Chapter 71: The Political Show of Actor Zhu Di

Xie Jin, Xu Huizu, Ru Chang and other officials stood at the dock, watching as Zhu Di and others approached, completely disoriented in the river breeze.

They saw Zhu Di bare-chested, wearing thorny branches, striding confidently forward, followed by Zhang Yu, Zhu Neng, and Qiu Fu, all with spines on their backs, bearing the weight as they walked.

Xie Jin furrowed his brow and looked at Xu Huizu.

Xu Huizu sighed and remained silent.

His brother-in-law was really skilled at acting, wasn’t he?

Last time in the court, he stood without bowing, displaying arrogance and disrespect. But once outside the palace, he became a humble person, treating everyone with great courtesy.

The performance was so remarkable that it left Xu Huizu in awe.

After returning to Beiping, Zhu Di either employed a strategy to resist the New Army policy or secretly established a breeding farm as a diversion. Finally, he even resorted to pretending to be insane and foolish, deceiving people throughout the country.

One would have thought that this was the pinnacle of Zhu Di’s acting skills, but what Xu Huizu did not expect was that upon Zhu Di’s return to the capital, he staged a “carrying thorn and apologize” act.

You are the King of Yan, not Lian Po^[1]Lian Po (Chinese: 廉頗; c. 327 BC – 229 BC), was a prominent General of the Zhao state in the Warring States period of Chinese history. He is … Continue reading, and Zhu Yunwen is not Lin Xiangru^[2]Lin Xiangru (Chinese: 藺相如; pinyin: Lìn Xiāngrú) (died c.July 260 BCE[1]) was a politician and general of the Warring States period, who served the state of … Continue reading either!

The conflict between you and your nephew is not a disagreement in political views driven by arrogance and prejudice, but rather a deadly conspiracy.

Who is this performance for?

“We greet Your Highness.”

Xu Huizu, Xie Jin, and others dared not neglect the etiquette and stepped forward to bow.

Zhu Di stopped in his tracks, looked at Xu Huizu and the others, and solemnly said, “I am guilty. This time, I have come to the capital to apologize to the Emperor. I am not worthy of your reception.”

Seeing Zhu Di’s demeanor, Xu Huizu realized that he was planning to carry thorn and apologize in the capital. If that were the case, wouldn’t the entire city be in an uproar?

“What crime does Your Highness have? Why should you carry thorns and walk? You might as well take the carriage and enter the imperial palace early,” Xu Huizu hurriedly advised.

Zhu Di waved his hand and said, “Duke of Wei, I harbor dissatisfaction, slander the court, deceive the emperor, and have disloyal thoughts. Fortunately, thanks to the emperor’s grace, I have awakened and now I must carry thorns and apologize to seek forgiveness.”

Xu Huizu looked at Zhu Di, who persisted in his decision, with deep concern and quickly signaled Xie Jin to say something.

Xie Jin smiled faintly and leisurely said, “If Your Highness enters the capital in this manner, it may damage the reputation of the King of Yan and lose the support of the people in the capital.”

Zhu Di looked at Xie Jin, frowned, and remained silent.

Xie Jin explained, “The people of the capital are well aware that the King of Yan is unwell, and the emperor has specially sent Scholar Yao to Beiping to invite your highness to the capital for recuperation. The close relationship between the royal family has already spread throughout the capital. Now, the common people are only hoping for your speedy recovery. If the your highness enters the city in such a way, how would the people feel…”

When setting up a stage and performing a play, what matters is the popularity.

If the play attracts criticism, then no one would be willing to perform it.

Xie Jin understood Zhu Di. He loved acting, and he had acting skills, but all his performances were for one purpose: to establish his authority, righteousness, benevolence, and courtesy in order to gain a great deal of support.

If it became widely known in the capital that Zhu Di came to apologize, then Zhu Di carrying thorns into the city would not only provoke criticism from some people, but it would also serve as a vivid example of his contributions to the state!

After all, the hearts of the common people are soft and easily swayed and persuaded.

At that time, with the sympathy of the people, everyone would look back at Zhu Di’s glorious achievements as a warrior and consider the hardships he endured for the country. Even if he made some mistakes, they could be forgiven.

If the emperor were to severely punish the King of Yan, it would undoubtedly affect the impression of the king among the masses and might even lead to criticism.

However, the current situation in the capital is different from Zhu Di’s expectations.

