"The work of heaven and earth cannot be rushed, and difficult undertakings must be accumulated over days..."
Zhu Changluo looked up at the sky, hazy with rain, and let out a bitter laugh:
"Man proposes, heaven disposes; some things are bound to happen, and it's only natural."
Planning matters depends on man, but whether they succeed also relies on a sliver of heaven's will; things are bound to happen, and it's only natural for them to unfold this way. Some things will occur no matter how they are prevented, unfolding according to the inherent laws of things, and this cannot be changed.
Zhu Changluo no longer knew what to say. Trusting heaven was futile, and trusting man was even more so. He truly lacked the destiny to change anything, and instead, he had made the future even worse.
Just as Zhu Changluo let out a loud, bitter laugh, the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet and the armored guards of the Flag Bearer Guard finally followed the sound and found West Second Long Street.
Zhu Changluo first looked up at the sky, then bowed his head, standing there in silence, his expression deathly pale.
Seeing this scene, the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet did not know what had happened. Upon seeing that the Emperor and the others were unharmed, they finally breathed a sigh of relief:
"It is truly wonderful that Your Majesty and His Highness are safe."
The Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, along with their men, arrived late. A large group of them prostrated themselves, and the Flag Bearer Guards and Great Han Generals knelt on one knee, all confessing their guilt.
The Wanli Emperor, who had just been in a daze, was finally awakened.
Evil gods? The three Grand Secretaries exchanged glances, recalling the fire spirits that had fled earlier.
They had not seen the Three Fire Gods or Song Wuji, let alone the Fire Lord, and were completely unaware of what had transpired in the inner palace.
"Did you see the Eldest Prince come in?"
The Wanli Emperor specifically asked this, and the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet quickly replied:
"The Eldest Prince entered the fire alone earlier, fearing Your Majesty was in danger, and risked his own life. His filial piety moved the heavens and all gods... Is Your Majesty perhaps angry because the Eldest Prince entered the West Six Palaces..."
"Is that so? You are all blameless. Rise... The evil god is dead, and it is thanks to the Daoist priest in Longde Hall that my life was saved."
"The mastermind has now appeared."
The Wanli Emperor's tone was very strange, and his words further confused the three Grand Secretaries.
Of course, the three Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet soon understood.
Zhu Changluo, though still bewildered after being enlightened by Ji Xiang, had finally given up hope. He said to the Wanli Emperor:
"My heart is like ashes. I await your judgment."
Zhu Changluo's words also caused the Wanli Emperor to laugh, like a declaration of victory, and also like a regret:
"Yes, you lost, so you must be at my mercy! I truly never imagined that you had such a powerful scheme. So close, so close, Eldest Brother, you almost killed me!"
"You are right. You are the child of a palace maid, and I am also the child of a palace maid. I sit on the imperial throne, and so can you! Emperor Longqing did not like me back then, and yet I became Emperor! Now I do not like you, and you almost became Emperor."
"It is a pity that compared to me, you lacked a bit of planning and a bit of luck."
"Heaven has its destiny. If heaven had not helped me, the nation's prestige would have been extinguished tonight, Doumu would have lost her light, and the nails on the main gates of the Forbidden City would not have moved. In this vast imperial palace, apart from the accident in Longde Hall, who else would have helped me?"
"You were not prepared enough, and did not know that there was a great power in Longde Hall!"
The Wanli Emperor's expression was also somewhat frenzied. Although he himself did not understand these variables, the one who was lucky now was the winner.
The three Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet understood the situation, their faces turning ashen:
"Your Highness, the Eldest Prince, could it be that the great fire tonight was..."
"I set it!"
Zhu Changluo opened his hands to welcome the wind and rain. The rain had begun to subside, and the wind had also weakened. It was almost time for the talismans to expire.
He threw his head back and laughed: "The Three Fire Gods burned the rear three palaces, and dozens of fire spirits burned the front three halls! Along with the West Six Palaces, Longde Hall, and the four Fire Gods, one Fire Lord, I colluded with them, spending two or three years planning, turning this Forbidden City upside down!"
"Just one step away from a new era!"
The Grand Secretaries showed expressions of shock. They had supported Zhu Changluo in the past simply because they did not wish to see a situation of deposing the elder for the younger and national chaos. If they had any connection with Zhu Changluo, it was none at all.
But now that Zhu Changluo had committed such a monstrous crime, the three Grand Secretaries thought that this time, the dispute over the heir apparent would end. The Eldest Prince would surely be removed, and the Fifth Prince, Zhu Changxun, had truly become the Crown Prince by lying down, winning everything without knowing anything, waking up to a great victory.
And the Wanli Emperor said to the three Grand Secretaries:
"You want to support my eldest son and make him the Crown Prince, but look at the Forbidden City now! Look at what kind of person the Crown Prince you support is."
"Of course, his becoming like this is my fault. This dispute over the heir apparent, which has lasted for eleven years, whether Eldest Brother or Fifth Brother should be the Crown Prince, all of this is finally coming to an end. All this strife originated from me; all this chaos originated from me; all this sin originated from me."
"The great fire in the Forbidden City today, burning nine palaces and four halls, with over three hundred dead, are all my sins!"
The Wanli Emperor's voice was resonant as he spoke of his own guilt. The three Grand Secretaries immediately bowed deeply. At this moment, they should have comforted the Emperor, but how could they comfort him? The dispute over the heir apparent was, in essence, a war of words between the Emperor and the civil official group!
Even if they wanted to help the Emperor find a way out, they could not think of anything to say for the moment.
The Wanli Emperor's tone was low, but it gradually rose: "I have already sent someone to inform the Northern Commandery Guard. Eldest Brother has agreed to let me deal with him as I see fit. Do you want to plead for him? Hurry and plead!"
"If you don't plead now, whoever dares to plead later, I will arrest!"
The Wanli Emperor glared and spoke fiercely. The three Grand Secretaries remained silent, looking at the Eldest Prince with regret.
The Wanli Emperor's chest heaved. After calming his emotions, he slowly said to Zhu Changluo:
"Eldest Brother, you can no longer be the Crown Prince, and you have committed a great crime. Although you will be taken to the Northern Commandery Guard, you will not be killed, because you are still a member of the Ming imperial family. Therefore, according to the laws of the Ming imperial clan, you should go to Fengyang... go to the Zhu family in Fengyang and never return."
There were three great families in the world: the Kong family of Shandong, the Zhang family of Jiangxi, and the last being the Zhu family of Fengyang.
Fengyang was the hometown of Emperor Taizu of Ming. Currently, there was a high wall in Fengyang, where the last of the three great families, the Zhu clan, were gathered. They were all criminals exiled by the Ming imperial family.
And here, there was a general term—the Prince's Hell.
Zhu Changluo laughed. The earliest person confined in the Zhu family of Fengyang was Emperor Jianwen's son. Some people had even slammed into pillars in their death throes, not daring to go to the Zhu family in Fengyang.
But Zhu Changluo did not think so. He even showed an expression of relief:
"The Forbidden City is also a prison, and Fengyang is also a prison. There is no difference! Not for the Crown Prince, not for the world, not for those things that are destined not to happen, heaven despises me!... I am an incompetent person, and now I can only live for myself."
"You haven't attended court for nine years, living in the inner palace, confined to your own space. What's the difference between you and those people in Fengyang! Hahahaha!"
Zhu Changluo burst into laughter, giving the Wanli Emperor a splitting headache.