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

Crown Prince Zhu Biao bowed his head and said nothing, but he felt mixed emotions. He knew that his actions this time were indeed a bit too reckless, but he also knew that the reason he did so was entirely because of his worries about the future. He was worried that the princess's existence would affect his path to succession to the throne.

"Biao'er," Zhu Yuanzhang's voice suddenly became gentle, "Do you feel that the princess's existence threatens your position?"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao raised his head and met his father's concerned gaze: "Father, I don't think so, it's just..."

"Just what?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

"But I am worried that the princess's talent is too outstanding. If it affects the court in the future, it may be detrimental to the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded after hearing this and said, "Biao'er, you have such concerns, which means you are thinking about the Ming Dynasty. However, you must remember that the princess is also the hope of our Ming Dynasty. She is capable, and I believe she will also have a sense of responsibility. You should work together instead of being suspicious of each other."

Although in front of Zhu Yuanzhang, Crown Prince Zhu Biao acted obedient and repentant, deep down, his hostility towards the princess had not dissipated. He knew that in order to gain the upper hand in the power struggle, he had to eliminate those who might threaten his position. The princess, a talented woman, was undoubtedly a stumbling block on his way to the throne.

A few days later, one night, Zhu Biao secretly met with a mysterious person in his study. This person was an old guard in the palace. It was said that he was once a master in the martial arts world. Now he lived in seclusion in the palace and handled some matters that were not convenient for the prince to be made public.

"Sir, what do you want me to do?" the old guard asked in a low voice, his eyes were sharp and he seemed very alert.

Zhu Biao looked around and confirmed that no one was eavesdropping before he spoke, "Do you know why my father summoned me recently?"

The old guard shook his head: "I don't know, but I heard it's about the princess."

Zhu Biao's face darkened. "Yes, it is about her. Father seems to have noticed my attitude towards her and warned me not to do anything to her again."

The old guard was silent for a moment, then he gently suggested: "If you really want to get rid of the princess, you might as well try another method. It's easy to dodge an open attack, but hard to guard against an arrow from the dark."

Zhu Biao frowned slightly, obviously quite interested in this proposal: "Oh? What do you think?"

"The princess has always loved traveling. If we can arrange a seemingly unexpected accident while traveling, perhaps we can achieve our goal without arousing suspicion." After the old guard finished speaking, he stepped aside and waited for the prince's instructions.

Zhu Biao thought for a moment and finally nodded: "Okay, I'll follow your plan. But you must do it perfectly and don't let anyone find any flaws."

Zhu Biao knew very well that it was too risky to attack the princess directly and it would easily arouse the suspicion of his father, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.

To this end, he found his younger brother Zhu Kai, hoping to use his power to achieve his goal.

One afternoon, Zhu Biao came to Zhu Kai's residence, and the two sat down in the pavilion in the garden. Zhu Kai was a little surprised to see his brother coming, but he politely invited Zhu Biao to sit down and ordered the servants to serve tea.

"Second brother, how have you been lately?" Zhu Biao was the first to break the silence, his tone unusually gentle.

Zhu Kai smiled slightly and nodded in response: "Brother, it is rare for you to come to see me. I wonder why you came to visit me today?"

Zhu Biao sighed lightly, seeming to be worried: "Actually, I want to ask you for a favor."

Zhu Kai's eyes widened slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "Brother, please go ahead and say it."

"I would like to invite the princess to go outing in the suburbs together," Zhu Biao said, "but considering some misunderstandings before, I am afraid that the princess will not be willing to accept my invitation. Therefore, I would like to ask you to act as an intermediary and convey my sincerity on my behalf."

Zhu Kai pondered for a moment, then asked, "Brother, does this mean that you want to resolve the conflict with the princess?"

Zhu Biao nodded, his expression sincere: "That's right. Father is very concerned about our relationship, and I also hope to take this opportunity to express my feelings, and hope to gain the princess' understanding."

Zhu Kai looked at his brother, with a complex emotion in his eyes: "Since brother has this intention, then I will help you convey it. However, are you really willing to let go of the past grudges?"

