Chapter 124: I Want To Fight For The Throne! I Am The Emperor’s Eldest Grandson!
Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.
The news that Zhang Biao “slandered Sacred Learning” and was ordered by Old Zhu to be executed after the autumn harvest has not yet been digested.
The news that Li Jinglong and Guo Ying were thrown into the Imperial Prison exploded in Yingtian Prefecture, which was already in a state of “the wind heralds the coming storm.”
This not only caused huge waves in the Huai Xi Aristocratic Group led by Chang Sheng and Lan Yu, but even the Civil Official Group began to feel uneasy.
After all, Zhang Biao’s involvement was not limited to Fu Youwen and a few other Six Ministries high officials, but also those self-proclaimed “pure stream” civil officials.
And Consort Lü, who had a close relationship with the Civil Official Group, naturally also received this news.
At this time, Consort Lü was leisurely trimming the dead leaves of a orchid.
Zhu Yunwen sat to the side, flipping through a book with a restless heart, his gaze frequently drifting outside the hall.
When a trusted palace maid quietly entered and reported in a low voice that Duke Cao Li Jinglong and Marquis of Wuding Guo Ying had been thrown into the Imperial Prison and were imprisoned opposite Zhang Biao, Consort Lü’s hand, which was trimming the leaves, paused slightly.
Immediately, the corners of her lips curled into an extremely subtle, yet bone-chilling arc.
“Oh?”
She put down the silver scissors, picked up a silk kerchief to gently wipe her fingertips, and said with a sigh in a calm tone, “Your Majesty is truly ruthless and decisive! Even Duke Cao and Marquis of Wuding have been imprisoned?”
“Imperial Mother! Is Imperial Grandfather’s action… too cruel?”
Zhu Yunwen couldn’t help but say, “Even dukes and marquises are imprisoned, will the next step be…”
What he worried about was that the momentum of “boiling oil over a fierce fire” would completely get out of control and eventually burn himself.
After all, Zhang Biao’s on-site audit of those “pure stream” officials in the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square had shaken him greatly.
Moreover, he also knew that the foundation of their mother and son lay in the Civil Official Group.
Consort Lü glanced lightly at her somewhat panicked son, a hint of imperceptible disappointment flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly covered by the pretense of a loving mother.
She said gently, “Yunwen, do not panic. Your Majesty’s actions are precisely the mark of wisdom.”
As she spoke, she slowly got up, walked to the window, and looked at the bleak courtyard outside, saying thoughtfully:
“Li Jinglong is greedy without limit, and Guo Ying is arrogant due to his achievements.”
“Their evidence of guilt has probably already piled up on the Imperial Guard’s desks. His Majesty did not move against them before out of consideration for past affections, or because the time was not right. Now…”
She turned around, her phoenix eyes flashing with a cold, calculating light:
“Now that Zhang Biao, this ‘mad knife,’ has appeared and stirred up chaos in the Imperial Court, it gives His Majesty the best excuse to cut the Gordian knot and clear out these rotten wood that are long past their prime!”
“This is not only settling accumulated malpractices, but also clearing obstacles and paving the way for your future ascension to the throne, my son.”
Consort Lü’s tone was full of seduction.
But he heard her continue, “Think carefully, how will you control these worms and fierce generals if they remain in the court in the future? His Majesty is carrying this burden for you.”
Zhu Yunwen listened, stunned, feeling that his imperial mother’s words seemed to make sense, but the unease in his heart had not yet dissipated.
“But Imperial Mother… will such cruel methods make other nobles and ministers feel insecure, and instead…”
“Instead what?”
Consort Lü chuckled, interrupting him, “Instead, they will harbor ulterior motives?”
“They won’t! They dare not!”
Consort Lü said with certainty, “His Majesty has accumulated prestige for a long time, and now he has shown his thunderous means through Zhang Biao’s incident. Who dares to step forward at this time?”
“No one dares! They will only be more apprehensive and submissive!”
As her words fell, she walked to Zhu Yunwen’s side again and gently patted his shoulder, “As for Yunteng… the fate of Li Jinglong and Guo Ying is the clearest warning to them!”
