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

a few days later.

Qianqing Palace.

evening.

The weather is getting hotter and hotter.

Even at night, it's so hot and humid that it feels like you're inside a boiler.

Zhu Di filled the entire palace with ice.

The ice cubes lowered the temperature considerably.

Inside the hall.

"Your Majesty, this is ice sent by His Highness the Prince of Jiyang."

Meng Ji said respectfully.

Zhu Di tilted his head and glanced at it.

Two large buckets of ice were wrapped in cotton blankets.

He stroked his beard.

"Where did this kid get so many ice cubes?"

Meng Ji said respectfully.

"Your Majesty, I have heard that His Highness the Prince of Jiyang has discovered a saltpeter mine."

"We made quite a lot of ice this time using the saltpeter ice-making method."

Zhu Di seemed to be deep in thought.

"This kid's got some skills."

"There's still room to find minerals."

Meng Ji waved his hand again, signaling the eunuch behind him to open the box.

"Your Majesty, Prince Jiyang also had me bring him some of his homemade dragon fruit juice, saying that it's so hot in the summer and he wants Your Majesty to drink some to cool down."

After saying that, he took out the exquisite porcelain pot from the box and placed it on the corner of Zhu Di's table.

Zhu Di glanced at it and laughed.

"This little monkey is really filial."

"Damn it, none of my good-for-nothing sons thought of bringing me a drink."

Meng Ji didn't dare to reply. After putting down the ice, he led everyone away.

Soon only Zhu Di remained in the hall.

This was his habit; he didn't like too many people in the hall when reviewing memorials.

Half an hour later.

After reviewing the last memorial, Zhu Di put down his vermilion pen, rubbed his slightly sore wrist, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Although ice was placed inside the hall, sitting at the table for a long time still made me feel thirsty and parched.

Just as he was about to call for tea, his gaze swept across a corner of the imperial table and he spotted the exquisite porcelain teapot.

"Dragon fruit juice?" Zhu Di recalled Meng Ji's words, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips. "I almost forgot about that."

He reached out and took the porcelain pot; it was slightly cool to the touch, clearly having been chilled.

Upon lifting the lid, a sweet aroma with a hint of kiwi fruit wafts out.

The liquid inside the pot was a bright, clear red color. Under the light of the palace lanterns, it shone like a ruby ​​and was as vivid as fresh blood.

"It is quite beautiful." Zhu Di raised an eyebrow, picked up a clean jade cup, and poured half a cup.

The juice flowed into the glass, its color becoming even more enticing.

He examined it for a moment, then raised the glass to his lips and took a small sip.

The juice is icy cold upon entry, and the sweet and sour flavor bursts on the tongue instantly.

The sweetness is not cloying like honey, but rather carries the natural freshness of fruit, while the sourness brings out the deeper fruity aroma. The texture is smooth, and a faint aftertaste lingers in the throat after swallowing, making it particularly refreshing on this sultry summer night.

Zhu Di's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but take another big gulp.

The cool, sweet and sour juice slid into my stomach, dispelling the last trace of heat and invigorating my spirit.

"Great!" He couldn't help but praise, downed the rest of his drink, and poured himself another cup.

After a while.

Zhu Di drank several cups of dragon fruit juice and felt completely refreshed. The vexation and heat of the past few days were swept away, and he was in a very good mood.

He put down the jade cup, his body unconsciously relaxing as he leaned back in the large imperial chair, his fingers gently tapping on the armrests, following the lingering sweet and sour taste in his mouth.

"This little monkey's concoction is truly refreshing..." Zhu Di squinted and muttered to himself, a smile playing on his lips.

He leaned back slightly, and the chair swayed gently as he relaxed.

The chair was originally made of sandalwood, heavy and sturdy, but Zhu Di, in a good mood, unconsciously swayed it a little more.

"Hmm... this sauce is good. Have Zhanjun send some more tomorrow..."

As he thought about it, he subconsciously leaned back a little, the two back legs of the chair slightly off the ground.

Just then, a slight noise came from outside the hall, as if a night bird flapped its wings and hit the window frame.

Although Zhu Di was relaxing, the alertness he had developed over many years of military service remained. Upon hearing the sound, he subconsciously turned his head to look at the window from which the sound was coming, and his body also leaned to the side.

