Chapter 28: Intentions or Scheming

It was not even the evening hour yet, but the sky was already gray. Zhu Gaoxu glanced at the scene outside the door. He clearly remembered that the sun had not yet set at this time yesterday.

The sunny days that have lasted for many days are probably coming to an end. The sky is full of clouds, and it is expected to rain soon... However, the expected cool weather has not come for a long time, and the whole world is shrouded in sultry heat.

"It might rain today." Zhu Gaoxu said, "Wang Gui, you should go to our place tonight. In case of a heavy rain, the road will be difficult to travel."

Wang Gui bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

At this time, Du Qianrui came in with a white porcelain plate. "Are you hungry, my lord? I made some snacks for you to eat first." She lowered her head and put the plate on the table.

Zhu Gaoxu said nothing.

The atmosphere became a little awkward. Wang Gui looked at the snacks on the plate and said in an exaggerated tone, "The colors are so pretty! Miss Du is very clever and skillful, and she made them so delicately. She really cares about His Majesty."

Zhu Gaoxu blurted out , "I just don't know whether it is the intention or the scheming that is so delicate."

As soon as he finished speaking, he clearly saw that Du Qianrui's thin shoulders trembled slightly, and her breath softened a little, like a withered flower. In an instant, Zhu Gaoxu felt an unexpected pain in his chest as if something had stung him.

Zhu Gaoxu endured for a moment before he habitually said words of comfort. After all, Du Qianrui had deceived him and had not yet admitted it, nor had he let go of his worries, worried that Du Qianrui would betray him... or maybe she didn't think there was anything wrong at all?

At this time, Du Qianrui looked up at Zhu Gaoxu, her eyes were red, and then she looked at the plate on the table. Zhu Gaoxu had no intention of eating at all.

"I'm leaving now. Bye." Du Qianrui said. Her voice was emotionless, neither flattering nor pitiful, as if she was narrating a boring trifle.

Zhu Gaoxu waved his hand gently and nodded in agreement as usual.

...

...

King Yan is crazy!

Suddenly, a piece of news spread among the people. For many years, the Prince of Yan was in charge of the northern military defense line of the Ming Dynasty. When he paced, the whole north would tremble. What a person! Such a person actually went crazy, it was a big deal!

Soon, several of the most powerful people in the Peking government, including the governor and the left and right commanders, came to the Prince of Yan's mansion to visit.

It was late June, and the weather was extremely hot and humid. Several people were sweating all over, their vests were soaked, and they wanted to take off their clothes and walk around bare-chested. But when they saw the King of Yan, they were stunned.

The King of Yan was wrapped in two quilts, with a stove in front of him. He curled up in the quilt, holding the corners of the quilt tightly with both hands. He was sweating profusely and shivering all over, muttering, "It's cold, so cold..."

The three of them looked at each other in surprise.

As soon as they left Prince Yan's Mansion, they discussed and immediately sent the news to the capital by express horse.

That afternoon, the servant of the commander-in-chief Zhang Xin reported a piece of news, saying that he saw the chief secretary of the Prince of Yan's palace go to the provincial government office. Zhang Xin muttered to himself after hearing this, and couldn't help but speculate on the inside story.

The chief secretary was named Ge Cheng... Is it necessary for a chief secretary of a royal palace to have contact with the provincial government? Zhang Xin wondered, Ge Cheng had been to the capital as an envoy of the King of Yan before, could he have rebelled against the court?

Zhang Xin suddenly recalled the embarrassing experience two days ago. Visiting prostitutes was not something that could be presented to the public, and he actually wore only calf-nose pants to meet people. He felt very unhappy. However, now that he thought of his suspicion of Ge Cheng, he felt that the place where he visited prostitutes was very secretive and would not be suspected by others.

...The wind is blowing in Peking. It's fine if it doesn't blow, but when it blows, sand and stones are flying everywhere!

The dust on the street mixed with leaves and rags was flying in the air. Pedestrians covered their mouths and noses with their sleeves and walked quickly with their heads down.

"What a horrible weather!" People were eager to hurry up and go inside to avoid the weather, and their steps were much faster than usual. Some people were running, some were walking, and the scene was full of haste, without any leisurely walks as usual.

The sky was covered with dark clouds. Layers of black clouds were surging in the sky, pressing down so low that people felt suffocated.

When Ge Cheng walked into the study of the governor Zhang Bing, he first brushed off the dust on his body, then took out a handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose and spit several times, "The dust is too heavy."

"How are you, Chief Ge?" Although Zhang Bing held a higher official position, he took the initiative to greet him.

Ge Cheng bolted the door, stepped forward and whispered, "The King of Yan is pretending to be crazy!"

"Ah?" Zhang Bing's eyes widened and he quickly leaned over to listen.

Ge Changshi said, "It's so hot, how long do you think the King of Yan can keep his quilt? He lifted it up as soon as you left."

Zhang Bing nodded immediately, as if he agreed with it.

Ge Changshi added, "I was not able to participate in their conspiracy. It was mainly the monk Yao Guangxiao who gave the plan, and the strange Taoist priests Yao Guangxiao recommended to the King of Yan, such as the fortune-teller Yuan Gong and the divination master Jin Zhong... But I am sure that they have made up their minds to rebel!"

Zhang Bing's expression suddenly became stern.

