Chapter 46: Zhu Di: Upholding the Mandate of Heaven to Pacify the Disaster, Marching South to Capture the Dragon!

At this moment, Zhu Biao was completely speechless inside.
You were the one who picked this heir in the first place, my idol?
And now that things have gone wrong, you come to me demanding accountability?
Of course, he couldn't actually say that out loud.
Zhu Biao: "This son understands..."

Old Zhu nodded and continued, "You know what your twelfth brother's personality is like. Unlike your other brothers, he is honest and dutiful. I expect a reasonable explanation for this!"
"And what about my eldest grandson? Though I don't know who harmed him, the one who ended up on the throne was Zhu Yunwen, which means I had no other choice left at the time!"
"You should know who was involved in this... Although I have no proof, I want her dead!"
"This son understands..."

With that, Zhu Biao turned around and walked away, returning to the East Palace to handle the duties befitting a crown prince.
Nearby, Prince Qin Zhu Shuang and Prince Jin Zhu Gang wore faces full of question marks. How could their names be missing from this list of vassals to be stripped of power?
And since when was their fourth brother the strongest among them?
What about them? This brat was clearly not taking them seriously at all!

Ying Zheng was also shocked by Zhu Yunwen's actions as depicted on the celestial screen.
He couldn't help but exclaim, "Is... is this stripping the vassals of their power? This is stripping heads off their shoulders!"
Then, thinking of the even more ruthless wretch in his own family who had practically exterminated his entire clan, a wave of deep depression instantly washed over him.

[Great Emperor Shi Huang... your unfilial descendant is acting up again, please descend!]
[The usual rules, the Seven Wolves whips are fully stocked, and the alcohol is flowing!]

Hearing what Tianbao said, Ying Zheng's face turned as dark as charcoal: "Fine... Tianbao, once I finish the morning court session, I'll teach that little bastard a lesson—spare the rod and spoil the child for three days, and he'll tear down the roof tiles!"
"This method of trimming the fiefs is utterly unwatchable. How on earth did a brain like that ever make it to the throne?"
Emperor Wu of Han found it completely impossible to comprehend the Jianwen Emperor's train of thought!

Meanwhile, the celestial screen above continued.
"The Jianwen Emperor could push anyone to their death, but he should never have driven the harmless Prince of Xiang to it. The man had no heirs, wielded no regency power, and spent his days writing calligraphy, practicing alchemy, and keeping his wife company. Yet, a single imperial edict turned him into a prisoner, directly driving him to commit suicide by self-immolation. After his death, he was even slapped with the posthumous title of 'Cruel'."
"This is equivalent to Emperor Xuanzong of Tang announcing the firing of any official who couldn't write poetry, and then firing Li Bai; or Liu Chan announcing the punishment of any official lacking loyalty, and then chopping off Zhuge Liang's head."
"Since ancient times, reducing the power of vassals meant targeting those with armies and authority who threatened the court's rule. Someone like the Prince of Xiang, who acted strictly by the book, was the ideal person to keep around to showcase the imperial family's benevolence and familial harmony."
"Yet, even the most powerless one was driven to his death by their eldest nephew. Could the other uncles, who actually held real power and had ambitions, still sleep peacefully?"
"Take Zhu Di, for instance. He certainly couldn't sleep. Knowing his nephew's methods for trimming the fiefs, Zhu Di was forced to feign madness and play the fool, acting crazy and shouting wildly all day long. He even went so far as to eat and sleep with pigs, and unofficial histories record that he didn't even hesitate to eat pig feces. In the dead of summer, he would wear a cotton-padded jacket and huddle around a charcoal fire, shivering and crying out, 'It's so cold, it's so cold.'"
"When court officials came to visit, Zhu Di put on a thoroughly unhinged performance before them, lying disheveled on the ground with matted hair, completely unresponsive to his surroundings, while secretly beginning to recruit soldiers and buy horses."
"Whether the Jianwen Emperor believed his fourth uncle was genuinely insane or was deliberately driving his fourth uncle to rebel remains unknown, but in any case, he allowed his sons to return home to tend to him."

Under the celestial screen, Zhu Di's face turned completely black as he watched this scene.
"Damn it, how can they still bring this up? Where does this leave my dignity?"
"Great, now the whole world knows I've eaten pig shit!"

The communication group was even more lively.
Great Qin Ancestor Dragon: "Awesome! This Zhu Di is quite a character. No wonder he managed to pull off a successful rebellion—he even dared to eat shit!"
Great Han Wild Boar: "I admit I am inferior to him!"
A Broken Bowl: "Fourth boy, get your ass out here... No wonder you always ran away the moment you saw me!"
Yongle Emperor: "Father... Your son was driven to desperation too. Look at what they forced your son to become ( aggrieved )!"

