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

Chapter 3: Did Lady Lü harm Zhu Biao's first wife and eldest son?

On the day Zhu Gaoxi turned one month old, Zhu Yuanzhang specially took him to the Eastern Palace.

The June sun shone through the clouds, its warmth comforting people.

Zhu Gaoxi lay in the stroller, which gave him a perfect view of Xu Miaojin's beautiful face.

No wonder her adoptive father was attracted to her; she's so beautiful at such a young age, even more so than her older sister. Her natural, unadorned beauty is breathtaking.

Before he transmigrated, he was a complete womanizer, having dated at least ten times and was already a seasoned veteran in the dating scene.

And this kind of pure and innocent girl is exactly what attracts his heart.

Sigh, just being attracted is useless; age gap and generational difference are real obstacles.

As soon as they entered the East Palace gate, a frail woman with two children came to greet them.

"The daughter-in-law respectfully welcomes her father, the emperor."

Upon seeing the orphan and widow, Zhu Yuanzhang instantly burst into tears, as countless memories related to Zhu Biao flooded his mind.

After Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yuntong helped Lady Lü to her feet, they came to Zhu Yuanzhang's side, one on each side.

This was the first time Zhu Gaoxi had seen Lady Lü. Her haggard appearance did not seem to be an act.

He had previously speculated that Lady Lü was a major villain, and that the reason Zhu Yunwen was so fat was entirely her doing.

Have we wrongly accused an innocent person?

Zhu Yunwen was not even a month old when his biological mother passed away, but now he's grown up to be quite robust, which is undoubtedly thanks to Lady Lü.

Zhu Yunwen's face was flushed, making it difficult to discern the grief of his father's recent death.

Zhu Yunwen, on the other hand, appeared emaciated and dejected; needless to say, his inner sorrow was already silently revealed.

Zhu Yuanzhang, feeling sorry for him, advised, "But Cheng Chunxiao, do you not think of me at all?"

Zhu Yunwen knelt on the ground and wept uncontrollably.

Zhu Yunwen just stood there dumbfounded, watching.

"Are you out of your mind? Why don't you kneel down too?!" Zhu Gaoxi was so anxious he wanted to kick him.

Xu Miaojin, being sensible, stepped forward and helped Zhu Yunwen up.

Perhaps it was this fleeting glimpse that left an indelible impression on Zhu Yunwen's mind.

By the time Zhu Gaoxi sensed something was amiss, it was already too late.

She could only secretly resolve to be more vigilant against Zhu Yunwen getting close to Xu Miaojin in the future.

Judging from Zhu Yuanzhang's expression, Zhu Yunwen's position as crown prince was almost a done deal.

"Grandpa, Mother said that Father has gone to heaven. I miss him very much. Can I go to heaven to see him?" Zhu Yunwen held his grandfather's hand, his eyes reddening.

This brat doesn't want to appear heartless; his biological parents are gone, and he's even more pitiful than Yunwen.

Zhu Yuanzhang squatted down and said gently, "Child, you can't go to heaven. You have to stay in the palace with your grandfather."

"Can I live in the Qianqing Palace like my younger brother?" Zhu Yunwen pointed to the baby carriage.

"Child, your younger brother is still small, how can you move in there?" Madam Lü hurriedly tried to dissuade her.

Zhu Gaoxi's interest suddenly piqued. Could it be that Lady Lü's true colors were about to be revealed?

"Why not?" Zhu Yuanzhang said loudly, "From today onwards, Yunzhi shall move to the Qianqing Palace."

Lady Lü did not try to stop him, and immediately knelt down to express her gratitude, thus preventing any further damage to the perfect impression she had of Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yunwen's face was still filled with sorrow.

"What does the third son want to do by moving into the Qianqing Palace?"

Zhu Gaoxi overheard Zhu Yunwen's innermost thoughts again.

This Zhu Yunwen is indeed not as pure and kind as he appears.

Upon returning to the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang dismissed everyone except Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Gaoxi.

