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

After everyone left, Zhu Zhanji stared in horror at the empty space before him, while Zhu Gaochi sat on the ground, leaning against a pillar.

As a whooshing sound came, Zhu Zhanji was startled and looked around in a panic.

It wasn't until they found Zhu Gaochi sitting on the ground that they realized he had taken two big steps and then fallen to the ground. They scrambled and crawled to Zhu Gaochi's side, frantically shaking him.

"Father, what exactly is going on? Is Grandfather going to make a move against us?"

My second uncle has already gone to sea; besides my father, who else can he turn to?

"My grandfather loves me the most, how could he do such a thing..."

Zhu Zhanji was in tears, his voice choked with sobs, at a loss for what to do, his mind blank, and he kept repeating "impossible."

Zhu Zhanji didn't know what had happened, but he knew what it meant that even Yang Pu had been arrested and imprisoned, and would be executed in three days.

Yang Pu was a confidant of Zhu Gaochi and was trusted by him greatly. He was also the person who liaised with Yang Shiqi and others in the cabinet, and he was on good terms with Yang Shiqi.

Zhu Di had this person arrested and executed without hesitation.

Being thrown into the imperial prison was nothing compared to the execution three days later, which left Zhu Zhanji completely stunned.

What does this mean?

Zhu Di is about to take action against the Crown Prince!

The Eastern Palace not only has Zhu Gaochi, but also him.

Zhu Di's decision meant not only that Zhu Gaochi's position as crown prince was gone, but also that his dream of becoming the crown prince was shattered.

Zhu Zhanji could not believe that Zhu Di, who doted on and loved him so much, could make such a decision.

This cruel reality was something Zhu Zhanji was completely unable to face.

Zhu Gaochi sat on the ground, calmly watching Zhu Zhanji gradually go mad, his heart filled with disappointment.

"At this point, have you still not grown at all?"

See? You think you're the most favored grandson, and you think that just because your imperial grandfather keeps saying "holy grandson" all the time, you really are the crown prince?

Even if you really are the grandson of the emperor, the old man can take it back!

You need to be strong yourself to succeed. If you continue to act recklessly and irresponsibly because of your grandfather's favor, do you still want to be the crown prince?

What you should be doing now is not going crazy here, nor crying here, nor going to find your royal grandfather.

Instead, they went down to read and study diligently to improve themselves.

Despite the major events that have occurred in the Eastern Palace, my position remains secure.

Do you know anything?

It's not because of the support of civil officials, nor because you are the grandson of a saint, but because I have the ability to govern the country.

As long as I don't cross the old man's bottom line, nothing will happen.

A person's confidence comes from within, not from others!

Zhu Gaochi calmly explained these principles, hoping that Zhu Zhanji would understand them after experiencing such events.

He was thinking about it a lot just now.

Zhu Gaochi was very clear that this time, he had also been tricked and used by those people.

In the past, he trusted these people.

When Zhu Di wanted to establish an heir after the Jingnan Rebellion succeeded, these were the people who supported him. This was because Zhu Zhanji was Zhu Di's most beloved grandson, and Empress Xu had insisted on establishing the eldest son of the legitimate wife while she was alive.

However, he had previously mistakenly believed that it was the support of civil officials and scholars that made Zhu Di decide to make him the crown prince.

Although I had some ideas later, I never thought about them too much.

After this incident, Zhu Gaochi realized that those things were ultimately external forces.

Those same people who supported him back then can now exploit him.

He seemingly promoted many people, gaining the support of officials at court and in local areas, thus becoming what is known as the "princeling party."

But whatever happens, he will also be involved and caught up in it.

Isn't this incident a perfect illustration?

If he hadn't possessed the ability to govern the country, would Zhu Di have given him this opportunity?

Zhu Gaochi also realized that those people, if used well, could be a sharp knife, but if used poorly, they would only backfire on him.

What made him realize even more was that, in the end, he had to rely on himself no matter what.

Zhu Gaochi has been thinking a lot since just now.

Not only that, in Zhu Gaochi's view, although this experience made him realize many things, his feelings towards Zhu Gaoxu were also more complicated.

