The Great Ming Demon Pill: Your Majesty, please address me as the Crown Prince!

Zhu Zhanjun woke up with a severe headache.

When he opened his eyes, what he saw was not the white ceiling of the hospital, nor his rented room piled with takeout boxes, but a brocade curtain embroidered with auspicious clouds and mythical beasts.

The tassels hanging from the top of the tent swayed gently in the breeze, and a faint sandalwood scent filled the air.

"Where is this?"

He struggled to sit up and found himself lying on a large, carved canopy bed, covered with a brocade quilt embroidered with an exquisite five-clawed dragon pattern.

On the rosewood table beside the bed were celadon tea sets, and in the corner stood a bronze crane incense burner, from which wisps of smoke slowly emerged.

Before he could sort out his thoughts, a flood of unfamiliar memories rushed into his mind like a burst dam.

The ninth year of the Yongle reign, the Han Prince's Mansion of the Ming Dynasty.

He is the third son of Zhu Gaoxu, the Prince of Han, named Zhu Zhanjun, who just turned six years old this year.

His father, Zhu Gaoxu, was a prince who made great contributions in the Jingnan Campaign and was now engaged in open and covert struggles with the crown prince, Zhu Gaochi.

His mother was Lady Wei, the principal wife of the King of Han.

"I've time-traveled?" Zhu Zhanjun stared blankly at his small hands, which were clearly those of a child, with delicate skin and short knuckles.

Moreover, he was dressed up as Zhu Gaoxu's son.

The son of that unlucky prince who was made into "braised chicken in a clay pot" by the Xuande Emperor in history!

Just as he was processing this astonishing fact, a line of semi-transparent text suddenly appeared before his eyes:

[Treasure Chest System successfully activated!]

This system aims to collect emotional energy. By eliciting strong emotional responses (such as anger, shock, speechlessness, or frustration) in others through the host's words and actions, the host can obtain treasure chest rewards.

The treasure chests are ranked from lowest to highest as follows: Silver Treasure Chest, Gold Treasure Chest, and Prismatic Treasure Chest.

Below the text is a virtual panel displaying the words: [Silver Treasure Chest: 0], [Gold Treasure Chest: 0], [Prismatic Treasure Chest: 0].

"You can open treasure chests just by being annoying?" Zhu Zhanjun blinked, a strange expression on his young face that didn't match his age. "This system... is interesting."

He rolled out of bed and stepped barefoot onto the cold gold brick floor.

She was wearing a silk nightgown, the material of which was soft and smooth, clearly of high quality.

Push open the carved wooden door, and you'll find yourself in a charming little courtyard.

Several maids dressed in blue vests were sweeping the courtyard. When they saw him come out, they quickly put down their work and curtsied in unison: "Your Highness has woken up."

His voice was respectful, and his head was bowed very low.

Zhu Zhanjun ignored them, his mind racing.

Now, if he wants to survive in the Ming Dynasty, he has to rely on the system!

However, obtaining this system treasure chest will require some careful consideration.

Are you angry at these maids and servants?

Even if you scold them until they cry, it probably won't arouse much "emotional energy".

We need to find someone with enough weight...

He recalled his "father" Zhu Gaochi, the hot-tempered and powerful Prince of Han.

But Zhu Gaoxu was not at home at the moment; he had gone to the palace early in the morning.

Just as I was pondering this, a commotion suddenly arose in the distance.

As Zhu Zhanjun was pondering, a middle-aged eunuch dressed in a brown palace attendant's robe hurriedly entered the courtyard, followed by two junior eunuchs.

The eunuch had a respectful expression, but his steps were quick. Upon seeing Zhu Zhanjun standing at the door, he immediately bowed and paid his respects.

"Your Highness, a decree has arrived from the palace. His Majesty summons all the imperial grandsons to the palace today to personally examine their studies. His Highness the Prince of Han is already in the palace and has ordered me to bring you in immediately."

Zhu Zhanjun's heart skipped a beat. Emperor Zhu Di!

This grandfather, who created the Yongle era of prosperity and whose power extended throughout the land, suddenly decided to check his grandson's studies.

In the memories he merged with, although his body was only six years old, as the son of the King of Han, he was arranged to study and learn to write from a young age. However, the original owner was playful and lazy, and his knowledge was really mediocre.

