The Ming Dynasty: A Modern Return, Building an Overseas Empire

Zhu Gaoxu was startled when he heard Zhu Di asking about the vassal states.

Is Zhu Di about to agree to let him go?

For a moment, Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement; the result he wanted was finally about to arrive.

Without further hesitation, Zhu Gaoxu immediately said, "Father, I am prepared to go to a fiefdom outside the Ming Dynasty!"

Seeing Zhu Gaoxu suddenly stand up and hearing these words, Zhu Di was stunned for a moment.

He considered many possibilities, but he never expected that Zhu Gaoxu would actually be going to a fiefdom outside the Ming Dynasty!

In an instant, Zhu Di's heart tightened.

"Second brother, are you threatening me? You want to make me keep you here by doing this?"

Tell me the truth, what are you really thinking?

Zhu Di tightly controlled his emotions. Since he had said that this was a heart-to-heart talk, he could not frighten Zhu Gaoxu any further.

But Zhu Di just couldn't understand why, in such a vast Ming Dynasty, there wasn't a suitable fiefdom for Zhu Gaochi? Why did he have to leave the Ming Dynasty?

If Zhu Gaochi were to go to those small countries outside of the Ming Dynasty, what difference would it make from being exiled?

Zhu Gaoxu's actions were forcing him into a corner.

He seized his nephew's throne, and then exiled his own son overseas over such a trivial matter. How will the world view him?

There were already quite a few people gossiping about him behind his back, and now this happens again. This accusation is really serious.

But now, Zhu Di wanted to know why Zhu Gaoxu had this idea.

This is also why he managed to control himself and not get angry.

Isn't this person afraid that he might actually agree and leave the Ming Dynasty?

To dare to push him like this is playing with fire.

Zhu Gaochi immediately noticed Zhu Di's emotional fluctuations.

Zhu Di's words, in particular, made Zhu Gaoxu sigh.

He was too optimistic. Getting Zhu Di to release him wouldn't be so easy.

But at this point, no matter how great Zhu Di's anger was, even if it was overwhelming, he could only move forward.

At this moment, he had no way out.

Taking a step back would be an abyss for Zhu Di.

After calming himself down, Zhu Gaoxu spoke.

"Father, you heard me right. I am going to leave the Ming Dynasty to take up my fiefdom."

I'm not forcing you, nor am I threatening you with this. It's my own choice to go out.

Everyone knows that the eldest brother is in poor health.

The eldest brother can tolerate me, but will my good nephew, your good grandson, be able to tolerate me in the future?

I've been fighting with the eldest brother for so many years, and now that my nephew has taken over, I'm afraid his first move will be to eliminate his rivals.

What should I do when that time comes?

My dear nephew is pressuring me. Should I obey or rebel?

With the story of my twelfth uncle, Prince Xiangxian, still fresh in my mind, what should I do?

If I were to take up a fiefdom in the Ming Dynasty, would not only my eldest nephew, but also those civil officials, think that I am following your example, secretly accumulating power, and preparing for a rebellion?

When all the court officials are saying that I am going to do that, does it even matter whether it will actually happen?

I left my fiefdom solely to protect myself.

"Father, I won't fight for that position anymore. Please, Father, spare my life, okay?"

Zhu Gaoxu, who had been calm at first, became more and more moved as he spoke, and his emotions gradually became more agitated, and he spoke with even more passion.

Did he really want to leave the Ming Dynasty?

He was forced into it; he had no choice but to leave.

Although the outside world is nice, compared to the Ming Dynasty, those places are indeed barren lands.

The more Zhu Di was unwilling to think about this, the more he revealed it all today.

Zhu Gaochi did not lose his mind. He knew very well that whether he could get out depended on whether he could persuade Zhu Di and make Zhu Di truly face these real problems.

Are these just alarmist statements he made?

Anyone else in this situation wouldn't think he's exaggerating; they would only see it as an inevitability.

Every cause has its effect.

Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Di have already made that move, which means that such things may happen again now, and even in the future.

These actions can be seen as Zhu Gaoxu's way of revealing his true intentions to Zhu Di, a small-scale showdown.

Zhu Di might have tried to solve other problems to prevent him from leaving the Ming Dynasty to take up his fief, but this was the one problem that Zhu Di could not solve.

The only way to resolve this issue is to deal with Zhu Zhanji or eliminate him.

Now that Zhu Gaochi is resolving his own problems, he is helping Zhu Di and the Ming Dynasty. This is why it's good for everyone.

Besides, only by bringing up this point could they possibly persuade Zhu Di.

Zhu Gaoxu knew that Zhu Di actually loved the three brothers, even though he often scared them, glared at them, and gave them a hard time.

But Zhu Di would not abandon any of them.

Historically, Zhu Gaosui poisoned Zhu Di, but Zhu Di did nothing to retaliate, which speaks volumes.

Upon hearing Zhu Gaoxu's words, Zhu Di's pupils contracted, his heart stopped beating for a moment, and his mind seemed to explode.

He wanted to refute Zhu Gaoxu, but for a moment he didn't know how to do so.

Zhu Gaoxu's words were so flawless that he couldn't find any fault with them.

Is it true that Zhu Gaochi was worrying unnecessarily?

That's just self-deception; even a child wouldn't believe it.

It was at this moment that Zhu Di began to truly consider the uncle-nephew relationship between Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Gaoxu.

But as he thought about it, Zhu Di still couldn't believe that scene would really happen.

Would Zhu Zhanji kill his own uncle?

Thinking about Zhu Zhanji's past and what kind of person he was, Zhu Di dismissed all of that in his mind.

However, this was something he was willing to believe in Zhu Zhanji, while Zhu Gaoxu clearly did not.

Should we really let Zhu Gaochi leave the Ming Dynasty and go to his fiefdom?

But Zhu Di was really unwilling. Within the Ming Dynasty, there must be a place for Zhu Gaochi to hide.

Even if Zhu Di were to send Zhu Gaochi out and personally exile his own son, he would not be able to do it.

Especially Zhu Gaochi's last sentence, begging for a way out, made Zhu Di feel even worse.

Has the mighty Prince of Han of the Ming Dynasty been forced into this situation?

"Second brother, I know very well what kind of person Da Sun is. As long as you don't do those things, he will definitely be able to tolerate you."

You want that position, right? I can give you a chance.

"Now that Henan and Shandong are suffering from severe drought, I've put you in charge of the country. If you can handle this matter well, proving your ability to govern, I might consider making you the crown prince."

Zhu Di pondered for a long time, but he still refused to believe that Zhu Gaoxu had truly come to this understanding.

Now he wanted to see if Zhu Gaoxu was using a feigned retreat to force him into a corner.

Zhu Gaochi's transformation was so drastic that Zhu Di was completely unaccustomed to it.

Zhu Di was more inclined to believe that Zhu Gaoxu was using this incident to build momentum for himself.

This also made him waver in his faith in Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji.

Undeniably, at that moment, Zhu Gaoxu did indeed succeed, and he did indeed waver slightly.

As these ideas emerged, Zhu Di gradually overturned many of his previous thoughts and speculations.

Now that the bait has been thrown in, he is eager to see how Zhu Gaoxu will choose.

This time, that position was placed right in front of Zhu Gaoxu, within easy reach.