Ming Dynasty: Zhu Biao's younger brother, the most rebellious son in history

"But, Princess, Zhu Biao holds great power. How easy will it be to find evidence?" a minister asked worriedly.

The princess smiled and said, "There are always more solutions than problems. As long as we work together, we will definitely find a breakthrough."

Just as the meeting entered a critical moment, suddenly, there was a burst of hurried footsteps outside the door, followed by a report from the guards: "Princess, it's bad, the prince has sent someone again!"

The princess stood up suddenly, her face turned serious: "Everyone act according to the plan and protect yourself. Zhu Kai, you lead the people to meet the enemy, I will find a solution."

Zhu Kai quickly led the guards to fight, while the princess retreated to a relatively safe place. The battle was extremely fierce, with swords flashing in the night. In the end, with the efforts of everyone, the invaders were repelled, but the princess was frightened again and her physical condition worsened.

"Princess, you can't go on like this." Zhu Kai said anxiously, "We must find a solution as soon as possible."

The princess nodded, a determined light flashed in her eyes: "It's time, we can't passively take the beating anymore. Zhu Kai, notify everyone, we will start the action tomorrow morning."

The Lord's counterattack began quietly. She knew that in this game of power, every step must be taken carefully, and the slightest mistake would lead to a complete loss. Therefore, she began to use all the resources around her, including those seemingly insignificant little people, and even some rumors and gossips in the palace, to build her own information network.

Late one night, Zhu Kai hurried to the princess's bedroom, his face covered in sweat, obviously he had been running all the way. "Princess, we got some important clues!" He panted, his eyes revealing a hint of nervousness and anticipation.

The princess smiled and motioned Zhu Kai to sit down. "Take your time, we have plenty of time." Her tone was calm and firm, as if everything was under control.

Zhu Kai nodded, took a deep breath, and then spoke: "We found a person among the prince's personal guards who is willing to help us. He said that the prince is indeed planning something recently, and these things are related to you."

The princess' eyes froze slightly, but she didn't show much emotion. "What did he say specifically?"

"He said that the prince is looking for a poison to get rid of you." Zhu Kai's voice lowered, and it was obvious that he was also shocked by the news. "Moreover, he also revealed some clues about the prince's collusion with other forces."

The princess frowned, she knew what this meant - once the news was confirmed, the prince's behavior would not only be an attack on her personally, but would involve the interests of the entire royal family. "We must act quickly and not let the prince succeed."

"I have arranged for people to secretly monitor the prince's movements and have strengthened your security." Zhu Kai added, "But, Princess, we also need to consider how to expose the prince's true identity."

The princess pondered for a moment, then slowly said: "Zhu Kai, you should go back and rest first. I will come up with a solution for this matter."

Zhu Kai wanted to say something, but seeing the princess's determined gaze, he had to nod and leave the palace. The princess sat alone by the window, looking at the moonlight outside, with a lot of thoughts in her mind.

The next morning, when the first rays of sunlight shone through the clouds into the palace, the princess was already dressed and ready to start her plan. She summoned several of her most trusted ministers and told them her plan. "We must make the prince reveal his flaws. Only in this way will Zhu Yuanzhang believe everything he has done."

The ministers nodded in agreement, but many were also worried about the risks involved. "Princess, isn't this too risky? What if the Crown Prince notices our actions in advance..."

The princess smiled slightly, her eyes full of confidence: "I believe that as long as we unite, there will be no difficulties that we cannot overcome."

The princess's plan gradually unfolded. She used her wisdom and connections to cleverly lay out the situation in the court, causing some of the prince's actions to arouse Zhu Yuanzhang's suspicion. At the same time, she secretly sent her confidants to collect evidence, preparing to expose the prince's crimes at a critical moment.

However, just when everything seemed to be going smoothly, an accident happened. One night, the princess was reviewing memorials when she suddenly heard a noise outside the door. She immediately became alert and ordered the guards to check. Not long after, a guard ran in in a panic: "Princess, it's bad, the prince..."

