Chapter 174: Zhang Biao! We Will Make Everyone Watch You Die! 【monthly Ticket Bonus Update 11】
Old Zhu, upon leaving the Imperial Prison, was once again bathed in sunlight, but his expression was even more somber than when he entered.
Zhang Biao’s words echoed in his mind like a curse.
【 You already have the answer in your heart, don’t you? 】
【 You probably… can’t bring yourself to do it either. 】
He raised his head and looked at the gray sky, a storm brewing in his eyes.
【 Can’t bring myself to do it? 】
【 Hmph! 】
【 In front of this Great Ming Empire, there is nothing that I, Zhu Yuanzhang, cannot bring myself to do! 】
【 Investigate! Dig three feet deep if you must, and drag out that ‘demon’ hidden in the deepest recesses! 】
The Emperor’s paranoia and ruthlessness once again overshadowed everything.
The storm stirred by Zhu Biao’s death was far from over.
On the way back to the palace, Old Zhu thought more and more that something was wrong.
An answer? What answer?
Who was the true mastermind, possibly manipulating them all as pawns from behind Prince Qin, Prince Jin, and Prince Zhou? Someone even that madman Zhang Biao didn’t know?!
Old Zhu’s gaze grew increasingly somber.
Prince Qin Zhu Shuang was brutal and brainless, Prince Jin Zhu Gang was shrewd but limited in his vision, and Prince Zhou Zhu Su was timid and cowardly.
They might have the courage for corruption, forming factions, or even minor schemes, but to orchestrate a situation that could involve plotting to harm the Crown Prince and erase all traces so cleanly? They lacked the capability and daring!
And in this bloody purge, who benefited the most?
On the surface, it was him, Zhu Yuanzhang; imperial power was consolidated to an unprecedented degree.
But if one considered the power of the Princes…
With the downfall of Prince Qin and Prince Jin, Prince Yan Zhu Di, whose strength remained relatively intact and who harbored ambitions and strategic vision, suddenly stood out.
【 Fourth brother… could it be you? 】
Once this thought arose, it grew wildly like weeds.
Zhu Di’s military achievements, his operations in Beiping, his capable and battle-hardened generals, and his usual display of composure and cunning… everything gave Old Zhu’s suspicions a foothold.
“Jiang Huan!”
Old Zhu’s icy voice suddenly rang out.
“Your subject is here!”
Jiang Huan appeared like a ghost.
Old Zhu slowed his steps slightly, but without looking at him, calmly commanded:
“You will go to Prince Yan’s Mansion and then question our three ‘good grandsons’.”
Jiang Huan’s heart tightened, knowing that the real storm was about to descend upon Prince Yan’s Mansion.
“What does Your Majesty wish to ask?” Jiang Huan said cautiously.
Old Zhu pondered for a moment, his tone becoming even calmer and more terrifying:
“First, ask them what their views are on the recent turmoil in the Imperial Court and the confinement of Prince Qin, Prince Jin, and Prince Zhou. Let them give us their insights!”
“Second, Zhang Biao repeatedly mentioned the harm caused by Princes and even wildly suggested abolishing their salaries. Zhu Gao Sui had multiple interactions with Zhang Biao; did they discuss this matter? Or… did he hear similar remarks from him?”
“Third, and most crucial!”
Old Zhu’s gaze was sharp as a knife: “You will ask them directly, based on what they know, how their fathers’ relationships were with Prince Qin, Prince Jin, and Prince Zhou on a daily basis? Did they ever comment on past affairs in Shaanxi, or even past events concerning the Crown Prince?!”
【 Is this to test if Prince Yan harbored any improper thoughts or made inappropriate remarks regarding the position of Crown Prince? 】
Jiang Huan held his breath, firmly memorizing these heart-piercing questions.
“Also!”
Old Zhu threw out the final, and most fatal, test.
