Chapter 1: Imperial Grandfather, Please Appoint Me Crown Grandson So I May Ascend the Throne!

"I request that Grandfather Emperor immediately issue a decree to name me the Imperial Crown Grandson, so that I may ascend the throne and inherit the empire!"

Though the voice was clear, the words struck like a clap of thunder, exploding in the minds of everyone present.

In the great hall, the civil and military officials of the entire court were instantly dumbfounded, staring at Zhu Yuntong with looks of utter disbelief.

They could hardly believe their ears.

Just moments ago, the court had been discussing the succession.

The elder Zhu had asked who should be established as the heir.

This was supposed to have been settled long ago; in private, the elder Zhu had already dropped hints to several key ministers.

Everyone knew it in their hearts.

Today, Zhu Yunwen was to be named the Imperial Crown Grandson.

The open discussion was merely a formality.

It was meant to show that designating Zhu Yunwen was the will of the people and the consensus of the court.

That His Majesty was simply following the will of Heaven, responding to the people, and listening to wise counsel in appointing the heir.

Unexpectedly, just as the discussion began, the imperial grandson Zhu Yuntong stepped forward to request that he himself be named the Imperial Crown Grandson.

He even went so far as to demand that he immediately ascend the throne and inherit the empire.

Had he lost his mind?

Zhu Yuntong's gaze was calm as he looked directly up at Zhu Yuanzhang, showing no fear.

It was not that he felt no fear, but rather that he had no retreat left.

He had transmigrated to the Ming Dynasty, becoming Zhu Yuntong, the son of Zhu Biao and the grandson of Zhu Yuanzhang.

Yet upon his arrival, he discovered that his father, Zhu Biao, had already passed away, and Zhu Yuanzhang intended to establish his half-brother, Zhu Yunwen, as the heir.

Well-versed in history, Zhu Yuntong knew he had to prevent this from happening.

If events were allowed to follow their historical path, Zhu Yunwen would ascend the throne, Zhu Di would launch a rebellion, and in the aftermath of the Jingnan Campaign, Zhu Yuntong would be implicated, confined in Fengyang, and ultimately meet a sudden, violent death.

He refused to accept such a fate.

Even if he used his knowledge of the future to act ahead of time, helping Zhu Yunwen eliminate Zhu Di and preventing the Jingnan Campaign, could Zhu Yunwen, with his limited capabilities, actually govern the Ming Empire?

The answer was a resounding no.

Among the sixteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty, if ranked by sheer capability, even the infamous "God of War of Tumu Fort" and "Gate-Knocking Emperor" Zhu Qizhen would outclass Zhu Yunwen by a mile, despite his atrocious character.

Zhu Di’s success in the Jingnan Campaign was certainly due to his military prowess, but more importantly, it relied entirely on Zhu Yunwen's unwitting cooperation.

Had anyone else been on the throne, Zhu Di would never have had a chance of succeeding.

Zhu Yunwen lacked the ability to rule; even without Zhu Di, someone else would have eventually usurped him, or other crises would have plunged the Ming Empire into chaos.

The dynasty was newly established, and the hearts of the people were not yet fully secured.

At this juncture, the Ming Empire needed a formidable and decisive sovereign, not an incompetent man like Zhu Yunwen.

Zhu Yuntong had no desire to be dragged down as collateral damage.

Seeing the elder Zhu deceived by Zhu Yunwen's facade of gentleness and filial piety, and bent on naming him the successor, Zhu Yuntong knew he had to act.

Once the wood was turned into a boat, the situation would become irreversible.

Zhu Yuntong had transmigrated too late to gradually change the elder Zhu's impression of him over time.

In today's court session, he decided to risk it all.

At worst, it would mean death.

If he died, perhaps he would just transmigrate back.

What was there to fear?

What's more, though the elder Zhu was ruthless to his ministers, he was exceptionally lenient toward his own descendants.

Under any other emperor, making such a statement would likely result in being dragged out and beaten to death on the spot.

But the elder Zhu would not necessarily do that.

"Presumptuous!"

"Arrogant!"

"Treasonous talk!"

...

After a long silence, the ministers in the grand hall, who had been utterly dumbfounded and shocked to their very souls by his words, finally recovered. Outcries of condemnation immediately erupted from all sides.

Censor Wang Pu stepped forward from the ranks.

"Your Majesty, I wish to impeach the Imperial Grandson Zhu Yuntong. This boy speaks without restraint, commits insubordination, and shows no respect for his sovereign and father. I request Your Majesty to issue a decree for his severe punishment."

Zhu Yuntong rolled his eyes at him and corrected, "The reigning Emperor is my Grandfather Emperor. How can you call him my sovereign father? Wouldn't that completely mess up the generations?"

"For all your reading of the classics, do you not even understand this?"

"Stop making a fool of yourself in this court, and go back home to study for a few more years."

Wang Pu was instantly driven to incoherent rage. "You... you..."

"Zhu Yuntong, do not be impudent!"

A furious roar, loud as a clap of thunder, shook Zhu Yuntong's eardrums until they throbbed with pain.

The sheer volume of this voice was truly terrifying.

Looking to the side, the speaker was none other than the famous founding general of the Ming, his granduncle, Lan Yu, the Duke of Liang.

"You little brat, your feathers aren't even fully grown, yet you have the audacity to act this bold!"

