Chapter 159: I Don’t Mind Washing The Great Ming Empire With My Son’s Blood. Please Vote Monthly
Inside Huagai Hall, the candlelight cast flickering shadows on Old Zhu’s face, illuminating an icy, murderous intent.
On the imperial desk lay two blood-stained transcriptions of iron box contents, placed side-by-side like unsheathed sharp blades, emitting a chilling radiance that made one’s heart palpitate.
Jiang Huan knelt below, his forehead pressed firmly against the cold floor tiles.
Though he was extremely reluctant, he recounted, as steadily as possible while still betraying his alarm, Zhang Biao’s treasonous and heart-piercing confession, word for word.
With every additional word spoken, the air inside the hall seemed to grow more congealed, and the temperature dropped another degree.
When he heard Zhang Biao threaten to weave Old Zhu’s family’s issues of brothers turning on each other, father and son suspicion, and descendants acting like beasts into eight hundred versions and spread them throughout the world, the veins on the back of Old Zhu’s hand, resting on the dragon throne’s armrest, suddenly bulged like coiled dragons.
“Creak…”
The hard rosewood armrest, it was actually creased by his sheer force.
Enormous wrath surged within his chest like lava, almost breaking through the emperor’s calm shell.
“A condemned prisoner! An ant! dares to threaten us like this!?”
“He even dares to trample the dignity of our Zhu imperial family underfoot like this!?”
“Kill him! He must be dismembered immediately! Torn to shreds—!”
This thought roared in his mind like an instinct.
However, at the apex of this fury, Old Zhu’s reason, which surpassed that of ordinary people, and his extremely cold imperial cunning, forcibly suppressed this pure killing intent.
He slowly, with extreme suppression, released the fingers that were about to crush the armrest.
“Cannot kill.”
“At least not now.”
“This madman Zhang Biao, though appearing insane, has struck precisely at our greatest pain, the points we cannot ignore.”
“The imperial family’s reputation, the annals of history, public opinion throughout the world…”
These ethereal yet heavy-as-Mount-Tai matters were precisely one of the greatest obsessions of Old Zhu, an emperor who rose from humble origins and particularly valued his posthumous reputation.
“Good… very good… you scoundrel… I truly underestimated the ferocity and brains of this rogue!”
“You want to force us to purge our own family… to force us to kill sons and brothers, is that it? Do you think we wouldn’t dare!?”
Old Zhu sneered inwardly, his anger turning into a chilling calm.
His most important task now was not to kill someone or to argue with a dying man, but to quickly and with minimal cost, clarify the truth and stabilize the overall situation.
Killing Zhang Biao was simple, but the consequences were unpredictable.
This ‘madman’ must have had a contingency plan before his death.
Otherwise, he would never have imagined that if he died, Shen Lang and the other five would surely die.
He dared to be imprisoned, indicating he had already thought everything through.
He had sufficient leverage to prevent us from killing Shen Lang and the other five.
Perhaps it was his seemingly deliberate yet provocatively sinister methods…
Since that is the case,
The urgent task is to shut his mouth, extract everything he knows, and then let him ‘get his wish’ and disappear quietly.
At the same time, it is imperative to ensure that those five young men who know a lot of inside information also cannot speak carelessly.
Thinking of this, Old Zhu’s gaze became deep and unfathomable.
“Jiang Huan.”
“Your servant is here!”
Jiang Huan remained prostrate on the ground, not daring to look up.
“Where are Zhang Biao’s five accomplices now?”
Old Zhu’s voice carried no trace of anger, frighteningly calm.
“Replying to Your Majesty, Shen Lang and Sun Gui are imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice prison. Li Mo, Wu Nai Da, and Zhao Fengman… were just apprehended by the Five City Patrols and are also being escorted to the Ministry of Justice.”
“Bring them all to the Imperial Prison!”
Old Zhu ordered indifferently, “Confine them to the cell next to Zhang Biao’s. Let them ‘reunite’ with their brothers.”
“This…”
Jiang Huan was slightly taken aback, then immediately understood, “Your Majesty is wise! Your servant will attend to it immediately!”
The Emperor keeping Zhang Biao’s subordinates under his direct watch was both for centralized control and as the best form of leverage and hostage.
To torment and force Zhang Biao to comply using their safety.
“Also!”
Old Zhu added, a cold smile forming on his lips, “Send people to ‘urge’ Zhang Biao to write his confession for twelve hours straight. Tell him, my patience is limited.”
“And, let him hear the ‘sounds’ of his five brothers being interrogated in rotation.”
“I want to see whether his mouth is harder, or his brothers’ lives are.”
