Daming: Brother, there is no future for monks, let's rebel

Gu Qingping glanced at her and casually asked, "Why isn't Lady Fu writing this?"

Fu Yiwan was startled, and forced a smile, saying, "Your Majesty, I am not knowledgeable enough to write this."

"You're a new recruit recommended by the Ministry of Rites, aren't you?"

"Yes."

Gu Qingping nodded: "I remember you. Before entering the palace, you taught at the Fu Family Academy in the capital?"

"Exactly."

"Is the recent raid on the Fu Family Academy related to you?"

Fu Yiwan's expression changed, and she was about to speak when she was interrupted by Lady Shen, who said, "Please don't be offended, Your Highness. Although the Fu Family Academy is involved in an old case, the Ministry of Rites had already verified that Fu Yiwan was not involved before she entered the academy."

Gu Qingping smiled but did not answer, her gaze falling on Fu Yiwan's wrist.

It was a silk-wrapped bracelet, carved with cloud patterns, with a unique shape unlike any craftsmanship found in Beijing.

She casually remarked, "This bracelet... was it made in Sunjiafang in the south of the city? I've seen an identical one before; someone once used it to hide valuables and send messages."

Fu Yiwan was taken aback and looked up at her.

Eyes facing each other.

Gu Qingping remained calm and composed, saying, "The palace is a quiet place, not a place for filth and depravity. If anyone thinks they are hiding well, let them try to see if this water can reflect their image."

She raised her hand and ordered a palace maid to bring a basin of clean water, then gently placed the paper on the table that Fu Yiwan had not yet written on onto it.

A moment later—faint ink marks appeared on the paper.

"Open, open, open... North Gate Key, East Corner Gate, Inner Garden..."

The handwriting was not the title of the book, but a piece of encrypted text, suspected to be a secret code for communication with the emperor.

There was an uproar.

Lady Shen suddenly stood up: "Someone come here—"

Gu Qingping didn't utter a word, but simply raised her hand and pointed. Immediately afterward, two people emerged from the shadows; they were Huang Qi's secret servants, who subdued Fu Yiwan.

Fu Yiwan struggled: "I didn't say anything!"

Gu Qingping said coldly, "You didn't say anything, but it's a pity that you hid too much in your writing."

Lady Shen's face turned deathly pale: "Your Majesty, I know nothing of this!"

"You didn't know?" Gu Qingping's gaze sharpened. "You recommended her to the library, you supervised her copying, you collected her manuscripts, and yet you say you didn't know?"

Lady Shen knelt down with a thud: "Your Highness, please investigate! She has only been in the palace for a short time, and I have not had time to examine her thoroughly..."

Gu Qingping sneered: "Huang Qi, take these two to the secret chamber of the Prince's mansion and order my royal uncle to interrogate them personally."

"Yes."

Fu Yiwan's face was ashen, but she gritted her teeth and remained silent.

She knew that once she fell into Zhu Han's hands, there was no chance of survival.

In a secret chamber of the Prince's mansion, Zhu Han stood before a bronze lamp, gazing at the two palace ladies before him.

"Who sent you?" he asked in a very indifferent tone.

Lady Shen prostrated herself on the ground, trembling: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty did not know..."

"You didn't know?" Zhu Han said calmly. "The Fu Family Academy was investigated, and you were able to protect Fu Yiwan. Even the Ministry of Rites cooperated with you. Who gave you the audacity?"

Ms. Shen's expression changed drastically, and cold sweat poured down her forehead.

Zhu Han slowly approached: "You entered the palace not to spy, but to act as a lead. Your true purpose is not to deliver messages, but to set a trap."

Fu Yiwan sneered: "Since you already know, why ask me?"

Zhu Han remained expressionless: "I'm asking you only to confirm whether the person behind the scenes has underestimated me."

He turned to look at Huang Qi: "Spread the word that the Crown Princess has discovered something amiss in the academy and, by imperial decree, is conducting a thorough review of the Imperial Academy, including all newly recommended female historians and former female officials."

"Yes."

Fu Yiwan's expression finally changed, and she hissed, "Are you trying to overturn the palace rules and disrupt the established etiquette!"

Zhu Han turned around: "You broke the rules first."

