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

Chapter 30 Extends Zhu Yuanzhang's Life

Throughout the meal, Zhu Yunwen's enthusiasm was somewhat unusual, which suggested that he had likely been reprimanded and displeased by Zhu Yuanzhang, and was eager to demonstrate his brotherly affection.

Zhu Gaoxi did not mention the portrait of Xu Miaojin, so as not to upset Zhu Yuanzhang.

This incident caused a great uproar, and everyone in the capital knew about it. Xu Miaojin became the subject of whispers and pointing fingers, and it became difficult for her to find a good husband again.

He had to leave the palace to give Xu Miaojin the portrait with the stewed painting, which was some consolation.

"Grandpa, the meat in the Four Happiness Meatballs made by the Duke of Wei's mansion is even tastier than the meat in steamed buns," Zhu Gaoxi said with a greedy look on his face.

Zhu Yuanzhang stretched out his withered, twig-like fingers and touched his chubby face, teasingly saying, "You'll get even fatter if you eat any more."

"Grandpa, I'm growing taller, so I need to eat more meat," Zhu Gaoxi said in a childish voice, glancing at Zhu Yunwen at the same time.

Zhu Yunwen looked somewhat uneasy, like someone who had done something wrong.

"Brother, it's not safe for you to leave the palace by yourself. I'll take you another day when I have time," Zhu Yunwen said hypocritically.

"Where would you find the time to waste on his nonsense?" Zhu Yuanzhang softly rejected the idea. After a moment's thought, he said, "Let Ma Shun take some men."

Ma Shungang was promoted to the rank of centurion in the Imperial Guard. I heard he was quite skilled in martial arts and rose to his position through his own abilities, not through nepotism.

Once the decision was made, Zhu Gaoxi didn't linger for a moment. He stuffed the half-eaten bun in his hand into his mouth and said, "Grandpa, brother, I'm leaving now. You guys eat slowly."

"Don't rush out, be careful not to catch a cold."

When Zhu Yuanzhang chased after him, Zhu Gaoxi had already run out of the Qianqing Palace.

This child eats a lot, grows strong, and is much taller than other children his age in every way. He is truly gifted!

Moreover, he was literate and could read "The Art of War". The vegetables he directed the eunuchs to grow were delivered to the Imperial Kitchen and were praised by the imperial chefs. Just how many other talents did this grandson have?

"It's truly a blessing from heaven," Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but exclaim in his heart.

"Grandpa, let's go back inside and eat some more," Zhu Yunwen advised from the side.

After resting briefly in the vegetable garden, Zhu Gaoxi, along with Sanbao and Li Hui, set off excitedly.

He was a regular at the Duke of Wei's mansion, and the steward took him directly to Xu Miaojin's courtyard.

Xu Miaojin looked visibly haggard, clearly having heard a lot of gossip.

In ancient times, women in their boudoirs valued their reputation most, so this incident was a huge blow to her.

Zhu Gaoxi saw this and felt deeply pained, inwardly cursing Zhu Yunwen for being utterly immoral.

"Youdun left two paintings before he left. This is one of them. I'll give you the other one later. Youdun said it would give you something to look forward to, since he'll be gone for a longer time this time."

Xu Miaojin took it and opened it eagerly.

Zhu Gaoxi felt a pang of jealousy. It was just a painting; why was he so fond of it?

As soon as Xu Miaojin saw the painting, she knew that the paintings circulating outside could not possibly be the originals.

The fact that someone cares about her is the greatest comfort to Xu Miaojin.

Zhu Gaoxi suppressed his sour feelings and offered a few more words of advice before taking his leave and returning to the palace.

Just as he changed into his loose everyday clothes and was about to instruct the young eunuch to put the earthworms into a specially made box, the sound of a death knell rang out.

Zhu Gaoxi's heart sank. Could it be Consort Guo Ning?

He wanted to run out to see what was going on, but Sanbao stopped him, saying, "There are too many people and things going on outside. Your Highness, you should wait here for news. This servant will go out and take a look."

Sanbao's concerns were not unfounded. Although Zhu Gaoxi was intelligent enough, he was still a baby in terms of physical appearance, so it was best to be cautious.

