RPAGF Chapter 1430
Chapter 1430
"Seventeenth Brother, didn't you ever consider that this rebellion was quelled by our eldest grandson himself?"
Hearing his father proudly utter an answer he had never even considered, Zhu Quan's eyes widened in shock, his face filled with disbelief: "Your Majesty!? Father, are you talking about Zhu Yunwen, the one I know? He single-handedly quelled the chaos caused by veteran generals like Lan Yu?!"
Upon hearing this news, Zhu Quan naturally refused to believe it.
He and Zhu Yunwen were about the same age and studied together in the Dabentang. They were taught martial arts, horsemanship, and archery by the same teacher in the palace's training ground.
Doesn't he know Zhu Yunwen?
“No, Father. Back then, His Majesty and I learned horseback riding and archery together. He was too afraid to mount a horse when he was learning to ride, and he couldn’t even draw a beginner’s soft bow weighing over thirty pounds. As for weapons like swords, spears, and halberds, he wouldn’t even touch them and would just shake his head… This… this…”
He believed that the young man was cunning and intelligent, after all, he had been following his actions since his ascension to the throne, and it was true that he could quell Lan Yu's rebellion on his own...
No matter what Zhu Quan thought, he felt this was too surreal.
However, his argument only made Zhu Yuanzhang burst into laughter again: "Hahahaha! Seventeenth brother, you're wrong! Let me tell you, your nephew used to pretend to be a little lamb, but in reality, he's a wolf cub!"
He kept these things from Zhu Di, but he was unafraid to speak freely with Zhu Quan.
After all, Zhu Yuanzhang knew that Zhu Di had approached Zhu Quan openly and secretly more than once, including this recent invitation. However, his spies and eyes here did not see any unusual behavior from Zhu Quan. This showed that his youngest son was actually much more well-behaved than his fourth son. Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang was not afraid to say anything that might harm Zhu Yunwen.
"A little lamb?...A wolf cub??" Zhu Quan murmured, frowning in thought.
Zhu Yuanzhang then bluntly stated, "All along, he has been deceiving you, and he has been deceiving us! Back in the Qianqing Palace, we saw him pick up our dragon-headed bow and draw it to its full extent in one go! He shot an arrow that could pierce straight into the floor!"
After saying that, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with a satisfied look on his face, his mouth agape.
He was naturally overjoyed when this was mentioned.
The heir of the Zhu family, the current master of the Ming Dynasty, is someone with the same ability as himself to conquer the world. How wonderful! No matter how many times Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it, he would be happy for a long time.
Zhu Quan, already dumbfounded, was even more stunned, exclaiming in astonishment, "Your dragon-head hard bow?! Fully drawn?! That's a tiger-strength hard bow! Many people struggle to even draw it!"
Zhu Quan asked himself, "If I were to draw this thing at full strength, I would need to practice more. I'm still not quite there yet!"
Seeing Zhu Quan's disbelieving look, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and emphasized, "I saw it with my own eyes, there's no exaggeration!"
My own father has already put it this way.
Even if Zhu Quan didn't believe it, he had no choice but to believe it. He remained silent in surprise for a long time before saying somewhat awkwardly, "Hiss... This kid is really good at hiding things! He's really good at hiding things! I actually believed him when he looked like he couldn't even kill a chicken! But his martial arts skills are actually better than mine..."
As he said this, Zhu Quan couldn't help but feel a little unwilling.
It wasn't because Zhu Yunwen was unwilling to become emperor, but rather the competitive spirit of a young man at play—young people are ambitious. As a young prince, Zhu Quan led nearly 100,000 soldiers to guard the northern border, facing the remnants of the Yuan dynasty in the northern deserts. He repeatedly repelled the enemy, which can be described as heroic. He himself was naturally proud of himself.
But they're all the same age, and even Zhu Quan couldn't fully draw the bow, while that kid Zhu Yunwen could draw it to the limit... Damn! That's a bit infuriating.
Zhu Yuanzhang sat to the side, watching his somewhat vulnerable youngest son with great interest, and said slowly with his hands in his pockets, "That little wolf cub just loves to act."
Zhu Quan said angrily, "You can't act like this! I used to think he was a coward and quite pitiful, but in the end, I was the fool... It's not Zhu Yunwen... You can't lie like this!"
At this point, Zhu Yuanzhang's smile faded.
With a sigh of regret and guilt, she said, "Alas... it's not entirely the child's fault. He was born without a mother, and his situation was even more difficult in the Eastern Palace. He had no choice but to protect himself this way. It can be said that we didn't take good care of him."
He might complain, but he always felt guilty about it.
Zhu Quan was a child who grew up in the palace.
Of course, Zhu Yuanzhang understood the crux of the matter without needing to say much, and suddenly felt less angry: "So it was my sister-in-law... oh no, Lady Lü, right?"
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flashed with hatred. He narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "So it's no wonder that wicked woman also has to experience the fear of living in constant terror, living in darkness, and never seeing the end or the light."
Given his temperament, it wouldn't have been an exaggeration for Lady Lü to have him torn to pieces, skinned alive, and dismembered.
However, he later understood his grandson's true intention: to make a person lose all hope and live in pain is sometimes a much more severe punishment than killing a person—according to his grandson, this is called killing someone by destroying their spirit!
Not only that, his eldest grandson can also present a kind and benevolent image in public...
Zhu Quan nodded thoughtfully, no longer bothering to compare and compete with Zhu Yunwen, and said with some emotion, "If that's the case, then His Majesty's life in the past was indeed bitter."
Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath and said, "Fortunately, this child has made it through his own abilities. He has made it to the Qianqing Palace, to the Fengtian Hall, and to the dragon throne. He has a resolute character."
Now that the matter was in the past, Zhu Yuanzhang was certainly not one to dwell on things. Looking back, he saw the present: "Not to mention a woman like Lady Lü in the inner palace, he could even handle those arrogant and fierce generals who had fought all their lives!"
After saying that, he showed a relieved and fortunate expression.
Zhu Quan also came to his senses, remembered this matter, and frowned as he asked, "So even if that brat Zhu Yunwen... Your Majesty... he can draw a fully drawn bow, but Lan Yu and the other dukes and nobles are all formidable on their own. This time, they all attacked him together and incited so many elite troops. This can't be quelled by just drawing a fully drawn bow, can it? Your Majesty... how did he manage to do it?"
When asked about it, Zhu Quan's face was full of curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, but he still felt that the whole thing was a bit too far-fetched.
He already has a lot of practical experience leading troops in battles on this border. Even if he considers himself to be exceptionally capable, he wouldn't dare to think he could handle such a situation—theoretically speaking, it's impossible!
"Father, tell me quickly, tell me quickly!" Zhu Quan urged impatiently.
Faced with Zhu Quan's urging, Zhu Yuanzhang spread his hands helplessly and could only tell the truth: "To tell you the truth, we don't really know how he dealt with Lan Yu and his group of arrogant and fierce generals, as well as other elite troops."