Chapter 27: Zhu Yunwen—I'm in the Clear Again

Lan Yu walked toward Li Liangping.

Seeing that Lan Yu had regained his freedom, Li Liangping quickly said, "Duke of Liang, we..."

*Slap!*

Before he could finish, Lan Yu struck him across the face, his voice cold. "What right do you have to be clamoring in front of the Third Imperial Grandson? Get out of here!"

"I..." Li Liangping opened his mouth to protest, but Lan Yu kicked him, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Lan Yu then grabbed Li Liangping with one hand, dragged him before the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and raised his hands, signaling his total surrender and absolute compliance with Zhu Yunxiong's orders.

"Feng Sheng," Zhu Yunxiong said, "take the rest of them back to the barracks to be held and await further disposition."

"Yes!"

Feng Sheng had not expected the Third Imperial Grandson to issue orders to him, but he obeyed instinctively. The Huai-Xi faction was destined to stand with Zhu Yunxiong; he knew full well that the more willing they were to follow orders, the greater their chances of survival. As long as they could be brought under Zhu Yunxiong's wing, just as they had been under Zhu Biao, they would likely live.

"Go back," Zhu Yunxiong commanded.

Lan Yu and his three foster sons were taken away. The foster son whose mouth had been bloodied by Zhu Yunxiong earlier was named Tang Da, and the rest were secured by Feng Sheng.

"Your Highness, back where?" Jiang Huan asked, finally feeling a bit relieved. He had been terrified that a real battle would break out. He did not fear the guards of the Duke of Liang's estate, as the Embroidered Uniform Guard had the advantage in numbers, but if the soldiers brought by Li Liangping had joined the fray, the casualties would have been severe. The incident would have spiraled beyond the Emperor's control. He did not know the Emperor’s full agenda, but he was certain that this was an imperial task. Without the Emperor's directive, Zhu Yunxiong would never have dared to act so boldly.

"Back to your Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters." Zhu Yunxiong decided against the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicature, or the Yingtian Prefecture prison. He had captured Lan Yu himself, and he needed to keep him under his own control; the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters was the most suitable place. From the situation earlier, he could tell that others were watching his every move, and he could not afford to be careless.

"Back to the Commandery!" Jiang Huan ordered.

And so, they departed. Zhu Yunxiong had sought to capture Lan Yu, and Lan Yu had surrendered without a fight; beyond a minor scuffle, no other untoward events occurred.

The matter seemed to be simmering down on the surface, and the next step would be the interrogation of Lan Yu to determine his guilt. However, Feng Sheng knew that a greater confrontation was inevitable. It would not end so easily.

"Go back," Feng Sheng told the others. "Chang Sheng, listen to me: go home and do nothing. Stay put, unless you want Lan Yu to die. We must wait for the outcome."

After giving his instructions, Feng Sheng took charge of the men Li Liangping had brought and led them back to the barracks for confinement.

"It will be fine," Fu Youde patted Chang Sheng on the shoulder. "Trust in the Third Imperial Grandson."

They left as well. Despite his anxiety and tension, Chang Sheng realized that at this stage, there was nothing he could do. He had no choice but to return and wait for the result.

Back at the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters, Jiang Huan said, "Your Highness, Ye Sheng's son has been brought in."

Zhu Yunxiong nodded. "Keep him locked up with the others. I will take them to see the Imperial Grandfather tomorrow. We will know then whether they are guilty or not."

"Yes!" Jiang Huan bowed. As he retreated, he thought to himself that the Third Imperial Grandson possessed the Emperor's decisiveness without the weakness of Zhu Yunwen. The Emperor’s intentions seemed clear. If Zhu Yunxiong could handle this matter successfully, his position was essentially secured. Jiang Huan began to consider his own standing; a new monarch meant a new court, and he wanted to continue as the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard under Zhu Yunxiong's reign.

"Keep the prisoners here," Zhu Yunxiong instructed. "Regardless of who comes, unless they have an imperial edict from me or the Imperial Grandfather, do not let anyone see Lan Yu, and certainly do not let them take him away."

"This subordinate understands!" Jiang Huan replied.

Seeing that Jiang Huan was a sensible man, Zhu Yunxiong headed back to the palace. After being on edge for so long, he needed to relax.

***

In the Grand Learning Hall, Zhu Yunwen, who had stayed up all night, was unexpectedly not sleepy at all throughout the afternoon. He was waiting for an opportunity to see how Zhu Yunxiong was faring. After a long wait, Qi Tai finally returned in a hurry. Seeing him, Zhu Yunwen and his two companions perked up.

"Good news," Qi Tai said, catching his breath. "The Third Imperial Grandson did not clash with Lan Yu, but he has taken him into custody. The charge is that Lan Yu's foster son was hiding the son of Ye Sheng, a remnant of the Hu Huweiyong conspiracy."

"What?" they exclaimed in unison, followed by pleasant surprise, and finally, sheer ecstasy.

Anything related to Hu Huweiyong, regardless of the circumstances or the person involved, meant certain death. Whether Ye Sheng's son had been hidden by Lan Yu or Zhang Zhou, the mere act of concealment meant that Lan Yu and all his associates would have to die.

"Excellent!" Huang Zicheng said excitedly. "With this, Lan Yu is doomed. Perhaps even Chang Sheng and the others will be implicated. By then, the Third Imperial Grandson will have no one left to rely on, and it will have been his own hand that struck them down."

Zhu Yunwen finally saw a glimmer of hope. He had been suppressed by Zhu Yunxiong for days, and now he could finally strike back. If played correctly, everything was possible.

"Is it really related to Hu Huweiyong?" Fang Xiaoru asked.

"It must be," Qi Tai affirmed. "Jiang Huan of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was present at the time. The Third Imperial Grandson would not have dared to act if he hadn't received intelligence from the Guard."

Fang Xiaoru nodded, reassured. "Then Lan Yu is finished." Without Lan Yu’s support, how could Zhu Yunxiong compete with Zhu Yunwen?

"However, we should also provide some assistance to ensure Lan Yu's guilt is established," Zhu Yunwen proposed. "Could we all submit a joint impeachment?"

Huang Zicheng replied, "I will contact the civil officials in the court, especially the censors of the Censorate. They all hold some evidence against Lan Yu. If we impeach him together and link him to Hu Huweiyong, he will certainly die."

Zhu Yunwen felt a weight lift from his shoulders. His nerves, strained for days, finally relaxed. "Thank you, my three teachers!"

He felt it was settled. The position of Imperial Grandson was as steady as Mount Tai; it was surely his, and Zhu Yunxiong could not steal it away.

***

At the same time, in the Prince of Yan's residence, "The son of Marquis of Ningjing, Ye Sheng?"

Zhu Di, having received the news, sighed. "My imperial father has always preferred to execute the wrong person rather than let one escape when it comes to anyone related to Hu Huweiyong. Master, do you think Lan Yu will die this time?"

He had his own grievances with Lan Yu and was eager to see him implicated and executed by the Emperor.

Yao Guangxiao replied, "I do not know."