4: Chapter 4: Discarding the donkey after it has served its purpose, cooking the dog after the rabbit is caught.
Under the moonlight, Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong slowly turned around. His face, still carrying a touch of childishness, became clear. His features were handsome and well-defined, looking exactly like his father, Crown Prince Yiwen.
However, those eyes lacked even a hint of Crown Prince Zhu Biao's gentle elegance; instead, they were sharp and piercing, reflecting the cold moon above and the slightly trembling body of Jiang Wan.
He did not tell Jiang Wan to rise, but simply stepped forward, walking slowly until he stood before him, looking down and scrutinizing the dog that bit hardest under The Emperor's command.
"Commander Jiang, you have worked hard."
Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong's voice was very soft. After speaking, he looked up at the sky and suddenly recited a poem without context: "In the triumph of spring, the horse's hooves are swift; in a single day, I see all the flowers of Chang'an."
Jiang Wan was about to reply, but upon hearing this, he was completely bewildered.
What did this mean? Had this Third Imperial Prince gone mad? Luring him into this den of tigers and dragons in the middle of the night, and instead of shouting for battle, he was reciting poetry?
His mind raced, trying to fathom the hidden meaning behind the poem. Was it mocking his current high position and boundless glory? Or was it implying that his glory was merely a fleeting moment?
He dared not guess, nor did he dare to ask. He could only bury his head lower, sweat sliding down his temples.
Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong let out a cold snort and stopped beating around the bush. His voice suddenly deepened, "The Emperor has ordered you to move against the Duke of Liang, and it is to happen within these few days, is it not?"
??? This sentence filled Jiang Wan with more terror than having General Lan Yu's blade pressed against his neck.
He looked up abruptly, his pupils contracting violently. Just as he was about to open his mouth to defend himself by saying, "This subordinate does not understand what Your Highness means," the youth before him suddenly loomed large in his vision.
"Bang!" With a dull thud, Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong kicked out without warning, striking Jiang Wan on the shin.
The force was so great that even Jiang Wan, a trained martial artist, could not withstand it. He felt a piercing, excruciating pain, his entire leg went numb instantly, and his body uncontrollably lunged forward, his knees slamming heavily onto the ground with a "thud."
This time, he was kneeling firmly on the ground.
Beside him, General Lan Yu's eyelids twitched, and he sucked in a cold breath. Damn it, this kid is truly ruthless! To attack the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard without a moment's notice, not even giving a warning.
Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong withdrew his foot and looked down at Jiang Wan, who was grimacing in pain, his tone indifferent: "When I am speaking, I do not like to be interrupted."
The entire courtyard was deathly silent. Even General Lan Yu slowed his breathing, fearing that the Third Imperial Prince might do the same to him.
Jiang Wan knelt on the ground, the sharp pain keeping him clear-headed. He looked up, meeting Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong's dark, heavy eyes. There was no anger, no killing intent in them; there was only a coldness that disregarded everything.
This was a gaze he had only ever seen in the eyes of The Emperor and the late Crown Prince...
A chill shot straight to his skull, and the blood in his entire body felt as if it were turning cold. Jiang Wan suddenly realized that he might truly be doomed today.
"I speak, you listen." Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong's voice rang out again, brooking no argument.
Jiang Wan endured the excruciating pain in his leg, struggling to straighten his kneeling posture. This time, he dared not make any unnecessary movements.
Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong watched his disheveled and submissive appearance, then continued, his voice carrying a hint of sarcasm: "When The Emperor wants to kill a meritorious official, he must find a pretext, and he must also find someone to take the blame."
"Over a decade ago, in the case of Chancellor Hu Weiyong, the charge was treason. Your predecessor, Commander Mao Xiang, finished the job for The Emperor, but you should know better than I do what his final fate was."
Jiang Wan's face turned even paler. Mao Xiang, that fellow who was even more ruthless than he was—after uprooting Chancellor Hu Weiyong's faction, Zhu Yuanzhang, to appease the resentment of the court and the public, labeled Mao Xiang as an "accomplice of Chancellor Hu Weiyong" and executed him on charges of being a "remnant party member." This discarding of a tool after its use was done without the slightest hesitation.
"Now, it is General Lan Yu's turn." Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong glanced at the nervous General Lan Yu and continued: "The charge is still treason. This time, Commander Jiang, who do you think should take the blame?"
"Killing the donkey after using the millstone, slaughtering the hounds after the hunt. This Emperor... he plays a truly dirty game."
Jiang Wan's lips trembled. Of course he knew! How could he not know! From the day he took over the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he knew he would not have a good ending. But knowing it was one thing; having it ripped open bloody and raw to his face was quite another.
He stiffened his neck and squeezed a few words through his teeth: "If the ruler wants his subject to die, the subject must die! To be loyal to His Majesty is this subject's duty!"
