Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 24 I can’t lose
Zhu Yunhuan obviously didn't care whether those people in the Eastern Palace would be angry or furious.

His existence was a thorn in the hearts of the mother and son in the Eastern Palace. If he showed any intention of seizing the throne, the mother and son would surely be extremely angry and frightened.

This battle for the throne had actually already begun since Zhu Xiongying's unexpected death, but Zhu Yunhuan did not realize it at that time.

The supreme throne has too much magic, which can make people ignore brotherhood and even the affection between father and son.

Zhu Yunwen didn't think he had done anything wrong, and Zhu Yunhuan didn't think he had done anything wrong either.

Since he officially started the battle for the throne, he had no intention of maintaining friendship with Zhu Yunwen.

At most, he would maintain some "friendliness" in front of outsiders, and at most, as long as Zhu Yunwen did not go too far, he would be given a good arrangement when major matters were settled.

Maintaining the last bit of dignity is what Zhu Yunhuan can do. But if Zhu Yunwen has no bottom line, Zhu Yunhuan will naturally not be polite.

When Zhu Yunhuan just returned to Rouyi Palace, Zhu Yourong asked worriedly, "Little brother, why did the emperor grandfather summon you?"

Zhu Yunxun comforted him and said, "The East Palace used some tricks, there is nothing to worry about. The tricks are not worthy of being shown on the table, that mother and son think they are smart!"

Zhu Youling felt a little uncomfortable and said, "She is the most hypocritical. I can't underestimate her."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded, "That's right. If she didn't have some tricks, how could my father like her? But it doesn't matter now. She may have some skills to win favor. But when it comes to winning the throne, she can't do it."

Not wanting to worry his two sisters, Zhu Yunhuan said, "Let's leave the palace tomorrow to pay tribute to our brother."

Zhu Yourong was stunned for a moment, then said happily, "Can we really get out?"

"Of course it's true!" Zhu Yunhuan took out the palace talisman from his arms and said proudly, "I am the legitimate grandson of the emperor. It's useless for Yunwen to pretend. He is born with deficiencies. What can he use to compete with me?!"

When Zhu Yunhuan went to pay tribute to Zhu Xiongying, it seemed like just a younger brother going to pay tribute to his deceased brother.

However, at the time of the fight for the throne, if Zhu Yunhuan had held a grand ceremony to offer sacrifices, the implications would have been many.

Zhu Yunwen, who is now praised by many civil officials, is the eldest surviving son of Emperor Xiantian Zhu Biao. His mother was promoted to the position of Crown Princess, so he can barely be considered a legitimate son, almost like the eldest legitimate son.

But don’t forget that there is also a Zhu Yunhuan, who is the real legitimate son!
Not to mention that Zhu Yuanzhang established rules for the succession of the throne, even some ordinary aristocratic families adhered to the system of primogeniture.

Zhu Yunwen is one year older than Zhu Yunhuan, but so what?

Let's talk about the legitimate son first, then the eldest son! The difference between legitimate and illegitimate sons is determined at birth!
If Zhu Yunhuan did not fight, if Zhu Yunhuan was really useless, many people would ignore this transparency. But if he wanted to fight, then the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children would be put on the table.

Even though Zhu Yunhuan had a bad reputation before, he still had great initiative at this time.

Even if those civil officials were optimistic about and supported Zhu Yunwen, they did not dare to risk the disapproval of the world.

This not only concerns the inheritance of the throne, but also Confucian ethics, the inheritance of many aristocratic families, and so on.

Zhu Yunhuan naturally knew these advantages of his, and he continued to demonstrate these advantages in the battle for the throne.

But he also understood that just a background was not enough, and there was still a lot he needed to do.

Zhu Yunwen's advantage is obvious. He has a mother who is now the Crown Princess. On the other hand, after years of management, his personality is very good.

He was kind-hearted, filial, tolerant of scholars, and received an orthodox Confucian education.

These look exactly like the former crown prince Zhu Biao, and some of Zhu Biao's shadow can be seen in him. Regardless of his inner self, this kind of personality can still fool many people.

When treating Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Yunwen also tried his best to show his filial piety, showing how he was very similar to Zhu Biao.

These are Zhu Yunwen's advantages, and he cannot deny them.

