Chapter 49: The Fury of Zhu Yunwen!
Beiping City, Prince of Yan’s Mansion!
“Stripped of all titles and ranks, reduced to commoner status.”
“My dear nephew,”
Zhu Di’s lips curled into a cold sneer as he gazed upon the imperial edict in his hands.
He harbored no respect for Zhu Yunwen, only hatred.
Previously, to survive, Zhu Di had feigned madness and stupidity, even sleeping in a filthy, foul-smelling pigsty. Yet, even in such dire straits, Zhu Yunwen refused to let him go. Up to this day, everything had been forced upon him.
“Your Highness,”
Inside the hall, Guo Zi respectfully inquired,
“This edict seems to be a proclamation to all under heaven. Should we devise a countermeasure?”
“Disseminate far and wide, in my name and in the name of the ancestral teachings of the Ming dynasty, that I have purged corrupt ministers and quelled national calamity.”
“Let the world know that the court is plagued by treachery, and my military action is a response to the imperial mandate to eradicate traitors.”
“As for the court’s declaration stripping me of my title, it is manipulated by treacherous officials—I will not acknowledge it.”
Zhu Di pondered briefly before instructing Guo Zi.
The court’s revocation of Zhu Di’s princely status was undoubtedly a move under the guise of righteousness, turning him into a hated rebel in the eyes of the realm.
Once Zhu Di’s military threat was quelled, no one would oppose however Zhu Yunwen chose to deal with him.
“Your wisdom is unmatched, Your Highness,” Guo Zi responded immediately.
Then Guo Zi continued, “Our army has dealt a crushing blow to the enemy, killing General Song Zhong and capturing a large amount of supplies from Huailai City. Our current resources will suffice for at least a year, but the needs of the people must be handled with care. We must establish trade with other vassal princes to ensure stability.”
“Have the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Liao agreed to trade?” Zhu Di asked directly.
This matter had originally been entrusted to Guo Zi.
“Your Highness,”
“The envoy sent to Jin has returned, but the Prince of Jin refused to trade and is avoiding us.”
“However, the Princes of Liao and Ning have not explicitly refused; they have expressed willingness to open trade routes,” Guo Zi reported promptly.
“My third brother has begotten a worthless son,”
Zhu Di shook his head in disappointment as he heard the report.
In his eyes,
the Prince of Jin, his own nephew, should have been the first to establish trade ties.
Yet, to his surprise, he was the very first to refuse—truly laughable.
“Contact the younger brothers of the Prince of Jin; see who dares to trade with me,” Zhu Di said after a moment’s thought.
“Your Highness intends to sow discord among the Prince of Jin’s brothers?” Guo Zi immediately grasped his meaning.
“If they can be of use to me, they become allies; if not, enemies.”
“Prince of Jin, my dear nephew, if I succeed, he will be the first to be deposed,” Zhu Di said coldly, revealing no concealment before Guo Zi, his trusted aide. Indeed, the Prince of Jin’s refusal had angered him deeply.
“Understood, Your Highness,” Guo Zi nodded at once.
“In any case,”
“Any vassal state connected to my Beiping Mansion can be contacted. Even if their princes refuse, we can reach out to civilian merchants.”
“As long as it can break the blockade strangling Beiping, no price is too great,” Zhu Di said gravely.
“Understood,” Guo Zi responded seriously.
“By the way, Guo Qing,”
Zhu Di suddenly smiled with deep meaning, looking at Guo Zi.
“Your Highness?” Guo Zi looked puzzled.
“Your son-in-law is truly remarkable, repeatedly winning victories for me. This time, he personally slew General Song Zhong. Without Zhu Zheng’s brave charge at Juyong Pass, we might not have taken it,” Zhu Di said with deep emotion.
“Your Highness flatters me,”
Guo Zi replied humbly.
“This is his own chosen path, and to have come so far is truly astonishing,” Guo Zi added with emotion.
Even he had never imagined Zhu Zheng would reach this point.
In less than two months,
he had risen from a mere clerk to commanding officer and become a general!
Such fortune was difficult to describe.
You might say Zhu Zheng was lucky,
perhaps when he first cleared corpses, earning his initial merit, which promoted him three ranks and brought him into the main fighting forces.
But thereafter,
Zhu Zheng’s promotions were no longer luck but the result of risking his life in fierce battles.
Every feat of his sent shivers down Guo Zi’s spine when he heard of them later.
“In short,”
“My honor is tied to yours, Guo Qing’s, and Zhu Zheng’s. We rise and fall together.”
“We have no retreat.”
“You and your son-in-law must give your all for me. I promise, when the time comes, the state will reward you handsomely.”
Zhu Di looked solemnly at Guo Zi.
“I swear to repay you with my life,” Guo Zi vowed, deeply moved, bowing to Zhu Di.
“No need for such formality.”
“If we succeed, it will be the rightful reward of you, Guo Qing, and all those who have served with merit,” Zhu Di said, stepping forward to help Guo Zi to his feet.
“Your Highness,”
“The eldest son is currently assisting me with official affairs at the mansion. I must say, he has keen insight into governance and has helped me greatly,” Guo Zi added.
“With his abilities, he should have been managing affairs at the mansion long ago.”
Upon hearing this,
Zhu Di nodded calmly, “If he can assist you, all the better. If he causes trouble, do not hesitate to bring him to me.”
……
Yingtian City,
The Imperial Palace, Fengtian Hall!
“Your Majesty,”
“Bad news,”
“General Song Zhong has died in service to the nation,”
Qi Tai stood inside the hall, delivering the report with a tremor of fear.
At that moment,
Zhu Yunwen, seated on the Dragon Throne, and many officials in the court changed their expressions dramatically.
“When did this happen?”
Zhu Yunwen’s face darkened as he asked urgently.
“I have just received the report,” Qi Tai said bitterly, lowering his head, unable to meet the emperor’s gaze.
“Wasn’t General Song supposed to hold the defense and wait for the main imperial army?”
“Why did he die in service to the nation?”
“Though the rebel Yan has mobilized forces, his troops are far fewer than General Song’s.”
“Moreover, didn’t I already order a blockade of all trade routes and supply transports to Beiping Mansion?”
“Why has this happened?”
Zhu Yunwen’s face was ashen with fury.
“Yan’s rebel forces launched a fierce assault on Juyong Pass. General Song led sixty thousand troops to defend it and fought to the death without retreat.”
“Ultimately, he perished in battle.”
“Now, Beiping Mansion is on the verge of total collapse, about to be seized by Yan’s rebels,” Qi Tai reported with a trembling voice, tinged with anger.
Clearly,
he found it hard to accept General Song’s death.
……