The Ming Dynasty: I Fabricated Dreams for Zhu Di 46

Chapter 46: If I Can’t Even Beat Lan Yu, I Shouldn’t Be Emperor

Zhu Biao patted Zhu Di on the shoulder. His words were full of praise for Zhu Di.

To receive Xu Da’s (Xu Da was a highly renowned general during the early Ming dynasty) approval, regardless of whether it was as exaggerated as Xu Da claimed, was at least an acknowledgment. It would bring Zhu Di considerable advantages after he was assigned his fiefdom.

Although Zhu Di’s face remained impassive, a sense of melancholy settled in his heart.

“Father-in-law, oh father-in-law, you’ve really done me in,” he muttered. This father-in-law truly never gave him a moment’s peace. First, he beat up Xu Yungong, and then he reported the matter to his father.

He presumed that Mu Ying and Lan Yu would accompany Zhu Biao, coming to test him. His suspicions proved correct.

“Therefore, Father specially asked me to find you two evenly matched opponents to test your skills,” Zhu Biao explained. “I shouldn’t need to introduce these three.”

Mu Ying and Mu Chun, father and son, frequently attended imperial banquets. Though not princes, their treatment was no different from that of imperial sons. They were familiar faces. As for Lan Yu, although Zhu Di wasn’t close to him, they had met a few times.

Xu Miaoyun, worried, spoke up, “Crown Prince, wouldn’t this be inappropriate? My husband caught a chill last night, perhaps…”

Before she could finish, Zhu Di stopped her. He held her tightly, trying to reassure her, and said, “Brother, since it’s Father’s request, I’ll do my best.”

Zhu Biao nodded in relief. He understood the couple still had things to discuss and didn’t rush them. They had the whole day.

“In that case, let’s go to the Capital City’s martial arts field. It’s more convenient to spar there.”

With that, Zhu Biao set off with Mu Ying, Lan Yu, and Mu Chun. As they left, Xu Yungong happened to emerge. Mu Ying’s gaze fell upon him. Seeing Xu Yungong in a wheelchair, Mu Ying stroked his goatee, his eyes showing surprise.

A wheelchair. If he remembered correctly, Xu Yungong and Mu Chun’s abilities were on par. The reason he ranked fourth in the Fengyang martial arts competition was his lack of composure. He had been careless in the semi-finals, losing to Mu Chun. Otherwise, with Xu Yungong’s martial arts skills, he could have easily made the top three. Sometimes, luck is also part of skill.

To beat Xu Yungong to the point of needing a wheelchair… could it be as Xu Da said? Had Zhu Di undergone a transformation?

A slight smile played on Mu Ying’s lips, his eyes narrowing into slits. “Interesting,” he murmured.

Zhu Di watched Zhu Biao leave and prepared to follow. But Xu Miaoyun stopped him, her eyes filled with worry. She didn’t know when Zhu Di’s transformation began—his ability to easily defeat her brother and gain his father’s approval—but this time, his opponents were Lan Yu and Mu Ying. These two were in a different league from Xu Yungong. Lan Yu and Mu Ying were battle-hardened veterans. If they didn’t hold back, Zhu Di could get seriously injured. Their martial arts weren’t for sparring; they were for killing.

“Miaoyun, don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” Zhu Di said, gently pushing her hand away. He then set off for the martial arts field.

Xu Yungong, in his wheelchair, approached Zhu Di. “What’s going on?” he asked.

Zhu Di chuckled lightly, “Nothing much, just a brawl with Lan Yu.”

“A brawl?” Xu Yungong was startled. After a moment’s thought, he said, “The Yongchang Hou’s (Lan Yu’s title) strength is not comparable to ours. Are you really going? And I know Lan Yu. He doesn’t hold back. Your current strength far surpasses mine. If you could cultivate for a few more years, you might be able to face Lan Yu, but it’s too soon.”

Lan Yu had a volatile temper, similar to the King of Kaiping, Chang Yuchun. They both lacked restraint. In the past, some people had sparred with Lan Yu and almost got killed. Since then, few dared to challenge him one-on-one. Lan Yu truly was capable of killing.

Faced with his brother-in-law’s concern, Zhu Di merely smiled.

“This is my turf. If I don’t even have the courage for this, then I’ve wasted my life,” he declared. Firstly, this was a dream; he couldn’t allow Lan Yu to act so arrogant. Secondly, he’d lived for sixty years; Lan Yu had only a fraction of that. At the same age, he might not have been Lan Yu’s match, but he was fifty-eight. His experience, both in learning and combat, far surpassed Lan Yu’s. Especially the four years of the Jingnan Campaign – those four years of life-or-death experience were something Lan Yu lacked. Furthermore, Lan Yu’s peak was around the Hongwu 20th year; now, Lan Yu was just a rookie before him. If he lived so much longer and was afraid of Lan Yu, he shouldn’t call himself the Yongle Emperor.

With that said, Zhu Di left Xu Guogong’s mansion and headed for the Capital City’s martial arts field.

Seeing this, Xu Yungong quickly said, “Wait for me, I’m coming too.”

…

On their way to the martial arts field, Mu Ying quickened his pace to walk beside Zhu Biao. “Crown Prince, I think what Xu Guogong said isn’t unreasonable. Yan Wang’s (Zhu Di’s title) change might be much greater than we imagine.”

Lan Yu, who had been unconcerned about the contest, smiled upon hearing this. He also sped up, walking to Zhu Biao’s left. “Lord Xiping, you overestimate that boy, Yan Wang. I don’t sense any change in him. He’s on par with General Xu Da? I don’t even have that qualification, let alone Yan Wang.” He knew about Xu Da’s assessment of Zhu Di. He could only say that Zhu Di wasn’t qualified. He wasn’t on par with Xu Da, so how could Zhu Di be? Who was Xu Da? The great Ming war god, hailed by the Hongwu Emperor as the Blueprint for a Great Emperor. Honestly, if it weren’t for him dragging down Xu Da, leading to the failure of the second northern expedition, Xu Da’s undefeated record would have been enough to sit at the same table as Han Xin, Bai Qi, Huo Qubing, and Li Jing. He’d even thought of a name for him: Blueprint for a Great Emperor Xu Da.

Zhu Biao curiously asked, “Just by looking, how can you determine that the Fourth Brother has changed drastically? Do you have the ability to see through people at a glance?”

Mu Ying chuckled, twirling his mustache. “Perhaps the Crown Prince didn’t notice. When we left, Yungong came out, in a wheelchair.”

(End of Chapter)

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