Chapter 123: Do You Think We Can Reach The Other Side?
Inside Huagai Hall, the candlelight was bright.
Old Zhu had not gone to bed.
The toil of many days had compressed a large number of memorials that needed to be processed. Even though he had seen the decay of the country under Zhang Biao’s madness, he had not completely given up.
Because the heir to the Great Ming had not yet been decided.
Although he had already decided on an heir before Zhang Biao’s troublemaking, with the matters that Zhang Biao stirred up and the unrest in the Eastern Palace, he had gradually begun to hesitate.
It wasn’t that he had another candidate in mind, but rather he felt perhaps he should wait a while longer.
To see if Zhu Yunwen could grow or learn something from this storm.
After all, this storm was not only related to the present but also to the future.
“Cough, cough.”
Old Zhu coughed twice, stopped writing, and hit his chest. Yun Ming, who was standing by, quickly stepped forward to offer tea, but Old Zhu waved him away: “Go and get all the memorials from the past few days for us.”
“Your Majesty, you’ve been busy for over two hours, and the imperial physician said…”
“Are you telling me what to do?”
Before Yun Ming could finish his worried words, Old Zhu shot him a cold glance.
“This servant would not dare! This servant will go now, will go now to get them.”
Yun Ming trembled all over with fright, quickly replied, and then scrambled away.
“Emperor!”
Shortly after Yun Ming left, a young eunuch presented a memorial.
This was a memorial sent from the Imperial Prison by Jiang Huan, detailing the latest developments in the Imperial Prison death row area.
The memorial recorded in detail how Zhang Biao ‘extorted’ Li Jinglong’s glass wine set, how he tried to pry information from Guo Ying, and the subtle and tense atmosphere between the three of them.
Old Zhu looked at the contents of the memorial, his face expressionless, only in his deep-set eye sockets, his gaze was like a falcon’s, repeatedly scanning every word on the memorial.
This Zhang Biao fellow, on the brink of death, still remembers to seek benefits?
Wu Daozi’s paintings, the Western Regions Jade Qilin, the glass wine set?
Hmph, this dog Li Jinglong indeed hid a lot of good stuff!
Guo Ying, this old rascal, is still a bit tough.
However, can toughness be eaten?
Being tough in the Imperial Prison is seeking death!
He kept grumbling to himself, his fingers rhythmically tapping on the desk, until he was reminded of Zhang Biao’s curse in the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square, and the tapping stopped.
What did Zhang Biao want these things for?
He, a dying man, truly wanted to be buried with those treasures? Or did he have other intentions?
Old Zhu was the most suspicious, and any unreasonable behavior would be magnified in his heart.
Zhang Biao’s abnormal ‘treasure-seeking’ behavior instinctively made him feel something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out the key.
Never mind, no matter what he wanted to do, he couldn’t escape my grasp.
Old Zhu snorted coldly, closed the memorial, and said to the young eunuch standing by:
“Tell Jiang Huan to keep a close eye on them for us!”
“Every word they speak, every character, must be recorded for us!”
“Especially regarding the whereabouts of the corrupt stolen goods! The glass wine set that Li Jinglong mentioned, retrieve it and send it to the Imperial Treasury!”
“Also tell Jiang Huan…”
Old Zhu paused, his voice becoming extremely cold: “We can tighten the screws a bit on Guo Ying. I want to see if his mouth is harder, or the instruments of torture in the Imperial Prison!”
“This servant obeys your command.”
The young eunuch immediately bowed, accepted the order, and quickly left.
Old Zhu stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the dark night, his gaze seeming to pierce through the palace walls and see all of Yingtian Prefecture.
Li Jinglong and Guo Ying imprisoned…
This news, along with the news of Zhang Biao’s imprisonment, should have spread throughout the court and the public, right?
What are those jackals and wolves thinking now?
Just as Old Zhu predicted, the news of Duke Cao Li Jinglong and Marquis of Wuding Guo Ying being thrown into the Imperial Prison to become ‘cellmates’ with Zhang Biao exploded like a thunderclap in the night sky of Yingtian Prefecture.
It made the already taut nerves of all the nobles and high officials almost snap.
Fu Youwen’s study, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, once again became a secret meeting point.
However, this time, the faces of those present, including the Minister of War Ru Chang, the Minister of Works Zheng Ci, and the Vice Minister of Personnel Zhai Shan, were even more grim than last time, even showing a hint of unconcealable panic.
“He’s crazy! The Emperor is truly crazy!”
Ru Chang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice changing: “Li Jinglong! That’s the Emperor’s only nephew! How can he be so heartless?!”
“And Guo Ying! That’s an old brother who went through thick and thin with him! To imprison him just like that?! And to imprison him with that madman Zhang Biao!”
