Chapter 396: Unaware!

The Eastern Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace.
Ever since Lu Feng brought Jiang Bao and his adopted son here, Zhu Di’s expression had remained dark and terrifying. The eunuchs and maids standing around, hands at their sides, held their breaths, fearing that even the slightest sound might draw the emperor’s attention and cost them their lives. As for those kneeling on the ground, head bowed in shame, there was no need to say more—even Huang Yan, who had long relied on his reputation, now had no intention of pleading for Jiang Bao, let alone kicking him to death.
“Assuming the identity of a eunuch to enter the palace without permission, just to see your adoptive father over some trivial household matter?” Zhu Di wasn’t furious at first; instead, his face showed a cold, sinister smile. Yet that chilling aura was even more terrifying than outright anger. Sure enough, in the next moment, his cold voice turned into a fierce roar, “Do you think I’m a three-year-old child? Do you think I’ll believe such nonsense? Those who sneak into the palace should be beaten with sixty strokes and exiled three thousand miles away—let alone those who boldly break in!”
Jiang Bao had many adopted sons, and the fate of just one of them didn’t really concern him. But he understood that if the emperor killed this one in a fit of rage, the next one would surely face punishment as well. Seeing Huang Yan kneeling there, dejected and unwilling to speak, Jiang Bao had no choice but to step forward and plead for mercy. But after just a few words, he was scared back with a loud thud.
“Don’t even mention that he’s your adopted son. Even if he were your biological son, I wouldn’t spare him! I haven’t yet dealt with your failure to discipline him, and yet you still have the audacity to plead… Bring him down! Beat him thirty times!”
From Zhu Ning to Huang Yan and all the other eunuchs and maids, everyone thought that Zhu Di, in his rage, would surely punish Jiang Bao’s adopted son for daring to impersonate a eunuch. But unexpectedly, the emperor’s wrath was directed straight at Jiang Bao himself. Jiang Bao was stunned, until two strong young eunuchs stepped forward and grabbed him from both sides. Then he finally realized what was happening, his voice trembling with tears.
“Your Majesty, I really didn’t know…”
“If you dare say another word, the punishment will be doubled!”

It was only then that Jiang Bao realized Zhu Di was truly angry this time, and he immediately shut his mouth tightly. Although it was the people of the Eastern Depot who carried out executions in the inner court, given his status and power, he assumed those people wouldn’t dare to hurt him seriously; at most, he might suffer a little if he offered them some benefits. With this thought, he glared hatefully at Huang Yan, resenting him for refusing to help at a critical moment. He almost shouted that this damned adopted son had pretended to enter the palace—after all, it had been Huang Yan who spread the message.

Zhu Di on the throne grew even angrier when he saw Jiang Bao being dragged out while still glancing at Huang Yan. Recalling how Huang Yan often made all sorts of unreasonable requests before, how Lu Feng had reported that he forced the sale of smuggled goods in Korea, and how Yang Rong had repeatedly warned him that some eunuchs were acting lawlessly, yet he had protected this old man time and again, his anger turned into fury, and fury into deep hatred. By the time Jiang Bao was dragged to the door, Zhu Di asked again, “Huang Yan, Jiang Bao is one of your subordinates. Don’t you have anything to say?”

Normally, when facing the emperor, he only needed to bend his knees slightly; when the emperor was in a good mood, he could even sit and talk at will. Thus, over the years, Huang Yan had hardly ever knelt for such a long time, and his knees hurt as if pierced by needles. Keeping himself prostrate on the ground caused unbearable pain in his back, which seemed completely stiff. Hearing these words suddenly, he instinctively kowtowed three times heavily. “Your Majesty, though I was unaware of this, I indeed failed in my duty to discipline him…” The moment those last words left his mouth, he deeply regretted speaking wrongly and felt a chill in his heart. Hearing the emperor’s breathing seem slightly heavier, he dared not lift his head to look at Zhu Di’s expression. After much deliberation, he said anxiously, “I deserve death. I should be beaten ten times with a stick…”

“Hmph!”

Hearing this cold snort, which was far from lenient but rather full of doubt, Huang Yan broke into cold sweat and quickly changed his words, “He should be beaten twenty times to serve as a warning!”

Realizing that the person he trusted the most was plotting behind his back, Zhu Di was furious. He immediately ordered in a stern voice, “Bring them both out! Beat this old scoundrel twenty times as he said! Also, take this shifty dog back to the Eastern Depot and interrogate him harshly. After getting a confession, execute him according to the law!”

