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

“The farther away you are, the more likely you are to die,” Zhu Han said. “The situation in the capital has already changed. If I stay away, I will be judged by others.”

Lu Qian remained silent for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your subordinate obeys."

The capital city. The seventh day of the second month.

The night was still young, and the candlelight flickered in the palace.

Outside the Hall of Respect and Contemplation, the guards were heavily armed. Zhu Yuanzhang sat alone at his desk, his expression somber.

A secret report lay on the table, with the seal of the Imperial Eunuch prominently displayed.

He slowly finished reading, his eyes flashing with a cold light like knives: "The prison magistrate has already left the capital, yet he has turned back. What a daring Zhu Han is."

A eunuch stepped forward tremblingly: "Your Majesty, should we—"

"Let him into the palace," Zhu Yuanzhang said calmly. "I'd like to see what he has to say."

The eunuch withdrew.

The next morning, outside Qianmen Gate.

Zhu Han was dressed in a green robe, with a prison guard badge hanging at his waist, and his face was calm.

Lu Qian hesitated for a moment, then finally whispered, "Your Highness, be careful."

Zhu Han nodded slightly and stepped into the palace gate alone.

The atmosphere in the hall was heavy. Zhu Yuanzhang did not raise his head, but asked only, "Why return to the capital?"

Zhu Han replied respectfully, "Your subject was ordered to investigate the old lineage of Feihe and obtained a jade box. This matter concerns the Phoenix Seal, so I returned to report immediately."

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyes, his gaze cold: "Where is the jade box?"

Zhu Han presented it with both hands.

Zhu Yuanzhang took it and slowly unveiled it. Half a piece of blood jade, still slightly red.

The hall was silent.

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at it for a long time, then suddenly laughed: "It really is the Phoenix Seal, half-Yang. You found it quickly."

Zhu Han said, "Your Majesty, I have done nothing wrong. I just don't understand why He Guang, who was Your Majesty's confidant, was killed?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flickered slightly: "Whom do you suspect?"

"Your subject would not dare," Zhu Han replied calmly. "But what I saw in the case was not the theft of the seal, but rather an attempt to silence witnesses."

Zhu Yuanzhang tapped the table lightly with his fingers, his voice calm: "If the matter of the Phoenix Seal is leaked, the world will descend into chaos. Silencing them may not be the wrong thing to do."

Zhu Han raised his eyes: "If even the person holding the seal is killed, what use is the Phoenix Seal?"

The air inside the hall suddenly turned cold.

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly put down the jade box: "What do you want to say?"

Zhu Han said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty feels that the Phoenix Seal is not a rebellious object. If it truly bears the name of a guardian of the imperial edict, Your Majesty may wish to examine what is written on it, and perhaps you can see the late Emperor's original intentions."

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at him, his gaze sharp as a knife.

After a long silence, he laughed: "So, you're quite the guardian of the imperial edict. Ten years ago, I spared your life, and now you want to teach me how to be a king?"

Zhu Han replied neither servilely nor arrogantly: "Your Majesty, I dare not. However, the late Emperor's dying wish concerns the fate of the nation. If Your Majesty truly believes in the Mandate of Heaven, then both light and darkness should coexist."

Zhu Yuanzhang's smile faded, and his voice was like thunder: "Do you know that the most dangerous people in this world are not traitors, but those who talk about 'destiny'?"

Zhu Han lowered his eyes: "If destiny contradicts the will of Heaven, what use is destiny?"

Their eyes met, and the air almost froze.

After a moment, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly sighed: "I know your heart. You protect the Crown Prince and that little bit of innocence. But Zhu Han, you must remember—the throne is never obtained innocently."

Zhu Han remained silent.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand: "I will take back the Phoenix Seal. You may leave. The Prison Commander will remain for now—to observe his future performance."

Zhu Han bowed and withdrew.

As he left the palace, a chill ran through him. The prison warden's retention was tantamount to a stripping of his power.

His elder brother's move has pushed him to the brink of disaster.

That night.

Zhu Han did not return to the Prince's Mansion, but instead stayed temporarily in a secluded alley in the southern city. Lu Qian delivered a secret message: "Your Highness, Feng Li has disappeared, and the temple in Luoyang has been completely destroyed, seemingly by fire."

Zhu Han's face darkened: "Killing them again."

Lu Qian said, "I suspect that the eunuch in charge was behind it."

Zhu Han's gaze turned cold and sharp: "My imperial brother will not tolerate any undercover agents. Now that the Phoenix Seal has entered the palace, he will definitely eradicate the remaining 'Guardian of the Edict' faction."