“If the Chang Clan is sensible, they should know what to do and what not to do now. If they are not sensible…”
Consort Lü did not continue, but the cold glint in her eyes had already explained everything.
Zhu Yunwen seemed to be persuaded by his mother and nodded, but a trace of fear of Old Zhu’s unfathomable intentions remained in the depths of his eyes.
Consort Lü looked at her son and sighed inwardly, then said, “Alright, these matters are for His Majesty to decide. What is most important for you now is to study diligently, show filial piety to His Majesty, and exhibit benevolence and magnanimity. As for the rest, leave it to your mother.”
After saying this, she smiled coldly in her heart.
The matter of Yunteng and his sister paying respects to the Chang Clan had been arranged, and now, with the precedents of Li Jinglong and Guo Ying…
This game of chess was becoming more and more interesting.
As for the Civil Official Group? It was merely mutual exploitation! She was not worried.
On the other side, in Zhu Yunteng’s sleeping quarters.
When the news reached Zhu Yunteng and his sister, it brought a completely different, almost desperate fear.
The embroidery hoop in Zhu Mingyue’s hand fell to the ground with a ‘snap’, her face instantly turned as pale as paper, her lips trembled, and she couldn’t say a word.
Zhu Mingyu suddenly stood up, her eyes filled with disbelief and terror.
“Duke Cao, Marquis of Wuding…”
Zhu Mingyue repeatedly muttered these two names, her fingertips icy cold.
She tightly clutched the hem of her clothes, trying to draw a tiny bit of warmth from it, but it was in vain.
Then she heard her voice trembling uncontrollably as she looked at Zhu Yunteng and said, “Yunteng, is His Imperial Grandfather really not going to let anyone off this time?”
She was naturally gentle and cautious, and at this moment, she was not only thinking about her own safety, but also the potential implications for her brother and the entire Chang Clan.
The sense of impending doom was almost engulfing her.
“What are you afraid of!”
Zhu Mingyu stood up abruptly. Although her face was also a little pale, her bright eyes were burning with an unyielding flame, even with a hint of rebellion spurred by this immense pressure:
“They themselves have dirty hands and feet, and His Imperial Grandfather has made an example of them. What does it have to do with us!? Is His Imperial Grandfather going to arrest all of us without distinguishing right from wrong?!”
She spoke bravely, but the slight trembling of her fingertips still betrayed her inner nervousness.
And the anger at the inability to control her own destiny, and the anger at the capricious imperial power that was high above.
Zhu Yunteng, however, kept his head bowed, silent as a stone.
But if one looked closely, one could see his thin shoulders trembling slightly.
This was not out of simple fear, but a complex and intense conflict of emotions surging within him.
The fate of Li Jinglong and Guo Ying was like a cruel mirror, reflecting the ultimate end of all those who had fallen out of favor or were an eyesore.
This included him, the legitimate second son whose parents had died and who had been deliberately ruined by his stepmother.
Zhang Biao’s words before being taken away, his heroic demeanor in the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square, his audit of the Six Ministries nobles, and his courage to resist injustice constantly inspired him…
Suddenly, he raised his head abruptly.
His eyes, which had always held timidity and confusion, were now bloodshot, flashing with an almost insane, last-ditch brilliance.
He stopped trembling, stared intently at his two elder sisters, his voice hoarse and sharp due to excitement and suppression, but with an unprecedented resolve.
“Eldest Sister! Second Sister!”
This call made Zhu Mingyue and Zhu Mingyu pause simultaneously, looking at him in surprise.
Zhu Yunteng suddenly stood up from the corner of the bed. Due to the sudden movement, he even stumbled.
But he quickly regained his balance, took a deep breath, and with all his might, almost roared out earth-shattering words:
“I don’t want to go on like this anymore!”
“I don’t want to be a waste that everyone looks down on and can be slaughtered at any moment!”
“I don’t want my sorrow to truly become the sorrow of the Great Ming!”
His voice echoed in the vast and cold palace, stunning Zhu Mingyue and Zhu Mingyu, who could hardly believe this was the Zhu Yunteng they knew.
“You saw the fate of Li Jinglong and Guo Ying!”
