Chapter 40: Predicted your Prediction

The cold wind blew through the remnants of snow, freezing the recently splashed water into frost.

A disheveled middle-aged man, dressed in thin clothing, ran through the streets, shouting at the top of his lungs, “I’m dying of heat!”

Zhu Di snatched a live fish from a stall and took a bite, laughing heartily. He then ran to a bridge and jumped straight into the frozen river, splashing around and continuously drinking the river water, exclaiming, “Refreshing!”

The officials and citizens of Beiping watched in astonishment and disbelief.

Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Gaosui, and others finally managed to pull Zhu Di out of the river, but Zhu Di, as if not recognizing them, began wildly punching and kicking Zhu Gaoxu back into the water. He laughed loudly by the riverbank and ran along the river, drenched from head to toe…

Many people witnessed this.

Whether they believed it or not, Zhu Di had gone mad by the river.

Once a mighty and invincible commander, he had become a lamentable madman.

Ping An took off his fur coat, walked briskly into the inner hall of the Provincial Military office, and sat by the fire, warming his hands. He said to Sheng Yong and Zhang Bing, “People from the King of Yan’s mansion say that after Zhu Di read the confessions of Ni Qiong and others, he fainted and woke up insane.”

“Insane? Haha, I don’t believe it,” Sheng Yong replied decisively.

Zhang Bing was uncertain and said, “In such a bitterly cold winter, unable to survive in thin clothing, the King of Yan actually believes it’s incredibly hot and repeatedly jumps into icy rivers to cool down. If that’s not madness, then what is it?”

Sheng Yong looked at the fire, chuckled, and said, “General of Hundreds Battle, how could he be driven mad by a few accusations? Commissioner Zhang, may I ask, if His Majesty ordered your execution, would you go mad?”

Zhang Bing pondered for a moment and finally shook his head, saying, “No, but nothing is certain…”

Ping An narrowed his eyes, rubbed his hands together, and said, “There’s no uncertainty. The King of Yan is pretending to be insane.”

Zhang Bing looked at Ping An in surprise and asked, “How can you be so sure?”

Ping An chuckled, opened his collar, and took out a confidential letter from his closest clothing. He handed it to Zhang Bing and said solemnly, “I, Ping An, don’t believe in gods, nor do I believe in anyone’s ability to predict the future. But now, I believe. Our Emperor, with his genius intellect, foresaw the current situation!”

“What?”

Zhang Bing, puzzled, opened the envelope and glanced at the contents of the letter. He immediately stood up in astonishment, trembling, and looked at Ping An, asking, “This, this can’t be true, can it?!”

“Let me see.”

Sheng Yong quickly snatched the letter and, after reading it, widened his eyes, staring at Ping An and asking, “What is going on?”

Ping An gazed at the orange fire, the charcoal inside already turning slightly white.

Over a month ago, agents from the Great Ming Security Bureau arrived in Beiping, delivering this confidential letter to Ping An and informing him of Zhu Yunwen’s intentions.

Following Zhu Yunwen’s instructions, Ping An created an opportunity for the agents of the Great Ming Security Bureau to enter the King of Yan’s Three Guard Camp, conduct investigations, and secretly instigate defections.

The betrayal of Ni Qiong and others from the Three Guards was the result of the efforts of the Great Ming Security Bureau.

In this confidential letter, Zhu Yunwen’s assessment of the situation in Beiping was clearly recorded, with one sentence in particular:

“[Under the condition of defection, the conspiracy will be exposed. The King of Yan, in order to avoid disaster, will act insane to garner sympathy and wait for the right moment…]”

The letter was dated October 16th!

And the current date was November 21st!

In other words, over a month ago, Zhu Yunwen, who was far away in the capital, had foreseen the situation in Beiping and predicted Zhu Di’s every move!

What a terrifying ability!

Zhang Bing and Sheng Yong found it hard to believe everything. It was even more shocking than Zhu Di going mad!

Especially the choice of words used by Zhu Yunwen, “will act insane” instead of “might act insane,” indicated that Zhu Yunwen had complete certainty.

