Chapter 197: Irrefutable Evidence?

The Prince’s Mansion of the Ming Dynasty was more like a royal city than a mere mansion—its walls alone were as tall as 29 feet. Even if ordinary people stretched their necks to the breaking point, it was difficult to see the buildings inside from below the walls. In addition to the front, middle, and rear halls, the ritual regulations required 138 rooms in total, with three more palaces behind those halls, each containing nine rooms. Although Zhu Gaoxu’s Le’an Han Prince’s Mansion was built in haste, with many palaces still unfinished to this day, the gardens he funded himself to build were well-maintained. The Xuanren Hall, for instance, followed the same design standards as the three main halls, with a total of eleven rooms, all extremely magnificent.

The red-painted, gold-embroidered dragon throne in the Xuanren Hall was empty at the moment, and the red canopy with gold dragon decorations hung limply. Large lanterns around the hall burned with honey candles brought from the South Sea, while incense burned in bronze burners. There were three people in the hall—sitting, standing, and kneeling—while several eunuchs peeked in from outside. But after hearing Peng Shisan’s words, they all retracted their heads.

Zhu Gaoxu did not know Peng Shisan. After all, during the Jingnan Campaign, although Zhang Fu was Zhang Yu’s son, he was merely a deputy commander at the time. The Zhang family had at least eighty soldiers back then—how could he possibly remember them all? But not knowing them was not important; he understood Peng Shisan’s words clearly. He became furious instantly, his clenched right fist cracking audibly. He turned to look at Zhang Yue, who had stood up, and demanded sternly, “Why didn’t you say anything when you came in earlier?”

“The reason for taking a detour was not so much to avoid ambushes as because one of my companions was from the local area. He said that several rivers froze over in winter, with varying thicknesses of ice, making it risky to cross them, so we took a longer route. So, it was just a minor encounter—how could I possibly cause such a disturbance for the Han Prince?”

After taking the detour, Zhang Yue had sent people to scout from behind, not expecting much. So when he learned that they were still waiting there and only one of the two scouts returned, he knew things were far more complicated than he had imagined. In a flash, he came up with those words as a response. He then stood up and asked Peng Shisan, “Since someone has returned, where is Captain Lu?”

Peng Shisan remained kneeling on one knee. Seeing that Zhu Gaoxu was also looking at him, he clasped his hands in front of his chest and said, “Captain Chen has important duties to attend to. Moreover, after losing one of his subordinates, he has already rushed over with the remaining men. Lord Wang, the commander of the Tiance Guard, also heard the news and sent dozens of guards along.”

Though furious, as soon as Zhu Gaoxu heard that Wang Bin had actually sent people out, his brows immediately furrowed. He held himself in extremely high regard—whether it was the various military units under the Shandong military command or those White Lotus Sect members rumored to be under the imperial investigation, he dismissed them all as unimportant, believing no one would dare to cause trouble on his territory. Although two of his guard units had been reduced, his Tiance Guard still numbered five thousand, plus the private troops he had recruited—so Le’an was entirely under his control. How could anyone so bold as to set an ambush so close to the Zi River?

Suddenly snapping out of his thoughts, he felt severe pain in his shoulder and remembered the imperial physicians advising him not to exert force recklessly to avoid disturbing his wound. Yet at that moment, the image of the sharp blade flash during the assassination flashed before his eyes, and he could no longer contain his rage. Time and again, someone had dared to provoke him!

“Good, excellent! You reported in time—indeed, the Duke of Yingguo’s household is full of people with backbone! You and your master wait here. I want to see what kind of person Wang Bin can bring back for me!”

Seeing Zhu Gaoxu turn his fury into a smile, he returned to his seat in the red-painted hall adorned with golden dragons. Eunuchs waiting outside quickly went to inform Concubine Wei and Crown Prince Zhu Zhan Tan. Soon, Concubine Wei arrived in a hurry. Though she was more favored now than before, she was still an inexperienced woman. After offering a few irrelevant words of advice, she was slapped hard in the face by Zhu Gaoxu, leaving her stunned and unable to utter another word. Zhu Zhan Tan, who arrived a moment later and understood the situation better, first ordered someone to help Concubine Wei away before whispering something in his father’s ear.

“What did you say?”

Zhang Yue, who was quietly asking Peng Shisan questions, suddenly heard this furious voice and looked up. Zhu Gaoxu, already furious, now had a red face and swollen neck, his hands gripping the desk trembling slightly, as if he wanted to flip the entire table over. Though he managed to hold back, his right hand slammed down on the desk again, this time scattering the writing utensils everywhere—far more violently than his first strike.

“If it really is him, I’ll tear him to pieces! Send someone and bring that scoundrel to the palace!”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhan Tan gave a gesture to a eunuch below and then stepped back. Seeing that Zhang Yue had already vacated the chief seat early, he sat down there without hesitation, letting out a low sigh. “Yuanjie, I just sent someone to investigate. It turns out that your second brother became furious after seeing you. When leaving the city, he cursed loudly, saying he wanted to teach you a lesson. Your second brother is impulsive and hot-tempered, and it coincides with someone trying to harm you. I’m afraid… misfortune may befall our family. Fortunately, your second brother hasn’t committed any serious mistakes yet. You are so magnanimous—please forgive him this time.”

Why was the crown prince of the Han Kingdom so sure it was Zhu Zhan Qi? Though he despised that arrogant and unreasonable Prince Zhu Zhan Qi of Shouguang, Zhu Zhan Tan had already concluded it based on just these words, leaving Zhang Yue somewhat skeptical. However, after glancing at Zhu Gaoxu, who was trembling with anger on the throne, he vaguely understood why Zhu Gaoxu was so enraged.