"Well said!" Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong suddenly laughed and clapped his hands. "A loyal subject! Truly a loyal subject! But if you die, what about your wife and children? Should they also be loyal to His Majesty?"
Jiang Wan's eyes dimmed, and his voice lowered: "His Majesty... His Majesty is wise and will surely handle the matter impartially."
"Impartially?" Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong's smile grew wider, but it made Jiang Wan's heart crawl with fear. "Did The Emperor also hint to you that as long as you handle the matter well, he will ensure your family's safety? To let you go with peace of mind?"
Jiang Wan's pupils suddenly contracted.
Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong saw his reaction and understood. In history, Zhu Yuanzhang indeed did not make things difficult for Jiang Wan's family. That old man, while he killed people, was a master of controlling his subordinates.
"It seems I have guessed correctly." Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong put away his smile and changed the subject: "But what if... The Emperor knew that I, the legitimate second grandson of the Great Ming, was colluding with the Duke of Liang, plotting rebellion? Tell me, would I die too?"
Jiang Wan's heart skipped a beat. He dared not answer this question and could only speak vaguely: "His Majesty... is strict, but he has always... cherished his descendants. As long as Your Highness... keeps clear of this matter, you will surely be able to protect yourself."
These words were both a persuasion and a hint to Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong: do not get involved, you still have a way to live.
"Is that so?" Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong acted as if he had heard a great joke. "Do you think that by appearing here today, I still have a chance to clear my name? My good second brother, and his good mother, will they let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity pass?"
He leaned down, moved close to Jiang Wan's ear, and whispered: "Jiang Wan, besides your wife and children in the capital, do you not have a childhood sweetheart surnamed Liu back in your hometown of Suzhou? It seems she... also bore you a pair of twins. This year, they should be five years old, right?"
Buzz! Jiang Wan's mind went instantly blank.
This matter was the deepest secret hidden in his heart! It was his only weakness! He believed that only The Emperor and a few others knew something about it. How did this youth in the deep palace know about it?!
He looked up abruptly, staring fixedly at Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong. Seeing Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong's mocking expression, he knew instantly that he was done for, but he still stuttered stubbornly: "Your... Your Highness... This subject does not know what Your Highness is talking about..."
Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong smiled, straightened up, and stopped looking at him, stating his purpose: "You, Jiang Wan, are The Emperor's dog. I dare not hope that you will wag your tail and come to defect to me. Having said so much to you, I only need you to do one thing."
He held up one finger.
"Tonight, you saw nothing and heard nothing. You came to the Mansion of the Duke of Liang merely for routine business, searched around, and found nothing. Then, you can take your men and get lost."
"Before noon tomorrow, whatever happens in the capital has nothing to do with your Embroidered Uniform Guard. After noon, how you report to The Emperor is your own business."
"If you can do this, your wife and children in the capital, as well as those three in Suzhou, will be able to live in peace. If you cannot..."
Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong paused, turned to look at him, and revealed a brilliant smile on his face, his white teeth appearing exceptionally chilling in the moonlight.
"Tonight, they will die!"
Jiang Wan trembled violently. He looked at Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong, whose young face was filled with madness and ruthlessness that did not match his age.
The blood flowing in the bones of this Third Imperial Prince was exactly the same as that of The Emperor! Compared to him, Imperial Grandson Zhu Yunwen... The Emperor might have truly misjudged this time!
"I will give you the time it takes for one incense stick to burn to consider it." After saying this, Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong ignored him, turned, and walked back to the stone table to sit down again, picked up his wine cup, and began to drink slowly.
Beside him, General Lan Yu was completely stunned.
He looked at the youth sitting there with composure, then at the Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander on the ground with his ever-changing expression, and felt that his own mind could not quite process it.
This... this was it? The most feared secret agent head of the Great Ming, The Emperor's most loyal mad dog, was just like that, shocked by a fifteen-year-old child in just a few words?
Upon reflection, he suddenly felt that his previous hesitation about whether to rebel or not was simply damnable. Following such a master, why worry about not achieving great things!
In fact, it was no wonder General Lan Yu was surprised. If these words had come from General Lan Yu, Jiang Wan would not only have refused to yield, but might even have retorted, "If you have the guts, go ahead and kill them; if you succeed, you are impressive." But since these words were spoken by the Third Imperial Prince, and he even knew about his childhood sweetheart in Suzhou! This left Jiang Wan no choice but to think deeply.
Time passed, second by second. In the courtyard, there was only the sound of the wind and Jiang Wan's heavy breathing.
Finally, as the time for the incense stick to burn out was approaching, Jiang Wan seemed to use all his strength to crawl up from the ground and bowed deeply, very deeply, in the direction of Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong.
Then, without a word, he dragged his injured leg and limped out of the courtyard without looking back. With his actions, he made his choice.