He pondered for a moment, then took out the book "Guarding the Imperial Edict" and sighed softly, "Feng Li is right—as long as the blood has dried, the imperial edict is not lost."

Lu Qian asked, "Your Highness, shall we move again?"

Zhu Han shook his head: "If we act now, we'll only lose our lives. We must observe quietly."

He looked up at the moonlight outside the window and murmured, "If the two halves of the Phoenix Seal are joined together in the palace, there will surely be an unusual phenomenon. At that time, the opportunity to break the deadlock will be revealed."

A few days later, news spread through the palace that the Emperor would personally offer sacrifices at the Fengtian Hall and hold a grand "prayer ceremony" to demonstrate his legitimacy as the successor to Heaven.

Lu Qian rushed in to report: "Your Highness, the sacrificial edict is the same as the sacrificial ceremony for the Phoenix Seal!"

Zhu Han's gaze turned cold: "He wants to seal the document in public."

"Yes."

"That is to declare—the mandate of heaven belongs to me."

Zhu Han slowly stood up, clenching his fist: "Your Majesty is trying to use the laws of Heaven to suppress people's hearts and wipe out the 'Guardians of the Edict' in one fell swoop."

Lu Qian asked urgently, "Does Your Highness wish to stop this?"

Zhu Han said in a deep voice, "The sacrificial ceremony will be held in Fengtian Hall. Foreign officials are not allowed to enter; only close attendants may accompany them. If you wish to obstruct the process, you must enter the inner palace."

"But His Majesty is wary of you—"

"He can guard against others, but he can't guard against himself." Zhu Han sneered. "He wants me to be the blade, so I will be the reverse blade."

On the day of the ceremony, bells and drums resounded throughout the capital.

Outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, officials bowed their heads. Zhu Yuanzhang, dressed in his imperial robes, ascended the steps.

On the imperial desk, the phoenix seal, half-yin and half-yang, rests quietly on a jade plate.

He loudly proclaimed: "By the mandate of Heaven, may the mountains and rivers be forever secure, the phoenix seal bears witness!"

With that sound, the two pieces of blood-red jade in the jade plate slowly closed together. The candlelight in the hall suddenly blazed on.

Just then, a shadow flashed in the corner of the palace.

Zhu Han, dressed in the armor of a guard, stepped into the hall.

The crowd exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness—!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression changed: "You have trespassed into the Fengtian Hall!"

Zhu Han said in a deep voice, "Your subject has entered the palace on behalf of the prison magistrate, and has important matters to report!"

He took a few steps forward, his eyes fixed on the two seals.

“Your Majesty, this seal is not a divinely ordained object, but a decree left by the late Emperor—to uphold the decree is to be in the light, while the mandate of Heaven is to be in the dark. To seal it today is not to obey Heaven, but to defy the decree!”

The palace eunuchs all changed color.

Zhu Yuanzhang roared, "Insolence!"

Zhu Han overturned the jade plate with a single palm strike, and the blood jade fell to the ground, cracking fine lines.

Immediately, Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned ashen, and he drew his sword.

"This is treason!"

"If I die to uphold the imperial edict, I will have no regrets!"

A sudden gust of wind arose in the hall, the candlelight flickered, and no one dared to move.

Zhu Han and Zhu Yuanzhang faced each other, their swords clashing, and in an instant, the beaded curtain on the palace roof shattered.

Zhu Han took a half step back, bloodstains on his palm. Zhu Yuanzhang's chest trembled slightly, but he suppressed the momentum of his sword.

He laughed in anger: "Fine, if you want to uphold the imperial edict, then stay underground."

"Guards—take him to the town prison!" Dozens of guards rushed in.

The prison office. The stone walls were damp, and water dripped incessantly.

Zhu Han sat leaning against the wall, his expression unchanged. Lu Qian was escorted to the outer hall, hissing, "Your Highness!"

Zhu Han smiled faintly: "No need to panic. The Phoenix Seal in the palace has already cracked, so my brother will not act rashly again."

Lu Qian whispered, "Then, Your Highness—"

"As long as there is a breath left, there is a way out."

Suddenly the prison gates opened, and an old eunuch slowly entered.

The candlelight illuminated a familiar face—it was the black-cloaked eunuch who had appeared in the Phoenix Palace before.

He said in a sinister voice, "Your Highness, we meet again."

Zhu Han narrowed his eyes: "Who are you?"

The eunuch chuckled: "The one who guards the imperial edict."

Zhu Han's heart skipped a beat.

The eunuch took out an object, which turned out to be half of the Phoenix Seal.

