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

Silence fell over the room, broken only by Zhu Gaoxu's breathing.

Zhu Di watched quietly, his eyes deep, the corners of his mouth slowly turning up.

He could tell that Zhu Gaoxu was truly moved this time, even more so than before, and his pause lasted even longer.

And even now, they are still immersed in a fantasy.

But after a moment, Zhu Di could not be happy again; he was filled with a heavy heart.

Judging from the current situation, his temptations and tests have achieved their purpose, and he should be happy, but Zhu Di is really not happy.

The fact that Zhu Gaoxu was tempted shows that he still harbored great fantasies and ambitions for that position, and was still unwilling to accept his fate.

Zhu Gaoxu was unwilling to give up. Does that mean that Zhu Gaoxu would not give up so easily and would continue to fight?

Zhu Di originally thought that the struggle between Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaoxu was under his control, but now it seems that he was very wrong.

This struggle is about to break free of his control, and the scene of brothers fighting each other will probably unfold after his death.

Thinking of this, Zhu Di's heart felt exceptionally heavy.

After his death, will Zhu Gaochi be able to suppress Zhu Gaoxu?

Even if Zhu Gaochi could suppress it, how long could his body hold out?

When Zhu Zhanji ascends to the throne, his power base will be weak, and the conflict between him and his nephew Zhu Gaoxu will likely erupt completely.

Zhu Di was also in a state of confusion. He only had three sons alive, and he didn't want to give up any of them.

Zhu Gaochi was a capable ruler and the eldest son of the legitimate wife.

Zhu Gaoxu was a skilled and courageous general who could help him conquer the Oirat and Tatar tribes in the north. He also made great contributions during the Jingnan Campaign and was deeply supported by Wu Xun.

Zhu Gaosui had been by his side since childhood, and he had already given all the love that Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaoxu had when they were young to Zhu Gaosui.

The three brothers each had their own hopes and aspirations.

Sometimes Zhu Di wondered why the three brothers couldn't be friendly and respectful to each other, and why they couldn't live in harmony.

If these three brothers could work together, one would have the support of civil officials and be good at governance, one would have the support of military merit and be good at fighting, and one would have the Embroidered Uniform Guard and be good at intelligence, then the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty would be within reach.

As he pondered these thoughts, Zhu Di began to indulge in unrealistic fantasies.

If the three of them were like this, the first one to get restless would probably be Zhu Di.

After all, if the three brothers joined forces, they could change the dynasty at any time.

Just as Zhu Di began to immerse himself in his imagination and stopped looking at Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Gaoxu gradually calmed down.

"Father, I've already said it. I've given up that position. It's not mine, and I don't want to force it."

I only want to go out and take up my fiefdom, to be a carefree prince, and incidentally expand the territory of the Ming Dynasty and make use of my abilities.

I want to go to a small island that will not pose any threat to the Ming Dynasty. It's just to protect myself and to make my nephew, who will eventually take the throne, think twice. That's all.

Father, stop testing me. Although it does tempt me, I am no longer the person I used to be.

Once I reach the overseas islands, the imperial court will have an elite navy, the three major camps in the capital, and the troops of the garrisons in various places. Would they be afraid of a mere overseas vassal king like me?

The small islands overseas are barren and sparsely populated, and in every aspect they are incomparable to the Ming Dynasty.

That should put your minds at ease.

At this moment, Zhu Gaoxu was exceptionally clear-headed and completely undisturbed by Zhu Di's earlier temptations.

What Zhu Di offered was indeed tempting, but it was certainly not what he wanted now.

Even an emperor is not truly an emperor just because he sits on the dragon throne, let alone a crown prince.

Zhu Gaochi understood one thing very well: as long as he was powerful, did it matter whether he was the emperor or not?

Without power, even emperors are lambs to the slaughter.

The ultimate form of power requires a strong support system, one that can intimidate and instill fear in everyone.

A power without support will eventually collapse, though it will only be fleeting.

The reason why emperors inspire fear and submission is not only because of the emperor himself, but also because the emperor can command the world, has a loyal army, and possesses unparalleled strength.

When an emperor lacks real power, what good is it to look at those puppet emperors and the numerous examples throughout history?

Moreover, Zhu Gaoxu knew very well that Zhu Di could take back what he had given him at any time.

His experiences and learning in modern times made him realize that Zhu Di would never truly make him the crown prince.

Zhu Di was focused on conquering the north. Although the numerous campaigns during the Yongle era had accumulated a certain amount of wealth, they had also depleted the nation's resources. Zhu Di would never allow the Ming Dynasty to descend into chaos.

Once you understand these things, how could you still be tempted by Zhu Di's allure?

When the facts were laid bare, it became clear that what Zhu Di had said was nothing more than a test to probe his true thoughts.

For a moment, Zhu Gaoxu felt somewhat exhausted.

When Zhu Di asked him to go out and take up his fief, he refused, and Zhu Di often used this as an excuse to criticize him.

Now that he is willing to go to his fiefdom, even overseas, Zhu Di disagrees, and he has various speculations in his mind.

It's true that whatever he wanted to do was full of restrictions, which made Zhu Di think twice.

Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but think that if he could go back ten years, he wouldn't be in such a passive position now.

Although it was somewhat unsatisfactory, Zhu Gaoxu did not expect anything better.

Being able to come back was already a huge surprise to him.

Zhu Di snapped out of his daze and listened to Zhu Gaoxu's "truthful words," but for a moment he was still stunned and even confused.

Zhu Di truly didn't understand.

He clearly saw Zhu Gaoxu's heart flutter, so why did he suddenly regain his composure so quickly?

That's the position of Crown Prince. He's already old, and the throne will surely be his in the future. How can Zhu Gaoxu possibly hold back like this?

If he were in Zhu Gaochi's shoes, and if Zhu Yuanzhang had said this to him after Zhu Biao's death, he would definitely have agreed.

Opportunities are fleeting and should not be missed.

Once you miss it, you might not have another chance.

But now Zhu Gaoxu is facing such a temptation, yet he manages to resist it.

Zhu Di couldn't understand how Zhu Gaoxu could suddenly become so calm.

Or is his position simply so unattractive? So unworthy of Zhu Gaoxu's gamble?

However, Zhu Di's mind returned to calm in an instant.

For an emperor, being able to control his emotions and thoughts at any time is not a difficult thing.

Even if he doesn't understand, it's not something he should think about now.

Because Zhu Gaoxu said something else that greatly surprised him.

That was the fiefdom that Zhu Gaochi chose for himself—an island, a small island!

Zhu Di's mind immediately began to wander to the islands surrounding the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty's understanding of foreign affairs is now quite advanced.

In particular, Zheng He was able to bring back a lot of information during his several voyages to the Western Ocean.

But according to his understanding, all those so-called islands outside are actually barren lands.

Those places were beyond what could be described as exile, because Zhu Di didn't even consider exile a viable option.

But why did Zhu Gaoxu want to go to the island? Was it really just to put everyone at ease? When did Zhu Gaoxu become so selfless and noble?

Thinking about all this, Zhu Di felt a renewed sense of confusion.

I don't understand why Zhu Gaoxu wanted to go to an island to assume his fiefdom.