then extended his second finger.

"The geographical advantage lies in Beiping, the former capital of the Yuan Dynasty, an important town in the northern frontier, with high walls and deep moats, ample food supplies, and strategic passes that can be defended."

At this point, a hint of pride appeared on Zhu Di's face.

"I have been stationed here for many years and know this place very well. The local people also have a high opinion of me."

"As for the last person and..."

A complex smile appeared on Zhu Di's face.

"This is thanks to Jianwen and his trusted advisors Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng."

"The imperial court has a million-strong army, but no generals who can truly command it."

"Geng Bingwen excels at defending cities rather than fighting in open battles."

"The first time, the veteran general Geng Bingwen led his troops. Although he was an old general, he was cautious in his use of troops. I fought against him and won some minor victories, but it was difficult to shake his foundation."

Zhu Di smiled, a smile tinged with sarcasm.

"And what happened? That brat Zhu Yunwen listened to slander and, finding Geng Bingwen's advance too slow, replaced him with Li Jinglong!"

"Li Jinglong?"

Zhu Biao raised an eyebrow.

"From the Cao family?"

Zhu Di nodded, glanced at Old Zhu, and his eyes flickered.

Although there are some inside stories, I can't say them.

So he deliberately spoke up.

"That Li Jinglong was nothing but a bookish,纨绔子弟 (a spoiled, dissolute young man) who only knew how to talk about war; he squandered hundreds of thousands of troops!"

"They practiced nepotism and sidelined capable ministers and veteran generals, causing disunity and disloyalty within the army."

"On the other hand, looking at my side..."

Zhu Di straightened his back unconsciously.

"Not only are there strategists who can devise plans, but also loyal and brave men who are willing to die for their cause."

"We are united in purpose and have a clear goal: to purge the court of corrupt officials and quell the national crisis!"

"Several key battles, such as Zhengcunba and Baigouhe, seemed dangerous, but in reality, our army's morale was high, while the imperial army's command was chaotic and morale was low. I often personally braved arrows and stones and charged ahead, and the soldiers naturally fought with their lives."

He paused and glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang.

"In this respect, perhaps I have learned from you, Father Emperor."

Upon hearing this, Old Zhu's lips twitched violently, and his hand unconsciously went back to his belt.

Zhu Biao pondered for a moment, then continued to ask.

"So, you just stormed into Nanjing like that? And ascended the throne?"

Old Zhu suddenly became suspicious upon hearing this.

"The Nanjing city we built with our own hands has high and thick city walls, a wide moat, and is complete with all kinds of gate towers, barbicans, and hidden troop shelters. It also has ample defensive weaponry!"

Even if Zhu Yunwen is incompetent at employing people, there are still hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the city!

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Di with disbelief.

"You think you can just fight your way to the city walls with that little force in Beiping and break in so easily?! Do you think we're fools?!"

It's not that Zhu Yuanzhang was exaggerating, but his Nanjing city was indeed impregnable.

While it's not impossible to break through, that's only under the premise of a large disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves.

But the problem is, there should still be hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the city at that time, how could they have broken in so easily?

That fourth brother isn't honest!

Old Zhu gave Zhu Di a deep look.

Zhu Di smiled.

"Father, the city you built is indeed impregnable, but the problem is that I didn't even have to fight it. Someone just opened the gates for me."

"Who?"

Old Zhu's gaze suddenly sharpened.

Now it was Zhu Di's turn to take the initiative. He shrugged, looking relaxed.

"I forgot."

Old Zhu has a fiery temper; he was about to pull out his belt on the spot.

"You little brat! You dare to mess with your father like that!"

Seeing that Zhu Biao's belt was about to become a "divine weapon" again, Zhu Di quickly slid behind Zhu Biao, peeking out half of his head, but still refused to admit defeat.

"Dad! Don't worry! I really can't remember! This is an old almanac from so many years ago!"

"fart!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that his beard was trembling, and he pointed at Zhu Di and cursed.

"How could you forget such a momentous event as opening the city gates and surrendering the city?"

"Do you think we're three-year-olds?! Tell me! Which traitorous bastard is it?! We'll skin him alive and stuff him with straw!"

Zhu Di looked at his furious father, but he knew exactly what was going on.

The one who opened the gates to surrender the city was none other than Li Jinglong, the "armchair strategist" he had just deliberately scorned!