"Go now?" Zhu Zhanjun asked in a childish voice, his expression unchanged.

"Yes, the sedan chair is already waiting outside the mansion," the eunuch replied, bowing his head.

Zhu Zhanjun turned and went back to his room, letting the maid come forward to help him change his clothes.

He wore a dark red round-necked robe embroidered with gold python patterns, a jade belt around his waist, and a winged crown on his head.

The child in the mirror had a handsome face, yet he felt somewhat unfamiliar with him.

While changing his clothes, his mind raced: going to the palace to see Zhu Di was undoubtedly a high-risk, high-reward occasion.

When the emperor is angry, millions will die, but if handled properly, it may be a good opportunity to obtain "emotional energy".

On the way to the palace in a sedan chair, Zhu Zhanjun lifted the curtain and looked out. The streets of Yingtian Prefecture were bustling with activity and crowds of people, but he had no interest in admiring them.

About 15 minutes later.

Zhu Zhanjun's sedan chair slowly passed through Donghua Gate and traveled between the high palace walls.

Suddenly, a slightly noisy sound came from outside the sedan chair. It turned out that they had passed through the area where the East Palace was located.

Zhu Zhanjun lifted the curtain and peeked out. He saw that the vermilion palace gates were tightly closed and the guards stood solemnly in front of the gates. Although it was quiet, it had the majestic atmosphere of a crown prince's residence.

His heart skipped a beat, and a thought flashed through his mind like lightning:

If the Crown Prince's Palace were to catch fire at this moment, wouldn't this be a golden opportunity to collect "emotional energy"?

Hehe, might as well do it!

Since I'm going to die anyway, I might as well go crazy for once.

He's still just a child!

"Stop the sedan chair," Zhu Zhanjun said, lifting the curtain of the sedan chair to the middle-aged eunuch accompanying him.

"Your Highness, His Majesty is still waiting, this..." The eunuch looked troubled.

"I suddenly have a sharp pain in my stomach and urgently need to relieve myself." Zhu Zhanjun frowned, feigning an unbearable urge to urinate, and even bent over slightly. "I'm afraid I ate some unclean pastries this morning. If I behave improperly before the Emperor and Grandfather blames me, can you bear the consequences?"

Upon hearing this, the eunuch realized that it involved disrespect in front of the emperor and could lead to the emperor's wrath, so he dared not delay and immediately ordered the sedan chair bearers to alight from the sedan chair.

"Your Highness, this servant will accompany you to the nearby government office..."

"No need!" Zhu Zhanjun interrupted him. "With so many people around, what kind of behavior would that be? You wait for me here, I'll be right back. The Imperial Palace can't possibly be lost!"

Seeing his resolute attitude and the obvious urgency of his need to relieve himself, the eunuch dared not forcefully stop him and could only bow and say, "Your Highness, please hurry, this servant will wait here."

Zhu Zhanjun nodded, clutching his stomach, and quickly walked towards a seemingly secluded alley behind the sedan chair.

After turning the corner of the palace wall and confirming that no one was following him, he immediately straightened up.

Relying on his vague impression of the palace layout from his fused memories, coupled with the advantage of a child's small and agile size, he deliberately chose to travel through less crowded paths and places hidden by flowers and trees.

Soon, he circled around to the vicinity of a somewhat desolate courtyard piled with miscellaneous items behind the East Palace.

There are few palace servants here, and the guards are mainly concentrated at the front gate.

Time is tight.

Zhu Zhanjun quickly searched the area and saw some dry, old curtains and pieces of wood piled up in the corner of the courtyard. There was a palace lantern hanging nearby, its oil still full.

He tiptoed down the palace lantern and poured the lamp oil onto the flammable materials without hesitation.

Then, he took out a tinderbox from his pocket, and with a soft snap, a flame shot up.

Zhu Zhanjun brought the flame close to the cloth soaked in lamp oil.

"call!"

Flames suddenly shot up, instantly igniting the dry debris, and with the help of the wind, began to spread to the wooden window frames and pillars of the nearby East Palace side hall.

Thick smoke billowed up, particularly glaring in the silent palace gardens.

In the distance, the sounds of guards running, the rapid banging of gongs, and the panicked shouts of palace servants could be heard.

"Fire! The Eastern Palace is on fire!"

"Quickly, put out the fire! Protect the Crown Prince!"

"..."