Chapter 45: Confession of Guilt, the End of a Hero!

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The moon had risen above the treetops.

Tonight, it was especially round.

Zhu Di had long since stopped fishing, yet he remained seated in the pavilion upon the lake.

He gazed at the moonlight spilling across the water, the rippling scales of reflected light seeming to illuminate the pure dreams of an entire lifetime.

Only moments ago, the waterside pavilion had been bustling with activity.

Those who came to report the latest developments had hurried in and out without pause. One had barely departed before another arrived.

Now, everything had settled into dust.

Along with the deepening night, the pavilion had returned to silence.

Zhu Di sat quietly for a long while before finally speaking.

“Who would have thought Lan Yu would show such restraint? It is truly beyond my expectations.”

“Monk, what do you make of this?”

Beside him, Yao Guangxiao, who had kept his eyes closed in quiet repose, slowly opened them. His gaze fixed upon the round moon reflected in the lake as he answered in an unhurried voice:

“That slap King Wu gave Lan Yu in court that day woke him up.”

Zhu Di’s expression froze for an instant, then he nodded.

“Indeed. I had thought that when faced with today’s events, Lan Yu would surely fly into a rage and rise up in resistance, leaving my nephew unable to bring matters to a close. I never expected him to cooperate from beginning to end. Even his limited resistance was displayed with impeccable precision.”

Yao Guangxiao said, “Lan Yu possesses both courage and stratagem, far surpassing ordinary men. His sole weakness is that he acts without caution and thinks too highly of himself. That is a grave failing.”

“But his flaws do not obscure his virtues. Moreover, because of his close relationship with the late Crown Prince, His Majesty has always regarded him as a pillar of the state and the most important candidate to assist the late Crown Prince in the future.”

“Yet given his manner of conducting himself, unless the late Crown Prince remained alive, whoever inherited the throne afterward would find it difficult to control him.”

“I had assumed that after the late Crown Prince’s death, His Majesty would never tolerate him and would sooner or later eliminate him.”

“Now it seems that King Wu has truly managed to bring him to heel.”

“His Majesty may well change his course as well.”

Zhu Di merely smiled.

“I doubt it. He is behaving this way only because Father is still alive.”

“If Father were to ascend to Heaven, Lan Yu could change at any moment!”

“My nephew has managed to make him submit and suppress his rebellious impulses, but in the end, he is merely borrowing Father’s authority.”

Zhu Di had always been at odds with Lan Yu and wished nothing more than to see him destroyed.

Yao Guangxiao smiled.

“That is precisely why King Wu keeps proclaiming everywhere that he has acted without His Majesty’s decree.”

“At least on the surface, it appears that King Wu alone subdued Lan Yu.”

“In His Majesty’s eyes, that is sufficient.”

Zhu Di said, “Let us put that aside for now. Monk, what should we do next?”

There was a trace of concern in his voice.

Zhu Di had done far too much in this affair. His hand had reached too far.

This was Jinling, where the old emperor possessed countless eyes and ears, while secret agents lurked everywhere.

It would be difficult to conceal his actions from the old emperor.

At the time, Zhu Di had thought only of success. Once he succeeded, all would be well.

Even if the old emperor learned the truth, it would not matter.

After all, it was obvious that the old emperor intended to test Zhu Yuntong’s abilities and see what he was capable of.

Anyone who obstructed Zhu Yuntong would merely be regarded as part of that test.

If Zhu Yuntong failed, the old emperor naturally would not pursue Zhu Di’s responsibility.

That was why Zhu Di had dared to act so recklessly, even sending men directly to notify the powerful nobles and military commanders in the capital.

But Zhu Yuntong had passed the test successfully. That changed everything.

Yao Guangxiao moved his gaze from the round moon in the lake to the distant heavens.

“Your Highness should spend tonight writing a memorial of apology. When you attend court tomorrow, simply confess your guilt to His Majesty honestly.”

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Zhu Di’s brows shot upward, and his displeasure was plain.

“There is no other way?”

Yao Guangxiao turned to him and said seriously, “This is the best course.”

Zhu Di rose and took several steps.

“Lan Yu is now in Yuntong’s hands, but I can have the Three Judicial Offices intervene and demand his release.”

“After all, imprisoning Lan Yu in the residence of the Prince of Wu is contrary to law.”

“Once he is brought out, the situation can still be turned around.”

Yao Guangxiao gently shook his head.

“Your Highness is a vassal prince. It would be highly inconvenient for you to ask ministers of the imperial court to act on your behalf.”

“To avoid suspicion, most of them would refuse to see you.”

Zhu Di said coldly, “If this were a private matter, naturally there would be cause for caution. But preserving the authority of the imperial laws and preventing Lan Yu from suffering some mishap in the Prince of Wu’s residence, thereby causing my nephew to be falsely accused—these are matters of upright justice. What would be improper about my appearing in person?”

“Your Highness need not be anxious,” Yao Guangxiao replied. “There is no need for you to trouble yourself over this. King Wu’s opponents are not limited to us. If we do not act, others certainly will.”

