Chapter 60: Beat him to death! Beat him to death right now!

As the final note fell, a chorus of reprimands immediately erupted within the grand hall.

"Audacious! How dare you resort to falsehood and deception in His Majesty's presence?"

"Lan Yu, a true man owns up to his deeds. Can you truly deny everything you have done?"

"Amassing a multitude of adoptive sons throughout the military, condoning their rampant violence and lawlessness—these are undeniable facts, are they not? Shall we summon witnesses to confront you?"

...

The ministers chimed in one after another.

"Lan Yu, since you claim to be innocent, why else would you come here bare-backed and carrying thorns to beg for punishment?"

"Indeed! If you had nothing to hide, why would you resort to such a theatrical display?"

"Lan Yu, confess early. Considering your immense contributions and arduous service, His Majesty might mitigate your sentence. If you remain obstinate and fail to see reason, remember that the law of the state is ruthless. When that time comes, it will be too late for regrets."

Emperor Zhu's gaze locked with Lan Yu's as he asked, "By your account, you coming here today carrying thorns was not entirely voluntary?"

"No!" Lan Yu shook his head. "Though I consider myself innocent, coming here today with thorns to beg for mercy is entirely of my own accord."

Emperor Zhu tossed the memorial that had impeached him right before Lan Yu's feet and said, "Then take a look for yourself. Are the crimes listed herein true, and which one of them has wronged you?"

Bound as he was, Lan Yu's hands were tied, rendering him unable to turn the pages.

A eunuch hurriedly stepped forward, unfolding the memorial on the floor so Lan Yu could read it.

Lan Yu glanced down briefly, then raised his head and said, "Every single matter listed above is true. There is no injustice here."

"Then how dare you still claim you are innocent?" Emperor Zhu demanded with a furious roar.

In a ringing voice, Lan Yu declared:

"The crimes listed here are numerous. However, many of these offenses are matters for which Your Majesty has already issued decrees in the past, punishing me and instructing me to take heed for the future."

"His Majesty's words carry the weight of gold and jade. Since Your Majesty has already granted me pardon for those offenses, I am naturally innocent of them."

"As for the remaining charges, apart from the one regarding the widespread recruitment of adoptive sons, none of them were committed by me personally."

"Rather, they were offenses perpetrated by officers and soldiers under my command, bearing no direct connection to me."

"If we are to establish guilt based on this logic, even if I were to accept the penalty, I fear officials throughout the realm would never sleep in peace again."

"Every dignitary in this court commands subordinates, and not a few among you have governed territories or commanded vast armies."

"Under whose command has there never been a single soldier, officer, or commoner who committed a crime?"

"If a soldier commits a crime in the army, must the commanding general be arrested and punished?"

"If a commoner commits a crime among the populace, must the governing official be arrested and punished?"

"May I ask the distinguished lords and high ministers gathered within this hall: is there a single one among you who is entirely without sin?"

Silence descended upon the grand hall.

"As for the adoptive sons I have taken..."

Lan Yu turned his head to look at the assembled ministers in the court, saying in a deep voice: "I did not take them for my own benefit, but for the late Crown Prince."

At the mention of the "late Crown Prince," Emperor Zhu's eyes narrowed slightly, and the expression on his face instantly turned terrifying.

Taking a breath, Lan Yu continued, "Your Majesty governs through effortless action, possessing supreme sagacity. Wherever your imperial might reaches, the four seas submit."

"Naturally, there is no need for this subject to concern himself with such matters."

"However, I was once a subordinate of the Eastern Palace, charged with the duty of assisting the late Crown Prince."

"While the late Crown Prince was benevolent and magnanimous, open and aboveboard, I was compelled to remain vigilant and guarded on his behalf."

"The Great Ming dynasty was newly established, and the hearts of the people were unsettled."

"The late Crown Prince resided long within the court and had never personally commanded troops."

"As a general belonging to the Eastern Palace and by virtue of my responsibilities, I had no choice but to maintain a foundation within the military."

"The late Crown Prince placed deep trust in me, treating me with absolute sincerity—a kindness I could never repay even through three lifetimes."

"My foundation within the military was precisely the late Crown Prince's foundation within the military."

"By widely taking adoptive sons and planting trusted confidants throughout the army, my sole purpose was to ensure that, should any unforeseen disaster strike one day, I would still be able to command the generals and deploy troops to safeguard the late Crown Prince and preserve the peace of the Great Ming dynasty."

"The late Crown Prince was well aware of this; nothing was kept hidden from him."

"If you lords believe that these actions constitute forming cliques for private gain and harboring treasonous intent against the late Crown Prince, then Lan Yu is willing to accept his punishment!"

The moment these words were spoken, the expressions of every single official in the court altered drastically.

The civil officials were simultaneously shocked and delighted, while the military generals and nobles stood utterly dumbfounded and incredulous.

Had Lan Yu lost his mind?

Did he actually dare to confess to forming cliques for private gain?