He paused his steps, lowered his voice, but with a chilling familiarity and anticipation:
“Tell them that Prince Qin and Prince Jin were not worthy of being entrusted with responsibility, and they have broken my heart. Now, for the crucial task in the north, among my sons, after much thought, the most capable and the one I trust the most is their father.”
“Ask them, if I issue an edict to summon their father back to the capital immediately to take charge of the central government and assist in state affairs… what do they think?”
Boom!
As these words were spoken, Jiang Huan trembled all over, almost unable to stand.
This was not an inquiry; it was arsenic coated in honey! It was a deadly trap that could push Prince Yan’s Mansion into an abyss of eternal damnation!
If Zhu Gaochi and his brothers showed even the slightest hint of joy or agreement, it would confirm that Prince Yan’s Mansion harbored ambitions for the succession!
If they showed resistance or demurral, it could be interpreted as having something to hide, or disrespecting the imperial command!
No matter how they answered, disaster would ensue!
“Your subject… Your subject understands!”
Jiang Huan’s voice was dry; he knew this was an incredibly perilous mission.
“Go.”
Old Zhu waved his hand, as if giving an ordinary command: “Remember to bring back every word they say, exactly as they say it.”
…
On the other side.
In the Eastern Palace, the side hall where Zhu Yunteng and his sisters used to live, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating.
Although Old Zhu had specifically allowed several old palace maids who had cared for Zhu Mingyue and Zhu Mingyu since childhood to remain during the purge of the Eastern Palace, this brought little warmth. Instead, it highlighted the precarious and dangerous situation at present.
“Sister! Please let me go!”
Zhu Mingyu clenched her fists, her almond-shaped eyes, so like her mother Consort Chang’s, now burned with stubbornness and unwillingness.
In front of her sat an exquisite food container, holding ginseng soup she had personally brewed, imitating Zhu Yunwen’s previous actions.
“Yunteng is all alone over there, I don’t know how scared he is! That illegitimate son can be let back, so why can’t Yunteng?”
“Since Imperial Grandfather could let Nanny Chen and the others come back to take care of us, it means he still cares about us! If I go beg him now, perhaps… perhaps he will soften his heart?”
The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, her voice rising: “Even if they can’t let Yunteng back, you can lock me up with him to take care of him! It’s better than being here, trembling with anxiety, doing nothing!”
“Mingyu! Calm down!”
Zhu Mingyue’s face was pale; she grabbed her sister’s wrist, her gentle eyes filled with terror and worry, her voice choked with tears:
“Imperial Grandfather just killed so many people! Consort Guo, Consort Li, Consort Ge… they’re gone just like that!”
“Everyone in the palace and outside is walking on eggshells right now! How can you still rush into the fray?!”
She pulled Zhu Mingyu hard, trying to make her sit down: “Second Brother could return because… because Consort Lü and some people in court spoke for him!”
“What about us? What do we have? Our maternal uncles are trembling under Imperial Grandfather’s butcher knife, and we are like rudderless duckweed in the palace!”
“Imperial Grandfather letting Nanny Chen and the others return was already a great favor; how can we be so greedy?”
Zhu Mingyue shivered uncontrollably at the thought of the tragic state of the palace servants who were dragged away:
“Right now, Imperial Grandfather is still angry. If you go now, you’re not pleading for mercy, you’re going to your death!”
“What if you enrage him and implicate Yunteng? What if you implicate all of us?”
“But are we just going to watch like this?!”
Zhu Mingyu suddenly shook off her sister’s hand, tears welling up in her eyes but stubbornly refusing to fall:
“Like Zhang Biao said, be a turtle hiding in its shell? I won’t! I want to try! At worst… at worst, I’ll give my life to him!”
Saying this, she ignored Zhu Mingyue’s desperate attempts to stop her, picked up the food container, and resolutely turned to rush out of the hall.
“Mingyu! Come back!”