Zhu Yunhuan had no intention of learning these. He had a bad reputation in his early years, and there was no way to change it. Now that he had "suddenly realized" it was too late. Zhu Yunhuan was old, and there was no more time for Zhu Yunhuan to imitate Zhu Biao.

Therefore, in front of Old Zhu, Zhu Yunhuan did not seem to have too many rules. For the old man who attached great importance to family affection, the most missing emotion now was family affection. Moreover, although he had no literary reputation, this was not fatal for a crown prince or an emperor.

Showing your shrewdness and intelligence in front of Lao Zhu, and demonstrating your ruthlessness and decisiveness, are more useful than some kind evaluations.

What Zhu Yuanzhang was most worried about was that his grandchildren were too young to intimidate arrogant generals and govern the country well.

Thirteen years old, Zhu Yunhuan is only thirteen years old now.

In the future, it would be the age of just entering junior high school, but in this era, it is not yet an adult and cannot be considered an adult.

However, such a young man made a big splash and displayed his political skills, even if they were a little crude and easy for others to see through, it would make Old Zhu feel that there was someone to succeed him.

Zhu Yunhuan returned to the study and sat on the chair, carefully reviewing the events of the past few days.

Even though he appears to be a domineering and erratic young man in front of outsiders, that is also a kind of personality. He cannot be without scheming when fighting for the throne.

Especially in front of Lao Zhu, it doesn't matter if he is a little scheming, because his tolerance towards his family will make Lao Zhu ignore those little tricks and think that his grandson is just fun and interesting.

However, Zhu Yunhuan knew that too much is as bad as too little.

Old Zhu now lacks family affection in his heart, and Zhu Yunhuan can work hard on this aspect, which is also his advantage.

After thinking carefully, Zhu Yunhuan said to himself, "Yunwen has his advantages, but I am not without some capital now. The fact that my grandfather has wavered means that my approach has worked!"

Thinking of this, Zhu Yunhuan was secretly excited. Originally, Zhu had almost made a decision, but now his determination was not as firm as before.

All these show that Zhu Yunhuan's path to succession was smoother, and the decline in one factor also meant that Zhu Yunwen's advantage was decreasing.

"We need to keep up the good work. The battle for the throne will ultimately depend on our ability!" Zhu Yunhuan's eyes were determined. He knew he had no way out. "I'll try harder tomorrow. I'm sure I can win!"

Not only do we have to win, we must win, otherwise there is really no way to survive.

From the moment he snatched the sword and rushed out of the Eastern Palace, Zhu Yunhuan and Zhu Yunwen had completely fallen out, and there was no possibility of reconciliation.

This is also a "life and death" situation. If Zhu Yunwen succeeds, Zhu Yunhuan will definitely not have a good ending. He will not be given the title of King of Wu as in history.

Anyway, it won't be worse than in history. Even if I fail this time, I can't escape the fate of being imprisoned behind the high walls of Fengyang.

It was just a matter of sooner or later, either he would be imprisoned by Zhu Yunwen or by his fourth uncle.

For Zhu Yunhuan, the fight for the throne was not only related to the throne, but also to his own life and property. He had no retreat or choice!

If he didn't want to be imprisoned in Fengyang and die in obscurity, he had to fight for the throne. If he didn't want his descendants to be called "Wu Shuren" and not even worthy of a name, he had to succeed.

Zhu Youling knocked on the study door and said, "Little brother, we are going to pay tribute to our elder brother tomorrow. What should we prepare?"

Zhu Yunhuan opened the door and showed a bright smile. "Second sister, there is no need to prepare anything. We will go there tomorrow, and an official will prepare the offerings."

Zhu Youling nodded, still a little worried, "My elder sister and I are just women, so we can't help you much."

Looking at his sister who felt somewhat guilty, Zhu Yunxun laughed, "Big sister, second sister, if you really want to help me, we will show our attitude after leaving the palace tomorrow. We are the legitimate son and daughter of the crown prince, and the grandson of the King of Kaiping. When we meet those people, we must be more noble!"

Hearing Zhu Yunhuan say this, Zhu Youling nodded repeatedly.

She doesn't have many opinions and doesn't know what to do, but if she is asked to do something well, she will definitely do her best.

Letting their younger brother become the crown prince and sit on the position that originally belonged to him is also the wish and expectation of Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling!

(End of this chapter)