Chapter 18: Punishment by the Staff

After returning from the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yunwen recounted everything that had transpired to Lady Lu.

In an instant, Lady Lu collapsed into her chair.

She had lived too comfortably over the past few years, so much so that she mistakenly believed Zhu Yuntong was still the mediocre, incompetent imperial grandson he had always been—the one she could manipulate at will, who lacked the courage even to face the Old Emperor.

In reality, not only did Zhu Yuntong have the nerve to face the Old Emperor, but he had even dared to draw his sword in the imperial court and demand death.

The Zhu Yuntong of the past would have only suffered in silence, but that was no longer the case. Lady Lu had failed to adjust to this shift. With her carefully crafted narrative shattered, how could she help Zhu Yunwen seize the throne?

Her mind was a complete blank. She felt as though she had forgotten who she was, utterly at a loss for what to do. Zhu Yunwen was in much the same state, left bewildered and helpless by Zhu Yuntong’s counterattack.

"Crown Princess."

Dongqing trotted inside and said, "Consort Hui has arrived."

"Where is the Crown Princess?"

The voice of Consort Guo Hui echoed from outside. She intended to enter, and no one in the Eastern Palace dared to block her. While Lady Lu was indeed the Crown Princess, she paled in comparison to Consort Guo Hui; both in terms of status and seniority, Lady Lu was inferior.

"Consort Hui, why have you come?"

With her mind finally clearing slightly, Lady Lu hurried out to greet her. Seeing the four sisters—Zhu Lingyue and the others—following timidly behind Consort Guo Hui, she immediately sensed that this visit boded ill for her.

"Lingyue, why have you returned with Consort Hui?" Lady Lu forced a smile and stammered, "It was Dongqing who spread my orders incorrectly. I will punish her shortly; it is my fault for failing to manage the servants properly..."

"Enough!" Consort Guo Hui cut her off.

Lady Lu had intended to make Dongqing the scapegoat. The maid immediately knelt, not daring to protest, but such clumsy tactics were useless before Consort Guo Hui.

At such a critical juncture, to still be refusing to admit fault—displaying such a poor attitude and lack of character—left Consort Guo Hui wondering why the Emperor and the Crown Prince had ever elevated this woman to the position of Crown Princess. Perhaps she was simply exceptionally good at putting on a facade.

"From now on, the Lingyue sisters will stay by my side. I will take care of them; there is no need to trouble the high and mighty Crown Princess," Consort Guo Hui declared.

"Yes," Lady Lu replied, bowing her head, not daring to object.

"The Emperor also said..."

At these words, Lady Lu’s body stiffened. She knew it wouldn't end so easily. She was terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"The Emperor has ordered me to punish you, so that you might learn that the Eastern Palace belongs to the Zhu family, not the Lu family."

"Since he did not specify the method, let us do it this way: someone, give the Crown Princess ten strokes of the cane. Once that is done, it shall be settled."

Consort Guo Hui had a sense of proportion. Since Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang had not specified the punishment, it could neither be too severe nor too lenient. A caning was just right.

"Proceed," Consort Guo Hui commanded.

Two eunuchs hurried in, each holding a wooden staff. Lady Lu knew a punishment was inevitable, but this seemed manageable; it suggested the Emperor would not be overly ruthless toward her. Once the lashes were over, she would still be the Crown Princess. There was still a chance to recover, even if the impression she had made was poor; that could be mended later.

"Yunwen, leave!" Lady Lu did not want her son to see her being punished.

Once Zhu Yunwen had departed, Lady Lu submitted to the lashes, enduring the pain. Consort Guo Hui had no interest in watching, and she led the Lingyue sisters out of the Eastern Palace, saying, "From now on, stay by my side, and no one will dare to bully you."

Zhu Lingxiu asked, "Grandmother Guo, will we be able to see Third Brother again?"

"Silly child," Consort Guo Hui laughed, "of course you can. You are all so fond of each other."

As they spoke, they gradually drifted away. The eunuchs finished their task and left to report back to Consort Guo Hui, as they were not servants of the Eastern Palace.

"Mother!" Zhu Yunwen entered with red-rimmed eyes, weeping, "I think I am going to lose."

"You have not lost yet!" Lady Lu insisted. "Stop crying. Go immediately to the Grand Learning Hall and speak with Master Huang and the others. We will not lose. If we had already lost, today would have been about more than just a punishment from Consort Guo Hui. Remember, we will not lose."

If they truly lost, Lady Lu would likely be stripped of her title as Crown Princess. Since Zhu Yuanzhang had not stated as much, they had not lost.

"The civil officials of the entire court support us," Lady Lu said. "We will not lose. Go now to the Grand Learning Hall and find Master Huang."

"Alright!" Zhu Yunwen wiped his nose, realizing she was right. Relying on Lady Lu was no longer a viable option; his only path forward was to consult with Huang Zicheng and his associates.

***

After leaving the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yuntong searched his memories for a while before finally locating the Grand Learning Hall. It was located in the Wenhua Hall, south of the Eastern Palace's Chunhe Palace, though the walk from the Qianqing Palace was quite long.

The Imperial Palace was truly vast.

The Grand Learning Hall was where the Crown Prince, the princes, and the imperial grandsons studied; it also served as the palace library. As a student, Zhu Yuntong was required to attend classes every day, and today was no exception, regardless of the events of the previous day.

"Zhu Yuntong!"

Just as he arrived, a man of seventeen or eighteen called out to him. According to his memories, Zhu Yuntong recognized him as his thirteenth uncle, Prince Dai, Zhu Gui.

He had originally been the Prince of Yu, but was re-titled Prince Dai this year. He had not yet moved to his fief; he was expected to head to Datong next year. He was the son of Consort Guo Hui.

Since Consort Guo Hui had just helped him, Zhu Yuntong felt a sudden surge of goodwill toward Zhu Gui. He walked over and said, "Thirteenth Uncle!"

"You brat, you actually made it!" Zhu Gui slung an arm around Zhu Yuntong’s shoulder in a display of friendliness. "I thought for sure the Emperor would have had you strung up and beaten."

In truth, their relationship had not been this close before. The change stemmed from Zhu Yuntong’s decision to drop his mask the previous day. The other imperial uncles’ favor for Zhu Yuntong had instantly surged.

Men like Zhu Gui had no hope of seizing the throne and were destined to serve as regional princes. However, should Zhu Yunwen ascend, their positions would become precarious. By disrupting Zhu Yunwen's investiture, Zhu Yuntong had, in effect, saved their lives. They all agreed that once Zhu Yunwen took power, he would surely move against them.

"Fourteenth Uncle!" Zhu Yuntong noticed someone behind Zhu Gui.

It was Zhu Ying, the fourteenth son of the Old Emperor, recently titled the Prince of Su, who also had yet to move to his fief.

"I also thought you wouldn't be able to come," Zhu Ying said with a smile.

Given the gravity of yesterday's events, their concern was understandable. But seeing Zhu Yuntong arrive unharmed gave them hope. None of them cared for Zhu Yunwen, and since they had no chance of competing for the throne themselves, they found the prospect of Zhu Yuntong occupying that position to be the best possible outcome.

As the other imperial uncles saw Zhu Yuntong arrive, they stepped forward one by one to greet him. They hadn't been close to him before, but starting yesterday, they had become familiar—after all, Zhu Yuntong had dared to defy the status quo.

"Quiet!"

At that moment, a stern, authoritative voice rang out through the Grand Learning Hall.