Chapter 153: Three Questions Of The Soul, Disaster Of The Body For The Current Alliance Leader’s Bonus Update
The air of solemnity in Yingtian Prefecture had not yet reached the borders of Shaanxi.
As one of the princes implicated by Fu Youwen and his three companions, Prince Qin, Zhu Shuang, was still living a life of debauchery.
Especially after returning from Yingtian Prefecture for the funeral, he had become even more dissolute and unrestrained, completely lacking the demeanor of a prince.
It was unclear whether it was the immense blow from Old Zhu or if he had completely unleashed his true nature.
At this moment, he was watching with great interest as his subordinate ‘played’ with a servant who had committed a minor offense.
“Ah! Your Highness, spare me! Ah—!”
“Your Highness, spare me!”
Hearing the servant’s death throes and pleas for mercy, Zhu Shuang leaned on the couch, indifferent.
He was seen drinking fine wine while enjoying a favored concubine of stunning beauty and graceful figure peeling grapes for him, feeding the glistening flesh to his mouth with her delicate fingers.
“Mmm~ how sweet~”
Zhu Shuang narrowed his eyes contentedly, enjoying the concubine’s service.
He was tall and broad, inheriting some of Old Zhu’s facial features, but his eyes held a touch of arrogance and the ostentation of a life steeped in wine and women.
As a prince enfeoffed in Xi’an, he was a ‘local emperor’ in his own fiefdom, acting with utter disregard for consequence, and his reputation was quite poor.
Just then, a trusted eunuch quietly and swiftly entered, knelt on the ground, and presented a secret letter with both hands: “Your Highness, an urgent dispatch from Yingtian Prefecture.”
Zhu Shuang waved his hand carelessly, and the subordinate who was carrying out the punishment immediately stopped. The favored concubine, Madam Wang, also wisely withdrew to the side.
He took the secret letter, directly broke the seal, and unfolded the paper to read.
At first, his expression held a hint of playful amusement.
“Oh? That madman Zhang Biao really caused a catastrophe? Li Jinglong and Guo Ying, those two wastes, have also fallen? Haha, interesting.”
The contents of this letter were not the latest news from Yingtian Prefecture, but they did indicate the tense situation there.
Yet Zhu Shuang felt no tension at all; he even let out a scoff, thinking the people in Yingtian Prefecture were truly regressing, to be so thoroughly thrown into chaos by a condemned prisoner.
But as he read, his brows gradually furrowed.
“Fu Youwen and Ru Chang are looking for an iron box? And it might be related to… Eldest Brother’s death?”
He sat up straighter, his earlier nonchalance receding, replaced by a hint of surprise and a barely perceptible flicker of guilt.
“Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
The favored concubine, Madam Wang, observed his expression and asked softly, thoughtfully handing him a cup of warm wine.
Zhu Shuang took the wine cup and drained it in one gulp. He held the secret letter in his hand and gruffly said, “It’s nothing, just a bit of trouble in the capital, some clowns making a fuss.”
He tried to appear unfazed, but the impatience in his brow was undeniable.
Madam Wang was an extremely intelligent woman; otherwise, she wouldn’t have stood out among the many beauties in Zhu Shuang’s harem.
Her eyes flickered, and she said softly, “Although I don’t understand court affairs, I’ve heard of that Censor named Zhang Biao. They say he’s a demonic person who can stir up storms.”
“Hmph!” Zhu Shuang snorted dismissively, “What kind of demonic person? He’s just not in my Xi’an! Otherwise, see how I would deal with him.”
As he spoke, a flash of ferocity and cruelty crossed his eyes. He then turned to the subordinate who had stopped the torture and roared, “Do you want to die?! Who told you to stop?!”
The subordinate performing the torture trembled all over and quickly begged Zhu Shuang for forgiveness: “Your Highness, forgive me! Your Highness, forgive me!”
Before his words had even fallen, he raised the torture instrument in his hand and cruelly began to inflict pain on the servant.
“Ah—!”
Hearing the servant’s screams, the anger on Zhu Shuang’s face gradually subsided, replaced by a perverse enjoyment.
Then, while ‘enjoying’ the screams, he calmly said:
“That madman Zhang Biao, he implicated Li Jinglong and Guo Ying and had them imprisoned. His five henchmen are now involved with some iron box… and it’s related to the deceased Crown Prince…”
“This is probably not a minor matter, is it?”
Hearing this, Madam Wang’s mind raced. While carefully observing Zhu Shuang’s expression, she analyzed for him:
“Vice Minister Fu Youwen and the others, they and Your Highness… have always had some connection.”
“They are now rushing to find that item, perhaps they are also panicked. If there is truly something improper in that iron box, and it is seen by the wrong person… could it… implicate Your Highness?”
