My father, Zhu Di, was granted a second life by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Chapter 105 The King of Shu Requests a Fiefdom

With no need to deal with memorials, Zhu Gaoxi was free of worries. He and Zhu Yuexi, the heir apparent of the Prince of Shu, hit it off immediately and considered each other confidants. He wanted to discuss the cotton cloth shop with him, so he sent Li Hui with a handwritten invitation to sincerely invite him to the Prince of Wu's residence for a chat.

Just as Yu Youdun returned to the Prince's Mansion, they almost bumped into Xu Jingyan, who was rushing towards them.

Upon seeing Zhu Gaoxi, her eyes lit up as if she had just eaten the sweetest lychee. She grabbed Zhu Gaoxi's hand and strode inside aggressively, pointing as she went, "Uncle, two."

Just as Zhu Gaoxi was wondering, Mu Ang walked towards him, bowed and greeted him, "Young Prince, Heir Apparent."

Previously, Zhu Gaoxi had encountered Mu Ang twice from a distance in the palace, but never this close.

With thick eyebrows and large eyes, a robust physique, a powerful and resolute gait, and an imposing and awe-inspiring presence, he exudes confidence and power.

He was slightly more robust than Zhu Gaoxu, and his speech and demeanor were steady. He seemed far more reliable than Zhu Gaoxu. No wonder the old emperor sent him here, Zhu Gaoxi thought to himself.

"Brother, thank you for your trouble," Zhu Gaoxi said with a beaming smile.

Mu Ying was the old emperor's adopted son, and his son was naturally of the same generation as Zhu Gaoxi.

Mu Ang made an expression that he didn't deserve it.

"Uncle, Uncle!" Xu Jingyan called out loudly, jumping and skipping as Mu Ang tried to carry him.

This marriage has completely messed up the generations, Zhu Gaoxi laughed self-deprecatingly.

Zhu Gaoxu came out upon hearing the noise and asked anxiously, "Fourth brother, how is Guan Tong? Was he not...?"

He swallowed the rest of his sentence when he saw Mu Ang was there.

Zhu Gaoxi knew he was worried about Guan Tong's safety, "Don't worry, Second Brother, General Guan went to the Henan Military Command, it was Grandfather's order."

"That's good," Zhu Gaoxu said with a relaxed grin, trying to force a smile, but it looked extremely unnatural and awkward.

Zhu Gaoxi knew that his second brother, who appeared careless, was actually extremely sensitive. Zhu Yunwen's reckless arrest of him would surely hurt his brother's pride.

As fellow imperial grandsons, why is Zhu Yunwen so arrogant and disdainful of everyone?

He didn't respect anyone and showed no respect whatsoever. Zhu Gaoxu was seething inside, but he was disliked by his grandfather and had no way to complain. He was just waiting for his fourth son to come back so he could pour out his grievances to him.

Zhu Yunwen ran to the Prince of Wu's residence and did whatever he wanted. Is there no law anymore?

Just because he is the crown prince, does the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty" have no binding force on him at all?

Zhu Gaoxu felt that this was not the case.

Just as he was about to pull the fourth prince to a secluded spot to complain, a dashing young man suddenly darted out from the side, walked up to Zhu Gaoxi with a grin, and bowed, saying, "Mu Xin greets the young prince and the heir apparent."

"Uncle," Xu Jingyan struggled out of Mu Ang's arms and rushed towards Mu Xin.

Mu Xue's younger brother, born of the same parents, is only twelve years old. He is handsome, sunny, and has an outstanding appearance.

No wonder he could become a prince consort; it turns out it was because of his good looks.

Historically, Mu Xin was the consort of Princess Changning, the fifth daughter of Zhu Di.

Zhu Gaoxi smiled and gestured for support, then asked in surprise, "When did Mu Xin return to the capital?"

"He sneaked back, his older brother must be worried sick," Mu Ang explained with a smile.

After Mu Ying passed away, his eldest son Mu Chun inherited the title of Marquis of Xiping and became the head of the family. If Mu Chun found out, Mu Xin would probably not be able to return to the capital.

Upon hearing this, Mu Xin made a face, took Xu Jingyan's hand, and asked very seriously, "You can't tell your mother about seeing your uncle, understand?"

"How could this be kept secret?" Zhu Gaoxi chuckled and winked at You Dun.

Zhu Youdun understood immediately. He left the group and quickly went to his study to write a letter to Mu Chun. At the same time, he sent someone to the Duke of Wei's mansion to inform Mu Xue.

