King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 789 Zhu Jingyuan's Farewell
A few minutes later, Zhu Jingchun and the other man walked out of the Qianqing Palace. At this moment, they both had solemn expressions, and there was an unconcealable fear in the depths of their eyes.

"Your Highnesses, the Lord has ordered me to accompany you to the Gongshun Palace later!"

Zhu Jingchun and the other man looked at each other, then nodded and followed Ni Er to go out of the palace. Soon they left the palace and headed towards Dong'anmen.

When they passed Dong'anmen, Zhu Yunsheng was still there, but he stayed in the carriage.

She originally wanted to call her two half brothers, but when she saw that the Jinyiwei were following them, Zhu Yunsheng gave up the idea and planned to find them to ask about the situation after leaving the palace.

So after Zhu Jingchun and the other person left the palace, Zhu Yunsheng followed them in a carriage.

After leaving Dong'anmen, Zhu Jingchun and Zhu Yunsheng each took a car to go home, while Zhu Yunsheng chose to follow Zhu Jinghao.

Finally, Zhu Yunsheng caught up with Zhu Jinghao, and their carriages stopped together.

After opening the carriage curtain, Zhu Jinghao saw Zhu Yunsheng and asked with a smile, "Third sister, what are you doing?"

"Fifteenth brother, why did you rush into the palace today?"

Zhu Jinghao was stumped for a moment. Of course, the content of the question in front of the emperor could not be leaked, so he had to find an excuse quickly.

"Oh... well... Brother Thirteen wants to ask us something. He said that there will be a polo match with other countries next year, and asked me and Brother Fourteen to plan this matter!"

The two of them have always been obsessed with having fun, and they have always been in charge of polo matters, so this statement is very convincing.

"So that's it!" Zhu Yunsheng nodded.

Then she didn't ask any more questions. After chatting with Zhu Jinghao for a few words, the brother and sister said goodbye to each other.

When Zhu Jinghao returned to the palace, his wife Zhao came to inquire about the situation. In the past, they would discuss things together when encountering problems.

But this time, Zhu Jinghao did not say what happened. Instead, he went to the study alone. Seeing that he was in a bad mood, Zhao did not ask any further questions. She planned to wait until her husband was in a better mood tomorrow before talking to him.

Soon the sun was setting. After dinner, Zhu Jinghao should have gone to listen to music according to his normal schedule, but he ordered his family to prepare a carriage.

"Where are you going?" Zhao looked puzzled.

"Sixth brother has been getting sicker these days, I plan to go see him!"

"Are you crazy? Why do you want to see him? Are you dissatisfied with your life being too comfortable?" Zhao said unhappily.

"What are you talking about? We are brothers after all. It is only natural for me to go and see him!"

Zhu Jinghao said some empty words, and then took a carriage to Prince Gongshun's Palace. The same scene just now happened again in Prince Qingyang's Palace.

It gets dark early in winter, and when Zhu Jinghao arrived at Prince Gongshun's Mansion, lights were already on inside and outside the mansion.

Two carriages arrived here together, carrying the Zhu Jingchun brothers.

After the two men got off the carriage and entered the palace gate, they saw Ni Er standing outside the Chengyun Gate, with two captains holding brocade boxes on his left and right.

"Greetings to your two highnesses!" Ni Er bowed deeply.

"Are these two things?" Zhu Jingchun asked.

"Exactly!"

Zhu Jingchun stepped forward and took a brocade box from a captain. Then he looked at Zhu Jinghao behind him, and the latter also stepped forward to take another one.

As early as two years ago, after Zhu Jingyuan was stripped of his title, except for his eldest son and his family, the rest of his sons were given titles and set up their own families.

Now, in the palace, Zhu Jingyuan and his wife, and Zhu Muyu and his wife, only have a few young children left, plus twenty eunuchs and maids to serve them.

Compared to the heyday of the Rui Palace, the current staffing of the Gongshun Palace can be described as extremely shabby.

Over the past two years, Zhu Jingchun and his companions rarely set foot here. The last time they came here was more than a year ago. Even though the Prince Gongshun's Mansion had already fallen into decline at that time, it was not as deserted as it is now.

"Fourteenth uncle, fifteenth uncle, you will arrive at your house tonight... I don't know..." The person who came to greet them was Zhu Muyu, who was only seven or eight years younger than Zhu Jingchun and the others.

