Chapter Fifty-Five: The Frame-Up
Page (1/3)
“I, Zhu Jihuang, pay my respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor, ten thousand years and beyond.”
As Zhu Jihuang stepped into the grand hall, the ministers couldn’t help but stifle their laughter.
It was mainly his bruised and battered face that struck them as utterly ridiculous.
Zhu Di cast a suspicious glance at Zhu Jihuang and asked, “What happened to the wounds on your face?”
Zhu Jihuang replied nonchalantly, “Your Majesty, I stumbled and fell when I entered the palace just now.”
“A stumble? How did you manage to injure your eye by falling? How exactly did you fall?”
The ministers burst into even louder laughter. The emperor was clearly up to mischief—he was pretending to be naive, asking how one could fall and injure their eye when it was obvious he had been beaten. It was utterly unfair.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, a look of embarrassment crossed Zhu Jihuang’s face as he stammered, “Well, it’s like this… um… that…”
“Enough of the hedging. You claim the Prince of Jin is rebelling—do you have any evidence?” Zhu Di interrupted impatiently.
Zhu Jihuang felt as if pardoned from death. Recalling what Li Jinglong had instructed him upon entering the hall, his face instantly took on an expression of profound sorrow as he cried out, “Your Majesty, my elder brother is but temporarily misguided. I beg Your Majesty, for the sake of our clan’s bond, to show mercy and not punish him harshly.”
Zhu Di furrowed his brows. “I asked if you have evidence.”
“Yes. My elder brother, in a moment of folly, stockpiled weapons and recruited troops in his fiefdom. If Your Majesty dispatches an imperial envoy to investigate, it will be evident. Furthermore, remnants loyal to the Jianwen Emperor have been inciting him. Were it not for their manipulation, my elder brother would never have committed such treason. I implore Your Majesty to look into this carefully.”
Zhu Jihuang’s words were pure fabrication. He had long despised his brother and wished for his swift demise. So while pleading for Zhu Jixi’s sake, he stabbed him in the back without a shred of remorse.
Unbeknownst to him, with each accusation, Zhu Jixi’s complexion grew paler.
“You lie! May Heaven bear witness, I have not rebelled, nor colluded with the Jianwen loyalists. All of this is a fabrication against me.”
At last, Zhu Jixi panicked. He hurried to the center of the hall and knelt, glaring venomously at Zhu Jihuang.
“Brother, turn back from this path. Do you truly wish for the entire Jin lineage to perish with you?”
Zhu Jihuang was putting on a great show, though combined with his battered face, it appeared comical.
“I have not!” Zhu Jixi said frantically.
Yet the ministers’ gazes upon Zhu Jixi had shifted uneasily.
If he were innocent, why would his own brother falsely accuse him?
Seeing the performance nearing its climax, Zhu Di knew it was time to conclude, lest the farce be exposed. He gave a subtle glance to the attendant beside him, who immediately understood.
Page (2/3)
Stepping forward, the attendant bellowed, “Silence!”
At his command, Zhu Jixi collapsed, a grim smile flickering across his pale face.
“Seize the Prince of Jin for temporary detention.”
Zhu Di spoke with authority, knowing the charade had reached its end.
“Hahaha, ha ha ha…”
Zhu Jixi suddenly broke into a bitter laugh from the ground.
His unexpected outburst left Zhu Di bewildered.
“Prince of Jin, do you have anything to say?” Zhu Di asked sternly.
Zhu Jixi rose, suppressing his laughter, and fixed his gaze squarely on Zhu Di.
After a moment, he said, “Outmatched in skill, Your Highness. I have nothing to say.”
At these words, Zhu Di’s expression darkened.
He had thought this was a setup, but it seemed the nephew truly harbored such thoughts.
What was the purpose of the Embroidered Uniform Guard if such a grave matter went completely unnoticed?
Though angered, Zhu Di dared not confront Ji Gang outright and instead demanded, “So you admit it?”
“Indeed, Fourth Uncle. You sit on the throne, so why can’t your nephew? It’s only because you set a precedent. Now that I’ve made a misstep, do as you please—kill or mutilate me; I accept your judgment.”
Zhu Jixi steeled himself, his face twisted with mockery as he stared at Zhu Di.
“Seize the Prince of Jin Zhu Jixi, strip him of his dragon robe, and imprison him in the royal jail!”
...
...
News of Prince of Jin Zhu Jixi’s conspiracy with Jianwen loyalists to rebel instantly dominated the capital’s gossip.
Even Chen Kan, imprisoned himself, was stunned speechless upon learning the full story.
He had thought it was a frame-up, but it was true!
“How dare he? How could he possibly dare?”
The instigator Chen Kan was utterly shocked by the revelation.
Historically, Zhu Jixi had never truly rebelled.
Could it be that his own arrival had triggered a butterfly effect, inflating Zhu Jixi’s ambitions?
Page (3/3)
Li Jinglong, too, wore a look of disbelief. After Zhu Jixi confessed rebellion in court this morning, he had been thunderstruck and had yet to recover.
“Brother, tell me honestly—did you foresee the Prince of Jin’s rebellion all along and thus set a trap for him?”
Li Jinglong’s wide eyes gleamed with curiosity. Now, he admired Chen Kan utterly.
Chen Kan shook his head solemnly. “Do you believe me if I say this was mere coincidence? I never expected Zhu Jixi to be so audacious.”
Li Jinglong gave him a knowing look, as if to say, “I’ve read a lot; you can’t fool me.”
Then, suddenly eager, he asked, “Should I investigate Prince Ning? What if he’s plotting rebellion too?”
...
At the Palace of Heavenly Service, after court adjourned, Zhu Di raged like a furious lion, smashing everything in the rear hall to ruins.
“This is outrageous, utterly outrageous!”
“Ji Gang! Where is Ji Gang?”
Zhu Di’s eyes were bloodshot, his body bristling with fury.
He was both shocked and enraged.
He hadn’t expected Zhu Jixi to truly dare rebel.
Had Chen Kan not preemptively framed Zhu Jixi, the rebellion might well have succeeded.
And yet, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had been completely oblivious.
Had Zhu Jixi not been frightened into confession in court today, he might still be deceived.
How laughable—he had thought everything was under control, that Zhu Jixi was easy to manipulate.
In the end, the clown turned out to be himself.
“Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin has fully confessed. His contact is the former Censor-in-Chief Jing Qing. They planned to first stir up trouble in Huainan tomorrow, and once Your Majesty’s attention was drawn there, the Prince would lead his troops from Jin to attack Beiping, creating a coordinated north-south uprising.”
Ji Gang rushed in, eyes widening at the wreckage.
“Jing Qing? Jing Qing? Excellent, excellent! Hahaha, wonderful!”
Zhu Di suddenly erupted into manic laughter, then kicked Ji Gang squarely in the chest.
Ji Gang was sent sliding backward several meters, uncontrollably spewing blood.