Chapter 58: Everything He Said Was My Line! Seeking Monthly Tickets
The chaos, curses, sorrow, and absurdity in the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square had not yet reached Huagai Hall.
At this moment, Zhang Biao remained standing in Old Zhu’s bedroom, as if nothing around him existed, his gaze fixed on Old Zhu on the dragon throne.
He did not believe Old Zhu would die so easily from anger.
“Zhang Biao! You are the monster who brings disaster to the country and calamity to the people!”
Although he had been thoroughly berated by Zhang Biao before, Liu Sanwu, seeing the dying Old Zhu on the dragon throne, couldn’t help but point at Zhang Biao and say with bone-deep hatred: “If His Majesty has even the slightest mishap, I will personally eat your flesh!”
“You little beast! You just wait!”
Mei Yin gritted out words filled with killing intent: “If His Majesty’s dragon body suffers any harm, this official will grind your bones and scatter your ashes!”
Although Jiang Huan did not speak, the veins on the back of his hand, resting on the hilt, bulged, and his icy gaze locked onto Zhang Biao’s throat.
If Old Zhu were to meet with misfortune, or if Zhang Biao made any further move, he would kill Zhang Biao without hesitation, even if it meant his own death.
However, Zhang Biao remained oblivious to their curses and killing intent.
All his senses were focused on the faint breath on the dragon throne.
He even silently counted the weak rises and falls of Old Zhu’s chest, each weak breath slightly easing his taut nerves, only for them to tighten again with the delay of the next breath.
Time flowed slowly amidst extreme anxiety and superficial stillness, each breath feeling as long as a century.
After an unknown amount of time, perhaps half a stick of incense, perhaps a full stick, just as Zhang Biao felt his heart was about to melt from the scorching anxiety.
“Ugh, cough.”
An extremely faint cough, tinged with phlegm, like the sound of nature’s music, came from the dragon throne.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty is awake!”
The imperial physician, who had been closely observing Old Zhu’s complexion, spoke with a choked voice of excitement.
The bedroom instantly fell silent, all eyes focused on the dragon throne.
Old Zhu’s eyelids fluttered with difficulty a few times before slowly opening.
His eyes, once as sharp as a falcon’s, were now filled with murky bloodshot veins, and the depths of his pupils held bottomless fatigue and a heart-stopping emptiness.
His sallow face was devoid of color, and bloodstains remained on the corners of his mouth, uncleaned.
His gaze swept extremely slowly over the people gathered around the bed.
Finally, his gaze, which seemed to have lost all warmth, like two blunt knives quenched in ice water, fell upon Zhang Biao, who still stood tall, his hand tightly gripping a bloodstained account book.
The moment their gazes met, Zhang Biao was stunned for a moment, then let out a cold laugh.
Seeing this, Old Zhu’s lips moved almost imperceptibly. His voice was weak but carried an undeniable power: “Zhang Biao, stay. The rest of you, get out.”
“Your Majesty!”
Liu Sanwu and Mei Yin exclaimed simultaneously, wanting to interject.
“Get out!”
Old Zhu suddenly raised his voice. Though still weak, it silenced everyone instantly.
“Jiang Huan, guard the door. Anyone who approaches, kill them on the spot!”
Old Zhu commanded again, his gaze never leaving Zhang Biao.
“This subject obeys the decree!”
Jiang Huan immediately bowed and accepted the order without hesitation, his hand on his hilt, his eyes sharp as lightning, signaling everyone to leave.
His gaze lingered on Zhang Biao for a moment, filled with warning and a pronouncement of “you are doomed.”
Despite their immense reluctance and worry, Liu Sanwu and Mei Yin could only retreat under Jiang Huan’s cold, piercing gaze, looking back repeatedly.
The imperial physician was also signaled to leave by Jiang Huan, with only the most basic emergency medical supplies left nearby.
The heavy bedroom door slowly closed behind them with a dull thud, shutting out the outside world.
In the vast bedroom, only the lingering scent of medicine, the smell of blood, and a suffocating silence remained.
“Zhang Biao.”
Old Zhu’s voice rang out again, clearer than before, and colder, each word like ice pebbles striking the ground: “You are amazing, you are noble, you can curse us, Zhu Chongba.”
Zhang Biao: “.”
No! Those were my words!
Zhang Biao was speechless.
But Old Zhu paid him no mind. He forced himself up from the dragon throne, his voice like muffled thunder: “You cursed our parents and cursed Zhu Chongba for starving to death! You cursed with all your heart! You cursed viciously!”
This “with all your heart” and “viciously” held no praise, only a bone-chilling coldness.
“But do you know how we, step by step, from a young monk holding a broken bowl, enduring disdain, worse than a dog, reached this point?”
“What do you want to say?”
Zhang Biao was fearless, even finding it a bit amusing: “The Mandate of Heaven is yours?”
“Nonsense about the Mandate of Heaven!”
Old Zhu interrupted him angrily, his voice suddenly turning cold, carrying the ruthlessness and chill of a powerful figure: “It was by killing! Killing the Yuan soldiers! Killing corrupt officials! Killing everyone who stood in our way and harmed the common people!”
“We risked our lives to rebel, not to sit on the dragon throne and enjoy comfort! It was to ensure fewer people like Wang Zhong starve to death! Fewer people like Li Mo pawning their ancestral books! Fewer…”
“Enough, enough! I don’t have time for your nonsense!”
Zhang Biao impatiently interrupted Old Zhu, his tone laced with mockery:
“Your words can only fool those bookworms who have been made stupid by their studies. Do you think you can fool me?”
“If you truly cared about the common people, about those low-ranking capital officials, you wouldn’t have implemented so many chaotic policies and reversed the course of history! You wouldn’t ignore the plight of those low-ranking capital officials after I demanded my salary!”
He paused here, putting on a disgusted expression: “Take away that hypocritical facade of yours! You are nothing but a selfish, incompetent ruler!”
“Hahaha!”
Old Zhu suddenly threw his head back and laughed.
The laughter sent shivers down one’s spine.
After a long pause, he ceased his laughter, his gaze playfully fixed on Zhang Biao: “You say we are selfish, what about you?”
“What about me?”
Zhang Biao’s heart skipped a beat, a bad premonition creeping in.
But Old Zhu calmly and indifferently said: “Have you ever thought about what will happen to those around you after you die, or rather, to those low-ranking capital officials you incited to cause trouble?”
Boom—!
Hearing this, Zhang Biao was struck by lightning, his mind going blank.
He never imagined Old Zhu could be so shameless, so brazen.
He was actually threatening him with the lives of Shen Lang and the others?!
Countless complex emotions, including anger, frustration, and resentment, converged into an enormous torrent and erupted suddenly.
Disregarding everything else, he once again cursed Old Zhu loudly: “Fuck! Your! Mother!”
Old Zhu was stunned for a moment, and not to be outdone, immediately cursed back: “We! Fuck! Your! Mother!”
At this moment, a court historian, holding his little notebook, rushed indignantly to the outside of the bedroom. Hearing the two curses from within, he was shocked.
“Holy hell, Censor Zhang!”
“Holy hell, this Emperor!”
“This is risking their lives, holy hell!!”
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Thanks to Mo Zi Shen Lan for the 1300 reward. Thanks to Dao Fa Zi Ran for the 500 reward. Thanks to Jin De for the 100 reward. Thanks to Jiangnan Tudou Daheng for the 100 reward.