In the past, Zhu Muyu was a very arrogant person, but ever since his father was stripped of his title and was confined in the palace, this kid has been very tactful and settled down.

When Zhu Jingyuan was making trouble before, he joined forces with his brothers to put his father under house arrest in the mansion. It can be said that he was pragmatic and decisive.

Because of his pragmatism, Zhu Jingyuan was always on guard against him, so Zhu Muyu really thought that his father was too sick to get up.

Therefore, when Zhu Jingchun said that he came to visit Zhu Jingyuan, Zhu Muyu thought it was reasonable.

But in the next moment, he realized that something was wrong. After all, these two people were not on good terms with his father and had not visited him for more than a year. Why did they suddenly come to visit, and visit together?

"My father is really seriously ill. Apart from my mother who takes care of him personally, no outside visitors are allowed!"

Looking at this once arrogant "nephew", Zhu Jingchun said coldly: "Are we outsiders?"

"Hurry and lead the way!"

"This……"

When Zhu Muyu was in trouble, a voice came from behind him.

"Hey, Uncle Fourteen, why are you so angry? If Yu'er has not been good enough in hospitality, you can punish her. Don't get so angry that you get sick!"

The person who spoke was Chen Zhi. Although she was no longer the prince's principal wife, her former power was still there. Her appearance at this moment still intimidated Zhu Jingchun and the other man.

There was no way. In the past nearly twenty years, Zhu Jingchun and the other two had been suppressed by the Rui Wang Mansion. The psychological pressure brought about by this was difficult to eliminate in a short period of time.

After a few moments of silence, Zhu Jinghao, who had been silent the whole time, said, "Sixth sister-in-law, we are here to visit Sixth brother!"

The search a few days ago let Chen Zhi know that Zhu Jingyuan had not given up, and the worst thing was that the matter was exposed again.

So Chen Zhi has been in panic these days and looks particularly tired at the moment, but she understands that the reason Zhu Jingchun and the other two came here is not simple.

"Are you following orders?" Chen Zhi asked.

According to her judgment, if the emperor had not called these two people, they would never have come.

In fact, the same was true for other members of the royal family. Even Zhu Jingyuan's other sons would not come unless it was necessary.

Zhu Jinghao did not explain too much, but said: "We are here to visit Sixth Brother, please lead the way!"

Even though there was no one else around, Zhu Jinghao was very cautious and did not break that layer of window paper.

But both Chen Zhi and Zhu Muyu understood that these two people must have come here on orders, so they could only lead them there.

In the past, Zhu Jingyuan pretended to be sick, but after this failure, he really fell ill and is now bedridden.

Zhu Jingyuan had just taken the medicine, and although he was extremely tired, he just couldn't fall asleep.

Just as he opened his eyes and stared at the gauze curtains above the bed in a daze, a maid came from the door and reported: "Your Highness, His Royal Highness Prince Qingyang and His Royal Highness Prince Jinghai are here!"

The next moment, accompanied by Chen Zhi and Zhu Muyu, the Zhu Jingchun brothers entered the house.

Zhu Muyu quickened his pace and came to the bedside to remind him, "Dad, Uncle Fourteen and Uncle Fifteen are here to see you!"

Zhu Jingyuan had already seen his two younger brothers. He seemed to sense something, so he struggled to sit up.

Under normal circumstances, Zhu Jingchun and the other man should have come forward and told Zhu Jingyuan to take a rest, but they just stood there and watched.

So Zhu Muyu had to step forward and help his father sit up from the bed.

"Fourteenth brother, fifteenth brother...it's been a long time since I saw you!" Zhu Jingyuan tried hard to force a smile.

Unfortunately, neither of them responded, making the atmosphere in the room particularly awkward.

After a few breaths, Zhu Jingchun spoke: "Sixth sister-in-law, we have something to say to Sixth brother, you guys please step aside first!" This was even more complicated. Both Zhu Jingyuan and Chen Zhi felt a strong sense of uneasiness in their hearts at this moment, even though Zhu Jingchun's tone was calm.

Seeing Zhu Jingchun's determined expression, Chen Zhi could only take Zhu Muyu out of the room, close the door, and wait in the courtyard.

