Chapter 78 No choice
Zhu Zhiying is indeed suspicious.

But Zhu Chengwu knew his elder brother, Crown Prince Zhu Chengye, better about his style of doing things.

When the prince was young, he often relied on his status as the eldest son and the prince to bully and oppress his brothers like Zhu Chengwu.

The reason why Zhu Chengwu met Gao Yao when he was 7 years old was because Zhu Chengwu was also avoiding the prince's embarrassment at that time.

The prince's actions made him feel satisfied psychologically for a while.

But the result was that nine times out of ten, Zhu Chengwu and his brothers used various means to expose the truth to King Ming.

The prince was also punished a lot for this.

If it weren't for the fact that the prince's biological mother, the first queen of the current Ming King, had a deep affection for the current Ming King when she was alive, which made the Ming King love her and her family, and gave the prince more tolerance for mistakes, the prince's position as crown prince would probably have been abolished long ago.

But no matter how much affection you have, it will eventually run out.

The prince is really lucky.

Before he exhausted the love that Ming Wang had for his biological mother, he met a master.

I don’t know how that expert persuaded me or what he did!

It actually made the prince gradually "turn over a new leaf".

From then on, the prince no longer took pleasure in bullying his brothers and sisters.

Instead, he lived in seclusion in the Prince's Mansion!

For a period of time, Zhu Chengwu and his brothers and sisters could only see the prince from time to time during festivals or when he was summoned to the palace.

And even if they did, the prince no longer bullied or played tricks on them. Instead, he began to care about their living conditions from time to time!

No one knows why the prince has undergone such a drastic change.

Everyone can only guess!
Some people speculated that the prince was possessed by evil spirits!

Of course, this is just a rumor.

Some people speculated that the prince had been "possessed"!

This is even more nonsense among the people.

After all, the prince is protected by the destiny of the Ming Dynasty and is under the watchful eyes of the Ming King, so how could he be "possessed"?

Some people also speculated that the prince was keeping a low profile, winning back the trust of the Ming king, and waiting for the Ming king to pass away after a hundred years so that he could take over the throne smoothly.

This statement has been recognized by most people.

After all, because of the prince's previous behavior, the prince did not have a good impression in the eyes of King Ming.

As the prince lived in seclusion, King Ming actually began to care about him.

And he never expressed any intention or wish to replace the crown prince.

Over the past decade, the prince has been living in seclusion, seemingly waiting wholeheartedly for the king to return and pass on the throne, and he has been extremely law-abiding.

Now that Prince Ming is unwell, Zhao Yugang was able to discover it through Queen Zhao. Zhu Chengwu doesn't believe that the Crown Prince won't discover it at all.

After all, the prince is, to some extent, the person whom King Ming trusts the most.

Moreover, with the tacit approval of Prince Ming and the Grand Chamber of Imperial Clan Affairs, the current Prince's Mansion has considerable strength and influence.

After being a daughter-in-law for many years, it seems that she will eventually become a mother-in-law!

Zhu Chengwu didn't believe that the prince would change his usual way of doing things at this time, and create trouble by sending people to assassinate him!
Even if the prince was "stupid" for a while, Zhu Chengwu believed that the counselors and the master around the prince would not let the prince do anything "stupid".

Zhu Chengwu didn't even think that Zhu Zhiying's deliberate lateness at the wedding was instructed by the prince.

Zhu Chengwu just felt that it was Zhu Zhiying's own decision!

As the saying goes, the person who knows you best is often your opponent.

The prince is the biggest rival of all those who aspire to that position.

As for the crown prince, all those who aspire to that position will investigate and study him.

The same goes for Zhu Chengwu!
It can be said that in the entire Ming Dynasty, there were few people who understood the prince better than Zhu Chengwu.

Including the prince himself and his father, King Ming.

Because Zhu Chengwu had the memories and knowledge of his previous life, he was able to classify and summarize some of the prince's behaviors through scientific methods, and thus infer the prince's character and put a "label" on him.

