The Butterfly Effect Brought About by the Prince of Xiang

Above the sky, Zhu Dijun's voice became extremely heavy.

It's a kind of oppressive feeling unique to telling tragedies.

"Zhu Bai, the Prince of Xiang, was the twelfth son of Emperor Taizu Gao."

"Unlike other feudal lords who were fond of martial arts, he was proficient in calligraphy and painting, treated scholars with respect, and had an excellent reputation in his fiefdom."

"However, in the eyes of Emperor Jianwen and his 'wise ministers,' any prince with the surname Zhu and who had troops was a potential threat and had to be eliminated."

The scene changes.

Inside the secluded palace, flames soared into the sky!

The raging flames dyed half of the night sky red.

A figure dressed in a prince's python robe stood amidst the sea of ​​fire.

He didn't struggle, he didn't cry for help, he just calmly straightened his clothes, and then, with his family, resolutely walked into the raging flames that devoured everything.

It was none other than Zhu Bai, the Prince of Xiang!

Outside the Prince's Mansion were soldiers sent by Emperor Jianwen, armed with swords and spears, who surrounded the entire mansion, coldly watching this human tragedy unfold.

This scene left countless people across time and space feeling breathless.

Especially Zhu Yuanzhang in the eleventh year of the Hongwu reign.

He looked at his son who had perished in the fire, his still somewhat blurred, young face overlapping with the resolute figure in the flames.

His heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand!

"Bai'er..."

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was so hoarse it was unrecognizable.

He could accept his son dying on the battlefield.

He could accept his son dying on his bed.

But he couldn't accept that his own son had been driven to the point of his entire family committing suicide by his own grandson!

What utter despair!

"You bastard...you bastard!!"

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his fist into the golden dragon pillar beside him, and the solid pillar made a dull thud!

His eyes were no longer crimson, but a deathly gray-white that burned with black flames!

Above the sky, Zhu Dijun's voice was like a cold wind from the deepest hell.

"Family members, do you think that driving your own uncle to suicide is the limit?"

"No!"

"What's even more outrageous is what follows!"

"After the death of Prince Xiang, Zhu Bai, what did the Jianwen Emperor's court do to cover up their tyranny and to carry out the 'just' policy of reducing the power of the princes to the end?"

"They gave this prince, who was forced to immolate himself, a posthumous title!"

On the sky, a huge, insulting black letter appeared.

【戾】！

"Rage!"

Zhu Dijun's voice was deliberate and clear, each word distinct.

The Book of Posthumous Titles states: "One who does not repent of his past mistakes is called 'li'; one who does not consider accepting his mistakes is called 'li'; one who knows his mistakes but does not correct them is called 'li'!"

"This is an utterly despicable posthumous title!"

"The Jianwen Emperor and his court, through this posthumous title, clearly told the whole world—"

"Prince Zhu Bai of Xiang deserved to die!"

"He's an unrepentant sinner who defies the court! He deserves to die!"

boom!!!

This sentence was like setting off a powder keg!

Inside the Hongwu Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang could no longer suppress his emotions and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood!

"puff--"

Blood stained his dragon robe.

He pointed to the sky, his body trembling violently. In his eyes, which had witnessed countless deaths and bloodshed, was an unprecedented grief and regret!

"My...good grandson..."

"You...you're trying to uproot the Zhu family!!"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao, his face pale, rushed forward to support the swaying Zhu Yuanzhang, tears streaming down his face.

"Father! Father, please calm your anger!"

He couldn't imagine how his usually kind and filial son, Yunwen, could become so cold and heartless in the future!

Inside the main hall, all the military generals and nobles—Xu Da, Li Wenzhong, Lan Yu, Mu Ying…

They all lowered their heads.

But their fists were clenched tightly.

They saw their own future reflected in the fate of the King of Xiang today.

An indescribable chill spread through their hearts.

If even the emperor's own uncle and son can be treated like this, what are these meritorious officials from other clans?

"Don't forget, Zhu Bai grew up in the Nanjing Palace at the same time as Zhu Yunwen, and they were very close until the latter was enfeoffed. He was Zhu Yunwen's twelfth uncle. Yet, even such a twelfth uncle was forced to his death. What will others think of you, Zhu Yunwen?"

When the rabbit dies, the fox grieves!

The first year of the Jianwen reign.

The entire hall was deathly silent.

Zhu Yunwen slumped on the dragon throne, his whole body ice-cold.

Looking at the character "戾" (li) on the sky, he felt as if his soul had been emptied out.

"No...that's not how it is..."

He muttered to himself.