He gave a cold laugh, ordered his men to take the two men into the dungeon, and then turned and left.

A night breeze swept across my face, and autumn leaves rustled down in the courtyard.

Zhu Han looked up at the sky and murmured, "This is just the beginning."

That night, the study in the Eastern Palace was brightly lit.

After reading the booklet presented by Huang Qi, Zhu Biao remained silent for a long time. Gu Qingping sat beside him, her expression calm.

"They..." Zhu Biao murmured, "Are they really connected with outsiders?"

Gu Qingping replied, "I will not open this lightly without concrete evidence."

Zhu Biao gently closed the book: "I am beginning to understand why my uncle warned me that 'if the dust in your heart is not cleared, you will walk in the fog.'"

He stood up, looked at the night outside the window, and slowly said, "Qingping, I want to be a different kind of king, not just a good son, not just a kind elder brother."

She gazed at him and said softly, "If you truly ascend to a high position, I am willing to tread through the dust for you."

The autumn air was slightly cool, and the morning sun had not yet risen. The inner courtyard of the Prince's Mansion was so quiet that even the sound of falling leaves could be clearly heard.

Zhu Han sat on a small pear wood couch, draped in a dark gray brocade long fur coat, a wisp of lingering sandalwood incense dangling from his fingertips.

His gaze was fixed on the small piece of gold-edged brocade on the table, as if he were deep in thought.

"Your Highness," Huang Qi quietly entered the room and reported in a low voice, "Fu Yiwan committed suicide in the dungeon last night."

Zhu Han didn't move, seemingly having expected this.

After a moment, he chuckled softly: "She deliberately swallowed her tongue, not out of fear of punishment, but because she was determined not to betray her master."

"My subordinates have also discovered some people from collateral branches."

Huang Qi placed a stack of names on the table. "Over the years, many of those who entered Zhaowen Hall were related to former female officials of the Ministry of Rites. Among them, three of them once taught at the Fu Family Academy."

Zhu Han picked up the booklet and flipped through it, then suddenly asked, "Who recommended the Minister of Rites?"

“Lu Jian”.

Zhu Han snorted: "The Lu family has been quiet for many years, but they can't hold back any longer."

He gently closed the booklet, looked up and said, "Summon Qingping here."

At 1:00 PM, Gu Qingping entered the mansion dressed in a plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), her steps steady and her expression calm.

"Uncle, did you summon me for something?" After she sat down, she gently poured herself a cup of tea.

Zhu Han pointed to the table: "You should recognize the list on this table."

Gu Qingping casually flipped through the book, her expression unchanged, and after a moment said, "I sensed something was wrong three months ago, but I couldn't find the tail. Now the tail has come to me of its own accord."

Zhu Han nodded, his eyes showing approval: "You started with that pot of ink and gradually tightened your grip, but they still thought you were just using it as an excuse to clean up the women's quarters."

“They underestimated you,” Gu Qingping said calmly, “and overestimated themselves.”

She pointed to a line in the book: "This person is called Fan Qiwen. She used to be a scribe in the Ministry of Rites. After she entered the academy, she hid a private copy of the classics in the Zhaowen Hall. There were several dozen hidden clues in the book. I had someone analyze the text and they found the character 'Juejing' in it."

“Juejing?” Zhu Han raised an eyebrow. “That is…”

"The well beside the East Palace was abandoned and sealed off in the early years. There was a secret box hidden on the stone platform at the bottom of the well." Gu Qingping looked at him. "That was where Zhu Biao hid his books before the Emperor ascended the throne."

Zhu Han remained silent for a long time, then suddenly laughed: "What a clever trick to hide a palace within a palace."

He stood up, hands behind his back, his voice low: "They are testing us—whether we can retrieve that so-called 'Old Records of Zhu Biao' from the well."

Gu Qingping also stood up, her expression unfriendly: "If it is really taken out, the Eastern Palace will no longer be clean."

Zhu Han turned to look at her: "Biao'er's personality is such that he can't stand suspicion. If someone sets up a trap for him again, he won't just have to be wary of others, but of himself." Gu Qingping lowered her eyes: "Uncle, what do you intend to do?"

