Chapter 155: Hatred For Father’s Killer! Will Imperial Grandfather Avenge It? For Alliance Leader Ayesire7’s Bonus Update 1
Rebel son! Bitch! Idiot!
Everyone is forcing me! Everyone is plotting against me!
The moment Zhu Yuncheng shouted that sentence, the atmosphere in Huagai Hall was so oppressive it was like the dead silence before a storm.
Old Zhu sat withered on the dragon throne, his face gloomy as he looked at the confession submitted by Jiang Huan, the vexation and suspicion in his heart intertwining like vines, tightening more and more.
And just as this boundless oppression was about to swallow him whole, the hall door chimed softly, and Zhu Yunwen, holding a bowl of ginseng soup, walked in cautiously, head lowered.
“Grandson pays his respects to Imperial Grandfather!”
Zhu Yunwen’s voice, clear and bright, carried a perfect degree of concern and respect: “I heard Your Majesty was angry, and Imperial Mother is uneasy, so she specially ordered Grandson to bring you ginseng soup. I beg Your Majesty to take good care of your dragon body.”
His demeanor was proper and his attitude submissive. Amidst the gloom and schemes, he seemed like a clear stream.
Old Zhu raised his eyelids, looking at this grandson, who had been intelligent since childhood, was deeply loved by him, and on whom he had pinned great hopes. He looked at the steaming bowl of ginseng soup in his hand, and deep within his cold, hard heart, an imperceptible softness stirred.
Thankfully…
Thankfully Biao’er has such a pure and filial child… It was not in vain that I doted on him…
The rage, suspicion, and fatigue of the past few days seemed to find a small solace at this moment.
Uncharacteristically, he did not become angry, but merely waved his hand, looking tired, signaling Yun Ming and the others to retreat slightly.
Zhu Yunwen was overjoyed. He quickly stepped forward, gently placed the ginseng soup on the imperial desk, stood by with downcast eyes, not daring to speak further, but perfectly playing the role of a filial grandson worried about his grandfather’s health.
Old Zhu picked up the bowl of ginseng soup. The warmth transmitted through the porcelain made his cold fingertips slightly warmer.
“Hoo”
He took a deep breath. The slightly bitter aroma of the ginseng soup entered his nostrils, and his taut nerves seemed to relax a bit.
However, just as he was about to take a sip, to temporarily ease the splitting headache and turmoil that was about to erupt—
“Thump! Thump! Thump!”
Suddenly!
Heavy and rapid knocking sounds, like an out-of-control war drum, resounded in the outer hall without any warning!
Following that were faint shouts, screams, and one piercing wail that he could never mistake:
“Grandson official Zhu Yuncheng! I have a tremendous grievance regarding the cause of my Father King’s death! I risk my life to seek an audience with Imperial Grandfather—!!”
“Clatter—!”
Old Zhu’s hand trembled violently. The ginseng soup bowl, which had just been brought to his lips, slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.
The warm ginseng soup and porcelain shards scattered everywhere, splashing him and Zhu Yunwen beside him.
But he was completely oblivious.
His body stiffened abruptly, and the hint of gentleness that had just appeared on his face instantly froze.
In an instant, it cracked like ice, replaced by extreme shock, fury, and a hint of an indescribable, deeply buried fear.
Yuncheng?!
That grandson who was always unrestrained, unlearned, and like a waste?!
What did he just shout?! The cause of Father King’s death?! A tremendous grievance?! Risking his life to seek an audience?! What happened outside?!
“Yun Ming—!”
Old Zhu’s roar, like a wounded tiger, exploded in the hall, more terrifying than any previous time.
His temples throbbed, and an extremely ominous premonition, like a cold viper, instantly tightened around his heart.
Yun Ming was scared out of his wits. He scrambled to the main hall door, opened it a crack with trembling hands, and looked outside.
With just one glance, he recoiled as if struck by lightning, his face as pale as paper. He stumbled back into the hall, his voice trembling uncontrollably:
“Your… Your Majesty… His Highness the Third Imperial Grandson… he… he’s holding a knife! His body is covered in blood!”
