Chapter 182: Yao Guangxiao: How Could the Emperor

At this moment!

Hearing Yao Guangxiao’s voice, Zhu Di sighed and slowly turned his head, his face heavy with bitter sorrow: “Monk, do you remember my initial concerns about Zhu Ying?”

“You suspected he was the Crown Prince’s eldest son?”

Yao Guangxiao immediately recalled this point—Zhu Di had mentioned his doubts back when they first met.

Before this trusted strategist, Zhu Di naturally revealed everything without concealment.

“Your Highness.”

“At this very moment, do you still harbor such doubts?”

“Back then, the Purple Micro Star stirred; the Crown Prince’s eldest son perished—this was fate, and this was heavenly decree.”

“It cannot be defied.”

“When the Crown Prince’s eldest son was buried, did you not see it yourself?” Yao Guangxiao sighed, shaking his head, his eyes now carrying a hint of disappointment.

Clearly.

Zhu Di’s behavior this time had deeply disappointed him.

To be so troubled over one man—to lose the aura of a king, to lose composure and dignity.

“But this time is different.”

“I can now confirm his identity.”

Zhu Di stared solemnly at Yao Guangxiao.

“Hm?” Yao Guangxiao looked at him in surprise.

“He is my nephew—Zhu Xiongying!” Zhu Di sighed, his voice heavy with gravity.

At these words.

Yao Guangxiao also lost his composure, immediately saying: “Impossible!”

“Perhaps this does sound utterly bizarre.”

“But it is true.”

“Just now, I saw the jade pendant the Emperor specially crafted for Zhu Xiongying—it bore the character ‘Yu,’ the posthumous princely title the Emperor granted him.”

“And that very pendant was just hanging around Zhu Ying’s neck,” Zhu Di said with a bitter smile.

“That’s impossible.”

“Back then, I saw that jade myself—I watched it buried with the corpse. Moreover, if it truly existed, there should have been two pieces, not one,” Yao Guangxiao said, his expression turning grave.

Two jade pendants.

One bore ‘Yu,’ the other ‘Huai.’

‘Yu’ was the posthumous princely title bestowed by Zhu Yuanzhang; ‘Huai’ was the posthumous honorific name.

They carried entirely different meanings.

“If this one has appeared, the other must exist too.”

“It’s just not being worn by him,” Zhu Di said gravely.

“Are you so certain it’s only one?”

“Not a coincidence?”

“After all, the world is vast—coincidences are not rare. Perhaps that jade simply happened to belong to Zhu Ying as well,” Yao Guangxiao still clung to a sliver of hope—or rather, he refused to believe Zhu Xiongying was alive.

After Zhu Xiongying and Empress Ma died.

He himself had performed the funeral rites.

Was the man dead or not?

How could he not know?

Though Yao Guangxiao was a monk, he well understood that the dead cannot return to life.

“It cannot be mere coincidence.”

“And I am certain this jade is the very one buried with Zhu Xiongying in the imperial mausoleum.”

“Its design is unmistakably crafted by our imperial artisans—every imperial prince possessed one.”

“Even my own jade pendant is identical.”

Zhu Di sighed and pulled a jade pendant from beneath his clothing.

If Zhu Ying saw this jade, he would be stunned—its design, texture, and craftsmanship were identical to his own.

“Your Highness, can you truly be certain?” Yao Guangxiao’s expression had completely changed.

“Yes!”

Zhu Di nodded firmly, his face dazed, as if he had lost his soul.

Clearly.

He understood better than anyone what Zhu Xiongying’s return would mean for the Great Ming.

And moreover.

This Zhu Xiongying is even more terrifying, even more powerful than the one before.

If he truly reclaims his identity, no one can oppose him, no one can shake him.

Not merely because of his former divine favor!

But because of his terrifying achievements on the battlefield—rising from obscurity, fighting his way through war, becoming the famed Marquis of the Champion.

From humble origins!

He became the hero who crushed the Northern Yuan’s iron cavalry—enough to earn the reverence of countless commoners.

Should he ever reclaim his title, his prestige will be unmatched.

Upon Zhu Di’s definitive confirmation!

Yao Guangxiao, like Zhu Di, instantly grew solemn.

After a long silence.

Yao Guangxiao finally spoke slowly: “The dead cannot return to life! How is this possible? How could he still be alive?”

“Could this be the Emperor’s doing?”

“No, that is even more impossible.”