"Let's put the matter of the Jade Well aside for now," Zhu Han said slowly. "Tonight, I'll lead men into the Eastern Palace and empty that well."

Gu Qingping nodded: "When I went to get the cloth, the palace eunuch on duty was Changyi, who has always been close to me."

"Alright." Zhu Han paused. "Don't tell Biao'er about this."

Gu Qingping glanced at him and finally said softly, "I understand. It's best if he doesn't know."

That night.

Deep within the side courtyard of the East Palace, a deathly silence reigned around the ancient well.

Gu Qingping had already sent away the night patrol, leaving a lamp tied to the well rope, which cast a mottled, tear-like reflection on the well wall.

Zhu Han arrived dressed in black, accompanied only by Huang Qi.

“The well opening isn’t wide,” Huang Qi said, peering over. “But someone has definitely tampered with the stone seal recently.”

Zhu Han nodded and stepped forward personally to slowly peel off the golden vines that were wrapped around the well cover.

After a soft sound, the stone cover opened slightly, and a refreshing breeze wafted out, carrying a subtle coolness.

He tied himself with a rope and jumped down.

There was indeed a stone platform in the well, covered in dust for many years, with water accumulating and damp in the corners, showing signs of mold.

Zhu Han steadied himself on the platform and, after a moment of searching, found a wooden box.

The wax seal on the box was still fresh, indicating that it had only been resealed recently.

He sneered, took out the box, tied it with a rope, and carried it up. Without pausing, he leaped into the well.

On the ground, Huang Qi had already opened the box.

"...Is it really a collection of books?" Huang Qi asked.

“It’s a collection of books.” Zhu Han took out a scroll of bamboo slips from the box, unfolded it, and frowned as he looked at it.

"This is not Biao'er's handwriting."

"Whose is that?"

Zhu Han said coldly, "It belongs to Chang Zisong."

Huang Qi was startled: "A former servant of the Crown Prince, who was in charge of teaching in his early years—could it be that he set this up?"

“No.” Zhu Han stared at the bamboo slip. “Someone used his handwriting, his format, and his wording, but there was a word that shouldn’t have been there.”

He rolled the bamboo slip inside out and said slowly, "'If you teach your elder brother with gentleness, he will perish; if you teach him with killing, he will rise to power.'—Do you know where the problem lies?"

Huang Qi whispered, "'Instructing the Imperial Brother'? How could the Crown Prince instruct the Emperor?"

Zhu Han nodded: "So this is fake, and so badly fake."

Huang Qi broke out in a cold sweat: "If this gets out—the Crown Prince..."

“That would be considered unfilial.” Zhu Han’s face was gloomy. “Unfilial piety leads to a loss of virtue, and a loss of virtue makes one unworthy of being the heir.”

After a moment, he said, "Hide this in my place for now. Before tomorrow, make sure to lock up everyone entering and leaving the East Palace, and don't let them take out even a single feather."

"As ordered!"

Zhu Han turned and left without making a sound.

The next morning.

Zhu Biao sat in his study, perusing the documents on his desk. Gu Qingping poured tea beside him, his fingers showing signs of fatigue.

“I saw my mother in my dream yesterday,” he suddenly whispered. “She said I’ve been too tired lately.”

Gu Qingping said softly, "The Crown Prince is the hope of all the people, so it's natural for him to be a little tired."

Zhu Biao glanced at her, a strange look in his eyes: "What do you think I should do first after I ascend to the throne?"

Gu Qingping pondered for a moment: "If Your Highness can be as benevolent as the late Emperor, the people will naturally be at peace."

Zhu Biao nodded slowly, then remained silent.

Suddenly, Huang Qi rushed in from outside the door and whispered a few words in Gu Qingping's ear.

Gu Qingping got up and left. Zhu Biao watched her back for a long time before letting out a soft sigh.

Noon, in a secret chamber of the Prince's Palace.

Zhu Han spread the bamboo slip out by the brazier, watching the flames lick at its edges, and asked Huang Qi in a low voice, "Are there any marks left in the well?"

“I left it,” Huang Qi said. “As the prince instructed, I left a vermilion seal by the well, which is the old seal of the crown prince.”

