9: Chapter 9 The Xuanwu Gate Incident
The third quarter of the Yin hour.
The night was as dark as ink, and the cold was bone-piercing.
Beneath the Xuanwu Gate on the north side of the Imperial City, all was silent, save for the faint clinking of the patrolling guards' armor.
Several dung carts, adorned with palace lanterns, creaked their way along the stone-paved road, led by a fawning steward eunuch.
A pungent stench instantly permeated the air, causing the gate guards to instinctively step back, frowning and covering their noses.
"Geez, damn it! Do the nobles in the palace take shits that smell worse than everyone else's?" a young captain complained in a low, cursing voice.
Atop the gate tower, Captain Zhang San stood with his hands behind his back, his tall frame appearing somewhat rigid in the night wind.
He looked down at the dung carts slowly approaching below, his gaze complex, as if the thrilling warmth of that night-luminescent pearl still lingered in his palm.
"Boss, why are you still standing there? Give the order to open the gate and let them through," his deputy urged.
Zhang San did not speak, only clenching his fists. The Duke of Cao's letter had been very blunt: on one side was boundless wealth and promises; on the other, the threat of death for his entire family.
He had no choice.
"Open the gate." These two words seemed to exhaust all his strength, and with a creak, the heavy palace gate slowly pulled open...
Just as the first dung cart was about to pass through the gate, a sudden change occurred!
The canvas on the cart was violently ripped away, revealing not slop buckets, but faces filled with murderous intent!
The leader was none other than General Lan Yu!
"Kill!"
Without any wasted words, General Lan Yu let out a low roar and leaped from the cart, blade in hand, like a tiger descending the mountain, charging directly at the stunned gate guards.
Behind him, hundreds of black-clad death soldiers surged into the Xuanwu Gate like a tidal wave, their steel blades glinting with a chilling light in the moonlight.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Hands rose and blades fell, blood splattering.
The Imperial Guards at the gate hadn't even had time to raise an alarm before they were cut down by these wolf-like killing gods.
Standing on the tower, Zhang San watched the bloody scene below, his legs giving way, and he collapsed to the ground, muttering, "Duke of Cao, oh Duke of Cao, you have truly ruined my entire family this time."
Just then, a figure even faster than General Lan Yu, shrouded in terrifying murderous intent, leaped from the cart.
"Boom!"
With a loud crash, his feet hit the ground, and the hard bluestone floor cracked into spiderweb patterns under his impact.
The newcomer was not tall, his figure appearing somewhat slight compared to a burly man like General Lan Yu.
Yet, he wore a suit of Mingguang armor with a black base and gold-thread trimming. It was the standard armor of the Great Ming Crown Prince, the very set that Crown Prince Zhu Biao had loved most during his lifetime!
Beneath the helmet was a young, expressionless face—it was Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong!
He held a long saber in his hand; the blade was narrow and long, with a graceful curve, shimmering with a dark luster under the torchlight.
"Your Highness!" General Lan Yu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets; he tried to swallow, but couldn't get the spit down his throat.
He knew Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong had great strength, but damn it, he never expected it to be to this extent! Is this even human?
Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong ignored General Lan Yu's astonishment. His gaze swept over the Imperial Guards, who were stunned by the scent of blood, without a shred of pity. A nearby Imperial Guard captain finally reacted, raising his spear and shouting with a fierce but hollow voice, "Who goes there! How dare you trespass upon the palace gate..."
Before he could finish, Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong moved.
No fancy moves, no wasted actions—just a simple, direct step forward and a horizontal slash.
The captain felt a blur before his eyes, and an irresistible force surged from the shaft of his spear.
"Snap!"
The refined iron spear shaft snapped instantly.
Then, the cold blade did not pause for a second, sweeping across his neck.
A head soared into the sky.
A column of blood, over three feet high, sprayed from his neck, staining the vermilion palace gate behind him a shocking red.
"Thud."