“If Zhu Xiongying had truly survived, the Emperor would never have sent him to Beiping, never allowed him to become a commoner, never placed him in the deadly chaos of the battlefield.”

At this moment.

Even Yao Guangxiao’s brilliant mind, after endless deliberation, could not fathom the situation.

Because no explanation made sense.

Back then.

The Empress passed away.

The Crown Prince’s eldest son died.

The entire nation mourned; the court wept together.

That could not have been faked.

And the current Emperor would never risk the life of his beloved, most cherished grandson in such a deception—there was no reason.

But what hidden truth lay beneath? No one could imagine it.

“So.”

“I was just thinking about it—but I cannot understand.”

“What possible reason could there be?”

“Why did Zhu Xiongying die and then come back to life?”

“Why did he rise from the imperial tomb?” Zhu Di said gravely, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

“Could someone have stolen the tomb and taken this jade?” Yao Guangxiao speculated.

But as soon as he said it, he knew it was untenable—utterly impossible.

Zhu Di gave a bitter smile, looking at Yao Guangxiao: “How heavily guarded is the imperial tomb? Thousands of soldiers stand watch daily—who dares break into the imperial tomb? Unless they seek death.”

“So.”

“There are no other possibilities.”

“And even if there were hidden truths behind it, they no longer matter—the crucial point is that Zhu Xiongying is still alive,” Zhu Di said slowly.

Yao Guangxiao nodded, then fixed his gaze on Zhu Di’s face and asked gravely: “What is your plan now, Your Highness?”

Zhu Di said nothing, simply staring steadily at Yao Guangxiao.

Feeling that gaze, Yao Guangxiao was not afraid—he smiled instead.

“You want to kill me, so that everything vanishes?”

“So that all your schemes remain unknown?” Yao Guangxiao smiled, instantly understanding Zhu Di’s intent.

For years.

Zhu Di’s ambition had been unknown to all—even his own generals were unaware.

Yet only.

Only Yao Guangxiao knew.

The entire foundation rested on Yao Guangxiao.

If he were killed.

Zhu Di’s ambitions would remain hidden; he could still live as a loyal prince, guarding the northern frontier of the Great Ming.

“You say, now that we’ve reached this point.”

"Shouldn't I kill you?"

"Everything was your doing."

"Zhu Xiongying is still alive. Even if what you say is true—that Brother’s life was short—as long as Zhu Xiongying lives, the heir to the Great Ming throne will never be anyone else."

"I have no chance against him."

"Your so-called white hat means nothing," Zhu Di said coldly, murder in his eyes.

"Indeed."

Yao Guangxiao nodded, then added: "Now, only you know his true identity. If he cannot return to Yingtian, or if His Majesty and the others never see the jade pendant, how will they know Zhu Ying is Zhu Xiongying?"

"All of this can still be reversed."

Hearing this!

Zhu Di said gravely: "The moment I saw his jade pendant, my first thought was to buy it and hide it forever—cutting off any chance Zhu Ying could reclaim his identity."

"But he refused. And he showed no fear of me at all. Others fear imperial power; for an ordinary man, when a prince personally asks for a jade pendant, he would gladly agree. But he simply didn’t care."

"And."

"He has deep mistrust toward me. From our first meeting, he was wary of me."

"I cannot understand this."

"Why is he so wary of me?"

"I’ve never acted improperly before him. I’ve always treated him with courtesy."

"Except today."

Zhu Di’s face was filled with deep thought, his dread—and even fear—of Zhu Ying evident.

As Zhu Di spoke,

Yao Guangxiao said no more.

He could see: Zhu Di was truly afraid.

Then,

Yao Guangxiao walked to the side, took Zhu Di’s sword, threw it straight at him, then stepped forward, standing before Zhu Di.

"Your Highness."

"Since you’ve already made your choice, kill me."

Yao Guangxiao clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, clearly prepared to die.

Zhu Di took the sword, stared at Yao Guangxiao’s closed eyes, his face twisted in struggle.

He could not draw the blade.

Killing Yao Guangxiao meant killing his ambition.

Killing his ambition to seize the throne.

All these years!

For Zhu Di to abandon it completely—he simply could not.

That supreme position!

Who wouldn’t want it?

After a long pause,

"It seems,"

"Your Highness does not wish to kill me."

Yao Guangxiao slowly opened his eyes, a faint smile on his face.

It seemed,

he had seen through Zhu Di entirely.

"Do as you see fit for what comes next."