Here with Zhu Chengwu.

Among the prince’s biggest labels are words like “stable”, “low-key” and “conservative”.

Zhu Chengwu didn't believe that such a prince would take the risk of sending people to Xuzhou City to carry out an assassination, especially at this critical time.

Because what you get and what you pay, the cost and the benefit are not proportional at all.

Although Zhu Chengwu seems to be very powerful and has his eyes on that position, he has the support of the powerful Zhao family behind him!
But others may not understand!
How could Zhu Chengwu, who has lived two lives and has experienced the era of information explosion in his previous life, not understand?

He was both successful and unlucky because of the Zhao family.

The Zhao family is now under one clan.

King Ming and Zhu clan members would not support Zhu Chengwu, who had such a high Zhao influence, to ascend to the throne.

In other words, as long as nothing goes terribly wrong!

The crown prince’s succession to the throne is almost certain!
The Crown Prince should also be aware of the attitude towards the King of Ming and the Da Zongzhengyuan.

Therefore, Zhu Chengwu felt that this assassination incident was most likely not related to the prince.

In fact, if Zhu Chengwu had not been destined to stand with the Zhao family and to make a move towards that position from the moment he came out of Zhao Yushan's belly.

Zhu Chengwu really didn't want to regard the Crown Prince Zhu Chengye, who had the support of the Ming King and the Dazongzhengyuan and whose succession to the throne was almost certain, as his opponent.

This is too difficult!

To ascend the throne and become the next wise king.

This generation of Ming Wang and the Da Zongzhengyuan are the referees who make the final decision.

When the referee stands behind the opponent, how should this PK be played?
This is Zhu Chengwu's previous life of playing 5 vs 8 in basketball, and the e-sports advantage of disconnecting from the Internet and restarting...

If he had a choice, Zhu Chengwu would like to be a leisurely prince who devoted himself to martial arts.

It not only satisfied Zhu Chengwu's expectations of "high rises and lows" and "revenge and satisfaction" in his previous life, but also without all the intrigue!

Still safe!
But Zhu Chengwu had no choice!

Even though his father, King Ming, treated Zhu Chengwu well and obtained for him the magical manual "Tiangang Tongzi Kung Fu" and the rare treasure "Fire Lotus", and granted Zhu Chengwu the fertile land of Xuzhou, it was the same as before, so that Zhu Chengwu did not have to worry about martial arts resources!
The experience gained from the information explosion in the previous life told Zhu Chengwu that a new emperor chooses new ministers!

Tell Zhu Chengwu that even if he has the intention to rebel, it is still a crime to have the ability to rebel!
The reason why King Ming can tolerate the Zhao family now is because of decades of trust between the monarch and his subjects, and because of Queen Zhao and her children.

He was able to tolerate Zhu Chengwu because he was his valued and beloved legitimate son.

But, after a new king came to the throne, could the new king still tolerate Zhao and Zhu Chengwu?

Zhu Chengwu, like Zhao, is now actually at the edge of a cliff where he can only advance but not retreat.

If I keep to myself and abide by the law, I will become a fish on the chopping board of others!
Entrust your life to the tolerance and broad-mindedness of others.

This is not Zhu Chengwu's style.

Zhu Chengwu’s own safety can only be in Zhu Chengwu’s own hands.

Even if the road is difficult!
Even if this path would disappoint King Ming, who was good to Zhu Chengwu.

Zhu Chengwu was willing to do anything! After all, the premise for Ming Wang to treat Zhu Chengwu well was that Zhu Chengwu would quietly accept the title, practice martial arts quietly, strive to become a master, and become the foundation of the Zhu family.

Instead of competing with the crown prince for the throne and causing internal turmoil in the Zhu family.

Perhaps in the eyes of King Ming, as long as Zhu Chengwu works hard, he will be able to protect himself after becoming a master!
But more than 300 years of Ming Dynasty history told Zhu Chengwu that as long as the Ming King wanted and was willing to pay the price, the Grand Master was not safe.