These words, seemingly out of concern, in fact struck at Zhu Shuang’s most sensitive points.
Zhu Shuang’s face completely darkened.
“Implicate me?”
Zhu Shuang blustered indignantly, “I conduct myself openly and honestly, what is there to fear!?”
Despite his words, his shifty eyes and slightly rapid breathing betrayed his inner panic.
After all, one knew one’s own affairs best.
Seeing this, Madam Wang knew the time was right. She nestled closer and said softly:
“Your Highness naturally isn’t afraid. It’s just that there are always villains who frame others. Especially now that the capital is in chaos, the various princes… are likely being watched.”
“I’m just worried that someone wants to take this opportunity to escalate things for their own benefit.”
Her words, without a sound, shifted Zhu Shuang’s personal unease to the broader context of the princes’ power struggles.
Zhu Shuang was suddenly startled.
That’s right! He wasn’t the only prince!
The Fourth Prince was amassing power in Beiping, and the Third Prince in Taiyuan was no pushover!
And then there was the Fifth Prince, Prince Zhou…
Who among them was completely clean in their fiefdom? Who hadn’t used connections in the capital to get things done?
What if this wasn’t aimed at him alone? What if someone wanted to muddy the waters and drag all the princes down with them?
Especially the Fourth Prince, he had distinguished military achievements and had always been valued by the Imperial Father. Did he have no ambitions?
Perhaps that incident also had his shadow.
Thinking of this, Zhu Shuang suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
He couldn’t bear the Imperial Father’s wrath alone, but if he could involve his other brothers, the situation would be different.
The law does not punish the multitude; the Imperial Father couldn’t kill all his sons, could he?
“You’re right!”
Zhu Shuang abruptly stood up and paced back and forth in the hall, which was covered with a luxurious carpet, “We can’t just sit and wait to die! We need to figure out what’s going on! And we shouldn’t scare ourselves!”
Saying this, he stopped and sternly ordered the trusted eunuch, “Immediately dispatch your most capable person, at top speed, to Taiyuan! To see Prince Jin!”
“Tell him about the situation in the capital, especially about the iron box and Fu Youwen’s affairs! Ask the Third Prince if he’s heard any rumors? What does he think about this matter?”
Zhu Shuang’s mind, uncharacteristically, began to spin rapidly:
“Remember, be polite, say that your Second Brother is filled with apprehension, fearing being framed by villains and implicating us princes, and wishes to ask Third Brother for advice on how we should respond?”
“Yes! Your Highness! Your servant will go immediately!”
The eunuch quickly kowtowed and hurried away.
Only then did Zhu Shuang breathe a little easier and sit back on the couch, but the worry in his brow had not dissipated.
Madam Wang leaned in solicitously again, massaging his temples, and said softly:
“Your Highness, please relax. His Highness Prince Jin is an intelligent man; he will understand the implications. Perhaps this is a good opportunity for you and His Highness Prince Jin to deepen your brotherly affection.”
Zhu Shuang clasped her hand and sighed, “Let’s hope so. May the winds of the capital not blow into our Xi’an.”
Although he was irritable and foolish, he vaguely sensed that a great storm was brewing in Yingtian Prefecture.
And this storm might very well change the fate of all the princes.
For the first time, he felt a sense of panic, of being unable to control the situation.
……
On the other side, Huagai Hall.
Old Zhu looked at the scrolls and confessions, several inches thick, presented by Jiang Huan. Although his anger surged, he did not erupt immediately, but instead, with extreme patience, meticulously reviewed them page by page.
The more he read, the calmer his expression became, as calm as a bottomless cold pool.
Only the occasional violent contraction of his pupils and the slightly bulging veins on the back of his hand revealed the terrifying tempest raging within him.
The immense amount of corruption and the vast network of factionalism were within his expectations; he even felt a cold understanding of ‘just as expected.’
After all, when Zhu Biao went to Shaanxi for inspection, it was ostensibly to assess its suitability for relocating the capital, but in reality, it was to investigate the corruption in Shaanxi and some matters concerning Zhu Shuang and Zhu Gang forming factions for personal gain.
However, as his gaze swept over fragments concerning Shaanxi’s engineering projects, military equipment procurement, old Eastern Palace subordinates like Wang Fu, and the large sums of money and regional connections discovered after his death, his breathing momentarily paused.
He did not ask ‘if it was true,’ because if Jiang Huan dared to report it, it must have undergone preliminary verification.
Nor did he ask ‘if they could be convicted,’ because each of these materials, taken individually, could not directly lead to a conviction.
Of course, if it were anyone else, he wouldn’t need such conclusive evidence, but when it involved his son, the situation was different.
After all, he was an Emperor who had risen from mountains of corpses and blood, controlling the empire for thirty years.