It was only at noon today that he was scolded harshly by the emperor for reporting Huang Yan; now, circumstances had turned, and Lu Feng was overjoyed, though he managed not to show it on his face. After giving an acknowledgment, he sent the two eunuchs accompanying him back to the Eastern Depot, nor did he mention going out to oversee the punishment—after all, it was his men who would administer the beatings, and if he went himself, it would be too obvious that he was seeking personal revenge. Even if the punishment was mild, it still undermined that old man’s dignity—where else could such a good opportunity be found?

Besides, when he rushed into the palace through Dong’an Gate earlier, he heard that there was still some chaos in the imperial city. If he could combine these two matters into one, wouldn’t Huang Yan surely die?

Seeing Zhu Di sitting there with a gloomy expression, Zhu Ning knew exactly what was going on. Her fourth uncle had seized power through slaughter, so he wasn’t averse to killing. If he truly despised someone to the extreme, he would either kill them outright or send them to the Jinyiwei’s dark prison, rarely resorting to beatings. Only imperial relatives and close attendants could suffer slight physical pain and avoid death. This treatment clearly showed that Zhu Di still had no intention of killing the two chief eunuchs of the Secretariat.

“Your Majesty, Zhang Yue, an official from the Ministry of War, has sent someone to report an urgent matter. The person is kneeling outside the Qianqing Palace awaiting your audience.”

As silence reigned in the hall as everyone pondered their own thoughts, a announcement suddenly came from outside. Zhu Ning was surprised that Zhang Yue hadn’t come in person but sent someone instead. On the throne, Zhu Di snapped angrily, “He’s getting more and more cunning. Why send just anyone for such an important matter? Have him come in—I want to hear what he’s discovered!”

Wang Yu was entering the palace for the first time. Despite being guided, he still got lost through countless twists and turns. It was only then that he realized how useful the clothes lent by Zhang Yue were. It was good enough that no one questioned him, but more importantly, during those moments kneeling outside the Qianqing Palace on that bitterly cold night, he almost froze to death. As he shivered from the cold, a voice finally came from above, and he clumsily stood up, following the eunuch up the steps.

“The Emperor has just punished someone severely. Be careful, lest you bring trouble upon Lord Zhang!”

Before he could recover from this warning, Wang Yu entered the brightly lit main hall. Seeing a person seated on the throne in the center, he dared not lift his head again. After the guiding eunuch led him in, he knelt down four times in quick succession and then bravely handed over what he had in his hands. Soon, he truly understood what Zhang Yue meant by being careful and cautious—amidst the endless fury, he had no idea when his own little boat might capsize and sink.

Inside the straight-room outside the Qianqing Palace, two once-powerful old eunuchs were brought in and fell silent afterward. Just as those eavesdropping outside grew impatient and sneered, ready to go back and report, cries of pain came from inside, mixed with the sound of sticks hitting flesh. After a long while, these sounds stopped, and the spies slipped away satisfied.

To be executed and beaten in a room in such cold weather, even if the blows were delivered lightly despite being raised high, was extremely painful. Especially for two people accustomed to luxury, enduring such suffering inevitably caused tears and snot to flow—those cries of pain were indeed real. Finally, the two men exchanged a glance, gulped down a bottle of healing medicine, and finally regained their breath. As the attendant eunuchs busily applied ointments, they grunted slightly before speaking.

“Lao Huang, you’ve caused us so much trouble this time!”
“Lao Jiang, you’ve caused us so much trouble this time!”

Hearing themselves say this in unison, Huang Yan and Jiang Bao looked at each other, both feeling anger rise in their hearts. Yet before they could start arguing, a loud voice came from outside: “Is the beating over? By the Emperor’s order, bring them back to the Qianqing Palace immediately once it’s done!”

Huang Yan and Jiang Bao were top figures among the eunuchs—had they ever heard such rude language? But the word “order” made both of them feel uneasy instantly, making them forget their slight annoyance.

Seeing the executioners in a rush to clean up, and remembering that they had wasted over an hour pretending to be beaten, Huang Yan supported himself on his arms, turned his head, and snapped, “Stop applying the ointment. Clean up all traces of the medicine first… Hey, you guys, check quickly if this looks like someone who’s been beaten twenty times. If not, add a few more blows before applying the medicine—otherwise, you’ll all suffer too!”