The implication in these words sent a chill down Jiang Huan’s spine.
The Emperor was going to attack his mind, using the continuous fear and possible screams of those five individuals to break Zhang Biao’s psychological defenses.
“Your servant understands!”
Jiang Huan kowtowed heavily.
“Go.”
Old Zhu waved his hand.
“Tell Song Zhong that I want to see the confessions from Liu Chun and the investigation results as soon as possible. Also, expedite the news from Shaanxi and the various Princes’ fiefdoms!”
“Yes!”
Jiang Huan responded and quickly retreated, his footsteps more hurried than when he arrived.
Old Zhu was once again alone in the hall.
“Saying the foundation of my Great Ming is rotten? What a fine example set from above! What great righteousness!”
“You scoundrel, to even say that my Biao’er couldn’t refute and that I am the biggest worm, what immense audacity!”
He slowly stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the dark night outside, his gaze seeming to pierce through the palace walls, seeing the demons and monsters stirring in the darkness.
“Second Brother, Third Brother, Fifth Brother… and those worms attached to you…”
“You had best pray that Biao’er’s death truly has nothing to do with you…”
“Otherwise…”
In his eyes flashed a hint of dual ferocity, belonging to both a father and an emperor, bordering on madness.
“I don’t mind using your blood to cleanse this Great Ming Empire once more!”
“Hoo.”
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart.
Now, he had to wait.
Wait for Song Zhong to pry open the mouths of Liu Chun and those inner officials.
Wait for news from Shaanxi and the Princes’ fiefdoms.
Wait for the mice, intentionally let out by him in Yingtian Prefecture, to jump out of their holes on their own.
As for Zhang Biao…
A hint of extremely cold calculation flashed in Old Zhu’s eyes.
“When I get everything I want… you can be on your way.”
“Yun Ming!”
Old Zhu called out softly again.
Yun Ming appeared before Old Zhu like a startled rabbit, bowed, and said, “Your Majesty.”
“Has Sun Ren’s death been investigated clearly?”
“Replying to Your Majesty, your servant just received a memorial from Commander Song. Please review it…”
Saying this, he handed the memorial in his hand to Old Zhu.
Old Zhu took the memorial without a word and unfolded it to examine.
The contents mainly consisted of Consort Lü’s confession, the confessions of two Imperial Guards, and the confessions of other witnesses.
In this confession, Consort Lü described how she, fearing Zhu Yunteng’s rashness might anger the Emperor, claimed to know nothing about the iron boxes, speaking with tears of blood and even blaming herself for being an inadequate imperial consort.
In short, she displayed as much guilt and as much fear as possible, causing Old Zhu to frown.
As for the confessions of the two Imperial Guards, they insisted they were on duty by imperial decree, and that Zhu Yunteng snatching the Xiuchun Saber was an accident, done to avoid harming Your Highness.
The confessions of other witnesses mostly stated that Sun Ren had rushed over to dissuade Zhu Yunteng, even without stopping. What Sun Ren said to Zhu Yunteng was unclear.
“Heh!”
After reading all the confessions, Old Zhu couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh and sigh to himself, “As expected of the consort chosen by my Biao’er! Very good!”
Although these words were ‘praise’ for Consort Lü, they sounded chilling to Yun Ming’s ears.
It was clear that even though Consort Lü had temporarily cleared herself of suspicion of plotting against the Crown Prince, the Emperor was no longer very pleased with this Crown Princess.
Then Old Zhu said calmly and indifferently:
“Pass down my decree: Consort Lü was negligent in her discipline and lax in household management. She is ordered to correct her ways, and if there is a next time, I will not spare her lightly.”
“Furthermore, inform Song Zhong to transfer the two Imperial Guards who were on duty today to the Northern Desert, never to be recalled.”
“Understood!”
Yun Ming immediately accepted the order, then turned and left Huagai Hall.
He knew that the Eastern Palace was no longer the place of ‘pure filial piety’ in the Emperor’s heart.
…
On the other side.
The side hall in the Eastern Palace where Zhu Mingyue and Zhu Mingyu resided.
The atmosphere inside the hall was suffocatingly oppressive.
Zhu Mingyue sat by the window, unconsciously twisting a silk handkerchief in her hands. Her beautiful eyes were swollen and red, filled with immense fear and worry, tears falling silently like beads from a broken string.
Her gentle disposition seemed so helpless in the face of this tempest.
“Eldest Sister! Can you stop crying?!”
Zhu Mingyu paced back and forth in the hall impatiently. Her almond eyes, so similar to Consort Chang’s, burned with wrath and an irrepressible excitement:
“I think Yunteng did the right thing! If it were me, I would have also chopped that old eunuch!”
