Chapter 48: An Unexpected Acquaintance!

“Ah!!”

The ministers waiting outside the tent shivered collectively, each one filled with fear and trepidation.

Having served as officials in the Orthodox reign for fourteen years, they could hardly fail to recognize whose anguished cry that was.

Minister of War Kuang Ye pressed his lips tightly, poked the Duke of England beside him, and whispered, “The Taizu Emperor said no one is to enter the imperial tent, but he didn’t say we couldn’t watch, did he?”

Though they, as ministers, could not lay a hand themselves, hearing the volume of the commotion from within, it would be immensely satisfying just to catch a glimpse from afar!

Zhang Fu swallowed hard, his gaze darting with obvious temptation, but then he shook his head furiously. “No, absolutely not! How can you entertain such rebellious thoughts?”

“Old Duke Zhang, Minister Kuang, what Taizu Emperor are you talking about? Have you two been driven mad by Eunuch Wang?”

“What in heaven’s name is happening inside the imperial tent? Why do I hear His Majesty screaming in agony?”

General Fan Zhong, who was responsible for security, scratched his head anxiously. He had just finished patrolling the camp and was unclear about what had transpired inside. Now, blocked by the ministers, he felt increasingly uneasy.

Kuang Ye spoke with gravity, “Fan Zhong, don’t act rashly. You know how the current emperor… favors eunuchs so much that even the ancestors of Ming have appeared to instruct him inside.”

Madness. Old Duke Zhang’s senility was understandable, but it was a pity that even Kuang Ye, a perfectly sane Minister of War, had been driven completely mad.

“This… that wretched eunuch Wang Zhen has gone too far, tormenting Minister Kuang into insanity,” Fan Zhong cursed, then his expression shifted as he lowered his voice, “Gentlemen, don’t worry. If worst comes to worst, I'll fight that eunuch to the death. If not now, then eighteen years later—”

Creak!

The tent door opened a crack, and a figure darted out. Zhu Gaoxu raised his brows in surprise. “Zhang Wenbi, Fan Zhong, you two are still alive? Do you need to relieve yourselves?”

Zhang Fu remained composed, clasped his hands, and replied, “Prince Han, please do as you wish. I am too old to accompany you.”

He and Prince Han were of similar age, often risking their lives together during the Jingnan campaign, true brothers-in-arms. Later, when Zhu Gaoxu rebelled, the first person he thought of as an insider was Zhang Fu, his lifelong comrade.

Before the rebellion began, Zhu Gaoxu sent a messenger to inform him. Zhang Fu, true to form, hauled the messenger straight to the emperor, confessed, and wrote a memorial condemning Prince Han as a traitor, even requesting twenty thousand troops to personally suppress him!

Knowing Zhu Gaoxu’s temperament all too well, he dared not linger with Prince Han. One careless slip, and his old bones would be forfeit.

“You old fool, useless as ever.”

Zhu Gaoxu shrugged it off, then slapped Fan Zhong’s shoulder and invited, “Come on, brother, let’s go relieve ourselves together.”

Stunned!

---

Fan Zhong’s head buzzed. He rubbed his eyes desperately with the back of his hand, which was still relatively clean, and stammered, “Are you… a man or a ghost…?”

He remembered clearly: years ago, Emperor Xuanzong had ordered Prince Han burned, and he had personally carried out the task, adding fuel to the fire and boiling Zhu Gaoxu alive!

How could he possibly be seeing this old acquaintance again after more than twenty years—and he looked inexplicably younger!

Could he have been reincarnated!?

Fan Zhong stood dumbstruck, his mind grinding to a halt.

Zhu Gaoxu gave him a playful glare, threw an arm around his neck, and boasted, “Our Zhu family’s imperial descendant has produced a deity, bringing me, his great-uncle, to the Orthodox court to help you fight the Oirat.”

Fan Zhong stared in disbelief, his heart muttering: It’s true—unbelievably true.

Zhu Gaoxu looked at him curiously, patted his shoulder, and feigned displeasure. “What’s wrong, Fan Zhong? Why aren’t you smiling? I’ve been chatting with you for ages and you haven’t said a word—are we strangers now?”

Strangers? Quite the opposite—they were closer than ever!

Fan Zhong shivered, scratched his head, and stammered, “Prince Han, forgive me. My mind hasn’t caught up yet.”

“You rascal.”

Zhu Gaoxu laughed heartily. “We’re the same. I nearly died of fright myself when I first came back—you can’t possibly be braver than me.”

“That’s right, that’s right,” Fan Zhong replied with a forced smile.

Splash.

“What’s wrong, can’t you pee?” Zhu Gaoxu craned his neck, then smirked with a hint of disdain.

“Getting old, not as capable as before,” Fan Zhong replied absentmindedly.

“Haha, happens to us all at this age. By the way, Fan Zhong, what illness did I die from? My nephew never told me, and I want to prepare some medicine in advance.” Zhu Gaoxu shook himself and asked casually.

“This, well…”

Fan Zhong trembled, oblivious to the puddle at his feet, sweating profusely as he gulped down his words. He strung together every character he knew, but couldn’t figure out how to answer.

I’m a soldier, not good with words!

Hmm?

---

Zhu Gaoxu, sharp as ever, suddenly squinted, circled behind Fan Zhong, and yanked his pants down, hoisting them high as he demanded, “Tell me, how did I die? If you can’t give me a straight answer today, you’ll parade naked before the entire army!”

“Prince Han!”

Fan Zhong, caught off guard, tumbled to the ground. At forty or fifty years old, he was nearly driven to tears, but clenched his teeth and shouted,

“It was me who boiled you!”

Zhu Gaoxu was dumbfounded, unable to process the words at first. “What do you mean, you boiled me?”

“I mean I burned you alive!” Fan Zhong, desperate now, bit his lip and continued, “But it was under Emperor Xuanzong’s orders. I didn’t want to do it. Prince Han, now you’ve returned from the dead, it’s my retribution. Kill me or torture me as you please!”

“Damn it all!”

Zhu Gaoxu cursed loudly. “So that bastard finally grew a conscience—turns out he never got over boiling me alive!”

“You’d better explain—why was I boiled?”

Fan Zhong protested, “Your rebellion failed. Xuanzong came to visit you in prison, and you suddenly stuck your foot out, making him take a nasty fall—I felt the pain just watching!”

“Infuriated, Xuanzong had you locked in a bronze cauldron to reflect on your actions. That should’ve been the end of it, but you, relying on your strength, lifted the cauldron!”

“Xuanzong was already injured, and your stunt scared him terribly. He immediately ordered me to add fuel to the fire. I didn’t dare disobey. In the end, even the cauldron melted.”

“…”

Zhu Gaoxu fell silent, then suddenly grinned, his expression unexpectedly gentle. “Don’t be afraid!”

“What are you—?”

Zhu Gaoxu chopped down with his hand, sending Fan Zhong into a faint. Then, using Fan Zhong’s pants as bindings, he hoisted him off to the cooking area, where a huge pot waited, guarded by several soldiers.

Zhu Gaoxu shouted,

“Let’s go! Today, our grudges—let’s settle them once and for all!”

…