“On the ground… on the ground lies someone… it looks like Eunuch Sun… he’s… he’s not breathing anymore!”
“His Highness the Third Imperial Grandson… he seems to have gone mad! He kept shouting… shouting about the cause of the Crown Prince’s death…”
Every word was like a heavy hammer, striking Old Zhu’s heart.
Holding a knife!?
Covered in blood!?
Killed an eunuch!? Gone mad!?
And shouting about… Biao’er’s cause of death?!
After the immense shock and absurdity came a more complex and surging emotion like a tsunami: shock at Zhu Yuncheng’s sudden madness and bloody methods, anger at Zhu Yuncheng for committing such treasonous acts within the palace, right before his eyes.
And still… still that cry of ‘Father King’s cause of death’, ‘tremendous grievance’?!
All of this, like the sharpest awl, pierced deeply into the core of his heart, the place he least wanted to touch, the place of his greatest fear, yet the place that ached subtly all the time!
He wanted to know the truth!
He wanted to know more than anyone else how his Biao’er had died!
Because no father could bear to have his beloved son, on whom he had pinned all his hopes, die unclearly!
But, for some reason, as the truth was about to be revealed, Old Zhu felt a nameless fear!
He was afraid that the results of the investigation would be unbearable! Afraid of facing a fact that might be cold, cruel, and even point to his closest relatives!
This extreme contradiction, this interweaving of desire and fear, left him frozen in place for a moment, his expression shifting, his chest heaving violently as if he couldn’t breathe.
Meanwhile, Zhu Yunwen, standing beside him, was petrified by the sudden turn of events and his Imperial Grandfather’s terrifying expression.
Even though the ginseng soup wet his robes and felt cold against his skin, he felt nothing, only boundless fear gripping him.
Suddenly, Old Zhu’s gaze snapped to Zhu Yunwen, his eyes like two bolts of lightning, piercing the grandson who had just been playing the filial role before him:
“Yunwen, when you came in, what exactly happened outside?!”
“Ah? This…”
Zhu Yunwen flinched at his gaze, his face instantly turned pale, and he hastily knelt down: “Grand… Grandson doesn’t know! When Grandson came in, Third Brother was just being blocked outside. Grandson truly doesn’t know why he suddenly went into such a frenzy, Imperial Grandfather!”
He was eager to distance himself, his voice tinged with a sob.
“Went into a frenzy?”
Old Zhu sneered, not believing this explanation at all.
He knew too well the tricks in the palace. If he hadn’t been pushed to the extreme, how could that usually timid grandson have done such a terrifying thing?
And still shouting ‘Father King’s cause of death’, ‘tremendous grievance’?!
His gaze swept over the shattered ginseng soup bowl on the ground, a hint of extreme annoyance and suspicion flashing in his eyes.
Consort Lü… Yunwen… what have you done behind my back?!
Old Zhu’s suspicion reached its peak at this moment.
The Imperial Guards in the hall were on high alert, each instantly entering a defensive stance, their hands gripping their saber hilts, their eyes sharp as eagles, ready to protect His Majesty or execute orders at any moment.
Outside the hall, Zhu Yuncheng’s wailing and resolute cries continued, each sound like a heavy hammer, striking the eardrums of everyone in the hall, and even more so, striking Old Zhu’s heart, which had been repeatedly tormented.
“Imperial Grandfather! This iron box contains account books of corruption in Shaanxi and abnormal expenses in the Eastern Palace! It is suspected to contain clues to plotting against the Crown Prince!”
“Zhao Fengman, Shen Lang, and others are going to their deaths to deliver this item!”
“Grandson official was obstructed and threatened, even had his sister’s life threatened! I had no choice but to resort to this drastic measure!”
“I beg Imperial Grandfather to investigate clearly! And to bring justice for my Father King—!”
Iron box! Evidence!
Clues! Going to their deaths!
Obstruction and threats!?
These words, like fragments, spun and pieced together wildly in Old Zhu’s mind!
Could it be… Yuncheng wasn’t crazy? He wasn’t instigated by someone to cause trouble? He truly… obtained something?!