When Zhu Gaoxi went to the Qianqing Palace again, the entire palace was dressed in mourning. As he walked along the road, he could faintly hear suppressed sobs.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang was curled up on the Luohan bed in the west inner room, the jade back scratcher in his hand occasionally twitching, his expression sad and bewildered.

"Grandpa," Zhu Gaoxi was carried to the Luohan bed by the imperial eunuch Huang Liang.

"Xi'er, you've come," Zhu Yuanzhang said, lifting his eyelids and letting two streams of turbid tears flow. "From now on, you will still live here. Your grandson has moved to the Wenhua Hall. We'll hand over all the government affairs to him and let him gain some experience."

"I'll listen to Grandpa," Zhu Gaoxi said, reaching out to wipe away Zhu Yuanzhang's tears.

Zhu Yuanzhang held his chubby little hand, closed his eyes peacefully, having not slept for a day and a night.

Zhu Gaoxi listened quietly to Zhu Yuanzhang's heartbeat, as if it were the sound of time passing. In just over a year, Zhu Yuanzhang's life would also come to an end.

At that time, Zhu Yunwen will move into the Qianqing Palace and inherit the throne.

A sense of sadness inexplicably arose in Zhu Gaoxi's heart.

What will his fate be?

Based on his limited historical knowledge, he remembered that Zhu Di had only three sons: the eldest, Zhu Gaochi, was Emperor Renzong of Ming; the second, Zhu Gaoxu, was the Prince of Han; and the third, Zhu Gaosui, was the Prince of Zhao. All three were born to Empress Xu.

He knew that his adoptive father would raise an army to quell the rebellion, would eventually win, and would ascend the throne as emperor, but he had no idea what his own fate would be.

Why wasn't Zhu Gaoxi granted the title of king? Was it because he hadn't grown up yet?

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaoxi was filled with horror.

It's also possible that they were framed.

No, we can't let things get out of hand. We have to do something, at the very least, we have to survive.

He is three years and three months old, or four years old in the traditional Chinese age system. What can he do?

If Zhu Yuanzhang had lived ten more years, and had grown up and developed some basic self-protection abilities, the risks would have been significantly reduced.

Zhu Yuanzhang could extend his life, but could he extend Zhu Yuanzhang's life?

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaoxi hurriedly opened the Xu Ming system, clicked on the button inside, and carefully read the function introduction.

The result was nothing.

Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?

No, he absolutely could not resign himself to fate.

For several days in a row, Zhu Gaoxi stayed by Zhu Yuanzhang's side without leaving him for a moment.

Zhu Yuanzhang wept continuously until Consort Guo Ning was buried, at which point he was able to control his tears somewhat, and his spirits visibly declined.

Zhu Gaoxi was extremely anxious, and the more anxious he became, the more confused he became.

"The remaining lifespan has reached twenty years. The function of extending the life of the bound object has been officially activated. The host, Zhu Gaoxi, can extend the life of Zhu Yuanzhang at most once. One year of the host's lifespan can extend Zhu Yuanzhang's life for ten years," the system notification suddenly sounded.

Zhu Gaoxi was overjoyed and burst into tears, immediately clicking to redeem the reward.

"The host has successfully extended the life of the bound object, Zhu Yuanzhang, by ten years," the system notification announced.

Zhu Gaoxi sat up stealthily and carefully examined Zhu Yuanzhang in his sleep to see if there were any changes, but he was quickly noticed.

"You're not sleeping in the middle of the night, and you're staring at us. You must have been sleeping too much during the day."

As Zhu Yuanzhang spoke, he pulled him into his arms, his strength noticeably increasing. No matter how Zhu Gaoxi tried to move, he couldn't break free, so he simply gave up struggling.

It really works!

Zhu Yuanzhang's condition improved significantly.

Given enough time, it is possible to get out of trouble.

The next day at breakfast, Zhu Gaoxi playfully said to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Grandpa, you look ten years younger."

"You brat," Zhu Yuanzhang said in a low voice, feeling quite pleased with himself today.