Zhu Di, Prince of Yan (Part 1)

More than a dozen warhorses came galloping in like a tempest. The purple-robed old man riding the black horse at the forefront roared furiously, "Are you trying to rebel?"

With a swish, all the soldiers neatly laid their weapons on the ground and respectfully dropped to one knee, shouting wildly, "Long live Prince of Yan! Long live Prince of Yan! Long, long live Prince of Yan!" The commoners who had been scrambling to flee in all directions saw the purple-robed elder and immediately knelt in dense rows as well, their praises ringing out in a chorus.

Just as Li Feng was about to unleash the Five Thunders Art in his hand, heedless of whether thunder in the depths of winter made any sense, he saw the purple-robed elder racing over. He quietly withdrew his hand seals and put on the appearance of someone gasping for breath after a fierce battle. Bracing his three-foot sword against the ground, his roguish eyes continuously sized up Zhu Di, Prince of Yan—the fourth son reputed to be Emperor Taizu's most powerful and capable.

Zhu Di was not handsome. His face was round, his skin slightly dark, but his frame was broad and his bearing imposing. His eyes were exceptionally spirited; indeed, there was so much light in them that one could never tell what he was thinking, because the gleam in his eyes never changed, no matter the occasion. Zhu Xi, by comparison, was a debauched young master, a wealthy peony in a rear garden. Zhu Geng was a mountain peak, a peak that could hold up heaven and pierce the clouds. And Zhu Di? He seemed like the sea itself—possessing boundless potential, yet outwardly utterly ordinary. Only the occasional flash in his eyes, like foam upon the waves, told one that beneath his surface, he was far from so tranquil.

Seated on horseback, Zhu Di shot frenzied fury from his nearly triangular eyes. Raising his right hand, he ordered, "All soldiers, return to your respective camps. Commanding officers, return to the Prince's Residence with me... Xi'er, you, you, what madness seized you today? Why did you lead troops to surround the Northern Camp? Have you truly gone mad? Brothers turning on brothers—do you want the rest of the clan to laugh at us? Our soldiers are meant to protect our homes and keep the people safe, yet what are you doing? Fighting one another and alarming the people! This, this... you are infuriating me to death!"

Hearing Zhu Di's final words, the nearby commoners were deeply moved. They immediately kowtowed one after another and cried out like a mountain tsunami, "Long live Prince of Yan! Long, long live Prince of Yan!" Li Feng praised inwardly, Wonderful. I need to learn this trick properly. Give commoners the tiniest benefit, and they'll worship you like their grandfather. This Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, looks like a master at playing with people's hearts. He ties everything to the commoners and uses their welfare as a banner for everything. Wouldn't the people be grateful beyond measure, supporting whatever he did with all their might?

An ancient saying suddenly surfaced in Li Feng's mind: He who wins the hearts of the people wins the realm.

Zhu Xi, meanwhile, looked like a frostbitten vegetable leaf. Having climbed down from his horse, he stood there unable to speak. Under Zhu Di's command, the surrounding soldiers had already departed completely. Zhu Xi's guard unit had no commanding officers to begin with. The only ones left in the field now were Zhu Xi, Li Feng, and several eunuchs.

Zhu Di glanced at Zhu Xi, surprise flashing in his eyes. Then he gave Li Feng a long, deep look. Li Feng felt those two gazes pierce deeply into his heart like blades, as though they intended to see straight through him. Greatly alarmed, he thought, Good heavens, that Innate expert from that day was Prince of Yan? Shopkeeper, you can wake up from your dream of taking Prince of Yan's position in this lifetime. An Innate expert, if he took good care of himself, could live for more than two hundred years no matter what. You don't know a shred of martial arts—you clearly can't wait that long. That Second Prince, though, if he were willing to cultivate diligently, perhaps he might still get a turn at being prince.

Zhu Di's deep, weighty voice sounded. "Xi'er, come here. Return to the Prince's Residence with me and explain properly why you did this. What happened to you? General Murong, who beat you into such a state? Could there be someone in Yanjing City capable of defeating you?"

