35: Chapter 35 Are you crazy? You call the emperor Zhu Chongba?

The underfloor heating in the Qianqing Palace was burning more intensely than in the Eastern Palace, filling the room with warmth and sweeping away the chill of the night.

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong had been tossing and turning all night without a drop of water or a grain of rice, and by now, his stomach was already growling.

He did not stand on ceremony; seeing a plate of jujube paste cakes on a low table beside the imperial desk—the snacks Zhu Yuanzhang usually ate to stave off hunger—he walked straight over, picked one up, and popped it into his mouth.

The sweet, sticky texture melted on his tongue, and he finished the first piece in a few bites before reaching for a second.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood not far away, watching this grandson who was both familiar and strange to him.

Under the lamplight, the profile of Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong looked remarkably like Crown Prince Zhu Biao, but that devil-may-care attitude—as if he wouldn't mind even if the sky fell—reminded him of another grandson: his eldest grandson, Zhu Xiongying, who at six years old dared to follow him into the military camp to rough it and would drool at the sight of a whole roasted lamb.

Back then, that child would also barge into his study so casually and grab pastries to eat.

In the blink of an eye, more than a decade had passed.

A flash of daze crossed Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, quickly covered by a complex array of emotions.

He walked over and sat in the chair opposite Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong, waiting until the boy had polished off nearly half the plate of pastries and gulped down a large cup of water to wash them down before speaking in a hoarse voice.

"Do you blame Us?"

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong was holding his teacup; hearing this, he didn't even lift his eyelids and mumbled, "No."

Zhu Yuanzhang was somewhat surprised. He could tell the boy was telling the truth; that sense of composure did not seem feigned.

"Why?"

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong set down his teacup, let out a burp, and only then looked up at Zhu Yuanzhang, answering as a matter of course, "Grandfather is the Emperor."

These five words made Zhu Yuanzhang fall silent. Only the faint crackling of the burning candles remained in the hall.

Indeed, We are the Emperor. As the Emperor, one cannot simply be a husband, a father, or a grandfather to one person. This dragon throne is built upon kinship, morality, and the bones of countless others.

"Being the Emperor," Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong added, as if he knew what he was thinking, "is also being a grandfather."

In Zhu Yuanzhang's cloudy eyes, a spark of genuine interest finally flickered.

Let alone his grandsons, even his own sons were trembling with fear whenever they saw him, not daring to breathe too loudly.

After Crown Prince Zhu Biao passed away, no one in this palace dared to speak to him like that anymore.

"You are not afraid of Us?"

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, his smile carrying the cunning of a youth. "I fear the Hongwu Emperor, but I do not fear Grandfather Zhu Chongba."

"Pfft—"

Eunuch Wang Fu had just refilled Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong's water; upon hearing the name "Zhu Chongba," his hand trembled, and the scalding tea poured directly onto the back of his hand. He winced in pain, baring his teeth, but dared not make a sound.

This little ancestor was truly daring!

In the entire world, who dared to address the reigning Son of Heaven by his given name? This was a capital offense!

Unexpectedly, rather than flying into a royal rage, Zhu Yuanzhang was first stunned, then his chest heaved violently, and he burst into loud laughter.

"Hahahaha... Good! Well said!"

The laughter echoed in the spacious hall, carrying a long-lost sense of relief and liberation.

"We are the Emperor, but also Zhu Chongba! We are your grandfather!" Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong, laughing until tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.

After a long while, the laughter subsided, and he gradually calmed down, re-examining the grandson before him. That gaze was finally no longer the scrutiny of a monarch toward a subject, but carried the warmth of true family.

"Then let Us chat with you as Zhu Chongba." Zhu Yuanzhang leaned back to make himself more comfortable. "Yuntong, tell Grandfather the truth: do you really want that position?"

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong rubbed his chin and thought about it very seriously.

"I want it, but also not so much."

"Oh? How so?" Zhu Yuanzhang became interested.

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong gulped down another mouthful of tea and slumped into the chair, looking like a salted fish. "Being the Emperor is too tiring. You wake up earlier than a rooster and sleep later than a dog, and there's not a single day off all year round. Endless memorials to review, endless work to do—just thinking about it gives me a headache. I'm still young and haven't enjoyed life properly yet."

The smile on Zhu Yuanzhang's face froze instantly. He had been quite pleased, thinking the boy had ambition like him! But upon hearing the second half, he almost couldn't catch his breath.

"Cough... cough cough!" Zhu Yuanzhang was so angered that he began to cough violently, his old face turning beet red.

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong hurried forward a few steps, patting his back to help him breathe while muttering, "Grandfather, you must hold on. Live a few more years. You carry the burden of this empire for now, and I'll play for a few more years."

Eunuch Wang Fu, listening from the side, was terrified and wished he could find a pillar to bash his head against right then and there.

It took quite a while for Zhu Yuanzhang to catch his breath. He drank some water to soothe his throat, pointed at Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong, and was unable to speak for a long time, finally letting out a long sigh.

What a disaster!

He finally understood: this boy was a rascal!

"Enough, let's not talk about this." Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, too lazy to argue with him, and returned to serious business. "That group led by General Lan Yu—how do you think they should be dealt with? Leading troops to storm the palace is tantamount to treason. This cannot be settled by eighty military canings."

"As long as you don't kill them, anything goes." Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong answered crisply.

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes and snorted coldly, "If I don't kill them, I can at least kill Jiang Wan, right? That traitorous wretch!"

Outside the door, Jiang Wan, who had been kneeling silently in the darkness, heard this, and his whole body collapsed to the ground, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong shook his head. "I'm afraid that won't do either. I promised him I would ensure the safety of him and his family."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him deeply and did not persist. He spoke faintly toward the darkness outside the palace door, "Did you hear that? The Third Imperial Prince is protecting you."

A series of dull thuds of kowtowing sounded from outside the door.

"Since that is the case," Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was devoid of emotion, "you shall work under the Third Imperial Prince."

"Your subject... obeys! Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace! Thank you, Third Imperial Prince, for your grace!" Jiang Wan's voice carried the ecstatic joy of someone who had just escaped death.

He knew he had bet correctly. From an imperial hunting dog who could be liquidated at any moment, he had transformed into a loyal subject of the new regime. This deal was worth it!

The Third Imperial Prince is a man of his word!

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong did not speak again; he knew this was Zhu Yuanzhang's way of indirectly handing the command of the Embroidered Uniform Guard over to him.

That night, the grandfather and grandson chatted a lot in the Qianqing Palace. From the northern border defense to the southern pirates, from the partisan strife in the imperial court to the farming in the fields.

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong's wild, unconventional ideas repeatedly challenged Zhu Yuanzhang's inherent perceptions. Meanwhile, the imperial statecraft and experience in governing that Zhu Yuanzhang had summarized from a sea of corpses and blood also benefited Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong greatly.

When the sky turned a fish-belly white, Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong finally walked out of the Qianqing Palace, yawning.

Eunuch Wang Fu followed behind, looking at the youth's slightly thin but upright back, and recalling the heart-pounding conversation in the hall last night, he was filled with deep emotion.