Chapter 149: A Rare Hailstorm, No One Knows An Old Friend Has Arrived 【 Seeking Monthly Tickets 】
“Elder Brother! Elder Brother! Something terrible has happened! The sky is falling!”
Zhu Gaochi almost burst through the study door as he entered, without even the time to bow. His face was filled with lingering alarm and a kind of almost frantic excitement.
Zhu Gaochi’s heart sank, and the fingers turning his prayer beads stopped abruptly.
He knew that whatever could make the third prince lose his composure like this could not be an ordinary matter.
“What’s the rush?! Speak slowly! If the sky falls, Father King and Imperial Grandfather will hold it up!”
Zhu Gaochi suppressed the unease in his heart and reprimanded him in a low voice, trying to calm Zhu Gaochi.
He saw Zhu Gaochi rush to the desk, hands bracing on the surface, breathing rapidly, his voice slightly changing tone due to excitement:
“They can’t hold it up! Elder Brother! The court session in the Hall of Supreme Harmony! The Drum of Hearing Petitions has been sounded! A old litigator carrying a package, directly accusing forbidden palace medicine, and murdering the imperial heir! It also implicates the Shaanxi old case and…”
He paused, his throat dry, and said: “And the Crown Prince Uncle’s death.”
“What!?”
Zhu Gaochi shot up from his seat, his plump face instantly drained of color, and he quickly pressed:
“Forbidden palace medicine?! Shaanxi old case?! The Crown Prince Uncle’s death?! Are you sure you heard correctly?!”
“Absolutely certain!”
Zhu Gaochi spoke extremely rapidly, like popping beans:
“Imperial Grandfather exploded on the spot! Fu Youwen, Ru Chang, Zhai Shan, and Zheng Ci, all four were apprehended on the spot and sent to the Imperial Prison! Guess what? Cornered, they actually started framing others in court!”
“They said the Shaanxi matter was done under orders, and there was another mastermind behind it! That old scoundrel Zhai Shan almost blurted out ‘Prince’, but he did shout out the character ‘prince/feudal lord’.”
“He shouted the character ‘prince/feudal lord’?!”
Zhu Gaochi felt a chill shoot up from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. The prayer beads in his hand ‘pat’ fell onto the table.
The matter he feared most had happened.
The secret Zhang Biao had revealed had indeed been like poisoned bait, not only hooking idiots like Fu Youwen but, more terrifyingly, it was beginning to point the finger at all the princes.
And their Prince Yan’s Mansion was undoubtedly one of the most obvious targets.
“What was Imperial Grandfather’s reaction?”
Zhu Gaochi’s voice was incredibly dry.
He heard Zhu Gaochi panting, “What reaction could there be? ‘Punish as treason, no leniency’! Those eight characters! The faces of the entire court turned green!”
“It’s chaos outside now! The Imperial Guard has been deployed en masse, the Nine Gates are sealed by the Five City Patrols, no entry or exit allowed!”
“All those who witnessed the Drum of Hearing Petitions are being registered, and anyone spreading rumors will be punished as traitors!”
“Nine Gates sealed… registered… punished as traitors…”
Zhu Gaochi muttered these words repeatedly, his face growing paler.
Suddenly, as if stung by a scorpion, he grabbed Zhu Gaochi’s arm with such force that Zhu Gaochi was startled: “Where is the Second Prince?! Where is Gaochi?! Where is he now?!”
“Second Brother?”
Zhu Gaochi was taken aback by the question and said:
“Didn’t he go out of the city earlier on your orders to contact Father King’s people remaining in the capital region?”
“This is bad!”
Zhu Gaochi slapped his thigh hard, his face pale as paper, and cold sweat broke out: “Quick! Quick, think of a way! Find the Second Prince immediately!”
“Huh? Why?”
Zhu Gaochi seemed not to grasp the situation, asking blankly: “Second Brother is on official business, and he’s very capable and clever, he should be fine, right?”
“Official business my foot!”
Zhu Gaochi was so anxious he was about to yell, abandoning his usual gentle demeanor:
“Things are different now. Father King’s letter before asked us to act secretly according to circumstances, and if necessary, to use our influence to assist Zhang Biao and stir up more trouble!”
“Then to catch Fu Youwen and the others!”
“But that was before the fire reached the princes!”
“But what about now?! That madman Zhang Biao has directly blown the roof off!”
“Fu Youwen and the others implicated the character ‘prince/feudal lord’, and Imperial Grandfather is at the peak of his rage and suspicion. At this moment, if the Second Prince, with our Prince Yan’s Mansion people, is running around outside investigating cases, colluding, and even possibly using Father King’s hidden contacts…”
Speaking to this point, Zhu Gaochi’s voice trembled with fear:
“Have you considered, if the Imperial Guard, if Jiang Huan’s men, notice this, what will they think?!”
“Will they think our Prince Yan’s Mansion is guilty and destroying evidence?!”
