Chapter 109: I... Am Here!

A sudden voice rang out.

“No need, just cut it off directly!”

The icy, bone-chilling voice of the old Zhu Di echoed abruptly.

“Y-Your Majesty?”

Li Shimian, writhing in pain on the ground, fell silent, his face pale with fear.

His head was buzzing, and only one thought occupied his mind: Why didn’t you even give a warning when you showed up? If I had known you were here, I wouldn’t have dared to say a word!

“I pay my respects to Emperor Taizong’s sacred spirit!” Luo Rujing’s legs trembled uncontrollably.

They had speculated from multiple angles, thinking that Zhu Di’s spirit might have appeared because it was just the seventh day after his death, perhaps returning for a final visit. But after several months, the soul would have long dissipated or possibly even been reincarnated by now.

So, having discussed it, the two of them only dared to boldly enter the palace to threaten Emperor Hongxi.

After all, he had been on the throne for less than a year and was still unstable.

The worst that could happen was imprisonment!

And imprisonment during the Hongxi reign was a joke. Not to mention, the entire cabinet was filled with officials who had been imprisoned before—black society types, essentially.

Even if they didn’t want to stay inside, the cabinet, the Six Ministries, and the twenty-four offices were all controlled by their people.

If they were imprisoned, they could secure medical parole by the second day.

There was nothing to fear.

“Father!”

The angry expression on the plump Hongxi’s face faded, and he got up to call out, suddenly feeling a bit wronged.

“Eldest son, when will your heart and methods harden!” Old Zhu Di glanced at him, scolding with bitter disappointment.

“Your son feels ashamed,” the plump Hongxi bowed his head in shame.

Old Zhu Di shook his head, glanced at the guards, and said coldly, “Are you deaf? Chop him down!”

“By decree!”

The guards, terrified, hacked Li Shimian to death outside with their swords.

Luo Rujing trembled like a leaf, drenched in cold sweat, his heart gripped by unbearable fear.

Old Zhu Di said indifferently, “Take this one out and chop him down as well.”

“Y-Your Majesty, I never spoke presumptuously about ascending the throne!” Luo Rujing stood frozen, unable to believe what he was hearing.

“Just taking care of some side business.”

“By decree!”

The guards dared not ask questions and obediently carried out the order.

Luo Rujing, still shouting in terror, was dragged out and hacked to death.

The plump Hongxi shifted uneasily.

Old Zhu Di sighed, patting his shoulder. “Eldest son, with your father and grandfather backing you up, what is there to fear?”

“Next time, just kill them outright. It’s absurd—just a mere Hanlin Academician openly threatening the emperor. Do you know how history will remember this?”

“Father, this…” The plump Hongxi frowned helplessly, “I wouldn’t have known. When I went to Jingtai, I didn’t dare touch the official histories.”

“You, well, forget it. Just remember to learn more from your grandfather in the future!” Old Zhu Di patted him and gave a reminder.

“Yes, yes!” The plump Hongxi forced a smile and then turned to urge, “Zhu Youjian, shall we depart now?”

“All right!”

Zhu Youjian nodded but silently thought to himself:

Before Emperor Renzong died, he was still cursing. That bastard Li Shimian insulted me.

But strangely, when Emperor Xuanzong returned from Nanjing, no official in the capital mentioned it. That was understandable, but there was no news at all from the palace, which was very odd.

After all, my father and Li Shimian argued bitterly, and the next day he died suddenly.

Whether or not Li Shimian was involved, he had to die. At the very least, he had the crime of causing Emperor Renzong’s death from anger. The emperor seeking revenge for his father’s murder was not unreasonable.

But in the end, he didn’t die.

At first, Emperor Xuanzong didn’t know. It wasn’t until the first year of the Xuande reign, when he personally campaigned against Prince Han, that he received this news.

Xuanzong was furious, vowing to personally interrogate and kill the man!

Li Shimian was then taken to the Western Market and was about to be beheaded.

However, due to insufficient evidence, the execution was not carried out.

In the Ming Dynasty’s legal society,

Li Shimian firmly denied everything, saying that day he only advised your father to avoid women and nothing more.

With the ministers refusing to aid the emperor and cutting off Xuanzong’s path to fabricate evidence,

Zhu Zhanji was powerless.

The most absurd part—he was even reinstated to his official position.

...

In the small world:

Hongwu throne: Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Xiongying.

Jianwen throne: Zhu Laosì.

Yongle throne: Old Zhu Di, plump Yongle, young Yongle Zhu.

Hongxi throne: Plump Hongxi (young Hongxi Zhu has departed for Nanjing).

Xuande throne: Zhu Zhanji.

Zhengtong throne: (Zhengtong Zhu Qiyu absent; young Zhu Jianshen is ill and insists on staying close to his little ancestor).

Jingtai throne: Zhu Qiyu, young Zhu Jianshen.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at this big family and smiled broadly, unable to contain his joy: “Everyone’s here. Qiyu boy, is that stool poking your behind?”

Zhu Qiyu wore a worried expression, restless in spirit: “Grandfather Taizu, my eldest brother is missing!”

Old Zhu Di, who had intended to get Zhu Youjian to bring back Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui of the Yongle era first, paused.

Matters must be handled according to their importance; at least the second and third brothers were still alive.

“Hmm?” Zhu Yuanzhang frowned.

“Zhu Qizhen is missing?”

“What exactly happened?”

Emperor Xuande Zhu Zhanji’s face grew serious as he kept asking.

Could it be… this child wouldn’t do something foolish?

Zhu Zhanji shook his head.

The ancestral decree was clear; there was no need to strike against the elder brother. Zhu Qiyu had no such intention either. If he wanted to, he would have done so long ago. Why wait until now?

Everyone present clearly understood this.

“How long has he been missing?” Zhu Youjian asked curiously.

He remembered sleeping with Baosong just a few days ago. How could he suddenly disappear?

“Three days!”

Zhu Qiyu noticed the tense atmosphere and hurried to explain: “The guards in the southern palace said no one has been seen leaving during this period, and a thorough search around the imperial city found no trace of big brother!”

“Hmm, father is missing, but uncle has been seriously searching,” young Zhu Jianshen nodded earnestly.

Three days?

Zhu Youjian blinked, suddenly feeling a little guilty.

He seemed to recall sleeping in the southern palace during the Jingtai-Tianshun time-space three days ago.

Baosong left early that morning...

Could it be that, confused in a daze, he accidentally turned Baosong to ashes?

Zhu Youjian’s heart raced.

“Eldest grandson, why don’t you divine this and see what’s going on?” Zhu Yuanzhang said solemnly.

“Yes, Youjian, the entire capital has searched for three days with no result. We must rely on you,” Zhu Qiyu said quickly, eager to clear suspicion.

“All right… I’ll do it!”

Zhu Youjian licked his dry lips and reluctantly agreed. He planned to check Baosong’s bed in the southern palace to see if there was any ash.

Then he would try to bring Baosong back to life!

Suddenly,

A hoarse, weak voice came from under the table:

“I… am here!”

...

(Requesting power boost, boom boom boom, foster fathers! The highest respect!)