Zhu Di's three sons

"Let the princes remain in their domains and not come to the capital."

This was a line from Zhu Yuanzhang's final edict.

Put simply, it meant: I, Zhu Yuanzhang, am dead. You sons of mine should stay put out there. Don't return to the capital to mourn me.

After Zhu Yuanzhang died, Zhu Yunwen enforced this provision with great diligence.

Well, it applied to exactly one person: Zhu Di.

As for his other uncles, they all entered the capital in tears.

Such unequal treatment naturally revealed Zhu Yunwen's fear of Zhu Di. Though he had brandished the final edict as his warrant, there was nothing honorable about how he handled it.

For something like this, either treat everyone equally and let none of them come, or let them all come.

Letting a whole crowd in while stopping just one-what was that supposed to be?

Wasn't that openly bullying Zhu Di?

He might as well have slapped Zhu Di in the face and told him: I, Zhu Yunwen, forbid you to come, so you can only wait outside.

You don't get to disobey me. What, are you going to force your way in?

Zhu Di could hardly have enjoyed that slap in the face. If he went home, pounded tables, smashed chairs, shattered cups, then turned around and forged some weapons and bought a stock of provisions, that would have been perfectly understandable.

Faced with the former Zhu Yunwen's almost idiotic decisions, the present Zhu Yunwen could only feel helplessness and sympathy. Of course, Huang Zicheng deserved some credit for those ideas.

"Your Majesty, summoning the Prince of Yan to the capital now would contradict your previous order. Issuing a decree in the morning and changing it by evening would undermine Your Majesty's imperial authority..."

Huang Zicheng hastened to remonstrate.

Zhu Yunwen sighed. "When the previous order was issued, the other princes had not yet entered the capital. Now they are all here, with only the Prince of Yan absent. What will the world say? Moreover, our dynasty champions benevolence and filial piety. The Prince of Yan is the founding emperor's fourth son and my fourth uncle. How could he not come to the capital?"

"Once the Prince of Yan enters the capital, he may cause unrest."

Qi Tai also spoke uneasily.

Zhu Yunwen looked at the two men and smiled. "What unrest?"

Qi Tai said gravely, "The Prince of Yan once led a great army on campaigns in the desert and enjoys immense prestige among the troops. He also has close ties with the military nobles of the Five Army Commandery. If he is allowed to remain in the capital and associate with them too freely, he may win their hearts."

Zhu Yunwen smiled calmly and waved a hand. "Win their hearts? Heh, very well. I can see whether the empire's military nobles stand with Zhu Di or with me. It is settled. Issue the decree."

Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng could only kneel in obeisance and leave.

Seeing that Zhu Yunwen was in good spirits, Ma Enhui remained at his side and said softly, "Your Majesty seems different today."

Zhu Yunwen inwardly started and looked at Ma Enhui.

She was, after all, the woman who shared his bed. Coupled with a woman's intuition, that was enough to detect even subtle changes.

"Only a few days ago, Your Majesty dreaded seeing the Prince of Yan. Now you have ordered him summoned to the capital. I wonder what considerations led to this."

Ma Enhui spoke gently.

Zhu Yunwen looked at Ma Enhui, pondering how to respond.

Ma Enhui seemed to sense something and hurriedly knelt. "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I should never have presumed to discuss affairs of state."

Seeing a woman kneeling before him, Zhu Yunwen felt the ritual propriety in his memories collide with the equality of a later age. In the end, he stepped forward, helped Ma Enhui up, and studied the woman before him.

There was no denying that Ma Enhui was exceptionally beautiful.

Her peach-blossom eyes held rippling autumn waters that could draw a man under. Her skin, smooth as water, glowed with a rosy sheen, and her slightly moving lips breathed a faint, delicate fragrance.

This was his empress.

Zhu Yunwen sighed, took Ma Enhui's hand, and sat beside the couch. "You must stay with me for a hundred years!"

Ma Enhui smiled lightly, her youthful beauty stirring the heart.

Only Zhu Yunwen knew that she would die in this palace!

In four years!

