Chapter 26: The Dagger Appears as the Map Is Unrolled

"Your Majesty, Prince Zhou is still alive—how do we know he won’t change his mind again? Issuing such an edict now also risks appearing to curse him. In my view, we should set this matter aside for now and wait until Prince Zhou passes away."

"Perhaps when the edict naming the heir arrives at Prince Zhou’s mansion, he’ll be so overjoyed that his illness suddenly clears up? Wouldn’t that make the edict a laughingstock?"

The Emperor thought this over and agreed, so he issued only the edict naming Prince Zhou’s heir.

Zhao Yuansong opened his mouth to speak but held back, his face grim; the Ministry of Rites officials looked equally displeased—they had hoped to issue two edicts at once.

But seeing the Emperor’s impatient expression, neither Zhao Yuansong nor the Ministry of Rites officials dared raise it again; the matter was complex, tied to ancestral precedent.

Since the founding emperor, through four reigns, officials of the Ministry of Rites had quietly hinted at abolishing the practice of human sacrifice, but reigning emperors either pretended not to understand or were overwhelmingly attacked by the Clan Office, often resulting in dismissal or demotion.

Over time, no one dared speak of it openly anymore.

It was rare for a prince to repeatedly mention abolishing human sacrifice—even if only for his own household—but it was still a good beginning.

In the end, Zhao Yuansong took only one edict and rushed back to Kaifeng.

Knowing Prince Zhou wouldn’t last much longer and fearing delay would bring trouble, Zhao Yuansong spent all the money he had left, bribing the accompanying Ministry of Rites officials and the Directorate of Ceremonial eunuchs to speed up.

The group galloped back to Kaifeng, but faster than they was the Prince of Xiangfu, who lived on the outskirts of the city.

Upon hearing of Prince Zhou’s critical condition and unconsciousness, he immediately brought a physician and stormed straight into the main courtyard.

Since Prince Zhou had decided to feign unconsciousness, only Zhu Zi and one trusted personal attendant had been serving in the main courtyard; apart from the Princess Consort and Tao Ji, few knew of Prince Zhou’s condition.

Yet somehow, the Prince of Xiangfu had still gotten wind of it.

The Princess Consort clenched her teeth silently—so long as she lived, after this, she would replace every servant in the mansion.

She hurried with her trusted attendants toward the main courtyard.

Zhu Zi was standing with a flushed face, blocking the way before Zhu Youjue.

Zhu Youjue was furious: "When I left, my elder brother was perfectly well—how could he have fallen into unconsciousness in just over a month?"

"You neither summoned renowned physicians nor reported to the imperial court—what are you trying to do?"

Zhu Zi blocked the doorway: "It was Father’s wish..."

"Don’t call him that so intimately—he’s not your father. Your real father is Zhu Youlan!" Zhu Youjue sneered. "They say like father, like son. Your father was such a man—who knows if this isn’t some scheme between you two, aiming for this damn title..."

Pan Yun, holding a cat, stood with Tao Ji beneath the corridor, watching the spectacle. Hearing this, Tao Ji couldn’t hold back: "Tsk. That’s an interesting remark. Like father, like son—then by that logic, the former Prince Zhou was the father of Zhu Youlan, and the Prince of Xiangfu is the son of the former Prince Zhou—so does that mean the Prince of Xiangfu and the commoner Zhu Youlan are equally virtuous?"

Pan Yun, holding the cat, nodded vigorously.

Zhu Youjue narrowed his eyes, his gaze dark as he stared at the three beneath the corridor.

"Insolent!" shouted Zhu Youjue’s personal attendant. "Who are these riffraff to interrupt the Prince while he speaks? Are you all dead? Drag them away!"

Pan Yun straightened her posture; Xuan Miao also stepped forward, eyes cold.

Zhu Zi, sweating profusely: "Stop! Fourth Uncle, these are our mansion’s honored guests!"

Prince Zhou’s people stood still, but the Prince of Xiangfu’s men surged toward the three.

Zhu Youjue had long disliked them—if not for them bringing back Zhu Tongqie, his elder brother wouldn’t have considered naming an heir; Zhu Zi would’ve been nothing more than a servant bearing the title of adopted son, and later he could simply give him some land and be rid of him.

Zhu Youjue said nothing; the Prince of Xiangfu’s men, reassured, charged forward like wolves and tigers to seize them. The three sidestepped simultaneously, kicked out swiftly, and sent all three charging men flying with a single chest kick.

Pan Yun applied subtle force—the man rushing at her flew the farthest, crashing with a thud at the Prince of Xiangfu’s feet.

Tao Ji and Xuan Miao’s victims landed in the courtyard, far from the Prince of Xiangfu.

This made it clear Pan Yun was the strongest—especially since she was much shorter than Xuan Miao and Tao Ji, barely reaching their necks.

The other two lowered their heads to look at her.

Pan Yun flicked a speck of dust from her sleeve, held the cat with noble aloofness, and returned the Prince of Xiangfu’s gaze without a word.

Xuan Miao calmly looked away.

Tao Ji was furious: "Again!"

The Prince of Xiangfu’s men all stepped back one pace.

Tao Ji: ...

The Prince of Xiangfu took this as provocation. He clenched his fists, his gaze icy as he fixed on Zhu Zi: "Zhu Zi, are you rebelling? This Prince Zhou mansion isn’t yours yet—and yet you dare strike your own uncle? You’re just like your father..."

