Chapter 12: Madam, Don’t You Miss Your Husband Too?

“Yun Teng, it’s not that your uncle is unwilling to part with a few household servants or sworn sons, but the reality is that doing otherwise…” After a long pause, Lan Yu finally spoke with a troubled expression.

Before he could finish, Zhu Yun Teng waved his hand to interrupt. “Uncle, and all the esteemed uncles and elders, Yun Teng understands this puts you in a difficult position. But if we don’t proceed this way, tomorrow we will face overwhelming pressure from the officials, like a roaring tide.”

“I’m sure you don’t want all the civil ministers to rise up against me and call back my uncles to contest the throne, do you?”

Those words struck exactly at the soft spot of Lan Yu and the others. Tonight, many people must already know about their support for Zhu Yun Teng, and it is impossible to keep it secret.

If they were to back out halfway or fail to support Zhu Yun Teng’s ascension, whoever takes the throne in the future would certainly regard them with suspicion, or worse, completely eliminate them.

Thus, Zhu Yun Teng presented them with a stark choice: their own future prosperity and that of their descendants, or the retention of those household servants and sworn sons.

“Well! Such a stark choice, black or white. Now, let’s see how these villains choose.”

Hidden behind the wall, Zhu Yuanzhang clapped his hands and laughed heartily. His previous worries had vanished entirely.

He had never expected Zhu Yun Teng to pressure Lan Yu and the others with such a tactic, nor at such a perfect moment.

Had Zhu Yun Teng said this at the very start, Lan Yu and the others could have simply walked away. But now that they had declared their support, leaving now would brand them as traitors, and others wouldn’t believe they had simply failed to reach an agreement.

Hiss—

Feng Sheng and Tang He both drew a sharp breath, peering through the hole to see Zhu Yun Teng’s handsome and refined appearance, and yet how skillfully he wielded his tactics.

What the three of them could discern, Lan Yu and the others naturally saw just as clearly.

Soon, Lan Yu was the first to speak. “Third Prince, Lan Yu obeys your command. Tomorrow, I shall present my household’s servants and sworn sons who have committed offenses to the court for punishment.”

With Lan Yu leading, the other nobles also begrudgingly spoke up, addressing Zhu Yun Teng as “Third Prince.”

This was not a mere change in formality, but a shift in attitude.

Zhu Yun Teng was fully aware of this, but he did not want to sow discord with the nobles of Huai West just yet. At least for now, he needed their support to stabilize the situation and suppress his uncles.

So he smiled again and said, “Uncle, esteemed uncles and elders, I know this puts you in a difficult position. But if we don’t do this, the pressure we face will be tenfold. Therefore, I have no choice.”

“Of course, you can rest assured that once I fully control the situation, countless rewards will be given to you all. After all, I will still rely on you and the other uncles in the future, won’t I?”

“Third Prince, it’s not that we don’t understand you, it’s just that we feel sorry for our old brothers!” Wang Bi took the cue and wiped away an insincere tear.

Zhang Yi quickly followed, “Third Prince, we understand your difficulties, but this can only be a one-time thing. If it happens again, we truly won’t be able to stand it.”

Zhu Yun Teng suppressed a smile but maintained a composed expression.

“Rest assured, esteemed uncles and elders. I always keep my word. In just a few days, the first batch of rewards will be delivered to your residences.”

He bowed slightly to the group.

Upon hearing the promise of rewards arriving so soon, the nobles’ faces instantly brightened.

Household servants, sworn sons, old brothers—it was all just a matter of price.

“Haha! Since His Highness the Third Prince is so generous, we will return now and have those fellows bound and personally escorted to the court tomorrow.”

“Thank you, esteemed uncles and elders.”

“Your Highness, please await the morning court session.”

…

The nobles left arm in arm, each wearing satisfied smiles.

But Zhu Yuanzhang, still hidden behind the wall, frowned in confusion. How exactly did Zhu Yun Teng intend to reward the nobles of Huai West? Was it power, or permission to act with impunity?

“Your Highness.”

At that moment, a soft call came from outside the Qianqing Palace.

“Come in,” Zhu Yun Teng replied toward the door.

Moments later, Ma Sanbao entered with another man, both dressed in eunuch attire.

“Greetings, Your Highness,” Ma Sanbao and the other bowed deeply, their demeanor humble.

But when Zhu Yuanzhang caught sight of the other’s face, he froze.

“Yun Qi… How did he come to the Qianqing Palace?”

Others might not recognize the newcomer, but Zhu Yuanzhang was very familiar with him.

The man was none other than Yun Qi, who had become Zhu Yuanzhang’s personal eunuch a few years prior.

The story of Yun Qi’s appointment was an extraordinary one. It was said that before the Hu Weiyong case broke, Hu Weiyong deceitfully reported that a magical wine had sprung from a well in his home, asking Zhu Yuanzhang to come taste it as an auspicious omen.

Zhu Yuanzhang willingly went, but when he arrived at the alley where the Hu family lived, Yun Qi suddenly grabbed the reins of Zhu Yuanzhang’s horse and shouted, “Ambush!”

At the same moment, Zhu Yuanzhang sensed something amiss and immediately ordered his troops to turn back toward the palace walls.

Once atop the walls, he saw the Hu family mansion in chaos—people and horses scattered, smoke billowing—confirming Hu Weiyong’s treasonous intentions.

From then on, Yun Qi was kept as Zhu Yuanzhang’s trusted chief eunuch.

This was no rumor, for Yun Qi’s seemingly supernatural intuition was all arranged in advance by Zhu Yun Teng.

In fact, Yun Qi’s surname reveals much. The name “Yun” is rare in the Central Plains, as Yun Qi was originally a local ethnic chieftain from Yunnan, captured alongside Ma Sanbao around the same time.

Because of this connection, Zhu Yun Teng had Ma Sanbao approach Yun Qi and bring him under control during Yun Qi’s low point.

“Your Highness, by making such promises to the Huai West nobles, if in the future…” Yun Qi, unaware of Zhu Yuanzhang’s suspicions about his deference to Zhu Yun Teng, spoke with a worried expression after their formal greetings.

Zhu Yun Teng waved his hand with a smile. “No matter! I have my ways to fool them.”

“Ah? Your Highness, have you already prepared something?” Yun Qi’s curiosity grew.

Not just him, Zhu Yuanzhang and the others couldn’t help but look at Zhu Yun Teng with intrigued eyes.

“Where does this boy get his confidence? Could it be that he truly possesses something irresistible to everyone else?”

“That shouldn’t be possible! Yun Teng has always remained in the Eastern Palace these years, never going out. How could he possibly have a treasure that even Lan Xiao’er and the others find tempting?”

…