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

Chapter 106 Fang Xiaoru argues forcefully, greatly disturbing the old emperor.

Zhu Gaoxi left the secret room and sent Li Hui back to the palace. He put the sweet potato seedlings into a wooden box and took two printers with him to deliver to Zhu Chun and his son.

Just as he sat down and was about to drink a cup of hot milk, Zhu Gaoxu rushed in from outside. He walked up to Zhu Gaoxi and whispered, "Mu Xin is too much of a troublemaker. You have to tell your grandfather about his return to the capital first, otherwise you'll have to take responsibility for any trouble he gets into."

Zhu Gaoxi smiled and asked Zhu Gaoxu to sit down. "What you say is true, Second Brother. I will tell Grandfather as soon as I return to the palace."

"Second brother, please take good care of Mu Xin these days and keep a close eye on him so he doesn't sneak out to play," Zhu Gaoxi paused and then said, "If he's really feeling restless, second brother can accompany him around the palace and chat with him about Brother Muchun."

Zhu Gaoxu curled his lip, "Bringing his brother out might not work. He's like a raw horse, full of inexhaustible energy, I don't know what to do with it, he can't stay still for a moment anyway."

"Then don't let him be idle. Help him hone his skills and study with him," Zhu Gaoxi said, unable to help but chuckle.

"What? You dare to laugh at your second brother?" Zhu Gaoxu laughed sheepishly.

There was no way around it; reading was his natural weakness. He would get a headache just looking at a book, and he would fall asleep as soon as he picked one up to read.

Zhu Gaoxi hoped that Zhu Gaoxu could get along well with the brothers Mu Ang and Mu Xin.

Historically, Prince Min, Zhu Pian, had a very strained relationship with the Mu family in Yunnan. After Mu Sheng inherited the title of Marquis of Xiping, he reported Prince Min's illegal activities to Emperor Jianwen, and was therefore deposed.

During the Yongle era, after Zhu Pian regained his title, he remained at odds with Mu Sheng. Mu Sheng exposed him for "unauthorizedly collecting official seals and killing officials and civilians," and he was deposed again.

After Zhu Gaochi ascended the throne, he moved the capital to Wugang.

After Zhu Di appointed his crown prince, he enfeoffed Zhu Gaoxu to Yunnan. However, Zhu Gaoxu refused to go to his fiefdom and complained bitterly, "What crime have I committed to deserve being banished thousands of miles away!"

He insisted on staying in the capital and competing with Zhu Gaochi for the throne, ultimately ending up in a tragic state.

The power of the Mu family needs to be restrained. A prince should be sent to Yunnan to guard it. Zhu Gaochi is brave and good at fighting, so he is quite suitable.

Zhu Gaoxi hoped to persuade his second brother to face reality and prevent the tragedy from happening again.

Only by maintaining a good relationship with the Mu family can one firmly establish oneself in Yunnan. Zhu Gaoxi thought to himself, "I hope my second brother can take this step steadily, open up a new world, and achieve a bright future."

Zhu Gaoxi deliberately lingered at the Prince's residence until very late before returning to the palace to avoid running into Zhu Chun and his son, which would have been extremely awkward for both of them.

First, go to the Qianqing Palace to report Mu Xin's arrival in Beijing to the old emperor.

Upon hearing this, the old emperor laughed and scolded, "That brat Mu Xin has quite the nerve. Let him stay in your palace for now. Once Mu Chun receives the letter, he'll have a way to deal with him."

Fang Xiaoru righteously refused to draft the edict and went to the Qianqing Palace, intending to have a good talk with the old emperor, but he found nothing.

The old emperor had anticipated this and had fled early on.

Zhu Gaoxi didn't know whether Fang Xiaoru had already earned the title of "seed of scholars" by this time. In any case, the old emperor was very afraid of him and never confronted him directly. If he couldn't avoid it, he would politely decline.

Unable to persuade Fang Xiaoru, and unable to defy the old emperor, the Crown Prince Zhu Yunwen had no choice but to have Huang Zicheng draft the edict on his behalf.

His every word and action was disciplined and proper, and his demeanor was dignified and serious, even somewhat rigid. This was roughly Zhu Gaoxi's impression of Fang Xiaoru.