After taking a look at the gift boxes that Zhu Jingchun and Zhu Jingyuan were holding, Zhu Jingyuan asked, "Does His Majesty know about what I did?"

"Not only does His Majesty know, we all know it too!" Zhu Jingchun replied.

"Alas... I thought I had a plan, but in fact I was as dumb as a pig. Now that I have failed, I am willing to admit defeat. How does he plan to deal with me?"

Before Zhu Jingchun and the other two could speak, Zhu Jingyuan said, "Whether I am stripped of my title, demoted to a commoner, or become his vassal, or even act like a brother to him, I will accept it all!"

"If he is really so angry that he banishes me to Fengyang to wait for death behind bars, I will accept my fate!"

Zhu Jingyuan acted very calmly. The worst outcome he imagined was that he would be deprived of everything and exiled to Fengyang.

However, the room fell silent again. The uneasiness that Zhu Jingyuan had suppressed came back like a huge wave, making it difficult for him to pretend to be calm.

"The emperor gives you a choice. If you confess your crime and commit suicide and submit a petition to plead guilty and praise the emperor, he can posthumously confer you the title of prince and allow you to be buried in the late emperor's mausoleum!"

After Zhu Jingchun finished speaking, Zhu Jinghao followed up and said, "If you refuse to plead guilty, we will report you. You and your wife and heir will be sentenced to death for treason, and the rest of your family will be expelled from the family tree and exiled to Fengyang!"

After saying that, Zhu Jingchun and the other man stepped forward, placed the brocade box in front of Zhu Jingyuan and opened it. Inside were pills and white silk.

In Zhu Jingyuan's view, now that Zhu Jinghong has become the emperor, killing his legitimate brother will inevitably lead to infamy. In addition, his parents warned him before they left that brothers should live in harmony...

Therefore, Zhu Jingyuan believed that, regardless of the overall situation or filial piety, as long as he surrendered at the last moment, Zhu Jinghong would not kill him, his legitimate brother. This was also one of the reasons why Zhu Jingyuan was so fearless in wreaking havoc.

But now, the guarantee that he thought was foolproof disappeared, and Zhu Jingyuan could no longer remain calm.

Fear, regret, sadness, confusion, heartache...all kinds of mixed feelings flooded his heart.

Zhu Jingyuan was originally weak, and after suffering such a heavy blow, he collapsed and fell off the bed.

Standing there, Zhu Jingchun and the other man watched all this, and they actually felt uncomfortable.

So what if they are from a noble family? If they take the wrong path, they will die. The current Zhu Jingyuan may not be the same as them in the future.

Zhu Jingyuan was lying on the ground, but in just a dozen seconds, the highlights of his life flashed through his mind.

He was smart since he was young, and was valued by his father. Later, he was granted the title of prince, and then he overpowered the crown prince...

In his first thirty years of life, he had countless proud moments, but these became the ropes that strangled him, trapping him in the obsession of seizing the throne, and ultimately leading to the disaster of killing today.
The emperor's so-called choice actually left him with no choice: either one person died or the whole family died.

Life is the most precious thing for human beings. The closer we are to death, the more reluctant we are to leave this world.

Therefore, even though he was surrounded by fear, Zhu Jingyuan still did not give up hope of survival.

Human potential is enormous. Just after falling down for more than ten seconds, Zhu Jingyuan struggled to sit up, then rolled and crawled towards his two younger brothers.

"Fourteenth brother, fifteenth brother...I want to see Old Thirteen, no...I want to see His Majesty, I want to see His Majesty, I have something to say to him!"

Pulling Zhu Jingchun and the other brother's clothes and kneeling down, Zhu Jingyuan was terrified like a helpless child, begging for mercy with tears streaming down his face.

Zhu Jinghao responded with a cold face, while Zhu Jingchun leaned down and held his brother down with his hands to prevent him from moving.

"Sixth brother, the emperor will not see you. You have one hour to think about it. After that, either we take your memorial away, or the Northern Pacification Office will come to confiscate your property tomorrow!"

At this time, Zhu Jinghao continued, "A gentleman will not take off his crown even when he dies, Sixth Brother...be calm!"

This is of course easy to say, but it is indeed a good thing for Zhu Jingyuan. After all, it is always better to die with dignity.

Zhu Jingyuan couldn't stop his tears from flowing out. His sobbing turned into crying and then gradually subsided. Another seven or eight minutes passed.