The dual emotions of wanting to know immediately what was in the box, and fearing what was inside, were tearing him apart!
Finally, the ultimate question of the Crown Prince’s death, and the Emperor’s inviolable authority, outweighed his fear of the truth.
His eyes suddenly became incredibly terrifying. He looked fiercely at Yun Ming, his voice somewhat distorted due to extreme emotional fluctuation, but with an unquestionable decisiveness: “Open the door!”
“Yes!”
Yun Ming, his face pale with fright, quickly directed the Imperial Guards to open the hall door.
“Rumble!”
The heavy hall door was opened again.
Outside the door, the thick smell of blood hit them first.
Zhu Yuncheng’s small figure stood at the doorway, covered in blood. The Xiuchun Saber in his hand was still dripping warm blood, forming a small pool of dark red at his feet.
His face was as pale as paper, but his eyes burned frighteningly, filled with hatred, determination, and an almost mad grief and indignation.
He still clutched the iron box, also stained with blood, tightly in his arms.
This scene was visually striking, causing everyone who saw it to gasp.
Zhu Yunwen’s pupils contracted, and he couldn’t help but shout: “Yuncheng! Put down your weapon quickly! Do you want to rebel?!”
Zhu Yuncheng seemed not to hear his scolding. His gaze pierced through the door, locking onto the tall figure on the dragon throne inside.
“Imperial Grandfather—!”
He shouted hoarsely, his voice cracking with emotion and exertion:
“Grandson official knows he deserves death for storming the palace today! But Grandson would rather spill blood than let my Father King die unclearly! And let those treacherous villains who killed him escape justice!”
Saying this, he knelt with a ‘plop’ outside the threshold, threw the blood-stained Xiuchun Saber aside with a ‘clang’, then raised the blood-stained iron box high and shouted with all his might:
“Grandson official is insignificant and has been repeatedly obstructed and threatened, even had his sister’s life threatened! I had no choice but to resort to this drastic measure and disturb Your Majesty!”
“I beg Imperial Grandfather to investigate clearly! For my Father King! The Great Ming’s Crown Prince Yiwen! To bring justice—!!”
The last sentence was almost a sob, carrying the deepest sorrow of a son for his father and the most desperate plea of a victim for justice.
The entire Huagai Hall fell into silence once more.
Only Zhu Yuncheng’s stifled sobs and heavy breathing could be heard.
Old Zhu stared intently at the blood-stained iron box, the muscles in his face twitching violently.
Shaanxi corruption! Abnormal expenses in the Eastern Palace! Suspected plotting against the Crown Prince! Threats to the Imperial Grandson!?
Every word was like a heavy hammer, striking his heart.
All his previous doubts, suspicions, and anger seemed to find an explosive outlet at this moment.
His gaze suddenly shifted to Zhu Yunwen, who was kneeling on the ground, trembling like a sieve, his eyes as cold as ten thousand years of ice: “Ginseng soup? Hm? What a timely delivery!”
Zhu Yunwen was scared out of his wits, tears streaming down his face:
“Your Majesty, please see clearly! Grandson is wronged! Grandson knows nothing! It must be Third Brother who was instigated and framed…”
“Be quiet—!”
Old Zhu’s roar interrupted him. He suddenly stood up from the dragon throne, walked down the steps step by step, and headed towards the hall door.
His steps were heavy as mountains, and with each step, the hearts of everyone in the hall trembled.
He reached the door, his massive shadow engulfing Zhu Yuncheng, who was kneeling in a pool of blood.
He didn’t immediately take the iron box. Instead, he first glanced at the eunuch’s corpse by the side, then at the blood-stained saber thrown aside.
Finally, his gaze fell back to Zhu Yuncheng’s small face, a face mixed with blood, tears, and an indomitable stubbornness.
“Zhu Yuncheng!”
Old Zhu suddenly spoke in a voice that was abnormally calm, devoid of emotion, yet carrying unquestionable authority:
“Do you know that storming the palace with a weapon, killing an internal attendant, and alarming His Majesty, are each capital offenses?”
