Chapter 286

"Win? With what?" Lu Mingchuan's retort left Chen Guanlou speechless.

"I even hope the Crown Prince shows some sense, surrenders cleanly, begs for mercy with thorns on his back, and saves his life—ending this chaos quickly—rather than letting both sides slaughter each other to the last."

"Do you know how many people Crown Prince 's stubborn resistance will kill? Not to mention others—just the three thousand palace guards will be executed outright. Add to that the Crown Prince's officials, some court ministers, and their families. Even if this chaos is quelled in the shortest time possible, the dead will number in the tens of thousands—perhaps even hundreds of thousands."

"Tens of thousands of heads—all pillars of the court, elites of the realm, talents accumulated over decades. How cruel. Young Chen, can you bear to witness this?"

"After this chaos, even if it doesn't destroy the foundation, it will at least cripple the body. In times of peace, it might take decades to heal—but eventually, recovery is possible."

"But now, outside, traitors and rebels stir; inside, ambitious men wait to strike. I dare not imagine how cruel the world will become. You look down on me, despise me for clinging to life—but I feel no regret. I preserve my useful body to safeguard talent for the court, for the realm."

What a righteous and noble Mr. Lu—his words brimmed with seductive power. No wonder Zhao Mingqiao, despite seeing through everything, still steadfastly followed him.

He's a hybrid of hypocrite and true villain—when to be virtuous, when to be vile, entirely according to need.

"From your tone, it seems you have the power to turn the tide?" Chen Guanlou asked earnestly, with no trace of mockery. These great Confucians carried unimaginable influence behind them—perhaps they truly possessed the ability to stabilize heaven and earth. Never underestimate the world's people, especially renowned Confucian masters.

"Even if I must sacrifice my life, I will stop His Majesty from slaughtering indiscriminately—save one life, then another. That's why I cling to life now, waiting for the chaos outside to subside. When that day comes, Young Chen, you'll understand my suffering."

Chen Guanlou: …

In an instant, he became a fool—his inner self grotesque, ungrateful, ignorant of the dignity of great Confucians. Judging the noble by the petty mind—disgusting!

He was thoroughly vexed.

The only people who could vex him were surely no good. After all, someone like him—with normal morals, no grand ambitions, no antisocial tendencies, easily satisfied—felt visceral discomfort. Lu Mingchuan had to be a monstrous villain to provoke such a reaction.

"Then why don't you go out now and stop His Majesty? The palace gates are open—you can enter anytime to plead with him, order the troops to stand down, and end this chaos early."

"Alas! His Majesty is in a fury now—no one's counsel will move him. If I go now, it won't help at all—it might even backfire and cause more deaths."

"Just say you're afraid to die. Why invent so many excuses?" Chen Guanlou retorted.

Lu Mingchuan's face twisted—he had never been so humiliated. Even the old Emperor and the Crown Prince treated him with courtesy.

He suppressed his rage. "Young Chen, you don't understand scholars like us. I forgive you—I won't hold it against you. But please, watch your tongue."

Chen Guanlou raised an eyebrow slightly. "You say His Majesty staged a coup to depose the Crown Prince—but do you have proof? What if it was the Crown Prince who staged a coup to force the throne?"

"Impossible. Absolutely impossible. Only His Majesty can command the Divine Weapon Corps. Listen to the noise outside—Divine Weapon Corps is ravaging the capital, slaughtering officials and wealthy families. Such brutality could never be the Crown Prince's doing. If it were him, he'd restrain his troops."

Chen Guanlou agreed with this— he also believed the Crown Prince lacked the power to command the Divine Weapon Corps.

But he asked one more question: "May I ask, Master, is His Majesty still in the Taiji Palace?"

"What do you mean?"

Chen Guanlou pointed toward the palace. "A Grand Master has entered the palace. The palace is in chaos. To protect His Majesty's safety—do you think he's still in the Taiji Palace? Or even still inside the palace at all?"

"I don't know. I know nothing. Since the fifteenth of the first month, I haven't entered the palace, nor heard any news of His Majesty leaving it."

"So His Majesty will slaughter inside the palace?"

"Why not?" Lu Mingchuan snapped. "It's just a few eunuchs, maids, guards, and concubines. Don't worry—the palace chaos will end soon. With Grand Masters stationed inside, no one dares act out of line."

"How many Grand Masters are inside the palace?"

"That's a palace secret. Only His Majesty knows."

"Logically, with Grand Masters inside, the Crown Prince should have no resistance. The chaos should be over by now. But from the noise outside, things are growing worse, more chaotic. Master, can you explain?" Chen Guanlou asked sincerely.

Lu Mingchuan snorted. "Once these soldiers are let loose, they won't stop until they've looted everything. But I believe—when dawn comes, there will be movement inside the palace. Soon, we'll be let out."

"I hope so!"

Chen Guanlou silently cursed an old fox—this man spoke almost no truth, unlike Zhao Mingqiao's honesty. His so-called sincerity was all an act.

A tense, uneasy atmosphere spread among the jailers—everyone on edge. Only one day had passed, yet it felt like a year.

The calmest among them was Medical Officer Mu—he still had the appetite for a midnight snack.

"I only ate half my dinner, then lay down and got hungry again. Want some?" Medical Officer Mu cheerfully invited Chen Guanlou.

In the empty canteen, the two sat facing each other.

Medical Officer Mu cooked personally—two bowls of noodles, one each.

"Those cooks are sly as devils—they locked up all the food. I only found a bit of flour—just enough for the two of us, one bowl each."

"I ordered the cooks to inventory supplies and ration by headcount," Chen Guanlou said.

"You think this chaos will last a long time?"

"I don't know. Not sure. But better prepare for the worst—if it happens, at least we'll have food."

Medical Officer Mu nodded, agreeing. "Has Mr. Lu revealed any truth?"

"His mouth is sealed like a clam—he rambles endlessly, never says a true word. On the surface, he sides with the Crown Prince, fretting for him. But I feel—he secretly wishes the Crown Prince would fall. He even hopes the Crown Prince dies."

"No way." Medical Officer Mu was clearly startled. "Lu Mingchuan is a great Confucian—he publicly supported the Crown Prince, affirmed his legitimacy. If he turns his back now, what happens to his reputation?"

"That's why I say he's a hypocrite—full of malice."

"Could you be imagining the worst of him?"

"Don't flatter yourself—I've never misjudged a person. This feeling—it's all a setup against the Crown Prince. A vicious scheme. It began the moment the Grand Tutor was kidnapped."