Daming: Brother, there is no future for monks, let's rebel

"What are you afraid of?" Zhu Zhen raised his eyes. "Are you afraid it will be my turn?"

The strategist dared not respond.

The room fell silent for a moment, with only the soft crackling of the candlelight.

Zhu Zhen walked to the window, lifted a corner of it, and looked out at the capital city in the night. The outline of the city walls was blurred, yet they weighed heavily on one's heart.

“He hides and doesn’t show himself,” Zhu Zhen said slowly, “but he lets everyone see that this knife doesn’t belong to His Majesty, it belongs to Zhu Han.”

"What does Your Highness mean?"

“He’s waiting.” Zhu Zhen turned around, his gaze icy. “Waiting for someone to lose their temper first.”

Meanwhile, at the Prince of Han's residence.

The lights in the study were still on.

Zhu Han sat at his desk, flipping through a thin file.

This wasn't an official document from the imperial court, but rather a copy of the Imperial Clan Court's nightly records from the past six months. The handwriting was dense, yet he flipped through the pages extremely quickly.

Jiang Yueli stood to the side and whispered, "There's quite a commotion at the Chu Prince's residence tonight."

“You’re getting impatient.” Zhu Han didn’t even look up. “Only those who are impatient will reveal their weaknesses.”

Jiang Yue hesitated for a moment: "Your Highness, what about His Majesty..."

“Your Majesty sees things clearly.” Zhu Han closed the booklet. “What he wants is stability, not speed. What I’m doing now is simply wiping the table clean.”

Before he could finish speaking, footsteps could be heard outside.

Shen Qing entered, bowed, and said in a low voice, "Someone from the Eastern Palace has arrived."

Zhu Han raised his eyes: "Crown Prince?"

"It was a eunuch from the Crown Princess's side who said His Highness had a message and asked someone to pass it on to the Prince."

Zhu Han hesitated for a moment, then said, "Speak."

“‘It’s windy tonight, Uncle, please wear another layer of clothing.’”

Jiang Yue was taken aback, then realized what was happening.

Zhu Han smiled slightly, a faint smile, but a little more relaxed than before.

"Tell them that the Crown Prince will rest as usual tonight, and there is no need to light lamps to wait for news."

Shen Qing acknowledged and withdrew.

Zhu Han got up and walked to the window. The night breeze swept through the courtyard, and the shadows of the trees swayed gently.

He knew that Zhu Biao understood what he meant.

The next morning, another disturbance occurred at the Imperial Clan Court.

Several members of the imperial clan simultaneously submitted memorials requesting an audience. Although their words differed, they all conveyed the same message—that His Majesty should thoroughly investigate the old cases related to the river works in order to restore the reputation of the imperial clan.

The news caused a quiet uproar in the court.

"This is to prove their innocence before being implicated."

"It's also possible that someone is getting restless."

Inside the imperial study, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the memorials and sneered.

"They all claim to be innocent." He tossed the memorial onto the table. "Then, did the dirty money from back then just grow legs and run into the accounts?"

The eunuch dared not respond.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked up at Zhu Han, who was standing to the side.

What do you think?

“They don’t want to clear their names,” Zhu Han said calmly, “they want an opportunity to muddy the waters again.”

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes: "So, are you going to give it to me or not?"

Zhu Han paused for a moment, then said, "Here you go."

Zhu Yuanzhang was taken aback.

“If we don’t give it to them, they’ll only get more anxious,” Zhu Han continued. “If we do give it to them, they’ll just reveal their true intentions.”

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

"Your personality is just like mine back then."

He raised his hand: "They are allowed to investigate. But the people conducting the investigation will be jointly managed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Ministry of Justice. The Imperial Clan Court will only listen in and will not interfere."

Upon receiving the decree, the imperial clan members felt both relieved and yet a new sense of unease arose.

On the afternoon of the third day, in front of the Ministry of Justice.