“Grandson official knows!”
Zhu Yuncheng raised his head, meeting his grandfather’s terrifying gaze without fear. His voice, hoarse from crying, was exceptionally clear:
“But Grandson official also knows that as a son, if I know my Father King has been wronged and cannot speak, living in this world is worse than a pig or a dog!”
“If Grandson official’s death today can exchange for Imperial Grandfather to thoroughly investigate Father King’s cause of death and eliminate the traitors, Grandson official will die without regret!”
Upon hearing this, Old Zhu’s pupils contracted slightly. He stared at his grandson, who seemed to have undergone a complete transformation overnight, for a long time without speaking.
The hall was so silent that one could hear a pin drop. Everyone held their breath.
“Yun Ming.”
Old Zhu spoke unexpectedly, his voice terrifyingly calm, yet carrying immense weight:
“Take Yunwen to the side hall to rest and change into clean clothes. Without my decree, he is not allowed to leave half a step, nor is anyone allowed to approach him.”
This sounded like care, but in reality, it was instantly placing Zhu Yunwen under house arrest and isolation.
He no longer trusted anyone, not even this grandson who had just made him feel ‘pure and filial’.
The ‘threats’ and ‘obstruction’ mentioned by Zhu Yuncheng made him instinctively harbor the deepest suspicions towards all potentially involved parties.
Since Consort Lü’s trusted eunuch was dead here, her son had to be controlled first.
“Imperial Grandfather!”
Zhu Yunwen looked up in terror, wanting to argue, but was forced to swallow his words by Old Zhu’s cold gaze.
There was no choice. He could only leave the hall, his face pale, being almost supported, but in fact, escorted, by Yun Ming and another eunuch.
After dealing with Zhu Yunwen, Old Zhu’s gaze returned to Zhu Yuncheng.
He did not immediately tell Zhu Yuncheng to rise, nor did he take the iron box. Instead, he gave an order to an Imperial Guard Battalion Commander at the door, his voice still steady but unquestionable:
“Song Zhong, examine Eunuch Sun’s body and confirm the cause of death. Detain all the guards and eunuchs who witnessed this outside the hall separately and interrogate them strictly!”
“I want to know every detail and every word spoken just now!”
“If there is even half a word of falsehood, you know the consequences.”
“Yes!”
The Imperial Guard Battalion Commander named Song Zhong’s heart tightened, and he immediately accepted the order.
This was to completely seal off information and cross-verify the truthfulness of Zhu Yuncheng’s words.
Only now did Old Zhu slowly walk towards Zhu Yuncheng.
He did not bend down, but merely lowered his gaze, his eyes examining him as if scrutinizing an extremely dangerous and extremely important artifact.
“Zhu Yuncheng!”
His voice was not loud, but it carried a weight that could crush a person’s spine: “You say this box contains evidence concerning your Father King’s death?”
“Yes… Imperial Grandfather…”
Zhu Yuncheng looked up, tears mixed with blood sliding down his face, his voice choked but firm.
“You say Zhao Qian was silenced because of this, and Zhao Fengman, Shen Lang, and others went to their deaths to deliver this?”
“Yes!”
“You say Zhao Fengman gave it to you? And he is now going to his death?”
“Yes! He said he wanted to be with his brother, and that they were doing today’s work for today. He said whether to give this box to Grandson official depended on Grandson official’s conscience, whether to give it to Imperial Grandfather.”
“You say you were obstructed and threatened, and even had your sister’s life threatened?”
“Yes! Grandson official is not lying!”
“Good.”
Old Zhu nodded, his expression still unreadable, revealing neither pleasure nor displeasure: “I will temporarily believe in your courage to storm the palace at the risk of your life.”
But his tone suddenly changed, becoming extremely sharp and suspicious:
“But whether the contents of this box are true or false, whether they have been tampered with, whether they have been used to frame someone… I need to verify.”
He would not completely believe all of this simply because of Zhu Yuncheng’s grief and courage.
He even suspected that this was another poisonous scheme by Zhang Biao.
“Present the iron box.”
