I, Zhu Yunwen of the Ming Dynasty, resurrected Empress Ma at the start.

Inside Kunning Palace, the fragrance of medicine had long since dissipated, replaced by a warm feeling of relief after surviving a calamity.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat beside Empress Ma, still somewhat lost in thought.

In his entire life, he had braved mountains of knives and seas of fire, and traversed mountains of corpses and seas of blood, but never before had he felt such lingering fear and overwhelming relief as he did at this moment.

He stared blankly at the unharmed girl before him, momentarily speechless.

Seeing his appearance, Empress Ma felt both amused and touched. She reached out and gently patted his arm.

"What are you still standing there for?"

Zhu Yuanzhang snapped out of his daze and looked at her.

Empress Ma's eyes softened, her tone carrying a hint of reproach mixed with certainty: "Yunzhen saved our lives, such a great deed, shouldn't you, as his grandfather, show some appreciation?"

Zhu Yuanzhang slapped his thigh suddenly, his voice tinged with excitement.

"Yes, yes, yes! Reward! A must be rewarded! A very generous reward!"

He abruptly stood up, strode forward with imposing presence, and shouted towards the outside of the hall, "Guards!"

The young eunuch guarding outside the hall trembled with fear and scrambled in, collapsing to his knees with a thud, not daring to raise his head: "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"

Zhu Yuanzhang, with his hands behind his back, slowly paced two steps in the hall, his voice booming and leaving no room for doubt.

"Pass on my message: immediately prepare a reward for His Highness Yunwen, according to the highest royal standards!"

"Gold, silver, brocade, rare treasures, antiques—whatever's in the vault, take it; nothing is left out!"

He paused, then added, his tone unusually gentle.

"Have someone prepare a quiet and elegant courtyard. The location should be close to Kunning Palace, the closer the better, so that it will be convenient for Yunhuo to visit us and his grandmother in the future."

"Get it done immediately, no delays allowed!"

"Your servant obeys!"

The young eunuch kowtowed three times, not daring to delay for even a moment, and then ran out in a flash.

Zhu Yuanzhang then turned to look at Empress Ma, his imperial majesty fading, replaced by a smile that seemed to seek praise, and his tone softened: "Sister, how about this?"

Empress Ma nodded gently, her eyes filled with satisfaction.

"That's more like it."

Meanwhile, deep within the Eastern Palace, the atmosphere was completely different.

Inside the side hall, the light was dim and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Lady Lü sat upright at the head of the table, dressed in a dignified palace gown, surrounded by pearls and jade, but there was not a trace of a smile on her face.

She held a string of sandalwood prayer beads between her fingers, twisting them rapidly. The beads rubbed together, producing a fine, rapid sound that betrayed the surging anger in her heart.

Zhu Yunwen sat to the left, his face pale, his brows furrowed with worry, and he seemed restless.

He hesitated for a long time, but finally couldn't help speaking. His voice was low and tinged with unease: "Mother, you said that Grandmother... she values ​​Yunhu so much now, what about the future..."

"Don't panic."

Lu interrupted him coldly, her voice calm but carrying a chilling edge.

"The Empress Dowager has returned, but so what? No one can stop your grandfather from deciding who is the rightful heir apparent."

She looked up, a sinister glint in her eyes, and a cold smile curved her lips.

"But that little brat—"

"When he returns, I will definitely teach him a lesson about manners."

Zhu Yunwen was taken aback, and looked up at Lady Lü: "What does Mother mean...?"

"Let him know what it means to respect elders and what it means to be of higher or lower status."

As Lu Shi twirled her prayer beads, her knuckles turned slightly white, and a ruthless glint flashed in her eyes.

"Wasn't he quite eloquent in court today? Didn't he embarrass you in front of everyone?"

"I'd like to see if he still dares to be so arrogant once he returns to his own little corner of the Eastern Palace."

Zhu Yunwen opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately swallowed it back.

He knew all too well his mother's methods.

He had seen everything Zhu Yunwen had done in the Eastern Palace over the years.

Kneeling as punishment, scolding, mistreatment, neglect... every single one of these was secretly arranged by the Empress Dowager.

