Chapter 26: The Wife of Zhu Di, Xu Miaoyun!

Peiping City!

As night fell, the four gates were bolted shut. The Yanshan Guard, the most elite force under Zhu Di’s command, stood watch at every entrance. Although Zhu Di had wished to lead the campaign in person, he had been persuaded by Qiu Fu and his many generals to remain in Peiping to stabilize the morale of his troops. Thus, Zhu Di stayed to ensure the city remained secure.

Yet, every single night, Zhu Di would not retire until the deepest hours. Having embarked on the path of rebellion—a crime punishable by the extermination of his entire clan—how could he possibly find rest? Especially now that military operations had commenced, his heart was constantly in his throat. His resources were limited, and even though he devised every strategy himself, he remained gripped by anxiety until victory was assured.

Inside the Great Hall of the Prince of Yan’s residence, there was no one else. Zhu Di sat alone, leaning back against his throne, his face etched with deep contemplation as if bearing an infinite weight.

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside the hall.

"Who goes there?"

"Is that the military report from Zhang Yu?"

Hearing the footsteps, Zhu Di snapped his eyes open and called out toward the entrance, his voice filled with urgency.

But the response was not from a messenger; it was a gentle female voice: "My lord, it is I."

Looking up, he saw a beautiful woman dressed in elegant, noble court attire walking slowly into the hall.

"Miaoyun."

Seeing her, a faint smile graced Zhu Di’s face. Indeed, the woman was his primary wife, his childhood sweetheart, and the daughter of the Duke: Xu Miaoyun.

"My lord," Xu Miaoyun said, walking forward with a look of concern. "You remain in this hall every day, sleeping late into the night and rising at the crack of dawn. This is not good for you."

"Sigh," Zhu Di sighed. Before his wife, he shed his imposing air and the mask of confidence he wore for others. "The enemy is strong, and we are weak. We could be overthrown at any moment. Should that happen, our entire clan will be wiped out. We have taken this step; there is no turning back. In such a situation, how could I dare to sleep?"

"My lord," Xu Miaoyun said firmly, her voice possessing a resilience that rivaled any man's. "We have weathered so many years and so many hardships together. If we fail this time, we die—that is all. Since you have made your choice, you must cast aside all worries. Neither I nor our children will be afraid."

"Even so," Zhu Di gazed at her, a hint of madness in his eyes, "I do not want to fail."

"My lord," Xu Miaoyun said, fixing her gaze upon him, a flicker of hatred appearing in her eyes. "I have always had a suspicion."

"What is it?" Zhu Di asked.

"The deaths of Xiongying and Gaozheng were far too strange. Even the passing of your sister-in-law, the Crown Princess, during childbirth—it was all too suspicious. She had already given birth to Xiongying and the others; why would she suddenly suffer such a complication? And how could Xiongying and Gaozheng both suddenly contract smallpox? It is too coincidental. Such things do not happen by chance," she said in a low voice.

"I have been suspicious for years," Zhu Di replied, his eyes cold. "I have even suspected the culprit: the Lady Lü."

"Then why, when we were in Yingtian and the Emperor was still alive, did you not speak up?" Xu Miaoyun asked, puzzled. "The Emperor held Xiongying and Gaozheng in such high regard. If even one of them had survived, we would not be in this predicament today."

"After my eldest brother passed, the Emperor’s heart died with him," Zhu Di sighed, filled with helplessness. "Yunxiao is not capable, and he was never favored by my brother. Without Gaozheng, the Emperor never saw me as his heir. If I had reported my suspicions, what would it have gained me? Smallpox—a terminal illness in the eyes of the world—how could one prove it was orchestrated? Even if I had told the Emperor, he would never have believed me."

"If our suspicions are true," Xu Miaoyun said, gritting her teeth with hatred for the Lady Lü, "the debt we owe her is immense. She did not just kill Xiongying and Gaozheng; she killed the Empress, my mother-in-law. We must never forget this vengeance."

If her suspicions were true, it was the murder of her own son. Back then, her Gaozheng had been so brilliant—even more so than the late Imperial Grandson, Zhu Xiongying. When the Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, was alive, he had once declared that his choice for the future heir was Zhu Biao first, and after him, Zhu Xiongying and Zhu Gaozheng.

Born on the same day, less than half an incense stick of time apart, the two boys had been the pride of the family. Zhu Yuanzhang had showered them with care, and even the Crown Prince, Zhu Biao, had loved them dearly, often saying that both were the future of the Ming Dynasty and that his selection of an heir was not for personal interest, but for the sake of the nation.

But it all ended when the boys were eight. Both contracted smallpox, and Empress Ma, who had cared for them, caught the illness and passed away. This remained an eternal pain for the couple and for the Emperor and his son.

"Miaoyun," Zhu Di said, his eyes filled with fierce determination. "That day will come. As long as we tear apart the web the imperial court has spun around Peiping, our future will be bright. Gaining full control over Peiping and my old troops—that is the power that will turn the tide."

Since the rebellion began, Yao Guangxiao had already mapped out the path for him.

"If that day truly comes," Xu Miaoyun vowed, "I will ask that wretch, the Lady Lü, face-to-face whether the deaths of Gaozheng and the others were her doing."

Just then, a hurried sound of footsteps came from outside the hall.

"It is time," Zhu Di said, regaining his regal composure, though a trace of anxiety lingered in his eyes.

Sending his thirty thousand troops out in three separate columns was a gamble, but a necessary one. Song Zhong had intended to blockade the city and wait for the imperial armies to arrive. To survive, Zhu Di had to capture cities and expand his territory. Xu Miaoyun stood silently by his side as they waited.

Shortly after, the messenger arrived, followed by a burly general and a scholar. The general was Qiu Fu, the former Chief Military Commissioner of Peiping whom the court had dismissed and whom Zhu Di had recently reinstated. The other was Guo Zi, the Administrator of the Peiping Provincial Administration, who managed the city’s civil affairs. They had come because, like Zhu Di, they could not sleep.