After much hassle, the two eunuchs suffered even more, squeezed together without even needing to pretend to have facial features; it was obvious from the look of their backs that their skin was torn and bleeding. Still, the officers didn’t dare carry them to the Qianqing Palace in such bitter cold, so they found two bamboo beds, covered them with thick cotton quilts, and carried them out.

However, when the two were carried to the front of the main hall of the Qianqing Palace, they heard clanging noises coming from inside. Huang Yan and Jiang Bao were lowered from the bamboo beds, puzzled. When they looked up, they saw two strong eunuchs rushing out with another person. They thought someone else had suffered the same misfortune as them, but upon closer inspection, both gasped in shock. The man with his cheeks swollen to enormous sizes was none other than Li Maofang, the Marquis of Fuyang!

What was even more absurd was that the two eunuchs forced Li Maofang to kneel in the snow beside them before hurrying back inside. Swallowing hard, Huang Yan could no longer care about his pride and stopped one of them to ask, only to receive a reply that chilled his heart to the core.

“First, Wang Yu, the commander of the guards in Changshan, reported that Gao Zheng and others were plotting rebellion. Then, Lord Xiao Zhang found gunpowder at the Marquis of Fuyang’s residence and had him brought before the emperor. The messenger simply stated the facts, but as soon as the Marquis entered, he started shouting that Lord Xiao Zhang was framing him, that the gunpowder was part of his scheme, and called Lord Xiao Zhang a treacherous official. The emperor was already furious at the charge of rebellion, and after hearing this, he became even angrier. He slapped the Marquis twice and ordered him to kneel outside and reflect before dealing with him later.”

Although the eunuch knew that the two leaders of the Imperial Secretariat had just been beaten, he still didn’t dare neglect these powerful figures. He recounted everything in detail before hurrying back to join his companions in the hall. Looking at Li Maofang trembling on the ground and thinking of the word “rebellion” just now, Huang Yan and Jiang Bong both felt a chill run through their bodies. The once warm hall seemed to have turned into a bloodthirsty maw that devoured its victims whole.

It might not matter to kneel outside and reflect in normal times, but this was the dead of winter, in the bitter cold. That’s how Jie Jin died! And Gao Zheng… why did that name sound so familiar… God, could it be that those damned villains are acting now?

Although the grand hall was warm, everyone inside could feel a chilling coldness at that moment. Even Zhu Ning, who had nothing to do with it, couldn’t help but frown in deep thought. She simply couldn’t understand how Prince Zhao, Zhu Gao Sui, could be so foolish—only three of Zhu Di’s sons were supposed to have survived, and now they were all trapped!

“Ah Ning.”

Hearing this call, Zhu Ning snapped out of her thoughts and saw Huang Yan and Jiang Bao, who had just been punished, kneeling on the ground. She then noticed that Zhu Di had already stood up. Not knowing what the emperor intended, she quickly stepped forward, only to see Zhu Di nod slightly at her before turning and walking down the steps through the side door with his hands behind his back. Concerned, she hurried after him and saw the emperor stop in the middle of the corridor.

“Do you believe Prince Zhao is plotting rebellion?”

Though she knew Zhu Di must be anxious at the moment, she was still stunned by such a difficult question. There was solid evidence, and it was impossible that Prince Zhao was completely unaware, but to say he was actually plotting rebellion… Her uncle, though stern and powerful, had always been lenient with his sons. Otherwise, even with the crown prince interceding for the Prince of Han earlier, it wouldn’t have been so easy to let him off according to the laws of the state.

So, she sighed inwardly and then said softly, “I think Prince Zhao might indeed be unaware.”

Zhu Di turned his head in surprise, seeing the confusion on Zhu Ning’s face. He remembered how someone had previously accused Zhu Zhu of plotting rebellion, with many officials in Henan presenting evidence. Back then, Zhu Ning had knelt and pleaded that Zhu Zhu had no rebellious intentions, but he hadn’t believed her. Now, fate had turned—it was his own son’s turn! Her statement that he was unaware was far more convincing than his own lenient reassurances back then…

After a brief moment of a stern father showing kindness, he quickly reverted to his usual cold expression: “I hope that damned boy really is unaware. If there’s the slightest hint that he knew, I will not spare him!”

I hope that damned boy can live up to Zhu Ning’s words of ignorance!