When Miaoyun started a live stream, all the ancients were completely taken aback.

Chapter 5: Sealing the Wolf's Den, the First Ancient Emperor

Unlike Zhu Shuang's ulterior motives, Zhu Yuanzhang felt as if the sky had fallen.

The eldest grandson died young, then his beloved wife passed away, and finally even the crown prince he had painstakingly nurtured died young!

Damn it! You might as well take me with you!

Zhu Biao, who was standing to the side, seemed to have seen through Zhu Yuanzhang's thoughts and quickly said something.

"Father, what is happening in the heavens is a matter for the future, and there are still twenty years until the twenty-fifth year of Hongwu."

"If we prepare earlier, we might still be able to make changes in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang felt as if he had grasped a lifeline.

"That's right! That's right! There's still time! Our sister, our grandson, and our Biao'er won't die!"

"Brother Zhu Biao is wonderful; His Majesty has high hopes for him."

Xu Miaoyun looked at Liu Yan and spoke.

"That's right, Zhu Biao can be considered the most stable crown prince in history."

"Unfortunately, Zhu Biao's early death greatly disrupted all of Emperor Hongwu's plans."

"At this time, Prince Qin Zhu Shuang, Prince Jin Zhu Gang, and Prince Yan Zhu Di had all come of age, and were all legitimate sons, and had made great military achievements."

"If they are made crown princes, the crown prince's lineage will inevitably become their greatest threat in the future, and there will inevitably be scenes of fratricide."

"Therefore, the throne could only be passed to Zhu Yunwen, the son of his second wife, Lady Lü."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze instantly swept over the princes present.

Zhu Di shuddered and quickly spoke.

"Father, please rest assured, as your younger brothers, how could we dare to have any thoughts about the throne?"

Zhu Shuang quickly spoke up as well.

"That's right! Father, we dare not covet the throne."

Zhu Gang also expressed his loyalty.

"Father may pass the throne to whomever he wishes, and we your sons will have no objection. We will also diligently assist the new emperor in governing our Great Ming!"

As Zhu Yuanzhang's sons, they were all too aware of their father's methods.

"After Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, he began to drastically reduce the power of the princes."

"King Zhu Su of Zhou has been demoted to a commoner!"

"The Prince of Xiang, Zhu Bai, suffered the worst fate. He was falsely accused of treason and later committed suicide by burning himself in his palace. His posthumous title was [戾] (meaning wicked/li)."

"Prince Zhu Gui of Dai was demoted to a commoner."

"Prince Zhu Pian of Min was demoted to a commoner."

Every word Liu Yan spoke was like a knife slicing through Zhu Yuanzhang's brain nerves.

Having risen from humble beginnings as a beggar, Zhu Yuanzhang valued family ties above all else throughout his life.

The reason for supporting Zhu Yunwen to ascend the throne was to avoid fratricide, but in the end, it was still unavoidable.

When the fifth brother, Zhu Su, heard the news coming from the sky, he felt as if the sky had collapsed.

Zhu Di was also terrified upon hearing this. Was his nephew really that fierce?

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have figured something out, and when he looked at his sons again, his eyes showed a touch of tenderness.

"Prince Qin, Zhu Shuang, died in the 28th year of the Hongwu reign, and Prince Jin, Zhu Gang, died in the 31st year of the Hongwu reign."

King Zhu Shuang of Qin: ? ? !!! !

Prince Zhu Gang of Jin: ? ? ? ?

The two kings exchanged a glance, each seeing in the other's eyes a mixture of astonishment, bewilderment, and confusion.

Zhu Shuang was struck as if by lightning, and almost lost his balance.

"I died in the 28th year of the Hongwu reign? Could it be that this Yongle Emperor wasn't me?"

"No!"

In an instant, Zhu Shuang felt as if countless snowflakes were falling from the sky onto his shoulders.

"At that time, Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan, was the most powerful among the many princes."

Zhu Di sighed helplessly, realizing that he would be the next to be purged.

However, just when Zhu Di was in despair, Liu Yan's voice suddenly rose, and he leaned close to Xu Miaoyun and said with a smile.

"Speaking of your ex-boyfriend, he was really something else!"

"Throughout Chinese history, he is the only vassal king who successfully rebelled!"

"Starting with eight hundred men in Beiping, they rose up in accordance with the will of Heaven to quell the rebellion and reunified the Ming Dynasty from north to south!"

"In June of the fourth year of the Jianwen reign, Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan, captured Nanjing, and the following year he changed the reign title to Yongle! From then on, his legendary life began!"

As Liu Yan's voice faded, Fengtian Hall fell into a deathly silence once more.

All eyes turned to Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan.

In an instant, Zhu Di felt as if he were being pricked by thorns.

Prince Qin, Zhu Shuang, immediately pointed at Zhu Di and said.