“Why are they stopping us from seeing Imperial Grandfather? Why can Second Brother go in? They’re just bullying us, children without mothers!”
Although she was also afraid, she felt more admiration for her brother’s resolute courage and a sense of release after prolonged suppression.
Zhang Biao’s ‘mad ramblings’ seemed to have planted a seed of rebellion in her heart.
“But… but that’s a capital offense!”
Zhu Mingyue’s voice was choked with sobs, filled with despair:
“Yunteng… he… he was beaten by Imperial Grandfather… and now we don’t know where he’s being held… boohoo… if only Father King and Mother were here…”
Just then, a panicked voice of a Palace Maid came from outside the hall: “Your Highness… why have you come?”
Immediately after, the hall door was pushed open, and Consort Lü entered, surrounded by a host of Palace Maids and Nannies.
Today, she was wearing a simple and elegant palace gown, without makeup, her face pale, her eye circles slightly red, a thick layer of sorrow and fatigue clouding her brow, as if she had just suffered a great blow and injustice, evoking pity.
“Mingyue, Mingyu…”
As soon as she entered, her gaze fell upon the sisters. Her voice was soft and tinged with a sob. She quickly stepped forward, first taking Zhu Mingyue’s cold hand, then reaching out with her other hand to stroke Zhu Mingyu’s shoulder, her eyes filled with ‘sincere’ concern and heartache:
“Good children, you… you have been frightened…”
Zhu Mingyue seemed to have found a pillar of support, grabbing Consort Lü’s hand and crying even harder, “Imperial Mother… what about Yunteng…”
Zhu Mingyu, however, instinctively took half a step back, avoiding Consort Lü’s touch. Her sharp eyes scrutinized Consort Lü, with a hint of imperceptible vigilance.
She always felt that behind this stepmother’s gentleness, something was hidden.
Consort Lü’s hand missed its target, and a trace of awkwardness and displeasure flickered across her face, but it immediately turned into deeper sorrow.
She picked up a silk handkerchief, gently wiped away her non-existent tears, her voice becoming increasingly gentle and mournful:
“Alas… I have heard everything… Yunteng this child… is truly too impulsive…”
“How could he do such a treasonous thing… brandishing a weapon, startling His Majesty, and… and causing a death…”
“This… how can I face my late sister, how can I face Your Highness the Crown Prince…”
Her words, while seemingly pitying Zhu Yunteng, constantly emphasized his treason and guilt, subtly placing herself in the position of a victim and a helpless elder.
“But Imperial Mother!”
Zhu Mingyue cried, defending herself:
“Yunteng said… he said he had a great injustice to report to Imperial Grandfather, concerning Father King… he was forced into it…”
“Foolish child!”
Consort Lü immediately interrupted her, her tone carrying a sense of ‘you are too young to understand,’ expressing heartbroken dismay:
“Can’t you talk about the greatest matters properly? Must you resort to such a risky move?”
“Now that you have angered His Majesty, even if there is true injustice, how can the Emperor listen? Instead, it will only add to your crimes and implicate yourself!”
As she spoke, she carefully observed the sisters’ reactions, especially Zhu Mingyu’s.
“I… I was just summoned by Eunuch Yun… the Emperor is furious, and even I was reprimanded… told I was negligent in my discipline…”
She appropriately displayed her grievances and fear, successfully diverting Zhu Mingyue’s attention to the fear of the Emperor’s wrath.
Zhu Mingyu, however, suddenly spoke, her gaze fixed directly on Consort Lü: “Imperial Mother, why did Imperial Grandfather reprimand you?”
Consort Lü’s heart skipped a beat, but her face remained in its fragile, mournful expression. She gently shook her head, avoiding the crucial point:
“Why else… it’s nothing more than blaming me for not discovering Yunteng’s emotional abnormality in time, and for not properly advising him… it’s my dereliction of duty… I have failed my sister’s trust…”
She skillfully steered the conversation back to her dereliction of duty and self-reproach, completely avoiding mention of that fatal transcribed paper.
“Yunteng too!”
She began to sigh again, “If you had any grievances, couldn’t you have come to me first?”
“Although I am your stepmother, I have always treated you as my own…”
“If he had told me earlier, even if I had to risk my life, I would have pleaded for him before the Emperor, how could it have come to this today…”
“Now, he has been imprisoned in the Northern Five Offices, a place that is cold and remote, how can he endure it…”
Her words, while demonstrating her maternal love and helplessness, subtly implied that Zhu Yunteng did not trust her, subtly creating discord, and finally emphasizing the hardship of the Northern Five Offices, intensifying Zhu Mingyue’s fear and worry.
