Ming Dynasty: Evolution from snake to national guardian beast

Chapter 2 Candidate for the Crown Prince?
  Then he rides his horse in pursuit until he catches the prey completely.

Zhu Di was quite interested at first, but as time went by, Yao Guangxiao seemed not to be interested in this matter, and Zhu Di stopped asking.

He waved his hand and asked the guards around him to retreat twenty steps away and looked at Zhu Di and his two men warily.

"Old monk, my father is now sixty-nine, but he still refuses to abdicate. Could it be that my father really wants to make Zhu Yunwen the emperor?"

Zhu Di looked depressed and had no idea what his father was thinking.

It is a very ridiculous thing in itself to hand over such a huge empire to a boy in his twenties.

Yao Guangxiao still had a smile on his face and asked:
  "Why do you ask if you already know?"

"Besides, even if the emperor wants to appoint a new crown prince, it won't be you. Why do you have to be the crown prince?"

Yao Guangxiao's words sounded like he was trying to persuade Zhu Di to give up the fight for the throne, giving people a feeling of being indifferent to fame and fortune.

But his next words stunned everyone.

"I have already told you to prepare yourself mentally in advance and don't take any chances with the emperor."

"With my power, I can help you ascend to the throne even if you are against the Holy One."

No one thought that this kind-hearted old monk would turn out to be the most extreme rebel.

From the day Yao Guangxiao followed Zhu Di, he often heard Zhu Di say that he wanted to rebel, usurp the throne, and unify the world.

However, Zhu Di never made a promise to Yao Guangxiao, but he was unwilling to confront his father head-on. This was what Zhu Di had always been most afraid of.

Putting aside whether he could defeat Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Di didn't want to see it just because of this.

Zhu Di has regarded Zhu Yuanzhang as his idol since he was a child, so Zhu Di cannot go against Zhu Yuanzhang until the last moment.

As usual, Zhu Di did not agree to Yao Guangxiao's request, but changed the topic:
  "I heard that my father's health is getting worse and worse, and his vision has become increasingly unclear these days. Do you want me to come to Beijing to visit my father?"

Yao Guangxiao looked at Zhu Di and frowned.

"Your Highness Prince Yan, I still say the same thing, you should give up on this idea!"

"No matter how filial you are, you can't be Zhu Yunwen's opponent. You'll be by his side every day."

"In the past two years, the general trend of the world has been determined. It is impossible for you and Prince Jin to ascend the throne."

"Your Majesty, please make preparations in advance, otherwise when Zhu Yunwen ascends the throne, he will not be as easy to deal with as the emperor."

The old Taoist saw Zhu Di's thoughts at a glance.

He didn't want to rebel, and he didn't want to be stigmatized.

Deep in Zhu Di's heart, he also hoped that Zhu Yuanzhang could canonize him as the crown prince, so that he could legitimately ascend to the throne of God.

Unfortunately, for the old monk, this was just a dream.

Zhu Yuanzhang was determined to cultivate Zhu Yunwen, so he did not hesitate to kill people in the court to pave the way for Zhu Yunwen.

He held a butcher's knife in his hand and swept through all the civil and military officials of the dynasty. Wasn't it to pave the way for Zhu Yunzhen?
  If Zhu Di and Zhu Fan ascended to the throne, would there be any need to kill so many ministers?

Regarding matters in Beijing, Zhu Di originally had no chance of ascending to the throne, but Zhu Di still had a glimmer of hope that Zhu Yuanzhang would change his mind and let him change his mind.

Yao Guangxiao was helpless about this. According to his opinion, the best way now is to accumulate strength and wait and see what happens.

Zhu Di did not speak, but slowly walked into the dense forest.

Yao Guangxiao shook his head, sighed, and left with Zhu Di.

They didn't know that behind them, there was a gaze staring at them closely.

Bai Chu hid in the woods and saw Zhu Di and Yao Guangxiao walking farther and farther away, becoming more and more excited as they walked.

"That's right. As long as I stay away from the crowd, I can find opportunities to shine!" Unconsciously, Zhu Di and Yao Guangxiao came to the deepest part of Xishan Villa.

There are huge trees all around, and their dense branches and leaves cover the sky. Only the weak sunlight shines down, leaving mottled traces on the ground.

The more Zhu Di thought about it, the more excited he became. He didn't realize that his bodyguard had disappeared from his sight.

"Do you know, old monk?"

"I, Zhu Di, really want to be the emperor, and I really admire my father."

"Then, of course I will ascend the throne and proclaim myself emperor, take over the position of the late emperor, and bring peace to the people of the world."

"I've met that bastard Zhu Yunwen once, but he doesn't have a good impression of our uncles."

"Our blood relationship is not even comparable to that of his master."

"But who did he study under? A bunch of pedantic people, are they qualified to talk about state affairs?"

"Leave Daming to him, sooner or later there will be problems."

For some reason, Zhu Di talked a lot. This was the first time he talked to Yao Guangxiao so much.

Yao Guangxiao's eyes flashed with joy and he struck while the iron was hot:

"In this case, the prince should go and take it."

Zhu Di sighed deeply, finally shook his head and said:

"I don't want the old man to think too much. If he knows that my uncle has taken away his nephew's position, he will not rest in peace until his death."

"Foolish!"

Yao Guangxiao said in a deep voice:

"Master, can you bear to watch all the people in the world be harmed by Zhu Yuanzhang?"

"What's more, even if the young master doesn't rebel, can Zhu Yunwen still spare the young master?"

"When the emperor appointed the king to guard the border, there were many people who wrote letters."

"After so many years, those scholars have regarded the prince and the princes as their enemies."

"Your Highness, you can't back down. This is a life-and-death battle. Once you lose, you will lose your life!"

It has to be said that this time Yao Guangxiao really went all out and wanted to incite Zhu Di to rebel.

Zhu Di kept telling him that Zhu Yunwen was a dangerous person, which made his ears tingle.

Zhu Di's expression changed, but he did not speak. He always felt that if he waited for a while, his father would change his mind.

Yao Guangxiao had a bitter look on his face, not knowing how to answer, and both of them fell into silence.

"That person should be wearing a python robe."

Bai Chu stood on a big tree not far from them and looked at the two of them.

He had already determined that the nearby guards were far away and would not appear here to interrupt his conferment ceremony.

But because of the identities of these people, he was still a little hesitant.

"This man has a majestic appearance, and every move he makes exudes an aura of calmness and self-reliance. At first glance, he is someone who is in a high position."

"From this point of view, this person is very suitable for me."

Thinking of this, Bai Chu's heart moved, and his huge body subconsciously curled up on a big tree.

(End of this chapter)