“This, this is simply…”
He couldn’t find suitable words to describe the absurdity and terror.
Zheng Ci’s hand, stroking his beard, was trembling slightly: “The Emperor is… bloodthirsty!”
“He wants to use Zhang Biao as a knife to deal with us to death! Li Jinglong and Guo Ying are just the beginning…”
Zhai Shan’s young face was also filled with gloom: “More importantly, it’s his attitude. The Emperor’s actions clearly show he no longer cares about the feelings of any nobles, nor does he trust anyone anymore.”
“Even Li Jinglong voluntarily resigned and handed over his property didn’t help, nor did Guo Ying feigning illness…”
“This shows that what the Emperor wants is not an attitude of admitting mistakes, but a thorough reckoning!”
Fu Youwen listened in silence, his face as dark as if water could drip from it. He thought deeper than the others.
“Don’t you see yet?”
Fu Youwen’s voice was hoarse: “The Emperor putting Li Jinglong, Guo Ying, and Zhang Biao together is his most ruthless move!”
“Zhang Biao is a madman, he dares to say anything, he dares to bite anyone!”
“Li Jinglong is a spineless coward, he’ll spill everything if you scare him a little!”
“Although Guo Ying is a bit tough, putting him with these two is itself a form of torture and coercion!”
Having said this, he looked around at everyone, his eyes filled with fear:
“Think about it, if the three of them start biting each other in the Imperial Prison, how much will they spill? How many people will be implicated? Can we… can we still be safe?”
These words made everyone feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar!
Yes!
Zhang Biao knew many of their affairs!
Li Jinglong, to save his life, would definitely bite wildly!
Even if Guo Ying held out, how long could he last?
By then, one by one, the evidence would be placed before the Emperor…
They couldn’t even imagine that scene!
“No! We absolutely cannot let them talk nonsense!”
Ru Chang slammed the table, his face showing ferocity.
“How do we stop it?”
Zheng Ci gave a wry smile: “In the Imperial Prison, under Jiang Huan’s nose, can we silence them?”
Silencing them? The word sent a shiver through everyone.
Silencing them in the Imperial Prison? That would be seeking death!
“Perhaps… we can start with their families?”
Zhai Shan suggested sinisterly: “Let them know the consequences of speaking carelessly…”
“Impossible!”
Fu Youwen immediately shook his head: “The Emperor is watching very closely now. Touching their families would be like walking into a trap!”
“Moreover, if they are pushed to desperation, what if they decide to go all out?”
“Then what? Are we just going to sit and wait for death?” Ru Chang roared impatiently.
The study fell into a deathly silence.
Despair and fear permeated like poisonous mist.
After a long time, Fu Youwen finally spoke slowly, his voice carrying a desperate ruthlessness: “There are three paths at this juncture.”
“First, we must notify the Princes and Dukes as soon as possible. If they don’t act, we will all be buried with that madman Zhang Biao!”
“Second, clean up our own messes as quickly as possible! Destroy any evidence that should be destroyed, and bribe anyone who needs to be bribed!”
“Even if we are implicated in the future, there should be no evidence!”
“Third!”
Saying this, a hint of madness flashed in his eyes: “Continue to push the ‘pure stream’ faction to submit memorials! We can no longer just impeach Zhang Biao!”
“We must muddy the waters further! We must emphasize the turmoil in the court, the instability of the border defenses, and the shaking of the foundation of the state!”
“We must make the Emperor see that if this kind of reckoning continues, before the truth is found out, the Great Ming Dynasty will be in chaos first!”
“We want to make the Emperor hesitate! Make him afraid to dig deeper!”
This was a risky move, using ‘the state and its foundations’ to blackmail the Emperor’s will.
But at this moment, for self-preservation, they could no longer care about that.
“Yes! Let’s do it this way!”
“We can only do this!”
“…”
The few men quickly reached a consensus and began to plot how to more effectively incite the ‘pure stream’ faction and create greater public opinion in the court.
At the same time.
In the study of the Duke of Kaiguo’s Mansion, the charcoal fire crackled, but it could not dispel the gloom and chill on the faces of brothers Chang Sheng and Chang Sen.
“Li Jinglong, Guo Ying…”
Chang Sheng’s fingers exerted unconscious pressure, almost crushing the teacup in his hand, his face as dark as a terrifying thing: “The Emperor is serious this time!”
“Even Dukes and Marquises are imprisoned just like that, and locked up with that madman Zhang Biao, this is clearly a move to destroy them…”
He suddenly looked up at his younger brother Chang Sen, his eyes filled with unprecedented worry: “Brother Sen, something is wrong!”
“The Emperor is not just investigating corruption this time, he is establishing his authority! He is preparing for Zhu Yunwen to become the Imperial Grandson! He is doing this for us nobles to see!”
