Ming Dynasty: What's wrong with being a leisurely crown prince?

Chapter 30 The Great Ming Han King - Zhu Gaochi! The Manifestation of Killing Intent

Zhu Gaoxu looked at Zhu Gaochi, his heart filled with surprise and doubt.

He trusted his intuition and feelings just now; Zhu Gaochi was completely different from before.

The hypocrisy and cunning seemed to have vanished, leaving him with a very peculiar feeling.

One thing that Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaoxu disliked most about Zhu Gaochi in the past was his hypocrisy and cunning.

They say one thing in public and another in private, claiming it's for their own good, but actually they're leading them into a trap, and then they jump out at the end pretending to be good people and plead for them.

Especially regarding Zhu Gaochi's private morality, to be honest, they also did those things, but unlike Zhu Gaochi, they dared to do them but not admit them.

This feeling came so suddenly that Zhu Gaoxu couldn't believe it was real for a moment, preferring to believe it was just an illusion.

Composing himself, Zhu Gaoxu picked up his tea and took a small sip.

"Eldest brother, I heard you've started reading medical books to cure Mother?"

Zhu Gaoxu did not ask Zhu Gaochi to change these words, nor did he want to.

So what if things have changed, or they haven't? He doesn't want to back down now that he's come to this.

Even though Zhu Gaochi has changed and is no longer so detestable, he still won't give up that position.

Zhu Gaochi listened to Zhu Gaoxu's question and slowly nodded with a smile.

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu leaned closer to Zhu Gaochi and whispered, "Boss, why bother with this show?"

The Imperial Medical Academy was helpless with my mother's illness, and countless so-called famous doctors in the countryside were equally at a loss.

Mother's illness is getting worse. Do you think you can cure her illness by reading a couple of medical books?

Eldest son, let me tell you, if you continue to use these methods to show off your filial piety to the old man and to the whole world, I will not let you off the hook!

You, the Crown Prince, are using your mother's illness to consolidate your position. The whole world can see through it. Stop being so stubborn!

Zhu Gaoxu's voice was soft, but the murderous intent in his eyes was exceptionally strong.

Yes, murderous intent—an undisguised murderous intent directed at Zhu Gaochi.

Zhu Gaoxu was well aware of what he was doing and saying, but he was not afraid because in his eyes, Xu Miaoyun was the only family member in the family.

He was mischievous from a young age, and being in Yingtian, he was separated from Zhu Di and Xu Miaoyun for a long time, and the distance was far, so they rarely saw each other.

In the limited number of times they met, only Xu Miaoyun didn't mind his mischievousness. Instead, she tried her best to find ways to get him to read.

Zhu Di did indeed tell him that the Crown Prince was often ill and that he should encourage him. He also told him that he would not mistreat him after the Jingnan Rebellion.

He was indeed very tempted, and it was precisely because of Zhu Di's words that he had a great longing for that position.

Zhu Gaochi was only born a little earlier than him, so why should this crown prince necessarily be Zhu Gaochi?

The success of the Jingnan Campaign was inseparable from his fierce battles on the battlefield and his numerous victories over generals and flags.

When Zhu Di was on the verge of death and his army was on the verge of defeat, it was he who turned the tide, defeated the Southern Army (the imperial army during the Jianwen era), and saved Zhu Di.

Before this, he was not favored by Zhu Di.

He would never forget the past, and he always remembered how Zhu Di treated him.

After returning to Beiping from Yingtian and launching the Jingnan Campaign, he was not a core figure at all, and Zhu Di would never have sought his help for anything.

The reason was that the troops behind him were short of manpower, so he led the army he had assembled, which numbered only three thousand.

These three thousand men were not elite troops; they were not the main force at all, and they had hardly any training.

But it was with these three thousand men that he repeatedly made great achievements on the battlefield, which made Zhu Di start to really value him.

Of his original three thousand men, only a few hundred remained after the battle; the rest had died.

Even so, immediately after the Jingnan Rebellion succeeded, Zhu Di put him in charge of the Three Guards and stationed troops in Kaiping. During this time, he once again dismantled his hundreds of old troops.

