Chapter 6: Zhu Yunwen's Anger Unleashed
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“Grandfather Emperor, the civil and military officials are already waiting outside the hall,” Zhu Gaoxu reported respectfully, kneeling down.
“Very well,” Zhu Yuanzhang replied with a grunt through his nose. He turned to Zhu Di, his gaze majestic and commanding. “I intend to grant you the imperial throne, but I will not step forward to legitimize you myself. Are you willing to accept this?”
Zhu Di, barely able to contain his excitement, straightened and replied earnestly, “If it means the Great Ming can enter another era of prosperity, I care not for the infamy that may last through the ages. As long as I ascend the throne, I will benefit the people and truly fulfill their desire for peace and abundance.”
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, then looked solemnly at Zhu Di. “Fourth son Zhu Di, receive my command!”
“Father Emperor! Your son awaits your decree!” Zhu Di’s fingertips whitened from tension as he bowed deeply.
“Henceforth, Zhu Yunwen shall be honored as the Retired Emperor, and the throne is ceded to you. You are now the Emperor!”
Zhu Di felt as if this were all a dream, his heart pounding wildly. He quickly responded, “Your son obeys! Your son shall never fail you, nor the people of the world!”
“My fourth son, do not disappoint me!” Zhu Yuanzhang gave him a deep, meaningful look, then pointed to Zhu Yunwen. “Come here.”
“...Grandfather Emperor,” Zhu Yunwen was dazed, his entire body drained of strength, utterly powerless.
“Amitabha.”
It was the considerate Monk Jueyuan who helped him forward.
“Go out together with the Fourth Prince. Before the officials, you will read out the abdication edict, ceding the throne to the Prince of Yan.” Zhu Yuanzhang left no room for refusal. The situation of three dragons present in the court was detrimental to the realm. He did not wish to appear and further disturb the political order, so Zhu Yunwen’s abdication edict would suffice.
“Grandfather Emperor, I... as you command.” Zhu Yunwen, looking utterly miserable, opened his mouth as if to protest, but knowing well Zhu Yuanzhang's temperament, could only resign himself to fate.
Although Zhu Biao was somewhat disappointed by this outcome, he merely sighed and said nothing more.
At this moment, even if the Prince of Yan refused to ascend the throne, his followers would force him to do so. Although the Yan generals dared not act rashly in Zhu Yuanzhang’s presence, resentment might yet fester, perhaps even leading to future uprisings.
After all, rebellion was a crime that could wipe out one’s entire clan.
Zhu Di, though also disappointed that his father would not personally officiate, did not mind much. From beginning to end, all he needed was his father's recognition to fill the void in his heart. As long as his father acknowledged his legitimacy, the world’s slander meant nothing to him.
The happiest of all was Zhu Gaoxu, who was ecstatic, muttering to himself, “The heir is often ill—I must strive harder,” nearly losing himself in his own delight.
...
At this moment.
Emerging from the Hall of Reverence, Zhu Di, just past forty, was full of vigor, his eyes shining with joy and his cheeks flushed with excitement.
In stark contrast was Zhu Yunwen, who staggered forward in a daze, his defeated figure coming before the assembled officials.
A commotion broke out among the civil and military officials before they all knelt in unison, calling out,
“We bow before Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor, ten thousand years!”
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“Rise, beloved ministers,” said Zhu Yunwen, thinking that this might be his final decree, his heart filled with sorrow. “Summon Fang Xiaoru to receive the imperial edict!”
“Your servant is present!” Fang Xiaoru, deeply moved, immediately stepped forward.
Zhu Yunwen took a deep breath and, with great reluctance, spoke: “I, by mandate of Heaven and in reverence of our ancestors, was enlightened by the spirit of the Grand Founder. Realizing my own virtue is insufficient for this great office, and as the nation cannot go a day without a sovereign, I henceforth honor myself as the Retired Emperor, and cede the throne to the fourth son of the Grand Founder, the Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, as Emperor of the Great Ming!”
Having spoken, Emperor Jianwen—Zhu Yunwen—felt a wave of weakness and nearly collapsed, only to be caught by the ever-attentive Monk Jueyuan.