No one blames Zhu Di, and no one knows that Zhu Di came to apologize. Everyone thinks that Zhu Di is mentally ill due to poor health, and the emperor specifically brought him to the capital for treatment.

In this situation, if Zhu Di enters the city in good health, walking normally, and carrying thorns, it would be impossible to remove the hat of deceiving the emperor and the world under the guise of madness.

The hearts of the people will naturally lean towards the court. Even if Zhu Yunwen demotes Zhu Di to a commoner, it is unlikely that anyone would speak up for him.

Zhu Di felt trapped. He had prepared this play meticulously for nearly a month, and now he was being forced to cut it off with his own hands. Could he not feel frustrated?

Yao Guangxiao saw that the timing was right and spoke, “Your Highness, your health has not yet recovered. It is better to take the carriage and enter the imperial palace early.”

“Indeed,” Xu Huizu and others agreed.

With an escape route provided, Zhu Di took off the thorns on his back, and his back was already covered in blood and flesh.

Ru Chang saw that the attendants of the King of Yan wanted to deal with it hastily and quickly stopped them. He ordered someone to fetch medical gauze and alcohol, and after cleaning the wound, she applied alcohol and then wrapped it with medical gauze.

Zhu Di took a deep breath as the alcohol penetrated the wound. The pain was extraordinary.

“What is this?” Zhu Di pointed to a wooden box nearby and asked.

Ru Chou smiled and replied, “Your Highness, you may not know, but this is a crucial tool in the military. It will be necessary for military supplies in the future. It has the effect of accelerating wound healing and preventing inflammation and suppuration.”

“Oh? It’s so amazing?” As a commander, Zhu Di naturally understood how soldiers in the camp died. Most of them died because of improper wound treatment, resulting in either disability or death.

If such a good thing really existed, it would greatly ensure the combat effectiveness of the Ming army!

Xu Huizu concurred, “Your Highness, this item is indeed remarkable. It has already been initially equipped in the Capital garrison. However, the current production is still limited, and it cannot be delivered to the frontline. In about a month, after the production of King of Liao and King of Min catches up, the Five Army Commandery plans to transport ten thousand wooden boxes to the Beiping Garrison.”

Zhu Di was studying the medical gauze intently when he suddenly heard the names King of Liao and King of Min. He couldn’t help but ask, “King of Liao and King of Min? What is their relationship with this matter?”

“Your Highness, these medical gauze and alcohol were developed by the two Kings, King of Liao and King of Min, and sold to the Ministry of War,” Xu Huizu explained.

Zhu Di was completely confused. Leaving aside whether King of Liao and King of Min had the ability to develop and weave this medical gauze, even if they were engaged in business, it went against the ancestral rules. How could it be allowed?

Xie Jin, seeing that everything was ready, reached out and said, “The capital has undergone many changes. You will know in the future. Please, Your Highness and Consort, enter the carriage.”

Zhu Di nodded in agreement and, together with his Consort Xu Yihua, entered the carriage. Under the escort of the crowd, they entered the capital.

A crowd of onlookers surrounded them, all sending prayers.

On that day, Linggu Temple and Tianjie Temple in Nanjing were overcrowded, all praying for the well-being of the King of Yan.

Kunning Palace.

Zhu Di and Xu Yihua arrived together but did not enter the main gate of Kunning Palace. Instead, they knelt outside the palace.

The eunuch quickly informed Zhu Yunwen of the situation.

Zhu Yunwen shook his head slightly. It seemed that Zhu Di still had some sense of propriety. It was unnecessary to apologize outside; however, once inside the palace, he still needed to apologize before having a meal.

After leaving the palace gate, Zhu Yunwen and Ma Enhui approached and helped Zhu Di and Xu Yihua to their feet.

Just as Zhu Di stood up, he knelt down again and shouted, “I, Zhu Di, have deceived the emperor and acted disloyally. I have schemed against the New Army policy and committed treachery! I deserve to be executed! Your Majesty, please grant me death!”

Zhu Yunwen looked at Zhu Di kneeling on the ground and Xu Yihua kneeling beside him and said, “Of course, we need to hold you accountable, but let’s have fourth uncle sit first and self-punish with three cups of wine. After that, we can discuss our merits and faults. How about that?”

Zhu Di looked up at Zhu Yunwen. He saw the profound and determined gaze in Zhu Yunwen’s eyes, and the smile at the corner of his mouth was both confident and gentle.

For a moment, Zhu Di couldn’t help but call out, “Your Majesty!”

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