Ge Changshi's voice continued, "The King of Yan pretended to be crazy in order to paralyze the court. He planned and prepared in secret to take the initiative!"

Zhang Bing said nothing, but moved quickly, taking two steps at a time, and rushed to the desk. He didn't even have time to sit down, he reached out and grabbed the brush on the pen holder, dipped the brush back and forth quickly in the inkstone with his right hand, and spread out a piece of white paper with his left hand.

Then the only sound in the room was the rapid "rustling..." sound of the brush tip rubbing against the rice paper.

After Zhang Bing finished writing, he picked up the rice paper, shook his head slowly, and blew air from his mouth onto the paper from right to left. He blew a few times, turned around and said, "Right away! Send it to the capital quickly, 800 miles away!"

...Four days and four nights later, the messenger fell asleep against the wall at the gate of the Ministry of Public Security. He was covered in dust and looked like a beggar living under someone else's roof.

Huang Zicheng had already received the urgent news and immediately walked quickly towards the imperial gate.

The sky suddenly flashed, and a bolt of lightning streaked across the majestic Fengtian Gate Tower, like a lightsaber, about to split the huge tower in two. Huang Zicheng was worried, and after a moment, there was a sudden "crack" sound, and he trembled all over, startled.

Huang Zicheng subconsciously raised his head to look at the sky, and immediately squinted his eyes into a slit, unable to open them in the wind. The sky was gray and gloomy, and it seemed as if it was about to get dark in the broad daylight.

The strong wind made Huang Zicheng's robe stick to his skin. He held on to his hat with his hand, fearing that it would be blown away and lost. The wind was so strong that the entire imperial city seemed to be shaking and about to collapse.

"Crack!" There was another loud noise. The violent and violent lightning and thunder had no manners at all. They were running wild between heaven and earth. The strange tail of the lightning was exposed in all its hideousness. It was completely uncivilized!

As soon as Huang Zicheng entered the imperial gate, raindrops as big as beans began to fall "cracklingly", splashing on the floor tiles, and soon the sky was shrouded in white wind and rain.

He met the eunuch Wu Zhong, and accompanied by the eunuch, he entered the imperial gate to meet the emperor.

Huang Zicheng met with the emperor and presented an urgent report. Emperor Zhu Yunwen immediately sent someone to summon Qi Tai and other ministers to the emperor to discuss urgent matters! It was pouring rain outside, but at this time, even if knives were thrown, Qi Tai and others had to come immediately!

Huang Zicheng was not wet by the rain, but his hair was messy and he had no time to comb it. When Qi Tai came in, he was not so lucky. The lower half of his red robe was soaked, and the umbrella could not protect him from the heavy rain.

Qi Tai stepped forward and saluted first as usual.

Huang Zicheng said, "Your Majesty, now that things have come to this, I'm afraid we have to start planning ahead of time."

Zhu Yunwen said angrily, "How dare the Prince of Yan!"

Perhaps Qi Tai's clothes were soaked, and seeing Huang Zicheng's dry body was a bit unbalanced. Qi Tai's face was very unhappy, and he turned to look at Huang Zicheng, "Are we really ready for the battle? Huang Siqing, have you ever seen a battle array with swords and spears?"

Huang Zicheng said, "Maybe not..."

After he finished speaking, he clasped his fists and bowed to the emperor, "Your Majesty, we have already made plans. Now we just need to follow the plan and do what we planned. It's just that the timing has been advanced a little bit."

Zhu Yunwen above uttered an interjection of unknown meaning.

Huang Zicheng said, "There is no time to lose. The Yan envoy Deng Yong is still staying at the Imperial Clan Hall. I request your permission to have the imperial guards arrest Deng Yong immediately and make him confess the King of Yan's rebellion!"

At this time, Qi Tai said, "I think we can put this matter aside for now and respond to our colleagues in Peking first..."

Huang Zicheng frowned and said, "In the name of what? For the great Ming Dynasty and the country, justice comes first, then action! Haven't we already discussed these steps?"

Zhu Yunwen said, "Just follow what Huang Siqing said." He was silent for a long time, and then said, "Go and do it, just start!"

It was daytime and there were no lights inside the Imperial Gate, but the light was dim and dark. Suddenly, the wide and majestic Imperial Gate seemed to become eerie.

　　...The first person to be imprisoned was Deng Yong, the envoy of Yan. Before he could figure out what was going on, he was thrown into prison and then severely beaten.

Deng Yong first cried out for justice and questioned desperately, but no one told him what was going on, and then he was gagged. The jailer just beat him until he was covered in bruises and half dead.

In the dark imperial prison, the firelight flickered and screams echoed in the dim place.

Finally, the noise stopped and the object in Deng Yong's mouth was pulled out, but he was too weak to shout. He raised his head with difficulty and spat out a mouthful of blood. At this time, he heard a burst of hurried footsteps coming from far away.

A red-robed official silently grabbed the tattered clothes on Deng Yong's body and wiped it on his right hand for a few times. Then the official grabbed his right thumb, poked it in a cold box, and then pressed it on a piece of paper.

After the official finished his chores, he left without saying a word with his entourage. Still no one spoke.

The jailer who beat Deng Yong also left, leaving Deng Yong alone locked up there. Until now, he still has no idea...

What exactly happened?