Chapter 363: The Blade Still Has Its Uses—It Cannot Be Broken

"Yes, Eunuch." Cui Yingyuan acknowledged, turned, and walked out.

After Cui Yingyuan left, Chen Hong turned to look at Xu Xianchun, sighed, and said: "His Majesty truly values you, but after what you did before, this hurdle won't be easy to clear. This time His Majesty has a task for you—if you handle it well, you can win back His Majesty's trust."

Hearing this, Xu Xianchun was immediately stirred.

People only know to cherish things when they lose them—and Xu Xianchun had cherished them all along. His attachment to power had long been carved into his very bones.

Being forced to give it up had already been heart-wrenching; that feeling was nearly fatal. Now that he could regain what was lost, Xu Xianchun's excitement was easy to imagine.

"Please enlighten me, Eunuch." Xu Xianchun hurriedly said to Chen Hong.

Chen Hong looked at Xu Xianchun and, without beating around the bush, said directly: "You must know about the Duke Yansheng affair; the Duke Yansheng's title has already been stripped—you should know that too. Now His Majesty wants to send the Duke Yansheng back to Qufu, and he wants you to escort him personally."

Hearing this, Xu Xianchun's heart stirred, then his brow furrowed.

Clearly, things were not that simple. If it were merely a matter of sending the man back, anyone could do it—why must it be him?

Moreover, if it were just sending him back, there would be no way for him to win back His Majesty's trust. How could such a simple task have such great effect?

Xu Xianchun knew very well in his heart: to gain something, one must lose something. What he wanted was so important that the price could not possibly be so small.

Xu Xianchun looked at Chen Hong and asked: "Is it just sending him back?"

"Of course it's not just sending him back." Chen Hong said with a grave face: "You must also protect the Duke Yansheng's safety. The Duke Yansheng is a descendant of Confucius the Sage; raised from childhood on the books of the sages, his heart is resolute and unyielding—he has already attempted suicide several times without success."

"Although the Kong family did wrong this time, His Majesty still cannot bear to see the Duke Yansheng die. So along the way you must escort him with great care—do not let anything go wrong. The Duke Yansheng absolutely must not die."

"If possible, you may earnestly counsel him. If you can persuade the Duke Yansheng to abandon his suicidal thoughts, that too would be a great merit for you."

Hearing this, Xu Xianchun's expression turned awkward as he said: "Eunuch Chen, men like us—rough fellows—probably aren't very effective at persuasion."

"But His Majesty has few people he can trust." Chen Hong looked at Xu Xianchun and said with feeling: "This matter is still being entrusted to you. As long as you can do this well, I imagine His Majesty will no longer dwell on the mistakes you made before."

"In that case, I accept this task." Xu Xianchun gritted his teeth and said.

Xu Xianchun understood clearly in his heart: this was not escort duty at all—it was murder. And not just murder—it was killing the Duke Yansheng, disguised to look like suicide.

This job was thorny. If word leaked or his movements were exposed, he would surely die without a burial place. But if he handled this matter well, he could certainly reclaim some of what he had lost.

Still, Xu Xianchun felt that suicide was not entirely reliable.

After thinking it over, Xu Xianchun raised his head, looked at Chen Hong, and bowed: "I wonder if I might bring more men?"

"Recently, the Wenxiang sect has been rebelling in various parts of Shandong; they act recklessly and rampantly. If they learn that the Duke Yansheng is returning to Qufu, who knows what they might do. If I bring too few men, I fear something unexpected might happen."

Hearing this, Chen Hong pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded and said: "Naturally. The Duke Yansheng's safety is paramount—allocating more men is certainly no problem. As for the Wenxiang sect people, they may not have the nerve. But being cautious and careful is never wrong."

"Then I thank Eunuch Chen." Xu Xianchun said with gratitude on his face: "Please also convey to His Majesty that Xu Xianchun will surely redeem his crimes through merit and will never disappoint His Majesty."

"Then I'll be heading back." Chen Hong nodded and turned to walk out.

"This subordinate respectfully sees off Eunuch Chen." Xu Xianchun hurriedly bowed, his tone sincere, his attitude earnest.

As he walked, Chen Hong reflected inwardly: no wonder His Majesty valued Xu Xianchun—this was truly a talented man. The whole matter had been settled so simply. Xu Xianchun had effortlessly grasped the meaning behind his words and could even draw inferences from one case to another.

What he had told Xu Xianchun—that the Duke Yansheng was suicidal and the escort needed care—was nothing more than arranging for the Duke Yansheng to die by suicide along the way.