Self-assertion was one thing, but if it really was Zhu Zhan Qi who did it, the Han King should be angry that his son had challenged his authority!

The once empty Xuanren Hall was now filled with several young eunuchs. After all, the writing tools scattered on the floor needed to be cleaned up, snacks needed to be served, and the medicinal herbs at the appointed time could not be delayed. Thus, there were sounds of footsteps, breathing, and clinking dishes, but no voices could be heard. Everyone was quietly waiting for the outcome. Even Zhang Yue, who believed Wang Bin would surely fail in his mission, pretended to remain calm while inwardly speculating.

Since someone had been let go just now, that person was likely to go and warn others. If those people continued to wait in place, it wouldn’t be an ambush but rather waiting to be killed! Even though tracking in the snow was relatively easy, once they scattered, escaping would be a breeze. By then, wouldn’t it be simple for Zhu Zhan Qi to deny it? Strange—why was he so sure it was Zhu Zhan Qi…

“Lord Wang has arrived!”

After what seemed like a long while, a loud shout came from outside the door. Everyone turned to look and saw Wang Bin in military attire stepping through the threshold. Dressed in a heavy cloak, he knelt on one knee and saluted militarily, his face showing evident shame. Just as Zhang Yue thought his mission must have failed and sneered inwardly, Wang Bin’s next words left him stunned.

“My lord, Prince Shouguang acted without either your orders or my commands. He arbitrarily moved fifty members of the Tiance Guard to lay in ambush by the Zishui River. When I led my men there, we caught them red-handed, and we also brought Prince Shouguang back with us. I failed to supervise my subordinates properly—the leader of the unit had already been bribed by Prince Shouguang with large sums of money, and the other soldiers were swayed by his generous rewards. They ignored your orders. I failed in my duties before, and now I’ve committed another grave mistake. Please punish me, my lord.”
Was he really caught in the act? Zhang Yue was filled with disbelief. Instinctively, he turned to look at Peng Shisan, only to see that the latter also appeared shocked and puzzled. He became even more confused. There were plenty of foolish people in the world, and Prince Shouguang, Zhu Zhanqi, indeed didn’t seem very intelligent. It wasn’t strange that he would seek revenge for every slight, but surely he wasn’t stupid enough to make such a fatal mistake?
Zhu Gaoxu, however, ignored Wang Bin’s apology and asked in a darkened expression, “Where is that scoundrel?”
“Let go! How dare you! I am the prince of Shouguang, appointed by the imperial court. How dare you, you eunuchs, be so rude!”
As that furious voice came from outside, two strong-looking eunuchs with expressionless faces came in, holding Zhu Zhanqi from both sides. They seemed unafraid of this prince at all. After forcing him into Xuanren Hall, they pinned him to the ground. At that moment, Zhu Zhanqi saw Wang Bin kneeling in front of him and was filled with rage.
“Wang Bin, what have I done to offend you that you must oppose me?”
Bang—
As soon as his words faded, he felt a pain in his shoulder. By the time he reacted, he heard a sharp sound. Turning around, he saw a small porcelain dish shattered behind him. Realizing that the blow had hit his shoulder rather than his head, he immediately understood that his father, in a fit of anger, would do anything. He could only endure in silence. Even so, when he glanced at Crown Prince Zhu Zhan Tan and Zhang Yue sitting below, he still felt intense hatred.
At that moment, Zhu Gaoxu glanced at Zhang Yue and ordered calmly, “Zhang Yue, take your men and go down. Stay in this prince’s mansion overnight. I will give you an explanation tomorrow!”
Although Zhang Yue wanted to understand what was going on, since Zhu Gaoxu had given the order, he had no choice but to leave. As he stepped out with Peng Shisan, he still glanced back with the corner of his eye. He didn’t see much else, but he noticed Zhu Zhanqi kneeling on the ground, his legs trembling—completely devoid of any arrogance or dominance. After leaving the courtyard through the corridor, he continued to ponder in his mind.

“A ambush by the Zi River to attack one’s enemies—I never knew you had such courage and determination. You do bear a faint resemblance to me after all.”
Now that Zhang Yue had left, Zhu Gaoxu had no more reservations. After delivering a cold sneer, he suddenly flew into a rage: “But you fool! Since your plans were already discovered, and you didn’t even kill the spies to silence them, you still foolishly waited there, hoping they would fall into your trap! Very good. Let me ask you—was it you who ordered the assassination attempt on your father in Qingzhou?”
“Father, I was just confused for a moment… No, no! How would I dare send someone to assassinate you? I never intended to!”
Zhu Zhanqi was stunned for a moment before bursting into tears and pleading his innocence, but Zhu Gaoxu’s furious insults were like a storm, leaving him almost unable to breathe. It wasn’t until he was dragged out that he suddenly realized something.
Had his ambush by the Zi River been discovered? Had he failed to kill the spies? No—he had initially planned to blow up the ice on the river when Zhang Yue crossed it, and later tried to intercept him again just to beat him up to vent his anger. He hadn’t encountered anyone at all—how could there be any talk of silencing them?
In that moment, Zhu Zhanqi felt as if he were in an ice cellar. He tried to speak in defense, but his jaws wouldn’t move. Only after being thrown into a pitch-black room did he finally let out a cry.
What on earth was going on?