Chapter 48: My Audacity Is Just That Great

A contingent of the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrived at the Eastern Palace and swiftly placed the entire area under strict lockdown and control.

Upon witnessing this, a eunuch of the Eastern Palace hurriedly rushed back to report the situation to Lady Lü. Upon learning that the Eastern Palace had been blockaded, Lady Lü was greatly startled, wondering to herself whether certain hidden matters of hers were truly about to be exposed.

Stepping outside, she saw the Embroidered Uniform Guard stationed all around just as expected.

"What are you people doing?" Lady Lü demanded angrily. "Who gave you permission to blockade the Eastern Palace? Do you know what place this is? Clear out of here at once!"

Hearing this, Jiang Huan had no choice but to step forward and say, "Please calm your anger, Crown Princess. Without His Majesty's decree, we would never dare to act thus. We will indeed leave, but not right now."

"Step aside!"

Lady Lü furrowed her brows and snapped, "I am leaving right this moment, and you dare to block my path?"

Jiang Huan remained silent, merely standing firm before Lady Lü.

"Get lost!"

The sight filled Lady Lü with unbearable agitation. Convinced that a major crisis had occurred—otherwise Old Zhu would never have blockaded the Eastern Palace—she shouted, "I am going out."

With that, she attempted to force her way through, but Jiang Huan stood his ground without moving an inch.

The surrounding Embroidered Uniform Guard instantly closed in.

They cared nothing for Lady Lü's status; their sole allegiance was to the commands of Zhu Yuanzhang.

Without Old Zhu's explicit order, anyone attempting to leave the Eastern Palace would be promptly detained by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

For a moment, Lady Lü's courage faltered, and she took two panicked steps backward.

"Mother, what is happening?"

Zhu Yunwen happened to return at that exact moment, taking in the tense scene at the Eastern Palace.

"Yunwen, they are bullying me!" Lady Lü exclaimed. "These men from the Embroidered Uniform Guard refuse to let us leave the Eastern Palace."

"Audacious!" Zhu Yunwen cried out angrily. "Who ordered you to surround the Eastern Palace? Get out of here right now!"

"I am the one who ordered it surrounded. Is there a problem?"

A cold, detached voice suddenly echoed from directly behind Zhu Yunwen.

"You have a remarkably brazen dog's gall..."

Hearing someone speak to him with such arrogant defiance, Zhu Yunwen flew into a rage. Whirling around to face the speaker, intending to have the insolent wretch dragged away and beaten, a familiar figure met his eyes.

"My dog's gall is precisely this large," Zhu Yuanzhang said frostily. "What, do you intend to discipline me?"

"Imperial Grandfather!"

Struck with a cold sweat of absolute terror, Zhu Yunwen dropped to his knees instantly, entirely at a loss as to what to do.

Who could have guessed that Zhu Yuanzhang would appear right behind him?

He silently cursed his own utter stupidity. The guards were from the Embroidered Uniform Guard—who else could have issued the command except Zhu Yuanzhang? Yet he had still uttered such arrogant words.

"Your Majesty!"

The others knelt in unison to pay their respects.

"Imperial Father!" Lady Lü wailed, playing the aggrieved victim. "What crime has your daughter-in-law committed to warrant the Embroidered Uniform Guard surrounding the Eastern Palace? I dare say I have done nothing wrong of late."

As she spoke, she put on an expression of supreme grievance.

"Yuntian has been poisoned," Zhu Yuanzhang stated coldly. "Search the entire Eastern Palace thoroughly! Go inside and bring every single servant of the Eastern Palace back for questioning!"

"Yes!"

Receiving the order, Jiang Huan led the Embroidered Uniform Guard pressing into the Eastern Palace.

"Poisoned?"

Lady Lü turned pale with shock and hastily asked, "How could Yuntian possibly be poisoned? Who in the Eastern Palace would dare to administer poison to you? Are you alright?"

She forced a look of profound concern, feigning deep anxiety for Zhu Yuntian's well-being.

In truth, the moment she saw the Embroidered Uniform Guard surrounding the Eastern Palace, Lady Lü had already formed a fairly accurate guess.

When she learned earlier that Zhu Yuntian intended to visit the Imperial Hospital at daybreak, a bad premonition had gripped her heart, prompting her to make advance preparations. She had not expected this matter to surface so swiftly.