Zhu Biao's eyes became firm: "I do hope to start over. After all, we are all members of the royal family. Living in harmony is beneficial to all of us."

After getting Zhu Biao's promise, Zhu Kai finally agreed to his request and promised to meet the princess as soon as possible.

The agreed date soon arrived, and the group set off under the strict protection of the guards. The spring sunshine was warm and bright, the scenery in the suburbs was pleasant, and the air was filled with a faint fragrance of flowers. The princess seemed to be in a relaxed mood as she sat in the carriage.

When they arrived at their destination, Zhu Biao was already waiting there. When he saw the princess getting off the car, he immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Princess, thank you for coming."

The princess smiled faintly and didn't say much, but her expression said it all. That day, they enjoyed themselves in the suburbs, and Zhu Biao did his best to show his sincerity. He kept looking for topics to talk to the princess, trying to break the gap between them.

At lunch time, everyone sat on the grass and enjoyed the food. Zhu Biao suggested: "Princess, the scenery here is so beautiful, why don't we go for a walk by the lake over there."

The princess nodded slightly and followed Zhu Biao to the lake. Zhu Kai followed silently behind, keeping a certain distance and paying attention to the surrounding situation at all times.

Walking on the path by the lake, the atmosphere between Zhu Biao and the princess gradually eased. Zhu Biao began to tell some interesting stories, trying to make the princess relax her guard. Although the princess remained vigilant, she also listened politely.
Zhu Biao stood by the lake, the breeze brushing his face, bringing the coolness of early autumn. He looked back at the princess behind him, her eyes revealing a hint of dissatisfaction and confusion. Zhu Biao took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. The two of them did have some minor frictions before, but this time he was determined to resolve the misunderstanding between them.

"Princess," Zhu Biao's voice was a little hoarse, "I know you are dissatisfied with me, but I hope we can talk calmly."

The princess frowned slightly, her voice was a little cold: "What to talk about? Your misunderstanding of me or my prejudice against you?" Zhu Biao took a step closer, trying to ease the atmosphere: "Talk... about our future, and the misunderstanding between us. You think I don't respect you enough, but I want to make it clear that I have always regarded you as my closest person."

The princess's gaze softened a little, but she remained alert: "What do you mean by close?"

"It means I am willing to listen to your ideas," Zhu Biao said sincerely, "If there is anything unpleasant between us, I hope we can sit down and have a good communication instead of letting these little things become obstacles between us."

The princess was silent for a moment, as if thinking about Zhu Biao's words. She sighed softly and said, "I don't want these things to affect our relationship. It's just... sometimes I feel that you don't really understand me."

"Then would you like to tell me what happened that made you feel this way?" Zhu Biao asked.

The princess nodded and began to talk about her worries and unhappiness. She mentioned some small things that Zhu Biao had not noticed, such as that he occasionally ignored her opinions and was too arbitrary in handling government affairs. As the conversation deepened, Zhu Biao gradually realized his negligence in some aspects and promised the princess that he would correct his shortcomings.

Just as the conversation between the two was getting better, a sudden gust of wind blew up the princess's long skirt, causing her to lose her balance. Zhu Biao was quick to reach out and hold her, but accidentally touched her sleeve, causing her to fall forward as if she was about to fall into the lake.

"Be careful!" Zhu Biao exclaimed, quickly grabbed the princess' wrist and pulled her back. The princess steadied herself, her heartbeat quickened, and her face flushed. She looked up at Zhu Biao, a trace of gratitude flashing in her eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Zhu Biao breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "No, no, it was me who almost caused you to fall into the water. I will be more careful next time."

"Zhu Biao! What are you doing!" Zhu Yuanzhang shouted angrily, his voice resounding like thunder, shocking the surrounding palace servants and guards.

Zhu Biao hurriedly explained: "Father, please listen to my explanation. This was just an accident. I did not intend to push the princess."

Zhu Yuanzhang's anger did not abate at all, but became even worse: "Explanation? What else is there to explain? I saw it with my own eyes, do you still want to quibble?"

