Chapter 24: What Kind of Spell Did the Prince Cast on the Nobility?

"Your Highness, I have one more question that remains unclear."

After a brief exchange of glances among the three, Ren Taiheng bowed and spoke once more. Liu Sanwu and Su Boheng felt their previous conduct might have displeased Zhu Yunxiong, and thus they proceeded with extreme caution. They had not forgotten the cold, decisive manner in which Zhu Yunxiong had acted in the Fengtian Hall, and they feared their families might be implicated if they slipped up.

Zhu Yunxiong smiled at Ren Taiheng, raised a hand, and said, "Master Ren, pray ask as you wish. I am not the late Emperor, nor do I kill based on personal likes or dislikes."

This was a declaration of his stance, intended to reassure Liu and Su. However, Zhu Yunxiong did not realize that Zhu Yuanzhang was still watching from a hidden chamber nearby.

"Old Zhu" was so enraged by the remark—"I am not the late Emperor, nor do I kill based on personal likes or dislikes"—that he cursed his "rebellious grandson" repeatedly. He had always acted with integrity and transparency; when had he ever killed based on mere preference?

"It is infuriating! This rebellious grandson is utterly unfilial. My body is barely cold, and he is already slandering me again and again!"

"Hmph! If he fails to govern the Great Ming well in the future, I will have him hung outside the Qianqing Palace and lashed with a whip for three days and three nights..."

Seeing this, Feng Sheng and Tang He turned their heads away, their shoulders trembling slightly. They could tell that while Zhu Yuanzhang was genuinely incensed, he held a deep, underlying affection for Zhu Yunxiong; otherwise, he would not have spoken such words.

Back outside the Qianqing Palace, the three officials heard Zhu Yunxiong’s comments about the late Emperor and hurriedly bowed in fearful apology. "Your Highness, please be careful with your words. The late Emperor was a man of grand vision; one must not disparage him."

Zhu Yunxiong waved his hand dismissively. "It is of no consequence! The late Emperor has already passed; even if he had an opinion, he could not climb out of his grave to lash me. Furthermore, he was always magnanimous and open to suggestion; he would certainly not hold this against me."

Ren Taiheng and the others twitched, their hearts filled with silent complaints, yet they finally gathered the courage to voice their primary concern.

"Your Highness, I simply wish to know one thing: how do you intend to deal with the Huai-Xi nobility?"

They asked this for two reasons. First, as civil officials, they were naturally at odds with the military commanders and did not wish to see the nobles grow even more powerful in the court due to Zhu Yunxiong’s favor. Second, they were genuinely concerned for the people. The Huai-Xi nobles were already known for their high-handedness and abuse of power; if they gained Zhu Yunxiong's unconditional trust, would they not become even more unscrupulous?

Whether their motives were driven by public duty or private interest mattered little now; they only needed to know where Zhu Yunxiong stood.

Zhu Yunxiong’s lips curled into a faint smile; he had anticipated this inquiry since the night before.

"The three of you might want to send your servants out of the palace in a moment to make inquiries," he replied with a laugh. "You will soon understand my attitude toward the Huai-Xi nobility."

Ren Taiheng and his companions frowned, clearly uncomfortable with Zhu Yunxiong’s evasive behavior. However, they had already been swayed by his presence, and no matter how dissatisfied they felt, they kept it to themselves, bowed, and withdrew from the Qianqing Palace.

"Hahaha! I am looking forward to the expressions on the faces of old men like Liu Sanwu when they see what Lan Er and the others have done. I wonder if those fellows followed my grandson's orders?"

Behind the wall, Zhu Yuanzhang sat in his chair, quite pleased, though his words still carried a hint of concern. He likely worried that the Huai-Xi nobles might attempt to deceive the young, inexperienced Zhu Yunxiong.

But his worries were clearly unnecessary.

Just as the three officials stepped out of the palace, they heard the common people whispering in the streets, their faces etched with surprise, joy, and disbelief. Curious, the three approached a group of people.

They heard a middle-aged man gesticulating wildly: "I would not lie to you! I saw it with my own eyes just now in front of the Ministry of Justice. The servants and adopted sons of those nobles are lined up in a long queue. They all look dejected, stripped of the arrogance they usually display when bullying us. I don't know who has the power to force those noble masters to turn them in!"

"Psh! That goes without saying. It must be His Majesty, of course!" someone immediately chimed in.

News of Zhu Yuanzhang’s "passing" had not yet fully spread, as the officials had not returned home to disseminate the news.

Another person added excitedly, "Heh! We can't miss a scene like this! Come on, let's go to the Ministry of Justice and see!"

The common people, driven by an insatiable curiosity, soon began to surge toward the Ministry of Justice. Liu Sanwu, Su Boheng, and Ren Taiheng exchanged looks, seeing the same shock, confusion, and disbelief in each other's eyes.

After a long silence, Liu Sanwu stammered, "T-two brothers, shall we... shall we go and see as well?"

"Let's go! I am very curious to see how our young Prince managed this," Ren Taiheng replied with a bold laugh, beckoning to where their carriage was parked nearby.

Their servant drove the carriage over, and the three men boarded, heading toward the Ministry of Justice. The six ministries were located just outside the imperial city, and they arrived in little more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Thinking they had reached their destination, they prepared to step out. But Ren Taiheng, who was leading, froze the moment he lifted the curtain.

"Brother Guyong," Liu Sanwu asked from behind, "why have we stopped? Is it possible the people were lying, and there are no servants or adopted sons of those killers out there?"

"Alas! It seems we are truly old, being led around by a mere child," Su Boheng remarked with deep dissatisfaction.

Just as the two were expressing their disappointment, Ren Taiheng’s voice drifted to them.

"No... it is not that. The Prince did not lie to us, it is just... just..."

Hearing this, and seeing Ren Taiheng unable to articulate what he saw, Liu Sanwu and Su Boheng pushed open the curtains themselves. When they did, their mouths fell open in astonishment.

The carriage had not stopped in front of the Ministry of Justice, but at the mouth of an alley two or three hundred paces away. The reason they could not move forward was that the entire alley was packed with a sea of people, with even more crowds surging in from behind the carriage. If not for the fact that this was the Ministry of Justice, one might have thought someone was throwing gold into the streets.

"Are... are all these people just here to watch the spectacle?" Liu Sanwu finally regained his senses, stuttering.

Su Boheng was no better; he licked his lips and stared in utter shock. "With so many people here, it must be true. It is likely that all the Huai-Xi nobles have turned in their law-breaking servants and adopted sons, or there would never be such a massive reaction."

The three watched as the people continued to pour toward the Ministry of Justice. After a long while, Ren Taiheng retreated back into the carriage, asking with great excitement: "Tell me... how did our Prince manage this? Those killers have always been unruly and arrogant; sometimes, they even dared to defy the late Emperor’s orders. What kind of spell did the Prince cast upon them?"