Chapter 14: Shocking Words Nearly Drive Old Zhu Mad
“Your Highness, everything has been arranged,” Song Zhong bowed.
Only then did Zhu Yunrong’s face break into a smile again. He nodded and said, “Very good! From now on, you will take full command of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Tomorrow’s morning court, I want to see those men step forward of their own accord.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Song Zhong’s cheeks flushed with excitement, his voice ringing with resolve.
His decision to side with Zhu Yunrong had been something of a surprise, or rather, a miracle—though the details need not be recounted here. He had originally thought that joining Zhu Yunrong might mean accompanying him to his fiefdom someday, but never had he imagined he would one day command the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Zhu Yunrong leaned in and whispered a few words in Song Zhong’s ear before dismissing him.
Once Song Zhong left, Zhu Yunrong’s gaze returned to Yun Qi.
Yun Qi, quick-witted as ever, hurriedly bowed. “Your Highness, please command as you will.”
Zhu Yunrong nodded approvingly but said nothing, smiling as he appraised him back and forth until Yun Qi was visibly unnerved. Then, laughing, he said, “If I recall correctly, you are skilled in martial arts, and not weak by any means, yes?”
“Your Highness is too kind. I only know some rudimentary techniques, but if I am by Your Highness’s side, I guarantee no one can harm you,” Yun Qi replied modestly, yet his face shone with unshakable confidence.
In that moment, he seemed like a master of martial arts, looking down on all with supreme contempt.
“Hahaha! Not bad,” Zhu Yunrong laughed heartily. “But I don’t need your protection. You have a more important task.”
“Please command, Your Highness. It was Your Highness who saved my life; I would not flinch even if plunged into fire and water,” Yun Qi suddenly dropped to one knee, his expression solemn.
Zhu Yunrong had no intention of helping him up. No matter how useful Yun Qi was, he was still just a subordinate. The true art of ruling lies in balancing kindness with authority.
“I want you to select a group of reliable eunuchs from the palace who also possess martial skills, then…” After hearing Zhu Yunrong’s plan, Yun Qi’s eyes lit up instantly. He bowed again and said, “Rest assured, Your Highness. I will not fail your expectations.”
“Good. Go now. I want to see results within a month,” Zhu Yunrong waved him off.
...
“What… what is this rebellious grandson planning?” Behind the wall, Zhu Yuanzhang listened to Zhu Yunrong’s arrangements in full and was instantly shocked.
“Assigning eunuchs to the uncles’ mansions—is he distrustful of the Embroidered Uniform Guard or planting spies to prepare for weakening the princes?”
“Is this rebellious grandson trying to drive me to my grave?”
Zhu Yuanzhang’s heart was torn. On one hand, he was pleased with Zhu Yunrong’s series of maneuvers and plans that night; on the other, he was deeply displeased with his grandson inserting agents into the prince’s residences.
One was his beloved grandson; the other, his cherished son.
Both held a place in his heart, and for a moment, he did not know whom to choose.
At the same time, he was proud of his strategy of having his vassal princes guard the frontiers and naturally could not tolerate Zhu Yunrong’s targeting of them.
Yet no one could answer Zhu Yuanzhang. Although Feng Sheng and Tang He understood the situation clearly, they dared not speak.
As Zhu Yuanzhang slowly emerged from his tangled emotions and looked again outside the Qianqing Palace, he saw that the others had been driven out at some unknown time. Only Zhu Yunrong remained, seated on the floor before the dragon throne.
“Old Zhu, why did you leave so abruptly?” Zhu Yunrong called out.
“Sigh! I hadn’t even finished my arrangements. You leaving like this puts me in a difficult position.”
“But there’s nothing to be done now. Though you are my grandfather, this rotten mess called the Ming is something I must watch over carefully.”
“If only you and Father had more time, it would be wonderful to have all these plans fully in place!”
...
Behind the wall, hearing Zhu Yunrong call him “Old Zhu,” Zhu Yuanzhang’s anger made him grit his teeth and glare, but his curiosity was piqued by the latter words.
“Plans? Arrangements?”
“What other schemes does this rebellious grandson have? And since when did our Ming become a rotten mess?”
“His words are bold, but I wonder if he can hold his own in court tomorrow…”
From just a few words, one could see the turmoil within Zhu Yuanzhang’s heart.
Yet Zhu Yunrong remained oblivious to his grandfather’s inner conflict, continuing to mutter to himself.
“Old Zhu, since you became emperor, you’ve worked yourself to death every day—what was it all for?”
“To wish for the Ming to last for ten thousand generations—is that even possible?”
“In the end, you exhaust yourself and still cannot change the fate of the Ming, which is doomed to fall after three hundred years—what use is it?”
...
“This, this… rebellious grandson, rebellious grandson!” At first, Zhu Yuanzhang felt a flicker of warmth hearing Zhu Yunrong’s concern for him. But when he heard “the Ming will fall after three hundred years,” his whole body trembled with fury, his eyes rolling back as if he might faint.
Since ascending the throne, he had worked diligently like an ox to reform corrupt policies, often personally handling memorials late into the night.
For what?
So that the Ming might be passed down through generations of the Zhu family for eternity.
Yet before the second emperor had even taken the throne, Zhu Yunrong had openly declared such blasphemy in front of him.
Though Feng Sheng and Tang He were equally shocked by Zhu Yunrong’s audacity, they quickly masked their astonishment and stepped forward to soothe the emperor.
“Your Majesty, the Third Prince is merely speaking nonsense. Under your rule, foreign invaders have been quelled, and the people live in peace and prosperity. How could the dynasty last only three hundred years?”
Yet as soon as they finished speaking, Zhu Yunrong’s voice rose again from inside the Qianqing Palace.
“Sigh! It’s not your fault. After all, who understands the cyclical laws of dynasties? Didn’t Qin Shi Huang also hope to pass down the Qin for ten thousand years?”
“The blame lies with those Confucian pests, forever obsessed with their ancient texts and rites…”
“If they had read ‘Dreams of the Eastern Capital,’ ‘Xia Xiao Zheng,’ ‘Yi Si Divination,’ or ‘Dream Pool Essays,’ they wouldn’t be so eager to promote endless warfare or claim that only a sage king from outside and an internal sage ruler can secure eternity.”
Behind the wall, Zhu Yuanzhang’s barely calmed anger flared again at hearing Zhu Yunrong call the Confucians pests.
He cursed under his breath, “Rebellious grandson, truly rebellious! Confucian governance has been the wisdom of the ages. How dare he slander Confucianism so? If the scholars of the realm hear this, what will become of us?”
...