Chapter 280: I Give You My Freedom

A’Lei spurred her horse forward, extending her hand to Zhu Zhanji: “Quick, get on!”

The Imperial Guard clutching his leg had already died but wouldn’t let go. Zhu Zhanji had no choice but to swing his sword to sever the corpse’s arm, pick up the commander’s banner, and share the horse with A’Lei. Zhu Zhanhe came galloping to meet them, and the three joined forces.

At this moment, three hundred escaped Japanese pirates caught up from behind. The guards protecting Zhu Zhanji were almost all dead. Outnumbered, the three decisively retreated.

While retreating, Zhu Zhanji held up the banner to rally the Youth Army toward his position. Youth Army soldiers came running from all directions, forming an encirclement to annihilate the escaped pirates.

The three reached an outpost, which Zhu Zhanji used as a temporary command center, conveying orders through flag signals and drum beats.

Zhu Zhanhe stayed close to Zhu Zhanji, seeing everyone except A’Lei as potential assassins—he was truly seeing enemies in every shadow.

When Earl Pingjiang led the Great Ming Navy to land on the island and join forces with the Youth Army to hunt down the fake pirates, the battle’s outcome was decided.

A’Lei stared blankly, saying nothing. This was her first time killing someone. When she saw Zhu Zhanji in danger, she didn’t know where the courage came from—she aimed and fired, shooting twice in succession until finally bringing down the enemy.

Now A’Lei came to her senses, the dangerous scene replaying repeatedly in her mind, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

In her memory, the enemy who died under her gun had a face covered with black gunpowder soot, red blood, and gray dust. Being mildly nearsighted without glasses, she couldn’t see the enemy’s facial details clearly, but that blurry face kept flashing in her mind.

When she rode over to pull Zhu Zhanji onto the horse, she had gotten closer. In her confusion, she noticed the fallen enemy’s dying eyes looking at her, not at Zhu Zhanji who was right there.

Very strange—clearly Zhu Zhanji was the enemy’s target.

Those eyes held no hatred, no attachment to life, no unwillingness.

On the contrary, those eyes were gentle.

How could this be? A’Lei had leaned down then, wanting to examine this person closely, but he closed his eyes and died. Zhu Zhanji shared the horse with her and immediately spurred it away…

“Are you alright?” Zhu Zhanji walked over to ask.

“Ah!” A’Lei suddenly awoke. “I… I’m fine.”

Having survived the ordeal, those dying yet gentle eyes in her mind wouldn’t fade. A’Lei remembered the Embroidered Spring Blade the man had held and asked Zhu Zhanji: “So the traitor was actually among the Imperial Guards? Does Commander Ji know?”

A’Lei had only heard the Zhu brothers mention a traitor colluding with Prince Han, but hadn’t thought of Ji Gang.

Ji Gang was notorious, known as the Jade-Faced Rakshasa. But to A’Lei, he was “Uncle Ji”—kind and amiable, and so handsome, even more so than her brother-in-law.

Looking at A’Lei, Zhu Zhanji was startled, his mind thundering as previously incomprehensible details suddenly became clear, connecting like a chain:

The mine exploding early wasn’t his good luck—it was because of A’Lei!

Ji Gang’s throwing knife wasn’t inaccurate—it was because of A’Lei!

A battle-hardened three-dynasty general dying at the hands of someone who had never killed before—because that someone was A’Lei.

Ji Gang and Hu Shanwei had been the subject of rumors, which he had heard about…

So A’Lei had saved him twice.

Zhu Zhanji knew A’Lei and Ji Gang were fairly close. If he told A’Lei the truth, it would be too cruel.

But Ji Gang leading a thousand Imperial Guards in collective rebellion was something even he couldn’t suppress.

Zhu Zhanji’s mind, honeycomb-like with schemes, immediately changed his story: “Ji Gang was the traitor. He was driven to desperation by Zhu Zhanhe’s probing and rebelled on the spot. He later died under Zhu Zhanhe’s artillery.”

After speaking, Zhu Zhanji frantically signaled to Zhu Zhanhe with his eyes.

Zhu Zhanhe was like a brother from different parents and immediately understood his elder cousin’s meaning: “Ji Gang and I began fighting on the gun platform. He was too cunning, jumping down from the platform to be caught by the Imperial Guards, trying to escape, but I killed him with artillery.”

A’Lei could hardly believe her ears: “Uncle Ji… was a rebel? He’s dead?”

Zhu Zhanhe nodded: “Ji Gang and the Imperial Guard rebels were almost completely annihilated, their crimes clear as day. Also… my father—”

Zhu Zhanhe looked at the Youth Army corpses and clenched his fists: “Ji Gang colluded with my father, even breaking prisoners out of jail and releasing Japanese pirate captives, causing heavy losses to our Youth Army. What should have been a great victory became a narrow one, and we nearly lost elder cousin. This is truly unforgivable.”