Later, the Imperial Observatory declared it inappropriate to send troops, thus extinguishing all his preparations for attacking the Tatars. He first went to Beiping, then returned to Yingtian, and his old troops were once again dismantled by Zhu Di.

Now, some of his former subordinates are far away from him, some have gradually drifted apart from him, and many have passed away in the past few years.

Although these people were all promoted, they followed him into battle and were left with many wounds. Most of them died from recurring injuries.

In fact, it wasn't just these people; many of Zhu Di's military officers during the Jingnan Rebellion died of illness in these years.

Zhu Gaochi actually knew what Zhu Di was planning, but when he returned to Yingtian, his power was no longer as strong as it had been when he entered Yingtian during the Jingnan Rebellion. Zhu Di had decimated his forces, and his old subordinates had died one after another.

He actually knew many times that Zhu Di was just making empty promises to him, but he could only believe it and was willing to believe it.

Now it will be very difficult for him to overturn the table. He wants to replicate the Xuanwu Gate Incident, but Zhu Di has already neutralized his military power and former subordinates.

He may look foolish, and he may seem like just a lowly soldier, but Zhu Gaoxu is well aware of his own situation.

As for Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaosui, Zhu Gaochi's hypocrisy and cunning made him particularly dislike, even disgusted.

He was aware that Zhu Gaosui was outwardly friendly but inwardly hostile, and that Zhu had his own agenda.

Looking at the whole family, only Xu Miaoyun truly cared for him, and he knew everything about it.

In this family, only Xu Miaoyun was considered family in his eyes.

The reason he was so determined to see Zhu Gaochi and enter the palace again was to see Zhu Gaochi's hypocrisy.

He hadn't planned to say these things, but Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help himself.

Because Zhu Gaochi's actions crossed his red line, he would never allow Zhu Gaochi to take advantage of his seriously ill mother.

Just now, Zhu Gaoxu really had the urge to strangle Zhu Gaochi, but he ultimately restrained himself.

At such close range, Zhu Gaoxu was absolutely certain that he could kill Zhu Gaochi with his bare hands in an instant.

Zhu Gaochi looked at Zhu Gaoxu, whose face was almost touching his own, and the smile on his face disappeared. He was even more surprised.

In his previous life during a peaceful era, he had no idea what a person's murderous intent could be like.

But just now, he clearly felt Zhu Gaoxu's immense oppressive force, a kind of oppressive force that came from the most primal and wildest sources.

Zhu Gaochi had a gut feeling that Zhu Gaoxu had genuinely wanted to kill him for a fleeting moment.

Especially for someone like Zhu Gaochi, who had fought his way through the battlefield, it seemed that he understood that killing intent could truly be materialized at a certain moment.

Zhu Gaochi took a deep breath, but did not move away from Zhu Gaoxu.

"Second brother, were you trying to kill me just now?"

Zhu Gaochi looked serious; he wanted to confirm his feelings just now.

Seeing Zhu Gaoxu's silence, Zhu Gaochi already understood.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaochi not only did not panic, nor did he have any thoughts about Zhu Gaoxu, but instead smiled.

Zhu Gaochi was very happy because he saw through him and recognized the real Zhu Gaoxu.

In this respect, Zhu Gaochi was particularly gratified.

The fact that Zhu Gaoxu acted so impulsively and even had murderous intent towards her just now precisely demonstrates Xu Miaoyun's position in Zhu Gaoxu's heart.

This further illustrates that although Zhu Gaochi was somewhat tyrannical, he was not truly so heartless.

The fact that he acted so impulsively for Xu Miaoyun speaks volumes about the true core of the matter.

This also made Zhu Gaochi marvel at the influence Xu Miaoyun had on them. All three brothers truly admired Xu Miaoyun.

The respect for Zhu Di stemmed primarily from his status as emperor.

Zhu Gaochi's smile grew wider under Zhu Gaoxu's puzzled gaze.

"Second brother, you should be glad you didn't do anything earlier, because I really can cure Mother."