"I will ask nothing about it."

Zhu Di’s eyes turned cold as he spoke slowly.

Hearing this,

Yao Guangxiao immediately nodded: "Your Highness, rest assured. I will handle these matters properly."

…

Danning Garrison Camp!

Zhu Ying lay on his bed, clutching his jade pendant.

"Zhu Di’s expression was so strange just now."

"Could this jade have something unusual about it?"

"Why would a prince value it so much? Is it truly some priceless treasure?"

Zhu Ying examined the pendant closely—top to bottom. The material was indeed fine, but surely not worth ten thousand taels.

Yet Zhu Di wanted to trade ten thousand taels for it?

"I’ll have to ask Lin Bo later—what makes this jade so special?"

"As for Zhu Di,"

"We’ve already broken ties. No need to hold back anymore."

"At least we won’t see much of each other going forward."

"After all, his mind is too deep—and he always seems to have some hidden agenda toward me."

Zhu Ying put the jade pendant back inside his clothes, lost in thought about Zhu Di.

"Forget it. I’ll leave it for now."

"First, open the treasure chests."

"I’ve hoarded so many again."

"Four first-grade chests, seven regular chests."

"Another gamble."

Zhu Ying stopped thinking about Zhu Di—opening treasure chests was what mattered.

Then!

"Open all treasure chests," Zhu Ying ordered.

"Host command: open all treasure chests."

"Opening regular treasure chest."

"Obtained: [1000 taels of silver]."

"Obtained: [Silk Weaving Technique] scroll."

"Obtained: [Sugar Extraction Method] scroll."

"Obtained: [Minor Restoration Pill] vial."

"Obtained: [Grain Grain Bigu Pill] five vials."

"Obtained: [Fine Steel Sword] fifty blades."

"Obtained: [Grain Grain Bigu Pill] five vials."

"Opening first-grade treasure chest."

"Obtained: Xuan-class lower-grade [Three-Cut Tyrant Blade]."

"Obtained: [5000 taels of gold]."

"Obtained: Huang-class upper-grade [Postnatal Internal Art]."

"Obtained: Huang-class upper-grade [Turtle Breathing Technique]."

The interface prompted directly.

"Fine steel swords—good."

"Xuan-class lower-grade martial art. The name alone sounds mighty: Three-Cut Tyrant Blade."

"Postnatal Internal Art—this must be for refining internal qi."

"Turtle Breathing Technique? Is this for feigning death?"

"Enough."

"Since they’re ranked, they’ll be useful eventually."

Looking at the loot from this draw, Zhu Ying remained calm—after all, these were only regular and first-grade chests.

…

The next day!

Within Yuandu City!

After tens of thousands of logistical troops cleared the city,

it was now clean.

Yet within the city, Ming soldiers continually escorted captured Yuan soldiers and hidden Yuan troops out of the city.

Of course,

the former Yuan nobles and their families had all been seized—their fate certain: reduced to slaves, branded with slave status.

The Fall of the Capital.

Clearly,

its impact was immense.

This time, no fewer than fifty thousand people in the capital will be reduced to slave status.

And this does not even include the nobles from other northern Yuan cities.

Having conquered territory, one must reap its rewards.

Confiscating the property of northern Yuan nobles is one such reward; otherwise, the expenditures would be too great for the state treasury to bear.

The grand hall of the northern Yuan imperial palace!

All the generals of the northern expedition gathered here.

In Guo Ying’s hands lay the imperial edict from Yingtian.

“Gentlemen, generals.”

“The edict has arrived.”

Guo Ying looked solemnly at the generals in the hall.

At these words!

All the generals turned their eyes to Guo Ying, each pair filled with anticipation.

Clearly,

though the northern frontier was perilous, it also represented the greatest opportunity.

The Yuan emperor had indeed fled.

But whoever caught him, captured him, or killed him—

would earn the greatest military merit of this campaign, surpassing even the merit of breaching the northern Yuan capital.

Moreover,

“Engrave your name on Langju.”

These four characters—

were unquestionably the most stirring to any warrior.

Whether Zhu Ying or Lan Yu, none could resist the allure of these four words.

To the Huaxia, this was the highest honor a general could achieve.

Whoever accomplished it would be remembered for eternity.

Therefore,

though many warriors knew the northern frontier was perilous, they still rushed toward it eagerly.

The reason was precisely this.

Peril meant opportunity!

……

(End of Chapter)