Just like the evil cult that was destroyed by the Da Zong Zheng Yuan, the palace masters, the Jinyiwei, the Liushenmen, and the military.

Doesn’t the Demon Cult have a Grand Master?
There are two grandmasters in one evil sect!

Isn’t the Demon Cult’s Grandmaster powerful?
Dugu Sheng, the leader of the Demon Cult at that time, was recognized as the top master in the world!

But it was still destroyed by the Zhu Dynasty!
All this is just because the Demon Cult has ideas about Zhu's country and people.

And what about Zhu Chengwu?
From the moment he came out of Queen Zhao's belly, everyone regarded him as a strong contender for the throne.

This has nothing to do with Zhu Chengwu’s own will!

It only has to do with the court situation at that time.

It is related to Zhao’s status and planning.

The education Zhu Chengwu received later and Zhao's actions also proved that those people were not wrong.

Faced with Zhu Chengwu, who was born and grew up with great expectations and had a group of people standing behind him, which newly enthroned king could trust Zhu Chengwu?

Such is the situation!

Such is the trend!

Such is fate!

Zhu Chengwu can only advance, not retreat!

You can only fight, you can't not fight!

Even if King Ming is very good to Zhu Chengwu!
Even though Zhu Chengwu is psychologically closer to the Ming King!
Same thing!
However, once he competes with the crown prince for the throne, the two referees, the current Ming Wang and the Da Zongzhengyuan, will be the first difficulties that Zhu Chengwu has to consider.

Therefore, after Zhu Chengwu came of age, King Ming arranged for Zhu Chengwu to be enthroned. Zhu Chengwu ignored the opposition of Zhao and Queen Zhao and came to Xuzhou honestly and peacefully to be enthroned.

Perhaps in the eyes of Queen Zhao and the Zhao family, it would be even more difficult to compete for the position of crown prince if they left the capital!

But in Zhu Chengwu's view, leaving the capital is the real way out.

After leaving the capital, he was granted the title of Xuzhou. Although it was far away from the political center, it could make King Ming and the Dazongzhengyuan feel a little relieved, giving them the illusion that Zhu Chengwu might live his life according to their plan.

This can buy Zhu Chengwu a lot of time for development.

Zhu Chengwu never thought that the current power of the Zhao family alone could push him to the throne.

If the Zhao family really had this power, they would not be called the inferior clan!

The Ming Dynasty is no longer named after Zhu.

Zhu Chengwu's plan was to first become a master, and then compete with the crown prince as the legitimate son of King Ming and a master of martial arts.

Only with the identity of the Zhu clan's master, could Zhu Chengwu prevent the Ming King and the Da Zongzhengyuan from completely leaning towards the crown prince on the issue of succession.

As for why he didn't practice in the capital and become a master?
The capital is too close to the prince!
Would the prince or the master beside him just watch Zhu Chengwu practice smoothly?

Even with the support of King Ming and Queen Zhao, the Prince's Mansion cannot take direct action.

But the Prince's Mansion has plenty of ways to find a reason to interrupt Zhu Chengwu's practice progress.

A small banquet every three days, a big banquet every five days...

The prince who cares about his "real brother" will not let anyone say anything bad about him!

This was Zhu Chengwu’s actual experience for a period of time after he obtained the “Fire Lotus” and his cultivation progress increased dramatically.

The Prince's Mansion and its subordinate forces secretly have all kinds of wine, meat, and stunning beauties specially tailored for Zhu Chengwu, constantly testing Zhu Chengwu's male instincts!
This almost made Zhu Chengwu fail!
Knowing that he was just an ordinary person and unable to withstand the increasingly intense "test", Zhu Chengwu finally had to pretend to be sick and stay away from banquets at the Prince's Mansion and his close forces.

When he saw the prince, Zhu Chengwu could only stay away from him.

