Chapter Forty-Eight: Zhu Yuanzhang's Reward!

The chaotic scene immediately fell silent.

The soldiers no longer dared to move.

Out of the night stepped an imperial eunuch, holding an imperial edict in his hands as he walked slowly toward them.

Yang Jing, Yuan Tai, and Zhou Zhiqing were all high-ranking ministers of the imperial court, and naturally they recognized this eunuch. He was the trusted old servant who constantly attended the Emperor's side, and such a person could not possibly be an imposter. Overcome with shock, they all hurriedly dropped to their knees.

Zhu Yunniang followed suit and paid his respects.

The eunuch unfolded the imperial edict in his hands and read aloud:

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Yunniang, you recently presented the cylinder mimeograph machine, and Grandfather is extremely pleased! You have rendered a great service to the Great Ming Empire!"

"The other day you mentioned wanting to establish a newspaper, and I granted it. But that was a public affair, and it cannot be considered a reward."

"I forgot about it at the time, and only remembered it today."

"You write poetry and essays well, but your martial prowess is somewhat lacking. Governing the empire requires literary virtue, yet pacifying chaos and turmoil relies upon martial strength."

"Today I bestow upon you a treasured saber, and you must firmly bear this in mind: both civil administration and martial might are indispensable."

"Holding this saber in your hand, you are empowered to command the hundreds of officials, deploy troops, and act as circumstances dictate."

"Should anyone refuse to obey your commands, for those of the third rank and below, you are granted the authority to execute them first and report to the throne afterward."

"For those of the third rank and above, you are likewise permitted to apprehend them first and determine their guilt later. Respect this!"

Listening to the eunuch chant the vernacular imperial edict in his shrill duck-like voice, Zhu Yunniang's mouth twitched uncontrollably several times.

Old Zhu's imperial edicts truly were written in a style all their own.

However, this also made it clear that this edict must have been penned by Old Zhu's own hand.

It had neither passed through the hands of any minister nor been polished or revised by anyone else.

In the edict, Old Zhu did not even make a single mention of the arrest of Lan Yu; he merely rewarded him with a treasured saber.

This left Zhu Yunniang somewhat baffled, unable to make heads or tails of the situation.

Why did Old Zhu deliberately avoid this matter?

Could it be that Old Zhu still did not know about it by now?

That was utterly impossible!

Within the city of Nanjing, not even the slightest whisper or stir could escape Old Zhu's eyes and ears.

Let alone an event of such massive scale!

After finishing the reading, the eunuch saw that Zhu Yunniang remained silent and hastily whispered, "Your Highness the Prince of Wu, hurry and receive the edict!"

Only then did Zhu Yunniang snap back to his senses, and he hurriedly said, "Your grandson receives the edict! Long live the Emperor, long live, long live the Emperor!"

The eunuch handed over a brocade box containing the treasured saber.

Zhu Yunniang received it into his hands, opened the box, and drew out the saber.

With a crisp *shing*, he gently pulled the blade halfway out of its scabbard.

A piercingly cold gleam flashed forth, reflecting the surrounding torches and dazzling the eyes.

"A fine blade!" Zhu Yunniang could not help but exclaim in admiration.

Given the metallurgical level and casting techniques of this era, forging such a treasured saber was certainly no easy feat.

He had never expected that Old Zhu would suddenly bestow a treasured saber upon him, let alone grant him such immense authority.

Zhu Yunniang slid the blade back into its scabbard, looked toward Yang Jing, Yuan Tai, and Zhou Zhiqing, and chuckled as he asked,

"Grandfather has bestowed this saber upon me, empowering me to command the hundreds of officials, deploy troops, and act as circumstances dictate. Now, will you obey my commands or not?"

"Are you still going to try to snatch people from me?"

The three men exchanged glances, then bowed in unison and said, "We dare not!"

The Emperor had suddenly bestowed a treasured saber at such a moment and granted the Prince of Wu the authority to act expediently; the meaning behind this was blatantly obvious.

It meant they were strictly forbidden from interfering with the Prince of Wu's arrest of Lan Yu.

"Since you dare not, why haven't you rolled away yet!" Zhu Yunniang said coldly.

Not daring to utter another half-word, the three men took their soldiers and slunk away in disgrace.

They had arrived with towering arrogance, but departed in utter wretchedness.

Zhu Yunniang gazed into the distant darkness, his eyes flickering with thought, though he said nothing more.

He had not entangled himself further with Yuan Tai, Yang Jing, and Zhou Zhiqing, nor had he punished the three of them on the spot, because he had other plans in mind.

Struggles within the imperial court demanded subduing rigidity with flexibility.

One's strikes had to be ruthless, accurate, and swift—just like striking a snake at its seven-inch fatal spot—ensuring a decisive blow on the very first try.

Otherwise, one should not strike lightly at all.

Tonight's affair naturally would not end just like this.

As a dignified imperial prince, to have been subjected to such coercion—if he did not reclaim his dignity, it would be difficult for him to establish a foothold in the court hereafter.

Did they truly think anyone could ride roughshod over his head?

However, this matter could not be rushed.

Hidden behind those three men must be other individuals.

Only after investigating the matter thoroughly would it be time to make a move.

Unawares, Zhu Yunniang had gained a much deeper understanding of imperial court politics.

Forbearance and rashness, gentleness and ruthlessness—more often than not, they were not contradictory, but rather complementary.

Once the troops from the Three Judicial Offices and the Ministry of Punishments had all withdrawn, he turned to the imperial eunuch and said, "You've had a hard trip, Eunuch. Fortunately you arrived in time; otherwise, I truly wouldn't have known what to do."

