32: Chapter 32 The Turmoil in the Eastern Palace: I will use my life to pave a path to heaven for Yunwen!
On the north side of the Eastern Palace, the chambers of the Crown Princess, Lady Lu, which were usually filled with fragrant incense and elegant tranquility, now appeared chaotic and in disarray.
The floor was covered with shattered imperial kiln porcelain, and the famous calligraphy and paintings that once hung on the walls were torn to shreds and scattered haphazardly on the ground.
Lady Lu sat disheveled on the cold floor tiles beside her phoenix bed. The Crown Princess, who was once dignified, virtuous, and the model of motherly grace for the world, now looked like a madwoman.
"Useless things... all of them are useless things!" She grabbed an enamel-painted teacup and smashed it fiercely against the pillar opposite her, creating a crisp, explosive sound.
The seven or eight trusted eunuchs she had sent to her maiden home to seek help from her father, Lv Ben, were all exceptionally clever, yet after being sent out, they were like clay oxen entering the sea—there was not a single echo of response.
She did not know that the moment these people stepped out of the Eastern Palace gate, they had already been silently "invited" into the Imperial Prison of the Northern Division of the Imperial Guard by the officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
She knew even less that Jiang Wan, that living King of Hell, was currently holding Zhu Yuanzhang's token and searching the entire Eastern Palace from top to bottom.
That little eunuch who had taken her silver and pushed Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong into the water vat had revealed even his ancestors up to eighteen generations after witnessing the full repertoire of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's "craftsmanship."
The butcher's knife for skinning and stuffing with straw could fall upon her own head at any moment.
Lady Lu's body began to tremble uncontrollably; she did not want to die, and even less could she accept that everything she had painstakingly managed, the path to heaven she had paved for her son, would be destroyed in an instant.
"No... I cannot just wait here for death! Yunwen's throne cannot be ruined in my hands!"
In her desperation, Lady Lu scrambled up from the floor. Because she rose too abruptly, her vision went black, and she nearly collapsed again.
She steadied herself against the phoenix bed, breathing heavily, her bloodshot eyes staring fixedly in the direction of Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong's sleeping chambers.
"Come here! All of you, get over here this instant!"
The dozens of eunuchs and palace maids guarding outside the hall scrambled in. These people were all Lady Lu's confidants; their family's honor and disgrace, as well as their own lives, were tied to hers.
Seeing their mistress in this state, they were all terrified into silence, kneeling on the ground without daring to look up.
"I have raised you all for so many years; now is the time for you to repay me." Lady Lu's voice was hoarse, yet carried a hint of ruthlessness.
She stumbled into the inner chamber and opened her private dowry vault. The heavy lid of the chest was lifted, revealing a room filled with pearls and treasures.
Lady Lu did not even look at those priceless jewels and jade artifacts. She grabbed handfuls of gold and silver ingots, pearls, and agates, tossing them onto the floor as casually as if they were trash.
"Do you see this? These, and the ones in the room, are all rewards for you!" Lady Lu's fingernails dug deep into her palms as she said viciously, "As long as you follow me to accomplish one thing tonight!"
She walked down the steps herself and helped up the head eunuch who was usually her most capable subordinate. Those beautiful eyes, once tender as water, were now filled with madness.
"That beast, Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong, has framed me and imprisoned the Grand Imperial Heir; his next step is to usurp the throne! Tonight, we shall act on behalf of Heaven and execute this villain!"
Everyone was terrified out of their wits. Murdering an Imperial Grandson? That was truly a crime punishable by extermination of the clan! But seeing Lady Lu's current mad state, if they did not go, they would be meeting their ancestors on the spot.
Lady Lu saw their fear and gave a grim laugh, "This time, I will lead the way myself!"
"If we can kill him, that is naturally the best. If we cannot..." She paused, a morbid flush appearing on her face, "Then let him kill me!"
"As long as I die in his sleeping chambers, and die by his hand! He will be a murderer of his own stepmother! Such an unfilial, unloyal, and wicked beast will be reviled by everyone under Heaven! His Majesty will certainly not tolerate him! I will use my life to exchange for a foolproof path to heaven for Yunwen—it is worth it!"
As long as Zhu Yuanzhang had not yet issued a decree to convict her, she was still the Crown Princess of the Great Ming, and the nominal stepmother of Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong!
... The night deepened. The moon was dark and the wind was high—a night for killing.
Lady Lu changed into simple clothing suitable for movement, holding a short sword in her hand. She personally led this ragtag group of misfits, and they swarmed toward the sleeping chambers where Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong resided.
The vast Eastern Palace was terrifyingly quiet at this moment.
The journey was surprisingly smooth. The Imperial Guards, who usually stood guard every three steps and patrolled every five, were nowhere to be seen—not even a ghost of one. The lanterns of the patrolling eunuchs had all been extinguished, as if by prior agreement.
Lady Lu felt a secret joy in her heart. Could it be that even Heaven could not stand to watch and was granting her this chance to turn the tables? She could even imagine how satisfying it would be when she chopped off Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong's head, with that look of astonishment still on his face!
Very soon, the group crept to the door of Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong's sleeping chambers. The hall inside was pitch black and silent, as if the master were already fast asleep.
The last trace of human warmth on Lady Lu's face vanished, leaving only ferocity. She lowered her voice and squeezed a few words through her teeth.
"Charge in!" "Hack him to death!" "Whoever chops off his head will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold! If you die, I will give it to your families!"
Matters had reached this point; there was no turning back. The eyes of those dozens of eunuchs and palace maids turned red in an instant. Dozens of figures raised all sorts of weapons—short swords, scissors, bronze candlesticks, and even heavy vases—and rushed inside with a roar!
Relying on the faint moonlight filtering in from outside, they could see the bedding on the bed raised high, clearly indicating someone was sleeping peacefully.
"Kill!" "Stab him to death!"
In an instant, over a dozen weapons frantically stabbed, slashed, and smashed at the bedding! The brocade quilt was sliced open, the silk was torn, and cotton fluff flew through the air like a snowfall of despair.
"Puchi!" "Puchi!" The sound of blades entering flesh rang out repeatedly, but Lady Lu's heart suddenly sank.
Something was wrong! The feeling was wrong! This was not the feeling of cutting into a person at all! She tore away the bedding, which was already in tatters.
Under the moonlight, where was the figure of Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong in the bedding? There were only a few soft pillows that had been hacked to shreds, revealing the golden straw inside!
It was a trap! Lady Lu's brain buzzed; it felt as if all the blood in her body had been drained in that instant, and her hands and feet turned ice cold.
Just at this moment. "Clap, clap, clap." A crisp sound of clapping rang out abruptly from the dark corner of the hall, unhurried and steady, like someone applauding uncontrollably at a wonderful moment in a theater.
The next moment, dozens of torches were lit simultaneously all around the sleeping chambers! "Boom!" The raging firelight instantly dispelled the darkness, illuminating the entire hall as bright as day, and clearly revealing the terrified, shocked, and stunned faces of everyone in the hall.
In the center of the hall, Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong sat calmly. He was still wearing the same black, cloud-patterned casual clothing from the day, leisurely playing with a jade-ribbed folding fan in his hand, his expression calm, even carrying a hint of relaxed amusement.
Beside him, Eunuch Sanbao stood with his hand on his blade, that delicate face showing a coldness that did not match his age.
And all around them, without anyone noticing when, hundreds of Embroidered Uniform Guard officers dressed in flying-fish robes and holding xiuchun blades had lined up, each expressionless, their eyes looking as if they were staring at a group of dead people.
Like turtles in a jar. There was no escape.