Chapter Ninety-One: Troubles Stir Once More

As soon as Zhu Hao finished asking, he saw Wei Xiaobao sink trembling to his knees and say, “This servant has been waiting here for Your Highness to awaken precisely to tell you this: the Crown Prince has been taken away by Lady Li!”

At that, Zhu Hao could no longer spare a thought for grief. He sat bolt upright and cried out, “What? What did you say? Say it again!”

In truth, Zhu Hao was neither deaf nor blind for a man of his years. He had heard Wei Xiaobao perfectly well. The reason he asked again was simply that he could not bring himself to believe it, and so instinctively refused to accept the truth.

Hearing Zhu Hao’s questioning tone, Wei Xiaobao had no choice but to repeat himself: “To report to Your Highness, this servant just said that His Highness the Crown Prince was taken away by Lady Li.”

Upon hearing Wei Xiaobao’s repeated confirmation, Zhu Hao’s body, which had only moments before been seated on the bed, sprang up in one motion. He glared at Wei Xiaobao and roared, “Are you people all decoration? Why did you not stop her? You just stood there and watched her take away the Crown Prince? And you still have the face to come back and report to me?”

Faced with Zhu Hao’s thunderous fury, Wei Xiaobao trembled uncontrollably and could not utter a word for a long while. Seeing that he remained silent, Zhu Hao grew even angrier, snorting coldly as he went on, “I am asking you a question. Did you not hear me? Are you deaf, or are you mute?”

When Wei Xiaobao heard Zhu Hao’s furious demand once more, he had no choice but to force himself to endure the immense pressure Zhu Hao exuded, and replied shakily, “Please, Your Highness, calm your anger. It was not that this servant did not stop her, but that this servant did not dare to stop her! Lady Li is, in truth, the Crown Prince’s foster mother. It was only proper for her to take him away. Besides, Lady Li is still a master of the palace, whereas this servant is merely a lowly attendant. This servant truly did not dare hinder her. I beg Your Highness to see clearly!”

Hearing Wei Xiaobao’s explanation, Zhu Hao drew a deep breath. Then he thought to himself, This really cannot be blamed on Wei Xiaobao. Including Wei Xiaobao himself, the people I have summoned all have the deeply ingrained mindset of feudal hierarchy in their bones. They truly would not dare to commit an act of insubordination. This is not their fault; it is the fault of the educational system of this era.

Thinking this, Zhu Hao silently resolved, It seems I will really have to give these people some ideological education in the future. Otherwise, something like this may happen again, and the consequences might be even more serious.

With that in mind, Zhu Hao set his face sternly and asked Wei Xiaobao, “Tell me, whose servant are you?”

Wei Xiaobao did not understand why Zhu Hao would ask such a question, but he still answered instinctively, “To answer Your Highness, this servant is naturally Your Highness’s servant.”

Zhu Hao nodded with satisfaction. “Very good. Xiaobao, since you say you are this prince’s servant, then remember this: this prince is your only master. Aside from me, you are no one else’s servant. From now on, you need only carry out my orders. As for everyone else, even if the words come from the sovereign of heaven himself, you need not listen, nor need you fear them. So long as you serve this prince with sincerity and diligence, I will stand behind you.”

Wei Xiaobao was already a supremely clever man. Zhu Hao had made himself so clear that of course he understood. He quickly bowed his head to the floor and said respectfully, “This servant understands! Please rest assured, Your Highness. This servant guarantees that such a thing will never happen again!”

Seeing that Wei Xiaobao understood his meaning, Zhu Hao nodded in satisfaction and then asked, “Xiaobao, where did Lady Li take the Crown Prince?”

Wei Xiaobao hurriedly replied, “Reporting to Your Highness, Lady Li took the Crown Prince to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, and even shut the palace gates. She will see no one!”

Zhu Hao frowned at that and thought, What is this Lady Li trying to do? Dowager Zheng is already dead. She should have no reason to support the Prince of Fu’s accession to the throne, since the Prince of Fu is of the same generation as my father, while Lady Li was my father’s consort. If the Prince of Fu were to become emperor, Lady Li’s position would be extremely awkward.

But if my elder brother ascends the throne, that would be different. Although Lady Li’s status is humble at present, she is, after all, my elder brother’s actual foster mother. Once my elder brother becomes emperor, her standing would naturally rise with the tide. By rights, she should not be trying to prevent him from taking the throne. And yet now she has taken my brother to the Palace of Heavenly Purity and shut its doors. Just what is she planning?

Zhu Hao simply could not make sense of it. Rather than waste more thought, he decided to go see for himself. With that in mind, he said to Wei Xiaobao, who was still kneeling on the ground, “Get up first. Come with me to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. I want to see just what tricks that woman is up to. Have the Imperial Guard stand by and be ready at any moment to seize Lady Li and rescue the Crown Prince!”