“Imperial Grandfather’s sword has already been raised! We cannot escape…”
“Imperial Mother… Consort Lü will not let us escape either!”
Zhu Yunteng’s emotions erupted completely, and tears finally streamed from his eyes, but they were no longer tears of grievance, but burning liquid mixed with anger, fear, and unwillingness.
“Big Brother Hao Ren is right! ‘Do not bully a young man for being poor!'”
“He is willing to risk his life to break through this sky! What do we have to fear?!”
As he spoke, he suddenly raised his hand, pointing at the blurry silhouette deep within the Imperial Palace, his voice choked with tears, but clearly declaring:
“I want to fight!”
“That position… originally belonged to my father! It belonged to my elder brother! It should also be mine!”
“Why should I give it to someone else?! Why should we live like rats in a gutter, barely surviving?!”
Finally, he almost hysterically shouted his deepest longing and most resolute determination:
“I want to fight for the throne! I am the legitimate grandson of the Emperor!”
“I also want to save Big Brother Hao Ren!!”
“Boom—!”
These words, like a thunderclap from the heavens, struck Zhu Mingyue and Zhu Mingyu like lightning.
“Yunteng! Are you crazy?!”
Zhu Mingyue was terrified, and she lunged forward to cover Zhu Yunteng’s mouth, her voice trembling uncontrollably:
“You… do you know what you are saying?! If these words get out, we will all die without a burial place!!”
She was so scared her face turned ashen and her body turned ice cold, feeling as if her brother had truly been driven mad by Zhang Biao.
As for Zhu Mingyu, after the initial extreme shock, her beautiful eyes suddenly burst with an extremely excited, even fanatical light.
“Well said! Yunteng! Damn, well said!!”
Instead of being afraid, Zhu Mingyu, imitating Zhang Biao’s manner, excitedly kicked Zhu Yunteng’s butt.
Immediately after, she pushed aside Zhu Mingyue, who was trying to cover her brother’s mouth, and patted Zhu Yunteng’s shoulder forcefully, her voice rising with excitement:
“This is more like it! This is my brother Zhu Mingyu! It should have been like this long ago!”
“Why should all the good things be taken by Zhu Yunwen, that son of a concubine, and his smiling-tiger mother?!”
The flame of rebellion in her chest was completely ignited by her brother’s earth-shattering declaration:
“Fight! We must fight! Count me in! Whoever dares to stop us, this Princess will beat him to death!”
As for “saving Big Brother Hao Ren”…
How could she be excluded from such an exciting matter?!
“Mingyu! Why are you also fooling around!”
Zhu Mingyue looked at her brother and sister who had instantly “colluded,” and tears were falling in distress, feeling as if the sky was about to collapse.
Zhu Yunteng, however, struggled to break free from his eldest sister’s hand. Although there were tear stains on his face, his body trembled slightly with excitement, and he felt the pain from the kick on his butt, his eyes were exceptionally bright and firm:
“Eldest Sister, we have no retreat.”
“If we fight, there might be a glimmer of hope. If we don’t fight, we’ll just wait to be like Li Jinglong and Guo Ying, or even worse.”
He paused, his voice lowered, but with unquestionable power:
“Big Brother Hao Ren… he… he cannot die in vain. He woke me up, and I cannot stand by and watch him be killed by Imperial Grandfather.”
At this moment, Zhu Yunteng seemed to be reborn.
The meek and dissolute waste disappeared, replaced by a youth pushed to desperation, who finally erupted with all his blood and determination.
Although the road ahead was uncertain, the hope was slim, and it could even be called madness.
But he finally shouted out the unwillingness that had been suppressed in his heart for over ten years and chose the most difficult, but also the most likely path to live a human life.
Zhu Mingyue looked at the unprecedented light in her brother’s eyes, listened to her sister’s echoing agreement that seemed to wish for chaos, and then thought of Consort Lü’s mother and son’s methods and the fate of Li Jinglong and Guo Ying…
Finally, she collapsed powerlessly, tears falling silently.
She knew that this autumn, the Eastern Palace, or the Great Ming, was destined to be unsettled.
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