6: Chapter 6: The Dukes Forced onto the Pirate Ship

Inside the secret chamber, the candlelight flickered, casting shadows that lengthened and shortened against the walls. No one spoke; only heavy breathing echoed in the room.

These veteran generals were all observing Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong, the youth they remembered as weak and incompetent. Yet, the Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong before them possessed a calmness and sharpness in his brows that belied his age, even appearing somewhat murderous.

Finally, the most senior among them, General Feng Sheng, the Duke of Song, spoke up, his voice somewhat hoarse: "Third Imperial Prince, you summoned us here in the dead of night. May I ask what important matter you have?"

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong set down his teacup. The bottom of the cup collided with the table, emitting a soft sound.

It was not loud, but it made everyone's heart skip a beat.

"General Feng, everyone," Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong began. Unlike his piercing gaze, his tone was very calm. "The Emperor intends to kill."

A single sentence caused the air in the secret chamber to instantly freeze.

"Your Highness, what... what do you mean by that?" General Fu Youde frowned and asked in a deep voice.

"What do I mean?" Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong smiled, but there was not a hint of warmth in that smile. "Let's start with my great-uncle, General Lan Yu. The Emperor has already decided on his charge: treason. In these next few days, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will make their move. By then, the entire Mansion of the Duke of Liang will be executed, along with his three clans."

Upon hearing these words, everyone's expressions changed drastically.

General Lan Yu committing treason? How could that be possible! Although General Lan Yu was arrogant, no one present would believe he would commit treason.

General Wang Bi, a straightforward man, immediately slammed the table and stood up. "Impossible! How could General Lan Yu commit treason? If he wanted to rebel, he could have declared independence back at Buyur Lake after capturing the wife and children of the Northern Yuan emperor. Why wait until now!"

"Whether he wants to or not is irrelevant." Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong's gaze shifted to General Wang Bi, his eyes sharp. "What matters is that The Emperor believes he will rebel, or rather, The Emperor needs him to 'commit treason'."

He paused, his voice suddenly rising a few notches. "My father, the Crown Prince, passed away, and Imperial Grandson Zhu Yunwen was named the Grand Imperial Heir. But he is just a mere child, weak and incompetent. Can he suppress you battle-hardened veterans? After The Emperor passes away, who will keep you in check for him? Therefore, you must all die!"

"First General Lan Yu, then General Fu, General Feng, and then everyone else present! All the military officers of the Huaixi Faction will not escape! This is what they call 'paving the way for eternal peace'!"

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong said the last six words extremely slowly and heavily, like a heavy hammer striking hard against the heart of everyone present.

The secret chamber fell silent once again.

These words were truly heart-piercing!

In truth, these old foxes who had been floating in the officialdom for years had more or less premonitions. They had all seen The Emperor's growing suspicion and suppression of military generals in recent years. But no one dared to think deeply about it, nor was anyone willing to believe that the monarch who had once fought side by side with them, sharing life and death, would truly raise the butcher's knife against them.

Now, this layer of paper had been pierced through by a fifteen-year-old youth.

The bloody truth was laid out right before their eyes.

"Yuntong..." Chang Sheng opened his mouth but didn't continue. He was Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong's biological uncle, yet as he looked at his nephew at this moment, he felt a sense of unfamiliarity. Was this still the child who would blush whenever he saw him?

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong picked up his teacup, gently blew the foam away, and continued. "I originally never intended to fight for anything. With my father gone and my second brother named the Grand Imperial Heir, I was content to be an idle prince, living out the rest of my life in peace. That would have been fine."

He changed the subject, his tone carrying a trace of self-mockery and coldness. "However, they would not allow it. Lady Lu views me as a thorn in her side. Three days ago, she already sent people to make a move. The original, peace-loving, cowardly, and timid Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong has already been held down in a water vat and drowned!"

"Now, they not only want my life, but they also want yours!"

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong raised his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and asked word by word: "Gentlemen, you tell me, what should I do? What should we do?"

