Chapter 40: Zhu Di: With Such A Forbidden City, How Can I Not Return?! Seeking Monthly Tickets
Inside the Prince Yan’s Mansion.
Zhu Di stood with his back to the door, hands clasped behind him, gazing out the window at the heavy night. His figure was like a cold, iron-cast statue.
In his hand, he tightly gripped the imperial decree that had just been personally read by Jiang Huan, his knuckles turning a pale, greenish-white from the force.
The three prohibitions—’no leaving the fiefdom without a decree, no private communication, no unauthorized entry into the Capital City’—were like three cold shackles, fiercely striking his heart.
Although he had long known that Old Zhu would not consider him for the successor position, being ruthlessly expelled from the Capital City in this manner still filled him with both anger and resentment.
Because Old Zhu hadn’t even seen them.
Even if Old Zhu wanted to establish Zhu Yunwen as the Imperial Grandson, it would still require deliberation at court. Yet, before the court session even began, they, the sons of the princes, were already being sent away?!
This was practically treating them, the sons of the princes, as if they were nothing.
Or rather, in their Imperial Father’s eyes, they weren’t even considered sons.
How could this not chill Zhu Di’s heart, fill him with grief and indignation, and make him furious?
However, before Zhu Di could react, Zhu Gaoxu, like a cornered beast that had been provoked, began to roar, “Leave the Capital within three days! No unauthorized departure from the fiefdom without a decree! No private contact! What is Imperial Grandfather trying to do?! Is he treating us like criminals?!”
“Aren’t we family? Does a family need to be treated like this?!”
He grew more enraged with each shout, pacing restlessly in the hall, his face ashen, his fists clenched so tightly they creaked, “Father! I cannot swallow this insult!”
Hearing this, Zhu Di remained silent.
Zhu Gaochi, on the other hand, sat nearby, holding a cup of long-cold tea. His plump face showed no expression, but his small eyes sparkled with a shrewd light, darting rapidly.
As for Zhu Gao Sui, he casually tossed a finished pig’s trotter onto the table. Leaning against the wall, he licked the oil from his fingers with lingering satisfaction, seemingly indifferent to the solemn atmosphere between his father and brother.
“Cannot swallow it?”
A moment later, Zhu Di finally turned around slowly, his voice like ice quenched in water, chilling to the bone.
His face showed no anger, only a deep, intensely suppressed chill. His eyes, sharp as knives, raked across Zhu Gaoxu’s face, “If you cannot swallow it, what do you intend to do? Storm the Imperial Palace to question him? Or gather your guards now and rebel against your Imperial Grandfather?”
“I…”
Zhu Gaoxu was stunned by his father’s icy gaze, and a large portion of his anger was instantly extinguished. He retorted stubbornly, “I didn’t mean that! I’m just furious! Why should that position automatically go to that kid Zhu Yunwen…”
“Silence!” Zhu Di sharply interrupted, his gaze like lightning sweeping over the doors and windows, “Walls have ears! Do you want to get us all killed?!”
Zhu Gaoxu shivered violently and, unwillingly, closed his mouth, his chest heaving with suppressed emotion.
Zhu Di’s gaze swept over his three sons, finally landing on Zhu Gaochi, “Chi’er, what do you think?”
Zhu Gaochi put down the cold tea cup, his plump fingers unconsciously rubbing the rim, his voice low and clear:
“Father King, the imperial decree has been issued. A ruler’s command is like a mountain. Departure is imperative, and furthermore, you must leave willingly, the sooner the better, and the more submissively the better. We don’t even need three days; set off tomorrow morning…”
He paused, his small eyes flashing with a calm light. “This decree from Imperial Grandfather, though seemingly cold and heartless, is actually a measure to confine us and also to assign roles!”
“Assign roles?” Zhu Di’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Yes.” Zhu Gaochi nodded. “The three prohibitions, on the surface, tie the hands and feet of all the princes. But Father King, have you forgotten where our fiefdom is? Beiping!”
“Beiping is the front line directly facing the remnants of the Northern Yuan!”
“The military towns like Liaodong, Xuanfu, and Daning are nominally under the direct administration of the court, but their military preparedness has been lax for a long time, and the generals are mostly mediocre. If the Northern Yuan makes any move, the court’s influence will be too distant. The only force we can truly rely on is our Yan principality!”
His voice grew lower, carrying a keen insight into the situation, “Imperial Grandfather is driving us back today, confining us to Beiping. But once the northern frontier ignites again, and the court has no generals to employ or troops to deploy, guess what? Will Imperial Grandfather’s decree of ‘no unauthorized departure from the fiefdom without a decree’ still hold? At that time, will it be you leaving without permission, or the court issuing an urgent summons?”
Swish!
A burst of brilliance shot from Zhu Di’s eyes, like a bolt of lightning cleaving through the gloom.
He stared intently at his son, as if truly seeing the seemingly simple and honest, plump son for the first time.
Zhu Gaochi’s analysis was like a key, instantly unlocking the fog that had accumulated in his heart.
That’s right! This decree from Father Emperor is not only a chain but also a test and a reserved back door.
He wants to lock me, Zhu Di, in the ‘prison’ of Beiping, yet he also places me on the sharpest edge of the empire’s sword.
Once that blade points towards the Northern Yuan, I, Zhu Di, will be the most fitting knife.
Heh, is Father Emperor making arrangements for the Imperial Grandson in advance? Using me, Zhu Di, as a guard dog? And perhaps as a fierce tiger to be unleashed later to tear at the enemy?
“Excellent, excellent! Well said, ‘assigning roles’!”
Zhu Di’s voice held a hint of irrepressible excitement. He slapped Zhu Gaochi heavily on the shoulder, making him stagger, “Chi’er, you are indeed the one with the clearest vision!”
He spun around abruptly and, facing outside the door, declared with resolute conviction, “Issue an order! Everyone! Pack your belongings immediately! Tomorrow morning, as soon as the city gates open, we depart! We return to Beiping! Not a moment’s delay!”
In his eyes, a flame ignited, a mixture of humiliation, unwillingness, and burning ambition. “Father wants me to be a guard dog? Very well! Then I will be a good dog! I will guard the gates of Beiping tightly! And I will chop off all the claws of the Northern Yuan!”
“But!”
Zhu Di’s voice carried a bone-chilling coldness and finality, “Remember today! Remember this decree! Remember your Imperial Grandfather’s grace! This debt… we, the Yan principality, have noted it down!”
“Yes, Father King!”
Zhu Gaoxu, awestruck by the terrifying light in his father’s eyes, felt a jolt in his heart and cupped his fists solemnly.
Zhu Gaochi rubbed his aching shoulder and replied respectfully, “Your son understands.”
From the corner, Zhu Gao Sui finally finished licking the last drop of oil from his fingers, let out a satisfied burp, and looked up, saying, “Father King leaves tomorrow? Should I pack a few bags of Wang Mazi’s pig’s head meat for the road?”
Zhu Di: “…”
Zhu Di: “Get out!”
“Yes, Father King, but there’s one more thing. That fellow Zhang Biao, I think we still need him!”
Zhu Di was slightly taken aback, then his anger somewhat subsided as he asked, “What do you mean by that?”
“The innocence of a loyal official cannot save the Great Ming, but a clear-headed censor who offers dying advice might! Zhang Biao is your father’s Wei Zheng!”
Zhu Gao Sui, uncharacteristically, uttered words that surprised Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu, and Zhu Di alike.
After a long pause, Zhu Di suddenly let out a hearty laugh, “With such a situation, how can I not return to the Forbidden City?!”
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