Chapter 58: Was Arresting Lan Yu Merely a Misunderstanding?

Among the assembled officials in their court robes, Lan Yu and Fu Ye stood out unmistakably, stripped naked and bound tightly with ropes.

“What is the meaning of this?” the old Zhu asked, his voice even.

Zhu Yuntong stepped forward.

“Grandfather, I heard from Fourth Uncle that Duke of Liang has committed many unlawful acts.

“He has deep roots in the military, holds great authority, and is arrogant and unruly. I fear that future generations may find him impossible to control.

“Your Majesty is advanced in years. For the sake of the Great Ming realm, he must be eliminated soon.

“Yet Grandfather cannot bear to harm the bond between ruler and subject that they once shared.

“Besides, Duke of Liang is my great-uncle. That is why Grandfather has been unable to make up his mind.

“To put Grandfather in such a difficult position is unfilial of me.

“So yesterday I took the Embroidered Uniform Guard and arrested Duke of Liang. Today I have brought him before the throne, and ask Grandfather to judge his crimes.”

The corner of Zhu Di’s mouth twitched slightly.

He could not help resenting the fact that a boy barely in his teens had outmaneuvered him.

But now that things had come to this, he could only step forward and say, “Father, your son is guilty. I beg you to punish me.”

He knelt.

“What crime have you committed?” the old Zhu asked.

His voice was level, neither loud nor soft, yet every word rang clearly through the vast, lofty, silent hall.

Zhu Di was taken aback, and hesitated.

The old Zhu had spoken to him about Lan Yu, but had issued no explicit decree—only hints.

What did he mean by asking this now?

Should Zhu Di admit that he had acted carelessly and let a secret slip? Or confess that he had fabricated the whole thing, deliberately stirring up trouble and sowing discord?

For a moment, Zhu Di found himself at a loss.

His eyes swept quickly over the assembled military nobles and generals, then turned to the civil officials beside them.

At last he looked up—and saw the old Zhu staring straight at him.

Zhu Di shuddered.

“What? You don’t even know what crime you’ve committed?” the old Zhu asked again. “Did I issue you an order?”

“No!” Zhu Di finally understood. He hurriedly said, “Your son has long been at odds with Lan Yu and bears him a grudge.

“I deliberately passed off a false order as Father’s, deceiving my nephew Yuntong and causing him to lead the Embroidered Uniform Guard in arresting Lan Yu.

“It has all been a terrible misunderstanding.

“It was entirely my fault. I now acknowledge my guilt and beg Father to punish me.”

At a time like this, if he claimed that the old Zhu had ordered it and that he had merely let the secret slip, the old Zhu would never admit to it.

After all, the military nobles and generals were no fools.

If His Majesty truly meant to move against Lan Yu, how could they not be implicated?

The precedent of the Hu Weiyong case still stood before them.

The military nobles would surely rise up in opposition at once.

And if that happened, they would have no choice but to fight for their lives. The old Zhu, who had not yet completed all his preparations, would have to sacrifice his own son to keep the court from falling into chaos and the Great Ming realm from being plunged into war.

Zhu Di was no Zhu Biao.

In the old Zhu’s heart, he could never hold the same place as Zhu Biao.

By admitting that he had forged the order, he had a better chance of escaping punishment.

As Zhu Di finished speaking, the court erupted like a pot coming to a boil.

What was this?

After all that, it was supposedly a misunderstanding?

So it had all begun because the Prince of Yan had forged an imperial order?

In an instant, the military nobles and generals stepped forward one after another.

“Your Majesty, the Prince of Yan has acted so outrageously that the Duke of Liang has suffered humiliation for no reason. I ask Your Majesty to punish him severely.”

Dingyuan Marquis Wang Bi was the first to speak.

“Your Majesty, the Duke of Liang has fought for our country for many years and earned great merit. Yet he has suffered this calamity for no reason. Unless the culprit is punished severely, I fear the soldiers of Great Ming will lose heart.”

Founding Duke Chang Sheng immediately added his voice.

“I ask Your Majesty to punish the Prince of Yan severely!” a third military noble declared.

Soon a fourth and a fifth joined in.

“I ask Your Majesty to punish the Prince of Yan severely!”

“I ask Your Majesty to punish the Prince of Yan severely!”

…

The military nobles were all indignant.

Until now, Zhu Di had been on good terms with them.

Moreover, he had married Xu Miaoyun, daughter of Xu Da, the greatest founding hero of Great Ming and the foremost of its military commanders, the Prince of Zhongshan.

That connection was extraordinary in itself.

But forging an imperial order to move against Lan Yu had gone too far.

The military nobles felt that if Lan Yu could be brought down, they too might be next. Fearing that the same thing could happen to them in the future, they insisted on severe punishment, so that others would take warning.

The civil officials, however, stood aside in silence.