"Though the Phoenix Seal is cracked, Yin and Yang still remain. Your Highness protects the Yang, and this old servant protects the Yin. I've come today for only one thing—the Crown Prince is not dead." Zhu Han suddenly stood up: "What did you say?"

"On the night the fire broke out in Fengyi Palace, the Crown Prince was switched. The real Crown Prince had already been escorted out of the capital by Zhaoning's men and was hidden in the western suburbs of Jinling. The Emperor faked his death to deceive the public and wanted to use this opportunity to cleanse the palace."

Zhu Han was shocked, and a burning sensation ran through his chest.

“Zhao Ning…she had a backup plan all along.”

The eunuch smiled: "The order to uphold the imperial edict has been passed on to Your Highness. If Your Highness still wishes to uphold it, then please live on."

Having said that, he placed the Phoenix Seal halfway on the stone table, turned, and left. A flicker of candlelight, and his figure vanished through the hidden door.

Zhu Han stared at the half-piece of blood jade, his heart churning with emotion.

He slowly reached out and half-closed the two seals. At the crack, a faint line of blood shone.

"Brother, do you think the Phoenix Seal is shattered?" he said in a low voice, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"But in this world, there are some decrees that even Heaven cannot destroy."

A simple horse-drawn carriage was parked at the foot of the mountain, with a curtain hanging under the canopy, and raindrops dripping down the edge of the curtain.

Zhu Han, dressed in a blue robe, appeared more composed. Outside the carriage, Zhu Biao dozed against the wheel; his clothes, though old, were impeccably clean.

Zhu Han's gaze fell on him, and he said softly, "Wake up, Your Highness."

Zhu Biao opened his eyes, his expression youthful, yet he possessed the imposing presence of a crown prince.

"Uncle Wang...we've been rushing all this way, are we really not going back?"

Zhu Han reached out and straightened his clothes, then said in a low voice, "Go back? The capital is no place for a human to go right now. Once your name is revealed, you will die."

Zhu Biao bit his lip: "If Father knew I was alive, would he be happy?"

Zhu Han lowered his eyes and after a long while said, "Maybe yes, maybe no. That's not important, staying alive is what matters."

Lu Qian led his horse forward from outside the carriage: "Your Highness, there is an old village thirty miles ahead where we can take refuge. I have already sent men to scout ahead."

Zhu Han nodded: "Let's go. Leave no trace."

The carriage moved slowly again. The sky was overcast, rain was approaching from the mountains in the distance, and the wind whispered its tale.

Zhu Han took out his personal pouch, unfolded the Phoenix Seal, and the yin and yang halves merged together, the bloodline still faintly glowing.

He stared at him for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Lu Qian, do you believe in 'fate'?"

Lu Qian paused for a moment: "This subordinate only trusts the sword and orders."

Zhu Han smiled: "Both the sword and the command are man-made, but destiny always resides in the hearts of men."

He stroked the phoenix seal: "This thing is not a certificate of the throne, but a symbol of imperial edict. Those who uphold the edict uphold reason, not people."

Lu Qian said in a low voice, "What if reason goes against people's wishes?"

Zhu Han slowly closed the cloth bag: "Then let's see who dies first."

The next morning, Lu Qian rushed inside, looking nervous.

"Your Highness, there are people outside questioning the villagers. They say the government has ordered a search for fugitives."

Zhu Han's expression remained unchanged: "Who is leading this?"

"Judging from their accents, they are from the capital and claim to be acting on orders from the 'Left Guard of the Imperial Guard'."

Zhu Han's heart sank. The Left Guard of the Imperial Guard was the emperor's personal guard.

"It seems that my imperial brother has already sent people to search for me."

Lu Qian said, "May I disperse first?"

Zhu Han shook his head: "No. If we really search them, it will only make us look flustered. Let's pack up and pretend to be farmers."

Before long, several cavalrymen entered the village. The leader was dressed in black armor and had a stern face.

"Are there any outsiders here?" he asked sternly.

Zhu Han changed into coarse cloth clothes and stood outside with his hands behind his back.

"Sir, we are refugees who have rented this dilapidated house to take shelter from the rain."

The general gave him a cold glance, as if trying to see through his disguise. Suddenly he asked, "Is there anyone surnamed Zhu?"

Zhu Han said calmly, "There are many people with the surname Zhu in this world. Which one does the official want?"

The other party frowned, about to ask another question, when suddenly the sound of galloping hooves came from afar, and a cavalryman galloped towards them.

"Report! There's a suspicious person in Dongling Village!"

The black-armored general snorted coldly, "Go!" and turned to ride away.

Once the dust had settled, Lu Qian lowered his voice and said, "It was almost—"

Zhu Han gazed into the distance, his expression calm: "No, they are testing us. The real pursuers are still behind us."

