17: Chapter 17 What do you really want?

He did not look at Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong, who was kneeling before the spirit tablet, nor did he pay any attention to the Huaixi Nobility behind him, all of whom were trembling like chaff in the wind.

He walked down the steps one step at a time, passing Jiang Wan and Chang Sheng, and finally stopped in front of Imperial Grandson Zhu Yunwen, who was already so terrified that he was streaming with tears and snot.

Zhu Yuanzhang reached out his calloused hands and gently patted Imperial Grandson Zhu Yunwen's pale cheeks.

"Yunwen."

He spoke, his voice not loud, and even somewhat gentle.

"Tell The Emperor, are you afraid?"

Imperial Grandson Zhu Yunwen shuddered all over, his lips trembling. He could not utter a single word, only nodding desperately.

"Being afraid is correct." Zhu Yuanzhang withdrew his hand, his gaze shifting to the pale-faced Lady Lu. "For a man of our Zhu family, to flee without fighting when the enemy is at the gates—you should be afraid."

He turned around and pointed at Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong, who was kneeling straight. "Look at him again. Your good Third Imperial Prince—he killed my Imperial Guard Commander, tied up my Grand Imperial Heir, and brought troops to block the entrance of my mausoleum. Yet, he seems to have no idea how to write the word 'fear'."

"Yunwen, tell me, which of you two is more like my own seed?"

These words were louder than any slap, striking hard across the faces of Imperial Grandson Zhu Yunwen and Lady Lu.

Lady Lu's body trembled violently, and Imperial Grandson Zhu Yunwen was so ashamed and furious that he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into right then and there.

General Feng Sheng and the others kneeling on the ground didn't even dare to raise their heads.

The Emperor was truly disappointed in Imperial Grandson Zhu Yunwen!

Just when everyone thought The Emperor might change his mind and favor Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong, Zhu Yuanzhang slowly walked toward Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong and spoke indifferently, his voice carrying a trace of reminiscence, as if chatting about daily life.

"When your father was alive, the one he worried about the most was you."

"He said Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong had a quiet nature, like his mother, and did not like to compete with others."

"He also asked me to find you a prosperous fief later on, so you could live a peaceful life."

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong remained kneeling without speaking, just listening quietly, like a junior receiving a lecture from an elder.

"But now, looking at you..."

Zhu Yuanzhang stopped there and suddenly gave a light laugh, the warmth and reminiscence vanishing without a trace.

"It is not that you do not like to compete."

"You are clearly the person in this world who is best at competing."

The moment his words fell, the hearts of the Huaixi Nobility tightened again. What was this old Zhu doing? What was he really thinking?

The grandfather and grandson, one standing and one kneeling, met each other's gaze in the air, as if sparks of electricity were flashing between them.

"Tell me..."

Zhu Yuanzhang leaned forward slightly, and a terrifying, sharp light suddenly burst forth from his cloudy, aged eyes. He enunciated every word, his voice not loud, but as heavy as Mount Tai: "What, exactly, do you want?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the wind stopped. General Feng Sheng, General Fu Youde, and the others kneeling on the ground even forgot to breathe, feeling a chill down the back of their necks.

This was a death trap of a question!

Say you want the empire? That would be treason, an act of rebellion, giving Zhu Yuanzhang a perfectly legitimate reason to execute them all on the spot, without even needing to fabricate charges.

Say you don't want anything? Then was the blood shed this night spilled in vain? Had this desperate gamble of killing their way through the Imperial City become a farcical comedy? Would The Emperor believe it? If he did, would he let you go? An imperial grandson capable of stirring up such a storm claiming to have no ambition was more alarming to Zhu Yuanzhang than simply saying he wanted to be Emperor.

In an instant, everyone's gaze focused on the youth kneeling before Empress Ma's spirit tablet.

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong felt his heart tighten at these words. This old man—he was truly a ruthless character who started with nothing but a bowl.

Taking a deep breath, he met Zhu Yuanzhang's terrifying gaze and slowly stood up from the ground.

