Chapter 401: Death, Life

Zhu Di had always been extremely lenient toward those old guards from Yanshan who had followed him in seizing power. Meng Shan, the former Marquis of Baoding, had been stationed in Liaodong since the first year of the Yongle era. By the time he was recalled seven years later, his hair was already completely white. For this reason alone, Zhu Di showed great favor to the Meng family after Meng Shan’s death. Among all the marquis sons, Meng Xian was the only one to be appointed as a guard commander despite being a concubine’s son. It was precisely because of this that Zhu Di particularly despised this capable yet treacherous man.

“Your brother has been running around everywhere, claiming it was all your orders—was it all your scheme?”

“Your Majesty, I failed to guide my brother properly; I deserve death.”

“So you deny it?” Zhu Di snatched away a eunuch who tried to help him sit down, speaking with scorn. “A mere Meng San, using your name, was able to persuade so many people. Your face has great value, just as does your rebellion! If I hand you over to the Jinyiwei for severe torture, do you think they won’t extract every detail of your treason? Your father was diligent and honest throughout his life—unfortunately, he had such a son!”

“I indeed have evil intentions, but I never dared to show disrespect to Your Majesty, nor did I have the courage.”

“Of course I know you lack the courage. Who in the entire court, among civil and military officials, has the courage? Who in the whole world does?”

This took place in an open area of the palace, so Zhu Di’s loud shouts could be heard clearly by everyone. Some of the military officers were second-generation officials, but whether they were such men or warriors like Zhang Fu who had helped the emperor conquer the land, all showed an indescribable sense of respect. Yang Rong, Jin Youzi, and even Lü Zhenfangbin, who were among the first to pledge loyalty, appeared somewhat uneasy. Zhang Yue, savoring Zhu Di’s fanatical confidence, finally understood why even fierce generals like the Prince of Han did not dare to think of rebelling.

Although the reigns of Ren and Xuan were later highly praised, to eliminate certain long-standing problems, it was necessary to start with Zhu Di. Only this emperor had the resolve to change the old policies of the Hongwu era. If one could truly move Zhu Di, then, just like lifting the maritime ban, various reforms could be implemented gradually. Through this incident, the emperor’s unconditional trust in powerful eunuchs must have diminished significantly. If even a loyal retainer like Huang Yan, who had served him for decades, could not be trusted, how much less could others?

“Since I ascended the throne, I have subdued the Mongols in Beiping, pacified Jiaozhi in the south, forced the Western nations to submit out of fear, and had the small nations in the East pay tribute and acknowledge my rule. But you—you wretched clowns dare to target me, daring to use some nonsense to pass off as an imperial edict! Robbing ministers? Seizing nobles and dignitaries? Ask your so-called master if he dares to sit on this throne!”
At this moment, Prince Zhao Zhu Gao Sui could no longer bear the immense pressure. With a thud, he knelt down, weeping and kowtowing repeatedly. “Your Majesty, your wise eyes see clearly—your servant has never ordered them to do anything. It was all their own evil schemes! Since my elder brothers are not in the capital, these rebels, wanting to support a member of the royal family, naturally turn their attention to your servant. But your servant… your servant is truly innocent! Nothing about any imperial edict, any gunpowder, or any support—I know absolutely nothing about it!”
“You don’t know?” Zhu Di glared coldly at his younger son, stepped forward swiftly, and kicked him, sending him tumbling. Then he cursed angrily, “Even when your mother was alive, she said you were stubborn and needed stricter discipline. I never paid much attention, thinking you would grow up and become sensible. But look at what you’ve done! Neither good at studies nor skilled in martial arts—where do you resemble me at all?”
Though the kick was severe, compared to the cold indifference, Zhu Gao Sui felt relieved after being kicked. He was used to seeing his father kill people—others back then, but now he realized that even just that fierce gaze could be deadly. At that moment, he didn’t notice Huang Yan’s pleading eyes nor Li Maofang’s angry gaze. All he knew was that he could extricate himself for now.
“Your Majesty, don’t these men all say that Meng Xian is the mastermind and Meng San is the liaison? Meng San is clearly a swindler. Your Majesty can also ask Meng Xian if your servant is aware of anything. If he admits it, I am at your mercy!”
Zhu Di had already hoped to believe that Zhu Gao Sui wasn’t involved, and hearing this made him somewhat inclined to believe it. He glanced at Meng Xian, who hung his head in shame, but didn’t ask questions instead turning his gaze elsewhere.
“Yang Rong, do you think Prince Zhao is an accomplice to these rebels?”
“Your Majesty, Prince Zhao is of noble birth. Perhaps he has indeed been deceived by these scoundrels.”
“Jin Youzi!”
“Your Majesty, this is your family matter. I dare not speculate rashly.”
“Hmph… Lü Zhen!”
“I believe Prince Zhao is guilty of failing to exercise proper oversight.”

Seeing Zhu Di questioning each of the civil officials one by one, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but feel relieved. Fortunately, Du Zhen was neither a minister of one of the six departments nor a scholar of the Grand Secretariat, so he didn’t have to stand here in such a cold night nor answer such extremely tricky questions. If Du Zhen were here, his father-in-law and mentor, who had never been good at being tactful, would most likely ignore the emperor’s wishes and speak bluntly—“If Prince Zhao is unaware, then how can those who control a puppet rule the world without fearing the loyal armies?”