"Good heavens! So it was you, Fourth Brother, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, who rebelled!"

Zhu Shuang's words were like igniting a powder keg in the Fengtian Hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang gritted his teeth and stood up.

"Good! Good! Fourth son, you actually raised an army and seized your nephew's throne! What a fine son of ours! How come we never knew you had such abilities before?"

For a moment, Zhu Di stood there trembling, unsure how to explain himself.

"You want to be emperor? We'll grant your wish today!"

After saying this, Zhu Yuanzhang walked up to Zhu Di and then spoke.

"This humble citizen, Zhu Yuanzhang, accompanied by his peasant wife Ma Xiuying and his son Zhu Biao, pays homage to the Yongle Emperor!"

In an instant, Zhu Di was so frightened that he lost his composure and immediately knelt on the ground.

"Father! Father! Let me explain! Let me explain!"

Before Zhu Di could figure out how to get out of this, Zhu Yuanzhang kicked him.

"I'll make you the Yongle Emperor! I'll make you steal your nephew's throne! I'll make you move the capital to Beiping!"

"Tie him up!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Di trembled all over.

Zhu Yuanzhang held a horsewhip in his hand, and shouted a command, "Strike once."

Neither Empress Ma nor Crown Prince Zhu Biao spoke up for Zhu Di this time, which was unusual.

Perhaps this is what they mean by "with great power comes great responsibility."

Upon hearing the voice from the sky above the Yongle court, Zhu Di immediately stood up and spoke.

"That little bastard Jianwen was incited by bad guys like Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai! He wants to reduce the power of the princes! He imprisoned the Zhou Prince's family in Yingtian, transferred troops to Shuntian, and sent a few minor officials to keep an eye on me."

"Let's see if I'm going to rebel! I ate pig manure in the pigsty for several years before I finally conquered this world. In my life, I pacified the grasslands, moved the capital to Shuntian, opened the Grand Canal, and compiled the Yongle Encyclopedia. My achievements are comparable to those of Emperor Taizong of Tang and Emperor Taizu of Song."

As he finished speaking, the elderly Zhu Di's chest heaved, and he looked up at the sky, pointing to the heavens and shouting loudly.

"Father! Do you see? My Yongle reign is a golden age!"

As he spoke, whether from shortness of breath or exhaustion, his voice became low and deep, as if he were talking to himself.

"I am worthy of being emperor! The Ming Dynasty has become even better under my rule!"

Zhu Di spent his entire life proving himself, proving that he was worthy of being the emperor, and proving that he could be a good emperor!

So from the day he ascended the throne, he dared not be idle for a moment, hoping that one day, when he met his father in the afterlife, he could stand tall and tell him: I, Zhu Di, should be the emperor! You made the wrong choice.

"After ascending the throne, Zhu Di lived like a machine that never dared to stop."

"Five expeditions to the northern deserts, sealing the wolf's lair, seven voyages to the Western Ocean, displaying the power of our nation."

"Every achievement of moving the capital to Beijing and compiling the Yongle Encyclopedia was driven by a mad obsession."

"The golden tiles of the Forbidden City bear the weight of the northern desert winds and frosts. The emperor guards the nation's gates, and the monarch's spirit of dying for the country shatters a thousand years of weakness, allowing the backbone of China to stand tall once more, eternally resilient!"

"He wants to use the clamor of all nations paying tribute to drown out Fang Xiaoru's curses!"

"Using the gold dust from the Yongle Encyclopedia, we outlined the trajectory of civilization."

"The winds and frosts of the northern deserts and the waves of the Western Ocean could never suppress the poisonous vines that had taken the rightful place."

"He ultimately died on the return journey from his fifth northern expedition."

"Like a closed loop of fate, born in the flames of war, died on the road, never stopping throughout his life, trapped in a vortex of 'proof' and 'recognition'."

"This man, known in history as the Yongle Emperor, was ultimately just a boy who wanted his father's approval."

"Fate never gave Emperor Yongle any easy path; he simply turned the thorny path into a road to heaven."

Even though he no longer needs anyone's approval, his name has become an indelible monument in Chinese history.

As Liu Yan finished speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang stopped using his horsewhip.

Empress Ma stepped forward and pushed Zhu Yuanzhang away, then embraced Zhu Di in her arms.

Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Di, and all his unspoken words were condensed into a long sigh. Being born into an imperial family meant that there were many things he could not choose.

Inside the Yongle court, Zhu Di's eyes were already moist.

Kneeling to the side, Zhu Gaochi looked at his father, whose figure was somewhat hunched, and said softly.

"Father, let's postpone the expedition to the northern desert for now. We can discuss it on the Heavenly Screen..."

Zhu Di did not turn around, but simply waved his hand indifferently.

"Born in war, to die on the battlefield, this is my destiny, and I shall obey it."