Da Ming: I told you to die for your cause, why are you actually going to die?

Chapter 94 Old Zhu: This dragon throne is so boring! [Seeking monthly votes]

Old Zhu's deep-set eyes, however, were sharp as an eagle's at this moment, showing no sign of drowsiness, and he was coldly looking at Zhu Yunwen, who was slumped on the ground, pale as a ghost.

This was a look Zhu Yunwen had never seen before, and he was completely stunned.

He doesn't know why this is happening.

It was clearly her mother who taught her to say it, word by word.

Moreover, Scholar Liu and Prince Consort Mei were also talking about Zhang Biao, so what's wrong with me saying something about him?
He couldn't understand it, and didn't know how to answer Old Zhu, so he stood there, pale-faced.

Soon, the room fell into a suffocating silence.

Liu Sanwu, Mei Yin, and others including Jiang Huan and Yun Ming all had different thoughts.

Some people wish they could shrink into the shadows.

Some people, however, were filled with disappointment and anxiety for Zhu Yunwen.

a long time.

A very soft, weary sigh escaped.

It's Old Zhu.

He slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again, the sharpness in his eyes seemingly shrouded by a faint layer of weariness and complex emotions.

He didn't scold or fly into a rage, but his hoarse voice, carrying a hint of barely perceptible disappointment and helplessness, slowly asked, "Were you frightened?"

These three seemingly ordinary words sent a shiver down Zhu Yunwen's spine.

He subconsciously looked up and met Old Zhu's eyes, which now seemed somewhat cloudy and calm.

The expected fury did not come, which only made him more bewildered.

"Sun Chen. Sun Chen"

His lips trembled, and he spoke incoherently.

"Get up."

Old Zhu, as if nothing had happened, calmly reminded Zhu Yunwen:
"The ground is cold. Your body is already weak. You just made ginseng soup. Don't catch a chill."

The mere mention of ginseng soup made Zhu Yunwen feel nauseous, but amidst immense fear and this sudden, subtle concern, he forced himself to endure it.

He struggled to get up, but his legs gave way and he stumbled.

Yunming, who was standing nearby, hurriedly tried to step forward to help, but was stopped by a look from Old Zhu.

Old Zhu himself moved slightly, as if trying to sit up straighter, but this aggravated his illness, causing him to let out a suppressed cough.

Seeing this, Zhu Yunwen, with a sudden burst of strength, rushed to the bedside. Forgetting all etiquette, he carefully patted his father's back, his voice trembling with tears and genuine worry.

"Grandpa! Don't move! Lie down properly! It's all my fault! I deserve to die!"

This time, there was no element of acting on his part.

Old Zhu's sickly appearance and that cough just now truly pierced his heart.

After all, blood ties cannot be faked.

Old Zhu didn't say anything, letting him pat his back and cough a few more times before slowly calming down.

He glanced up at his grandson, who was pale with fright and had tears welling up in his eyes, and his gaze lingered for a moment on the mourning clothes that had been soiled by his own vomit.

"Mei Yin, Liu Sanwu, you two go out first."

Old Zhu's voice was very calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.

Upon hearing this, Mei Yin and Liu Sanwu exchanged glances, then looked at Zhu Yunwen with complicated expressions before tactfully leaving the bedroom.

Jiang Huan and Yun Ming, on the other hand, remained completely absorbed in their own thoughts, like wooden statues.

But then Old Zhu said bitterly, "This mourning clothes have been worn long enough; it's time to change them."

"This"

Zhu Yunwen was stunned, seemingly not understanding what he meant.

"But you, after hearing about all that outrageous stuff outside, aren't you scared?"

Old Zhu didn't care whether he understood or not, and asked again in a deep voice.

Zhu Yunwen nodded vigorously, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Sun Chen has never heard of such a horrifying thing! That Zhang Biao is simply a demon!"

"The Six Ministries and the residences of nobles—how dare he trample upon them like this! My Great Ming! My Great Ming!"

He stammered "I am Ming" for a long time, but in the end he didn't dare to say the words "I am going to perish," but the fear on his face said it all.

Looking at his fearful yet indignant expression, which ultimately stemmed from concern for the nation, Old Zhu's cold scrutiny seemed to soften slightly.

This grandson is cowardly and indecisive.

However, this instinctive defense of the Zhu family's empire and this shock and anger upon hearing of the collapse of the established order were not entirely useless.

Perhaps those words did not come from his true feelings.
"demon?"

Old Zhu chuckled, his laughter tinged with self-deprecation and exhaustion:

"If he really is a demon, that would be easy to deal with; just cut him down. The problem is that what he says and does may not be entirely wrong."

"What!?"

Zhu Yunwen suddenly looked up, staring at Old Zhu in disbelief.

Grandfather.
Grandfather actually thinks Zhang Biao might not be entirely wrong?!

How can this be? !
He clearly did so many outrageous things!

"We started from humble beginnings, we've eaten chaff and gone hungry, and we've witnessed how officials oppressed the common people."

Old Zhu ignored Zhu Yunwen's shock, his gaze seemingly fixed on the distance, and murmured:
"What we hate most are corrupt officials, those parasites that suck the blood of the people!"

His voice gradually became agitated, filled with a long-suppressed resentment:

"We've been killing our whole lives, so why are there more and more of them? Why can't we just get rid of all these bastards?!"

"Fu Youwen, Ru Chang, Li Jinglong, Guo Ying."