"Actually, this servant arrived long ago!"

The eunuch made an orchid-finger gesture and said, "This servant has been right behind, quietly following Your Highness."

You arrived early, yet you didn't deliver the edict sooner, choosing instead to appear only at the very last moment?

Playing with my nerves for thrills and amusement, were you?

Seeming to sense what he was thinking, the eunuch explained, "When this old servant left the palace to deliver the edict, His Majesty gave explicit instructions."

"If Your Highness were unable to successfully capture Duke Liang Lan Yu, then this edict was not to be delivered."

"I was to wait until Your Highness had successfully captured Duke Liang and brought him back to the Prince of Wu's estate, and only if court ministers came to cause trouble afterward was I to deliver the edict and bestow the saber."

Zhu Yunniang narrowed his eyes slightly.

Old Zhu had given those instructions specifically?

His mind raced, and he quietly instructed a nearby attendant to fetch a thick stack of paper currency from within the estate.

There was no help for it; he genuinely had no cash on his person.

Given Zhu Yunniang's status and position, he never needed to carry money when going out.

Only when facing the imperial eunuch sent by Old Zhu would he personally hand over paper currency.

"This... this... this servant truly dare not accept this!" Upon seeing Zhu Yunniang shove a thick stack of paper currency into his hands, the eunuch repeatedly declined.

An expression of extreme distress crossed his face, and he looked as though he were about to burst into tears.

With a *thud*, the eunuch dropped to his knees: "Your Highness the Prince of Wu, please spare this servant!"

This sudden reaction took Zhu Yunniang by surprise.

Then it suddenly dawned on him that Old Zhu had always held an abhorrence for bribery and corruption.

His punishments were likewise exceptionally severe.

The Great Ming of this era was not yet the later Great Ming plagued by rampant corruption and utter decay.

At this time in the Ming Dynasty, while one could not say every official was completely honest, very few dared to openly accept bribes—let alone accept a bribe from an imperial grandson!

If word of this reached Old Zhu's ears, it would mean being skinned and having one's tendons pulled out.

"Grandfather rewarded me with a treasured saber, and I am happy in my heart, so I am rewarding you with some money."

Zhu Yunniang helped the eunuch to his feet and said, "This is not a bribe, what are you afraid of?"

"As a dignified Prince of Wu and the Emperor's grandson, how could I possibly have any reason to bribe you?"

"As for today's reward, I will personally explain it to Grandfather; he will never punish you for it."

Clutching the paper currency, the eunuch trembled as he asked, "Is this truly alright?"

Zhu Yunniang smiled. "It's fine! Grandfather never said you weren't allowed to accept rewards, did he?"

"If you are afraid, you can simply report this matter to Grandfather upon your return to the palace."

Only then did the eunuch say, "Then this servant offers his deepest thanks to Your Highness the Prince of Wu for your generous reward."

He carefully tucked the paper currency away, sliding it into his bosom.

The panic on his face gradually faded, replaced by a trace of joy.

Although he was a close attendant by the Emperor's side, Old Zhu had always been extremely stingy with his servants.

The eunuch's income was not high, and not daring to engage in bribery or corruption, life had been very hard for him.

Having unexpectedly acquired a sum of money today, he naturally could not help feeling somewhat pleased.

Then, leaning close to Zhu Yunniang's ear, he spoke in an extremely faint whisper: "His Majesty seemed rather unhappy today and flew into a terrible rage. Your Highness the Prince of Wu should proceed with caution when entering the palace tomorrow."

Old Zhu was unhappy today?

Could it be because of his arrest of Lan Yu?

No, that didn't make sense!

If that were truly the case, Old Zhu wouldn't have sent a eunuch to deliver an edict bestowing a treasured saber and granting him sweeping authority.

If not that, then what could it be?

Zhu Yunniang simply asked, "Does Eunuch know what the matter was about?"

"That, this servant truly does not know," the eunuch replied. "This servant will take his leave now!"

After seeing the eunuch off, Zhu Yunniang returned to his estate.

There he found Yang Shiqi already waiting in the courtyard.

"Congratulations, Your Highness! Felicitations, Your Highness!"

The moment he saw him, Yang Shiqi offered his congratulations first.

Running a hand over the treasured saber, Zhu Yunniang felt a considerable sense of pride and said, "It was thanks to Master Yang's guidance that I was able to receive Grandfather's reward. Master's contribution to this is immeasurable!"

Zhu Yunniang was indeed thoroughly satisfied with Yang Shiqi.

Putting aside his ability to govern the country for the moment—after all, Zhu Yunniang did not need him to have that capability anyway.

Regarding how to govern and manage state affairs, Zhu Yunniang had his own ideas.

He employed Yang Shiqi primarily to utilize his prowess in imperial court political struggles.

That was precisely what the current Zhu Yunniang lacked the most.

After all, this man was one of those exceedingly rare figures in history who served as a Grand Secretariat minister for forty years and remained politically invincible across five reigns!

To call him a "born saint of political struggles" was no exaggeration.

True to form, Yang Shiqi had not disappointed him.

Only he could have conceived of an idea like bypassing the request for an imperial decree and directly arresting Lan Yu.

Although Old Zhu had dropped hints long beforehand, Zhu Yunniang himself had never thought of it.

Seeing Yang Shiqi now, he offered a few words of delighted praise.

Unexpectedly, Yang Shiqi merely smiled and shook his head, saying, "Your Highness should not celebrate too early."

"Though this treasured saber is fine, it is rather hot to the touch!"