"I want to sit on that throne."

His voice was calm, as if stating the most ordinary fact.

Yet, these plain words caused the hearts of all those kneeling to jump violently.

General Feng Sheng and the others subconsciously buried their heads even lower, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire of The Emperor's fury.

This Third Imperial Prince really dared to say anything!

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes; the wrinkles at their corners hid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He did not get angry, but instead looked at his grandson with great interest, like an old lion scrutinizing a cub that had just bared its fangs.

"This world belongs to the Zhu family. You are also my grandson; it is not strange that you want that throne." Zhu Yuanzhang's tone even carried a hint of amusement. "But that chair—not just anyone who wants to sit on it can. You, on what basis?"

"On the basis that I am more ruthless than Imperial Grandson Zhu Yunwen." Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong answered without hesitation. "And more like you than he is."

As soon as these words were spoken, Jiang Wan, kneeling on the ground, shuddered and nearly fainted. It's over, it's over. This Third Imperial Prince really didn't fear death. Was he praising himself, or was he insulting The Emperor?

The smile on Zhu Yuanzhang's face faded.

"Like me?" He repeated these two words, his voice devoid of joy or anger.

"Yes, like you." Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong took a step forward, the madness seeping from his bones no longer concealed. "You went from a beggar to the founding Emperor; you didn't rely on benevolence and righteousness, but on the blade, on killing."

"In order to pave the way for Imperial Grandson Zhu Yunwen, you could, without hesitation, execute General Lan Yu, General Fu Youde, and General Feng Sheng—those old brothers who followed you to conquer the world. This ruthlessness, your grandson admires."

"But you, you are old."

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong's voice suddenly deepened, like an awl, stabbing fiercely into Zhu Yuanzhang's heart.

"You are afraid."

"You killed meritorious officials to pave the way for a soft-hearted coward who cannot hold onto the empire. You kept Duke of Cao, whom all the civil officials in the court despise, yet you did not know that he could open the Xuanwu Gate for your grandson at the critical moment. You imprisoned your grandson in the Eastern Palace, treating me like a useless person, yet you did not expect that your grandson, in just one night, could turn your capital upside down."

"The Emperor, if you hand this empire over to Imperial Grandson Zhu Yunwen, within three years, it will surely be in chaos. By then, there will be the remnants of Northern Yuan eyeing us like tigers from the outside, and on the inside, the vassal kings will grow too powerful to control. In the imperial court, the civil official factions will be fighting among themselves, and the military nobility will be alienated."

"Is that kind of mess what you want?"

With every sentence Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong spoke, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression grew uglier.

When Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong finished the last word, Zhu Yuanzhang's face, covered in age spots, was so gloomy it could drip water.

Within the mausoleum, the atmosphere was tense, like the sound of wind and cranes.

The nobility kneeling on the ground felt their breathing almost stop.

What had they just heard?

A fifteen-year-old youth was standing in front of the founding Emperor, pointing at his nose, telling him he was old, telling him he was wrong, telling him he couldn't judge people, and telling him he governed poorly.

Just destroy everything; their little hearts really couldn't take it anymore. The Huaixi Nobility kneeling on the ground only hoped Zhu Yuanzhang would kill them with one sword stroke right now. The two of them were singing a duet, and even King Yama, looking at the pile of names flickering on the Book of Life and Death, would be completely baffled.

"Well said."

After a long while, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly spoke. He actually smiled, but that smile was uglier than crying.

"That was truly damn well said."

He walked step by step, slowly returning to the steps, and sat down again. His aura collapsed, and he looked just like a lonely, widowed old farmer from the fields.

"In my life, I have fought countless battles and killed countless people." He brushed the dust off his knees and looked toward the distant mausoleum of Crown Prince Zhu Biao, a rare trace of loneliness revealing itself in his eyes. "The civil and military officials of the whole court see me as they would see King Yama. Only my Biao'er dared to tell me the truth..."