My father is Jiajing

Emperor Jiajing was stunned and looked at Zhu Zaigui in disbelief.

He never expected that the matter Zhu Zaigui wanted him to decide would be such a shocking one!

Emperor Jiajing's breathing became tense, and his originally calm chest began to fluctuate because of Zhu Zaigui's words.

The wheezing breathing sounded like a broken blower, and it felt like air was leaking everywhere.

Emperor Jiajing's voice trembled, "Is it all true?"

Emperor Jiajing was still unwilling to believe what Zhu Zaigui had just said. If what Zhu Zaigui reported was true, then all his political intrigues, efforts and concessions over the years would have become a joke, wouldn't they?
Zhu Zaigui's eyes were also filled with heavy helplessness. He sighed and said, "I don't want to believe it either, but this is what Dong Fen said himself. I have put him under strict surveillance and no one is allowed to approach."

Emperor Jiajing suddenly burst into laughter and laughed until tears overflowed from the corners of his eyes.

Finally, Emperor Jiajing's eyes turned red and he stopped laughing. His voice was extremely cold, like a low moan coming from the Netherworld.

"court death!"

Emperor Jiajing said these two words with all his might, as if they would drain all his strength and made him wish he could turn these two words into a supreme power that could make his words come true and wipe out all the villains who dared to plot against him, leaving not even a trace of their souls behind!
"Father."

Zhu Zaigui looked up at Emperor Jiajing at this moment, and concern appeared in his eyes.

"What should we do now?"

Zhu Zaigui still could not act on his own. He had to make sure of Emperor Jiajing's intention before taking any action.

Emperor Jiajing was shouted at by Zhu Zaigui again, and his rationality, which was about to be overwhelmed by hatred, was finally pulled back a little.

Emperor Jiajing looked at Zhu Zaigui. He really looked like the Prince Zhuangjing back then. Both were so outstanding and not fond of extravagance. Both were so calm and sensible, and had an ethereal air about them.

At this moment, Emperor Jiajing suddenly felt afraid again, as if Zhu Zaigui would inexplicably follow in the footsteps of Prince Zhuangjing in the next moment.

It was precisely this mentality, as well as the experience of Crown Prince Zhuangjing's sudden death on the second day after his formal coming-of-age ceremony, that led to the fact that although Emperor Jiajing wanted to confirm Zhu Zaigui as Crown Prince several times, he had to hold back and suppress his intentions.

He was really afraid that after he appointed Zhu Zaigui as the Crown Prince, the prophecy of "two dragons never meet" would come true.

Now Zhu Zaigui came to report that there might be other hidden stories behind the death of Crown Prince Zhuangjing.

What Emperor Jiajing was afraid of and worried about at this moment was not only the prophecy of "two dragons never meeting", but he was also worried that a cold arrow would suddenly shoot from some invisible dark place, causing his most beloved and promising son to die halfway.

Emperor Jiajing suppressed his inner fear, his eyes were red with anger.

"Bring him to me, I will interrogate him personally!"

Zhu Zaigui took a deep breath and had no intention of advising.

He bowed and said, "Yes, I'll get ready right away."

Just as Zhu Zaiqi was about to get up and leave, Emperor Jiajing hurriedly and nervously called out to Zhu Zaiqi, "San'er, don't go."

Zhu Zaigui looked back at Emperor Jiajing again, and at this moment he finally understood and comprehended Emperor Jiajing's intentions over the years.

Zhu Zaigui turned to the Emperor Jiajing, held the Emperor's old and wrinkled hand, and consoled him: "My son is always here."

Emperor Jiajing looked at Zhu Zaigui, whose eyes were determined at this moment, and finally felt a little peace in his heart.

At this time, Zhu Zaigui suggested again: "Father, let Huang Jin come back. I can be most assured when he is by your side."

Emperor Jiajing hummed, "Okay, I'll do as you say."

Zhu Zaigui breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Father, please sit down and I will be back soon."

Zhu Zaigui left Emperor Jiajing's residence under the Emperor Jiajing's reluctant gaze.

After arriving outside, Zhu Zaigui instructed Chen Hong and Li Fang again, "Serve His Majesty well. No one is allowed to enter the abode and disturb us before I return."

Chen Hong and Li Fang didn't know what had happened. They looked at each other and immediately bowed to Zhu Zaigui and said, "I obey your command!"

Afterwards, Zhu Zaigui left the Wanshou Palace and instructed Meng Chong who was waiting outside: "Go to Changping in person and bring back Eunuch Huang. Go now and don't waste any time."

Meng Chong didn’t know what had happened. Why did he suddenly want to take Huang Jin back?
Meng Chong immediately bowed and said, "I will go right away."

Looking at Meng Chong's departing back, Zhu Zaigui instructed another trusted young eunuch beside him, "Take my order and go to Xishan immediately. Order the eunuch Teng Xiang who guards Xishan to lead the Divine Artifact Battalion to station at the camp outside the capital and be on standby at any time."