And Prince Zhu Hui!

Of course he remembered it, and he remembered it very clearly!

Despite suffering repeated defeats on the battlefield, Li Jinglong, together with Zhu Hui, opened the Jin Chuan Gate when his army was at the gates of Nanjing, welcoming his troops into the city.

It can be said that without Li Jinglong's "stroke of genius," it would have taken him much more effort and bloodshed to capture Nanjing.

But can we say that directly?

No!

Li Jinglong's father was Li Wenzhong, Zhu Yuanzhang's nephew, and a nobleman from Huaixi with impeccable lineage. Old Zhu always held some old feelings for his own family.

Moreover, by saying it so directly, wouldn't that confirm that Zhu Di and the Jianwen court officials had some kind of shady collusion?

Although this is the truth, this unspoken understanding cannot be revealed in front of Lao Zhu!

We must maintain the "purity" of the "purging of the emperor's inner circle"!

So Zhu Di rolled his eyes and began to smooth things over, deliberately speaking vaguely.

"Father, please calm down! The city was in chaos back then. That brat Yunwen appointed treacherous officials, which angered both heaven and the people, and the soldiers defending the city were also disloyal."

"Perhaps it was some general with a strong sense of righteousness who could not bear to see the country fall and the people suffer, so... so he went with the flow and opened the city gates."

"This is the mandate of heaven, and the will of the people!"

As he spoke, he secretly winked at his elder brother, Zhu Biao, for help.

Zhu Biao was incredibly intelligent and immediately understood Zhu Di's concerns and the key to them.

He sighed, stepped forward, and stood between Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di, speaking gently.

"Father, things have come to this point, and it's pointless to ask who opened the door."

Zhu Biao glanced at Zhu Di.

"As my fourth brother said, perhaps the soldiers defending the city saw that the situation was hopeless and were unwilling to put up any more futile resistance, thus saving Nanjing from a devastating war. It was perhaps a fortunate thing."

He gently pressed down on Zhu Yuanzhang's hand that was gripping his belt and continued.

"My mother is still ill and needs to rest."

"If we make too much noise here and disturb Mother, it won't be good."

"My fourth brother's throne was finally secured, and the Ming Dynasty did not change hands. Moreover, he did indeed achieve great things later on."

"Let bygones be bygones."

"Achievements? What achievements did he accomplish?"

"If Yunwen were in power, he might not be any worse than him!"

"Father! Am I really that worthless in your eyes?"

When Zhu Di saw that even though he had explained it clearly, Old Zhu still looked the same, his face immediately filled with resentment.

"Although I did seize power through rebellion, I believe I've been a far better emperor than that little brat Zhu Yunwen!"

Zhu Di stood up abruptly, his eyes fixed on Old Zhu.

"I personally led numerous campaigns, defeating the Tatars, Oirats, and other powerful forces to the point of being unable to raise their heads!"

"In addition, I also ordered the compilation of the Yongle Encyclopedia! It will gather books from all over the world to pass on the thousands of years of Chinese cultural heritage, so that future generations will know how glorious our ancestors were!"

Zhu Di roared.

"Is this achievement inferior to that pedantic Jianwen Emperor, who only knew how to rely on rote learning and pedantry?"

"Besides listening to slander and forcing his own uncle to his death, what else did Zhu Yunwen do?!"

"Can he defend the northern border? Can he control the court? Does he deserve to sit on the throne you personally conquered?!"

Zhu Di's roar echoed in the room, filled with endless grievances and resentment.

Zhu Yuanzhang was momentarily speechless at his son's barrage of questions, especially when he heard about the Yongle Encyclopedia, his eyes flickered slightly.

He certainly knew the difficulty and significance of compiling such a monumental work; it was something no mediocre ruler could accomplish.

He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but couldn't find the right words, and his face turned a little pale.

Seeing this, Zhu Biao sighed inwardly, knowing that his fourth brother was venting all the resentment he had accumulated over the years.

He was about to speak again to ease the tension when he heard Chen Mo speak first.

"Of course, Zhu Di's achievements are not limited to compiling the Yongle Encyclopedia. He also has another achievement that is unprecedented and unparalleled."

Chen Mo's words immediately drew the attention of both Lao Zhu and Zhu Biao.

Even the furious Zhu Di calmed down slightly and looked at Chen Mo with some confusion.

