Zhanjun, You Sit on the Imperial Throne!

Late at night, inside Zhu Di's central command tent, the lamps were still brightly lit.

Yawning, Zhu Zhanjun was "invited" in by two solemn-faced eunuchs.

"Grandfather, why are you calling me over at this ungodly hour? Aren't you sleeping?"

Zhu Zhanjun rubbed his sleepy eyes and complained indignantly, "I have to lead my troops back to the capital tomorrow, so I need to get enough rest."

Zhu Di didn't speak. He sat at the head of the table, looking at Zhu Zhanjun with a blank expression.

The atmosphere inside the tent was somewhat oppressive.

Besides Zhu Di and himself, a Commander of the Imperial Guard, clad in a Flying Fish Robe, stood like a statue in the shadows.

"Zhanjun, come here and look at this."

Zhu Di pointed to the ground beneath his feet, where a man, his head covered with a burlap sack and bound like a zongzi, lay there.

"What is this?"

Zhu Zhanjun walked over curiously and kicked the man.

"A personal guard captain from Prince Han's estate."

Zhu Di's tone was as cold as ice.

"Our men just captured him. He was about to leave the camp to deliver a message to the Oirats."

Zhu Zhanjun's eyes instantly turned cold.

"What did the letter say?"

"It wrote down your route back to the capital, your troop deployment, and... the blueprints for the Shenbi Crossbow you're carrying."

Zhu Di looked at him and spoke word by word.

Zhu Zhanjun smiled.

"My two good uncles are really... impatient."

"They don't just want you dead; they want me dead as soon as possible too."

A flicker of sorrow and anger flashed in Zhu Di's eyes. "I'm not dead yet, and they dare to collude with foreign enemies and plot against the imperial grandson right under my nose!"

"What do you plan to do?"

Zhu Zhanjun asked.

Zhu Di didn't answer him. Instead, he gave a look to the Commander of the Imperial Guard.

The commander understood immediately. He drew the Spring Sword from his waist and walked up to the bound personal guard captain.

Swish!

A flash of the blade.

A head rolled to the ground.

Blood splashed onto Zhu Zhanjun's pants.

The entire process was clean and swift, without any hesitation.

Zhu Zhanjun didn't even blink. He simply bent down, disdainfully wiped the bloodstains off his pants with a handkerchief, and then looked up at Zhu Di.

"Grandfather, what are you doing? Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys?"

"I am teaching you to see clearly what the imperial family is! What power is!"

Zhu Di's voice suddenly rose, filled with the majesty and weariness of an emperor.

He stood up from his seat and walked step by step towards Zhu Zhanjun. His eyes, which had once surveyed the world with disdain, were now bloodshot.

"Zhanjun, my time is running out."

"Your Father is benevolent but lacks decisiveness."

"He is a good man, but not necessarily a good emperor."

"He can maintain the status quo, but now, with your two uncles coveting the throne from within and the Timurid Empire stirring outside, he cannot hold them back!"

"Your elder brother, Zhanji, although learned, is too soft-hearted, cast from the same mold as your Father."

"If he were to deal with your two wolf-like uncles, he'd be devoured without even a bone left!"

"Only you!"

Zhu Di placed his hands heavily on Zhu Zhanjun's shoulders, his eyes blazing with a final light.

"Only you have my old demeanor! You are ruthless, intelligent, capable, and possess a strength that none of them can match!"

"Zhanjun, I ask you, this Great Ming empire, if I entrust it to you, do you dare to accept?"

Zhu Di's words struck Zhu Zhanjun's heart like heavy hammers.

Was he... entrusting his legacy before his death?

And not just the throne, but the entire future of Great Ming!

He actually intended to pass the throne directly to him, bypassing his Father, Zhu Gaochi, and his elder brother, Zhu Zhanji!

Zhu Zhanjun looked at his grandfather's eyes, filled with anticipation and pleading, and a myriad of emotions surged within him.

Was he moved?

A little.

But more than that... it was annoyance.

I treat you like my grandfather, and you want me to be the emperor?

Zhu Zhanjun complained wildly in his heart.

He had finally managed to settle the troublesome affairs in Mobei and was preparing to return to the Capital City to continue his leisurely, carefree life of eating, drinking, and having fun.

To his surprise, his grandfather, on his deathbed, was leaving him such a huge problem.

Be the emperor?

What a joke!

Waking up before dawn every day to attend court and deal with all sorts of trivial matters.

Having his food tested for poison, being guarded while sleeping, and even having a line of people standing by when he went to the toilet.

Throughout the year, it was nothing but reviewing memorials.

What was the difference between such a life and being imprisoned?

"Grandfather, please stop joking."

Zhu Zhanjun said with a pained expression, trying to remove Zhu Di's hand from his shoulder. "This job is too tiring, I can't do it."

"You should let Father do it instead."

"Do you think this is a matter of whether you want to do it or not?"

Zhu Di shook his head, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes. "Do you think if you refuse today, you can go back to being your carefree prince?"

"I tell you, it's impossible!"

"Your second and third uncles already know the reality of my health."

"They also know that you are their biggest threat."

"Today, I can help you kill a personal guard commander."

"But when I die, who will protect you?"

"Your Father can't protect you! Your eldest brother can't protect you either!"

"By then, they will use every means to deal with you! Even if you hold heavy troops, you won't be able to guard against them!"