Several representatives of the imperial clan were invited into the inner hall, ostensibly to observe the proceedings, but in reality, they were placed in side seats and couldn't even touch the case files.

Someone muttered in dissatisfaction, "Is this an investigation, or to keep us at bay?"

The Vice Minister of Justice replied calmly, "The case is clean, so there's nothing to worry about."

In short, it left people speechless.

That night, another secret letter was quietly delivered to the Chu King's residence.

The letter was very short.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard has already set its sights on the person who will transfer the old debts."

After reading it, Zhu Zhen's expression finally changed.

He looked up at his strategist: "Zhu Han is trying to cut the threads one by one."

The strategist whispered, "Your Highness, if we don't act now, it might really be too late."

Zhu Zhen remained silent for a long time before suddenly asking, "What has the Prince of Han been doing these past few days?"

"He remained secluded in his residence and did not leave."

Zhu Zhen sneered: "What a fine way to shut yourself away from home."

He stood up, walked to the desk, picked up his pen and began to write a letter, but stopped before he could finish.

“Let’s try a different approach.” He put down his pen. “Since he won’t show himself, let’s force him to.”

On the same night, at the Eastern Palace.

Zhu Biao was still not asleep.

Several unapproved memorials lay spread out on his desk, yet he hesitated to put pen to paper.

Gu Qingping brought in tea and glanced at him: "Is Your Highness still thinking about what happened during the day?"

Zhu Biao nodded: "They've started moving."

"The Imperial Uncle will stand in front," Gu Qingping said softly.

"It can only hold them off for a while," Zhu Biao said, looking up. "It can't hold them off completely."

Gu Qingping put down the tea, her tone gentle yet firm: "Then Your Highness, please stand firm. Your Royal Uncle took the blow so that Your Highness wouldn't panic."

Zhu Biao remained silent for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

"Qingping, you're right."

On the morning of the fourth day, a commotion suddenly broke out in the northern ward of the capital.

When a team of Ministry of Works officers were taking inventory of the warehouse, they discovered that a batch of iron chains used in the river works of previous years was missing. The accounts clearly stated that they had been sealed up three years ago, but only half of them remained in the warehouse.

This is not a big deal.

It's only natural that the iron chain would be damaged and need to be repaired.

But on the same afternoon, a section of the embankment outside the moat of the northern city collapsed.

The collapse wasn't large, but it was extremely clever, perfectly exposing the soil layer underneath that had been disturbed again.

When the officials patrolling the river went down to take a look, their expressions changed on the spot.

"Someone has buried something down there recently."

The news was reported up the chain of command, and by the time it reached the Ministry of Justice, it was already dark.

The Minister of Justice looked at the presented report, remained silent for a long time, and then slowly uttered a sentence.

"This is not an old case being reopened."

"Someone is trying to turn an old case into a new one."

That night, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was mobilized.

Instead of making a big show of it, they split into several groups and headed straight for several houses that had already been marked.

One of them is in Beifang, one is in Xicheng, and another is just two streets away from the Chu Prince's Mansion.

The family in Beifang appears to be in the timber business.

When the Imperial Guards broke down the door, the shopkeeper was in the backyard taking inventory of the goods.

When the torches shone, what was piled up in the corner was not wood, but bundles of iron chains, their surfaces aged but still carrying the dampness of fresh earth.

"This is...this is secondhand goods, secondhand goods I collected!" The shopkeeper's voice trembled.

The captain crouched down, drew his short knife, and scraped it against the iron chain.

The light was blinding.

"Secondhand goods?" He looked up. "River engineering regulations: anyone who hoards them is punishable by death. Do you want to die a long life, or do you want to die even faster?"

The shopkeeper collapsed to the ground on the spot.

On the other side, inside the West City residence, what was found were accounts.

These are not official accounts, but private accounts.

What was recorded in the accounts were not silver coins, but "sections", "sections", and "positions".

The Imperial Guards recognized it at a glance—it was the section number of the dike.

The third house was the quietest.