Everyone fell silent. What could they do? Submit and wait to be executed and have their clans wiped out? Or...

Just then, Chang Sheng, who had not said much, suddenly slapped his thigh and stood up!

His eyes were bloodshot, and he pointed at Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong, his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "What to do? Your Highness! You ask us what to do?"

"What is Imperial Grandson Zhu Yunwen? A concubine-born son, what right does he have to be the Grand Imperial Heir! You are the biological son of my sister, the legitimate son of the Crown Prince, and The Emperor's legitimate eldest grandson! This Great Ming empire should have been yours from the start!"

This shout from Chang Sheng left everyone stunned.

Good heavens! Wait, are we going all out already? We were still considering whether to resist, and you're already declaring a new monarch?

General Feng Sheng and General Fu Youde exchanged glances, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

They had originally thought that Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong only wanted to unite them for self-preservation, but once these words from Chang Sheng came out, the nature of the matter changed completely.

This was not self-preservation; this was a struggle for the throne! A palace coup!

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong looked at his agitated uncle, silently thinking to himself, 'Awesome, my own uncle is reliable!' Yet, his face displayed an appropriately timed "astonishment" and "dilemma," which then transformed into a long sigh.

He slowly stood up and bowed deeply to everyone. "Uncle, you speak too highly. What virtue or ability do I have? It is just that now, with the butcher's knife hanging over our necks, we have no choice but to act."

He straightened up, his murderous intent chilling. "Fine, since they won't give us a way to live, then no one should have it easy!"

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong roughly explained his and General Lan Yu's plan, then continued. "I called you all here not to force you to risk your heads and rebel with me. For the dragon throne in Fengtian Hall, General Lan Yu and I are enough to seize it."

"I only need you all to do one thing for me."

"What thing?" General Fu Youde asked in a deep voice.

"Stall." Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong held up one finger. "The Emperor is currently at Xiaoling Mausoleum. Tomorrow morning, you will all go to Xiaoling Mausoleum together. Don't say anything; just kneel before the mausoleum and cry! Say that you remember Crown Prince Yiwen and implore The Emperor to reconsider and reinstate the legitimate grandson. You don't need to convince him; just stall him, stall him until I bring Lady Lu and Imperial Grandson Zhu Yunwen... to see him at Xiaoling Mausoleum!"

Hiss—a collective gasp echoed in the secret chamber.

Bringing Lady Lu and Imperial Grandson Zhu Yunwen to see Zhu Yuanzhang? Is this kid a madman?!

Everyone was stunned by this daring plan of Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong.

General Feng Sheng's lips trembled. He looked at Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong, stuttering. "Your Highness... this matter... this matter is too risky. If... if we fail, we will all be doomed beyond redemption!"

"Failure?" Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong sneered. "Failure is treason; success is the mandate of heaven!"

"Besides, from the moment you stepped into the gates of the Mansion of the Duke of Liang, you had no choice. Do you think Jiang Wan wouldn't know that I invited you here? By noon tomorrow, when he sees The Emperor, regardless of whether we succeed or not, the first memorial he submits will be 'General Lan Yu met with the generals in the dead of night, plotting misconduct'!"

"By then, even if you kneel at the entrance of Fengtian Hall and kowtow, saying you are innocent, will The Emperor believe you?"

Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong's voice was not loud, but every word was heart-piercing, shattering their last shred of hope.

Indeed, there was no way back. From the moment they arrived, it seemed they had already boarded a pirate ship. Oh, they shouldn't have come!

The expressions of the crowd shifted uncertainly. After a long while, the Duke of Ying, General Fu Youde, slowly raised his head. His turbid eyes stared fixedly at Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong, asking the most critical question.

"Your Highness, forgive this old subject for speaking bluntly. Leaving aside the one hundred thousand troops of the three great battalions of the capital outside the city, the fifty thousand Imperial Guards within the Imperial City alone are not easy to deal with. You and General Lan Yu... have only eight hundred men; how can you succeed?"