Zhu Mingyue chased to the doorway and watched her sister disappear around the corner of the palace road, collapsing weakly against the doorframe, tears streaming down her face, her heart filled with endless fear and despair.
…
At the same time, in the main hall of the Eastern Palace.
Unlike the desolate and oppressive atmosphere of the side hall, here, the protocol and dignity befitting the Crown Princess were still maintained.
However, the tension of having narrowly escaped disaster permeated the air more intensely than anywhere else.
Consort Lü sat before her vanity, her face, well-maintained yet unable to hide her weariness and alarm, reflected in the bronze mirror.
Her fingers unconsciously brushed over a golden phoenix hairpin, a gift from Zhu Biao when he was alive, but now it felt chillingly cold.
This great purge had been like a hurricane, nearly engulfing the Eastern Palace in an abyss of eternal damnation.
Although she and Zhu Yunwen had miraculously survived, the fear of a blade at their throats had been deeply etched into their bones.
She knew clearly that she had survived this ordeal not because she was innocent, but because the Emperor still needed the Eastern Palace as a facade to stabilize the situation.
Or rather… it wasn’t time to deal with her yet.
“Imperial Mother…”
Zhu Yunwen’s voice sounded from beside her, with a barely perceptible tremor and deep unease.
He was wearing plain casual clothes, his face pale, his eyes shifting, no longer possessing the composure of the ‘virtuous Imperial Grandson’ he once was.
Consort Lü looked at her son in the mirror, her heart aching, but more so with a worried sense of disappointment.
She put down the hairpin and turned around, trying to make her voice sound steady: “Yunwen, what is it? Have you heard some gossip again?”
Zhu Yunwen quickly moved to Consort Lü’s side, lowered his voice, his tone filled with resentment and suspicion:
“Imperial Mother, don’t you find it strange? Our people were all purged in this purge by Imperial Grandfather, even Consort Guo and the others… but they let the old nannies who served Mingyue and Mingyu go back! What does this mean?”
He became more agitated as he spoke:
“Does Imperial Grandfather feel indebted to Yunteng? Or… or did he change his mind because Yunteng performed a service this time by presenting the ‘iron box’? Or… is he planning to make Yunteng the Imperial Grandson?!”
At this point, his eyes turned sharp and gloomy: “Or, should we find a way… to eliminate him?”
He uttered this last sentence almost through gritted teeth, with a rage and fear like that of betrayal.
He had coveted the position of Imperial Grandson for too long and considered himself the rightful heir, yet now he felt an unprecedented threat.
Consort Lü’s heart sank upon hearing this.
Her greatest fear had come to pass!
Yunwen was still too young and impatient; at such a time of heightened suspicion, he still dared to think in such a sensitive direction!
She abruptly stood up, her face instantly draining of color, a look of disbelief and rage flashing in her eyes. Without thinking, she raised her hand—
“Slap—!”
A crisp slap landed squarely on Zhu Yunwen’s face!
Zhu Yunwen stumbled from the blow, covering his face, completely stunned, staring at his mother as if he couldn’t believe his usually gentle mother would hit him.
“Bastard! Have you lost your mind?!”
Consort Lü’s voice was sharp and trembling with extreme fear and anger. She pointed at Zhu Yunwen’s nose and reprimanded him fiercely, every word squeezed out as if through clenched teeth:
“How dare you even think such treacherous words?! And dare to speak them aloud?! Do you know what time it is?!”
“The Emperor executes his own consorts and sons without batting an eye!”
“At this moment, you want to go after Zhu Yunteng? Do you think we, mother and son, have lived too long?! Do you want to drag the entire Eastern Palace down with you to be buried with him?!”
Consort Lü’s chest heaved violently, her eyes filled with lingering fear and disappointment.
She had worked painstakingly for years, treading on thin ice, to achieve the current situation, and she could not let it be ruined by her son’s momentary foolishness and impulsiveness.
Zhu Yunwen was awakened by his mother’s fierce scolding and the slap; the burning pain on his face was far less than the fear in his heart.
