The Crown Prince's Beloved Daily Life in the Ming Dynasty

◎Synopsis:

Ninth day of the second month, in the thirty-first year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming dynasty.

Zhu Di was leading his troops south when he dreamed that the Taizu Emperor bestowed upon him a large jade tablet engraved with the words: "Pass it down to your descendants, and your prosperity will endure forever."

He awoke to the news that his eldest son's wife, Zhang, had given birth to a boy.

Overjoyed, Zhu Di picked up the baby and exclaimed, "This is the grandson who will carry on the legacy!"

No one knew that this child, who had been entrusted with such high hopes, had originally been a fruit accidentally swallowed by the Crown Princess.

By a twist of fate, he was reborn as a human. He looked no different from anyone else, except he had one special ability: He could see the fate and final outcome of everyone related to him by blood.

He saw his grandfather Zhu Di stranded beyond the frontier during a northern campaign. He saw his father Zhu Gaochi, after ascending the throne, brought down in less than a year by his own fat. He saw his second uncle Zhu Gaoxu's rebellion exposed, ending with his death in a roasting oven. He saw his third uncle Zhu Gaosui plot against his elder brother and spend the rest of his life under house arrest.

Unfortunately, he couldn't even roll over yet, so there was only one thing he could do first:

Cling to them.

Cling to Grandpa so he wouldn't want to travel far. Cling to Dad so he'd eat a little less meat. Cling to his second and third uncles so they wouldn't have time to scheme.

And so, later on:

Whenever Zhu Gaochi wanted another bite of meat, a little dumpling would burrow into his arms, wrinkle his tiny face, and say, "Dad fat."

Zhu Gaochi: "..."

Just as Second Uncle Zhu Gaoxu was about to lose his temper, he met a pair of sparkling little eyes looking up at him. He froze for a second. "...I'm not angry."

Whenever Third Uncle Zhu Gaosui tried to do something bad, a little hand would tug at his clothes as soon as he turned around. The look in those eyes seemed to say: Third Uncle, I'm watching you.

Zhu Gaosui: "..."

But the hardest one to placate was his grandfather, Zhu Di!

◎ Alternate-history story, no romance, entirely focused on family affection: grandparent-grandchild bonds, a little one, and the everyday life of a doting extended family.

Theme: Family is precious.