Zhu Zhanhe tore off his military token, half-knelt, and presented it to Zhu Zhanji: “I have no face before these dead Youth Army soldiers. I’m unworthy of leading the Youth Army. They were all my comrades, yet my father caused their deaths. A son paying for his father’s debts is natural justice. I beg elder cousin to bind me and take me to the capital to atone for father’s sins. As a son, I cannot watch my father die. I’m willing to trade one life for another.”

One person’s honey is another’s poison. No matter how bad Prince Han was, to Zhu Zhanhe he was a loving father, and Zhu Zhanhe loved him too. Father and son often quarreled, but their bond was solid as stone.

He had tried his best to persuade Prince Han to restrain his ambitions. Prince Han insisted on rebellion, now to the point of attempting to harm the heir apparent. Despite Zhu Zhanhe’s utmost efforts to salvage the situation, it was still a drop in the bucket.

The damage was done. Zhu Zhanhe wasn’t the type of despicable person who would be generous with others’ suffering, forcing the Crown Prince to “forgive” his father.

So Zhu Zhanhe could only seek death.

A’Lei, still reeling from the shock that Ji Gang was a traitor, was further stunned by Zhu Zhanhe’s actions. She dragged her injured foot over: “It’s not your fault.”

A’Lei understood Zhu Zhanhe’s pain because of Ji Gang’s death.

Zhu Zhanji knew his cousin’s temperament. He accepted the military token and helped Zhu Zhanhe up, pouring him a cup of water: “Don’t always resort to life and death dramatics when things happen. Calm down first—I’ll think of a solution.”

Zhu Zhanhe drank the water: “My father committed such evil acts that even His Majesty cannot forgive him. I—”

Zhu Zhanhe’s vision went black and he collapsed.

A’Lei was about to call for help when she realized Zhu Zhanhe hadn’t slept for two nights and had fought several battles—he was utterly exhausted.

“I put something in the water to make him sleep.” Zhu Zhanji covered her mouth. “Do you want Zhu Zhanhe to escape from all this and no longer suffer in anguish?”

A’Lei’s eyes were full of confusion, but she still nodded.

Zhu Zhanji said: “I need you to cooperate in a performance…”

Half an hour later, Earl Pingjiang Chen Xuan completely annihilated the pirates and ended the battle. When he came to pay respects to the Crown Prince, he was led to a beach.

Strange rocks stood everywhere with sharp reefs protruding from the seawater, black mussels clinging to the rocks.

A group of Youth Army soldiers floated on the sea, along with small boats from which people cast fishing nets, apparently salvaging something.

Someone was crying on the shore. Upon closer inspection, Chen Xuan was nearly scared out of his wits: wasn’t this Lord Mu and Palace Supervisor Hu’s precious daughter? How was she in this pirate lair?

A’Lei cried: “Uncle Chen, little brother Shuikeng… has disappeared.”

Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji, maintaining his composure, held back tears though his eyes were red: “Earl Pingjiang, Prince Han’s heir… to save me, he fought with assassins, was accidentally shot, fell from the cliff into the sea. We still haven’t found him.”

Originally this had been Zhu Zhanji’s plan to fake his death and escape to pursue freedom, but reality had cruelly shattered it.

Seeing Zhu Zhanhe’s pain and torment, Zhu Zhanji decided to give his brother the chance at liberation.

The imperial family was Great Ming’s greatest arena of fame and profit. In this cage of reputation and gain, everyone was manipulated by power, unable to control their fate, even blinded by ambition to take desperate risks competing for imperial power.

No one could stay outside it—all were forced to participate.

Only “death” could bring liberation.

The Youth Army and Great Ming Navy searched for three days, only retrieving a boot and a jade belt, finding neither person nor corpse.

In the height of summer, after three days in the water, a body would be basically deformed and unrecognizable. If pushed ashore by waves and baked by the poisonous sun for three days, it would be putrid beyond recognition—even if placed before you, you wouldn’t recognize it.

With limited provisions, the Crown Prince had no choice but to lead the Youth Army back to Taicang Harbor in Yunjian County on the mainland. Earl Pingjiang left a thousand Great Ming Navy personnel to continue searching near the isolated island.

Everyone knew there was no hope, but without His Majesty ordering a halt to the search and rescue, who dared stop? Appearances had to be maintained.

Taicang Harbor.

They had departed with fifty thousand elite Youth Army troops. On their return, counting the numbers, over ten thousand had died, over two thousand were severely wounded with missing limbs and in critical condition. These were forced to retire, their lives hanging by a thread. In the hot summer weather, wounds easily festered, with wounded soldiers dying almost every hour. Another eight thousand with light wounds received treatment from military physicians.