He was all too familiar with the dark corners of power’s operation, and he understood too well how meticulous schemes and malicious intentions were often hidden behind these seemingly unrelated ‘coincidences.’
His sons… his two good sons… Prince Qin, Prince Jin…
For the sake of power, for that position, would they use such insidious and vicious means to attack their Eldest Brother, the Empire’s Crown Prince?!
He still couldn’t be sure.
A bone-chilling cold and rage almost overwhelmed his reason.
But he suppressed it forcefully.
Just as he had dealt with Hu Weiyong back then.
The more earth-shattering the case, the more he needed to endure, the more he needed to investigate thoroughly, waiting for all the demons and monsters to reveal themselves before eradicating them with thunderous force.
He did not yet have direct evidence proving his sons were involved in the Crown Prince’s murder.
The accusations from Fu Youwen and others were more a matter of shifting blame out of fear.
Those ‘coincidences’ could have many explanations.
He could not act against his own sons, especially princes wielding significant military power, based solely on suspicion.
That would shake the foundation of the nation.
But his heart had completely turned cold, and it was now covered with thorns of suspicion.
He gently closed the scrolls, raised his eyes, and looked at Jiang Huan with unfathomable depth, “All officials involved in corruption and factionalism, regardless of rank, if the evidence is conclusive, they shall be severely punished according to the Great Proclamation, with no leniency whatsoever.”
His voice was steady, but carried the weight of a final judgment.
This meant another large-scale purge.
“As for other matters…”
Old Zhu paused, his tone becoming extremely subtle, “Regarding matters involving the princes, and the death of Wang Fu, an old subordinate of the Eastern Palace, continue to investigate secretly and meticulously.”
“Remember! Do not alarm anyone, especially those in the princely residences.”
“Every matter, every person, must be investigated thoroughly until the truth is revealed, with concrete evidence.”
“Yes! Your subject understands!”
Jiang Huan’s heart trembled, knowing that the Emperor intended to investigate to the very end but also to strictly control the scope.
Just then, Jiang Huan suddenly remembered something and reported the incident of Zhu Yunteng and his sister being startled by a bull and rescued by Zhu Gaochi, in an objective manner.
After listening, a subtle crack appeared on Old Zhu’s calm face.
Zhu Gaochi? The second son of Prince Yan, that brave and reckless one?
He ‘happened’ to be there? And subdued the mad bull with his bare hands?
All his suspicion was triggered at this moment!
The Fu Youwen case implicated princes, and precisely at this juncture, Prince Yan’s son ‘rescued’ the children of the Crown Prince?
Was this an overture? A solicitation? Or… was there another motive?
What did they want to obtain from Yunteng and his sister? Or what were they trying to conceal?
Did the Fourth Prince know? Was this his instruction?
In an instant, countless speculations and suspicions flashed through Old Zhu’s mind.
His meager affection for his sons seemed so fragile in the face of immense suspicion about power.
He would not allow any prince, under his watch, to have any form of contact or leverage with the descendants of Zhu Biao’s lineage.
“Jiang Huan!”
Old Zhu’s voice was unreadable, yet it sent an inexplicable chill through Jiang Huan.
“Your subject is here.”
“You will go to Prince Yan’s Mansion immediately.”
Old Zhu slowly commanded, choosing his words carefully, “Ask his Heir Apparent, Zhu Gaochi, three questions on my behalf.”
“First, ask him why his second brother, Zhu Gaochi, happened to be near Yunteng and their entourage today. Make him, as the elder brother, give me a detailed explanation.”
“Second, ask him what his Prince Yan’s Mansion thinks about the recent court turmoil, Fu Youwen and others’ corruption and factionalism, and even their implicating court officials and mentioning princes. Have him explain.”
“Third!”
Old Zhu’s gaze became extremely profound, “Tell him that Yunteng, Mingyue, and Mingyu were frightened, and it pains me greatly. Ask him how he thinks we should reward his ‘brave and righteous’ second brother.”
These soul-searching questions, one concerning whereabouts and motives, one concerning political stance, and one concerning attitude towards Zhu Biao’s lineage, were each pregnant with hidden meaning.
Though seemingly ordinary, each question was a subtle trap, directly targeting the core of Prince Yan’s Mansion.
A slight misstep could lead to a death sentence.
“Your subject! Obeys the decree!”
Jiang Huan took a deep breath, knowing that this was another task that required treading on thin ice.
He bowed and retreated, hurrying towards Prince Yan’s Mansion.
Inside Huagai Hall, Old Zhu sat alone on the Dragon Throne, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the thick scrolls, a storm brewing in his eyes.
【Eldest Brother… look… after you left, what has this empire, this family, become… 】
【I want to see… how many more demons and monsters will jump out… 】
