Chapter Forty-Two: Who Is the Traitor? On a Knife’s Edge!

“May I ask, Your Highness the Prince of Wu, are you planning to rebel?”

A simple question, yet it carried an eerie weight.

The Prince of Wu was the biological son of the late Crown Prince and the current Emperor’s grandson.

He had lived secluded within the inner palace for years, rarely interacting with the civil and military officials of the court.

Only recently, after making shocking remarks in the court and being granted the title Prince of Wu by His Majesty, did he become known to the outside world.

Such a man—how could he possibly rebel?

Even if he truly did, how many in the court would support him?

Yet, considering that not long ago he openly demanded the position of heir apparent and the throne of the Great Ming Empire in court, the notion suddenly seemed somewhat plausible.

After all, when it comes to struggles for the throne, imperial sons and grandsons are more prone to unscrupulous deeds.

Wang Bi arrived with a formidable presence, immediately placing a heavy accusation upon the Prince, claiming the moral high ground.

His gaze swept over Lan Yu and Fu Ye, both bound and furious.

Wang Bi had followed Lan Yu through countless battles and was deeply loyal to him.

Upon hearing that Zhu Yunxu had, without imperial decree, surrounded the residence of Duke Liang Guo, Wang Bi immediately contacted several prominent nobles and military commanders in the capital, gathered their retainers and guards, and stormed over with overwhelming force.

In Jinling City, which noble or military commander lacked hundreds of retainers?

Most of these men were veteran soldiers, hardened by years on the battlefield.

A few dozen noble families could amass thousands of such men.

The only shortcoming was that, aside from the commanders themselves, these retainers wore no armor.

Their weapons varied—spears, heavy blades, steel tridents.

The Ming court forbade civilians from possessing armor but did not prohibit blades or other weapons.

Their clothes were diverse and disorderly, yet these men were no ordinary civilians; their presence was imposing.

Wang Bi could not bear to see Lan Yu captured; he was determined to rescue him.

Since Zhu Yunxu lacked imperial order, Wang Bi had ample justification for his actions.

Even if the Emperor tacitly approved, they could feign ignorance.

With enough nobles and military men involved, the law would not hold individuals accountable, and even the Emperor would hesitate to act, leaving the matter unresolved.

Lan Yu would be saved.

Having resolved this, Wang Bi led his forces forward.

Zhu Gaozhu immediately jumped up, shouting loudly, “Brother Prince of Wu, you wouldn’t really want to rebel, would you?”

“How can you betray the Emperor Grandfather?”

“Indeed, Brother Prince of Wu has long desired to be heir apparent and ascend the throne; this is known throughout the land.”

“Brother Prince of Wu covets the Great Ming Empire.”

“But Brother Prince of Wu, you cannot rebel!”

“Surrender quickly and apologize to Emperor Grandfather!”

“Emperor Grandfather has always loved you and surely will not punish you severely.”

Zhu Yunxu gave him a deep look.

No wonder Zhu Gaozhu later rebelled.

With such a temperament, he was clearly a spoiled child from youth.

Seeing Zhu Yunxu’s gaze, Zhu Gaozhu suddenly shouted, “Brother Prince of Wu, you wouldn’t want to kill me, would you?”

“I’m just trying to advise you kindly!”

“You’re rebelling now, seizing the Great Ming Empire—you definitely cannot defeat Emperor Grandfather!”

“Better to surrender early and accept the Emperor’s judgment, that way your punishment will be lighter!”

He then ran toward Wang Bi’s side, shouting, “I am the second son of the Prince of Yan, the Marquis of Dingyuan—save me quickly!”

Such behavior left even Zhu Gaochi dumbfounded.

Helpless, he had no choice but to follow Zhu Gaozhu out.

Wang Bi laughed heartily.

His strategist rode forward and spoke beside the two young princes, “Rest assured, Your Highnesses, with me here, I will ensure your safety.”

He looked up at Zhu Yunxu and shouted, “Your Highness the Prince of Wu, the plot to rebel has been exposed. I have brought thousands of noble warriors from the capital to suppress the rebellion. Will you not repent and surrender?”

Turning to Jiang Guan and the Embroidered Uniform Guards, he called out, “You are the Emperor’s personal troops; how can you rebel alongside the Prince of Wu?”

“Know the law is clear! Lay down your weapons and capture the Prince of Wu now, and His Majesty may yet show leniency.”

Hearing this, the Embroidered Uniform Guards grew restless.

They did not believe the Prince of Wu was rebelling.

But to surround Duke Liang’s residence without imperial decree and arrest Duke Lan Yu—this was admitted by the Prince himself.

