Chapter 1

In the second year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty.

As dusk approached, the Forbidden City, situated at the foot of Zhong Mountain in Nanjing, was already lit up like daylight.

The continuous glazed tile roofs resembled a long dragon, extending to the Eastern Palace in one corner of the Forbidden City.

The courtyards of the Eastern Palace undulated, and at this moment, someone was so anxious that they were about to stamp their feet, shouting, "Stop, stop..."

The person speaking was out of breath, his face pale. He wore a ceremonial robe embroidered with nine patterns, but because the sleeves were too long, he looked even more clumsy and disheveled as he ran.

At that moment, the person running ahead poked his head out from the moon gate, revealing a young boy of twelve or thirteen.

The boy, with a look of lingering fear, said, "If my brother-in-law doesn't hit me, I won't run."

Hearing this, the person chasing him, who was out of breath, suddenly became furious and gritted his teeth, saying, "If a son is not taught, it is the father's fault. If I don't teach you a lesson today, won't you be tearing off the tiles tomorrow?"

The boy immediately shouted, "But you're not my father."

The man in the ceremonial robe, no longer caring about his dignity, opened his eyes wide and shouted, "An elder brother is like a father."

"But you're not my brother..."

The man in the ceremonial robe shouted again, "I am your brother-in-law!"

The boy clearly wanted to argue further.

At that moment, along the wall of the moon gate, several eunuchs tiptoed and, taking advantage of the boy's distraction, suddenly appeared behind him. One of them, like a hungry dog, grabbed the boy and exclaimed, "Your Highness, Crown Prince, we've caught him, we've caught him."

With this shout, the boy tried to struggle, but the other eunuchs rushed over, one grabbing his arm, another his leg, like magnets, making it impossible for the boy to move.

The man called the Crown Prince, finally let out a long sigh and said, "Don't hurt him!"

The Crown Prince then remembered his dignity, put his hands behind his back, and became calm as he slowly walked forward.

The boy,不服气地叫道, "You ambushed me, you scoundrels, I'll deal with you later."

Seemingly still unsatisfied, he continued to struggle and shouted, "Sister, sister, save me!"

When the Crown Prince, looking displeased, approached.

The boy was already exhausted from being dragged by the eunuchs. The Crown Prince was tall and somewhat overweight, standing like a wall in front of the boy.

The boy's head drooped, and he crisply said, "Brother-in-law, I was wrong!"

The Crown Prince, who was initially furious, suddenly looked a bit gentler, and his tone became much softer: "Where did you go wrong?"

"I shouldn't have hit someone."

"Will you do it again?"

The boy admitted, "Next time... I won't dare to."

The Crown Prince waved his hand, and the eunuchs retreated. He then said, "Go to the study."

The Crown Prince in front of him was none other than the current Crown Prince, Zhu Gaochi.

And the boy was Zhang Anshi, the younger brother of the Crown Princess Zhang.

Zhang Anshi's father died in the war during the Yongle Emperor's Jingnan campaign, so he was neglected. Moreover, because his brother-in-law Zhu Gaochi was a kind person, in this Nanjing city, Zhang Anshi, at a young age, had already become a well-known playboy.

Today, Zhang Anshi had hit someone again, and the officials of the Eastern Palace reported it to the Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi, who was furious and intended to teach his brother-in-law a lesson.

But in the end, he softened. Although he was still angry at the sight of the boy, by the time they reached the study, his anger had dissipated by half. He sighed and said, "You are so mischievous at such a young age; it is my fault. Sit down."

"Okay." Zhang Anshi was not afraid of Zhu Gaochi, but seeing his brother-in-law so angry, he obediently knelt on one side, putting on a meek appearance.

Having been in this world for half a year, Zhang Anshi was initially shocked, frightened, and uneasy, but gradually... he began to adapt to this era. Most importantly... in this world, he had the care and love of his brother-in-law, the Crown Prince, and his sister, the Crown Princess.

At this moment, Zhu Gaochi glanced at him, seeing his sudden compliance, and sighed, "Why did you hit someone?"

"That man was selling fake medicine, and I exposed him." Zhang Anshi, imitating the voice of the medicine seller, said, "Then he told me, 'Young man, don't speak recklessly, or you'll be in trouble.'"

