The Ming Dynasty: I Fabricated Dreams for Zhu Di 79

Chapter 79: Zhuang Mu’s Enveloping Nebula

“Grandson of the Emperor, we can’t get close!”

“These things are like cotton. The more force you use, the more force it pushes back.”

Zhu Zhanji was also a little helpless. He directly pushed away several Brocade Guards who were trying to disperse the nebula.

The nebula wasn’t particularly large, nor was it small. It was roughly a five-step radius centered around Zhuang Mu, emitting a colorful mist that looked like the night sky.

If it’s like cotton, then a blade should be able to cut through it, right? Zhu Zhanji drew his waist-mounted saber and forcefully swung it at the starry nebula.

The next second, instead of the nebula dispersing as he imagined when his embroidered spring knife collided with the starry mist, all the force he exerted was rebounded back.

*Crack!*

His embroidered spring knife snapped. Zhu Zhanji looked at his trembling hand. Such powerful recoil!

What the hell was this? It wasn’t cotton! It felt more like a solid block of iron!

He refused to believe it, drawing another Brocade Guard’s embroidered spring knife and continuing to strike at the nebula.

But the result was the same. Both his hands were stinging from the impact, yet the nebula remained perfectly intact. Not a single scratch. Even a large piece of raw iron wouldn’t remain unscathed after being struck by an embroidered spring knife. Yet, to the touch, it felt like soft cotton.

“Grandson of the Emperor, what do we do now?”

To arrest Zhuang Mu, they had to pass through the nebula, but clearly, the nebula was repelling them. Zhu Zhanji could only give up.

“Forget it. Let’s look for other clues, see if there’s anything useful.”

But if there were clues, Zhu Gaosu would have already found them. It wouldn’t have come down to him.

The final result was as he expected. Nothing. Just a perfectly ordinary inn. The only unusual thing was the mysterious innkeeper, Zhuang Mu.

They could only wait until Zhuang Mu woke up tomorrow to question him.

Meanwhile, what happened at the inn quickly reached the ears of Prince Zhao, Zhu Gaosu. Having held power over the Brocade Guard for so many years, he naturally had connections. Standing before Zhu Gaosu was one of the Brocade Guards who had been investigating with Zhu Zhanji. He was still injured.

“You mean, the rebel wearing the Dragon Robe appeared again?”

Although Zhu Gaosu had been stripped of his position as Commander of the Brocade Guard, no one knew if Zhu Zhanji could maintain his position. Before this, Zhu Gaosu’s name still held considerable weight within the Brocade Guard.

“Yes, Your Highness, I saw it with my own eyes. The rebel had a powerful bodyguard.”

“One person took down several Brocade Guards accompanying the Grandson of the Emperor.”

Zhu Gaosu frowned. Damn it, Zhu Zhanji’s luck was too good! He’d been investigating for three days without finding a single lead. Zhu Zhanji starts investigating, and the rebel just walks right up to him?

“You did well. This money is a reward.” Zhu Gaosu wasn’t stingy, directly tossing a bag of silver to the Brocade Guard. He wasn’t as rich as his second brother; he couldn’t just hand out gold coins, but he could afford this much silver.

“Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!”

While the silver was a pittance to a Brocade Guard, Zhu Gaosu’s attitude was the real reward. Gaining Zhu Gaosu’s approval meant a quick rise through the ranks of the Brocade Guard.

Zhu Gaosu waved his hand, dismissing the man. Soon, only Zhu Gaosu and Di Ping remained.

“Di Ping, do you think that brat Zhu Zhanji can find the rebel?” If Zhu Zhanji really caught the rebel, he could consolidate his position as Commander of the Brocade Guard. The situation was unfavorable to him.

Di Ping pondered for a moment: “Your Highness, I think that as long as the Grandson of the Emperor didn’t capture the rebel on the spot…”

“To catch the rebel in the Capital City would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.”

“Your Highness, do you remember that Taoist priest?”

In his opinion, Zhu Zhanji had missed the best opportunity. The Taoist priest, Flying Yuan True Lord, had vanished instantly after leaving the inn. They had almost searched the entire national registry of Taoist priests and still found nothing. Now, the rebel had appeared at the inn, and Zhu Zhanji hadn’t captured him on the spot. Once the rebel left the inn, it was like a fish slipping back into the sea. There was no way to track them down. That was the most bizarre aspect of both cases. It was as if the inn door led to two different worlds.

Zhu Gaosu thought for a moment: “You mean, these two rebels, like that Taoist priest, can disappear?”

Di Ping nodded. Otherwise, under normal circumstances, the moment the rebels stepped out of the inn’s door, they would have been seized by the Brocade Guard. The entire Jin Chuan district was swarming with Brocade Guards. It was inconceivable how anyone could evade the entire city’s Brocade Guard.

“Hahaha, it seems my grand-nephew has his work cut out for him.”

