Zhu Di: My fourth son is a great emperor of all time?

Chapter 51 Was the third brother killed by the fourth brother?
The confidence that Zhu Gaosui had shown earlier was gone from his face.

He clearly stated that he was the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

How could he have died so inexplicably in the northern desert?

What exactly was Esen doing? How come Zhu Qizhen was able to return to the Ming Dynasty safely, but when it came to him, he inexplicably died on the way?

As long as he can return to the Ming Dynasty, the throne will be his no matter what.

Why should the fourth brother compete with him?

Seeing Zhu Gaosui's gloomy face, Zhu Gaoxu, who was standing next to him, exclaimed with delight, "Third brother, so you didn't become emperor after all!"

Although it was very touching when the third brother helped him get revenge.

However, Zhu Gaochi still didn't really want to see his third son become emperor.

It could even be said that of all his brothers, he least wanted to see his third brother become emperor.

When I first heard that Zhu Gaosui had become emperor, I was genuinely afraid that he would be a better ruler than I was.

Unexpectedly, the third prince's title of emperor was entirely empty.

As for Zhu Gaosui, he naturally knew what the second prince was laughing at. His face immediately fell, and he said defiantly, "Is it funny? Since Tianmu said I became emperor, that proves I'm not dead at all!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu immediately suppressed his laughter.

Although he had bullied the third brother since childhood, he was genuinely afraid that Zhu Gaosui would suddenly go mad.

"The capture of Esen alive and his return to the capital restored the prestige of the Ming Dynasty. Not only did the Mongol steppes reconquer the Ming, but the Japanese pirates at sea and the southern border regions of Jiaozhi were also deterred."

"In the words of Zhu Gaoshuo, who had not yet ascended the throne, 'A single punch can ward off a hundred punches,' and the tense situation around the Ming Dynasty was eased because of this battle."

"This battle brought Zhu Gaoshuo's prestige to its peak, and ultimately, with the support of the people, Zhu Gaoshuo ascended the throne as emperor, with the reign title Yongxi!"

Upon ascending the throne, Zhu Gaoshuo immediately removed Emperor Jianwen, Zhu Yunwen, from the imperial genealogy. Thus, Zhu Di became the second emperor of the Ming Dynasty in line to the throne. Even disregarding the objections of his ministers, he intended to install Prince Zhao, Zhu Gaosui, as emperor before his own coronation, a move that effectively silenced public criticism.

[Emperor Yongxi was far too cautious. He was clearly the only option for the Ming Dynasty at the time, yet he insisted on making Zhu Gaosui emperor. I wonder why?]
[Who knows? I've studied this part of history too. It seems that Emperor Yongxi, Zhu Gaoshuo, later took special care of Zhu Gaosui's wife and children!]
These words stunned Zhu Gaoxu, who looked at the third brother beside him in disbelief: "You always target the fourth brother, why is he so nice to you?"

I, Zhu Gaosui, was rendered speechless by the rebuttal.

He originally intended to hurl insults at the fourth brother.

Why did they steal his emperor?

If he hadn't personally led the campaign against the Oirats, he could have returned safely and become emperor.

Surprisingly, he was posthumously honored as an emperor.

It's absolutely hilarious.

At this moment, Zhu Gaosui would rather not be the emperor.

He was completely unaware of the change in Zhu Gaoxu's gaze beside him.

Zhu Gaoxu then made up his mind to improve his relationship with the fourth prince.

"Since the fourth brother likes gold beans, I'll give him a lot more!"

Meanwhile, Zhu Di, alone in his tent, was very satisfied with Zhu Gaoshuo's reign title.

The reign title was Yongxi.

Isn't that just respecting Yongle?

The character '熙' actually means brightness, prosperity, and harmony.

His ideas are actually quite similar to those of the Yongle Emperor; both aimed to ensure that the people could live and work in peace and contentment.

At this moment, Zhu Di's feelings were very complicated.