Zhu Di’s eyes brightened. He slapped his forehead.

“In my haste, I had forgotten that.”

“Then tonight’s grand performance is not over yet. The play must continue.”

Which of the Princes of Qin, Jin, or Xian was an easy opponent?

Who did not wish to contend for the position of Crown Prince?

Zhu Yuntong had openly stepped forward, and he had long since become the target of everyone’s hostility.

Yao Guangxiao shook his head.

“There is nothing left worth watching.”

Zhu Di looked puzzled.

“Why not?”

“Since King Wu has passed the trial of capturing Lan Yu, His Majesty should make his move next. What else is there to watch?”

“Father is making his move?” Zhu Di exclaimed, his expression changing dramatically.

Yao Guangxiao smiled.

“What affair in Jinling could possibly escape His Majesty’s notice?”

“Whether it was our doing or someone else’s, His Majesty has watched every movement.”

“He remained still because he wished to test King Wu, as well as the various princes and imperial grandsons.”

“Now that Lan Yu has been captured and everything has settled, His Majesty should intervene to stabilize the situation.”

“However, Your Highness need not worry. In my opinion, His Majesty will only help stabilize tonight’s circumstances. He will not assist in resolving what comes afterward.”

“Whether King Wu can smile at the very end will still depend on tomorrow’s confrontation in court.”

Zhu Di fell deep into thought. After a long while, he said, “Then why did you ask me to write a memorial of apology? Are we not going to fight in court tomorrow?”

“Amitabha.”

Yao Guangxiao recited the name of the Buddha before saying, “The highest goodness is like water. Water benefits all things and does not contend.”

“Tomorrow’s court will surely become a battlefield of fierce contention.”

“You have already acted repeatedly, yet your actions have remained within the bounds His Majesty can tolerate.”

“But if you continue to struggle, you will truly leave His Majesty with an exceedingly poor impression of you.”

“Better to submit an apology and withdraw, then sit upon the mountain and watch the tigers fight.”

“If a genuine opportunity arises, you can enter the fray at the proper moment.”

Zhu Di pondered for a long while before sighing bitterly.

“Enough, enough. I shall listen to you, Monk. I will go and write the memorial of apology.”

He stepped out of the pavilion and began walking toward the shore. Suddenly, he stopped and turned back.

“Monk, do you think I can still seize the throne?”

Zhu Di’s voice was very soft.

Like a gentle breeze brushing across the lake, it ruffled the round moon reflected in the water and stirred countless tiny ripples before vanishing without a trace.

When Yao Guangxiao had first met Zhu Di, he had bluntly declared that he would give him a white cap.

A crown placed above the character for king formed the word emperor.

It was an act of the utmost treason.

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Yet although Zhu Di had warned him not to speak such nonsense, he had not punished Yao Guangxiao. Instead, he had brought him to his side.

From then on, the two formed a profound friendship. They often conferred in secret and discussed countless matters.

After being named the Prince of Yan and sent to guard Beiping, Zhu Di had never been reconciled in his heart.

They were all sons of the emperor. Why should he be unable to inherit the Great Ming realm?

But when it came to raising troops in rebellion, he truly did not dare, nor had he ever intended to do so.

While Father was alive, there was naturally no need to speak of it. Even after Father ascended to Heaven and the Crown Prince inherited the throne, Zhu Di had harbored no such thoughts.

Zhu Biao was his elder brother.

Leaving aside the fact that Zhu Biao had treated him exceedingly well and that the brothers shared a deep affection, even judging by ability alone, Zhu Biao was in no way inferior to him. In fact, he surpassed him by far.

Zhu Di was not yet worthy of rebelling against his own elder brother!

Even so, he remained unwilling to accept his lot.

In his dreams, Zhu Di had countless times seen himself become emperor, reigning over all beneath Heaven.

But such thoughts could exist only in dreams.

Once he returned to reality, he found that he could not summon even the slightest rebellious impulse.

Now, however, Zhu Biao was dead, and the position of Crown Prince remained undecided. Zhu Di would have to contend for it with all his might.

Yet he had never expected to suffer defeat right at the outset.

It could not help but leave him somewhat disheartened.

To begin with, his position was an awkward one.

After all, he was the fourth son.

However one looked at it, his chances of becoming Crown Prince were slim.

Even if everything went smoothly, ascending the throne would be as difficult as climbing to Heaven.

If matters did not go smoothly, there was even less to say.

Yao Guangxiao called out in a resonant voice:

“Man proposes; Heaven disposes.”

“If Your Highness bears Heaven’s mandate, the day will naturally come when you ascend the throne.”

“Why be so anxious for an immediate result?”

Zhu Di released a long sigh and said no more. He turned and departed.

His desolate silhouette appeared even thinner beneath the bright, cold moonlight.

He was still young, in the prime of his life, yet in that instant he seemed to have aged all at once.

A true hero never reaches a dead end.

But when one can no longer see hope, that is the dead end.

“Amitabha.”

Yao Guangxiao softly recited the Buddha’s name.

His voice was so faint that only he himself could hear it.

…