He immediately realized how dangerous his thoughts had been and quickly knelt on the ground with a ‘thump,’ his voice choked with tears:
“Imperial Mother, please be angry! Your son knows he was wrong! Your son was temporarily confused, his mind clouded by lard! He will never dare to think wildly again!”
Seeing her son’s ashen face and tears streaming down, Consort Lü’s heart softened, but more so with a deep sense of powerlessness.
She sighed, bent down to help Zhu Yunwen up, and gently wiped the tears and the faint red imprint on his face with a handkerchief. Her tone softened, but with an unquestionable warning:
“Yunwen, remember what Imperial Mother tells you. The more it is like this, the calmer you must be, the more you must hold your ground!”
“You are the legitimate son; your position is already established. As long as you make no mistakes, no one can shake your status!”
“Zhu Yunteng? He is a child who has lost both parents. Even if the Emperor shows pity for a moment, what waves can he stir? If you move against him now, you are giving others leverage and destroying your own foundation!”
She cupped her son’s face, looking at him with determined eyes:
“Trust your mother. As long as you are obedient and make no mistakes, the position of Imperial Grandson will always be yours! No one can take it away!”
Under his mother’s gaze, Zhu Yunwen gradually calmed down and nodded heavily: “Your son understands, your son will listen to Imperial Mother.”
Just then, a report from a strange palace maid sounded from outside the door: “Your Ladyship!”
“Hm?”
Consort Lü and Zhu Yunwen were both startled, but quickly regained their composure.
Consort Lü tidied her appearance and asked with feigned calmness: “What is it?”
“Reporting to Your Ladyship and Your Highness, Princess Mingyu has gone to Huagai Hall with ginseng soup.”
【What does Zhu Mingyu mean? Copying me with ginseng soup? 】
【 And at this time? 】
【 Is she trying to curry favor with Imperial Grandfather? Or trying to plead for Zhu Yunteng?! 】
Upon hearing the palace maid’s report, Zhu Yunwen’s brow immediately furrowed, and displeasure reappeared on his face.
But he had just been lectured by his mother and dared not act out easily, so he merely snorted and turned his head away.
Consort Lü’s reaction, however, was completely different.
A flicker of extreme surprise crossed her eyes, and then she immediately returned to her composed, inscrutable demeanor, as if she had just heard a trivial matter.
The corners of her mouth even curved into a seemingly kind smile, and she said to the palace maid dismissively:
“Oh? Mingyu, this child, is more sensible and filial than before. She knows to care for Imperial Grandfather. Alright, I understand. You may go.”
After dismissing the palace maid, only the mother and son were left in the hall.
Zhu Yunwen looked at his mother in confusion: “Imperial Mother, you even praised her? She clearly…”
“Silence!”
Consort Lü immediately interrupted him, her gaze sweeping sternly around the surroundings, and she lowered her voice:
“Walls have ears! Who knows how many eyes are still watching us in the Eastern Palace?”
She took a deep breath, her tone becoming exceptionally calm and profound:
“Mingyu going to offer ginseng soup, whether it’s sincere or not, has nothing to do with us. Why should we trouble ourselves?”
“Remember what Mother told you!”
Consort Lü cautioned her son word by word: “At this critical juncture, doing more leads to mistakes. Inaction is the best course of action.”
“The Emperor letting a few nannies return might just be imperial strategy, a means of balance. If we overreact, we will truly lose.”
Zhu Yunwen looked into his mother’s unfathomable eyes; he understood vaguely, but ultimately nodded: “Your son remembers Imperial Mother’s teachings.”
Consort Lü patted his hand, her gaze looking out at the overcast sky beyond the hall, her thoughts extremely complex.
【 Consort Guo is a cautionary tale… Right now, surviving and remaining stable is more important than anything. 】
【 As for that position… as long as he can wait, it will eventually be Yunwen’s. 】
After this bloody baptism, Consort Lü became even more cautious and resilient.