Xu Jingyan nodded very seriously, "Don't worry, Uncle, I will definitely keep it a secret."

Everyone was amused.

Ji Gang and his men were guarding the gate of the Prince's Mansion. Although Mu Ang had brought his men, he had no intention of disrupting the original arrangements of the Prince's Mansion and allowed Zhu Gaoxu to arrange for Wu Liang and Ji Gang to take turns guarding the gate.

Seeing that Mu Ang was so understanding and considerate, Zhu Gaoxi was grateful and naturally wanted to treat him with great hospitality.

"I feel a special connection with Mu Xin. Let her stay at the Prince's Mansion from now on. Jing Yan will definitely be very happy," Zhu Gaoxi reciprocated, arranging a secure place for Mu Xin to live.

"Hurry up and thank the young prince," Mu Ang turned and nudged his younger brother.

Mu Xin thanked him with joy, then picked up Jing Yan and went out to play.

"Jie Jin is a man of great talent and profound learning. Let Mu Xin study under him," Zhu Gaoxi said, looking at Zhu Gaoxu and Mu Ang. "Let the two of you take charge of Mu Xin learning kung fu."

Mu Ang was deeply moved by the King of Wu's thoughtful consideration, and his admiration for him deepened even further.

As everyone was chatting happily, Li Hui came in from outside, walked to Zhu Gaoxi's side, and stood respectfully behind him.

Zhu Gaoxi glanced at the doorway and his heart sank. Zhu Yuexi's refusal to come over was clearly an attempt to avoid suspicion and prevent him from offending the Crown Prince.

Seeing that Zhu Gaoxi's expression had changed, Mu Ang made an excuse to go for a walk and then bowed to take his leave.

Zhu Gaoxu had a lot of grievances to say, but seeing that his fourth brother was preoccupied, he knew that now was not the time to complain, so he also went out. He met Zhu Youdun at the door and silently pointed at Zhu Gaoxi.

Zhu Youdun dismissed the palace servants who were attending him.

"Li Hui stayed," Zhu Gaoxi said calmly.

Zhu Youdun knew that the more the King of Wu pretended to be nonchalant, the more he cared.

Once only three people remained in the room, Zhu Gaoxi got up and walked towards the secret chamber.

Once inside, Zhu Gaoxi asked coldly, "What did you say?"

"The Crown Prince said that he will return to his fiefdom early tomorrow morning. He has many things to pack and needs to go to the palace to bid farewell to His Majesty. He cannot come to say goodbye to the Prince," Li Hui said in a low voice.

Zhu Gaoxi nodded after hearing this, and Li Hui then withdrew.

Inside the secret room, only Zhu Gaoxi and Zhu Youdun remained.

"Was the matter of Guan Tong orchestrated by Li Jinglong? Have the secret guards investigate thoroughly," Zhu Gaoxi said in a deep voice.

"When the Crown Prince heard that Yu Xin had given you the results of the Ministry of Revenue's discussion, he immediately became anxious. Regardless of whether Li Jinglong had secretly instigated it, he would take action," Zhu Youdun told Zhu Gaoxi the latest news that Yishiha had found out.

"Who from the Ministry of Revenue told the Crown Prince?" Zhu Gaoxi pressed.

"Brother, you may have forgotten, but Zhuo Jing is the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue," Zhu Youdun gently reminded him.

Zhu Gaoxi remained silent, his anger making his thoughts somewhat chaotic; he needed to clear his head as soon as possible.

"Uncle Eleven is playing it safe and doesn't want to get involved in the succession struggle, so he's not helping either side," Zhu Youdun analyzed.

"He kept Fang Xiaoru behind. Grandfather asked Fang Xiaoru to draft an edict to build the Wu Prince's Palace in Wu County," Zhu Gaoxi said with a cold smile. "Given his temperament, he would definitely refuse to comply even at the cost of his life."

"If he doesn't comply, Grandpa won't let him enter the Hanlin Academy."

There was no need for Fang Xiaoru to draft this edict. Since his grandfather had given such an order, there must be a deeper meaning behind it. Zhu Youdun judged that his grandfather did not want Fang Xiaoru to stay in the capital, so he resorted to this drastic measure.

Without a formal official position, what reason did Fang Xiaoru have to stay in the capital for an extended period?

Zhu Gaoxi nodded slightly, "Then let's wait and see, and have the guards hold off for now."