Zhu Di was a prince enfeoffed beyond the capital, and had little contact with civil officials in his daily life.

They were quite content to stay out of the fray and watch from the sidelines.

Huang Zicheng gave a signal.

A censor stepped forward and said, “This affair is utterly absurd.

“First the Prince of Yan forged an imperial decree; then the Prince of Wu acted on his own. With neither an explicit decree nor permission sought, he took it upon himself to arrest the Duke of Liang, and so this terrible misunderstanding came about.

“The whole city is in an uproar, and the court is unsettled.

“It is all because the Prince of Wu acted on his own authority.

“In my view, the Prince of Yan is guilty, and so is the Prince of Wu.

“I ask Your Majesty to issue a decree and punish them both severely.”

The hall fell silent at once.

The military nobles’ voices abruptly stopped.

They had called for the Prince of Yan to be punished, not the Prince of Wu.

Zhu Yuntong remained composed and turned to Zhu Di.

“So Fourth Uncle came to see me that night and solemnly told me all this, only to use me as a weapon.

“I was such a fool. I thought Fourth Uncle was acting out of loyalty, filial devotion, and kindness.”

Zhu Di’s eyelid twitched.

The boy had clearly outmaneuvered him, yet still put on an innocent face.

And Zhu Di could not even defend himself.

After all, he had been the one to scheme first.

Chang Sheng hurriedly bowed. “Your Majesty, His Highness the Prince of Wu acted out of filial devotion when he arrested the Duke of Liang.

“His intentions are as clear as the sun and moon. How could he deserve punishment?

“This man has driven a wedge between the members of the imperial family. He is despicable and deserves death!”

Another civil official stepped forward. “Founding Duke, you are mistaken!

“If the Prince of Wu had not been so arrogant and reckless, moving troops without an order, how could such a thing have happened?

“In my humble opinion, the Prince of Wu’s guilt is no less than the Prince of Yan’s—perhaps even greater.”

One after another, the civil officials joined in.

“I second the motion!”

“I second it as well!”

“So do I!”

…

The old Zhu lowered his eyes and said nothing.

The military nobles could no longer hold back.

“You’re inventing charges!”

“It’s obvious you’re acting with malicious intent and deliberately targeting His Highness the Prince of Wu.”

“This is outrageous! His Highness has done nothing but serve with loyalty and filial devotion. What has he done wrong?”

…

The military nobles had far louder voices than the civil officials.

In a moment, the hall was filled with shouts and insults, spittle flying everywhere.

“Silence!” The eunuch before the throne had no choice but to step in and restore order.

“Shouting in the Golden Hall like this—what sort of conduct is that?”

Gradually, the noise died down.

The civil and military officials still glared at one another, their anger far from spent.

At that moment, Zhu Yunwen stepped forward.

“Grandfather, I believe Third Brother did act on his own initiative and deploy the Embroidered Uniform Guard without authorization, but he did so out of loyalty and filial devotion.

“Even if he was at fault, there are extenuating circumstances.

“Besides, I fear this affair is not so simple.”

He slowly turned toward Lan Yu and said, “Grandfather has no intention of prosecuting the Duke of Liang. But does that mean the Duke of Liang is innocent?

“Fourth Uncle was guilty of forging Grandfather’s order. Yet his grievance against the Duke of Liang arose because the Duke once tried, in Father’s presence, to drive a wedge between Father and Fourth Uncle.

“Father, of course, did not fall for it. But what exactly was the Duke of Liang’s intention?

“I have heard that he has long behaved recklessly and committed many unlawful acts.

“What is more, he has planted followers throughout the army and secretly installed his own men in positions of influence. He has harbored disloyal intentions for a long time.

“Perhaps Third Brother heard these rumors and, after Fourth Uncle revealed Grandfather’s predicament, believed him without question and immediately arrested the Duke.”

His words struck like a thunderclap.

The civil and military officials in the hall stared at him, dumbfounded.

Many knew that there was more to the day’s events than met the eye.

Even so, the twists and turns that had come one after another since the beginning were beyond what they had expected.

In just a few sentences, Zhu Yunwen had dragged both Zhu Yuntong and Zhu Di into the affair, forcing them onto his side.

And he had placed the blame squarely on Lan Yu.

Another civil official stepped forward.

Taking a memorial he had prepared in advance from his sleeve, he held it above his head and knelt.

“Your Majesty, I have a memorial to submit. I accuse Duke of Liang Lan Yu of showing no regard for sovereign or family, embezzling public funds, oppressing the Northern Yuan consort, allowing his troops to burn, kill, and plunder, gathering adopted sons in great numbers, forming factions for personal gain, harboring treasonous intentions, and plotting rebellion—in all, twenty-seven crimes.

“Lan Yu has overturned the proper order and committed countless outrages. His crimes are so grave they defy the writing of them all. Under the Great Ming Code, his entire clan should be executed.”