She was like a vine deeply rooted in the shadows of the palace walls, perhaps unseen by the sun, but possessing astonishing vitality, waiting for her opportune moment.
…
And Old Zhu, after leaving the Imperial Prison, did not return directly to Huagai Hall, nor did he go to any consort’s palace.
He dismissed all his attendants and, like a lonely phantom, walked alone on the silent palace road.
The moonlight stretched his shadow long, each step heavy as if dragging a thousand pounds of shackles.
Unknowingly, he arrived deep within a palace complex, where there was a courtyard that had been perpetually locked but was kept meticulously clean.
This was a corner of Kunning Palace’s side hall, where Empress Ma had lived.
After her death, Old Zhu had ordered it sealed, and except for a mute old palace maid who cleaned it regularly, no one was allowed near.
He took out a small, slightly rusted bronze key from his inner pocket. His fingers trembled slightly as he inserted it into the lock.
With a ‘click,’ the lock, sealed for many years, was opened.
A scent, a mixture of faint mustiness and a long-vanished, familiar fragrance, wafted towards him.
Old Zhu paused, as if gathering immense courage, before stepping over the threshold.
The hall was unlit; only the cold moonlight filtered through the window lattices, illuminating the fine dust particles floating in the air.
All the furnishings remained as they were in Empress Ma’s time, spotless but lifeless.
The bronze mirror on the dressing table was covered with silk, and the quilt on the bed was neatly folded, as if the mistress had only temporarily left.
Old Zhu slowly walked to the bedside and reached out, gently stroking the cold fabric of the quilt, his movements as cautious as if he were touching a fragile treasure.
His fingertips traced the familiar intertwined lotus pattern on the quilt, as if he could feel a hint of long-gone warmth.
He slumped onto the footstool, his back to the empty bed. His stout body seemed exceptionally hunched and fragile at this moment.
The imperial dignity he had maintained completely collapsed, leaving only a weary, pained, and internally struggling old man.
“Xiuying…”
He uttered a soft, hoarse call into the empty palace, his voice filled with endless longing and choked sobs.
In his mind, Zhang Biao’s mad face and his unfinished words echoed like a maggot in the bone.
【 How did Empress Ma… 】
Zhang Biao hadn’t spoken the word ‘death,’ but he knew!
He dared not think! He could not think!
Xiuying’s death was the deepest pain in his heart and the most untouchable forbidden zone!
It was illness from overwork, an accident, fate’s injustice!
How could it possibly be related to… other conspiracies?!
“Impossible… absolutely impossible…”
Old Zhu shook his head vigorously, as if trying to cast out this terrible thought, his hands gripping his knees tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.
“He’s a madman! A ‘monster’! He just wants to enrage us! To disrupt our minds! How can his words be believed?!”
He spoke as if trying to convince himself, but his voice trembled uncontrollably.
But…
What Zhang Biao had said earlier, about Shaanxi, about the Eastern Palace, about the secrets concerning Fu Youwen and others… which one had not been proven?
How much did this madman truly know?!
Had he truly peered into a truth that even he himself dared not face?
The mere thought sent a bone-chilling cold through Old Zhu, more terrifying than facing an army of ten thousand.
If even Xiuying’s death… then what was he as Emperor, what was his life worth?
Upon what dreadful void was this empire he protected built?
The immense fear and the panic of having his worldview shattered almost consumed him.
At this moment, Zhang Biao’s face, sometimes playful, sometimes mocking, sometimes all-knowing, reappeared clearly before his eyes.
Along with his earth-shattering pronouncements, his wild accusations that directly targeted accumulated malpractices, his judgments that seemed crazy but always hit the mark…
Old Zhu’s emotions were incredibly complex.
Hate?
He hated him to the bone!
This madman had thrown his court into chaos, forced him to personally punish his son, and now he dared to touch the deepest wound in his heart! He wished he could flay him alive!
