Chapter Fifty: Affairs Beyond the Palace—Troubles That Won't Easily Fade!

Palace.

Night had fallen, and Liu Sanwu had long since departed.

Old Zhu still sat in the pavilion, his face appearing rather grim in the dim candlelight.

The palace maids and eunuchs attending him held their breath, not daring to make the slightest sound.

Just two hours earlier, Liu Sanwu had advised His Majesty the Emperor to promptly designate an heir.

At that moment, news came from outside the palace that Prince Wu, leading the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had surrounded the Residence of Duke Liang, intent on arresting Duke Lan Yu.

Liu Sanwu immediately submitted a memorial to Prince Wu, bluntly accusing him of reckless and unrestrained behavior, lacking the decorum of a loyal subject and the filial piety of a son, urging the emperor to issue a strict punishment.

At the same time, he praised Prince Xian for his loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness, suggesting him as the rightful heir apparent.

Unexpectedly, these words provoked the emperor’s furious wrath.

Liu Sanwu was promptly expelled from the palace.

Though no immediate decree was issued regarding his punishment, it was surely imminent.

Those who angered His Majesty never met a good end.

Soon enough, one piece of news after another arrived from outside the palace walls.

Old Zhu’s oversight of the capital depended firstly on the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and secondly on the secret service known as the Surveillance Office.

If the Embroidered Uniform Guard was Old Zhu’s sword, then the Surveillance Office was truly his eyes and ears.

Unlike the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Surveillance Office operated with utmost secrecy and discretion.

Its personnel were of diverse backgrounds—court officials, ordinary citizens, even Taoist priests and Buddhist monks.

Their shadows were everywhere.

Taverns, brothels, private residences... street corners and alleys were all infiltrated by their spies.

Every peculiar rumor or curious affair within Jinling City, every official’s dalliance, gambling, poetry recitals, painting, hosting of banquets, gift-giving, even marital quarrels—the Surveillance Office gathered all this intelligence and reported it directly to His Majesty.

It was through these informants that Old Zhu was intimately aware of every movement of court officials and all the events unfolding throughout Jinling.

Though it was already nighttime, the city had been shaken by great events today, so news continually flowed from the concealed compartments of the palace walls, streaming in from outside.

“Prince Wu entrusted Duke Changsheng to capture a man named Yang Shiqi.”

The paper detailed Yang Shiqi’s birth date, place of origin, family background, life experiences, and even his activities and acquaintances since arriving in Jinling.

If Zhu Yunxu were to see this, he would be extremely surprised.

Even he had not received such precise and detailed information.

“Prince Wu and Yang Shiqi held a secret meeting in Duke Changsheng’s dungeon. As no one else was present, the exact content of their conversation is unknown.”

“Later, Prince Wu respectfully escorted Yang Shiqi out of the dungeon and returned him to the Prince’s mansion, declaring that he had accepted Yang Shiqi as his teacher.”

“Subsequently, Prince Wu immediately dispatched troops from the Embroidered Uniform Guard to surround the Residence of Duke Liang and arrest Duke Lan Yu.”

Line after line of small script clearly narrated the entire sequence of events.

“It seems that the idea to send the Embroidered Uniform Guard to capture Lan Yu must have come from this Yang Shiqi,” Old Zhu murmured to himself.

A flicker of unusual light flashed in his eyes.

He never imagined that a scholar who had not even passed the provincial examination could conceive such a plan.

Most importantly, Zhu Yunxu actually heeded his advice.

“Yet where did Yunxu learn about Yang Shiqi? He even sent someone specifically to seek him out.”

Even the ever-penetrating spies of the Surveillance Office could not uncover any intelligence on this matter.

Old Zhu tossed the paper into the nearby brazier, and it quickly turned to ashes.

Then he picked up another slip.

“Upon learning that Prince Wu led the Embroidered Uniform Guard to surround Duke Liang’s residence, Prince Yan secretly sent messengers to notify the capital’s nobles and military commanders, which led to Wang Bi leading forces to besiege Prince Wu and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”

“Prince Yan’s two sons actively stirred up discord at the scene, attempting to provoke conflict.”

The following detailed records described how Zhu Yunxu entered Duke Liang’s residence, how Fu Ye led the household guards to block him, how Lan Yu appeared, how Zhu Yunxu insulted and struck Lan Yu, how Lan Yu eventually submitted, how Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaoxu incited strife, and how Wang Bi led forces to intercept and attempt to rescue Lan Yu, and so forth.

Everything that transpired today at Duke Liang’s residence was meticulously documented from beginning to end.

Included were many inside details unknown even to Zhu Yunxu.

After all, even those present could only perceive events from their own perspective.

The intelligence gathered by the spies came from multiple angles.

“Number Four really refuses to stay quiet!” Old Zhu muttered.

“This entire matter was provoked by him first.”

“If he had not deliberately leaked information to Yunxu, Yunxu probably wouldn’t have acted so.”

“Why can’t he just be a peaceful prince? Is the emperor’s throne really that desirable?”

Old Zhu quickly cast this slip into the brazier, then picked up a third one.

“The source of the rumors in the capital advocating Prince Wu’s appointment as heir apparent and eventual emperor was not someone close to Prince Wu, but rather orchestrated by Prince Xian’s tutors, Huang Zicheng and Fang Xiaoru.”

“Today, while Prince Wu carried out the arrest of Duke Liang, Fang Xiaoru observed from the periphery but took no action.”

“Huang Zicheng visited the Eastern Palace and met with Lady Lü.”

“Lady Lü gifted him a hand-sewn garment.”

“After a secret meeting with Lady Lü, Huang Zicheng entered the palace overnight.”

Old Zhu’s expression flickered unpredictably as he read the notes, his mood as changeable as the weather.

After a long moment, he too threw this slip into the fire.

Then he opened a fourth slip.

This one bore only a brief note:

“Prince Qin is secretly training assassins within his residence; his intentions remain unclear.”

Prince Qin was Zhu Yuanzhang’s second son, Zhu Quan.

By right, with Zhu Biao deceased, Prince Qin was the first in line for the heirship.

However, Prince Qin was known for his cruelty and brutality, which greatly displeased Old Zhu.

Furthermore, before this, Old Zhu had arranged for Prince Qin to marry Wang Baobao’s sister, Wang Yuemin—later famously known as the Guanyin Slave—in order to win over the Northern Yuan general Wang Baobao and divide the remnants of the Northern Yuan forces.

If Prince Qin were made heir and succeeded to the throne, his successor would be the son of Guanyin Slave.

How could an emperor of a Han dynasty bear the blood of a foreign lineage?

This was something Old Zhu was unwilling to see.

The court officials would surely vehemently oppose it as well.

This single point effectively blocked Prince Qin’s chances of being named crown prince.

During the period he came to the capital to mourn Zhu Biao’s death, Prince Qin had behaved quietly without causing any disturbance.

Now, could he no longer contain himself?

Old Zhu furrowed his brow and snorted coldly, “What is the second prince planning?”

He tossed the slip into the fire and picked up another.

“Recently, Prince Jin has been frequently meeting with Prince Zhou in the capital, often holding secret private talks.”

“Prince Jin has also met secretly with Duke Yingguo Fu Youde, and Prince Zhou with Duke Songguo Feng Sheng; the content of these meetings remains unknown.”

Old Zhu’s expression shifted slightly, his gaze growing colder.

He sat motionless, as if petrified.

Time passed, second by second.

Nearly a quarter of an hour elapsed.

Old Zhu sighed deeply, saying, “My sons truly are none of them trifling characters.”