The young eunuch took the order and left. Zhu Zaigui looked at their backs as they left and couldn't help but secretly clenched his palms. He found that his palms seemed to be sweating. This feeling was just like the time when he pretended to be Zhu San, the commander of the Beijing Camp Cavalry, and ambushed Anda in Shunyi.

But this time he was no longer facing the Tatar enemy about whom he had clear information, but a hidden enemy hidden deep within the fabric of the Ming Dynasty.

Such enemies are the most difficult to identify. Even Zhu Zaigui, who has a certain historical God's perspective, cannot see through the fog and see clearly who is loyal and who is treacherous?
Therefore, the only people Zhu Zaigui could trust now were his household slaves and eunuchs, rather than important ministers such as Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji who had followed him for many years.

Zhu Zaigui was not sure whether they had any close ties with other potential enemies. Therefore, at this moment, Zhu Zaigui chose to ignore them and re-activate his old subordinates, allowing these people to return to his side and form a new force to protect the capital at this moment and the personal safety of him and Emperor Jiajing.

After making these arrangements, Zhu Zaigui did not stop. He immediately took his men to the Jinyiwei prison to find Prince Jing Zhu Zaizhen.

At this moment, the imperial prison was no different from usual.

Deep in the imperial prison, it was still damp and cold, not affected by the hot summer air outside at all, as if this was a naturally gloomy and cold place.

Zhu Zaigui was walking on the trail inside the imperial prison. This was his first time here.

There were torches on the stone walls on both sides. The faint light dispelled the darkness and emitted an indescribable smell of decay and sourness.

It seems that everything here is not like the human world, but a dark place connected to the underworld.

The light from the torches cast swaying shadows on the stone walls, like countless distorted human faces.

Dong Fen was sitting in the innermost cell, still wearing the scarlet official uniform he had worn when he was dismissed from office, but it was now extremely dirty.

There was no trace of fear on his face, though he was over fifty years old. Instead, he had a strange calmness on his face.

At this moment, Zhu Zaizhen was also standing outside the cell, waiting for Zhu Zaigui to arrive.

When Zhu Zaizhen arrived in front of the cell, he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

When Dong Fen heard the noise outside, he turned around and looked at Zhu Zaigui who appeared here. What was different was that he looked different from usual.

Dong Fen no longer had any fear, and he was no longer as polite as before. It seemed that to him, whether it was the newcomer Zhu Zaigui or Zhu Zaizhen who had always been guarding by his side, they were just ordinary people and did not need his worship.

When Zhu Zaigui saw that Dong Fen had no intention of standing up to salute, his eyes were filled with indifference and calmness.

Zhu Zaigui ordered: "Change his clothes, stuff his mouth, cover his head, and follow me."

Zhu Zaizhen immediately bowed and said, "I obey your command!"

After hearing these words, Dong Fen in the cell suddenly laughed.

"Your Majesty, are you going to execute me secretly?" Zhu Zaiqi simply glanced at Dong Fen and said, "You are not worthy."

After saying that, Zhu Zaizhen no longer paid any attention to Dong Fen. He just watched quietly, waiting for Dong Fen to change into clean new clothes under Zhu Zaizhen's arrangement, and to have his mouth gagged and a hood put on as instructed before.

Then Zhu Zaigui turned around and left, followed closely by Zhu Zaizhen, who personally escorted Dong Fen out.

After Zhu Zaizhen followed Zhu Zaiqi out of the Jinyiwei prison, he couldn't help but ask in a low voice: "Where are you going, Third Brother?"

Zhu Zaigui replied: "Go to Xiyuan."

Zhu Zaizhen took a deep breath. At the same time, Dong Fen, who was being held by him, seemed to tremble noticeably. Finally, there was a hint of new change.

When Zhu Zaigui and Zhu Zaizhen brought Dong Fen to Xiyuan, the sky had already completely darkened, replaced by an endless black night sky with stars.

These stars are like silently watching eyes, witnessing this moment of history happening.

At this time, Meng Chong, who had rushed back from Changping, and Huang Jin, who was brought back at the same time, were both breathing heavily and heading towards Xiyuan.

According to the original route, even with a fast horse, it would take a whole day to travel to Changping.

However, due to the widespread use of hardened roads in the capital and counties under Shuntian Prefecture in recent years, the journey time that used to take a day was greatly shortened. It only took Meng Chong half a day to bring Huang Jin back.

After the two hurriedly arrived at the West Garden, they immediately saw Zhu Zaigui and Zhu Zaizhen who were about to enter the Wanshou Palace, as well as Dong Fen who was escorted by them personally.

Meng Chong and Huang Jin came over breathlessly and bowed, "Your Majesty, Eunuch Huang is back."

Huang Jin also bowed to Zhu Zaigui, "Your servant Huang Jin greets His Majesty."