Li Feng cursed inwardly, Damn it, this prince isn't being very honorable. In Yanjing City, at the very least, you could easily kill Murong Tian yourself, yet you ask such a question. What is that if not hypocrisy? Hm, those old eunuchs behind you are all terrifyingly skilled experts too. Any one of them could punch Murong Tian to death.

Murong Tian swayed as he tried to get up, but Li Feng's kick had been too heavy. How could he move? He could only reveal an extremely furious, unwilling, pleading look in his eyes, begging Zhu Di's forgiveness. When Zhu Xi heard Zhu Di's question, he immediately perked up. Smugly, he said, "Father, this Murong claims to be Yanjing City's finest swordsman. While traveling in the south, I happened to recruit a young expert. He was the one who defeated this great swordsman of Yanjing City." As he spoke, he brought Li Feng before Zhu Di.

Zhu Di gave Li Feng a profound look and slowly said, "Heroes have emerged from the young since ancient times... Heh heh." After saying that, he spoke no further. Turning his horse around, he galloped toward the city, while the eunuchs and guards hurriedly crowded around him and followed. Zhu Xi gave Murong Tian, whose mouth was stained red, a smug look. With Li Feng's help, he climbed onto his horse, shouted, "Hyah!" and urged it into a slow run. He was no longer in any hurry to make Murong Tian release anyone.

Li Feng remained where he was and berated them sternly, "Remember this well! If you dare touch a single hair on those guard brothers from the First Prince's Residence, then from now on, every time I see one of you in Yanjing City, I'll beat you up. This time, this young master showed mercy and didn't cripple you, Murong Tian. If you dare offend me again next time, I'll castrate you alive... Damn it, what I hate most in this life are pretty boys." With extreme arrogance, Li Feng used his left hand to flick a lock of hair over his shoulder. Then, with a flash, he mounted his horse and raced away. He had failed to notice that, if it came down to it, he looked even more like a pretty boy than Murong Tian did.

Murong Tian's officers were thrown into confusion. They left several men behind to tend to Murong Tian, while the rest helplessly ordered the soldiers to prepare horses. Chattering noisily all the way, they headed for the Prince of Yan's Residence.

Inside the main hall of the Prince's Residence, Zhu Di had changed into a black robe and sat upon the throne at the far end of the hall. At that moment, he carried an added trace of strange, commanding majesty. His presence blanketed the entire hall, and everyone standing within trembled with fear, not daring even to breathe loudly. This was the tyrannical aura of a prince that Zhu Di possessed by nature, combined with the faint thread of Innate True Qi he deliberately released. Everyone present felt as though a primordial savage beast stood before them, giving them a deep sense of danger.

Of course, perhaps only Li Feng and the old eunuch behind Zhu Di's throne were exceptions. Li Feng did not feel Zhu Di's aura posed any threat to him at all. Zhu Di's True Essence was somewhat inferior to Li Feng's in terms of depth. As for the old eunuch standing behind Zhu Di—gaunt-faced, tall and thin, with strands of cold light flickering in his eyes—from the moment Li Feng entered the hall, he had fixed his shining gaze on Li Feng. His face held surprise, delight, and an indescribable expression. Li Feng sensed that his cultivation was not much weaker than Zhu Di's, while the strangeness of his aura surpassed Zhu Di's still further.

Li Feng had heard Zhu Xi introduce him in a low voice. That old eunuch was Eunuch Lü, Zhu Di's most powerful subordinate and the chief eunuch in charge of both the Imperial Guard and the Soaring Dragon Secret Service. Another question arose in Li Feng's mind: What exactly does the Soaring Dragon Secret Service do? He's only a prince—does he really need to scatter secret agents all across the realm?

Zhu Di sat upon the throne for a long, long time before finally speaking. "Eunuch Lü, was the matter truly as you described?"

The old eunuch smiled. "Your Highness, was it not exactly so? That was the entire situation. By chance, several of this old servant's boys witnessed the whole affair while handling business outside, so heh heh, this old servant would not dare conceal anything from Your Highness. It is only that Your Highness departed too quickly just now. Before this old servant could report, you had already returned."