Zhang Anshi shrugged, looking helpless, and continued, "When I saw him say that, I had to hit him."

Zhu Gaochi: "..."

Zhu Gaochi's face twitched, and he finally said sternly, "A gentleman is calm, while a small person is quarrelsome. No matter how unfair the world is, you cannot..."

Zhang Anshi immediately said, "I know I was wrong."

"I haven't finished, don't interrupt me."

"Ah... then Brother-in-law, please continue."

Zhu Gaochi said, "You are a member of the royal family, so you cannot fight with others. What would it say about your dignity? Your sister spoils you, but I am the Crown Prince, how can I indulge you?"

Saying this, Zhu Gaochi lowered his voice, "Moreover, there are many eyes and ears in the palace. You are not ambitious, and you should know... the Emperor heard about your actions recently..."

Zhang Anshi thought to himself, isn't the current Emperor Zhu Di a ruthless person? He didn't hesitate to execute his own nephew Zhu Yunwen, and I am just following his example.

But... has my reputation become so bad that it has reached the Emperor's ears?

This made Zhang Anshi worry.

After all, the current Emperor has three sons, and although his brother-in-law is the Crown Prince, the Emperor favors the Han King, Zhu Gaoxu.

But can I be blamed? Since I came to this world, I have mostly been honest and well-behaved, and I only hit a fake medicine seller yesterday.

His bad reputation, on one hand, is due to the original owner of his body not being a good person, and on the other hand, it is likely that someone is deliberately slandering him to the Emperor.

Seeing his brother-in-law Zhu Gaochi's worried expression, Zhang Anshi's heart sank. This can't continue; I need to start over, reform myself, and strive to leave a good impression on others.

Zhu Gaochi then said, "Alright, no more of this."

"Okay." Zhang Anshi nodded obediently.

"Are you hungry?"

Zhang Anshi shook his head.

Zhu Gaochi, kneeling, saw Zhang Anshi's pitiful look... his kind face hesitated for a moment before he suddenly said to himself, "Did those attendants hurt you?"

Zhang Anshi shook his head, "Not really, just a bit sore on my arm."

Zhu Gaochi said, "I will punish them later to vent your anger."

The eunuch standing beside him trembled slightly, looked up in surprise, and then quickly lowered his head.

Zhu Gaochi then had Zhang Anshi kneel beside him and gently patted his back, sighing, "You are too foolish. Although I am the Crown Prince, the Emperor is not satisfied with me. Therefore, I must be more cautious in my position. Anshi, you must not be mischievous anymore. Fortunately, your sister doesn't know about this, otherwise..."

Zhang Anshi, having lived two lives, immediately understood Zhu Gaochi's thoughts.

He is now a member of the royal family but has a bad reputation. If someone were to add fuel to the fire by reporting his misdeeds to the Emperor, it would be very detrimental to the Crown Prince.

Zhang Anshi could adapt to this world thanks to the care and kindness of his brother-in-law, the Crown Prince. Zhu Gaochi might not be a straightforward person, but he was very good to his brother-in-law.

So Zhang Anshi immediately said with conviction, "Brother-in-law, rest assured. I have decided to start over from tomorrow and never let anyone say I am a villain again."

Zhu Gaochi smiled, only patting Zhang Anshi's back affectionately, "It's good that you have this heart."

Clearly, he did not believe Zhang Anshi's vows.

Zhang Anshi was indignant; does he have no credibility at all?

After being caught by Zhu Gaochi and receiving a lecture on how to behave, Zhang Anshi was finally released from the Eastern Palace.

As soon as he left the Eastern Palace, Zhang Anshi immediately became like a bird out of a cage.

Outside the Eastern Palace, someone was already waiting, dressed in a simple green robe and cap. As soon as he saw Zhang Anshi come out, he immediately approached, bowing and saying, "Young master, were you punished?"

"Punished? What punishment? My brother-in-law loves me too much to punish me." Zhang Anshi looked at his servant Zhang San with a proud and satisfied expression. Having such a brother-in-law in this life was not in vain.

After all, his brother-in-law will become the Emperor in the future!