Meanwhile, on the celestial screen, the images shifted continuously—now crouching in a pigsty competing with pigs for food, now wrapped in a quilt roasting by a fire.
In the next moment, he was holding a broken bowl and begging on the streets. In short, anyone who saw it would think this man had completely lost his mind!

During the Hongwu era of the Great Ming, Old Zhu watched the flickering images on the celestial screen.
In an instant, it stirred up memories of his early days as a beggar. Back then, wasn't he also surviving by begging with a broken bowl?
From the very moment he became emperor, he had sworn that he would never let his descendants suffer through such subhuman misery again.
Yet what had Zhu Yunwen done?
He had driven his own biological uncle to the point where he had to pretend to be a madman just to survive.
How could Old Zhu not be furious?

"Since you won't let my son live in peace, we might as well just strangle you right now... The Zhu family does not harbor such subhuman beasts!" Old Zhu said in an icy tone, as if discussing something utterly trivial.
Prince Er, Prince San, and Zhu Di, who was currently sprawled on the ground behind him, truly knew at that moment that their old man had murder on his mind.
And their father was entirely capable of doing such a thing!

Back in the East Palace, Zhu Biao watched the scenes on the celestial screen and was overcome with deep shame.
"Fourth brother, your eldest brother has failed you!"
Then, as if having made a certain resolution, he picked up a three-foot length of white silk and walked over to Lady Lü.
He left behind only a single sentence: "Only one of you and Yunwen can survive!"
Ignoring Lady Lü's weeping and screaming, he turned and walked away.

Shortly after, news came from the East Palace that Zhu Yunwen had accidentally fallen into the lake while playing in the imperial garden and had tragically drowned.
His birth mother, Lady Lü, had hanged herself out of overwhelming grief!
It turned out that six years ago, the Crown Prince had an accidental encounter with a palace maid while intoxicated, resulting in a child whose existence was only discovered today.
For the sake of the imperial family's dignity, this child was stripped of his imperial status and dispatched to their ancestral home in Fengyang to guard the imperial tombs.

[In the first year of Jianwen, Zhu Di raised the banner of "clearing the imperial court of bad ministers," swore an oath to defy orders, and launched the "Jingnan" campaign!]
The celestial screen flipped once more.
This time, Zhu Di was clad in full armor, astride a tall, powerful steed, exuding an overwhelming aura with a blazing fire burning in his eyes...
No one could possibly recognize him as the man who had previously feigned madness!

"I am the legitimate son of our Founding Emperor Gao and Empress Cixiao, a blood relative of the state. Ever since receiving my enfeoffment, I have strictly followed propriety and the law. A young ruler, deeply deceived by treacherous ministers, has sparked a great disaster and slaughtered my family. The ancestral instructions state that when the court lacks upright ministers and harbors evil within, one must raise an army to punish them and clear the court of nefarious influences. Let this be proclaimed to the whole world, acting under Heaven to execute the Jingnan campaign..."

The soldiers below were all brimming with high morale.
"Under Heaven, Jingnan... Jingnan... Jingnan!"
At that moment, the sky filled with dark clouds, lightning flashed, and a torrential downpour began to pour from the heavens.
A fierce gale blew so hard that people could barely open their eyes... and roof tiles were sent flying everywhere!
A visible flash of panic crossed Zhu Di's eyes as he sat atop his tall steed, and the shouting of the soldiers gradually grew fainter...
The horses neighed incessantly, unable to calm down!
It was as if they were heralding some ominous event.

Just then, a monk in black burst out laughing and stepped forward...
"The Mandate of Heaven belongs to the Prince of Yan! The Mandate of Heaven belongs to料 the Prince of Yan! A flood dragon weathering its trial—once it meets wind and rain, it transforms into a true dragon... The Prince of Yan is the true Lord of Heaven's Mandate!"
"This wind and rain are sent by the heavens precisely to help the Prince of Yan transform into a dragon. It is entirely righteous and justified!"
"Having received the Mandate of Heaven, he shall receive eternal prosperity... All of you are subjects sent by the heavens to follow the dragon's ascent..."

Following this speech, the soldiers were completely convinced, and even Zhu Di himself began to believe it.
"Prince of Yan... Prince of Yan, you are the True Son of Heaven! We are willing to follow the Prince of Yan unto death!"
"We are willing to follow the Prince of Yan unto death!"
Amidst the howling wind and driving rain, their battle cries grew louder and more resonant with every echo.