Fear it like a snake or scorpion!
After all, all those feasting, drinking and feasting, and stunning beauties were all done in secret, and Zhu Chengwu couldn't find any evidence against them!
And even if he caught something on him, the prince could easily explain it off by saying that he cared too much about his "brothers" and caused them to misunderstand him.

Perhaps, there will be many people who think that the prince and his brother have deep affection for each other and Zhu Chengwu is ungrateful, and that this is an over-interpretation!

Only by staying away from the vortex of the capital and the Prince's Mansion, where the sky is high and the Prince is far away, can Zhu Chengwu get real time to practice and develop.

Zhu Chengwu still doesn't know who is the mastermind behind this assassination.

Zhu Chengwu didn't know whether Zhu Zhiying was involved.

But directing the fire toward the prince was definitely the work of his grandfather Zhao Yuguang.

"Continue to pay attention to the development of the incident. The Fu'an Marquisate will fully cooperate with my grandfather!"

In the end, Zhu Chengwu gave Xia Yu this order.

Although Zhu Chengwu guessed that this assassination incident was most likely unrelated to the prince.

But his grandfather Zhao Yuguang's actions were consistent with Zhu Chengwu's interests, so Zhu Chengwu was naturally willing to cooperate.

Of course, Zhu Chengwu himself will not show up.

Zhu Chengwu’s primary goal now is to recover from his injuries and achieve a breakthrough in “Innate Gangqi” and “Fire Palm” to perfection.

After all, this world is a world of martial arts.

Martial arts is Zhu Chengwu's greatest reliance for survival and his fight for the throne.

Zhu Chengwu has been reminding himself not to confuse the primary with the secondary! Don't confuse your own strength with the help of others!

"Yes! Mr. Hou!"

With Zhu Chengwu fully cooperating with Lord Zhao's orders, Xia Yu knew what she should do next.

Although the Fu'an Marquis's Mansion has a surprising amount of Zhao, Xia Yu and many other people still follow Zhu Chengwu's lead.'

If they don't cooperate, it will be impossible for the Fu'an Marquis Mansion to mobilize all its strength relying solely on the people in the Fu'an Marquis Mansion who include Zhao Liang.

Just as Zhu Chengwu ordered the Fu'an Marquisate to fully cooperate with Zhao Yuguang's actions, in a secret place, some people were thinking about the possible impact that Zhao Yuguang's actions might have on them.

Thinking about whether they should stop and hinder Zhao Yuguang?

Or should we go with the flow and help Zhao Yuguang?
Or you can just sit back and wait for things to develop.

"I think we can't let Zhao Yugang, this treacherous villain, carry out his conspiracy so easily and smoothly!"

"Yuxiang, I think we can go with the flow and help Zhao Yugang get the prince involved!

When the time comes, the prince will definitely not sit still and wait for death!
Although the Zhao family is strong, the prince has been in the position of prince for more than twenty years. How could he not have power and authority in his hands!

The head-on collision between the Queen's Zhao family and the Crown Prince's Mansion will surely be a spectacular sight!

Ming Wang, you will definitely feel very happy! "

As she spoke, the woman in black silk clothes showed crazy pleasure in her eyes.

"Sister Qin Yu, but this will only give Zhao Yugang, the executioner, an advantage!
What if that villain Zhao Yuguang’s plan succeeds?
In that case, even if we kill that villain Zhao Yuguang, it won’t be considered true revenge!
Only by completely defeating the Zhao family, destroying the Zhao family, and destroying the Zhao family that Zhao Yugang cares about the most, can we truly comfort Pinglang's spirit in heaven!"

The woman in white cloth who spoke first obviously disagreed with the opinion of the woman in black silk, and her tone revealed obvious reluctance.

Zhu, King Ming, and the woman in white hate!
However, what the woman in white hated most was Zhao Yuguang, who had chopped off the head of her childhood sweetheart and fiancé with his own hands.

(End of this chapter)