Xu Xianchun felt that approach left too many traces, so he proposed another method. After all, the Wenxiang sect was causing such a stir now—they had even dared to attempt assassination on His Majesty. Under such circumstances, their striking at the Duke Yansheng would hardly be surprising.

They absolutely had the nerve to do it, so why not pin the blame on them? Ambushed on the road, the Wenxiang sect delivering the killing blow.

After all, the Wenxiang sect was a brick—move it wherever it's needed.

Chen Hong only thought briefly before agreeing with Xu Xianchun's proposal. Still, he told him that this method must be used cautiously, must be used sparingly, and could not afford any mistakes.

At the same time, Chen Hong also needed to return to the palace to seek His Majesty's instructions.

Watching Chen Hong leave, Xu Xianchun slowly straightened up. The expression on his face shifted unpredictably, then dissolved into a helpless sigh.

Although His Majesty still appeared to trust him on the surface, the reality was different—Xu Xianchun could feel it.

Before this, His Majesty had trusted him, promoted him, and treated him as a minister; but this time, the task His Majesty had given him was pure dirty work.

To put it plainly, he had become the blade for His Majesty's secret killings. His standing had dropped considerably, the work he did was all covert and shady, and if anything went wrong, His Majesty would likely not protect him anymore.

But all of this was his own doing, and he imagined it couldn't be changed in the short term.

Letting out a soft sigh, Xu Xianchun slowly walked out of the cell.

This place was never meant to hold him anyway; with what had just happened, he could naturally walk out at any time.

Stepping out of the prison gate, he looked up at the sky and murmured: "This time I absolutely cannot make another mistake. What I lost, I will take back—one piece at a time."

As he said this, a flash of murderous intent flickered through Xu Xianchun's eyes and vanished.

Zhu Youxiao's residence.

Listening to Chen Hong's report, a smile appeared on Zhu Youxiao's face, and he said with a chuckle: "Xu Xianchun is still a man who can get things done—he thinks thoroughly. Let him proceed according to his own plan."

"Yes, Your Majesty. This servant will send word to him shortly." Chen Hong quickly said.

"Then let this matter rest at that." Zhu Youxiao nodded and said: "Every day, people die in this world. Some die in silence; some die with earth-shaking clamor."

"Some people, after dying, are remembered for decades, centuries, even millennia; some—no one knows how they died; some—everyone knows how they died. The affairs of this world truly cannot be explained clearly."

Chen Hong stood to the side, not daring to say a word.

How could anyone possibly respond at a time like this?

The moment he spoke, his life would likely be forfeit. Still, Chen Hong stepped forward and said: "Since Your Majesty is concerned about the Wenxiang sect's unrest, would it be necessary to secretly send men to protect Lord Xu?"

Turning to glance at Chen Hong, Zhu Youxiao immediately laughed.

How could Zhu Youxiao not understand what Chen Hong meant?

What did "sending men to protect" mean?

To put it plainly, it meant sending men to follow along, and after Xu Xianchun finished the job, directly silencing him—so that this matter would never have a chance to leak out in the future.

This inevitably reminded Zhu Youxiao of a man named Liao Yongzhong.

Back then, Han Lin'er was in Chuzhou. The founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang sent Liao Yongzhong to escort Han Lin'er back to Yingtian; when they reached Guabu, the boat capsized and Han Lin'er drowned, and Zhu Yuanzhang blamed Liao Yongzhong for it.

When the time came for the great enfeoffment of meritorious officials, Zhu Yuanzhang said to the generals: "Liao Yongzhong, in the battle at Poyang Lake, fought selflessly against the enemy—truly an extraordinary man. But he sent a scholar close to him to probe my intentions, so when granting titles, I only made him a marquis, not a duke."

When Yang Xian was chancellor, Liao Yongzhong was closely associated with him. When Yang Xian was executed, Liao Yongzhong was spared due to his great merits.

In the third month of the eighth year of Hongwu, he was ordered to commit suicide for illegally using dragon and phoenix motifs and other transgressions.

The Grand Ancestor Emperor, so righteous and awe-inspiring—Zhu Youxiao felt deep admiration in his heart. But what was the truth of this matter after all?

It had probably long been buried in the dust of history, with no way to investigate. Aside from those directly involved, no one knew.

So Zhu Youxiao turned to look at Chen Hong and said with a smile: "Xu Xianchun can have people protect him, but what about you?"

Hearing this, Chen Hong fell to his knees with a thud, then said with a solemn expression: "The Wenxiang sect intends to poison Your Majesty. This servant will taste the food for Your Majesty and be poisoned to death by them."

"This servant is alone in the world, save for one younger brother at home. Over the years, this servant has sent some money home. This servant has only one request."