The princess' heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained calm: "What happened?"

"The prince was attacked and is now lying on the ground unconscious." The guard's voice trembled, and he was obviously frightened by the scene before him.

The princess was startled, but she quickly regained her composure. "Take me to see it."

When the princess arrived at the scene, she saw the crown prince Zhu Biao lying in a pool of blood with multiple knife wounds on his body. The guards and doctors around him were busy trying to save him. The princess walked to the crown prince, leaned over and asked softly, "Prince, how are you?"

Zhu Biao opened his eyes with difficulty, his eyes full of pain and confusion. "Princess...Princess..." he said intermittently, "Someone...someone attacked me..."

The princess nodded and soothed him, "Don't talk, take a good rest first, we will find out who did it."

After leaving the scene, the princess immediately summoned the chief guard who was responsible for the prince's safety. "What's wrong with you? So many people failed to protect the prince's safety!"

The captain of the guards knelt on the ground, his face full of guilt: "Princess, we don't know what happened. Suddenly, several masked men appeared and we had no time to react."

The princess pondered for a moment, then ordered: "Immediately strengthen patrols inside and outside the palace, and make sure to find the murderers. In addition, notify all ministers who know about it and hold an emergency meeting tonight."

As night fell, the palace was brightly lit. At the meeting chaired by the princess, everyone expressed their opinions and suggestions. After a heated discussion, the princess made a decision: "We must speed up our pace, find out the truth as soon as possible, and ensure the safety of the prince. At the same time, we must prevent the situation from escalating further."

It was late at night, and the moonlight was shining brightly, filling every corner of the Forbidden City. Zhu Kai came to the princess's bedroom with a heavy heart. His footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, beating the princess' heartstrings like a war drum. He knew that this confrontation would determine the fate of many people, including himself.

Pushing open the carved wooden door, Zhu Kai saw the princess sitting at the table, playing with an exquisite blue and white porcelain vase in her hands. The vase seemed to carry all her thoughts. The princess's profile looked even softer under the moonlight, but Zhu Kai knew that this did not represent her inner softness. "Princess," Zhu Kai's voice was particularly clear in the silent night, "I... I think we need to talk."

The princess turned her head slowly, and a barely perceptible light flashed in her eyes, as if she had foreseen Zhu Kai's arrival. "Zhu Kai, you're here." Her voice was calm, but with a certain unquestionable power.

Zhu Kai took a few steps closer and stood in front of the princess. He took a deep breath, as if to give himself courage. "Princess, I must ask you, is the attack on the prince…"

"I did it." The princess interrupted Zhu Kai without any hesitation. Her answer stunned Zhu Kai for a moment.

"Why?" Zhu Kai couldn't believe his ears. He always thought that although the princess was smart, she would not take such extreme measures.

The princess put down the porcelain bottle in her hand and looked directly at Zhu Kai with a firm determination in her eyes. "Because Crown Prince Zhu Biao poses a threat to us, he has been plotting something, you know this very well."

"But isn't it more dangerous to do this?" Zhu Kai's voice trembled a little. "If we are discovered, the consequences will be disastrous."

The princess stood up and walked to the window. The moonlight fell on her shoulders, as if she was covered with a layer of silver gauze. "Zhu Kai, don't you know? There is no absolute safety in this palace. If we don't take the initiative, we will be trampled underfoot by others sooner or later."

Zhu Kai was silent. He understood what the princess said, but deep down in his heart, he still couldn't completely accept this approach. "Princess, even so, you can't hurt innocent people. Those assassins..."

"Zhu Kai," the princess interrupted him, "Do you think there is any real innocence in this world of intrigue and deception? Everyone around the prince is a pawn in his hands. They participated in the conspiracy against me, and their hands are stained with blood."

Zhu Kai felt a chill running down his spine. He never thought the princess would say something like this. "Princess, we can still find other solutions."

