Volume 1, Chapter 21: A Benevolent Monarch? Rubbish! Just a Mediocre Ruler!

Jiang Lin fixed his gaze on Zhu Biao’s increasingly ghastly expression and offered a cryptic smile.

“Your Highness, are you aware that your son is exceptionally skilled at stripping the feudal lords of their power?”

“He adopted a strategy of targeting the weak before the strong, but all that achieved was alerting the prey. By the time he turned his attention to the powerful princes, they were already well-prepared.”

Zhu Biao’s face darkened as he listened. “???”

This… he calls this being skilled at stripping feudal power? His son is truly a ‘talent’! Is he really his own flesh and blood? How did he fail to inherit even a shred of intelligence? At that moment, Zhu Biao could not help but fall into deep doubt.

Jiang Lin did not intend to let Zhu Biao off the hook so easily. He looked at him and continued, “Oh, by the way, Your Highness, I recall you mentioning earlier that Zhu Yunwen was a benevolent monarch? Would you like to know what he actually did while stripping those lords of their power?”

Before Zhu Biao could respond, Zhu Yuanzhang, standing to the side, frowned and urged, “Speak quickly! Stop beating around the bush!”

“As you wish, Your Majesty!” Jiang Lin nodded and recounted to the old Emperor: “According to historical records, the Princes of Zhou, Dai, and Min were all demoted to commoners, while the Prince of Qi was placed under house arrest.”

“The most tragic of them all was undoubtedly the Prince of Xiang, Zhu Bo. To prove his innocence to Zhu Yunwen, he was driven to such desperation that he set fire to his own palace, mounted his horse, and charged into the inferno to burn to death.”

“What?!” Zhu Yuanzhang exclaimed, his face instantly turning as black as the bottom of a pot.

“That… that utter scoundrel!”

“The Prince of Xiang was his own uncle! To force him to commit suicide by fire—how could he be so cold-blooded?”

“What exactly did I do wrong to have such a rebellious and degenerate grandson?”

Jiang Lin continued, “Zhu Yunwen deemed the Prince of Xiang’s actions a disgrace to imperial authority, and posthumously branded him with the title ‘Li’—meaning cruel and wicked.”

At these words, the entire room fell into a deathly silence, so quiet that even the sound of shallow breathing vanished. Zhu Yuanzhang felt a profound sense of powerlessness, his eyes filled with despair. His son had died young, his grandson had died young, and this other grandson—was he really such a beast?

Just then, Zhu Biao questioned Jiang Lin, “Brother Jiang, you mentioned just now that the Prince of Xiang burned himself to prove his innocence. What exactly was he trying to prove?”

“The Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, had once sent envoys to contact Zhu Bo, and later, someone falsely accused him of plotting rebellion…”

“Rebellion? You mean my fourth brother…” Zhu Biao stared at Jiang Lin, asking for confirmation.

Jiang Lin nodded without denial. “That is correct. At the time, Zhu Yunwen used border defense as a pretext to transfer away the Prince of Yan’s elite troops, preparing to eliminate him.”

“The Prince of Yan then raised his troops under the banner of ‘Clearing the Emperor’s side and resolving internal crises.’ Relying on a mere eight hundred guards, he started from Beiping and fought his way into Yingtian Prefecture in just four years…”

“Wait, wait, wait! Starting with only eight hundred guards, and it only took four years??” Zhu Biao was instantly stunned. He did not know whether to feel proud of his fourth brother’s valor or furious at his own son’s incompetence.

Zhu Yuanzhang cursed aloud, “Is that the point?!”

“The point is… that scoundrel actually rebelled?”

“I was already gone by then, and Biao’er and the Empress were gone too. That fourth uncle was an elder to Yunwen.”

“Even if Yunwen performed poorly, even if he had a thousand faults, shouldn't he have been counseled and guided toward a better path, rather than having his throne snatched away?”

“Return to the palace! We are going to settle the score with that brat, the fourth one, right now, and teach him a lesson he won't forget!”