Everyone in the hall understood. Zhu Di had changed clothes as a pretense; his true purpose had been to hear the old eunuch's report. Li Feng found it strange. Prince of Yan trusts what this old eunuch says so readily? What he did not know was that Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, had established the Imperial Guard, whose agents knew even the poems ministers casually composed upon rising in the morning. The Ming Dynasty's covert intelligence apparatus could be said to have no precedent in history. Eunuch Lü was the head of Zhu Di's Imperial Guard. Gathering a bit of information was nothing to him.

Zhu Di slowly nodded, closed his eyes, and pondered for a moment. Then he sneered. "Heh heh. Have I been neglecting affairs too much lately, so now all of you think you can climb onto my head and run wild?"

Zhu Xi bowed slightly. "Your son would not dare... Father, your son has always been obedient. How would I dare?"

Meanwhile, the officers under Murong Tian could only kneel aggrievedly and loudly beg forgiveness. At that moment, they were complaining wildly in their hearts, Second Prince, where are you now? The First Prince is here speaking before the prince, while we have none of his closeness with the prince. We're doomed to suffer the loss this time.

Zhu Di sneered, closed his eyes, and said in a low voice, "Enough. I do not wish to pursue this matter too deeply. Hm, Xi'er, I have always neglected your feelings. Let it be thus. Eunuch Lü, transfer all six guard units under Murong Tian to Xi'er's command. Draw capable officers from my central army command tent to lead them. Hm, as for Murong Tian... heh heh, Yanjing City's finest swordsman? Set aside his military post for now. We will discuss the rest once his injuries have healed."

Zhu Di slowly continued, "As a general, instead of drilling and training troops properly every day, he goes outside every day to stir up trouble, fight, and brawl. Is that what a commander ought to do? Geng'er truly has no idea how to manage his subordinates."

Every word struck the hearts of Murong Tian's subordinates like an iron hammer. Their faces instantly turned deathly pale, and they could not speak. Zhu Xi, meanwhile, was filled with delight and repeatedly shouted, "Father is wise, truly wise... That Murong Tian is truly detestable. Every time a new guard arrives at my residence, he always finds an excuse to beat him up. Haven't all the guards Father assigned to me suffered at his hands?"

Zhu Di gave a deep shout. "And you have the nerve to say that? As the eldest heir, you could not even discipline a general serving under your brother. Is this your ability? Xi'er, besides drinking wine, chanting poetry, and playing with women, what else can you do? What are you capable of? If Geng'er's men bully you, is it not something you brought upon yourself? Hmph." Zhu Di understood the situation clearly and took the opportunity to give Zhu Xi a fierce scolding.

Eunuch Lü chuckled softly. "Your Highness, please calm your thunderous wrath. This cannot be blamed on the First Prince. From childhood, he has been gifted in literature, romantic by nature, and kind-hearted. How could he have any interest in matters of blades and warfare? Fortunately, that is precisely how he is. Otherwise, today's affair would have been difficult to settle."

Zhu Di's body trembled slightly, and he slowly nodded. "Very well. This is also one of your strengths. Xi'er, later, go to the Northern Camp and bring back your guards. Do not pursue those charges pinned on Lei Zhenyuan and the others. Hm, this scheme was vicious indeed; it would have been perfect for framing an enemy. Unfortunately, the one who devised it overlooked many problems. Think carefully yourself about where you went wrong."

A layer of cold sweat covered Li Feng's forehead. He had not expected Eunuch Lü to have investigated everything so thoroughly. There must have been Eunuch Lü's people inside the Drunken Fragrance Tower. The greatest mistake Li Feng had made was not staying in the brothel, allowing Murong Tian to take men and seize Lei Zhenyuan and the others. Otherwise, if conflict had erupted inside the Drunken Fragrance Tower, all it would have taken was someone examining Lei Zhenyuan and the others below the waist, and the charges would have been nailed firmly onto their heads.