"Please, Your Majesty, in consideration of this servant's merit in tasting poison for His Majesty, send this servant's nephew to the Imperial Academy."

Zhu Youxiao glanced at Chen Hong and was immediately amused by him.

He said in a relaxed tone: "An arsenic connoisseur, are you?"

After saying this, Zhu Youxiao laughed himself—a laugh from the heart, utterly delighted.

Chen Hong was bewildered; he didn't understand why His Majesty had burst out laughing.

Far from feeling relieved, he instead grew more anxious inside.

Zhu Youxiao walked over to Chen Hong, gently patted his shoulder, and said with a smile: "Alright, get up. Your surname isn't Yu, and you won't die."

"In the affairs of this world, some things can be solved by killing people, and some things cannot. Besides, if every time I dispose of a few people, my own attendants must be buried with them, I don't have that many people to compensate."

Upon hearing this, Chen Hong kowtowed respectfully to Zhu Youxiao, then rose and stood by Zhu Youxiao's side, no longer speaking another word.

In his heart, though, he breathed a sigh of relief.

In truth, this was not Chen Hong being overly dramatic, nor did he truly want to die. In Chen Hong's view, this matter was of grave importance, and it wasn't impossible that His Majesty might want to silence him.

Rather than let His Majesty silence him, it was better to take the initiative himself—after all, it was only his one life. If he volunteered, perhaps His Majesty, seeing his initiative, might grant him a measure of dignity.

Zhu Youxiao naturally knew what Chen Hong was thinking, but Zhu Youxiao also understood that he could never do such a thing.

If Kong Yinzhi died first, and then Xu Xianchun and Chen Hong died right after, he wouldn't be able to explain away such a mess.

Even if he truly had to do it, he would have to learn from the Grand Ancestor Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. This was all Xu Xianchun's doing—he presumed to interpret His Majesty's intentions, and deserved death ten thousand times over.

Use that charge to dispose of Xu Xianchun, or even more simply and directly:

Xu Xianchun and Kong Yinzhi had a grudge between them; the two didn't get along, and on the road back, Xu Xianchun tormented Kong Yinzhi, torturing him to death.

When this Emperor learned of it, he flew into a rage, punished Xu Xianchun for his crime, and killed him to be buried with Kong Yinzhi.

That would work too, and it would also keep this Emperor out of it.

But Zhu Youxiao still couldn't do it, and the reason was simple—his enemies weren't all dead yet, and he couldn't break his own blade first.

Wu Zetian kept so many cruel officials, and only cleaned them up at the very end. When you still need the blade, you can't break it—you have to grind it to exceptional sharpness.

So Zhu Youxiao could not do as Chen Hong suggested.

As for Xu Xianchun spreading the word, Zhu Youxiao didn't care either. Would no one suspect if it weren't said?

Impossible.

Just like what the Grand Ancestor Emperor did—though he covered it up, people still suspected, and no one truly believed it wasn't the Grand Ancestor Emperor's doing. It was just that no one dared to say so, and that was enough.

As an Emperor, how could he not leave behind a few unsolved mysteries?

Let this case become a mystery of history, and let future archaeologists and historians study it thoroughly.

Perhaps over this one matter of his, some people might even come to blows.

A pleasant thought.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youxiao's mood improved even further, and he said to Chen Hong: "Prepare to rest. I'm tired as well. You don't need to worry about Xu Xianchun anymore. Keep an eye on Cui Yingyuan, and report any news to me immediately."

"Yes, Your Majesty. This servant will watch him personally." Chen Hong said hurriedly.

Zhu Youxiao nodded and turned to go rest.

Everything that needed to be arranged had been arranged. Next came the waiting for news.

Zhu Youxiao believed nothing major would happen, and at the same time sighed inwardly—he still wasn't as good as the Grand Ancestor Emperor.

Look at how the Grand Ancestor Emperor executed a Liao Yongzhong with such a simple pretext. Using dragon and phoenix patterns without authorization—that single charge was enough to kill Liao Yongzhong.

He wondered when he would wield such power.

A single word deciding life and death, and most crucially, no one daring to say anything—just thinking about it was intoxicating.

Zhu Youxiao went to rest, but the entire city of Jining was thrown into chaos.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard mobilized once again, instantly alarming quite a few people.

Many people began secretly watching the commotion, but more were filled with anxiety, wondering who the Embroidered Uniform Guard would be seizing this time.

When they saw the Embroidered Uniform Guard charging to the Zhou family's doorstep, everyone drew in a cold breath. No one had expected the Embroidered Uniform Guard to make a move against the Zhou family.

The Zhou family members were even more shocked.

In their view, they were perfectly secure this time. Everything had already been arranged.