When Ping An first saw those words, he dismissed them with a smile:

How could Zhu Di, who had killed countless people, possibly go mad?

His Majesty’s words were too exaggerated and unrealistic.

But now, Ping An, like Zhang Bing and Sheng Yong, was unable to extricate himself from the shock.

Great Ning Prefecture, King of Ning’s Residence.

Zhu Quan was reading in his study. There weren’t many military affairs during the winter season.

The Mongols were also human beings; they knew it was cold and wouldn’t come to cause trouble at this time. Most likely, they were enjoying themselves in their Mongolian tents.

Moreover, the current Mongols didn’t dare to launch large-scale attacks on the Ming Dynasty.

In the 21st year of the Hongwu era (1388), General Lan Yu led a 150,000-strong army on a northern expedition, passing through Great Ning and reaching Qingzhou. They essentially annihilated the Northern Yuan Dynasty at Buir Lake.

The political enemies of the Ming Dynasty disappeared ten years ago.

The Mongol power today is no longer that of a specific regime but rather a scattered and independent force. They lack the courage and strength to launch a large-scale invasion of the Ming Dynasty’s border.

Commander Fang Kuan was patrolling the city when he suddenly saw a cavalryman rushing into the city with a report. He quickly ordered his men to intercept and inquire. After learning the news, his face changed drastically, and he hurriedly took the urgent report and rushed to the King of Ning’s Residence.

“Your Highness, urgent report!”

Fang Kuan hurriedly pushed open the door, and the cold wind swept into the room.

Zhu Quan furrowed his brow and said in a deep voice, “Where is the urgent report from?”

“It’s from Beiping Prefecture.”

Fang Kuan’s lips were slightly chapped.

Zhu Quan was somewhat surprised. He looked up at Fang Kuan, took the urgent report, and asked, “How did Beiping Prefecture’s urgent report end up in my Great Ning Prefecture?”

“My lord, please look at the emblem on the urgent report,” Fang Kuan reminded him.

Zhu Quan lowered his head and examined the urgent report closely. On it was engraved a unique emblem—a diagonal cross formed by intersecting swords, resembling the letter “X.” He couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment. Zhu Quan was well aware of this peculiar emblem. It was the distinct symbol of the Great Ming Security Bureau, personally designated by Zhu Yunwen himself. Its meaning was clear: always in battle.

Why would the Great Ming Security Bureau send him an urgent report?

Zhu Quan quickly opened the urgent report and read its contents. Instantly, he stood up and hurriedly asked, “Where is the courier? Summon him immediately!”

Fang Kuan shouted outside the door, and a courier with lips turning blue from the cold entered the room, bowing respectfully. “Greetings, King of Ning.”

Zhu Quan glanced at the letter and incredulously asked the courier, “Fourth Brother, has the King of Yan gone mad?”

“The people of Beiping say so, witnessing countless incidents. However, there is no definitive conclusion on whether he is truly mad.”

The courier replied cautiously.

Zhu Quan recalled his discussion with Zhu Yunwen before leaving the capital, where they analyzed the situation in Beiping in detail. Now, it seemed that everything Zhu Yunwen predicted had come true.

The King of Yan had gone mad.

It was feigned madness.

Zhu Quan knew that Zhu Yunwen was aware of Zhu Di’s pretense of madness and had anticipated it. However, Zhu Di remained oblivious and continued to fervently perform his act of madness.

Deep within his heart, Zhu Quan felt a profound sense of sorrow for Zhu Di. He was also greatly amazed by Zhu Yunwen’s genius foresight.

It seemed that Zhu Yunwen had scripted this play long ago, selecting the roles, setting the stage, and then calling out, “Zhu Di, please begin your performance.” Zhu Di remained completely unaware, following the script step by step, ultimately reaching the most spectacular scene:

Feigning madness.

Zhu Quan could imagine that Zhu Yunwen must be laughing heartily in the capital, while Zhu Di could only delude himself into thinking he had succeeded, wholeheartedly performing a role that would never achieve its intended purpose.

“The Emperor is right!”