He read the names one by one, his gaze growing colder with each name he uttered.
"Do they really think we're so senile that we don't know anything about the dirty things they've done behind our backs?!"

Zhu Yunwen was terrified and dared not utter a sound.

“Zhang Biao is a madman, that’s for sure.” Old Zhu’s tone suddenly became extremely complicated: “He curses us, angers us, wishes we were dead! But this fire he set, it burned well! It burned away all the fig leaves of these parasites!”

As he spoke, he immediately turned to look at Zhu Yunwen, his gaze sharp as lightning:

"Yunwen, tell me, if you were in my position and saw these parasites of the nation, what would you do? Would you follow my example and continue to kill them? Or would you, like your father advised me back then, implement benevolent policies and try to reform them?"

This is an extremely pointed question that gets straight to the heart of the matter.

Zhu Yunwen was caught off guard by the question, and his mind went blank.

He subconsciously recalled his father Zhu Biao's teachings, the 'benevolence' and 'rule of propriety' instilled in him by Huang Zicheng and others, and the schemes and plots of the Lü family. But then he looked at the mess in front of him and thought about Zhang Biao's crazy audit.
Is the power of benevolence and virtue truly effective?

He asked himself the question, but found that he couldn't answer it at all.

Seeing his grandson's bewildered look, a hint of disappointment flashed in Old Zhu's eyes again, but more than that, there was a helpless understanding.

He slowly leaned back on the pillow, waving his hand wearily: "That's enough. I'm tired. You can leave now."

"Grandpa Emperor"

Zhu Yunwen felt a sudden panic, as if he had missed something extremely important.

"Go back and think carefully about what we said."

Old Zhu closed his eyes, and his voice lowered as well:
"And think about what you would do if this country were handed over to you one day? Would you let the termites eat it away, or would you have other options?"

That last sentence, though seemingly casual, struck Zhu Yunwen's heart like a heavy hammer.

Handing the country over to oneself?!

Grandfather
A tremendous shock and a hint of unbelievable elation instantly overshadowed the fear.

Zhu Yunwen suddenly kowtowed and hurriedly said:

"I, your humble servant, will heed Your Majesty's teachings! I will certainly think it over carefully and will not disappoint you!"

This time, his voice carried an unprecedented solemnity and a hint of trembling from being entrusted with high hopes.

Old Zhu didn't respond anymore, as if he had fallen asleep.

Zhu Yunwen knelt for a few more moments before carefully getting up and backing out of the inner room.

He even forgot to clean up the mess on the ground. His heart was filled with excitement, fear, and heaviness from Old Zhu's last words.

It wasn't until he stepped outside the hall and felt the cold night wind that he suddenly shivered.

Does the Emperor's grandfather admire him?
Was it because of his filial piety? Or because of his wisdom in pointing out Zhang Biao's conspiracy?

Or perhaps...
Grandfather is just weak from illness and needs some comfort from family.

But in any case, what Grandpa said at the end was true!

An opportunity! A tremendous opportunity!

He has to seize this opportunity! He has to perform exceptionally well!

As for Zhang Biao
Zhu Yunwen's gaze gradually turned cold and resolute.

This madman must die! But not now.

Getting rid of him now would only make me seem petty and would allow those corrupt officials being audited to reap the benefits.

perhaps
Perhaps we can wait until the storm passes, and until the Emperor completely abandons him.
Zhu Yunwen strode towards the Eastern Palace, his mind racing, pondering how to maintain his 'benevolent' image while simultaneously using Zhang Biao as a tool to clear obstacles for himself, and finally...
His steps became more steady and faster.

In the bedroom.

Old Zhu slowly opened his eyes, showing no sign of sleepiness.

He listened to his grandson's receding footsteps, his eyes dark and unreadable.

"Benevolence is weakness, and ultimately it is still benevolence and weakness."

He muttered to himself, a hint of helplessness in his voice:
"But this filial piety, this instinctive defense of the country, is not entirely incompetent."

"Perhaps, some polishing might make it usable for a while."

His gaze turned outside the palace again, as if he could see through the palace walls and see the figure of the madman who was stirring up a monstrous storm in Yingtian Prefecture.

"Zhang Biao, you've certainly tested out a lot of real money for us, and you've also seen what's going on in people's hearts."

An extremely complex emotion churned within him.

He suddenly felt incredibly tired.

Sitting on this dragon throne is fucking boring.

On one side are seemingly righteous but actually treacherous loyal ministers.

On one side is a madman who's crazy and dares to puncture a festering sore.

He started coughing violently, coughing so hard it was excruciating, and his face turned red.

Jiang Huan and Yun Ming were terrified and rushed forward to help him up and pat his back.

Old Zhu suddenly waved his hand, pushing them aside, his voice hoarse and weak, carrying an almost self-deprecating mockery:
"Forget it, let's not see him."

These words seemed to drain all his strength.

He leaned back heavily, his chest heaving, his face showing only an overwhelming weariness and a rage forcibly suppressed by reality.

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

However, before they could even breathe a sigh of relief, another report came from outside the door:

"Your Majesty! The Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate and concurrently Minister of Personnel requests an audience with congratulatory gifts and a memorial to the throne!"

The eunuch who gave the report dared not mention ham, and could only give a brief summary.

Jiang Huan, who was inside the room, twitched his eyelids.

Damn it, why did they only arrive now!
Oh no! This is going to be a disaster!
……

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(End of this chapter)