Zhu Yunxi's expression remained unchanged, though a flash of unperceived joy swept across his brow.

Lan Yu had finally figured it out.

By tying Zhu Biao tightly to himself in a single breath, he had instantly placed himself in an undefeatable position!

A civil official stepped out from the ranks and challenged him, "By your own account, are you admitting that you harbored treasonous intentions all along?"

Lan Yu slanted his gaze toward him, a chilling light flashing in his eyes, before turning back to look up at Emperor Zhu. "I harbor no treasonous intent. I know only to be loyal to the late Crown Prince, to go through fire and water for him without hesitation."

"This sentiment can be attested by heaven and earth, and illuminated by the sun and moon."

Pointing directly at him, the official demanded, "You continually harp on about the late Crown Prince, but I ask you: where does that place His Majesty?"

"You speak of guarding against the unforeseen? What kind of unforeseen events do you mean?"

"If His Majesty were to depose the Crown Prince for some reason, would you refuse to submit as well?"

"Could it be that if the late Crown Prince were to rebel, you would follow him and rebel too?"

Lan Yu turned his head once more to look at that official, recalling the instructions Zhu Yunxi had given him the previous night.

The foundation of survival and standing was absolute loyalty to Zhu Biao.

Only by firmly remembering this could he successfully weather this storm!

With absolute finality, Lan Yu answered, "Yes!"

As the word fell, a collective intake of breath echoed sharply through the grand hall.

Finding himself suddenly presented with what he deemed an invaluable prize, the civil official immediately cupped his hands toward Emperor Zhu and said:

"Your Majesty, Lan Yu has shown disloyalty to Your Majesty, and his treasonous intent is manifest. He has formed cliques for private gain and committed outrageous defiance. I implore Your Majesty to issue a decree punishing him, executing his household and exterminating his clan as a warning to others!"

"Audacious!"

Suddenly, a roar exploded like a thunderclap.

The violent volume swept outward, causing the roof tiles atop the grand hall to visibly vibrate in unison.

Within the hall, everyone was struck with terror by this sudden turn of events.

Emperor Zhu, whose expression had remained steady until now, tremblingly stood up from the dragon throne. Pointing directly at that civil official, he shouted, "You... you... you... you deserve death!"

"Guards! Someone come here!" Emperor Zhu bellowed at the top of his lungs. "Drag him away for me! Beat him to death! Beat him to death immediately... beat him to death!"

Scrambling sounds filled the air as the guards stationed outside the grand hall rushed in upon hearing the command, pinned the official down, and dragged him away.

"Your Majesty, what is my crime?" the official shouted in confusion, still protesting loudly.

His only response was yet another thunderous roar: "Guards, go immediately and confiscate his estate! I want his entire family subjected to a thousand cuts and executed by slow slicing!"

Clearly,

Emperor Zhu had been driven to utter fury at this moment.

As for that official, he had merely ordered him beaten to death on the spot.

Yet he was already contemplating subjecting the man's family to the lingering death of a thousand cuts.

Dead silence filled the grand hall.

Not a single soul stepped forward to plead on behalf of the official.

The faces of many ministers had turned pale with fright.

How many years had it been since they had last witnessed His Majesty fly into such a dragon's wrath?

Even prior to this, during massive purges such as the Case of Guo Heng, the Case of the Empty Seals, or the Case of Hu Weiyong—where heads rolled like tumbling gourds and the court was emptied of officials—Emperor Zhu had never lost his composure to this extent.

At a time like this, who would dare step forward to intercede with the enraged Emperor?

Fang Xiaoru seemed eager to act, several times attempting to step forward with daring and straightforward remonstrance, only to be held back and firmly restrained by Huang Zicheng pulling on his sleeve from the side.

Dragons have a reverse scale; touch it and you die.

The late Crown Prince Zhu Biao was undoubtedly Emperor Zhu's reverse scale.

Now, mere months after the passing of the late Crown Prince, Emperor Zhu—an old man forced to witness the white-haired sending off the black-haired—was at his most agonizing moment of mourning for his son.

When that official uttered the phrase "Could it be that if the late Crown Prince were to rebel...", he had already sealed his own doom.

"Imperial Grandfather, calm your wrath!" Zhu Yunxi spoke up first, his eyes reddening.

For this, he had to thank his youthful body.

Easily provoked to watery eyes and tears upon experiencing a fright, displaying it precisely at this moment elevated his acting talent by several tiers.

Otherwise, having no deep emotional attachment to this substitute father of his, he might never have managed to squeeze out genuine tears.

The ministers, whose wits had been scared out of them by Emperor Zhu's sudden and thunderous fury, finally snapped back to their senses.

They dropped to their knees in unison.

"May Your Majesty calm your wrath!"

"May Your Majesty calm your wrath!"

...

Emperor Zhu stood atop the raised platform before the dragon throne, silent and motionless.

Suddenly, two more trails of hot tears came rolling down.

"Biao'er!"

He murmured softly.

In an instant, tears were streaming down his face like rain, choking him with sobs.