Chapter 30: I Am Not Hoarding, I Am Claiming Credit

Hanlin Academician Liu Sanwu was a supporter of Zhu Yunwen. Once, Zhu Yuanzhang had asked him a question: "The Prince of Yan is as brave and martial as I am; what if I were to name him heir?" Liu Sanwu had directly dismissed the Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, and insisted on naming the Imperial Grandson. With Lady Lu as the current Crown Princess, he further urged that Zhu Yunwen be named the heir. Zhu Yuanzhang was on the verge of issuing the decree when the unexpected appearance of Zhu Yuntong changed the situation. Liu Sanwu opposed Zhu Yuntong as well, for in his eyes, only Zhu Yunwen was the legitimate heir.

"Please speak, Master Liu!"

Zhu Yuntong shook off his thoughts. Before he had even begun to interrogate Lan Yu, he was being questioned himself, as if someone were trying to pile on the pressure and raise the difficulty of his task.

"The Third Imperial Grandson possesses no imperial decree, yet he dared to forcibly storm the residence of the Duke of Liang?" Liu Sanwu began. "The Duke of Liang is a Duke of the current realm, a man of illustrious military achievements who represents the Ming Empire. He is not someone anyone can just storm and arrest. Furthermore, he is the Grandson's elder. For a junior to offend an elder is unfilial, and to arrest a Duke of the realm without an imperial decree is an act of usurpation."

"Even if the Duke of Liang is guilty, it is not for the Grandson to execute judgment before reporting to the throne. May I ask, Your Highness, how do you explain this?"

Liu Sanwu posed this question not merely to be difficult, but because the actions taken by Zhu Yuntong were objective facts laid out before them. It was true that there was no imperial decree, a fact Zhu Yuntong himself had admitted. Zhu Yuanzhang had indeed never issued a decree to arrest Lan Yu. They could use this as a pretext to strike at Zhu Yuntong.

Zhu Yuntong acknowledged, "I indeed have no imperial decree."

This was exactly what Liu Sanwu had been waiting for. He spoke loudly, "The Third Imperial Grandson dared to lead the Embroidered Uniform Guard to arrest a Duke of the realm without even an imperial decree! Even if the Duke of Liang is truly at fault, the Grandson's conduct is rebellious and an act of usurpation! I implore Your Majesty to punish the Third Imperial Grandson!"

With that, he bowed deeply. Huang Zicheng and the others saw Liu Sanwu initiate the attack on Zhu Yuntong and shook their heads in frustration, feeling that he was too impulsive and too eager. They knew that the actions Zhu Yuntong had taken yesterday left them with many loopholes, and while Liu Sanwu thought he had seized one, he overlooked that this was a test set by Zhu Yuanzhang for Zhu Yuntong. The fact that Zhu Yuntong could command the Embroidered Uniform Guard was the key. Huang Zicheng and his companions understood that they could not easily topple Zhu Yuntong directly; the focus had to be on taking down Lan Yu.

"Liu Sanwu is still lacking; he is too impatient to see the essence of the matter!" they all thought to themselves.

The clever ones could see it was a test. Even the Huai-xi military officers could see it. Their concern was not just whether the Third Imperial Grandson could suppress Lan Yu, but whether it was possible to save him. The military faction was nervous about the civil officials targeting Lan Yu, not about them targeting Zhu Yuntong. If Lan Yu could not be protected, they felt their own days were numbered; Lan Yu’s fate was tied to the survival of the entire group. Although Zhu Yuntong had burned his bridges and threatened to kill them, it did not mean it was impossible.

"I have no imperial decree, but I am able to command the Embroidered Uniform Guard." Zhu Yuntong’s single sentence shattered Liu Sanwu’s interrogation.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard were the Emperor’s claws and teeth. What did it mean to be able to command them? It meant he had the Emperor’s authorization. Did the lack of a paper decree really matter?

Zhu Yuanzhang listened without a word, merely casting a cold, indifferent glance at Liu Sanwu. The latter suddenly realized he had lost his focus and failed to distinguish between primary and secondary concerns. Terrified, Liu Sanwu lowered his head and stammered, "I spoke out of turn, Your Majesty." He then retreated to the side. He had wanted to perform well in front of the Second Imperial Grandson to prove his worth, only to find the result was the exact opposite. Fortunately, there was no punishment.