In terms of results, the Youth Army had won.

But no one cheered for victory because the Youth Army’s losses were also significant. Even Deputy Commander Zhu Zhanhe had died in battle, his bones lost without trace.

Having recovered some spirit and strength, A’Lei related her experiences to Earl Pingjiang along with the story she and Zhu Zhanji had concocted about “Zhu Zhanhe’s heroic sacrifice.”

The three-dynasty veteran Earl Pingjiang sighed: “What a pity about His Highness. The father commits evil and the son swallows the bitter fruit. Prince Han’s household has been confined by His Majesty’s overnight order, and Prince Han has been escorted to the capital. Miss Hu, with the situation so tense, as a woman you shouldn’t get involved. Tomorrow I’ll secretly arrange for you to go to Liujia Harbor where Eunuch Zheng He can protect you and ensure your safety.”

Chen Xuan, after all, was someone Mu Chun had discovered and promoted. He wanted to help A’Lei escape the troubles of imperial succession struggles.

A’Lei bowed: “Thank you, Uncle Chen.”

A’Lei’s foot had stopped swelling, though the tendons were still twisted. She rode to a warehouse in Taicang Harbor filled with various spices like Sichuan pepper and cardamom. This shipment was to be loaded tomorrow and sail up the Yangtze River to be sold in Suzhou.

Zhu Zhanji opened a box containing the sleeping Zhu Zhanhe.

A’Lei checked his breathing: “It’s been three days and he still hasn’t woken up. Did you give him too much medicine?”

Zhu Zhanji shook his head: “He was too exhausted—his body couldn’t take it.”

Zhu Zhanji took out a bottle of snuff and placed it near sleeping beauty Zhu Zhanhe’s nostrils.

After fifteen seconds, Zhu Zhanhe sneezed violently, sat bolt upright, and woke up.

He looked around at everything he had arranged in advance for elder cousin—the warehouse goods and merchant caravan: “You faked your death without my help?”

Zhu Zhanji shook his head: “Now it’s not me who’s dead, but you. Brother, from now on, you’re free.”

Zhu Zhanhe wasn’t stupid and immediately understood Zhu Zhanji’s intention. After sleeping for three days, the outside world had “changed.”

“My father, Prince Han’s household… no, there probably is no Prince Han’s household anymore. How are my mother and younger brother?”

Zhu Zhanhe had a full younger brother by the same parents.

Now Zhu Zhanhe held no illusions about his father’s life or death.

Zhu Zhanji said: “Because of your death, His Majesty is deeply grieved. His Majesty is ultimately a grandfather and father—having lost his favorite grandson, he cannot lose another son. His Majesty hasn’t killed second uncle, only plans to demote him to commoner status with the whole family confined in Fengyang. But the Crown Prince knelt and begged bitterly for second uncle’s pardon. The Crown Prince fainted from crying several times, and after waking, went to cry before Empress Renxiao’s memorial tablet, his diseased feet so raw from kneeling they became infected and he fainted from pain. Currently that’s the situation—His Majesty hasn’t yet issued the decree to depose your father…”

A great ethical drama of fathers, sons, and brothers was playing out in the Great Ming court.

When Emperor Yongle learned of Ji Gang and Prince Han’s rebellion, their failed attempt to murder the heir apparent, and that Prince Han’s heir Zhu Zhanhe was wounded and fell into the sea while saving the Crown Prince, his body lost without trace, he was immediately both grief-stricken and furious.

He immediately had Prince Han bound and brought from Qingzhou to the capital, “recording dozens of his illegal acts, stripping him of his official robes and garments, and imprisoning him within the Western Hua Gate.”

Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi knelt begging Emperor Yongle to spare his brother and not strip his title.

Emperor Yongle was furious, saying: “I remove treacherous ministers for you, yet you want to nurture trouble at the foundation?” I eliminate traitors for you, yet you want to keep a tiger as a pet.

The Crown Prince wept: “He’s my blood brother. It’s my fault as the elder brother—I didn’t communicate well with him, didn’t care for him enough, which caused him to harbor resentment toward my son. Brother wasn’t like this before. Though his temperament was strong, my son was always respectful to him. It was all because he was bewitched by the treacherous minister Ji Gang and deceived by those advisors who fantasized about gaining ‘merit from following the dragon,’ causing brother to take desperate risks and go astray.”

“No matter what, we’re blood brothers from the same mother. If brother erred, as the elder brother I’m willing to educate and guide him, even atone for his sins at any cost.”

“Father Emperor, if mother were alive and saw her second son stripped of his title, his descendants reduced to commoners, imprisoned in one small world, confined for life without freedom—how painful would mother’s heart be!”