Old Zhu commanded, but still did not take it himself. Instead, he gestured to another trusted old eunuch beside him.
The old eunuch stepped forward tremblingly, cautiously, as if handling explosives, and took the blood-stained, wet iron box from Zhu Yuncheng’s hands. Then, with his head lowered and held high, he presented it before Old Zhu.
Old Zhu still did not touch the box with his hands, but his sharp gaze meticulously scanned the bloodstains on the box, the marks on the lock, and even the wear and tear on the edges.
Every detail could provide information.
“Open it,” he commanded.
The old eunuch’s hands trembled as he opened the lid.
Old Zhu’s gaze fell into the box like a falcon’s.
Those few old account books, those few yellowed letters, and that glaring piece of bright yellow silk fragment, each item exuded an ominous aura.
But he did not examine them immediately. Instead, he directly ordered: “Summon someone, relay my decree.”
“One, immediately secretly summon Duke of Xinguo Tang He and Duke Kaiguo Chang Sheng into the palace! Have them enter directly through Xihua Gate, without making a sound!”
“Two, have the Administrator of the Imperial Hospital, Liu Chun, and all imperial physicians who diagnosed or prescribed medicine for the Crown Prince after the Hongwu 25th year, wait in the side hall immediately!”
“Wait separately! Without my decree, no one is allowed to converse or leave!”
“Three, verify with the Ministry of War and the Five City Patrols, who arranged the patrol routes today? Why were Li Mo and Wu Nai Da not found for several days, but were suddenly found today? Also, how did Zhao Fengman manage to hand over the iron box? Was a backup given to someone else? Find out all of it!”
“Fourth!”
His gaze finally truly fell upon the items in the iron box, his eyes as deep and terrifying as ever:
“Immediately transcribe three copies of all items in the box! The originals are to be sealed. Without my handwritten order, no one is to touch them!”
“One copy for me to personally examine, one copy to be sent to Tang He, and one copy to be sent to the Directorate of Records, to be jointly verified by several specialists responsible for accounts and documents!”
This series of commands was swift and ruthless, watertight, fully demonstrating a suspicious emperor’s extreme calmness, ruthlessness, and desire for control when faced with earth-shattering secrets that could shake the foundation of the state.
He would not blindly believe either side. He would mobilize all possible forces to verify and analyze the secrets within this iron box from different angles.
He wanted to ensure that the ‘truth’ he saw was as close to reality as possible, not a ‘truth’ meticulously designed by others.
Finally, he turned his gaze back to Zhu Yuncheng, his eyes complex.
This grandson’s actions today had disrupted everything and lifted a lid that he might never have wanted to open.
“Yuncheng!”
His tone softened slightly, but still carried a hint of scrutiny:
“Your actions today are a capital offense, but the lesser crime will be pardoned. Go to the side hall to rest for now. When I… need to ask you questions, I will summon you.”
He did not say he believed him, nor did he say he did not believe him.
He was merely controlling him temporarily, both for protection and for separate investigation.
Zhu Yuncheng felt a slight relief upon hearing “capital offense can be pardoned,” but when he heard the rest, knowing that his Imperial Grandfather had not fully believed him, his heart tightened again.
But he had done his utmost. The rest indeed had to be left to his Imperial Grandfather and ‘tomorrow’.
He immediately kowtowed: “Grandson official… thanks Imperial Grandfather for your grace.”
Two guards stepped forward and carefully helped him up, leading him to the side hall.
However, just as the two guards were about to help Zhu Yuncheng turn, Old Zhu’s cold voice rang out again, like cold iron hitting the ground:
“Wait—!”
The guards immediately stopped.
Zhu Yuncheng also stood still with difficulty, lifting his face, stained with blood and tears, to look at the supreme Imperial Grandfather, his eyes filled with confusion and a lingering determination.
Old Zhu’s gaze was like two cold dissection knives, slowly sweeping across Zhu Yuncheng’s face, as if trying to pierce his flesh and flesh to reach the deepest thoughts of his soul.
The air in the hall froze again. Jiang Huan and the trusted eunuchs held their breath.