“Second Brother, that’s what I fear the most!”
Chang Sen’s face was even paler than his brother’s, his voice carrying suppressed panic:
“Li Jinglong, that spineless coward, will definitely spill everything in the Imperial Prison!”
“Even if Guo Ying can hold out for a while, how long can he last? Those messy affairs in their mansions, which one can withstand Jiang Huan’s interrogation? What if they start to implicate others…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.
The nobles were intertwined, with many mutual interests, and no one could guarantee their absolute innocence.
Li Jinglong and Guo Ying, in order to reduce their sentences, were likely to bite wildly, and the entire noble group could be dragged down.
Chang Sheng’s breathing became heavy, his worst fears were becoming reality.
“More importantly…”
He lowered his voice, his tone extremely heavy: “Have you forgotten about Uncle?”
The words ‘Uncle’ carried a thousand jin of weight, causing Chang Sen’s body to tremble violently.
Chang Sheng’s eyes were filled with deep worry:
“Uncle has had outstanding military achievements over the years, but he has also been quite overbearing.”
“Occupying civilian land, harboring serfs, tolerating his subordinates… any one of these matters, if brought before the Emperor, would be a crime punishable by death!”
“Normally, the Emperor might overlook it due to his military achievements, but now…”
He paused, his voice dry: “Now the Emperor is using Zhang Biao as a knife, clearly intending to clear out various hidden dangers before Zhu Yunwen ascends the throne…”
“Li Jinglong and Guo Ying are just the beginning! If they, or their subordinates, spill Uncle’s affairs to save their lives, the consequences would be unimaginable!”
Lan Yu was not only their uncle but also the Chang family’s greatest support in the military. They would rise and fall together.
If Lan Yu fell, the Chang family would inevitably be greatly impacted.
Chang Sen was so scared that cold sweat broke out: “Then, then we must quickly send word to Uncle, telling him to be extremely restrained lately and not to cause any more trouble!”
“Send word? How?”
Chang Sheng gave a wry smile, his smile filled with helplessness: “Now Jiang Huan’s eyes are surely fixed on the movements of all the noble mansions!”
“If we send someone to contact Uncle at this moment, wouldn’t that be admitting guilt without being asked, telling the Emperor we have something to hide, and have unspeakable connections with Uncle?”
“Then what do we do?”
Chang Sen was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan: “Are we just going to watch?”
Chang Sheng closed his eyes wearily, rubbing his aching temples:
“We can only hope Uncle himself sees the situation clearly and avoids the spotlight for now. We are all struggling to protect ourselves…”
Saying this, he reopened his eyes, looked out at the dark night, and his tone became even more solemn:
“And about Yun Teng and his sister paying respects to their sister… the more I think about it, the more my heart pounds with fear!”
“Consort Lü agreed so readily, that’s too unusual!”
“Especially at this sensitive time, for Yun Teng and his sister to leave the palace to pay respects to their mother, and for us, the Chang family, to host them, what would the Emperor think?”
“Would he think we, the Chang family, are secretly contacting the imperial grandchildren under the guise of mourning, plotting treason?”
“Would he think we want to use Yun Teng’s identity to make a fuss about the succession? Or even suspect us of colluding with Uncle?”
Each ‘would he think’ was like a heavy hammer, striking the hearts of the Chang brothers.
They had profoundly experienced Old Zhu’s suspicion and ruthlessness.
Chang Sen’s voice even started to sound tearful: “Second Brother, then, then will we still go for this memorial service? Or should we try to cancel it?”
“Cancel?”
Chang Sheng shook his head, his face full of bitterness and helplessness:
“Consort Lü’s side has already made arrangements. If we refuse now, it will only make us seem guiltier, as if we are trying to cover up the truth! That would be a dead end!”
He took a deep breath, as if making a great decision: “We will go! We must go! But we must be more careful than ever before!”
“The procession and offerings should be according to the lowest regulations, absolutely no extravagance!”
“When hosting Yun Teng and his sister, apart from necessary etiquette and condolences, we must not say a single word about court affairs, nor ask a single question about matters in the palace!”
“After the memorial service, we will immediately escort them back to the palace and absolutely not linger for a moment!”
“You and I will personally select the most reliable and tight-lipped old family servants to accompany us, keep a close eye on them the whole time, and absolutely no mistakes should occur!”
“This is no longer about filial piety, this is dancing on the tip of a knife…”
First, the warning of Li Jinglong and Guo Ying’s imprisonment, then the worry of Lan Yu possibly being implicated, and then the crisis of approaching the Imperial Grandson with extreme caution.
“Brother Sen, do you think we can reach the other side?” Chang Sheng couldn’t help but sigh.
Upon hearing this, cold sweat instantly broke out on Chang Sen’s forehead.
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