The headless corpse swayed twice before falling straight to the ground.
The entire Xuanwu Gate fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone was stunned by this bloody, overbearing, and unreasonable slash.
Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong flicked the blood drops from his blade, pointing the tip toward the ground, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the remaining trembling Imperial Guards.
"I am the Great Ming's Imperial Grandson, Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong."
"Acting on Heaven's mandate to eliminate the treacherous villains!"
"Those who block me shall die!"
The moment his words fell, he moved again.
This time, he held nothing back; the violent bloodline originating from Prince Kaiping Chang Yuchun within him boiled over! He became like a black bolt of lightning, charging directly into the crowd of Imperial Guards.
Beneath the Xuanwu Gate, the place had completely turned into a living hell.
And in the center of that hell, the youth in the Crown Prince's armor was the only demon god.
"Damn it..." General Lan Yu finally snapped out of his shock. Watching Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong wreak havoc, he felt a rush of adrenaline go straight to his head, and his own blood began to boil.
A madman! This kid is even crazier than his grandfather, Prince Kaiping Chang Yuchun!
But damn, this is exhilarating!
...
Xiaoling Mausoleum. The horizon was just beginning to turn a fish-belly white, and the morning mist had not yet dispersed. Zhu Yuanzhang stood alone before the tomb of Empress Ma.
He wore a faded blue cloth robe, no dragon robes, and no entourage, just like an ordinary old farmer coming to visit his wife who lay in eternal rest here.
"Wife, I've come to see you again."
Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was somewhat raspy. He reached out with his calloused hands and gently brushed a fallen leaf from the tombstone.
"Crown Prince Zhu Biao is gone too, and my heart feels empty. Tell me, did I do something wrong? I fought to win this empire just so my descendants could live in peace, but now... sigh."
"That child Yunwen is kind-hearted, but too soft. Not like me, and not like Crown Prince Zhu Biao. I fear he won't be able to suppress those arrogant soldiers and fierce generals. That bastard General Lan Yu is becoming increasingly unruly, so I've been thinking, before he causes even bigger trouble, I should pull out this thorn first—it would count as paving the way for Yunwen."
"Don't worry, I will leave the kid's body intact. As for Crown Prince Zhu Yuntong..."
Mentioning this name, Zhu Yuanzhang frowned.
"That child is like his mother; his nature is too weak. It's not that I don't like him, it's just... the Imperial family has no room for sheep. Later, I'll find him a prosperous fiefdom, let him live a peaceful life—that will be doing right by Crown Prince Zhu Biao."
He rambled on like that, as if discussing with his wife, or perhaps trying to convince himself.
Just then, a commotion arose outside the mausoleum.
Eunuch Wang Fu hurried over, knelt on the ground, his voice trembling: "Your... Your Majesty, it's bad! Duke of Song, Duke of Ying, and the others... they've brought a large group of Huaixi Nobility, and they've... they've all come!"
"Hmm?" Zhu Yuanzhang slowly turned around, a sharp glint instantly flashing in his cloudy, aged eyes. "What have they come for?"
"They... they didn't say anything, they just knelt outside the mausoleum and cried!"
"Cried?" Zhu Yuanzhang's expression darkened. "What are they crying about?"
"Crying for... crying for Crown Prince Yiwen..."
Zhu Yuanzhang fell silent, then asked in a deep voice: "What about General Lan Yu? Has General Lan Yu come?"
Eunuch Wang Fu heard this, thought carefully, and replied: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Duke of Liang has not arrived."
"Has not arrived..." Zhu Yuanzhang muttered these words, the wrinkles on his face tightening instantly. "A bunch of old bones come to cry for Crown Prince Zhu Biao, yet the one who should have come the most hasn't... Good, very good!"
He turned abruptly, his voice not loud, but carrying the oppressive weight of an impending storm: "Pass the decree, tell Jiang Wan to roll over here and see me! Immediately! Right now!"