Old Zhu was silent for a full ten breaths, then in an extremely calm tone, devoid of any discernible emotion, he slowly asked a question that shook the heavens:
“Yuncheng, I ask you.”
“If… if it turns out that your Father King’s death… is related to one of your Imperial Uncles.”
“What will you do?”
Boom—!
This question, like a bolt from the blue, struck Zhu Yuncheng directly on the head.
Not only him, but even the Imperial Guards supporting him turned pale with shock, instinctively burying their heads lower, wishing they were deaf at that moment.
This question was too heart-piercing, too terrifying!
It directly pointed to the most cruel and bloody scar of the imperial family!
Zhu Yuncheng’s body trembled violently, his pupils suddenly constricted.
He was clearly stunned by this hypothesis, the color draining from his face instantly.
Imperial Uncle? Killed Father King?
The faces of several princely uncles flashed through his mind, and immense shock and fear gripped him.
But only for a moment.
The grief and hatred that had supported him in storming the palace and killing someone, the extreme pain from the loss of his father, instantly overwhelmed all his fear and hesitation.
With almost no thought, he raised his head abruptly. His eyes, which had previously held some timidity and sadness, now held only an almost primitive, cold killing intent. He squeezed out a resolute word from between his teeth, without any hesitation:
“Kill—!”
This word, clear, sharp, and filled with unquestionable decisiveness, echoed in the silent hall.
Good heavens!
How exciting!
The surrounding Imperial Guards, eunuchs, and palace maids, upon hearing this word, felt their minds explode!
And on Old Zhu’s face, for the first time, there was clear, uncontrollable astonishment and shock!
He even instinctively leaned back slightly, as if stung by the cold killing intent contained in this word.
He had anticipated that Zhu Yuncheng would be afraid, would hesitate, would cry, and even beg his Imperial Grandfather for justice…
But he had never expected to receive such a direct, sharp, and ruthless ‘kill’ word!
This was completely unlike what a ten-year-old boy, usually timid and taciturn, could say!
This ferocity, this decisiveness… who did it resemble?
A trace of extremely complex, perhaps even unnoticed by himself, admiration flashed in the deepest part of his eyes, but was immediately replaced by deeper imperial suspicion and fury.
His face quickly darkened, like the sky before a storm. His voice suddenly became stern and oppressive:
“Kill? A fine word, ‘kill’!”
“To seek revenge, you would not hesitate to harm your own kin, showing no regard for human relations or affection! What difference is such a disposition from a beast?!”
“Based on these words alone, I cannot let you live!”
The Emperor’s suspicion instantly took the upper hand.
A grandson who could unhesitatingly say ‘kill’ to his uncle, would he not eventually raise his butcher knife against other brothers, or even against him, his Imperial Grandfather?
This uncontrollable flame of revenge was too dangerous!
Facing his Imperial Grandfather’s thunderous rage and the death threat of ‘I cannot let you live’, Zhu Yuncheng’s body trembled in fear, and an indescribable fear and sadness flashed in his eyes.
He was sad about his Imperial Grandfather’s reprimand and lack of empathy, and fearful of death.
But when he saw his Imperial Grandfather’s eyes, full of suspicion and scrutiny, a nameless courage, or rather, a desperate resignation, surged within him again.
He not only did not retreat, but instead raised his head abruptly. For the first time, with an almost equal gaze, stained with blood and tears, he met Old Zhu’s terrifying gaze, his voice hoarse but exceptionally clear, and retorted:
“Imperial Grandfather!”
“Grandson official also wants to ask you!”
“If… if someone had murdered your father, murdered Emperor Renshou Chun! What… what would you do?!”
“Would you consider human relations and affection?!”
Boom—!!
This sentence, more than the previous word ‘kill’, was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, striking Old Zhu directly on the crown of his head!
His entire body was instantly petrified, frozen in place!
The rage, gloom, and suspicion on his face… all expressions froze, leaving only immense astonishment and disbelief at having his most painful spot struck!