In the past, Zhu Yunwen was as docile as a lamb to the slaughter. He would bow his head when scolded and dare not resist when mistreated, never daring to utter a word in his defense.

In Zhu Yunwen's view, Zhu Yunwen's sharp and outspoken manner in court today was nothing more than a momentary lapse of judgment and a display of verbal sparring.

But this is the Eastern Palace.

It was territory that the Lü family had been operating in for many years.

Zhu Yunwen's lips curled slightly, a hint of pleasure quietly passing through his heart.

Yeah.

Let the Empress Dowager teach him a lesson, deflate his arrogance, and make him realize his place.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.

A palace maid, head bowed, trotted in and knelt down at the door with a thud, her voice respectful yet fearful.

"Your Majesty, Prince Yunheng has returned and has entered the East Palace."

Lu's eyes suddenly lit up, a cold glint flashing within them.

"Send him to see me immediately." She spoke each word clearly and firmly, her tone cold and hard. "Now, immediately, right now."

"Yes."

The palace maid bowed respectfully and quickly withdrew.

Zhu Yunwen had just stepped into the East Palace courtyard and hadn't even caught his breath when he saw the palace maid rushing up to him, her head bowed, not daring to look at him.

"Your Highness, Her Majesty requests your presence."

Zhu Yunwen paused in his steps.

Your Majesty? Lady Lü?

He raised an eyebrow slightly, a cold smile playing on his lips.

They arrived quickly.

Is it because they saw him return from Kunning Palace that they couldn't wait to set rules and control him?

At this moment, his memory was filled with everything that Lady Lü had done to Zhu Yunwen.

Each and every single incident was orchestrated by the woman before us.

They've worn Zhu Yunwen down to a cowardly and humble state, and now they still want to ride roughshod over him?

Zhu Yunwen suddenly laughed.

That smile was faint, yet as cold as ice.

He raised his eyes, his gaze falling on the palace maid. His voice was calm, yet it carried an irresistible sense of oppression.

"Get lost."

The palace maid froze, looking up in disbelief: "Your...Your Highness?"

"I said, get lost, can't you understand human language?"

Zhu Yunwen took a step forward, and his aura suddenly turned somber.

"Who does she think she is, daring to order me around like that? Just because she tells me to come over, does that mean I have to go?"

"What kind of bullshit joke is this?"

"roll!"

The last word was as cold and sharp as a knife.

The palace maid turned pale with fright, retreated repeatedly, and trembled all over.

Having served in the Eastern Palace for so many years, she had become accustomed to the taciturn and easily manipulated Zhu Yunwen. She had never seen him so sharp and imposing.

"Aren't you going to get lost?" Zhu Yunhua glanced at him coldly.

The palace maid was terrified and dared not say another word. She turned and stumbled away.

Zhu Yuntong watched her flee in panic, sneered, and turned to walk straight to his residence.

"Bang!!!"

He slammed the door shut, making the doorframe rattle slightly.

Inside the side hall.

The palace maid scrambled to her knees, her voice trembling, almost crying, and repeated Zhu Yunwen's words verbatim.

"Your Highness... His Highness said... He said what are you... He told you... He told you to get out..."

Lu's face instantly changed from green to black, and then to ashen.

"Smack!!!"

The prayer beads in her hand snapped with a snap, the dark brown beads scattering all over the ground, rolling everywhere, leaving her in a sorry state.

"He dares?!"

Lu suddenly stood up, her voice shrill and cracking, her eyes bloodshot, her anger almost bursting forth.

"How dare he speak to me like that?!"

Zhu Yunwen was completely stunned, his face full of shock.

Is Zhu Yunwen... gone mad?

Lu took a deep breath, then another, but the anger in her chest not only did not subside, but burned even more fiercely, almost burning her whole body to ashes.

"Someone come here!"

She gritted her teeth and squeezed out each word slowly and deliberately.

"Come with me!"

"I'll see what kind of audacity that little brat has found today!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she flicked her sleeve and strode out.

Zhu Yunwen was stunned for a moment, then quickly got up and followed.

But for some reason, a strange unease suddenly rose in his heart.

He had a vague feeling that Zhu Yunwen seemed to be different today.