The princess had already stood firm. She looked up and saw her father's angry expression. She was a little flustered. But she knew that if she didn't explain clearly, the prince would be wrongly accused. So she took up her courage, stepped forward, and said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Father, please calm down. This is indeed a misunderstanding. The prince didn't push me. It was just a gust of wind that almost made me fall."

Zhu Yuanzhang turned to his daughter, his tone softened slightly, but still stern: "Princess, do you know that if the prince really had this intention, you would be at the bottom of the lake now. You are so protective of him, are you trying to cover up for him?"

The princess bit her lip and answered firmly, "Father, I know what I said. The Crown Prince just saved my life. If he hadn't stopped me in time, I'm afraid my clothes would have been soaked by now."

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression eased a little, but he still said in a deep voice: "Even so, Prince, you shouldn't let such a dangerous thing happen to you. As the crown prince, you should be more careful. How can you put the princess in danger?"

Zhu Biao felt bitter when he heard this. He understood that his father's rebuke was not unreasonable, but was out of consideration for the dignity of the royal family and the safety of the princess. So he bowed and said sincerely: "Father, you are teaching me that I did fail to supervise. I will be more careful in the future and will not let such incidents happen again."

Zhu Yuanzhang finally relaxed a little when he saw the prince's correct attitude, but he still reminded him: "Okay, in this case, you should remember what happened today. As the crown prince, you must not slack off in the slightest. The princess is a treasure of the country. If you dare to let her suffer any grievances again, don't blame me for not thinking about the relationship between father and son."

Zhu Biao bowed deeply again and said, "I will remember your father's teachings."

Seeing this, the princess felt mixed emotions. She knew the pressure the prince was under and understood her father's painstaking efforts. But she hoped to use her own strength to help the prince share this burden. So, she stepped forward and said to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Father, I am willing to share the prince's worries. If I hadn't been careless, I wouldn't have brought trouble to the prince."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang glanced back and forth between his daughter and the crown prince, and finally sighed: "Forget it, today's matter is over. But you two must be more careful in the future."

After saying this, Zhu Yuanzhang turned and left, leaving behind a group of palace maids and guards. Zhu Biao and the princess stood opposite each other, with complicated expressions in each other's eyes.

"Thank you, Princess." Zhu Biao said softly, with a hint of gratitude in his tone.

The princess smiled and responded gently, "You don't have to thank me, Prince. We are all family and should support each other."

The two smiled at each other, and the previous misunderstanding and tension disappeared. At this moment, a hurried sound of footsteps came from a distance. It turned out that the eunuch in charge of garden management came to report that the railings by the lake had become loose due to age, which led to today's dangerous situation.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Princess," the eunuch said respectfully, "It was my fault that I failed to find and repair the safety facilities by the lake in time, which led to Your Highness the Princess being in danger. Please forgive me."

Zhu Biao was moved when he heard this, and turned to look at the eunuch: "Oh? In that case, today's incident cannot be entirely blamed on me. However, the security of this lakeside does need to be strengthened."

The princess nodded in agreement: "Brother Crown Prince is right. This matter concerns the safety of everyone in the palace. We must not be careless."

The eunuch quickly assured: "I will send someone to check the safety hazards of the entire imperial garden and repair them as soon as possible."

Zhu Biao nodded with satisfaction, and then said to the princess: "Although today's matter has been settled, I still have something to say to you. I wonder if you would be so kind as to go with me to the study so that we can talk in detail?"

The princess looked at the prince's sincere eyes, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart. She nodded slightly and replied gently: "Brother Prince, if you have something to say, the princess will accompany you."

After confirming the safety measures at the lakeside, Zhu Biao and the princess walked to the imperial study together. Along the way, both of them remained silent, as if they were thinking about their own thoughts. The imperial study was quiet, with only the occasional sound of turning pages breaking the silence. Zhu Biao asked the princess to sit down, personally poured her a cup of hot tea, and then slowly spoke.

"Although what happened today was a misunderstanding, I also realized my own shortcomings from it." Zhu Biao's words were calm and firm. "As the crown prince, I should consider every matter and every decision more carefully to avoid causing unnecessary trouble to those around me." (End of this chapter)