My grandson, you dare to touch him?

As Zhu Zhanjun led the Great Snow Dragon Riders towards the Oirat royal court, the atmosphere in the Ming army's central command tent, over ten miles away, grew increasingly bizarre.

Zhu Di lay on the soft couch in the command tent, still appearing "sickly," letting out a weak cough now and then, as if he might breathe his last at any moment.

Under the guise of visiting the sick, Prince Han, Zhu Gaoxu, and Prince Zhao, Zhu Gaosui, guarded the tent almost constantly. They wore expressions of filial concern, but deep within their eyes, excitement and anticipation festered.

"Second Brother, do you think that brat... can still make it back alive this time?" Zhu Gaosui asked in a low voice, as if casually.

"Hmph," Zhu Gaoxu let out a cold laugh, his eyes full of malice. "Bayan Timur has gathered all the fighting men in Mobei and set a trap in Woniugu Valley."

"Even if Zhu Zhanjun were a god descended to earth, he'd still have to get himself killed in there!"

"That's over fifty thousand troops. One man's spit could drown his three thousand."

"I'm just worried about Father..." Zhu Gaosui glanced at the command tent, a hint of worry in his voice. "What if Father finds out the truth..."

"So what if he finds out?" Zhu Gaoxu sneered, curling his lip dismissively. "He's a candle in the wind right now, barely able to protect himself. What can he do to us?"

"Once the news of Zhu Zhanjun's death arrives, and Father is struck by that blow, his last breath will be gone... Hmph."

"By then, the military power won't fall into the hands of us brothers?"

"Our eldest brother, that fatso, is far away in the Capital City. By the time he reacts, it'll be too late!"

The two exchanged a look, seeing the undisguised ambition in each other's eyes.

They could already envision themselves ascending to that supreme throne and ruling the world.

Just then, a scout responsible for military intelligence rushed over in a panic. He didn't even have time to announce himself before bursting directly in front of the tent.

"Report--! Report--!"

"What's the rush!" Zhu Gaoxu snapped impatiently. "Is the sky falling?"

"Your Highness Prince Han, Your Highness Prince Zhao!" The scout knelt on the ground, his voice trembling. "Something... something big has happened!"

"Your Highness Prince Zheng... Your Highness Prince Zheng, he... he's been surrounded by fifty thousand Oirat troops in Woniugu Valley!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui's faces instantly contorted into expressions of "appropriate" shock and grief.

"What?!" Zhu Gaoxu grabbed the scout by the collar, roaring with feigned heartache. "How could Zhanjun be so reckless!"

"Three thousand men and he dares to go deep alone? This... this is suicide!"

"Quick! Go report to Father at once!" Zhu Gaosui chimed in eagerly. "We must send troops to rescue him immediately!"

The two played their parts perfectly, their act as convincing as could be.

Inside the tent, Zhu Di, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.

There was no trace of sickness in his eyes; instead, they were terrifyingly clear.

The Dragon Origin had not only healed his old wounds and the cold, but it had also restored his spirit and energy to the peak state he possessed during the Jingnan campaign.

He had heard every word of his two sons' conversation outside the tent.

A furious rage burned within his chest.

Even a tiger doesn't eat its cubs.

These two rebellious sons, for the sake of the throne, colluded with foreign enemies to harm their own nephew!

They even wished for their own

"My grandsons are out there, forging territory and fighting valiantly for me."

"While you two are stabbing me in the back, colluding with foreign enemies, and plotting against your own brothers!"

"Do you have any regard for me, your Emperor! Or for the Great Ming's nation and its altars of soil and grain!"

Zhu Di's voice grew louder with each sentence, like rolling thunder, striking Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui to their very core.

"Father... you're mistaken! We didn't!"

"Is that so?" Zhu Di let out a cold laugh and shouted towards the outside of the tent, "Guards!"

Several Embroidered Uniform Guards entered, escorting a general whose mouth was gagged.