Zhu Di once again gave Li Feng an intent look, hesitating for a while. Eunuch Lü, however, seemed able to understand Zhu Di's intentions from the slightest lift of a finger, and immediately said in a low voice, "Your Highness, Li Feng is young, yet he is full of schemes. He has potential worth cultivating. His martial arts are also quite good, and the First Prince happens to lack someone like him. Of course, young people are bound to stir up trouble, but when young people cause trouble, there are usually not too many motives behind it. An occasional fight or brawl is nothing much."

Any discerning person could see that Eunuch Lü was speaking well of Li Feng. A chill ran through Li Feng's heart. Do I know this old eunuch? I don't, do I? Why is he speaking up for me like this? Could the pearls and banknotes I gave those eunuchs have worked? That would be wonderful. Tomorrow, I'll send Eunuch Lü a lavish gift. That should bring me considerable benefit, shouldn't it?

Zhu Di lightly tapped his fingers several times against the throne's armrest, a faintly mocking smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Indeed. Stirring up trouble, yet with few motives behind it—those words are worthy of consideration. Heh, do you all think I have grown muddled with age, that I am about to die, and so you have begun scheming already? Hmph. Li Feng, I appoint you as a Deputy General commanding troops. You will report directly to Xi'er. Are you willing?"

Li Feng approached with a grin, gave several sloppy, drawn-out kowtows, and laughed. "Who would refuse a promotion and a fortune?"

Zhu Xi was greatly shocked. Li Feng was the first person who dared act so flippantly before Zhu Di. Yet Zhu Di did not take offense. He merely waved a hand lightly. "So be it. Both sides were at fault in this matter, and I will not investigate too deeply. Geng'er has a violent temper, heh heh, a violent temper. Xi'er, if something happens, do not argue much with him. If you have any matter, come directly to Father. Li Feng, remember this: you are now also a subordinate of my Prince of Yan's Residence. Do not use such methods as sowing discord, framing, and false accusation against your own people. Understood?"

Li Feng froze for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "This young master... ah, this subordinate understands. If Your Highness has enemies in the future, I will definitely use those methods of framing and false accusation on them."

Li Feng had forced a smile out of Zhu Di. Shaking his head, Zhu Di sighed. "Enemies? Heh heh, where would I have enemies... Enough. All of you may withdraw. Eunuch Lü, handle the matter of those six guard units quickly. Transfer all their current commanding officers back to the central army, understood?"

Eunuch Lü bowed deeply to show that he understood. Zhu Xi had suddenly picked up such a huge pie that had fallen from the sky, and his heart filled with delight. He said nothing further, merely led Li Feng away with his head held high and his heart brimming with satisfaction. Murong Tian's subordinates had not even managed to say a word before Zhu Di's appointment left their hearts and minds trembling. How could they dare say more? They hurried back to camp. Even fools understood that Murong Tian had spent his days in Yanjing City provoking Zhu Xi's men, and Zhu Di had seen it all. This time, he had merely taken the opportunity to teach him a small lesson.

After all, Zhu Xi was his own son, while a subordinate general had dared to ride on his son's head. That was a grave taboo. The fact that Zhu Di had not directly ordered Murong Tian beheaded was already out of consideration for Murong Tian being a fierce general.

Sitting upon the throne, Zhu Di suddenly asked, "Eunuch Lü, what do you think of the way I handled this?"

Eunuch Lü fell silent for a while before carefully saying, "It was proper and measured, showing Your Highness's wisdom. The First Prince has a gentle nature and does not enjoy handling various affairs, to the point that even a mere military officer dared come to his door and bully him. That should not have happened. The Second Prince, meanwhile, is somewhat too impetuous. The First Prince is, after all, his elder brother, yet he showed not the slightest respect. If the brothers were to turn against one another, that would become a great problem."

"This Li Feng arrived at just the right time. This old servant feels that he carries an air of wickedness, and rarely does anything proper. Heh heh, Your Highness has seen his records, has he not? When he destroyed the Golden Tiger Gang in Suzhou Prefecture, he actually framed them for one million taels of silver. His methods were lowly, but effective. With him under the First Prince, some people will likely have to tread carefully."