The root of all this lies in the fact that back at Jiming Temple, Zhu Di used Zhu Gaochi to establish his authority in order to solidify his position.

It wasn't until Zhu Gaochi set sail that everything was disrupted, changing the situation once again.

It was Zhu Gaoxu's voyage that deepened Zhu Di's suspicion of him.

Upon closer examination, this incident was also a warning from Zhu Di to him and a weakening of his power.

All the officials under the Crown Prince's command have been arrested, and Yang Pu is to be executed. Although he is unaware of the situation outside, Zhu Gaochi is well aware that those who submit memorials to the court will likely not escape punishment.

Those who supported him would be dealt with by Zhu Di for various reasons, so who would dare to stand on his side and support him anymore?

Without Zhu Gaochi to check him in the Ming Dynasty, his power seemed too great, making even Zhu Di wary.

Zhu Gaochi felt a bitter taste in his mouth; he realized he hadn't done enough and hadn't thought things through comprehensively enough.

If we had realized these things sooner, we wouldn't be facing this outcome today.

At this moment, Zhu Gaochi was also genuinely hoping that Zhu Gaoxu could return to the Ming Dynasty.

When Zhu Gaoxu was in the Ming Dynasty, he could at most be careful to prevent Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui from making any underhanded moves, but at least he didn't have to worry about things like they are now.

At that time, he could openly say to people that he wanted to resign and return to Shuntian to retire and live a peaceful life.

But now, he dares not say it.

He fought with Zhu Gaochi for more than ten years, and it was only at this time that he realized that his mortal enemy was also his talisman.

Zhu Di asked him to come back and think it over, and Zhu Gaochi had come to understand many things.

Seeing that Zhu Zhanji was beginning to come to his senses and his emotions were gradually stabilizing, he waited for a long time before slowly speaking.

"Son, once this matter is settled, go to your grandfather and tell him that your second uncle is suffering outside and you can't bear it."

Go and ask your imperial grandfather to let you go to Japan so you can personally invite your second uncle back to the Ming Dynasty.

Having just calmed down, Zhu Zhanji stared at Zhu Gaochi with disbelief in his eyes.

Should he personally go and invite Zhu Gaoxu back?

He had finally managed to get Zhu Gaoxu out of the country, and now he was expected to take the initiative to ask Zhu Di to let him go to Japan to invite Zhu Gaoxu back.

Zhu Gaochi looked at Zhu Zhanji, who still couldn't figure out the key point, and sighed inwardly again.

Zhu Zhanji is not young anymore, but compared to when he was this age, he looks quite different.

"I know you don't want to, have you forgotten what I just told you?"

Ultimately, everything depends on oneself; one must be strong to succeed.

Your second uncle is in Japan, and now Japan can no longer restrain him. With the influx of people migrating there, do you think your second uncle's power will not increase?

You think you're living a carefree life, but what if one day your second uncle commands an army of 100,000? Even if you were to take that position, would you be able to live in peace?

Invite your second uncle back so he can keep an eye on things and prevent him from causing any trouble.

Within the Ming Dynasty, even your imperial grandfather wouldn't allow him to wield much power.

Now, all you need to do is endure for another 10 or 20 years. By then, what can your second uncle do?

On the contrary, it's incredibly easy for you to do whatever you want to him.

Remember, don't let short-term gains blind you; learn to see beyond the surface and grasp the essence.

Zhu Gaochi patiently taught him, and this incident helped him grow a lot.

What's done is done, and this is all that can be done.

But we still need to prepare for the future.

Sending Zhu Zhanji would demonstrate sufficient sincerity.

He had no need to worry about Zhu Zhanji's safety.

If Zhu Zhanji dies, Zhu Gaoxu will surely die.

On the contrary, Zhu Gaoxu had to protect Zhu Zhanji and not allow him to suffer any harm.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhanji stared at Zhu Gaochi in disbelief.

He had a feeling that his father was different from before.

Instead of caring about such a big thing happening here, you're thinking about these things.

Hearing this, Zhu Zhanji was both tempted and hesitant.