Chapter 6: I haven't even inherited the title of Duke of England yet, and it's already about to be stripped away?

Meanwhile, hearing Zhu Cilang mention his ancestor Wang Yangming, Wang Xiantong was already overcome with tears.

"Your subject shall never fail the Crown Prince or the Great Ming! Long live the Crown Prince, may he live for a thousand years! Long live the Great Ming, may it last for ten thousand years!"

"Go now. I shall await your good news," Zhu Cilang waved his hand. This fellow was truly too sentimental; if he kept talking, he might start crying himself.

Wang Xiantong took the Crown Prince’s token and turned to leave, followed as usual by one hundred personal guards. This time, however, they were genuinely there to protect him.

"Cr... Crown Prince, your subject... your subject deserves to die!"

Just as Zhu Cilang was feeling a sense of poignancy, Zhang Shize’s voice rang out, followed by the sound of a heavy kowtow. At this moment, the future Duke of Ying was truly terrified. Even the prospect of forcing the Chongzhen Emperor to abdicate had not sounded as frightening as the words he had just heard.

From the conversation between the Crown Prince and Wang Xiantong, it was clear that the Crown Prince intended to strike at the Capital Garrison and the Chief Military Commission. The Zhang family had always held a share in both, often taking the lion's share. His family was, quite simply, the greatest parasite of the Great Ming Dynasty. He had thought he had stumbled into the merit of "following the dragon" to power, only to find that not only was that merit gone, but a catastrophe of epic proportions had landed squarely on his head. If this were truly investigated, stripping him of his title would be the lightest of punishments. It was a matter of life and death. He had not even officially become the Duke of Ying yet, and the title was already slipping through his fingers.

Just as Zhang Shize was at a loss, Zhu Cilang finally spoke.

"Why do you deserve to die? You are, after all, my subject who followed the dragon."

"Enough. There is nothing for you here for now; go home. Remember to come to court in the morning!"

"Huh?" Zhang Shize was completely stunned. He had already prepared himself to be stripped of his title, never expecting the Crown Prince to say such a thing.

"Crown Prince, your subject... your subject..." Zhang Shize wanted to add more, but was cut off by Zhu Cilang again.

"That is enough. I understand what you want to say, but you are not the Duke of Ying, so I cannot hold you responsible. Once you return, I grant you permission to tell the Duke of Ying what happened tonight. Additionally, deliver a message to him for me. Tell him that rain is about to fall, and perhaps the Duke of Ying should look for an umbrella."

After saying this, Zhu Cilang patted Zhang Shize on the shoulder with a smile. "It is going to rain soon; go home, and be sure to deliver my words to the Duke."

A Crown Prince’s token was then pressed into Zhang Shize’s hand. Zhang Shize walked out of the palace in a daze. Looking up, he saw the night sky was as dark as ink, with faint rumblings of thunder as if it were truly going to rain. This storm, he knew, would be immense.

Not long after Zhang Shize left, Li Hu approached Zhu Cilang. "Crown Prince, should we send men to monitor the Duke of Ying’s residence? The Duke has unusual relations with all the nobility. If he reveals what happened tonight to others, wouldn't that cause us trouble?"

In truth, Zhu Cilang felt this was unnecessary. If the Duke of Ying was not a fool, he would understand the meaning perfectly. He had made it clear enough: I know what you have done, I have successfully usurped power, I have three thousand heavy cavalry at my command, and the Capital Garrison and the Chief Military Commission are in my hands. Tomorrow, I intend to take action against you all. If you are wise, you will cooperate with what I do tomorrow and offer up some of your wealth. If you do that, our relationship will remain as it was. But if you do not cooperate, you know the consequences.

Zhu Cilang was lenient with the Duke of Ying ultimately because the last Duke of Ying, Zhang Shize, was one of the few dukes who died for his country when the Ming Dynasty fell. He was willing to give him a chance. However, Li Hu’s point had merit; what if the Duke went mad and tried to unite others to cause trouble?

After a moment of thought, Zhu Cilang produced a bottle from his wide sleeve and handed it to Li Hu. "Set an ambush near the Duke of Ying’s residence. If no one leaves tonight, do nothing. But if a single person steps out, do not ask for orders—storm the residence immediately and force the Duke to drink what is inside this. Remember, there must be no wounds on his body. After all, he is the Duke of Ying; even if he must be sent away, let it be done with dignity."

Li Hu was stunned. He did not need to ask to know that the bottle contained a lethal, fast-acting poison. But why would the Crown Prince carry poison on his person? Surely it wasn't prepared for the Duke of Ying? He had just said he didn't want to move against him. Wait—suddenly, Li Hu thought of the direction in which the Chongzhen Emperor had departed.

Could it be that this poison was originally intended for him? Li Hu dared not think further. He only felt that this seemingly gentle Crown Prince was terrifying, devious, and utterly ruthless. What was more alarming was that the Crown Prince was only thirteen years old. If he grew up, the lives of the civil and military officials would be difficult indeed. Perhaps, as he had said before, he would become an emperor even more feared than the founding Taizu or the Chengzu.

"Your subject... your subject understands!" Taking the poison and the token, Li Hu hurried away.

Watching Li Hu depart, Zhu Cilang smiled faintly. He hoped the Duke of Ying would use his head and not commit any unforgivable errors; otherwise, he would have no choice but to let Zhang Shize take the title a few years early. As for whether Zhang Shize would hate him for it? Zhu Cilang did not care. Those who achieve great things do not dwell on trifles. What did this matter?

While waiting for others to arrive, Zhu Cilang decided to visit the Inner Treasury to see how much wealth and silver it contained. The Inner Treasury was the Emperor's private vault, unrelated to the national treasury, and its contents were for the Emperor’s use alone. The Great Ming was currently severely lacking in funds, and he had to find ways to acquire more to prepare for what was to come.

Soon, surrounded by his men, Zhu Cilang arrived at the Inner Treasury. As the Emperor’s private vault, even within the palace, it was guarded around the clock. Under normal circumstances, no one was allowed near it without the Emperor’s order. However, at this moment, the eunuchs and palace guards on duty had already been subdued by his personal troops.

"Open it," Zhu Cilang said, looking at a small eunuch kneeling on the ground.

The eunuch, though restrained, hesitated. "Crown Prince, without His Majesty’s order, this servant..."

Zhu Cilang had no patience to listen further and signaled to a soldier nearby. The soldier understood instantly and swung his sword. The small eunuch did not even have time to scream before he lost his breath, his blood staining the floor.