When the door opened, there was only one person sitting inside, slowly drinking tea.

When the man saw the Imperial Guards enter, he didn't panic. He simply put down his teacup and sighed.

"They still came."

The captain narrowed his eyes: "Do you know why we're here?"

The man nodded: "Because of that section of the embankment."

"Who gave you permission to move?"

The man was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "I only do things for money."

"Who gave you the money?"

"...I can't say."

The captain sneered and waved his hand: "Take him away."

That night, in the capital, three households never lit their lights again.

Before dawn, officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Works entered the palace at the same time.

Inside the imperial study, Zhu Yuanzhang listened to the report, his hand slowly tightening the rolled-up memorial. "Newly buried iron chains, privately marked sections of the dike," he said in a low voice, "What are they trying to do?"

No one spoke.

Zhu Han, who had been standing to one side, finally spoke.

“This is going to cause trouble,” he said. “It’s not about reopening old cases, it’s about creating an ‘accident’ and then shifting the blame back to the old case.”

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly looked up.

Who should be detained?

Zhu Han did not hesitate: "Detain the Crown Prince."

The air inside the hall seemed to freeze.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes suddenly turned cold, like a sword that had not been drawn for many years.

"How dare you!"

Zhu Han continued, "They know that the more old grievances are brought up, the less likely His Highness will be implicated. So they need something new, something that will make people say 'the Crown Prince's regency is unstable.'"

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his hand on the table.

"This is forcing me to take action."

"Yes." Zhu Han nodded, "It also forced me to step in."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him and suddenly asked, "Are you going to come out or not?"

Zhu Han looked up, his gaze calm.

"I've already gone through with it."

Zhu Yuanzhang was taken aback.

Zhu Han turned around and said to the people outside the hall, "Jiang Yue."

Jiang Yue quickly stepped inside and presented a confession.

“The people in the third house last night have confessed,” Jiang Yue said in a low voice. “The money was transferred through a eunuch from the imperial clan.”

Zhu Yuanzhang opened the confession, and the more he read, the darker his face became.

The name may not be grand, but it is extremely important.

Those were former servants of the Chu King's mansion.

"Bring the person to the Imperial Clan Court," Zhu Yuanzhang said coldly. "I want to question him in front of the imperial clan."

Once the imperial decree was issued, the capital was thrown into complete chaos.

The main hall of the Imperial Clan Court hadn't been this full in a long time.

Zhu Han stood to one side, not sitting in the main seat.

King Zhu Zhen of Chu was also present.

He appeared calm when he entered, but his knuckles clenched involuntarily when the eunuch was brought in.

"Do you recognize him?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

The eunuch prostrated himself on the ground, his voice trembling as he said, "I recognize him... he's an old servant from the Prince of Chu's residence."

Zhu Zhen suddenly looked up: "You're talking nonsense!"

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his hand: "Let him finish speaking."

The eunuch dared not raise his head, and spoke out one sentence at a time.

How to collect money, how to resell it, and how to get people to move the embankment were all explained clearly.

The hall was deathly silent.

Zhu Zhen's face turned pale, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, this person's one-sided story may not be credible."

Zhu Han finally spoke.

"What about the iron chain?"

Zhu Zhen paused.

"What about the accounts?"

No one answered.

Zhu Han stepped forward, his voice not loud, but it made the entire main hall tense.

"Sixth Brother," he looked at Zhu Zhen, "you've taken this step too hastily."

Zhu Zhen stared at him, then suddenly laughed, a somewhat stiff laugh.

"You knew all along."

“I knew someone would be anxious,” Zhu Han said, “but I didn’t expect it to be you.”

Zhu Zhen closed his eyes briefly.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up.

"Zhu Zhen," his voice was as cold as iron, "you have illegally altered the riverbank, intending to incite chaos. Do you know your crime?"

Zhu Zhen remained silent for a long time before finally kneeling down.

"Your subject...acknowledges his guilt."