“Very good.” Zhu Han smiled faintly. “If they really think we will present the ‘fake Jian’, then let them show us their second trick.”

"From now on, we don't need to do anything."

He stood up, a cold glint in his eyes. "Wait until they can't hold back anymore and make their own mistakes."

As night slowly falls in the capital, the red walls and golden tiles resemble a layer of solidified fire in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Deep within the Imperial Garden, the osmanthus trees are just beginning to bloom, their sweet fragrance drifting along the corridors, mingling with the warmth of the lamplight, like an invisible net that quietly draws people's hearts in.

Zhu Han stood beside the screen wall of Wanshou Gate and saw two eunuchs hurrying past, carrying warm porcelain soup bowls and talking and laughing in hushed tones.

The footsteps faded into the winding passageway before he slowly raised his hand to brush a osmanthus petal from his shoulder.

"Royal Uncle." A soft voice called from behind.

Zhu Biao, having changed into casual clothes with the embroidered crane pattern on his cuffs still unfastened, hurriedly approached, his voice extremely low: "Father has suddenly taken a liking to a 'Moonlit Lantern Banquet' to be held in the Imperial Garden tomorrow night, and the ladies of Zhaowen Pavilion are among those invited."

"A lantern festival?" Zhu Han chuckled. "It's just a different excuse to gather and watch lanterns, why the panic?"

Zhu Biao shook his head: "He told me to prepare elegant music and dance in advance, and also asked me to personally accompany him to watch the lanterns. If those people take this opportunity to make trouble again, how can I handle it?"

Zhu Han stepped aside, letting him walk beside him. The two walked along the path paved with small pebbles deeper into the artificial hill, the night breeze carrying the fragrance of osmanthus ruffling their sleeves.

“Biao’er,” Zhu Han said slowly, “if anyone dares to do something under Father’s nose, that would be even better. Don’t be afraid of being exposed; what’s scary is that they don’t dare to expose themselves.”

Zhu Biao bit his lower lip, still feeling uneasy: "But I'm afraid that Father will blame the Crown Princess."

“Qingping knows what she’s doing.” Zhu Han stopped and stared at his nephew. “You must remember, she’s not just a quiet and polite shadow. She has a sharp edge and courage. If she wasn’t confident, she would never have agreed to sit here.”

Zhu Biao was silent for a moment, then looked up at the night sky: "If something really happens, will you be by my side?"

"I will not leave the Imperial Garden before midnight tomorrow," Zhu Han said calmly. "At that time, you can rest assured, I will take care of all the covert operations."

Zhu Biao breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled softly, "Uncle never breaks his promise."

As soon as he finished speaking, a rustling of clothes came from the shadows.

Huang Qi appeared and bowed to Zhu Han: "It has been found that Lu Jian of the Ministry of Rites secretly sent someone into the palace today to place an incense burner on the east side of the Xilan Hall. The burner has a hollow core and can hold powder."

Zhu Han's gaze sharpened: "Powder properties?"

"No samples were obtained, but it is rumored to cause dizziness and chest tightness."

Zhu Han turned to Zhu Biao: "Did you hear that? They've even used the hidden fragrance. Tomorrow night, the fragrance will spread everywhere. If it's paired with wine and food served at the Floating Wine Cups event, it's definitely a good idea."

Zhu Biao was alarmed, but he still suppressed his emotions: "Uncle, should we replace the incense burner?"

"No." Zhu Han shook his head, his voice slightly cold. "Changing it would alert the enemy. I have my own plans."

The following day at noon, the Imperial Garden was adorned with flowing clouds and brocade, and thousands of palace lanterns were laid out in a ring along the pond, their reflections falling into the water like ten thousand stars falling to earth.

A low table was set up under the osmanthus tree, with jade porcelain cups and jade chopsticks, all exquisitely crafted.

In the distance, the sound of string and wind instruments playing melodious tunes drifted in.

Zhu Yuanzhang, dressed in a robe with a python pattern, sat side by side with the Empress in the main seat.

Zhu Biao and Gu Qingping sat at the same table across from each other, with civil and military officials seated on either side. Several female scribes from the Zhaowen Academy lined up on the outer side, providing entertainment with poetry and dance. (End of Chapter)