So, the Brocade Guard launched a frantic search for the rebels throughout the Jin Chuan district. In just one afternoon, they turned the entire Capital City into a tense atmosphere. No one knew if this anti-rebellion sweep would inexplicably land on their doorstep.

During the period when Ji Gang was in control, the Brocade Guard didn’t care about evidence; they only cared about whether someone looked suspicious. Guilty or innocent? Once in the prison, those tortures would make even the innocent confess to crimes.

This news soon reached the palace. In the Eastern Palace, Zhu Gaoshi, his thick lips pursed, was reviewing the memorials before him. Beside him were officials assisting in managing state affairs: Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, and various ministers—except for the two confined to the imperial study.

“Zheng He has arrived at the Ling Shan sacred tomb for incense offerings. Do we have any news from Chen Cheng?”

The Great Ming Dynasty had two chief envoys. One was Zheng He, who commanded fleets throughout the South Seas. The other was Chen Cheng, who was responsible for liaising with the Western Regions. Chen Cheng’s writings, “Travels in the Western Regions” and “Records of Western Tributary States”, helped to re-establish contact between the lost Western Regions and the Central Plains. His presence was low-key; if it weren’t for the route in Zheng He’s report, Zhu Gaoshi would have forgotten about him.

“Reporting to the Crown Prince, Chen Cheng has traveled to the Western Regions many times; there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Not reporting back to the court is his usual style.”

Zhu Gaoshi nodded. He was just asking. If there was news of Chen Cheng, it would be included in Zheng He’s report for Zhu Di to review the basic diplomatic progress. Convenient and concise. If not, there was no need to mention it.

Just as Zhu Gaoshi put down the memorial and was about to pick up another one, an official rushed into his study.

“Crown Prince, it’s not good!”

Zhu Gaoshi looked up at the official calmly: “The sky hasn’t fallen. What’s wrong?”

“What is it? Tell me.” The other officials only glanced up before returning their attention to the memorials in front of them.

“The Imperial Grandson, while investigating the case of the Dragon Robe usurpation, dispatched Wei Yun and other Brocade Guards to search for rebels house by house.”

“Everyone is terrified.”

“Even… even…”

A sense of foreboding washed over Zhu Gaoshi.

“Even what?”

“Even the Prince of Han, the Prince Zhao, and the homes of various ministers are not spared. They are all being thoroughly investigated!”

Zhu Gaoshi’s plump face instantly contorted into a grimace. Great. The sky was about to fall.

Zhu Gaoshi hurriedly asked, “Was this the Emperor’s instruction?” Without the Emperor’s order, rashly searching the homes of ministers and princes was not wise. Because of Ji Gang, Zhu Di was very displeased with some of the Brocade Guard’s actions, including arresting and searching people without imperial orders.

The official shook his head.

“The Emperor did not issue an edict to thoroughly investigate the entire city.”

“Instead, he cautioned that the matter shouldn’t be publicized.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoshi’s world completely crumbled.

He quickly said: “Go, quickly send someone to bring that brat back!”

“That little rascal, investigating a case, does he really think he can turn the world upside down?”

Soon, Zhu Zhanji returned to the Eastern Palace. He arrived at Zhu Gaoshi’s study. All the officials in the study had already left, leaving only the two of them.

“Father, you called me back, is there something wrong?”

Zhu Gaoshi turned around, his expression serious as he looked at Zhu Zhanji.

“I heard that you used unscrupulous methods to investigate the case, even sending people to break into the homes of ordinary people.”

“The Prince of Han and the Prince Zhao were no exception.”

Zhu Zhanji nodded.

“Yes.”

“You still have the face to admit it? Who told you to do this? The Brocade Guard’s reputation is already bad.”

“The Emperor allowed the third brother to take charge of the Brocade Guard, and the reputation improved slightly. You have ruined everything. The Brocade Guard’s name is now synonymous with notoriety and lawlessness!”

“If the Emperor finds out, how long do you think you can keep your position?”

“You don’t listen to me, and you won’t listen to the Emperor either?” Zhu Di had said not to make a big fuss. The implication was to improve the Brocade Guard’s reputation. At least make the people think about whether they have committed a crime when they see the Brocade Guard, instead of wondering if they have offended the Brocade Guard? Letting those who haven’t done anything wrong face the Brocade Guard without fear—that was what Zhu Di wanted.

Zhu Zhanji said frankly, “Father, I didn’t want to do this either.”

“But today, I went to the inn where my grandfather often goes to investigate the case, and do you know what happened?”

“Those two rebels appeared right in front of me.”

“They beat up my men and escaped. How could I not be anxious?”

He had no choice but to do this. If Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosu found out that the rebels had appeared before him, and he hadn’t been able to catch them, the consequences would be far worse, making him appear incompetent to Zhu Di. He was forced to search the whole city.

(End of Chapter)

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