“Or… are we secretly plotting and colluding, and confirming the accusation of ‘prince/feudal lord’? By then, it won’t be an investigation…”
“It’ll be like mud falling into pants, whether it’s shit or not, it looks like shit! We won’t be able to explain ourselves no matter what! The entire Prince Yan’s Mansion will be branded as an accomplice to ‘treason’!”
“This…”
After hearing his elder brother’s analysis, Zhu Gaochi instantly broke out in a cold sweat, his face turning as pale as Zhu Gaochi’s.
Only then did he realize the severity of the problem far exceeded his imagination.
At this moment, Yingtian Prefecture had become a huge powder keg filled with Imperial Guard eyes, and any spark could trigger a chain reaction.
“Then… then what do we do?!”
Zhu Gaochi also panicked: “The Nine Gates are sealed, no entry or exit! Even if Second Brother wants to come back, his identity will be exposed, and it will be even harder to explain!”
“That’s why we must find him immediately!”
Zhu Gaochi forced himself to calm down, his mind racing:
“He hasn’t been out for too long, he shouldn’t have gone far, probably still at a secret contact point near the capital region. You immediately use our contact in the Imperial Guard… No! Don’t use it! Too risky!”
Zhu Gaochi gave an idea and then rejected it:
“You personally lead a group of absolutely trustworthy people, change into civilian clothes, and find a way to get out through the… the drainage culvert. I know an old passage, it might still be usable!”
“After you find Gaochi, tell him, the plan is completely canceled! Father King’s orders are temporarily shelved! He must immediately go into hiding and cut off contact with all hidden agents!”
“Wait until the storm passes, or until you receive my next order. Absolutely! Absolutely do not be discovered by the Imperial Guard!”
“Culvert… old passage…”
A difficult expression appeared on Zhu Gaochi’s face. He inwardly grumbled that his elder brother made it sound nice, but wasn’t he just telling him to crawl through a dog hole?!
That place was dirty and dangerous, but seeing his elder brother’s unusually stern expression, he could only suppress his displeasure and nod heavily: “Okay! I’ll go immediately!”
“Be careful! You must be careful!”
Zhu Gaochi grabbed Zhu Gaochi’s arm again and instructed:
“If… you really can’t find him, or if the situation is critical, prioritize your own safety! Remember! We can do nothing now! Stillness is better than action!”
“I understand!”
Zhu Gaochi nodded solemnly, turned, and hurried away, his figure quickly disappearing into the corridor outside the study.
Zhu Gaochi remained alone in the study, sinking back into his chair, feeling weak all over, his cold sweat having soaked through his inner garment.
A moment later, he couldn’t help but glance at Zhu Di’s secret letter on the desk, then thought of the sudden turn of events at the court, and Zhang Biao, who was in the Imperial Prison yet had stirred up the entire situation. A great sense of powerlessness and chill surged within him.
【 Father King… your plan is likely to fall through.】
【 Zhang Biao… this stab of yours is too deep.】
【 Yingtian Prefecture, no, the heavens of the Great Ming, are truly about to change.】
Meanwhile.
The sedan chairs of Zhu Yunteng and his two siblings proceeded silently, surrounded by eunuchs and palace maids arranged by Consort Lü, on the street returning to the Imperial Palace.
At this moment, the street was filled with shouts of “arrest!” and “register!”, as well as the clashing sounds of weapons and armor that sent shivers down one’s spine and made one tremble.
The oppressive atmosphere inside the sedan chairs at this moment formed a stark contrast to the faint commotion outside.
Zhu Yunteng lowered his head, doing his best to play the part of someone who was overly frightened, but his ears were perked, capturing every sound from outside.
Suddenly!
“Moo—!”
A mournful cow’s moo suddenly rang out, accompanied by the terrified screams of passersby and the chaotic sound of overturned goods.
At the street corner ahead, a ox cart laden with dry grass had, for some unknown reason, become agitated. The strong ox pulling the cart, its eyes red, broke free from its reins, lowered its head, and madly charged towards the procession of sedan chairs.
The cart driver was thrown aside, landing in a daze.
“Protect His Highness!”
The eunuch’s sharp cry cut through the air, and the guards rushed forward to try and block it.
But the mad ox’s charge was extremely fierce; it instantly knocked over two soldiers who couldn’t dodge in time and headed straight for Zhu Yunteng’s sedan chair.
“Ah—!”
Zhu Mingyue inside the sedan chair let out a terrified scream.
Zhu Mingyu’s face also turned pale with fright, and she instinctively grabbed her younger brother.
Zhu Yunteng suddenly raised his head, a flash of genuine fear in his eyes.
This accident was not within his calculations.
Seeing the mad ox’s sharp horns about to collide with the sedan chair.
At the critical moment!
“Beast! You court death—!”
A thunderous roar came from the roof on the side.
Immediately after, a figure as agile as a leopard, like a god descending from heaven, leaped fiercely from the eaves of a nearby shop.
He landed with pinpoint accuracy on the wide back of the mad ox.