"Duke of Liang, Lan Yu!" Zhan Hui, who was in charge of the trial, finally began. "Do you know your crime?"

It was finally his turn... Lan Yu let out a breath. He understood that his life or death depended on his performance today, and he would have to submit completely to Zhu Yuntong. They had not colluded on any stories yesterday—in fact, they had not dared to. To collude in front of the Embroidered Uniform Guard would certainly fail to pass the test of Zhu Yuanzhang. They had to improvise. Only by working together on the spot could they survive. If they failed, the name "Hu惟庸" (Hu Weiyong) alone would be enough to strip him of everything; Zhu Yuanzhang wouldn't even need a reason to execute him.

"What crime?" Lan Yu thought for a moment before retorting.

"Harboring the remnants of Hu Weiyong." Zhan Hui, also a supporter of Zhu Yunwen, was determined that Lan Yu must die today so that Zhu Yuntong would be left without support. He did not bother with flowery language and had no intention of starting with Zhu Yuntong; he opened with a killing blow. The mere mention of Hu Weiyong was enough to condemn Lan Yu to death.

"It was not the Duke of Liang who hid them," Zhang Zhou interjected. "Your Majesty, I was the one who hid them. It has nothing to do with the Duke of Liang."

"Zhang Zhou is my adopted son; I was the one who hid them." Lan Yu did not shirk responsibility and decisively admitted it.

Zhu Yuntong longed to help him at this moment but could not speak; he had to let Lan Yu defend himself. If he wanted to win Lan Yu’s true allegiance, he could only intervene at the very end. It was still too early for that.

"Your Majesty!" Zhan Hui was overjoyed to see the admission. He had not expected it to be so easy. "The Duke of Liang has confessed. I ask Your Majesty to pass judgment."

Lan Yu shook his head. "I admit to the act, but that does not mean I am in league with the remnants of Hu Weiyong."

"Duke of Liang!" Censor Wang Du shouted, "You privately harbored the remnants of Hu Weiyong; that is collusion! At this point, you still wish to quibble? You have marriage ties with Ye Sheng and a deep connection. Is that why you saved his son and hid him in the military camp?"

Lan Yu replied, "I hid him, yes, but it was not to save him."

Zhan Hui raised his voice, "Is hiding someone not the same as saving them?"

Lan Yu explained, "Hiding someone is not necessarily saving them; I wanted to claim the credit. Zhang Zhou found them the day before yesterday. When the Grandson visited yesterday, Zhang Zhou told me about it. I intended to hide them, then present them to Your Majesty to earn merit. But before I could report it, the Grandson arrived to demand the people."

He added with conviction, "Though I have marriage ties with Ye Sheng, I have absolutely no intention of harboring traitors. My heart is for the Great Ming, and I have considered placing righteousness above family. Alas... the Embroidered Uniform Guard was too fast!"

This account was, in fact, true. Until yesterday, Lan Yu had indeed not known that Ye Sheng’s son was in Zhang Zhou’s hands. Whether Zhang Zhou had hidden Ye Sheng to claim credit or to save him could not be proven; there were no witnesses or physical evidence. Under these circumstances, as long as one stuck to the story of wanting to claim credit and simply failing to report it in time, it would suffice.

Seeing Lan Yu speak this way, Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes. A cold gaze fell upon Lan Yu. Lan Yu sensed the Emperor looking at him; he met the gaze without fear for a moment before lowering his head in feigned terror, his resolve firm. He would stick to his story. Regardless of whether Zhu Yuanzhang believed him, he had no other choice. Even if it hadn't been Zhu Yuntong who came to arrest him yesterday, the Embroidered Uniform Guard would have found him sooner or later.

Zhu Yuntong nodded slightly. Regardless of whether Zhu Yuanzhang believed it, without concrete evidence to prove otherwise, this was likely the best defense.

"Bring in the son of Ye Sheng," Zhu Yuanzhang said coolly.