Zhu Quan slumped in his chair, feeling as though the room had grown even colder, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

Zhu Yunwen foresaw everything but took no action. Instead, he continuously provided chances to Zhu Di, his fourth brother!

Zhu Quan understood that according to Zhu Yunwen’s subsequent predictions, Zhu Di would wait for the right moment, dispatch his men or come personally to Daning, seize his Duoyan Three Guards, counterattack Beiping, and establish it as a stronghold to challenge the court!

“No, I cannot allow such a thing to happen!”

Zhu Quan realized that if things continued to unfold, he would undoubtedly meet his demise.

Facing an emperor who controlled the entire Great Ming Empire and possessed extraordinary predictive abilities, there was no chance of victory.

Moreover, Zhu Quan was well aware of the New Military Policy. Currently, the guards in the capital and Beiping had all pledged their loyalty to the court. Once chaos erupted in Beiping, those soldiers would fight to the death.

The soldiers of the various guards armed under the New Military policy are a fearless army, knowing death yet unafraid of it. They are a determined army with willpower as strong as the Great Wall, a military force willing to die for their country and unyielding even in the face of death!

Zhu Quan had no confidence in defeating such an army, even with his most formidable cavalry, the Duoyan Three Guards!

“Summon Mao Zheng and He Yunzhong to see me!” After much contemplation, Zhu Quan instructed Fang Kuan.

Mao Zheng and He Yunzhong soon arrived at the King of Ning’s residence. After sealing the prepared envelope, Zhu Quan handed it to Mao Zheng and said to both of them, “You two were once followers of the King of Yan. Now I need you two to depart immediately and deliver this letter to the King of Yan in person as quickly as possible. Then return to Daning prefecture without delay. Do not utter a single unnecessary word or ask any unnecessary questions. Do you understand?”

He Yunzhong glanced at Mao Zheng, and although they didn’t fully comprehend the situation, they solemnly agreed. Seeing that Zhu Quan had no further instructions, they concealed the letter and hastily left the King of Ning’s residence, making their way directly to Songting Pass.

Zhu Quan didn’t wish to witness a battle between family.

On November 27th, in the Imperial Palace of the capital, in the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

Zhu Yunwen looked at Dao Yan, who was in deep meditation, continuously twirling his prayer beads. Zhu Yunwen took out an urgent report that had traveled 800 miles and said, “This urgent report is from Beiping Prefecture.”

Dao Yan opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on Zhu Yunwen, and asked, “Is it time?”

Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly. From the wooden box on the table, he took out a sealed letter and said, “Master’s prediction has yet to be unsealed in my possession.”

From his sleeve, Dao Yan retrieved a letter with intact sealing wax and said softly, “Your Majesty’s prediction remains intact.”

Using a small knife, Zhu Yunwen broke the seal, took out Dao Yan’s prediction, and asked, “If Master’s prediction is incorrect, please remain by my side and lend your support to the Great Ming.”

A slight tremor passed over Dao Yan’s emaciated face as he tore open the envelope, took out the contents, and said solemnly, “If Your Majesty’s prediction is incorrect, please honor your promise and allow this humble monk to return to the Qing Shou Temple in Beiping.”

“Hahaha, it’s a deal.”

Zhu Yunwen unfolded Dao Yan’s prediction, which contained only nine characters:

Implement the New Military Policy, be loyal to the Emperor, and serve the country.

Dao Yan unfolded Zhu Yunwen’s prediction and looked down. His pupils suddenly dilated as he read the eight characters written on it:

Feign madness to avoid calamity, bide time, and act.

Zhu Yunwen pointed to the urgent report from Beiping Prefecture, laughed heartily, and left the Hall.

Uneasily, Dao Yan opened the urgent report, his hands trembling, and with a fearful expression, he looked toward the door. Standing there proudly in the cold wind was the emperor of the Great Ming Empire—Zhu Yunwen!

---

Dear Readers, Sproutling here translating Ming Dynasty: Reborn as Zhu Yunwen, If you have enjoyed my translation and would like to show your support. Please consider donate to my Ko-Fi (Click here) page. Your help mean so much to me, Thank you in advance!