Chapter 107: Zhu Di: Let It Be Chaos, It’s Time For This World To Change. Monthly Ticket Bonus Chapter 10
In Beiping, at the Prince Yan’s Mansion.
The candlelight flickered, illuminating Zhu Di’s chiseled face.
He had just finished a day of military affairs and was contemplating a map of the Northern Border.
A cold wind howled outside, but the study was warm and cozy.
Footsteps approached rapidly, and Yao Guangxiao entered without much preamble.
A trace of undisguised shock was on his usually calm face, and he tightly clutched a secret letter.
“Your Highness, urgent news from Yingtian—!”
Yao Guangxiao’s voice, uncharacteristically, held a hint of urgency.
Zhu Di frowned slightly and put down the brush he was holding. “What could cause Master to lose his composure like this? Could it be that the court again…”
His words trailed off as Yao Guangxiao directly handed him the secret letter, his tone laced with disbelief and absurdity:
“Your Highness, you… see for yourself. It’s from the Heir Apparent and the second son simultaneously. The content… is largely the same.”
Zhu Di took the secret letter with a puzzled expression and unfolded it.
First, he saw Zhu Gaochi’s neat yet slightly hurried handwriting, detailing the astonishing scene in the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square.
How Zhang Biao cursed the Emperor unconscious, berated the nobles, how the lower-ranking officials absurdly supported him, how the Emperor rewarded him with silver and emptied the storeroom, and finally, the threats and counter-threats on the Qinhuai River.
Every detail was meticulously described, with particular emphasis on Zhang Biao’s madness, arrogance, and unfathomable nature, as well as the immense shock and panic this incident had caused in the court and among the populace.
As Zhu Di read, his calm expression gradually gave way to shock.
His brow furrowed deeper, his eyes filled with bewilderment and disbelief.
“To invite the Great Ming to its death? To openly curse Imperial Father as deserving of death?”
“To make Imperial Father faint four times? To audit the Six Ministries and the nobles? To empty government offices? And Imperial Father rewarded him with eight thousand taels of silver?”
“To be threatened with his family by petty individuals? And he counter-threatened to lie at their doorstep?”
These phrases, strung together, challenged his established perceptions.
It was simply unheard of! An unprecedented marvel!
He took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent waves in his heart, and quickly unfolded Zhu Gaochi’s secret letter, whose handwriting was bold and whose tone was even more agitated.
In Zhu Gaochi’s letter, the details were less comprehensive than his elder brother’s, but the entire text was filled with astonishment at Zhang Biao’s ‘madness,’ even a hint of subtle admiration.
For example, the letter stated: Father! This fellow named Zhang is too damn fierce!
And also included schadenfreude at the misfortune of the court officials and nobles.
After reading both letters, Zhu Di fell silent.
He slowly sat back in his chair, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously, making a soft “dudududu” sound.
Under the candlelight, his expression shifted unsteadily.
The initial shock and bewilderment slowly faded, and an extremely complex, indescribable emotion began to brew in his eyes.
Suddenly—
“Heh.”
A very faint laugh escaped his throat.
Then, the laughter grew louder and more unrestrained, no longer the suppressed, masked laughter, but a true, heartfelt laugh, filled with a sense of release and catharsis.
“Hahahaha—!”
“Good! Well done, Zhang Biao! Well done, you mad Censor!”
Zhu Di slammed the table, making the brush holder rattle: “Well cursed! A satisfying curse!”
He stood up and paced back and forth in the study, his eyes shining with brilliance:
“Ru Chang! Fu Youwen! Guo Ying! Li Jinglong! Haha! These vermin and wastes of the nation! Someone should have pointed at their noses and cursed them like this long ago!”
“Imperial Father… Imperial Father is old after all, too many scruples, or perhaps—hmph!”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but his dissatisfaction with the court’s accumulated malpractices and his contempt for the noble faction were fully vented through Zhang Biao’s uproar.
Zhang Biao’s madness was like a wildfire, burning through the deep, unfathomable, and outwardly calm yet inwardly murky stagnant water of Yingtian Prefecture.
It gave him, a Prince residing in Beiping and constantly under suspicion, a sense of inexplicable comfort and pleasure.
“Your Highness…”
Yao Guangxiao spoke at the opportune moment, his eyes also gleaming with wisdom:
“Although this young man is mad and arrogant, he is like a sharp blade that has inadvertently entered the chessboard, disrupting the entire game.”
“His words and deeds, though treasonous, hit the nail on the head. After this commotion, the court will likely find it impossible to maintain its superficial peace.”
Zhu Di stopped pacing and his gaze turned sharp as an eagle’s: “Master’s meaning is?”
“Observe the situation, and plan in secret.”
Yao Guangxiao said softly:
“The brighter this fire burns, the better. If this knife is used well, it might be of use to us.”
“At the very least, it can draw away too much unwanted attention and trouble from us. Your Highness, our opportunity may lie within this chaos.”
Hearing this, Zhu Di did not respond and sat back down in his chair, his fingers still tapping the tabletop unconsciously, but the rhythm was now steady and meaningful.
Yao Guangxiao stood quietly by, like an old monk amidst withered wood, waiting for Prince Yan to digest this earth-shattering news and make his judgment.
“Master!”
Zhu Di finally spoke, his voice returning to its usual calm, but with a hint of icy sharpness:
“You said earlier that this young man is like a sharp blade that has inadvertently entered the chessboard, disrupting the entire game.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Yao Guangxiao nodded slightly:
“Moreover, the person wielding this knife, while seemingly Zhang Biao, might not have escaped the Emperor’s tacit approval or even his instigation.”