Below the steps, a chorus of voices erupted.
“Congratulations to the new Emperor! Long live His Majesty, ten thousand years!”
The Yan garrison was wild with joy, falling to their knees and hailing the Emperor, fearing any hesitation might jeopardize their hopes of rank and title.
The actual enthronement would not be held today—for the change of era name and ancestral rites were yet to be performed—but the Yan generals had yearned for this moment for so long that they could not wait to set the tone.
“Your Majesty, you must not!”
Fang Xiaoru, aghast, cried out in protest.
Zhu Di immediately frowned and snapped, “Why not? The former Emperor was misled by traitors. I entered the capital under Heaven's mandate to restore order, and today, before the Grand Founder, I receive his edict and the abdication from the former Emperor. The succession is legitimate! How dare you defy this decree?”
“Utter nonsense! The Grand Founder has been gone for years—how dare you disturb his sacred spirit?”
Fang Xiaoru glared at Zhu Di before the hall. “Traitor Zhu Di, you are filled with evil intent, falsely invoking the Founder’s will, raising troops in rebellion. You have thrown the land into turmoil, cities to ruin, fields to waste, people to suffering, and soldiers to slaughter. You have overturned prosperity and brought disaster to the nation. You call it pacification, but in truth it is treason!”
“Our Emperor Jianwen has been forced to abdicate, the majestic capital reduced to a sea of fire—all because you, Zhu Di, forced your way to the throne, usurped the succession, and revealed your wolfish ambitions for all to see! You have truly brought calamity upon the people, incurring the wrath of both men and spirits—let the Grand Founder and the gods bear witness!”
Zhu Yunwen was stunned—this was his own official, so fierce and unyielding. He knew Fang Xiaoru’s eloquence and literary talent, but had not expected words so sharp and dazzling.
Now, with the Grand Founder present in the hall, if Fang Xiaoru continued, perhaps Zhu Yuanzhang might be moved to reconsider. This thought stirred Zhu Yunwen’s heart with hope.
He gave Fang Xiaoru an encouraging smile, urging him on.
On the steps of the Hall of Reverence, Zhu Di’s face darkened, having realized the same possibility. He immediately barked,
“Insolence! Seize him—”
“You are insolent! I am a minister appointed by the Grand Founder himself. To silence me is to disregard the Grand Founder! Rebel followers of Yan, I dare you to touch me!”
Fang Xiaoru’s eyes blazed as he shouted, spittle flying, “Our Grand Founder rose from humble origins, risking death a thousand times, uniting the realm, establishing a dynasty that stretches a thousand miles, founding an enterprise to outlast the ages. He ruled for thirty-one years and enjoyed seventy-one years of life before ascending to immortality.”
“In the thirty-first year of the Hongwu era, in the intercalary fifth month on the sixteenth day, Crown Prince Yunwen ascended the throne by imperial edict, becoming the second Emperor of Ming, and changed the era name to ‘Jianwen’!”
“Since ascending the throne, our Emperor Jianwen has governed with benevolence, emulating the wise rule of the early Han. He has reduced taxes, alleviated the people’s suffering; enacted leniency, teaching all by the rites of Zhou; drawn close to his ministers, and practiced the holy virtues of the ancient emperors. Oh! Our Emperor is wise and will be revered for all time!”
“But you, rebel Zhu Di, are disloyal as a subject, unfilial as a son, unkind as an uncle, and unrighteous as an elder. You have sinned against your ancestors and the very heavens! Such traitors as you incur the wrath of both Heaven and man, and all are called to punish you!”
“You, traitor, have the gall to stand before the Grand Founder’s hall. If I were you, I would already be too ashamed to show my face!”
“You have rebelled against your sovereign, killed your lord and usurped the throne. Your descendants will follow your example, murdering one another, cutting off your head, plunging the realm into chaos.”
“Zhu Di, look behind you! The spirit of the Grand Founder watches you, Heaven and the gods will not tolerate you. The ancestors will punish you, Heaven will destroy you, your descendants will be shamed, and future generations will curse you. You will be less than man or beast, never to find solace through eternity!”
Crack!