Trying to calm himself down, Zhu Jingyuan said, "I want to meet your sixth sister-in-law and explain some things!"

After Zhu Jingchun and the other person looked at each other, they saw Zhu Jinghao turn around to open the door, and then called Chen Zhi and the other person in.

Chen Zhi only heard someone crying inside, but did not hear clearly the content of the conversation between the three brothers. However, she knew at this moment that the situation was extremely bad.

In front of Zhu Jingchun and the other man, Zhu Jingyuan recounted his crimes, which left Zhu Muyu stunned. He knew that his father was insidious but he didn't expect him to be so shameless.

So even before Zhu Jingyuan finished speaking, Zhu Muyu realized that his father was about to die.

Afterwards, Zhu Jingyuan revealed the emperor's choice, the second option of confiscating the property and exterminating the clan, which scared Zhu Muyu half to death.

"Yu'er, what happened tonight must not be heard by others. The reason why your father told you this is to remind you... You must be cautious in your future actions and never cause trouble!"

"I am deeply troubled, and I would like you to write a memorial to Your Majesty to apologize and congratulate him... Please write it for me!"

Hearing these words, Zhu Muyu also shed tears, and Chen Zhi was sobbing that she couldn't speak.

This was undoubtedly a human tragedy. Zhu Jingchun and the other man who were watching from the side felt increasingly distressed, but they did not dare to show any sympathy.

Although there was no one else here, if they were noticed by Ni Er when they went out and reported it to the emperor, causing him to doubt their attitude, it would be a disaster for both of them.

Wiping away the tears on his face, Zhu Jingyuan said slowly: "Fourteenth brother, fifteenth brother, let your sister-in-law accompany me during my last few moments!"

After the two brothers looked at each other, they turned around and walked out of the room. Although Zhu Muyu was reluctant to leave, he went out with them. After all, he still had to complete a memorial.

Only Zhu Jingyuan and his wife were left in the room. Chen Zhi huddled in her husband's thin arms, still unable to stop crying.

"Your Highness, there must be a way, there must be a way..."

No matter how much of a bastard Zhu Jingyuan is, to Chen Zhi he is still her husband, the husband she loves all her life.

They got married as husband and wife, and they loved each other without any doubt... The vows they made when they got married many years ago have long been engraved in their hearts.

How much Chen Zhi was reluctant to leave Zhu Jingyuan was how much the latter felt towards her.

Listening to Chen Zhi's incoherent words, Zhu Jingyuan hugged her tightly with all his strength, and then said in tears: "Zhi'er, I'm sorry for you, I'm sorry for you..."

"Back then, you and I were equals, reading and writing, playing chess and playing the zither, brewing tea and painting... Thinking back on it now, it was such a pleasant thing!"

"It's a pity that I woke up too late. Things are irreversible. My death is not a pity...but it's hard for you to follow my scheming. Not only did you fail to put your knowledge to use, but you ended up living a lonely life!"

Seeing that Zhu Jingyuan was still going to continue, Chen Zhi directly reached out to cover his mouth, and then said resolutely: "Your Highness, I don't regret it, I don't regret it!"

"If Your Highness were to go to the underworld, I would be willing to accompany you!"

Chen Zhi's decision to commit suicide for love shows her deep love for her. This moved Zhu Jingyuan deeply and made him feel that he had let down such a good wife.

Of course, whether out of emotion or reason, Zhu Jingyuan would never let her commit suicide for love. After all, Chen Zhi still had to live and continue acting to whitewash the ridiculous family affection of the Ming royal family.

After the two of them expressed their feelings to each other, the deadline was up.

"My beloved, it would be a tragic death to hang oneself, I don't want that!"

Trying hard to smile, Zhu Jingyuan said, "Please fetch the medicine for me... and send me off for the last time!"

Chen Zhi is also a strong person. After accepting the outcome of the matter, she suppressed her great sadness and walked towards the brocade box not far away.

"Your Highness, in your next life...you must never enter the royal family again!"

Wiping away the tears from his wife's eyes, Zhu Jingyuan took the bright red and deadly pill and said with a smile: "Okay... In my next life, I will be a poor scholar and you will be the daughter of a private school teacher. We will live an ordinary life together!"

After saying that, he swallowed the pill!

(End of this chapter)