Reborn, Never Become the Crown Prince

After being reborn as the legitimate eldest son, Zhu Fangzheng binds himself to a System that makes him stronger whenever he gives up the throne. He works himself to the bone trying to goad his younger brothers into fighting for the crown.

“Second Brother, we may be physically weak, but we have strong wills. Starting today, you're training with me,” Zhu Fangzheng urged him earnestly. Once the second prince had recovered, he declared, “The throne belongs to you, Eldest Brother. Mother, don't blame me for threatening to take my own life.”

“Third Brother, a prince who doesn't want to be crown prince isn't a proper prince. What's the difference between a person without ambition and a salted fish?” Zhu Fangzheng said, frustrated that his brother wouldn't live up to his potential. The second prince made his position clear: “Anyone who dares compete with Eldest Brother for the throne will answer to me. Not even Buddha can save them. That's my word.”

“Youngest Brother, a true man is born between heaven and earth. How can he spend his whole life beneath another?” Zhu Fangzheng coaxed the hostage prince who had just returned home. But the prince replied, “I wish to be a blade in my elder brother's hand. Tell me whom to cut down, and I'll do it.”

“Elder Sister, who says women are inferior to men? A great empress...” Zhu Fangzheng encouraged the princess. She publicly declared, “Whoever makes an enemy of my brother makes an enemy of the Women's Association of the Capital.”

“Prince, we share the blood of the imperial family. How dare you humiliate us?” Zhu Fangzheng railed at the Nanlin faction. When the vassal king rebelled, the prince drew his sword to stop him. “He's my own brother. Father, forgive me for putting righteousness before family.”

“Brave souls, are kings and nobles born to their stations?” Zhu Fangzheng used the Water Margin to inspire the rebels. The heroes immediately fell to their knees. “Brother, we beg you to accept our surrender.”

When Zhu Fangzheng fell into danger, the second prince arrived with a hundred thousand frontier troops, the third prince with a hundred thousand imperial guards, the youngest with a hundred thousand Brocade Guards, and the princess with a hundred thousand household guards. The vassal king's heir brought a hundred thousand regional troops, and the heroes brought a hundred thousand rebels. They gathered beneath the city walls and begged the emperor to abdicate and yield the throne to the crown prince.