Wei Xiaobao immediately bowed and said respectfully, “This servant obeys!” After speaking, he arranged the imperial procession. Surrounded by attendants, Zhu Hao led a grand and imposing party toward the Palace of Heavenly Purity, while a young eunuch was dispatched at once to relay the order to the Imperial Guard.

After Empress Guo and Dowager Zheng had passed away, Zhu Hao had become the most powerful figure in the palace, after all, since he held command over the Imperial Guard.

Along the way to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, all the maids and eunuchs they encountered hastily gave way. Those who could not withdraw in time dropped to their knees. At this point, Zhu Hao had all the magnificence of the emperor on tour, yet this only made him faintly frown, his mood turning sour.

The reason he disliked it was that he feared such displays would become an easy target for criticism later, once his elder brother ascended the throne. Still, Zhu Hao only thought of it and did nothing more. For the moment, the most important thing was to rescue his brother from the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

Before long, the procession reached the front of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Looking at the tightly shut vermilion gates, Zhu Hao frowned slightly and said coldly, “Knock on the gate for this prince. If no one opens it, then I will have this door smashed open.”

His attendant eunuch was just about to step forward when a heavy creak sounded, and the gates of the Palace of Heavenly Purity were opened from within.

The one who emerged was none other than Lady Li, whom Zhu Hao had seen before. She wore an expression of utter arrogance, glanced at Zhu Hao with disdain, and said in a sardonic tone, “I wondered who could be so brazen. So it is the Fifth Prince. What brings you here with such a grand display? Are you here to threaten this consort?”

Zhu Hao had already been restless from the recent twists and turns of events, and the deaths of his father and Empress Guo had driven the negative emotions in his heart to the brink. Now Lady Li was taunting him so coldly that he finally exploded. He shouted, “Shut your mouth! What do you think you are? Hand over the Crown Prince at once, or do not blame me for being impolite. I know you are Father Emperor’s consort, but the Imperial Guards behind me do not know you as anything more than a stray cat or dog!”

Lady Li took no offense at Zhu Hao’s rude words. Instead, she laughed coldly and said, “Fifth Prince, I know you do not care whether this consort lives or dies, and I suppose you would not care whether the Crown Prince lives or dies either. Very well, then. This consort will take the Crown Prince to the late emperor’s funeral rites right now. After I have him accompany the late emperor in death, you may succeed to the throne in due and proper form, just as you wish. But if you force the death of a former emperor’s consort and the killing of your own brother, I wonder whether the civil and military officials of the realm will still trust a man capable of such disgraceful deeds.”

In truth, Lady Li was probing Zhu Hao, testing whether he truly cared whether Zhu Youxiao lived or died. Even if Zhu Hao did not care, the last sentence was still a warning and threat meant to keep him from acting rashly.

Of course Zhu Hao understood her meaning. He thought to himself, That is truly a statement both defensive and offensive. This woman is no simple person.

Though he knew Lady Li was testing him, he had no choice but to meet the challenge. If Lady Li truly did something extreme, he would have no one to blame but himself, and the regret would be unbearable. He drew a deep breath, forced his tone to soften as much as possible, and said, “Lady Li, once the Crown Prince ascends the throne, it will bring you only benefit and no harm. Why have you sealed the gates and refused to let the Crown Prince come out and meet anyone? Do you have some request, or some condition? Speak plainly. I will do my utmost to satisfy you, so long as you release the Crown Prince!”

Hearing Zhu Hao’s words, which were practically a concession, Lady Li immediately grew more confident. Now certain that Zhu Hao truly cared about Zhu Youxiao’s life and death, she said, “Fifth Prince, do not pretend to be a good man here. Do you think I do not know that you have imprisoned the ministers and taken control of the Imperial Guard? This is a military coup, a rebellion. If I were to let the Crown Prince come out and see you now, you would almost certainly take his life on the spot. I will not fall for your tricks.

“If you have no rebellious intentions, then let the ministers come see me. Naturally, I will allow the Crown Prince to meet with them and discuss the matter of succession!”

Zhu Hao was furious at her biting counterattack, but for the sake of the greater situation, and for his brother’s safety, he no longer insisted on seeing him. Instead he said, “Very well. This prince will now order the palace gates opened and allow the ministers to come and see you of their own accord. I hope you will keep your promise. Otherwise, this prince will be the first to spare you no mercy!”

With that, Zhu Hao turned and instructed Wei Xiaobao behind him, “Go and deliver my order to Xie Gang. Tell him to lift the palace lockdown, open the gates, and inform the ministers that the Crown Prince and Lady Li are in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Tell them to come to the Palace of Heavenly Purity and discuss the matter of succession with the Crown Prince!”