Within a Day, Make Him Come Beg Me For Death!

Zhu Zhanjun's calm and precise analysis brought everyone in the study back to their senses from the absurd farce that had just transpired.

This was not an accident, but a long-planned, malicious assassination attempt that occurred right under the Emperor's nose, within the Imperial City!

And the target was none other than the current Crown Prince!

Zhu Di's face turned terrifyingly grim, a powerful imperial rage beginning to build within the hall.

"Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

He roared, and Ji Gang, the Commander of the Imperial Guard, who was guarding the hall's entrance, immediately rushed in with his men, kneeling on one knee.

"This subject is here!"

"Investigate for me!"

Zhu Di's voice sounded as if it were squeezed from between his teeth, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.

"Seal off the entire city! Turn the whole Capital City upside down for me, and I want those assassins found!"

"I will have their nine generations exterminated!"

"As you command!"

Ji Gang accepted the order and was about to withdraw.

Just then, a sarcastic voice drifted in from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. There's no need for such trouble. The assassins... this old minister has already apprehended them for you."

Before the words even finished, Fang Bin, the Minister of War, swaggered in, flanked by a squad of Military Command officers.

Behind him, two officers escorted a bound and gagged man in black, whose face was covered in blood.

Fang Bin walked to the center of the main hall, first bowing respectfully to Zhu Di, and then spoke unhurriedly, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Eastern Palace was attacked. The incident happened so suddenly."

"This old minister happened to be patrolling nearby, heard the commotion, and immediately led men to seal off the vicinity. We just happened to catch this suspicious assassin outside the Eastern Palace walls."

His gaze deliberately flickered towards Zhu Zhanjun, who was standing nearby, a barely perceptible cold smile curving his lips.

"After an overnight interrogation by our Military Command, this assassin has confessed everything."

As he spoke, he took out a confession document filled with writing from his sleeve and presented it.

"Your Majesty, please take a look. This is the assassin's confession, signed by himself."

A trembling eunuch took the confession and presented it to Zhu Di.

Zhu Di glanced at it, his hawk-like eyes narrowing sharply.

The confession, written in a crooked hand, clearly stated that the person who instructed him to assassinate the Crown Prince was none other than Prince Zheng, Zhu Zhanjun!

The confession "detailed" how Zhu Zhanjun found him, promised him high office and wealth, and how he provided him with military crossbows and poison, instructing him to infiltrate the Eastern Palace and create chaos, thereby "clearing the way" for himself.

"Utter nonsense!"

Before Zhu Di could speak, Crown Princess Zhang, trembling with rage, pointed at Fang Bin and shouted sternly, "Fang Bin! What are your intentions!"

"My son Zhanjun just saved his father's life! How could he possibly do something so treasonous!"

"You are slandering him!"

"Your Ladyship, please calm your anger."

Fang Bin calmly bowed.

"This old minister is merely stating the facts."

"This confession is in black and white, and the assassin is here. Whether it is a slander can be determined with a single question."

He turned to the apprehended assassin and asked sternly, "Bold assassin! Say it again in front of His Majesty and everyone here, who exactly instructed you to assassinate the Crown Prince!"

The assassin raised his head, revealing a face battered and bloody.

He glanced at Zhu Zhanjun, a flicker of malice and fear in his eyes, and rasped, "It... it was him! It was His Highness Prince Zheng!"

"He gave me a thousand taels of gold and told me to kill the Crown Prince!"

"He said... he said if the Crown Prince died, he could become the Imperial Grandson, and in the future, he could become Emperor!"

The words shocked the entire hall.

All eyes turned uniformly towards Zhu Zhanjun.

Even Zhu Zhanji, who had been filled with gratitude and trust for him moments before, now had a hint of doubt and scrutiny in his eyes.

Colluding with foreign enemies, plotting against a royal grandson.

And now, instructing an assassin to attack his own father.

Either of these charges was enough to doom a prince to eternal damnation.

"Second Brother, this..."

Zhu Zhanji opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but not knowing where to begin.

The atmosphere in the study became extremely oppressive.

Only Zhu Zhanjun, from beginning to end, wore a playful smile on his face.

He watched Fang Bin and the assassin perform with great effort, like an outsider looking on with amusement.

Only when all eyes were on him did he slowly walk forward and take the so-called "confession" from Zhu Di's hand.

Without even looking at the contents, he simply brought the paper close to his nose and sniffed it.

"Hmm, top-grade Hui ink, with a faint scent of ambergris."

He then walked to the assassin, squatted down, and carefully examined the assassin's chin.

"Three teeth are broken, the left cheekbone is sunken, and there are clear marks on the finger joints from holding sticks."

"It seems the Military Command has learned the Embroidered Uniform Guard's methods well."

He stood up, casually tossed the confession onto the ground, and stomped on it with his foot.

"Lord Fang, you worked all night and only came up with this?"

His tone was filled with undisguised contempt and mockery.

"Are you insulting my intelligence, or my grandfather's intelligence?"

"Your Highness Prince Zheng, what do you mean by that?"