How should this be judged?

Following the Prince could be seen as defying the Emperor’s sacred will.

Many were filled with doubt.

At this moment, Wang Bi’s words only deepened their hesitation.

Could this truly be deemed rebellion?

After all, they had all heard of the Prince’s open demand to be heir apparent.

And now, this unauthorized arrest of Duke Liang...

Whether they would be punished, or how severely, depended entirely on the Emperor’s will.

If permitted, they would be safe.

If displeased, blaming the Prince for overstepping...

Would they suffer alongside him?

The soldiers of the Embroidered Uniform Guards were uneasy.

Only their leader, Jiang Guan, remained calm.

Judging by the time, the messenger to the palace should have delivered the report long ago.

If the Emperor intended to intervene, the imperial edict should have arrived by now.

Since there was no response, the Emperor must be tacitly allowing the Prince’s unilateral actions.

Recalling that the Emperor had already decreed that they obey the Prince’s orders, Jiang Guan was at ease.

Seeing the unrest among his men, he shouted, “Do not heed Wang Bi’s slander! He himself has gathered forces to surround the Embroidered Uniform Guards and intends treason, yet he blames others!”

“Your Highness the Prince of Wu is the Emperor’s grandson; how could we tolerate such baseless accusations?”

“His Majesty has decreed that the Embroidered Uniform Guards obey the Prince’s orders.”

“Disobedience is rebellion!”

Hearing their commander’s firm words, the guards steadied.

If the commander spoke so resolutely, any future blame from the Emperor would not fall upon them.

After all, they were only following orders.

Wang Bi retorted coldly, “The two sons of the Prince of Yan have seen through the Prince of Wu’s treacherous ambitions. Jiang Guan, as commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, surely you see it too?”

“Now you deliberately confuse the issue, clearly conspiring with him in rebellion. Then do not blame me for showing no mercy!”

As his voice fell, the troops behind him advanced once more.

The sudden shift left the crowd watching utterly stunned.

Fang Xiaoru was overjoyed.

At first, seeing Lan Yu surrender without resistance, he had been resentful, thinking Lan Yu lacked backbone.

Unexpectedly, Wang Bi had brought a host of noble military heirs from the capital to rescue Lan Yu.

This caused a far greater stir than if Lan Yu had simply resisted.

After such an uproar, whatever the outcome, how could Zhu Yunxu still claim a right to the heirship?

Fang Xiaoru smiled proudly, his beard trembling as if envisioning Zhu Yunxu’s inevitable downfall.

At that moment, Zhu Yunxu stepped forward from behind Jiang Guan.

His expression was calm, showing no sign of panic, as if everything unfolded as he had anticipated.

“Wang Bi, you say I rebelled by arresting Duke Liang without imperial decree.”

“But you bring so many men to attack me and the Embroidered Uniform Guards—do you have the Emperor’s order for that?”

“If not, it seems you are the true rebel.”

Wang Bi laughed heartily from his horse.

“As Marquis of Dingyuan of Great Ming, it is my duty to quell rebellion.”

“The situation was urgent; I had no time to report to His Majesty. Leading forces to restore order first is my responsibility.”

“Once the mutiny is quelled, I will enter the palace and personally apologize to His Majesty. No need for Your Highness to concern yourself.”

“Today, Your Highness has been misled by demons and acted unlawfully. Were I to sit idly by, I would not be a loyal minister of Great Ming!”

“Soldiers, obey my command! Advance and rescue Duke Liang, capture the Prince of Wu!”

At his command, the noble warriors and their guards behind him roared and charged toward Zhu Yunxu.

Jiang Guan drew his sword abruptly.

“Embroidered Uniform Guards, obey orders! Marquis Wang Bi rebels! We pledge to defend the Prince of Wu to the death!”

“Shing! Shing! Shing!”

Blades were drawn in rapid succession.

As dusk approached, with the evening sky tinged faintly red and a cool breeze rising, the imminent battle hung in the air, ready to ignite.

Zhu Gaozhu excitedly shouted, “Kill! Kill! The more the better! Let rivers run red with blood! Let heads roll! Traitors, all traitors—kill them all, leave none alive!”

He clapped and cheered, his youthful face lighting up with glee and pride.

Zhu Yunxu’s expression remained unchanged.

Apart from briefly rebuking Wang Bi, he took no action.

Even as battle loomed, he was impeccably composed.

It was as if he had everything under control.

“Stop! All of you, stop at once!”

Suddenly, a thunderous command exploded like a bolt of lightning.