As he spoke, his gaze deepened:
“What kind of astute ruler is the Emperor? Would he truly be easily angered unconscious by a mere Censor? Even if he were, his first action upon waking would be thunderous rage, dismembering him to warn others against future offenses.
“But the Emperor did not. Instead, he rewarded him with silver, took from the storeroom, and demoted him ostensibly while promoting him in reality, letting him continue his audit. This in itself is extremely unusual.”
“You mean, Imperial Father is borrowing a knife to kill?”
A sharp glint flashed in Zhu Di’s eyes:
“Borrowing the ‘mad knife’ of Zhang Biao to strike at those he has long wanted to deal with, but has been unable to due to their deeply entrenched influence and the far-reaching consequences of such actions, the nobles and high officials?”
“Your Highness sees clearly.”
Yao Guangxiao said softly:
“The Emperor may be old, or his disposition may have changed after the Crown Prince’s passing, but his imperial cunning and method of managing his subordinates have only become more seasoned and profound. Zhang Biao’s appearance, for him, may be an unexpected surprise, a catfish that can break the deadlock and stir the stagnant waters.”
“Catfish…”
Zhu Di mulled over the word, a cold smile curving his lips:
“A fierce catfish indeed! Not only has it disturbed Yingtian, but it is likely to affect us, the princes far away in our fiefdoms, as well.”
His gaze returned to the secret letter, his eyes becoming deep and thoughtful:
“I was sent out of Yingtian by Imperial Father. Ostensibly to guard the Northern Border as a feudal lord, but in reality, to keep me away from the center of power, constantly under suspicion.”
“Elder brother is gone, Imperial Father’s intentions are increasingly unfathomable, and Yunwen that child… hmph, behind him stand Consort Lü and those Jiangnan civil officials.”
“In the court, the Huai Xi Nobles, the Zhejiang literati, and those who curry favor with power, these factions are entangled, forming a stagnant pool, yet maintaining a precarious balance.”
“Now, this catfish Zhang Biao has barged in and bitten indiscriminately, first tearing apart the face of the noble faction.”
“Ru Chang, Fu Youwen, Guo Ying, these people are either Imperial Father’s old comrades or powerful ministers holding real authority. Having suffered such a great loss and humiliation, how can they let this go?”
“They dare not directly confront the Emperor, so they will surely pour all their anger and fear onto Zhang Biao and his cronies.”
Yao Guangxiao interjected: “And the Emperor will be happy to see this, perhaps even secretly fueling it, letting them fight until both sides are injured. The Emperor can then seize some of his power, clear out accumulated malpractices, and even clear some obstacles for the Imperial Grandson’s future ascension.”
Zhu Di nodded slowly, the light in his eyes growing brighter, a thrill of opportunity in the chaos, and the stirring of suppressed ambition:
“Precisely! The more fiercely they fight, the more chaotic the court will become! Imperial Father’s attention will be firmly fixed on Yingtian, on how to balance, how to purge, and how to deal with the aftermath!”
He stood up abruptly and walked to the map of the Northern Border, his finger heavily tapping the location of Beiping:
“And the suspicion and suppression towards us will inevitably lessen! This is an excellent opportunity for us to accumulate strength!”
“Your Highness is absolutely correct.”
A subtle smile appeared on Yao Guangxiao’s face:
“The more chaotic the court, the less constraint Your Highness will face when training troops, developing agriculture, managing Liaodong, and even ‘exchanging goods’ with the northern tribes in Beiping. The Emperor, at this moment, likely has no time to attend to anything else.”
Zhu Di turned around, his gaze fixed on Yao Guangxiao:
“Therefore, this knife of Zhang Biao must not be broken. Before Imperial Father completely achieves his goal, or feels he has lost his usefulness, we must even ensure in secret that he doesn’t die too quickly!”
“Your Highness is brilliant.”
Yao Guangxiao clasped his hands and said:
“Let him continue to stir up trouble, and make the waters of Yingtian as murky as possible. Let him attract all the open and secret attacks, buying us time and space. If necessary, we can even secretly offer him some assistance, such as ironclad evidence of certain nobles’ illegal activities, to help him fan the flames even higher!”
A glint of ruthlessness and decisiveness flashed in Zhu Di’s eyes:
“So be it! Transmit an order to our people in Yingtian to closely monitor Zhang Biao and the movements of all parties, but never to reveal any connection to us.”
“If there is an opportunity, anonymously leak some insignificant but sufficiently disgusting information to that ‘mad dog Censor’.”
He paused, his tone laced with cold mockery:
“After all, a mad dog bites indiscriminately. The fiercer it bites, the more beneficial it is for us.”
“As for Imperial Father…”
Zhu Di looked south, his expression complex, with reverence, dissatisfaction, and a long-suppressed ambition:
“He uses Zhang Biao to clean up the court; why can’t I use the chaos triggered by Zhang Biao to seek a chance of survival, and even a far-reaching future, for my Prince Yan’s domain?”
In the study, the candlelight crackled.
The anger and ambition that had been suppressed for years seemed to have found a crack for release and growth in Zhang Biao’s seemingly absurd drama.
Zhu Di took a deep breath, as if he could already smell not just the scent of ice and snow carried by the northern wind, but also the scent of opportunity.
“Let it be chaotic, let it be chaotic.”
He murmured to himself, a cold smile on his lips: “This Great Ming Dynasty is due for a change.”