"I...I only wanted my uncles to relinquish their military power; I didn't intend to force him to his death..."

"It's Minister Qi... it's Minister Huang... they said we must be tough to intimidate the Prince of Yan..."

His gaze fell on Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng, who were equally pale.

The two "wise ministers" were already terrified, kneeling on the ground, trembling like leaves.

They felt the cold, piercing gazes cast upon them from all directions by the military generals.

They knew they were finished.

Above the sky, Judy Jun gave them no chance to catch their breath; he made the fire burn even brighter!

"Family members, now let's go back to that question."

"If you were Li Jinglong, and you witnessed the fate of Prince Xiang, Zhu Bai, what would you think?"

"The emperor could even force his own uncle to his death, and afterwards he would smear him with the dirty water that he deserved it."

"You're just a general from another clan, what are you worth?!"

"You fought tooth and nail for him and won; Prince Yan, Zhu Di, was defeated. Next, won't it be your turn, you 'meritorious minister' commanding hundreds of thousands of troops, whose achievements threaten the emperor's?"

"In the end, will you also suffer the same fate, with your entire family committing suicide by fire, and being given the posthumous title of 'wicked'?"

"So, is Li Jinglong's 'letting the water flow' still hard to understand?"

"He wasn't fighting for Zhu Di; he was buying insurance for the lives of his entire Li family!"

"He can't let Emperor Jianwen win!"

"At the very least, we can't let Emperor Jianwen win so quickly and easily!"

"He wants to drag this war out! He wants to create a delicate balance between the Prince of Yan and the imperial court!"

"Only in this way will he, as a general commanding a large army, have any value in his existence! Only then will he have any chance of survival!"

These scathing remarks struck like thunderbolts into everyone's hearts.

It tore away the veil of war in a bloody way, revealing the nakedest human nature and political calculations behind it!

The fifteenth year of the Yongle reign.

Zhu Di closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

He knew that his descendants were right.

Li Jinglong may be a good-for-nothing, but he is also a pitiful wretch who was forced into a corner and had to play both sides to survive.

What truly deserves to die is the system that drove him to this point, and the naive emperor sitting on the throne.

"So, family members, do you understand now?"

Zhu Dijun's voice resounded throughout the world, as if he were giving a final summary.

"The Jingnan Campaign was never a simple war between Prince Yan, Zhu Di, and Emperor Jianwen."

"Behind it all was a collective backlash from the military elites and nobles established during the Hongwu reign against Emperor Jianwen's policies of 'emphasizing civil over military affairs' and 'being harsh and ungrateful'!"

"Li Jinglong is not a war god; he is merely the most conspicuous wave in this massive tide!"

"Zhu Di's victory was not only due to his military prowess, but also because of the supporters behind him—the entire military core of the Ming Dynasty, abandoned and suppressed by Emperor Jianwen!"

"He's not fighting alone!"

"He represents the interests of all the former officials of the Hongwu Emperor who are fearful and disappointed by the Jianwen Emperor's new policies!"

At this point, Zhu Dijun's tone suddenly became mysterious.

"And when this fear and despair accumulate to their peak..."

"An even more terrible and fundamentally unsettling idea began to take root and sprout irresistibly in everyone's hearts..."

"That is..."

"Emperor Taizu, our brilliant and ambitious founding emperor... how exactly did he die? Why did the second generation of the Ming Dynasty repeat the events of the Northern Song Dynasty?"

"As we mentioned before, the death of the Hongwu Emperor was very likely a result of a coordinated attack from within and without by Zhu Yunwen, in alliance with the Khazars and the civil service!"

boom--!!!

This ultimate conspiracy theory, capable of overturning everything, was laid bare by Judy Jun and thrown into all time and space!

The Fengtian Hall in the eleventh year of the Hongwu reign (1386).

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly raised his head, and his eyes, which were filled with tears of blood, instantly erupted with boundless killing intent!

He stared intently at his eldest son, Zhu Biao.

It was as if he had traveled through time and space and saw his grandson, Zhu Yunwen, on whom he had placed great hopes.

A deep-seated suspicion and rage, born from the betrayal of his closest relatives, erupted from the depths of his heart!

And the first year of Jianwen.

Upon hearing this piercing question, the young Emperor Jianwen, Zhu Yunwen, could no longer bear the immense pressure and humiliation.

His vision went black, and he felt a sweet taste in his throat.

"puff--"

He spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted straight off the dragon throne!

The entire hall instantly descended into chaos!

"His Majesty!!"

"Quickly summon the imperial physician!!"