Chapter 164

Then he kicked Zhu Di squarely in the body.

He jabbed a finger at Zhu Di's nose and cursed him viciously,

"You little brat, I'm not even dead yet and you're already plotting rebellion?"

"You, thinking you can be another Li Li Shimin? You're still one 'me' short of Li Li Shimin!"

Zhu Di was completely stunned by Old Zhu's kick.

What on earth is all this about?

"Father, your son truly doesn't know anything!"

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at Zhu Di with the bitter frustration of a father disappointed in his son, and said coldly,

"Fine, playing dumb, are you?"

"Putting on an act for me, are you?"

"Guards! Seize the Prince of Yan for me! I'll make you shed tears only when you see the coffin!"

With that, Zhu Yuanzhang, with Zhu Di bound, strode toward the direction the explosion had come from.

Not long after.

Father and son, Zhu Di and Zhu Yuanzhang, came upon the palace wall that Su Qiao had already blasted into broken ruins.

As well as the tunnel beneath the palace wall.

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Su Qiao, said nothing, and instead turned his gaze to Zhu Di behind him.

"Fourth, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"What are you all standing around for? Seize this treacherous villain who broke into the palace to assassinate!"

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at Su Qiao in the distance.

The surrounding Imperial Guards pinned Su Qiao to the ground in an instant.

Zhu Di looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with a mournful face and said,

"Father, your son truly doesn't know him—who is he, really? Your son has no idea!"

Zhu Yuanzhang gave a cold snort.

"Won't talk? Fine. Su Qiao, you talk!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze slowly shifted to Su Qiao, who was already being held by the Imperial Guards.

He drew a deep breath and asked in earnest,

"Su Qiao, speak up. Let's see what brilliant theory our new Number One Scholar has cooked up for me today!"

At this moment, Su Qiao was staring at the tunnel before him.

His mind was racing.

In later generations, he had been to Jin Ling more than once.

The Ming Palace had naturally been visited as well.

But he had never seen a tunnel beneath this palace city!

Just as Su Qiao's mind was in full brainstorm mode,

a sudden light flashed in his eyes, and he immediately realized the tunnel's purpose.

Looking at Zhu Yuanzhang, whose eyes were wide with fury,

a faint smile involuntarily surfaced on Su Qiao's face.

Gazing at Old Zhu before him, Su Qiao gave a helpless, bitter laugh and said,

"Your Majesty, in truth you also know that the Grandson Heir cannot hold the Great Ming's Jiangshan steady, don't you?"

The moment the words fell,

the previously aggressive Zhu Yuanzhang froze on the spot.

And Su Qiao, at this moment, stared fixedly at Old Zhu and asked,

"Since Your Majesty already knows the Grandson Heir cannot hold the Great Ming Jiangshan, why insist on your own way and make the Grandson Heir the Crown Prince?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's teeth were chattering as he stared fixedly at Su Qiao and demanded,

"Nonsense! Who told you I think Zhu Yunwen can't hold the Jiangshan steady?"

"Then how does Your Majesty explain the tunnel behind you?!"

"Could it be that this tunnel wasn't prepared by Your Majesty for the Grandson Heir?!"

Su Qiao gazed at the tunnel before him,

and in an instant understood.

In the original history, why was Zhu Yunwen able to escape alive even when surrounded by heavy troops!

With Zhu Yunwen's brains, how could he have foreseen at the very start of his reign that such a day would come, and dug a tunnel beneath the palace in advance?

Therefore, there was only one possibility.

Long before Zhu Yuanzhang passed away, Old Zhu had already prepared an escape route for Zhu Yunwen!

114. Zhu Yuanzhang's Border-Stabilizing Strategy!

The moment Su Qiao finished speaking,

the entire area outside the Forbidden City fell deathly silent.

Including the Imperial Guard camp and Zhu Di, who was kneeling behind Zhu Yuanzhang.

All of them, as if by unspoken agreement, turned their gaze to the tunnel before them.

The Forbidden City was the Son of Heaven's dwelling.

If enemies had already fought their way here, what use would a tunnel like this be?

Clearly, this tunnel could only be used in an internal conflict!

What is internal strife?

Naturally, it is the Prince of Yan behind Zhu Yuanzhang!

Zhu Yuanzhang stared fixedly at Su Qiao and roared in a low voice.

"In my own courtyard, I can dig as I please; in my Great Ming, I can pass it to whomever I wish. What does it have to do with you, Su Qiao?"

Upon hearing this, Su Qiao remained expressionless.

"Your Majesty, insisting on your own path, has brought war upon the world and harmed the common people. I am also one of the myriad people of the world; does Your Majesty still claim it has nothing to do with me?!"

"Digging this tunnel proves that Your Majesty not only foresaw that establishing the Crown Prince's grandson would cause the various princes to be dissatisfied and rebel, but Your Majesty even knew the Crown Prince's grandson would likely be unable to stabilize the situation!"

"In that case, why does Your Majesty still insist on passing the throne to the Crown Prince's grandson?"

"Passing the Great Mandate to the Prince of Yan would be the fortune of all the people!"

As soon as these words were spoken.

Zhu Di, kneeling behind Zhu Yuanzhang, suddenly turned deathly pale.

Good heavens.

You really dare to speak so boldly!

Are you saying you won't feel at ease unless you kill me today?

Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned iron-green.

He very much wanted to refute Su Qiao.

But he could not utter a single word.

Because everything Su Qiao said was true.

This tunnel stood vividly before everyone's eyes.

He could not possibly have the shamelessness to deny the existence of this tunnel.

Until this very moment.

Zhu Yuanzhang completely understood.

Su Qiao is loyal.

But the person Su Qiao is loyal to is not himself.

It is the myriad people of the world.

Historically, Su Qiao's suicide at Xiaoling was not necessarily due to guilt over failing to assist Zhu Yunwen well.

It could even more so be due to guilt over failing to prevent this war!

Having realized this point.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately understood Su Qiao's actions.