Although I knew all along that the fourth prince would eventually become emperor no matter what.

But seeing the fourth son in line to inherit, he still felt a pang of regret.
With the new emperor ascending the throne, he hoped that his fourth son could become the monarch who would usher in a long period of peace and prosperity.

The country has now experienced turmoil, and considerable turmoil at that. The Ming Dynasty now needs its army.

He had already made up his mind, so he decided to let the fourth prince ascend the throne.

Whether someone is a legitimate son or not is obviously unimportant compared to the Ming Dynasty.

Thinking of the reign title Yongxi, Zhu Di couldn't help but praise Zhu Gaoshuo for his filial piety.

"Luckily, that bastard third son died at the hands of the Mongols, otherwise, given the fourth son's personality, he might really have given the throne to the third son!"

Zhu Di smiled helplessly.

I wondered if the fourth brother had been frightened by the blood oath he took that day.

The third brother always felt that the fourth brother had stolen his mother's love, and he always targeted him. But the fourth brother seemed to have no temper at all.

The more Zhu Di thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

How could the fourth prince, who could become one of the greatest emperors in history and lead his troops to victory in every battle, be so merciful and not use any harsh methods?

Considering what Esen had said earlier, the Oirat really had no reason to kill the third prince.

Zhu Di's eyes widened suddenly, then he stood up and exclaimed in horror, "Could it be that the fourth prince killed the third prince?"

Was he taking care of the third son's wife and children out of guilt?
Once such a thought surfaced in his mind, he could no longer calm down.

When Zhu Qizhen returned, Zhu Qiyu also wanted to kill him.

Clearly, the one who most wanted to kill the third brother was the fourth brother.

The fourth prince was in such a hurry to lead his troops to the northern desert to kill the third prince; the Oirat Mongols were merely an afterthought.

"The third brother is quite useful."

Zhu Di smiled and stroked his beard. If it weren't for his third son, perhaps his fourth son wouldn't have made the decision to fight the Mongols.

The main problem is that not long after his failed northern expedition, the fourth prince has already returned.

Then no one will remember the failure of Emperor Yongle.

If the fourth prince had not attacked the Oirat Mongols, the scholars and common people would have blamed him for all the poverty they faced in their lives.

As the saying goes, if this matter continues to be remembered, he will truly become a tyrannical ruler like Zhu Qizhen.

Zhu Di was not angry at all because Zhu Gaoshuo had taken action against Zhu Gaosui.

On the contrary, this only strengthened his resolve to support the fourth prince's ascension to the throne.

Thinking of this, Zhu Di became restless. He wanted to immediately send someone to bring the fourth prince back and then send him back to the capital.

The fourth prince cannot be brought to this battle; he is the hope of the Ming Dynasty.

at the same time.

Zhu Gaoshuo led eight hundred cavalry on a thousand-mile raid and had long since left the territory of the Ming Dynasty, so he could not receive any orders from Zhu Di.

The Mongols at this time were very different from those during Huo Qubing's time; they were well aware of the Han people's fighting habits.

They also understood that the most unbearable thing for Han Chinese armies marching on the grasslands was the extremely unpredictable weather.

The temperature difference between day and night is extreme; it can be suffocatingly hot in the morning, but can drop to freezing point at night.

Zhu Gaoshuo naturally understood this, so he did not carry baggage to slow down the pace, but instead used the war to sustain the war effort and seize the Mongols' food and supplies.

Of course, just in case of extreme conditions, Zhu Gaoshuo also brought along people who specialize in surveying groundwater for this trip.

Moreover, it was learned from the captured Mongolians that they were also very curious about the Sky Curtain.

After all, no one can resist curiosity about the future.

Zhu Gaoshuo understood very well that the problem of the grasslands had to be resolved as soon as possible, otherwise it would be like raising a tiger to cause trouble, which would be detrimental to the development of the Ming Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)