Yet before his sense of relief could fade, he suddenly encountered a cold gaze: “Zhang Yue, you’ve made the greatest contribution in exposing these traitors today. Tell me, is Prince Zhao involved with these rebels?”

Zhang Yue didn’t expect Zhu Di to end up choosing him after all those twists and turns. In a flash, he glanced at the group of civil officials and considered their possible responses. People like Yang Rong and Lü Zhen were extremely cunning—one avoided the core issue while the other pinned a charge that could be interpreted in either a light or heavy way, but both clearly wished for Prince Zhao’s misfortune. As for Jin Youzi, pushing the question back to the emperor at this moment was utterly foolish; at such a time, one should either add fuel to the fire or help Prince Zhao, not play it safe.

At this moment, he also saw the expressions of the dukes and marquises. Duke of Yingguo Zhang Fu remained unmoved, Marquis of Baoding Meng Ying looked panicked, Marquis of Wu’an Zheng Heng had furrowed brows, and his second uncle Zhang You shook his head slightly… As for the criminals, most of them stared at him with resentment. It was he who discovered the three seals from the Imperial Secretariat and immediately sent those people to the Eastern Depot; it was he who arranged for Wang Yu to enter the palace to report the fake edict right after he rushed over with the news; it was he who found gunpowder in Li Maofang’s secret residence where he kept his concubine; and it was he who, along with Yuan Fang, brought everyone on the list here one by one. Even Huang Yan and Jiang Bao’s misfortunes were related to him.

Since he was the fuse that ignited this time bomb, shouldn’t he answer that Prince Zhao deserved death?

After stepping forward two steps, he took a deep breath and said, “I believe what Prince Zhao said is neither entirely true nor entirely false.”

After his shocking statement, ignoring the furious gaze of Prince Zhao Zhu Gao Sui and the strange looks from the civil and military officials, he stood upright and declared loudly, “Among these people are both guards of the prince’s mansion and external officials and eunuchs. Many of them have no connection at all. If it weren’t for someone using Prince Zhao’s name to bring them together, they likely wouldn’t have any ties at all. Prince Zhao stays secluded in his mansion, so he may not be fully aware of their schemes. But how can a prince fail to notice even the slightest hint? Moreover, Meng San’s status is merely that of a student, yet Prince Zhao immediately granted him the rank of a thousand-household commander—this is undoubtedly giving him the means to engage in deception!”
He was already accustomed to Zhu Di’s sharp gaze, so he remained unmoved under that scrutiny. “Even if Prince Zhao was unaware this time, such rebels would still use this as an excuse to plot evil acts because Prince Zhao has often behaved improperly and spoken recklessly. That’s why Emperor Xuanzong of Tang reprimanded Prince Qi—because of his reckless words and actions!”
Facing such defiance from someone of lower rank like Zhang Yue, Zhu Gao Sui felt his anger boil over. He instinctively wanted to stand up, but kneeling on the snow was extremely uncomfortable, and his legs stiffened after just a short while. Just as he was about to retort, he felt someone pull at his clothes from behind. Only then did he realize someone had knelt beside him.
“Your Majesty, my father is simply accustomed to being informal with his subordinates. Even if he speaks recklessly when drunk, it’s only occasional—never intentional!”
Seeing Prince Anyang Zhu Zhanhun also kneel down, Zhu Di suddenly remembered the recently deceased heir of Prince Zhao. His initial intent to kill weakened by half. In his view, Zhang Yue’s words were the truth—what mattered most was that they struck a chord with him. He naturally wouldn’t believe that he was completely unaware, but the idea that his own son was plotting to kill him was even more unbelievable—and he didn’t want to believe it!
“Meng Xian!”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, though I deserve death a thousand times over, I must speak the truth. My brother’s schemes were completely unknown even to me. What does it have to do with Prince Zhao? I was appointed by Your Majesty to serve Prince Zhao, yet I failed to live up to your grace and trust. I truly deserve death!”

Hearing such a reply from Meng Xian, Zhu Di suddenly felt the wind at Youshun Gate to be unbearably strong and cold. He supported his forehead with his right hand and sat back down on the throne. Taking a deep breath, he ordered in a stern voice, “Prince Zhao shall be confined in his residence and not allowed to leave without imperial permission. Li Maofang, Marquis of Fuyang, shall be demoted to a commoner, his imperial decrees confiscated, and he shall be imprisoned in the western palace. Meng Xian… send him to the troops in Jiaozhi. Huang Yanjiang Bao Changtai, though an eunuch, colluded with external officials—execute him immediately. All other criminals shall be tortured severely in the Jinyiwei prison; do not let them die too soon!”
After issuing these orders in one breath, the exhausted Zhu Di glanced at Zhang Yue and then said, “Prince Zhang Yue, for his treasonous actions that turned out useful, shall be appointed as a thousand-household commander of Liaohai Guard. Zhang Yue, your rewards will be discussed later. For now, take 500 cavalrymen from the Imperial Horse Guard to escort the Crown Prince and Grand Crown Prince back to the capital! Those nonsense letters claiming the Eastern Palace has perished—do they think I’m a three-year-old child?”
Faced with such measures, the civil and military officials naturally praised him unanimously, while Huang Yan collapsed soundlessly in the snow. Meng Xian, having narrowly escaped death, naturally did not protest loudly like Li Maofang and the others as two Jinyiwei officers came to carry him away. Unconsciously, he thought of a notion he had never considered before.
If I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place? If I had stayed in Haifeng to guard my wife’s grave, would this have happened?