"Child, tell your grandfather why you don't want to stay in the Eastern Palace?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked softly.

"My mother said that eating more would make me feel better if I couldn't see my father, but the more I eat, the more upset I feel. I don't want to keep eating day and night anymore. I want to talk to someone," Zhu Yunwen said, wiping away his tears.

Zhu Yuanzhang tenderly embraced him.

Zhu Gaoxi felt deeply moved and couldn't help but cry.

"Will you take care of your younger brother from now on?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

"Okay, I like my younger brother," Zhu Yunwen nodded repeatedly.

Then it was the same old routine: Zhu Gaoxi was held and breastfed by a wet nurse.

He's just a little sad, okay?

There's no way to communicate with these people; all they do is eat.

However, just as Zhu Gaoxi was in distress, the life extension system notification sounded again: "Satisfaction level has risen to 100, life can be extended for another year."

Zhu Gaoxi clicked immediately.

"Life has been successfully extended by one year, with two years remaining. Satisfaction level is now zero."

Having temporarily escaped the danger to his life, Zhu Gaoxi felt a great sense of relief and began to nurse with extra enthusiasm.

Consort Guo Ning, worried about disturbing Zhu Yuanzhang's rest, suggested taking Zhu Yunwen back to Jingren Palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang recalled the despair he felt when his parents died when he was a child, and he couldn't bear to let Zhu Yunwen leave the Qianqing Palace.

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen went to school as usual during the day and returned to Qianqing Palace to rest at night.

Although he was only one year younger than Zhu Yunwen, the difference in their academic levels was enormous. Zhu Yuanzhang quickly discovered this problem and summoned Confucian scholars such as Liu Sanwu and Zhang Xin to tutor him day and night.

Zhu Yuanzhang had a side hall specially set aside for Zhu Yunwen to live in, so that he could catch up on his studies at any time and it could also serve as his study.

Zhu Yunwen was raised by Lady Lü for fourteen years.

"It's been delayed for too long, and I can't catch up in a short time," Zhu Gaoxi sighed inwardly.

Unless he made up for three to five years in a row, but could Zhu Yuanzhang wait that long to establish an heir?

Even if he was confident in his health, his ministers would keep urging him on.

The position of crown prince is crucial to the foundation of the nation; without a solid foundation, the people's hearts will be unsettled.

For example, Zhu Jixi would be even more prone to wild fantasies.

The influence of the Prince of Jin among the northern border generals, coupled with the martial prowess of his father-in-law Fu Youde, was enough to make the imperial court uneasy.

Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to give Zhu Yunwen an opportunity to compete on equal footing with him.

I understand your feelings, but it's too difficult to achieve.

One was the legitimate son of the first wife, and the other was the legitimate son of the second wife.

Zhu Yuanzhang was caught in a dilemma.

If Lady Lü, as the mistress of the Eastern Palace, truly treated her two children equally, how could such a disparate outcome have occurred?

If there was no intentional favoritism, how could the difference between the two children be so obvious?

She came from a scholarly family; her father, Lü Ben, had served as Minister of Personnel, Minister of Rites, and Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

How could she not know the importance of studying hard?

Thinking hard.

Will a mother's impure thoughts affect her child?

I had never carefully examined Zhu Yunwen's studies before.

Ultimately, it's because he, as the grandfather, didn't care enough about the child.

Zhu Yuanzhang fell into deep thought.

Lady Lü managed the affairs of the Eastern Palace for fourteen years, and no one had ever doubted her sincerity before.

Zhu Biao's eldest son and Zhu Yuanzhang's eldest grandson, Zhu Xiong Ying, died of illness during this period at the young age of eight.

Is it possible that Lady Lü failed to take adequate care of the family in this matter?

In any case, Zhu Gaoxi knew that if Zhu Xiong Ying hadn't died young, Zhu Yunwen would never have had the chance to inherit the throne.

The fact that Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yuntong's academic achievements are so different now is hard to say if it wasn't due to Lady Lü's selfishness.