"Oh! Well, we'd like to hear what else he did!"

Old Zhu snorted, still unwilling to admit that passing the throne to Zhu Yunwen was a mistake, but his tone carried a hint of barely perceptible curiosity.

Chen Mo took out his phone, searched for a world map from the Ming Dynasty, and then pointed to the capital city and drew a line to a location.

"Look, this is the farthest place Emperor Yongle ever reached. Although it's not the northernmost place any emperor has ever been, it's still the second most."

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao went over to take a look and saw a clear line on the map extending from Beijing to a vast area in the north.

"He is the only emperor to have achieved the feat of sealing the wolf's lair and inscribing the inscription on Yanran Mountain!"

Chen Mo's voice carried a hint of solemnity.

"He led a total of five Northern Expeditions throughout his life, venturing deep into the Mongolian steppes to wipe out the remnants of the Yuan dynasty. He died during each of these expeditions."

"You might say that he ascended the throne illegitimately, but you also have to admit that Zhu Di truly created the Yongle era of prosperity, with literary achievements such as the Yongle Encyclopedia and military feats such as the Fenglangjuxu and the Yanran inscription."

"Through his actions, he showed future generations that the emperors of the Ming Dynasty were not only capable of ruling the country, but also of conquering it and defending its borders!"

"To seal the wolf's lair and dwell in the Xiongnu... to inscribe the inscription on Yanran Mountain..."

"Perhaps, he did all this so that he could one day stand before you, Old Zhu, and say, 'I am more suited to be emperor than Zhu Yunwen!'"

Zhu Yuanzhang murmured these two words, which symbolized the highest honor for military officers, and his expression finally softened.

Especially when he heard the line "They all died during the Northern Expedition," a complex expression flashed across his face.

As a founding emperor who seized power on horseback, he understood all too well what this meant.

What courage, determination, and military skill that requires!

He looked at Zhu Di, who was standing tall with his chest out. Although his face was still flushed from the excitement, his eyes were full of pride as he met his gaze without any hesitation.

"Old man, did you hear that?"

Zhu Di couldn't help but speak again, but his voice was much lower, with a hint of barely perceptible sob and grievance.

"I am an excellent emperor! I am definitely not bad at it! At least, I am far better than Zhu Yunwen!"

Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent for a long time, so long that Zhu Biao thought he might explode again, but he only sighed heavily, waved his hand as if shooing away flies, and his tone was weary but with a hint of relief:

"Alright, alright! What's all the fuss about! Merit is merit, and fault is fault! You brat... humph... at least you didn't completely disgrace the Zhu family!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di felt a lump in his throat and abruptly turned his head away, not wanting his father and elder brother to see his slightly reddened eyes.

Really!

They're elderly people who already have grandchildren!

What kind of behavior is this, crying and sobbing like this!

But...but...

At this moment, Zhu Di's long-standing inner conflict seemed to loosen slightly.

He looked at Old Zhu.

"So... if my elder brother dies in the future, you should pass the position to me!"

Old Zhu's expression had already softened somewhat.

But upon hearing this, he flew into a rage and immediately grabbed his belt.

"You little brat! You dare curse your older brother to death, huh?"

Old Zhu stood up and pointed at Zhu Biao.

"Fine! We're making this clear right now! If your older brother dies!"

"Don't try to be the Prince of Yan in our time! Just go and guard your elder brother's tomb!"

Old Zhu's face turned fierce.

"We refuse to believe it! You think you can rebel while guarding a tomb!"

"So, old man, you'd rather die than pass the throne to me, is that it?"

"They clearly know I'm a very good emperor! But they still won't pass the throne to me!"

"Forget about my elder brother! I, Zhu Di, accept him as emperor! But what do you think Zhu Yunwen is?"

Zhu Di was indignant and waved his hand violently.

"I don't care! If my older brother really dies, you'll still pass it on to that brat Zhu Yunwen..."

Zhu Di thought for a long time but couldn't figure out what to say, so he could only resort to harsh words.

"Then your Ming Dynasty can only wait to perish after two generations!"

"You little brat! You think you've gotten too bold now that you're emperor?"

Old Zhu finally couldn't hold back any longer and lashed out with his belt.

"Snapped!"

Zhu Di did not dodge, letting the belt whip across his body, leaving a bloody mark.

"Old man! Hit me all you want! Just kill me!"