The person was tall and burly, but his movements were exceptionally nimble.
He clamped his legs tightly around the ox’s abdomen, grabbed one of its horns with one hand, and with the other fist, the size of a alms bowl, containing terrifying power, he rained down blows on the ox’s vital head.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Fist to flesh, the dull thuds were bone-jarring.
The mad ox, in pain, let out an even more violent bellow, shaking its body wildly, trying to throw off the person on its back, and its charge momentarily faltered.
However, the person remained as still as a rock, his eyes fierce, his fists unceasing, exuding the ferocity of a warrior fighting wild beasts on the battlefield.
This sudden scene stunned everyone.
“It’s… it’s the Second Young Master of Prince Yan’s Mansion!” someone recognized Zhu Gaochi.
Zhu Yunteng and his siblings in the sedan chair were also stunned. Watching the fierce figure fighting the mad ox on the ox’s back, they forgot their fear for a moment.
In the chaos, no one noticed that in the shadows on the other side of the street corner, a man wearing a hooded cloak unconsciously clenched his fist.
However, he soon relaxed his fist and took a deep look at Zhu Gaochi fighting the mad ox.
Then, he turned and entered an alleyway around the corner.
Meanwhile, a young man dressed in inconspicuous commoner’s clothes, his face smeared with dirt, was also attracted by the huge commotion.
As soon as he peeked out, he saw his second brother displaying his might on the back of a mad ox.
“Second…”
Zhu Gaochi almost blurted out, but quickly covered his mouth, his eyes wide, thinking, “Second Brother, didn’t you go to contact Father King’s people?! Why are you here wrestling with a mad ox?! And causing such a commotion?!”
Just as Zhu Gaochi was about to beat the mad ox to death and the situation was about to be brought under control—
“Crackle—!”
The sky suddenly darkened without warning, and then, pea-sized, cold, and hard hailstones began to fall densely, like heaven spilling beans.
“Ah! It’s hailing!”
“Quick, take cover!”
“My head!”
This sudden natural disaster completely threw the already chaotic street into pandemonium.
Countless pedestrians scrambled for cover.
Even street vendors abandoned their goods and rushed to find shelter.
The hailstones struck rooftops, the ground, and people, making a heart-stopping sound.
Zhu Gaochi was also stunned by the sudden hailstorm. His movements slowed slightly, and the dying mad ox beneath him let out its last mournful cry and collapsed to the ground, finally still.
The guards and eunuchs at this moment no longer cared about their ceremonial duties and frantically sought cover or used their bodies to shield the sedan chairs; the scene was utterly chaotic.
“Second Brother! This way!”
Zhu Gaochi seized the opportunity amidst the hail and chaos, lowered his voice, and called out to Zhu Gaochi, waving frantically.
Zhu Gaochi shook the ice water from his head and looked towards the sound. Seeing his third brother, he was also surprised, clearly not expecting to meet him here.
He strode through the chaotic crowd towards Zhu Gaochi.
But as he passed a figure frantically dodging the hail, his elbow felt like something was being stuffed into it.
“Third Brother? Why are you…”
Zhu Gaochi started to speak but instinctively caught the object. When he looked back, the person who had stuffed it was gone.
“Second Brother, Elder Brother wants you to…”
Zhu Gaochi hastily tried to convey Zhu Gaochi’s instructions.
But Zhu Gaochi interrupted him with a frown: “Wait, this is not a place to talk…”
Before he could finish speaking—
“Protect His Highness back to the palace! Quickly!”
The eunuch’s sharp voice rang out again.
An old nanny hurried forward to ask: “Your Highness? Are you alright? Were you frightened?”
“N-no…”
A trembling voice clearly came from inside the sedan chair, stating, “No, I’m fine…”
The hailstorm, which had come so suddenly, also passed quickly.
Before long, the intensity of the fall began to decrease, gradually turning into heavy rain.
“The hail has stopped! Check everything quickly! Prepare to carry the sedan chairs back to the palace! This place is not safe to linger!”
The head guard urged them on.
The sedan chairs were lifted again and hurried onward towards the Imperial Palace.
Left behind were the mess and the dead mad ox.
Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaochi stood in place, watching the receding sedan procession, then looked at each other, both feeling a bit lost.
The sky soon began to brighten again, but the chaos on the streets and the alarm in people’s hearts lingered for a long time.
Inside the sedan chair, Zhu Yunteng’s fingers trembled as he quietly picked up the cold oilcloth package at his feet.
His heart was beating even more violently than when he had faced the mad ox.
【 Was that person… Brother Fengman?】
【 What is this thing…】
Seeking monthly votes~
【 Today’s chapter is a bit late because I analyzed Zhao Fengman’s character setting. He’s the kind of person who is clever and passionate, and wants to be as crazy as Zhang Biao. If there’s an opportunity, he wouldn’t choose just one, but all of them! As for why the Second Prince didn’t go out of the city, an explanation will be provided later.】