As expected.
Upon hearing about the Northern Five Offices and its cold, remote nature, Zhu Mingyue cried even harder: “Imperial Mother… I beg you… think of a way to save Yunteng…”
Consort Lü sneered inwardly, but her face became even more sorrowful.
She gently drew Zhu Mingyue into her embrace, stroking her hair, her voice as gentle as if she were hypnotizing her:
“Good child, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid…”
“I will find a way… we must first wait for the Emperor to calm down… you must also be good, absolutely do not cause trouble again, and certainly not be impulsive like Yunteng… everything is taken care of by Mother…”
Although she spoke of finding a way, her words were empty promises. Her core objective was to pacify and stabilize these two potential time bombs.
Especially the hot-tempered Zhu Mingyu, to prevent them from causing any further incidents that could drag her down.
“You must remember!”
She finally emphasized her words, with a hint of imperceptible warning:
“This is a time of many troubles. Every word and action must be cautious. For your own sake, and also for… Yunteng, you must be obedient and law-abiding, and do not give others an excuse.”
“Otherwise, Mother… will not be able to protect you either…”
After a performance worthy of an award, Consort Lü added a few more concerned instructions, left some snacks and comfort items, and then, with a face full of worry and exhaustion, departed surrounded by her attendants.
The hall door closed.
Zhu Mingyue was still immersed in sadness and fear, believing Consort Lü’s words implicitly, thinking her mother was truly in a difficult and kind situation.
Zhu Mingyu, however, walked to the window, watching Consort Lü’s receding figure. She let out a cold snort from her small nose and muttered softly:
“Hypocritical! She cries less convincingly than me! Far worse than Zhang Biao!”
Her intuition told her that this stepmother was by no means as simple as she appeared.
And the opportunity that her brother and Zhang Biao’s five brothers had risked their lives to obtain must not be ‘pacified’ like this.
A resolute glint, unbecoming of her age, flashed in her eyes.
…
At the same time, Jiang Huan personally led a team of elite Imperial Guard officers towards the Ministry of Justice prison.
The sound of hooves echoed urgently and gravely in the silent night.
However, when they were still about a hundred paces away from the Ministry of Justice prison, Jiang Huan’s sharp ears and eyes suddenly detected a very brief metallic clash and a muffled groan from the darkness ahead.
“Not right!”
Jiang Huan’s expression changed drastically, and he shouted sternly:
“Quick! Charge in—!”
The Imperial Guards instantly drew their swords and rushed towards the prison gate like arrows released from a bow.
At the entrance of the Ministry of Justice prison, the guards who should have been there were nowhere to be found.
The prison door was ajar, and sounds of fighting and shouting could be vaguely heard from inside.
Jiang Huan’s alarm bells went off, and he kicked open the prison door. The sight before him made his pupils contract.
Inside the prison corridor, several masked men in black were fiercely fighting the few Ministry of Justice guards who remained.
These black-clad men attacked with ruthless and cunning precision, each move aimed at lethality, clearly well-trained assassins.
Three or four guards lay dead on the ground.
And further in, another group could be vaguely seen attempting to charge towards the cell area where the prisoners were held.
“Kill them all—!”
Jiang Huan did not hesitate for a moment. He roared, his Xiuchun Saber unsheathed, and charged forward as the vanguard.
The Imperial Guards joined the fray like wolves and tigers, instantly turning the tide.
The combat skills of the Imperial Guards were already fierce, and with their numerical and equipment advantage, two of the black-clad men were quickly cut down.
But those assassins were extremely brave. Seeing their mission obstructed, they attacked even more ferociously, unafraid of death, trying to break through the blockade.
“Their target is the three who were just brought in!”
A wounded minor official from the Ministry of Justice shouted hoarsely, pointing in the direction where Li Mo, Wu Nai Da, and Zhao Fengman were being escorted.
Jiang Huan’s heart tightened.
“Killing to silence! Someone finally couldn’t wait!”
He immediately detached some men to fiercely block the assassins at the corridor entrance, and he led the rest to charge towards the inner prison area.
As he rounded a corner, he saw a scene that made his eyes widen in disbelief.
A middle-aged man in the uniform of a Ministry of Justice Siyu (prison official) was menacingly directing two trusted subordinates disguised as prison guards, attempting to forcibly open a temporary cell where Li Mo and the three were held.
And the lock on that cell door seemed to have been tampered with!