Perhaps, his entire being has become one with etiquette and rules.

He demands others to meet the standards he follows, and if they don't listen, he persists and persuades them with reason.

He wasn't a bad person, just a bit stubborn and naive. He didn't understand the hardships of farming and couldn't realize that others had many things to do, unlike him who had a halo around his head and made a living by teaching and debating.

Zhu Gaoxi could not understand his logic, let alone appreciate it.

But you can't afford to offend him, so you can only avoid him or secretly use some dirty tricks to deal with him.

As long as he doesn't nag in my ear, everything is fine. Zhu Gaoxi always had this urge whenever he saw Fang Xiaoru blocking the entrance to the Qianqing Palace.

It is said that after being hired as the tutor of the Crown Prince of Shu, Fang Xiaoru would always speak eloquently and passionately about morality whenever he met Zhu Yuexuan.

Zhu Yuexuan's temperament was truly gentle; he could endure all of this, which Zhu Gaoxi deeply admired.

If it were him, he would have exploded long ago.

This well-mannered scholar is quite a headache.

His tireless spirit made Zhu Gaoxi feel like he had no will to live.

Zhu Gaoxi sometimes felt that Fang Xiaoru wanted to devour him alive.

In Fang Xiaoru's view, as long as the King of Wu disappeared completely, the world would be at peace; it would be best if the King of Wu's biological father, the Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, also vanished from the face of the earth, so that the Crown Prince's biggest threat would be completely eliminated.

For the Crown Prince, this vision was simply perfect.

To show his respect, Zhu Chun, the Prince of Shu, specially named the residence where Fang Xiaoru studied "Zhengxue".

This "orthodox scholar" went to the Qianqing Palace every day without fear of trouble, which annoyed Zhu Gaoxi so much that he just wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.

Zhu Gaoxi asked Youdun: How can I politely send Fang Xiaoru away from the capital?

But Zhu Youdun had a different way of thinking and asked in return, "He's just a bookworm, why let him go? His presence by the Crown Prince's side will increase our chances of winning. What if the Crown Prince favors Zhuo Jing after he leaves? Zhuo Jing has plenty of ways to deal with us."

Upon hearing these words, Zhu Gaoxi was suddenly enlightened, realizing his previous narrow-mindedness.

"Brother is truly remarkable; his wisdom and strategies are far superior," Zhu Gaoxi flattered obsequiously.

"My brother was just in a hurry," Zhu Youdun said modestly, unconcerned.

"Grandpa is determined not to use him and is thinking of other ways to send Fang Xiaoru out of the capital," Zhu Gaoxi's eyes flickered. "After listening to my brother's advice, I think it would be better to let him stay. Why don't we go and persuade Grandpa?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youdun's lips curled into a mischievous smile. He reached out and gave Zhu Gaoxi a high five, and then the two brothers walked hand in hand into the Qianqing Palace.

The two grandsons, without prior arrangement, quoted classical texts to discuss the importance of treating scholars with respect, which greatly surprised the old emperor.

Has the sun risen in the west?

How could they speak up for Fang Xiaoru?

Can't you see that Fang Xiaoru wants to kill them?

These are our two smartest grandsons, surely they can see through this?

"Spit it out, stop beating around the bush!"

They kept repeating the same things over and over again until my ears were practically calloused. The old emperor hadn't been this uncivilized in a long time; it was purely because of those two that he was so angry.

You're putting on an act in front of us, thinking we can't see how much malice you two have in your hearts?

Without tangible benefits, would you speak up for Fang Xiaoru?

Don't try to fool us. The "senile old man" part refers to others; we're perfectly clear-headed.

"Grandpa, there's no need to personally confront Fang Xiaoru. Why don't we let Xie Jin spar with him? They're both eloquent and persuasive. Let them debate it out in the Hanlin Academy first. Don't let them run to the Qianqing Palace all the time, acting like they're ready to die for their cause, trying to tarnish your reputation. They're up to no good. Grandpa, don't pay any attention to them. Leave it to Xie Jin."

Zhu Gaoxi observed the changes in the old emperor's expression and secretly pondered his thoughts before answering.