The princess turned around with a trace of sadness in her eyes. "Zhu Kai, do you know? Everything I did was not only for myself, but also for this country. If the prince really succeeds, then this country will fall into deeper chaos."

Zhu Kai looked at the princess, and the balance in his heart began to waver. He understood the princess's difficulties, but he was also afraid that such means would bring unpredictable consequences. "Princess, but how do we explain all this to Zhu Yuanzhang?"

The princess smiled slightly, with a hint of cunning in her smile. "That's why we need your help, Zhu Kai. You need to help me find more evidence to prove the prince's infidelity, so that Zhu Yuanzhang will understand that I took action out of helplessness."

Zhu Kai was silent for a moment, and finally nodded. "Okay, Princess, I will do my best to help you."

The princess came over and patted Zhu Kai's shoulder gently. "Thank you, Zhu Kai. I know it's not easy, but we must persevere."

Zhu Kai took a deep breath, as if gathering strength. "Princess, no matter what the future holds, I am willing to follow you. But please be careful and don't put yourself in greater danger."

The princess nodded, a hint of warmth flashing in her eyes. "I will, Zhu Kai. We all need to be careful, because in this game, no one knows what will happen next."

As the night deepened, the two continued to discuss their next plan. In the princess' bedroom, the candlelight flickered, and the shadows of the two stretched on the wall, as if they were two warriors fighting against fate.

In the Forbidden City, the situation is unpredictable. When Zhu Yuanzhang learned that the crown prince Zhu Biao was planning to assassinate the princess again, his mood was as gloomy and depressed as the sky covered by dark clouds. This veteran who once galloped on the battlefield was now facing betrayal within his own family, and he felt mixed emotions.

It was lunch time when Zhu Yuanzhang summoned the crown prince Zhu Biao. In the imperial study, the atmosphere was solemn. Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon throne with a sullen face, staring at the crown prince with sharp eyes, as if to penetrate his soul. The crown prince Zhu Biao looked calm, and although he was uneasy in his heart, he did not dare to show any flaws on the surface.

"Biao'er," Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was deep and powerful, and every word was like a heavy hammer hitting the prince's heart, "I heard that you have been planning something recently, and these things don't seem to be simple."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao's heart tightened, but he quickly adjusted his expression and knelt respectfully on the ground: "Father, please understand. I dare not lie to you in the slightest. May I ask what you are referring to?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flashed with disappointment, and he sighed: "Biao'er, you have grown up. You have your own ideas about many things, which is a good thing. However, there are some things, especially those involving the safety of the royal family, that you cannot make your own decisions."

"Your Majesty's teachings are true, and I will keep them in mind." Zhu Biao responded with his head down, but he was quickly thinking of a countermeasure in his mind.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes became more severe: "But someone reported to me that you were planning to harm the princess again. Biao'er, do you have anything to say?"

Upon hearing this, Crown Prince Zhu Biao's face changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "Father, this must be a misunderstanding. I have no second thoughts about the princess, and I will never do anything to hurt her."

"Misunderstanding?" Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, "Biao'er, do you know why I sat on this throne? It's because I know how to judge the situation and read people's expressions. Your eyes tell me that you are not telling the truth."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao sensed his father's anger, and beads of sweat oozed from his forehead: "Father, your Majesty, I..."

"That's enough!" Zhu Yuanzhang stood up suddenly and slammed the dragon table heavily, frightening the prince so much that he took a step back, "Biao'er, do you admit your guilt?"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao knelt on the ground, sweat and tears mixed together on his forehead: "Father, I know I was wrong, please punish me."

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down: "Biao'er, as the crown prince, you will inherit the throne in the future. You should put state affairs first and not sacrifice public affairs for personal gain. The princess is my flesh and blood, and she is also the future of the Ming Dynasty. If you show any disrespect to her, you are showing disrespect to me!" (End of this chapter)