"If anyone is to blame, it is your father and your Grandfather Emperor for spoiling you too much, giving you the nerve to spout such nonsense to your grandfather in front of the entire court today. I think you're just itching for a beating!"

"Apologize to your Grandfather Emperor right now, or believe it or not, your granduncle will slap the daylights out of you!"

The booming voice set the entire hall ringing.

Yet, Zhu Yuntong could hear the protective intent behind his words.

Lan Yu’s underlying message was that his request was merely the foolish, thoughtless babble of an immature child.

He was steering the nature of the matter toward a family dispute.

A pampered child, having been spoiled for too long, would inevitably act lawlessly and lack manners.

A good scolding would suffice; there was no need to blow it out of proportion, let alone treat it as a state matter.

This was an attempt to save him!

"It seems Lan Yu is smarter than I thought!" Thoughts flashed rapidly through Zhu Yuntong's mind.

Faced with such a sudden turn of events, to immediately feign a furious rage and subtly defuse the crisis for his grandnephew with his words—such quick-wittedness was far beyond that of ordinary men.

Soon, Zhu Yuntong understood.

How could the Duke of Liang, who had followed the elder Zhu to conquer the empire, fought in countless campaigns over the years, risen through the ranks to become the Grand General, and stood at the pinnacle of the court's military commanders, truly be a brainless brute as his appearance suggested?

Lan Yu was the brother-in-law of Chang Yuchun, the Prince of Kaiping. Chang's daughter, Lady Chang, had married Crown Prince Zhu Biao in her early years and given birth to two sons, Zhu Xiongying and Zhu Yuntong.

Zhu Xiongying had died young.

In terms of relation, among all of the elder Zhu's grandsons, Zhu Yuntong was the closest to Lan Yu.

In contrast, Zhu Yunwen was not born of Lady Chang, representing a degree of separation.

Naturally, Lan Yu would protect Zhu Yuntong.

Jumping out to scold him first at this moment was precisely for this purpose.

Yet, Zhu Yuntong did not appreciate the gesture.

Why did the elder Zhu want to establish Zhu Yunwen as the Imperial Crown Grandson instead of him?

If they were to follow the principle of succession by the primary line, Zhu Yuntong was the legitimate heir of Zhu Biao.

With Zhu Xiongying dead, after Zhu Biao's passing, he should have rightfully been named the Imperial Crown Grandson.

Although Zhu Yunwen was born earlier, he was born of a concubine.

Yet the elder Zhu had issued a decree to elevate Zhu Yunwen's mother, Lady Lü, to the status of primary wife, artificially granting him the status of the eldest legitimate son to establish him as the heir.

This was partly because Zhu Yunwen was a skilled actor, playing the part of a filial and modest grandson so well that he won Zhu Yuanzhang's favor.

More importantly, Lady Lü's father was merely the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

As a civil official, he held no military power and posed no threat to the imperial authority.

Establishing Zhu Yunwen as the Imperial Crown Grandson meant that when he ascended the throne in the future, there would be no worry of consort clans interfering in state affairs.

Conversely, if Zhu Yuntong were named the heir, the Chang and Lan families behind him were both founding meritorious clans.

They held immense power in the court, and their former subordinates and disciples spanned the entire military.

If Crown Prince Zhu Biao were still alive, his prestige would naturally be enough to keep the Chang and Lan families in check.

Instead of being a threat, they would have served as two sharp swords in Zhu Biao's hands.

But now that Zhu Biao was dead, could Zhu Yuntong keep the Chang and Lan families under control?

Would those arrogant and domineering generals submit to a mere child?

Over time, would those men not harbor treacherous intentions?

Weighing the options, the elder Zhu did not dare to gamble, which was why he ultimately turned his gaze to Zhu Yunwen.

Establishing Zhu Yunwen eliminated such concerns.

Men like Lan Yu could all be executed, purging the court in a bath of blood.

At the same time, he could rely heavily on the scholars represented by Zhu Yunwen's maternal family.

These people held no military power and posed no threat to the imperial throne.

In his past life, Zhu Yuntong had been something of a history enthusiast and had analyzed the elder Zhu's line of thinking.

After transmigrating, what he had seen and heard over the past few days only confirmed his previous analysis.

Lan Yu’s behavior at this moment, in the elder Zhu's eyes, would likely only strengthen his resolve not to name Zhu Yuntong the heir.

How could someone who could be scolded so easily by his granduncle, who even threatened to slap him, become the heir to the throne?

If he were indeed made the heir, would Lan Yu maintain such an attitude when Zhu Yuntong ascended the throne in the future?

Where would the sovereign's majesty be?

If he could not dominate the court or awe the ministers, how could he rule the vast empire of the Ming?

Lan Yu was certainly on his side.

But a wild, untamable Lan Yu whom he could not subdue would only meet with death!

Before the elder Zhu's demise, he would undoubtedly execute him.

And once Lan Yu died, Zhu Yuntong would lose all possibility of being established as the heir.

To save Lan Yu, he must first subdue him.

Only by doing so could he save Lan Yu.

And save himself!

Zhu Yuntong stared at Lan Yu and walked forward, step by step.

Suddenly, he raised his hand.

*Slap!*

A resounding slap struck Lan Yu squarely across the face.