But… besides hate, there seemed to be something else.
A very hidden, even he himself was unwilling to admit, a trace of admiration, even regret.
“Xiuying…”
Old Zhu raised his head, gazing at the cold moon outside the window, as if conversing with his departed wife in the netherworld, his voice filled with pain and confusion.
“You tell me… what kind of person is this Zhang Biao?”
“He scolds me, curses me, makes me so angry I could spit fire…”
“But some of the things he said… felt like he was helping me cut out rotten flesh. Although it hurt… perhaps it was the right thing to do?”
“‘Leave tomorrow’s affairs to tomorrow’s people, and today’s people should do today’s work well’…”
“These words, strangely, have some sense. If he were an official in court, perhaps… perhaps he could truly become a remonstrating minister like Wei Zheng?”
His tone carried a complexity that surprised even himself.
“But he’s just a madman! A madman who seeks death!”
“He wants no office, no profit, he just wants to go against me! He wants to tear down all pretense!”
“He now… actually dares… dares to mention you…”
Old Zhu’s voice choked again, filled with intense killing intent:
“He must die! Just for daring to mention you, he must die! We absolutely cannot spare him!”
However, when the decision to ‘execute’ was truly spoken, he felt no joy; instead, a great emptiness and unwillingness surged within him.
Killing Zhang Biao meant personally extinguishing this dangerous lamp that illuminated the darkness.
In the future, who else would dare to speak such harsh but potentially true words so recklessly?
Who else could force him to see what he was unwilling to see through such extreme means?
He seemed to see Empress Ma’s gentle but reproachful gaze watching him.
“Xiuying, I know… you are kind-hearted, you must think I have too much of a killing intent…”
“But… I am the Emperor! I cannot let anyone threaten the Zhu family’s empire, nor can I let any secret shake the foundation of the state!”
“This Zhang Biao… he knows too much… he is too dangerous…”
Old Zhu spoke as if explaining to his deceased wife, and as if convincing himself.
The Emperor’s ruthlessness ultimately prevailed.
Personal admiration and regret were insignificant in the face of national security.
He slowly stood up, glanced one last time around the room filled with memories, his eyes hardening like iron again.
“It’s time to end it…”
He murmured to himself: “Everything should end.”
After speaking, Old Zhu looked deeply once more at everything Empress Ma had left behind and sighed helplessly.
He blew out a small lamp he had subconsciously lit, turned, and resolutely walked out of the sealed palace.
Immediately after, he re-locked the door, as if locking away the last shred of softness in his heart.
Under the moonlight, his back remained upright, but it was shrouded in an unresolvable loneliness and coldness.
Zhang Biao must die.
This was the Emperor’s decision, devoid of love or hate, for the sake of the state.
As for the terrifying cloud of suspicion surrounding Empress Ma’s death, he forcefully suppressed it into the darkest corner of his heart, perhaps never to be touched again.
Not long after, he returned to Huagai Hall.
And the first words upon entering the hall were an icy imperial decree:
“Yun Ming! Convey my decree! Change Zhang Biao’s execution from tomorrow noon to three days later! I want everyone to watch him die!”
“He wants meaning, doesn’t he? Fine! I’ll grant him that!”
“I want all the civil and military officials! Nobles and Marquises! The common people! To witness the execution! And those ‘pedantic Confucian scholars’ who petitioned for his death!”
“A rabble, talking about ‘Orthodox Tradition’ and ‘great righteousness’ all day, but when death looms, they scatter faster than anyone!”
“I will show them! What is a martyr?!”
“Yes…”
Yun Ming responded with a tremor and was about to relay the decree.
Suddenly, a fresh, dripping ‘plop’ sound came from outside the hall.
“Who!?”
Old Zhu flew into a rage, his killing intent fierce and imposing.
Seeking monthly tickets~
This chapter counts for yesterday, as it wasn’t finished last night.