Unless he could resolve the problem of the enfeoffed princes-unless he could deal with Zhu Di!

He had no military talent. All he could rely on was the history in his mind and the experience of a later age.

These would be his decisive weapons for staying one step ahead of Zhu Di!

Wind and rain lashed together as thunder roared and lightning flashed.

The Central Army Commandery.

Xu Huizu, the Duke of Wei, had a face like polished jade and an extraordinary, heroic bearing. Rather than resting, he was reviewing a batch of documents. As the son of Xu Da, the dynasty's foremost founding general, he had inherited not only his father's wisdom but also his valor.

Zhu Yuanzhang had valued Xu Huizu greatly and entrusted him with command of the Central Army Commandery.

At only thirty, he stood at the head of the military officials and nobles!

Xu Huizu set down the document in his hand, rubbed his aching eyes, and sighed softly. "It seems His Majesty is about to make a major move," he murmured.

Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng had repeatedly urged the Abolition of the Fiefdoms. The emperor had asked about frontier defenses several times, and everything he said, directly or otherwise, concerned how to eliminate the frontier princes.

The blade had already been raised. All that remained was to see when it would fall, and where.

Xu Huizu did not entirely agree with the Abolition of the Fiefdoms. Though it would strengthen the foundations of the state, bolstering the trunk while weakening the branches, the capital lay in the south, after all. The vast northern territories still needed men to guard them and deter the Northern Yuan.

"An emperor's heart asks only for loyalty, not ability."

Xu Huizu rose, his hands feeling somewhat limp.

Yes, he was foremost among the military nobles, but he was not Zhu Yunwen's confidant. That confidant was Li Jinglong, the Duke of Cao, son of Li Wenzhong, the Prince of Qiyang!

Xu Huizu knew Li Jinglong well. Apart from refined features, an imposing gaze, an air of wealth and dignity, and an excellent outward appearance, the man had not a single outstanding quality.

Yet this very good-for-nothing, without a single stratagem in his breast, held control of the Left Military Commission.

Well, he was the emperor's confidant.

There was no competing with that.

Xu Huizu watched the lightning and thunder outside the window, feeling waves of oppression.

Suddenly, someone reported, "Commander, His Majesty has issued a decree summoning the Prince of Yan to the capital."

Xu Huizu started and immediately asked whether the messenger had departed. Upon receiving confirmation, his expression shifted slightly. He could not tell whether the emperor meant to test the prince or invite him to a banquet concealing a deadly trap.

"Uncle."

The call roused Xu Huizu from his thoughts.

Xu Huizu turned and looked at the three nephews entering the room one after another.

Zhu Gaochi, who led the way, looked plump and honest and had difficulty walking. Yet beneath that bloated, unremarkable exterior lay a steadfast, benevolent heart.

Zhu Gaoxu closely resembled Zhu Di: heroic, formidable, and valiant in battle. Though he appeared amiable, his mind held many schemes. He was not a man content to remain beneath others for long.

Zhu Gaosui had little talent, but he was Zhu Gaoxu's follower and could not be underestimated either.

The three had come to the capital to mourn, yet had not even seen Zhu Yuanzhang one last time. By the time they arrived, he had already been taken to the Xiaoling Mausoleum.

But since they had come, they could only remain in the capital. If they wished to leave, they would at least have to wait until the initial mourning period was over.

"Heir apparent, Your Highnesses, why are you still awake at this hour?"

Xu Huizu asked with a smile.

Zhu Gaochi sat down and let out a breath. "Reading day after day has grown rather dull. My second brother suggested holding a mounted archery contest at the training grounds tomorrow to relieve the tedium."

Xu Huizu considered briefly, then readily agreed. "No problem. I happen to have nothing to do tomorrow. Why not invite some of the military nobles, put up a prize, and see who comes out on top?"

"Then thank you, Uncle."

Zhu Gaochi and the others bowed and left.

Xu Huizu turned, walked to his desk, and immediately wrote a confidential memorial. He arranged for a trusted aide to deliver it to the palace, then stood by the window, watching the torrential rain amid the flashing lightning. "It is time I chose a side, too," he murmured.