He hesitated for a moment and said, "We can't stop any longer. We must head south immediately, take the back roads, and go to Jinling."

Lu Qian was startled: "Jinling? That's the capital region—"

"That's why they didn't expect me to go back."

Zhu Han looked at Zhu Biao: "Your Highness, you must endure hardship on this journey."

Zhu Biao looked up, his eyes filled with a precocious determination: "I'm not afraid."

Zhu Han nodded slightly, but a sense of heaviness settled over him.

Jinling, early March.

Willow branches outside the city stretched like smoke. Zhu Han and his party, disguised as merchants, entered through the west gate.

While spending the night at the inn, Lu Qian retrieved the message from the scout.

"Your Highness, the Phoenix Seal, though cracked on the day it was joined behind the palace, was repaired. Rumors circulate in the palace that His Majesty commissioned master craftsmen to reassemble it and seal it beneath his imperial desk. And—"

He hesitated. Zhu Han said, "Speak."

"Then he ordered the descendant of the eunuch He to take over the Shangyi Bureau, which was responsible for the supply of sacrificial robes. This person was He Guang's nephew."

Zhu Han frowned.

"He wants to fill He Guang's vacancy and continue guarding the seal."

"Yes."

Zhu Han pondered for a long time: "Nothing is ever a coincidence. He left half of the lineage to draw out the other half. If the Phoenix Seal is truly restored to the harmony of heavenly principles and human will, then it will become one with the heavens."

Lu Qian asked, "What are Your Highness's plans?"

Zhu Han slowly stood up: "Enter the palace."

Lu Qian was stunned: "Your Highness—no! You faked your death for safety; if it's discovered—"

Zhu Han turned around, his gaze as hard as iron: "If I don't enter the palace, then Zhu Biao will be dead for life. If the Phoenix Seal is completely sealed, no one will know my name as the Guardian of the Imperial Edict. Then my death will be in vain."

He said in a deep voice, "Only I can handle this matter."

Three nights later, in the palace.

The wind was gentle and still. Outside the Imperial Study, the lights were dim.

In the palace, Zhu Yuanzhang was bent over his desk reviewing documents, with only the old eunuch Su Ning by his side.

Suddenly, the candle flame flickered, and the shadow behind the window swayed.

Su Ning looked up alertly, but Zhu Yuanzhang stopped him with a raised hand: "Let him come."

A moment later, a figure silently entered the hall, dressed in blue robes and a white sash.

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyes and said calmly, "So you're still alive."

Zhu Han stepped forward slowly: "Your Majesty, did you know all along?"

"If I didn't know, do you think the prison could hide people?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, "That old eunuch dog by your side, I deliberately let him go."

Zhu Han was slightly shaken. "My brother had indeed foreseen this long ago."

Zhu Yuanzhang put down his pen and said calmly, "What I want is the result, not the process. Once the two halves of the Phoenix Seal are reunited, the world will be at peace. Your life or death is but a pawn in the game."

Zhu Han stared at him for a long time before saying, "What if that principle doesn't align with the will of Heaven?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze turned cold: "The will of Heaven? The will of Heaven is with me. The world is already at peace. If those who uphold the imperial edict rise up again, it will only lead to chaos."

Zhu Han said in a deep voice: "To uphold the imperial edict is not to cause chaos, but to uphold righteousness. The late emperor's edict is in the heavens; how can it be altered by anyone?"

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly rose to his feet: "Do you truly believe in the late emperor? That old traitor caused rivers of blood to flow back then, and I personally buried him. What divine mandate is there to speak of?"

Zhu Han remained silent.

Zhu Yuanzhang took a step closer, his voice low and somber: "Brother, you should understand that I am not trying to kill you. I want you to understand—there is no destiny in the world, only human life."

Zhu Han raised his eyes, his gaze as cold as frost: "If that's really the case, why did you leave the Phoenix Seal, Your Majesty?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was taken aback.

"If there is no mandate of heaven, what is the point of keeping the seal on the desk? What you fear is not the edict, but your own heart."

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze was like thunder, and he suddenly drew his sword: "Do you think I dare not?"

Zhu Han did not back down, but instead stepped forward and said coldly, "If my royal brother really dares, then destroy the seal in front of me. If you destroy the Phoenix Seal, I will die in the palace immediately."

The two men faced each other, their swords gleaming in the candlelight, the air almost frozen. After a long while, Zhu Yuanzhang's long sword trembled slightly, and he finally lowered it slowly.

He whispered, "You...you're so much like him." (End of Chapter)