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

Zhu Di sat upright on a rosewood armchair at the head of the warm pavilion in the Qianqing Palace, inspecting the recent studies of his grandsons who were kneeling below.

He held a copy of "The Great Learning" in his hand, his expression serious, sometimes asking questions about the meaning of the text, sometimes examining the calligraphy.

The hall was so quiet that only the sound of breathing could be heard. The imperial grandsons all held their breath, afraid of giving the wrong answer in front of their grandfather.

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

Meng Ji, the head eunuch of the Qianqing Palace, turned deathly pale. Without waiting for an announcement, he stumbled in, knelt before the Emperor, and his voice trembled with extreme panic: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! The Eastern Palace... the Eastern Palace is on fire!"

These words shocked the entire hall.

The princes, who had been keeping their heads down, all raised their heads at once, their faces filled with astonishment and confusion. They looked at each other in disbelief.

The Eastern Palace is the residence of the Crown Prince and symbolizes the foundation of the country. How could such an important place suddenly catch fire?

Zhu Di was also taken aback, a rare look of surprise flashing across his dignified face.

He put down his book, leaned forward slightly, his brow furrowed, and asked in a deep voice, "What did you say? A fire broke out in the Eastern Palace? When did it happen? How bad is the fire? Is the Crown Prince alright?"

Meng Ji touched his head to the ground and hurriedly reported, "Your Majesty, the fire started just now. It began in the storage courtyard behind the East Palace and, aided by the wind, has already spread to the side halls and corridors!"

"The guards and palace servants are doing their best to put out the fire. His Highness the Crown Prince was holding a meeting in the Wenhua Hall at the time. Upon hearing the news of the fire, he moved to a safe place and is unharmed."

"But..." He paused, his voice lower, filled with disbelief and fear, "But... according to the guards who were the first to arrive at the scene, they... they saw that the arsonist seemed to be... seemed to be the Third Prince of the Han Prince's Mansion, Prince Zhu Zhanjun!"

"What?!"

This exclamation did not come from Zhu Di, but rather from several of the older grandsons of the emperor in the hall.

Everyone was stunned, including Zhu Di himself.

The blankness on his face was instantly replaced by extreme astonishment and rage. His eyes suddenly sharpened like a hawk's, staring intently at Meng Ji: "Zhu Zhanjun? Where is he now?!"

Meng Ji shuddered, his forehead pressed tightly against the cold gold brick floor.

"Your Majesty, on my way to Qianqing Palace, I happened to meet an eunuch leading Prince Zhanjun this way. They said they were here to be examined by Your Majesty."

"This servant has dared to say that I have brought His Highness along, and he is currently... currently waiting outside the palace."

Upon hearing this, the air inside the warm pavilion seemed to freeze completely.

All the princes held their breath, their eyes involuntarily glancing furtively towards the palace gate before quickly looking away, their faces a mixture of shock, disbelief, and barely concealed curiosity.

That six-year-old cousin of mine was really so audacious as to set fire to the Eastern Palace and then come to see the Emperor as if nothing had happened?

Zhu Di's expression remained calm.

"Let him in."

Meng Ji felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He scrambled to his feet and hurried backward toward the palace gate.

Inside the warm pavilion, you could hear a pin drop.

A short while later.

The palace doors opened again.

Zhu Zhanjun's small figure appeared at the door. He straightened his robes, stepped inside, walked to the emperor's presence, knelt down respectfully, and bowed: "Grandson Zhanjun greets Imperial Grandfather."

Zhu Di's gaze fell on his six-year-old grandson, sharp as a knife, and the atmosphere in the hall was so low that it was hard to breathe.

He didn't call out, but spoke directly.

"Was the fire at the Eastern Palace your doing?"

Zhu Zhanjun raised his head, his small face showing no sign of panic. Instead, he nodded calmly and replied, "Reporting to Grandfather, it was your grandson who released it."

A suppressed gasp filled the hall, and several imperial grandsons stared wide-eyed, almost unable to believe their ears.

He was caught red-handed setting fire to the imperial palace and the crown prince's residence, yet he dared to confess so readily.

Zhu Di leaned forward slightly and pressed for an answer: "Why?"

Zhu Zhanjun blinked his clear eyes, looking completely innocent.

"My grandson recently read Du Mu's 'Ode to the Epang Palace,' and when he came to the lines, 'The garrison soldiers cried out, Hangu Pass was captured, the Chu people set it ablaze, leaving only pitiful scorched earth!' he was truly perplexed."

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts, and continued, "Grandson, I don't understand. What exactly did it look like when 'the people of Chu burned down such a magnificent palace'?"

"What did that towering flame, the collapsed beams and pillars, the ruins reduced to scorched earth really look like?"

"What I don't understand is, if Mr. Du Mu said 'pitiful scorched earth,' then why did he use 'a single torch' to describe it? Does the word 'pitiful' mean he lamented the destruction of the Epang Palace, or does it mean he was saddened that tyranny eventually came to an end?"

"What's said in books always feels a bit distant, vague."

Zhu Zhanjun's small face showed an expression as if he were discussing a major philosophical question.

"As the ancients said, 'What you learn from books is never enough; you must put it into practice to truly understand.' My grandson thinks that since he has doubts about what he reads, he should find a way to verify them."

"I happened to be visiting the palace today and passed by the vicinity of the East Palace. I saw that its magnificent palaces bore some resemblance to those described in the book..."

"The grandson thought that if he could personally light a fire, watch with his own eyes how the flames devoured the beams, hear the crackling sound, and witness how the splendor turned into scorched earth, perhaps he could truly understand the state of mind of 'pitifulness' in Du Mu's writing, and understand the lament for rise and fall behind that 'one torch'."

"Only in this way can one truly understand the book and resolve the doubts in one's heart."

[Ding! You have obtained a golden treasure chest!]

[Ding! You have obtained a golden treasure chest!]

[Ding! You have obtained a golden treasure chest!]

The entire warm pavilion of Qianqing Palace fell into a deathly silence.

The imperial grandsons stared in disbelief, looking at the small figure kneeling in the center with an expression of "eagerness for knowledge" as if he were a monster.

To verify the meaning of the text and understand the emotions of the ancients, did they set fire to the Eastern Palace?

This reason... is utterly absurd, yet he puts it in such a confident and self-assured manner.

Zhu Zhanji looked completely bewildered.

You think you're so great, so high and mighty, yet you burned down my house.

Why the hell don't you burn down your own house?

Zhu Di's calm was finally broken, and the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

That kid!