As soon as I turned to the side, my center of gravity shifted instantly!

The imperial chair, which was already swaying so much that only its two legs were touching the ground, could no longer maintain its balance.

"Holy crap!"

Zhu Di only had time to utter a short, elegant phrase.

He and the heavy rosewood throne crashed backward!

"Bang! Crash!"

A muffled thud resounded, exceptionally clear within the silent palace.

Zhu Di fell heavily to the ground.

Although there was a thick blanket, he was still caught off guard and fell so hard that his back hurt and his vision went black.

Even more deadly was the porcelain pot filled with dragon fruit juice that was in his hand. In the instant he fell, he instinctively swung his arm to grab something to steady himself, but the porcelain pot flew out of his hand.

At that moment, precisely, with the spout pointing downwards, the teapot struck him squarely on the forehead with a loud "bang!"

"Bang!"

The bottle was so good that it bounced up, spilling a lot of juice, which then slid under the corner of the table next to it.

Zhu Di groaned, feeling a dull pain in his forehead, and immediately fainted.

A cool, sticky liquid trickled down his forehead.

The bright red liquid instantly soaked his temples, flowed past the corners of his eyes, and dripped onto the front of his bright yellow dragon robe, spreading out a glaring red stain.

The guards and eunuchs outside the palace heard the commotion inside and rushed over. When they saw Zhu Di lying on the ground with his face covered in blood, they were terrified.

"His Majesty!"

Meng Ji's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and his voice almost cracked as he shouted!

....................

The Eastern Palace.

Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Gaochi were sitting opposite each other in the study, with several draft documents spread out on the table.

"Father..." Zhu Zhanji said in a deep voice, "I have been thinking about this for the past few days, and we have truly witnessed the power of the 'Da Ming Xin Bao'."

"The third son is loudly proclaiming his 'benevolent act' of distributing bran and chaff to relieve the disaster. Now, everyone on the streets praises his pragmatism and love for the people. If this continues, our Crown Prince's influence among the people will probably disappear completely!"

Zhu Gaochi slowly stirred the teacup in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Zhanji leaned forward.

"Dad, we need to get one too!"

"My son has already thought of a name: 'Huangming Bao' (Imperial Ming Daily)."

"The content will not only report on government decrees and praise the virtues of Your Majesty, but will also emphasize your hard work in overseeing the country and the achievements and reputation of our Ming Dynasty officials."

"The cheesy and vulgar legendary novels written by his third brother attract the masses, so we publish interpretations of classic texts and biographies of famous officials, which are both elegant and edifying."

"If we do it in a more grand and orthodox way than him, we might just be able to take back this voice!"

Zhu Gaochi put down his teacup and fell into deep thought.

At that moment...

"Bang!"

The study door was suddenly flung open, and the personal eunuch Jin Ying scrambled in, his face ashen.

"Your Highness! Your Highness the Crown Prince! Something terrible has happened!"

Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji were both startled awake.

Zhu Gaochi demanded in a deep voice, "What's the panic! What's causing this outburst?"

Jin Ying collapsed to the ground, trembling all over.

"News has come from the Qianqing Palace: His Majesty has encountered trouble in the palace!"

"Send the Crown Prince and the Eldest Grandson to them immediately!"

"What?!" Zhu Gaochi's large body jolted violently, and the color drained from his face instantly.

Zhu Zhanji was struck dumb, his mind went blank, and only one thought resounded.

Grandfather, something happened to you? How could that be? He was perfectly fine just now?

"What exactly happened? What's wrong with His Majesty?" Zhu Gaochi barely managed to calm himself and asked urgently.

"This servant doesn't know the details!" Jin Ying said with a mournful face. "I only heard that His Majesty fell in the Qianqing Palace and bled a lot! He's unconscious! All the imperial physicians have rushed there!"

Zhu Gaochi's vision went black, and he staggered a step, but was hurriedly supported by Zhu Zhanji.

"Father! Hold on!"

Zhu Zhanji's voice trembled as he quickly roared at Jin Ying, "Prepare the horses! At top speed! Hurry!"

The study instantly descended into chaos.