Dusk had fallen outside the main hall of the Imperial Clan Court.

The copper bells under the eaves jingled softly in the wind; the sound was not loud, but it was particularly clear in the silence.

Zhu Zhen was sandwiched between two Imperial Guards, his chains not yet fastened, yet he was already imprisoned. His royal robes were still on, but the hem was disheveled by the wind, losing their former solemnity.

"Your Highness, please."

The captain's voice was steady, without any deliberate lowering or any hint of politeness.

Zhu Zhen nodded and walked out.

step.

Two steps.

Just as he stepped out of the main hall of the Imperial Clan Court, he suddenly stopped.

The Imperial Guard behind him was taken aback, instinctively gripping the hilt of his sword, but did not urge him on.

Zhu Zhen slowly turned his head around.

Inside the main hall, the princes of the royal family stood or sat, each with a different expression. Some lowered their heads and remained silent, while others avoided eye contact. Only one person remained standing in the same spot.

Zhu Han.

He did not sit in the main seat, nor did he look down from above; he simply stood by the pillar, dressed in plain robes, like an observer.

Zhu Zhen's gaze lingered on his face for a moment.

"Seventh Brother," he suddenly spoke.

The voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the hall could hear it clearly.

Zhu Han looked up at him.

"Did you know from the beginning that this would be the outcome?"

Inside the Imperial Clan Court, tensions suddenly rose.

Several members of the royal family instinctively held their breath.

Zhu Han did not answer immediately.

He looked at Zhu Zhen with a calm gaze, devoid of the judgment of a victor or the pity of a loser, as if he were looking at someone who had already reached the end.

“I knew someone would come to this point,” Zhu Han said slowly, “but I didn’t know it would be you.”

Zhu Zhen was taken aback.

Then, he chuckled softly.

There was no resentment or anger in that laughter; instead, it sounded like a sigh of relief.

"That's true." He nodded. "This game was already played wrong a long time ago."

He looked up at the plaque of the Imperial Clan Court, his gaze lingered for a moment, and then looked away.

“Seventh Brother,” he suddenly softened his tone, “you took this for Biao’er, he will remember it.”

Zhu Han did not deny it, but simply said, "I just prevented the knife from falling where it shouldn't have."

Zhu Zhen looked at him, and the last bit of sharpness in his eyes finally dissipated completely.

“You’re still the same as ever,” he said. “You don’t take credit, and you don’t show any mercy.”

After saying that, he didn't linger and turned to step out the door.

The next morning, at the Qi Prince's residence.

The tea had just been brewed and hadn't even been tasted before it went cold.

Zhu Fu sat in the main seat, tapping the table with his fingertips, making a very soft sound.

"Was the person really imprisoned in the imperial prison?"

The aide below replied in a low voice, "Yes. He was imprisoned last night at midnight on charges of 'unauthorized river works and intent to cause trouble,' but no one else was implicated."

Zhu Fu frowned: "Not implicated?"

"At least not on the surface."

Zhu Fu remained silent for a while, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"Zhu Han".

The advisor looked up: "Your Highness?"

“His Majesty did not do this personally,” Zhu Fu said slowly. “Someone handed the knife to His Majesty.”

The advisor hesitated for a moment: "Your Highness means... Prince Han?"

Zhu Fu did not answer, but picked up the tea, took a sip, and then put it down.

"Go and check the accounts of the manor again."

"All old debts, all of them."

The aide's heart tightened: "Your Highness, aren't we being too hasty?"

Zhu Fu looked up, his gaze cold and sharp.

"The King of Chu is simply not in a hurry enough."

At the same time, in the Shu King's Palace.

Zhu Chun is pruning bamboo in the back garden.

With a single stroke, the bamboo section was severed cleanly.

The attendant cautiously said, "Your Highness, about the Prince of Chu..."

"I know." Zhu Chun handed the knife to the servant, his tone flat. "I found out last night."

The attendant couldn't help but ask, "Then... should we?" (End of Chapter)