Could she really have had nothing to do with it?

They laughed and joked for a while.

Seeing that his rebellious grandson could still talk and laugh, that the poisoning was mild, and that he had not lost his wits to panic and fear, Zhu Yuanzhang felt completely reassured.

According to Xu Shu, he would recover fully after a period of recuperation.

Luckily, nothing serious had happened. Otherwise, there was no telling how far Zhu Yuanzhang would have gone in his frenzy. He might well have become Butcher Zhu in earnest again.

"The poisoner was found in the Imperial Food Service. Stop hounding Lü Shi."

For now, Zhu Yuanzhang could not determine whether Lü Shi was involved, so he chose to believe her. He added, "She can be rather harsh, but she wouldn't have the nerve to do something like this."

"All right!"

Zhu Yuntong could only agree.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Still not convinced?"

"I am, I am!"

Zhu Yuntong added, "But I'll find the evidence someday."

Wary of his grandson's outrageous audacity, Zhu Yuanzhang warned, "Don't go running wild. If you stir up serious trouble, I won't wipe your ass for you."

"I know where to draw the line!"

Zhu Yuntong continued, "But you know Lü Shi treats me badly. I still want to move out. Any house outside the palace will do. Would you allow it?"

This was another excellent opportunity to bring up moving out.

There was no freedom in the palace.

Outside, he could do whatever he wanted, without facing Lü Shi or worrying about her striking at him from the shadows.

"Let me think it over some more."

Zhu Yuanzhang neither agreed nor refused.

It was not because of today's poisoning, but because of what Zhu Di had said.

Imperial grandsons secluded deep within the palace had no chance to gain practical experience. That truly was a problem, especially considering that Emperor Taizong of Tang and his ministers had reached the same conclusion in their discussions.

If even Emperor Taizong of Tang and Fang Xuanling had harbored such concerns, Zhu Yuanzhang had reason to worry too.

Hearing that it was still open for consideration, Zhu Yuntong thought he had a chance. He dropped the subject and waited for Zhu Yuanzhang's decision.

"Your Majesty!"

Jixiang came in again and said, "Xu Xingzu is outside requesting an audience."

"Tell him to get his ass in here."

The mere mention of that name made Zhu Yuanzhang angry.

First, Zhu Yuntong and the others had not been given enough to eat. Now, a eunuch in the Imperial Food Service had poisoned someone to take revenge on Zhu Biao. It was all Xu Xingzu's fault.

Xu Xingzu hurried in, dropped straight to his knees, and kowtowed.

"You old wretch. My grandson nearly died at your hands."

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was icy.

Xu Xingzu kowtowed and said, "I failed to manage the Imperial Food Service properly. I came specifically to beg punishment. Please punish me, Your Majesty. Please have me executed."

His forehead struck the floor tiles with dull thuds.

He had genuinely come to admit his fault, and he knew just how serious this matter was.

"If I kill you, who'll cook for me?"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted. "After all these years, you know my tastes best. Enough, enough. Stop kowtowing. If you break the tiles, are you going to pay for the repairs?"

In the end, he did nothing to Xu Xingzu. This cook suited his needs perfectly, and he could place a certain amount of trust in him.

Old Zhu would not dare trust someone new.

He would have to spend a long time determining whether the replacement was trustworthy. That was too much wasted time. Better to keep Xu Xingzu. After so many years, he could even be considered an old friend.

Xu Xingzu had committed no grave offense. His management had simply been inadequate, which could be forgiven.

Above all, Zhu Yuntong had not suffered much harm. Had his condition been serious, Xu Xingzu's entire extended family would have been wiped out.

"I'll pay for them! I will!"

Xu Xingzu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then added, "But I bear the greatest responsibility for this."

When he raised his head, Zhu Yuanzhang saw a bloody red mark on his forehead. He had broken the skin with his kowtowing. Zhu Yuanzhang waved a hand and said, "You won't collect a damn penny of your salary for the next two years. And no more pocketing kickbacks from the Imperial Food Service. Let's see you starve."

"Huh?"

Xu Xingzu said in alarm, "Your Majesty... you knew about that?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered. "If I didn't even know that much, how could I be emperor?"

"I was wrong!"

Xu Xingzu moved to kowtow again. "I've let Your Majesty down, and I've let the Third Imperial Grandson down."

"Enough!"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted. "From now on, keep the Imperial Food Service firmly under control. If anything like this happens again, yours will be the first head I chop off."

"Yes, I understand."

Xu Xingzu nodded repeatedly, then said, "As for the staff of the Imperial Food Service..."

"Jixiang, make the arrangements!"

Zhu Yuanzhang had ordered everyone in the Imperial Food Service beheaded, so replacements had to be found as soon as possible.

Otherwise, there would be no meals in the palace.

"Yes!"

Jixiang lowered his head.

"All right, get out. And take thirty strokes of the rod. Have your backside beaten till it blooms!"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved a hand.

Xu Xingzu let out another breath. He had finally weathered this crisis safely. So this was how important it was to have His Majesty's trust.

He kowtowed twice more, then withdrew to receive his beating.

As long as he kept his life, a beating did not matter.

"Aren't you curious why I didn't kill Xu Xingzu?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

After some thought, Zhu Yuntong said, "Because Xu Xingzu wasn't all that directly involved, I'm fine now, and he has your trust. If you killed him, it would be hard to find another trustworthy person for the Imperial Food Service. Cooks can be frightening, like that eunuch who poisoned me. Rather than replace him with someone new, it's better to keep Xu Xingzu and let him be grateful for your mercy."

"Exactly!"

Once again, Zhu Yuanzhang was very pleased with Zhu Yuntong's assessment.

This rebellious little grandson had both ability and insight. With proper tempering, he would certainly make a good emperor.

"I'll be heading back."

Zhu Yuntong added, "I'm fine now, and Director Xu said I can recuperate. I'd like to do that in the Eastern Palace. If you agree to let me move out, Grandfather, please tell me as soon as possible."

"Get lost!"

Seeing that his rebellious grandson was intent on leaving him, Zhu Yuanzhang grew a little annoyed. "If anything happens in the future, tell me at once. Don't act recklessly on your own."

"All right, I know."

As Zhu Yuntong walked out, he added, "You're getting more and more long-winded."

Then he really did leave.

"Was there truly nothing suspicious about that eunuch from the Imperial Food Service?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Of course, he would not rely solely on the Embroidered Guard's findings. He also needed corroboration from Jixiang.

"Nothing suspicious!"

Jixiang said, "This servant has investigated him thoroughly. He had no parents or relatives outside the palace. He became a palace servant because he couldn't afford food. He was a loner, and all his friends in the palace are to be executed by Your Majesty today. The Crown Prince really did scold him last year, then sent him to the Imperial Food Service."

"Biao was foolish!"

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head.

Someone like that should never have been sent to the Imperial Food Service. Why not simply find somewhere to bury him?

"What about the Eastern Palace?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

"Nothing suspicious there either."

Jixiang said, "The Crown Princess has shown no unusual behavior. All the servants in the Eastern Palace are to die, apart from Dongqing, who attends the Crown Princess."

"Could she really have had nothing to do with it?"

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a while, but could find no answer for the time being.

Killing so many people had at least vented his anger.

"There are two houses beside the Imperial College."

"Send someone to put them in order. I'll have a use for them."

Zhu Yuanzhang added.

These were to be residences outside the palace for that rebellious grandson and Zhu Yunwen.

As Zhu Di had said, keeping the imperial grandsons deep within the palace might hinder their growth. Inside, they saw only what they were allowed to see, but the world beyond the palace was entirely different.