Command

"Where is he?"

Lan Yu roared.

"Outside the city, in the army camp."

Zhang Zhou answered.

He had actually dared to hide the man in the army camp. Was he trying to get every soldier there killed?

Lan Yu grew even angrier, wishing he could slap Zhang Zhou dead on the spot. Faced with this situation, what could they possibly do?

"Lan Yu, will you surrender without resistance?"

Zhu Yuntong asked in a ringing voice.

"Duke of Liang, he has no imperial edict!"

Zhang Zhou hurriedly said.

"Shut up!"

Lan Yu kicked him again, sending his head crashing into the ground with a dull thud. Zhang Zhou no longer dared to speak, nor did he have any idea what to do.

Even without an imperial edict, any connection to Hu Weiyong meant there was no escaping today. But since Zhu Yuntong was the one who had come to arrest them, Lan Yu felt the meaning behind this deserved careful thought.

Lan Yu was no mindless brute, merely somewhat impulsive and arrogant. A brute could never have risen to his position, let alone aroused Zhu Yuanzhang's suspicion. He soon recalled what Feng Sheng had told him: he had to rein in his temper first, then follow Zhu Yuntong's arrangements.

If they wanted Zhu Yuntong to win the succession struggle, and if the Huai-Western Generals wanted to live, they all had to obey him. Otherwise, none of them would survive.

Lan Yu thought for a moment, then looked at Zhu Yuntong again and raised both hands. "I'll go back with you!"

He chose to trust Feng Sheng, and trusted Zhu Yuntong's words even more. From the moment Zhang Zhou hid Ye Sheng's son, there had been no turning back. Whether they lived or died now depended entirely on Zhu Yuntong's arrangements.

"Take Lan Yu and Zhang Zhou away."

"Seal off the Duke of Liang's Residence for now. No one may enter or leave."

"The Embroidered Guard is to send men to bring back Ye Sheng's son."

Zhu Yuntong gave the orders.

Lan Yu's hands were soon bound. He did not struggle at any point. Zhang Zhou could no longer act arrogantly either and willingly let himself be tied up.

Members of the Embroidered Guard immediately left the city with their orders to arrest Ye Sheng's son.

"Take them away!"

Zhu Yuntong shouted.

In truth, his palms were still damp. He was certainly nervous.

It was impossible not to be.

His greatest fear was that Lan Yu would lose his wits at this moment and resist the moment he heard there was no imperial edict. Then there truly would be no turning back. Lan Yu would have to die, and the Lan Yu case would unfold once again.

With Lan Yu surrendering without resistance as he had now, things were still all right. There would still be a chance.

Outside the Duke of Liang's Residence, there were plenty of onlookers besides the Embroidered Guard.

Hearing that the Duke of Liang had been arrested, they had all come over in shock to see for themselves. The duke was notoriously arrogant and domineering. He had adopted many sons, but none of those adopted sons were any good, and they had bullied the common people time and again.

Now that the Duke of Liang had been arrested, the people even wanted to clap and cheer.

Among the crowd were also many people sent by various parties to gather information. What they most wanted to see was a fight between the Embroidered Guard and Lan Yu, ending with blood flowing in rivers. Unfortunately, no fight broke out, but they soon picked up a new piece of information.

It involved Hu Weiyong!

Hu Weiyong was not someone one could casually be linked to. Any connection meant certain death. They hurried back to report the news.

The people behind them needed only to hear the name Hu Weiyong to know they could exploit this, destroy Lan Yu, and condemn him beyond all hope of rebirth.

Just as Zhu Yuntong stepped through the main gate, he saw another group arrive outside.

Chang Sheng, Xu Huizu, Fu Youde, Feng Sheng, Guo Ying... all were Huai-Western Generals, and each had brought men with him. They looked as though they intended to rescue Lan Yu. Clearly, with interested parties deliberately spreading the news, the Huai-Western Generals already knew what had happened.

Not only they, but Lan Yu's other adopted sons also knew what was happening.

From the very beginning, this affair had been destined to blow up.

It would grow until everyone knew about it!

Within the capital, many people were watching Zhu Yuntong's every move. But Zhu Yuntong was not afraid of that. He was afraid of failing to do this properly.

"Go back."

Lan Yu shouted, "All of you, go back! My affairs have nothing to do with you. Get out of here!"

At the sight, Chang Sheng could not help wanting to step forward.

One was his uncle, and the other was his nephew.

Of all people, Chang Sheng was the last who wanted to see things come to this.

But Feng Sheng caught Chang Sheng's arm and shook his head. "Don't go over, and don't act rashly. The Duke of Liang is right. His affairs have nothing to do with us."

"But..."

"No buts!"

Feng Sheng shook his head. "We should just watch. If we interfere too, that will truly blow this up."

Once things spiraled out of control, not only Lan Yu but they too would have to die.

The consequences were unthinkable.

His Highness was not arresting them. He was saving them.

"Move!"

Zhu Yuntong led the way, and the Embroidered Guard departed with Lan Yu and Zhang Zhou. Meanwhile, the Lan residence was sealed off, with no one permitted to enter or leave.

Anyone who disobeyed would be killed without mercy.

Thud, thud, thud...

Just then, a burst of loud footsteps rang out.

"Look out! Soldiers are coming!"

Someone in the crowd of onlookers shouted.

As the crowd parted, a force of more than five hundred men, made up of Lan Yu's subordinates, adopted sons, and private soldiers, blocked the Embroidered Guard's path.

They carried bows, crossbows, sabers, spears, and other military weapons, and radiated murderous intent. Their appearance here was also because Old Zhu had let them through. Otherwise, they would not even have been able to enter the city.

"Duke of Liang!"

The man at their head was another of Lan Yu's adopted sons, named Li Liangping. He shouted, "Men, rescue the Duke of Liang!"

When they learned that Zhu Yuntong intended to arrest Lan Yu without even an imperial edict, they had been the first to object. They had to bring troops back to rescue him.

"You dare?"

Zhu Yuntong shouted.

"Why wouldn't I dare?"

Brimming with murderous intent, Li Liangping said, "The Duke of Liang has rendered great service and won glorious victories. He is a reigning duke and has given so much to the Great Ming. Yet you dare bring the Embroidered Guard to arrest him without even an imperial edict from His Majesty? Do you know your crime? Release him at once!"

Lan Yu's achievements were indeed great.

And he was indeed a formidable fighter on the battlefield.

His adopted sons, subordinates, and private soldiers obeyed only Lan Yu, no matter what. They absolutely could not let anything happen to him.

"Insolence!"

Before Zhu Yuntong could speak, Lan Yu shouted, "Do you have any right to speak before His Highness? Get back!"

"Duke of Liang!"

Li Liangping refused to leave. He also knew that once he left and Ye Sheng's son was brought back, the charge of being a remnant of Hu Weiyong's faction would be confirmed.

He had to rescue Lan Yu.

Zhu Yuntong drew Jiang Jue's saber and severed the ropes around Lan Yu's hands with a single stroke. "He certainly has no right to shout in my presence. Go over and bring him back for me."

He was commanding Lan Yu.

In the entire Great Ming, aside from Zhu Yuanzhang, only the late crown prince Zhu Biao had been able to command Lan Yu. Zhu Yuntong wanted to become the third person who could do so.

Those words left Lan Yu with no choice.

Did he submit to Zhu Yuntong?

He certainly did!

If he still refused to submit, death would be their only path, just as Zhu Yuntong had said in the great hall: they could all be killed.

Lan Yu said, "Very well!"