Though a wave of panic rippled through her heart, she managed to keep herself from completely losing composure.

Kneeling nearby, Zhu Yunwen was privy to certain secrets. Hearing that Zhu Yuntian had been poisoned, he immediately lowered his head, gripped by an indescribable terror, forcing himself to maintain whatever outward calm he could muster.

Zhu Yuntian was closely observing their reactions.

While Lady Lü appeared utterly ignorant of the matter, he understood that this woman was fickle and exceedingly skilled at pretense; her ignorance was far from certain. As for Zhu Yunwen's terrified expression, it clearly betrayed prior knowledge of some dark secret.

Zhu Yunwen was putting on a brave face, clearly attempting to conceal something.

The movements of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were swift and efficient.

With the sole exception of Liu Liu and Dongqing, all the palace maids and eunuchs of the Eastern Palace were rounded up and taken away.

Other guards ransacked the rooms inside, hunting for any substances that could have been used for poisoning.

Xu Shu had already specified that the poison was either orpiment or mercury.

Chaos quickly erupted within the Eastern Palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood coldly outside the Eastern Palace, watching everything unfold within.

Lady Lü stood anxiously to one side, though having made preparations beforehand, she convinced herself that nothing would be found. Zhu Yunwen had climbed back to his feet, but the memory of having just berated Old Zhu, coupled with the shadow of the poisoning, left him consumed with guilt.

He felt as though the crown prince's seat was slipping away from him once again.

What should he do?

Zhu Yunwen was panicked to the core, yet completely powerless to act.

Zhu Yuntian watched all of this with calm detachment. Observing Lady Lü's current composure, he surmised that finding direct evidence would likely prove difficult. This woman was a formidable adversary, and without proof, she could not be directly detained and interrogated.

"Your Majesty!"

At that moment, Xu Xingzu was escorted back by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"The personnel from the Directorate of Royal Banquets have been taken away for investigation," Xu Xingzu reported. "Those who previously prepared meals for the Third Imperial Grandson have all been brought back. This subject will fully cooperate to unearth the culprit."

Lady Lü chimed in, "Imperial Father, this daughter-in-law will likewise render full cooperation. Whoever dared to poison Yuntian must be shown no leniency whatsoever!"

She painted herself as completely uninvolved, expressing bitter indignation toward the poisoner.

Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent, yet his mere presence radiated a terrifying, frigid, and piercing murderous intent that left everyone ill at ease. This was especially true for Zhu Yunwen, whose cowardice caused his legs to tremble slightly—purely out of fright!

"Your Majesty!"

After a considerable while, Jiang Huan returned to report, "Except for the Crown Princess's bedchamber, every other room has been searched, and nothing has been found."

"Search mine as well!" Lady Lü quickly declared. "Lord Jiang, do not hold back."

She was terrified that they would refuse to search her quarters.

Only by searching her room could she distance herself from the affair and completely sever any connection to the crime.

"Search it!" Zhu Yuanzhang commanded coldly.

He was suppressing his urge to kill with the utmost effort. Anyone daring to poison his precious grandson was courting death!

Jiang Huan led his men back inside. After quite some time, he returned and reported, "Your Majesty, nothing was found."

The entire Eastern Palace had been turned upside down, yet yielded zero results.

It seemed the poison had not been concealed within the Eastern Palace, nor had it originated from within.

Zhu Yuanzhang cast a sidelong glance at Lady Lü, his nearly murderous gaze slowly withdrawing just a fraction. Seeing this, Lady Lü let out a long, silent breath, thinking to herself how close a call it had been.

"They hide things remarkably deep!" Zhu Yuntian thought to himself.

Yet, for the time being, he had no way to prove whether Lady Lü was the culprit.

Perhaps the aromatherapies could provide a clue; he wondered if there was something amiss with the incense. With that thought, he said, "Imperial Grandfather, this grandson wishes to return inside and take a look."

"Go ahead," Zhu Yuanzhang assented.

Taking Liu Liu with him, Zhu Yuntian returned to his quarters.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had indeed searched the place, but out of deference to his status, they had not wrecked the rooms excessively, leaving the interior relatively orderly.

"Where are those aromatherapies?" Zhu Yuntian asked.

"Your Highness, they were right here..." Liu Liu opened a cabinet, then gasped in astonishment. "G-Gone?"