With that, Zhu Yuanzhang turned and made to walk out of the room. Seeing this, Zhu Biao quickly stepped forward to block him. “Father, please don't be impulsive.”

“Although I also feel resentment that my fourth brother rebelled and seized my son’s throne, to be honest, I cannot truly blame him. He was forced into it.”

“Several uncles had already paid a heavy price. Do you honestly think the fourth brother had any ability to change Yunwen?”

These words caused Zhu Yuanzhang to gradually calm down, his eyes turning dim and weary. Indeed. Beyond rebellion, it seemed the Prince of Yan had been left with no other choice but death. The weaker feudal lords had already been imprisoned or demoted to commoners. If a powerful prince with a massive army like Zhu Di had simply surrendered, what would his end have been? Zhu Yuanzhang dared not imagine.

Jiang Lin sighed and shook his head. “The Prince of Yan was merely making a desperate gamble.”

“In truth, he had no confidence and believed he had little chance of success!”

“After all, the Prince of Ning and the Prince of Liao, who held significant military power at the time, were originally Zhu Yunwen’s men. They were on his side, yet he pushed them straight into the arms of the Prince of Yan.”

“That idiot! He’s going to be the death of me!” Zhu Yuanzhang gritted his teeth, cursing in a rage. He began to fall into self-doubt—had he truly become so senile in his old age that he had chosen such a person as the heir to the Great Ming?

Zhu Biao quickly stepped forward to pat Zhu Yuanzhang’s back, helping him catch his breath, and urged, “Father, calm your anger. Yunwen was misled by the fools around him!”

Jiang Lin subconsciously rolled his eyes and retorted righteously, “The people around him only share a portion of the responsibility. Zhu Yunwen was a born idiot.”

“First, during the war, he actually reduced taxes in the south, which left the national treasury empty and the frontline soldiers disgruntled!”

“Second, although Your Majesty eliminated the old generals led by Lan Yu in your later years, you still left behind many capable young generals for Zhu Yunwen. Yet, this fellow chose to employ Li Jinglong.”

“Li Jinglong’s performance was abysmal. Not only did he fail to stop the Yan army’s advance, but he was also repeatedly defeated by them.”

“In the end, when Yingtian Prefecture was breached, Li Jinglong voluntarily surrendered to the Prince of Yan, Zhu Di.”

“Calling someone who does all this a ‘mediocre monarch’ is me being generous to you all!”

“A complete fool! A total donkey!”

“My Great Ming was nearly destroyed! It almost suffered the same fate as the Qin and Sui dynasties, perishing in the second generation!”

Upon hearing of Zhu Yunwen’s actions, the old Emperor was so enraged he began to curse wildly. Finally, overcome by the fury, his vision went dark, and he fainted on the spot.

Zhu Biao reacted instantly, catching his father to prevent him from hitting the ground. Empress Ma and Zhu Yourong also rushed over, their faces filled with worry.

Seeing this, Jiang Lin was startled. *It’s over! I’ve caused a massive disaster! I was just running my mouth!*

Initially, Jiang Lin had only wanted to annoy the old Emperor—after all, they were the ones disrupting his peaceful life as a lazy loafer. He never expected this to happen. If he had truly scared the old Emperor into illness or, worse, death, wouldn't he become a sinner of history?

“Your Majesty, are… are you alright?”

“I knew I shouldn’t have told you all this!”

“What are you afraid of, boy? Do you think I’m that fragile in your eyes?” Zhu Yuanzhang smiled, his gaze toward Jiang Lin carrying a hint of appreciation. *Unexpectedly! This kid isn't afraid of me?* Apart from Zhu Biao and Empress Ma, no one dared to speak to him like that anymore.

Zhu Yuanzhang’s emotions gradually settled. He turned to look at Zhu Biao and said slowly, “Biao’er, only by leaving the world of Great Ming to you and Xiong Ying can I truly be at peace…”