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A sudden sound came from within the Hall of Reverence. Zhu Yunwen was overjoyed, feeling an exhilarating sense of release.
What a scolding! Truly magnificent!
Zhu Di’s chest rose and fell rapidly, his liver aching with anger. He knew this was not the time to lose control, so he took a deep breath, calming himself, and said coolly, “Are you finished?”
Fang Xiaoru replied coldly, “I have spoken. The Grand Founder has heard it as well.”
“Heh, heh heh.”
Zhu Di suddenly praised, “Sir, your words are truly piercing, shaking Heaven and moving the spirits. You are indeed a great scholar of our age.”
“Alas, words are not as deadly as swords and spears. Their intent is not as sharp as halberds and blades,” Fang Xiaoru retorted modestly.
“What you should regret is not the power of your words,” Zhu Di’s expression changed abruptly as he shouted, “but your lack of discernment between right and wrong, your failure to distinguish virtue from vice, your wasted study of the classics, and your defilement of loyalty and righteousness! Consider our Grand Founder: through endless battles, securing the realm, establishing an empire to last ten thousand generations. Yet Jianwen was unworthy, favoring traitors—the chief of whom were Qi Tai and Fang Xiaoru! You brought calamity to the state, slaughtered my family. If your hearts were not those of beasts, how could you bear such deeds?”
“Since I was granted my fief, I have only defended the nation and upheld the law, while traitorous ministers ran rampant, harming the innocent, plotting to strip away my defenses, and gathering an army of three hundred thousand to besiege me in Beiping. Horses thundered through the streets, swords rang out in my palace. I could only feign madness to survive. I am the Grand Founder’s son, yet as the Prince of Yan I was reduced to such straits—what then of the common people?”
“Fang Xiaoru, do you not know that even Heaven values life, yet you traitors drove the sons of Ming to slaughter one another, incited the Grand Founder’s heirs to civil war, bringing untold suffering to the people. How many descendants did my father have for you to butcher? How many fields and homes for you to destroy?”
Overcome by emotion, Zhu Di pointed at the speechless Jianwen Emperor, his words tumbling forth. “He, Zhu Yunwen! Lacks the learning of an apprentice, the virtue of a peddler! He deceives the world with empty talk, misleads the country through obstinacy! He altered the laws, reformed the bureaucracy, defied the classics; restored the well-field system, disrupted the fiefs, overturned all that is right. The Grand Founder’s testament was: If the court lacks loyal ministers and is beset by traitors, raise the army to purge the Emperor’s side of evil!”
“Fang Xiaoru, you style yourself a great scholar but do not practice the way of the sages—this is inhumanity; you call yourself a gentleman but sow discord between uncle and nephew—this is unrighteousness; Jianwen abdicates, yet you defy the sacred command—this is disloyalty; before the Grand Founder’s tomb you spout lies, deceiving the world—this is unfilial!”
“You, disloyal, unfilial, inhumane, unrighteous men, dare in broad daylight to slander and mislead, your wolfish ambitions plain for all to see, as Heaven and earth bear witness!”
Fang Xiaoru shook his head, sneering, “The people of the world have eyes and ears. No matter how sharp your tongue, it cannot erase the infamy of your march on the capital, your usurpation and rebellion!”
“So my tongue is sharp, I—! The Retired Emperor has already ceded the throne to me, yet you openly defy the imperial presence. Do you wish for your entire clan to be executed?”
“Exterminate my ten clans if you wish!” Fang Xiaoru laughed softly, and the officials behind him straightened in silent respect.
“Very well, I will grant your wish!”
Zhu Di agreed without hesitation.
Those few officials who were related to Fang Xiaoru by marriage or within five degrees of kinship were terrified. Damn, you’re so noble, so impressive—how generous of you!
“Brother Liu, who exactly are these ten clans?” Several lower-ranking officials whispered among themselves.
Brother Liu pondered and replied, “Put it this way: if you spoke a word to Fang Xiaoru this morning, not only you, but your distant cousin’s uncle by marriage would be buried with you!”
“Hiss—!”
At once, the officials gasped in horror, their respect for Fang Xiaoru reaching its peak—except, of course, for those whose faces turned ashen with dread.
...