He, Zhu Yuanzhang, a commoner, had ascended to the throne. He had been decisive in battle his entire life. Who had ever dared to speak to him like this?
And to use his deceased, hard-working father as a comparison to question him?!
But this sentence was so cunning, so vicious, tearing away all false pretenses and getting straight to the core.
Hatred for a father’s killer! This was the most fundamental and irreconcilable hatred of human nature!
“You… you rebellious grandson!”
The immense shock and rage erupted like a volcano. Old Zhu took a step forward to Zhu Yuncheng, raised his hand, and with all his might, ‘smacked’ Zhu Yuncheng across the face with a resounding slap!
The slap was extremely heavy. Zhu Yuncheng stumbled back several steps, falling to the ground. His lip immediately split, blood flowed freely, and one side of his cheek swelled high.
But unexpectedly, Zhu Yuncheng did not cry or beg for mercy.
He merely wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, slowly raised his head, and in his eyes, the fear and sadness seemed to have completely dissipated, replaced by an even colder, almost desperate, calm and determination.
He looked at his enraged Imperial Grandfather and repeated, word for word: “Hatred for a father’s killer is irreconcilable—!”
“Hahahaha! Good! A fine ‘irreconcilable’!”
Old Zhu laughed in extreme anger, his laughter filled with ferocity and a kind of madness from being utterly offended.
He raised his hand again, preparing to strike this ‘inhumane’ rebellious grandson to death on the spot.
However, as his gaze met Zhu Yuncheng’s clear yet dead eyes, and saw his swollen red cheek and the blood constantly oozing from the corner of his mouth, and then thought of his storming the palace today with blood and bravery, and of the ‘evidence’ he mentioned regarding Biao’er’s cause of death…
Especially, that heart-piercing question, ‘What would you do if someone had murdered Emperor Renshou, you?’ echoed in his mind like a curse, causing the hand that had gathered killing intent to stop abruptly in mid-air.
He remembered Biao’er, that kind but prematurely deceased son.
He remembered Consort Chang, that gentle daughter-in-law.
He remembered how he had neglected and alienated Yuncheng and his sister over the years…
An extremely complex emotion, a mixture of rage, guilt, suspicion, and even a subtle trace of fatigue, finally overwhelmed his pure killing intent.
The raised hand finally fell powerlessly, yet with immense weight.
Old Zhu gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently. He stared at Zhu Yuncheng, who was lying on the ground, with complex eyes for a long, long time.
Finally, he turned his back, no longer looking at Zhu Yuncheng, his voice extremely weary, yet with an unquestionable coldness. He waved his hand to two Imperial Guards: “Take him away.”
“Confine him in an empty hall in the Northern Five Offices. Assign reliable people to guard him. Ensure he receives three meals a day, but without my decree, no one is to visit him, nor is he to step out of the hall half a step!”
“If even half a word of what happened in the hall today is leaked, all those who know will be subjected to Lingchi execution, and their nine generations of family exterminated!”
“Your servant… obeys your decree!”
The two Imperial Guards were greatly shocked and bowed in acceptance.
The Northern Five Offices… that was where the cold palace was located, much stricter than house arrest in the side hall.
Is His Majesty protecting him, or…
The two Imperial Guards stepped forward again. This time, they almost dragged and carried Zhu Yuncheng up from the ground and led him out of the hall.
Zhu Yuncheng did not resist, nor did he speak further. But at the moment he turned to be led away, he cast one last look at Old Zhu’s tall but seemingly solitary and rigid back, his eyes complex and unreadable.
The hall doors slowly closed again.
Old Zhu stood alone in the center of the vast hall, the shattered ginseng soup and still-wet bloodstains at his feet.
He slowly closed his eyes, his grandson’s words echoing repeatedly in his mind: ‘What would you do if someone had murdered Emperor Renshou?’
And that cold, resolute word ‘kill’.
After a long time, he let out a very light, very light sigh, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
It’s all karma… it’s all karma…
…
Seeking monthly tickets~
This is a double chapter.
I wanted to write a super long chapter, but my ability is limited. There’s one more chapter, it will be later! I have to wait until after work!