"Hey hey hey, we’re the ones who acted, not Zhu Zi!" Tao Ji couldn’t stand him bullying the innocent. "If you’ve got guts, come after us—don’t falsely accuse others!"

Seeing Zhu Zi remain silent, Zhu Youjue nodded repeatedly: "Good, very good. It seems this Prince Zhou mansion has been taken over by outsiders. I must see my elder brother myself and ask if he even knows what’s happening—how can any stray cat or dog dare insult me here?"

He stepped forward and shoved Zhu Zi aside: "Get out of the way!"

Zhu Zi stumbled. Seeing him rush toward the room, he ran forward again to block him: "Fourth Uncle, the physician said Father must not be startled while unconscious. Whatever you need to say, tell me—even if you beat or kill me..."

Pan Yun murmured inwardly: "How theatrical."

But it worked—especially on men.

Zhu Zihou finally couldn’t stand it anymore. He rushed forward and grabbed his father: "Father, let’s sit down and talk properly. Why torment our elder cousin?"

Zhu Youjue angrily shook him off and kicked him: "You wretched son—how could I have fathered such a disobedient brat!"

Seeing his elder brother beaten, Zhu Zidan was no longer willing to stand by. He rushed forward to support Zhu Zihou, then wrapped his arms around Zhu Youjue and dragged him backward: "Father, Grandfather can’t be startled now. If you want to see him, just look quietly. Wait for Grandmother to come and see him together. Can you please not be so agitated..."

Zhu Zi, seeing this, gripped Zhu Youjue tighter and dragged him off the steps entirely.

Watching the tangled four, Pan Yun sighed: "It would’ve been better if they’d just fought."

No sooner had she spoken than the Princess Consort arrived in a rush. Seeing the four entangled together, she roared: "Stop!"

Seeing their aunt arrive, Zhu Zihou and Zhu Zidan instinctively let go.

Zhu Zi immediately released his grip and stood straight. Zhu Youjue, suddenly deprived of all support, staggered and fell flat on his back.

Zhu Zihou and the others hadn’t expected this—they scrambled to help him up. After a while, all four finally regained their footing.

Pan Yun couldn’t help but burst into laughter, watching with keen interest.

The Princess Consort heard her laugh and grew angrier. She didn’t turn to look at Pan Yun, but glared at the four: "What are you all fighting about?"

Zhu Youjue, equally furious, shook off the hands pulling him and glared at the Princess Consort: "Elder sister, my brother is gravely ill—and you let him control the mansion without seeking treatment?"

The Princess Consort replied coldly: “Who has filled your ears with lies? Our mansion already has a court physician and a Daoist healer, and all renowned physicians in Kaifeng have been notified—they won’t travel far. We can summon any of them immediately.”

"Since returning, Zi Jing has personally attended to the Prince without neglect. Since the Prince decided to feign unconsciousness awaiting imperial edicts, he has remained by his side day and night—even a biological son couldn’t do more."

Zhu Youjue’s face darkened: "I think you’re deceived by his facade. I don’t trust him—I must see my brother."

The Princess Consort’s expression remained blank: "The Prince cannot be disturbed now. I appreciate your concern, Fourth Brother."

Seeing her refusal again and again, Zhu Youjue grew more certain Zhu Youdun was dead, and they were concealing his death, waiting for the imperial edict.

But the court might not agree to name Zhu Zi heir. If he exposed this now, Zhu Zi’s claim would be illegitimate—and he, Zhu Youjue, would be the rightful first heir.

Zhu Youjue was even more determined to see Zhu Youdun.

The Princess Consort could no longer hold back: "Prince of Xiangfu, this is the Prince Zhou mansion—it is my home. We don’t need your interference. Someone, show our honored guest to the main hall!"

Zhu Youjue narrowed his eyes, signaled to his men, and stood still: “Elder sister, are you afraid of human sacrifice, so you’re concealing my brother’s condition? This is a capital offense!”

"How dare you!" The Princess Consort, enraged by the accusation, turned crimson.

Zhu Zi couldn’t help but speak: “Fourth Uncle, watch your tongue! Father is perfectly well! Father and Mother have always had a deep bond—even if Mother wished to follow him, Father repeatedly refused and petitioned the court to abolish human sacrifice in our household.”

"Wretched brat, I won’t waste words with you. Move aside—or don’t blame me for being uncivil."

The Princess Consort: "How will you be uncivil? Prince of Xiangfu, shouting for violence inside the Prince Zhou mansion—is this how you plan to rule it before you’ve even become Prince?"

Zhu Youjue’s face flushed: "I’m doing this for my brother..."

"You’ve already shown your true colors. Stop using your brother as an excuse. You know what you want, and we all know what you want. You keep dragging up Zhu Youlan—but to me, you’re no different from him. Both of you covet what belongs to others, trying to drag it into your own pockets. When things don’t go your way, you shout for violence."

"He doesn’t hide it, so he’s a fool—a true villain. But you, Fourth Uncle, you hide it—you’re clever, a hypocrite!"

Zhu Zihou and Zhu Zidan turned pale. They both knelt and banged their heads on the ground: "Aunt, Father only spoke out of worry for Grandfather—he didn’t mean it. You can beat or scold him, but please don’t accuse him like this!"

The Princess Consort’s throat tightened with curses, tears streaming down her face. She hugged the two boys’ heads and wept bitterly: "How could I want to speak so harshly to your father? How could I bear to see you suffer? But he’s forced himself onto us—he’s bullying us, the widow and orphans, powerless and alone..."

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(End of Chapter)