Li Mo and the three were tightly bound and gagged. Seeing Jiang Huan charge in, their eyes instantly lit up with hope, and they struggled desperately, making muffled sounds.
“Siyu Wang! How dare you—!”
Jiang Huan roared and charged forward.
Upon seeing Jiang Huan, Wang Siyu’s face instantly showed extreme fear and despair. But he gritted his teeth, and instead of stopping, he shouted at his two subordinates, “Quick! Kill them!”
At the same time, he drew a short blade from behind him and personally lunged towards Zhao Fengman inside the cell.
“Seeking death!”
Killing intent flashed in Jiang Huan’s eyes. His Xiuchun Saber transformed into a cold light, striking from behind and descending directly towards Wang Siyu’s back.
Wang Siyu seemed to have no knowledge of martial arts, or perhaps he was resigned to death. He neither dodged nor avoided the blow.
“Pfft—!”
The blade easily tore through the official robe and penetrated the back.
Wang Siyu’s forward momentum suddenly halted. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and the short blade in his hand clattered to the ground.
He struggled to turn his head and looked at Jiang Huan, his eyes filled with unwillingness, fear, and a hint of strange relief.
At this moment, the two ‘prison guard’ subordinates who were smashing the lock, seeing their plan exposed, unhesitatingly abandoned their mission. They exchanged glances and simultaneously bit into poison capsules.
Almost simultaneously, the black-clad assassins who were resisting at the corridor entrance also made the same move.
“Stop them—!”
Jiang Huan was shocked and enraged, but it was too late.
In just a few breaths, including Wang Siyu, all the attackers’ faces rapidly turned dark purple, their bodies convulsed violently, black blood flowed from their noses and mouths, and they all fell to the ground, dead.
The entire process was suffocatingly fast.
From the moment Jiang Huan charged in until all the enemies committed suicide by poison, only a few dozen breaths had passed.
The Ministry of Justice prison instantly fell into an eerie silence, with only the strong smell of blood and a faint aroma of bitter almonds lingering in the air.
Jiang Huan, his face ashen, looked at the corpses strewn everywhere, especially Wang Siyu in his Ministry of Justice uniform.
“Killing to silence! No witnesses!”
The enemy’s methods were ruthless, decisive, and astonishingly thorough.
They were even willing to abandon mid-level officials from their own side.
“Investigate!”
Jiang Huan squeezed out a single word from between his teeth, his voice so cold it could freeze blood:
“Investigate this Wang Siyu for me! His place of origin, family, all connections, all his recent movements! Control everyone who has had contact with him!”
“Yes!”
The Imperial Guards behind him immediately took orders and split up to act quickly.
Jiang Huan then quickly walked to the cell and checked on Li Mo and the three.
Although the three were frightened, they were not injured. They just looked at the bloody scene before them, their faces incredibly pale.
“Unshackle them, put on shackles, and escort them to the Imperial Prison immediately!”
Jiang Huan ordered, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
This place was no longer safe.
However, less than half an hour later, an Imperial Guard officer sent to investigate hurried back to the Imperial Prison, his face grim, and reported:
“Commander Sir… Wang Siyu’s home… is gone…”
Jiang Huan’s heart sank violently, “What do you mean ‘gone’?!”
“When my subordinates arrived at Wang Siyu’s residence… we found the gate tightly shut, smoke billowing from inside… after breaking down the door…”
“We discovered his elderly mother, wife, and a pair of young children… had all died from poisoning… the bodies were still warm… the murderers also set a fire, attempting to destroy the evidence…”
The Imperial Guard’s voice trembled almost imperceptibly, clearly having witnessed an extremely tragic scene.
“Bang—!”
Jiang Huan slammed the table violently, rose abruptly, his eyes bursting with incredulous rage!
“Cut the grass and remove the roots! Leave no living soul!”
The other party was so vicious, thorough, and meticulous to this extent.
They even left no living witnesses or clues.
This was no longer simple silencing; this was the most thorough and terrifying cleanup.
An icy chill instantly swept through Jiang Huan’s entire body.
He was facing an extremely terrifying opponent with no bottom line.
He dared not delay for a moment and personally went into the palace to report every one of these successive incidents and investigation results to Old Zhu, without omission.
Requesting monthly tickets~
After the chapter added for the alliance leader yesterday, I almost forgot about the monthly ticket bonus chapter!
(>﹏<) Currently, there are 6000 monthly tickets.
According to this month’s rules for bonus chapters, there are no guaranteed bonus chapters. One chapter is added for every 500 monthly tickets, totaling 12 chapters.
“But my tendinitis has flared up again today, I’ll add more chapters tomorrow!”