Zhu Zaiqi looked at Meng Chong and Huang Jin who had returned in time, and smiled, "Thank you for your hard work."

Zhu Zaigui then gave another cold order: "You two and brother Zhen will guard outside the temple. Anyone who dares to approach the temple will be killed without mercy, no matter who it is!"

Zhu Zaizhen, Huang Jin, and Meng Chong immediately bowed and said, "Your servants obey my command!"

Zhu Zaigui then personally brought Dong Fen into the Wanshou Palace, and at the same time sent Chen Hong and Li Fang outside.

The moment Chen Hong saw Huang Jin appear, his heart trembled violently, as if he had seen a ghost, and he wanted to get away.

But unfortunately, Huang Jin did not ignore him.

Huang Jin looked at Chen Hong and smiled, "Eunuch Chen, how are you?"

Chen Hong's voice trembled, and he seemed to be about to kneel down, "Grandfather."

Huang Jin waved his hands, "Don't call me that. I am just an old eunuch who is responsible for supervising the Emperor's Wannian Ji Land. I am insignificant and cannot deserve the respect of the chief eunuch who holds the seal of the Imperial Household Department."

Chen Hong didn't dare to say anything and looked at Zhu Zaizhen pleadingly.

Zhu Zaizhen didn't care about the grudge between them at all. He only focused on one thing at the moment: no one was allowed to escape from his control at this moment and everyone must be under his nose.

Otherwise, don't blame the ruthless Embroidered Spring Sword on his waist!

Inside the temple.

At this moment, the monastery was dark and no lights were lit.

But this does not hinder vision at all.

Zhu Zaigui bowed and said, "Father, I have brought Dong Fen here."

After hearing Zhu Zai's voice, Emperor Jiajing, who was sitting in a daze on a chair in the Jingshe, suddenly looked up at Zhu Zai in the darkness, and Dong Fen who was with him.

At this time, Zhu Zaigui also took off Dong Fen's hood and pulled out the cloth stuffed in his mouth.

Dong Fen looked at Emperor Jiajing in the darkness. He did not bow to greet him, as if at this moment he was qualified to have a conversation with Emperor Jiajing on an equal footing.

"Dong Qing."

The voice of Emperor Jiajing echoed in the dark abode, "Maybe I have treated you unfairly?"

When Dong Fen heard the voice of Emperor Jiajing, he laughed.

That smile reminded Emperor Jiajing of the frozen lake in winter, and at the same time, the anger in his heart was about to emerge uncontrollably.

Dong Fen replied: "Your Majesty has indeed treated me well, granting me a high position and generous salary, allowing me to bring honor to my ancestors."

Emperor Jiajing found Dong Fen's words extremely harsh, as if he was listening to a huge irony.

Emperor Jiajing clenched his fists, his nails digging deeply into his palms.

"So... is this how you repay me? You want to set fire to the king and murder my prince?"

Now that Dong Fen was alone and no longer bound by any family members, he smiled again without caring.

"Your Majesty, I have been wronged. I did not do these things."

Emperor Jiajing was almost amused by Dong Fen's words, "Didn't you do it?"

Dong Fen said fearlessly, "It was not me, but many people like me who planned it together."

Emperor Jiajing laughed in anger, "You call this kind of traitor who has no respect for his king or father, and who plots treason and regicide, a benevolent and ambitious person? Even if I have offended you by starting a grand ceremony since I ascended the throne, what is my son's fault? Why did you do such a cruel thing to him!"

Dong Fen said: "You should ask Yan Shifan about this matter. This matter belongs to him, not us."

After all these years, Emperor Jiajing finally met a hero like Dong Fen!

Emperor Jiajing said, "Yan Shifan? Do you think you can get away with it by putting all these crimes on a dead man?"

Dong Fen said: "Your Majesty has misunderstood me. Ever since I said that, I have never thought about living. I told you that the name Yan Shifan is not a false accusation from me, but a fact!"

"Back then, Your Majesty allowed Yan Song and Xia Yan to fight each other, and Xia Yan was defeated and killed. Although Yan Song was very proud, he was also very worried because he knew that everyone in the world knew that Xia Yan was the teacher of Prince Zhuangjing. As long as the prince gained power, the ministers who followed Yan Song to fight Xia Yan would not have a good ending."

"So, the clever Yan Shifan imitated the past and created a perfect alibi plan. He took advantage of the opportunity when the imperial physician was examining Prince Zhuangjing and sent the prince off. Otherwise, how could the prince have died suddenly in less than half a day from the onset of illness?"

Dong Fen's voice was very soft, but to the ears of Emperor Jiajing, it sounded like thunder!
He never wanted to move. The son whom he loved and valued so much actually died in the subsequent political struggle between Xia Yan and Yan Song.

But Emperor Jiajing still didn't understand, and asked: "If it was Yan Shifan who did it, how did you know about it?"

Dong Fen laughed, "Because this isn't the first time this has happened."

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