The next morning.
The Zhu Mansion.
The Minister of Revenue, dressed and ready, prepared to attend the morning court.
A patrol squad suddenly entered, carrying a stretcher.
A person lay on the stretcher, covered by a white cloth, their appearance obscured.
Zhu Dachang felt an annoyance brewing.
The person on the stretcher, covered by white cloth, was clearly dead.
What was the meaning of bringing a dead body to his home so early in the morning?
"Minister Zhu." The guards placed the stretcher on the ground and lifted the white cloth. "A passerby discovered Young Master Zhu in the bushes outside the Imperial City this morning. Unfortunately, by the time he was found, he had been dead for quite some time."
"We have brought him to you," the patrol captain cupped his hands. "Please... accept my condolences..."
With that, the captain led his men away.
Zhu Dachang stared blankly at Zhu Pigu lying on the ground.
Zhu Pigu's face was deathly pale, clearly not the color of a living person.
And judging by his expression, it seemed as though he had endured immense suffering before his death...
The surrounding servants were so terrified they dared not even breathe, standing frozen in place.
Zhu Dachang continued to stare, as if unable to believe it was real...
A quarter of an hour later.
"Gu'erβ!" Zhu Dachang cried out in despair, lunging towards Zhu Pigu on the ground.
"Gu'er! Wake up!" Zhu Dachang scooped up Zhu Pigu's corpse, tears streaming down his face. "Open your eyes quickly, it's your father!"
Alas, Zhu Pigu could no longer respond.
The only thing Zhu Dachang could feel was the coldness of his son's body...
Zhu Dachang held his son and wept for a long, long time, until his voice was hoarse.
"Master..." the steward approached to offer comfort. "The second young master has... You must take care of yourself..."
"I'm alright..." Zhu Dachang replied in a low voice. "Make the arrangements..."
"Yes." The steward acknowledged and summoned a few servants to carry Zhu Pigu away to arrange the funeral.
"No matter who you are..." Zhu Dachang muttered with a contorted face. "If you dare to cause the death of my Gu'er, I will make your entire clan pay with their lives!!!"
With that, Zhu Dachang returned to his study.
Trembling, he picked up his brush and swiftly penned a memorial.
The Imperial Palace of Great Liang.
The Emperor sat on his throne, listening to his officials' reports.
However, Great Liang was currently experiencing peace and prosperity, with little of consequence to discuss.
The ministers spoke of trivial matters.
Liang Dekuai, gazing at an empty seat in the hall, knitted his brows slightly.
This Zhu Dachang was becoming increasingly outrageous!
To skip court without even requesting leave.
Did he not have the Emperor in his eyes at all?
The secret guards had previously reported that Zhu Dachang had been very close to the Minister of War recently; it seemed this was true.
He had anticipated that they would stir up trouble, but he hadn't expected Zhu Dachang to be so indolent and disrespectful now.
What was he playing at?
Did you two think the time was right to challenge the throne?
Playing games, were we?
Very well, I'll wait.
Let's see how you explain yourselves later.
If it were a little later, I might have had some reservations, but now, I truly fear nothing from you!
As there was little else to discuss, the morning court quickly concluded.
However, the ministers' moods were heavy.
They weren't blind; they had noticed Zhu Dachang's absence.
Could the rumors be true?
If so, the situation was dire.
They needed to choose their allegiances quickly!
But it was proving difficult to decide which side to support...
Equally bewildered was the Minister of War.
What was Zhu Dachang up to?
Hadn't they agreed on a plan?
What did this old man mean now?
Was he planning to abandon me and act alone?
No, Zhu Dachang wasn't the impulsive sort, was he?
"Urgent matter!" Just as everyone was in a state of confusion, a young eunuch at the entrance suddenly announced.
Everyone, including Liang Dekuai, focused their attention.
Typically, only when something of extreme importance occurred would the young eunuch at the entrance announce 'Urgent Matter'.
'Urgent Matter' implied that something of great significance had happened.
So important that it could interrupt the morning court!
"Grant it!" Liang Dekuai, sitting upright, replied.
Soon, a young eunuch entered.
"Your Majesty, someone from the Zhu Mansion has delivered a memorial," the eunuch announced, kneeling at the entrance of the hall and presenting a memorial.
This memorial was different from the usual; its cover was pasted with white paper.
Everyone understood at once.
A memorial with white paper on its cover meant that someone had died.
Sent from the Zhu Mansion...
Could it be that Zhu Dachang had passed away?
He was fine yesterday!
And there was no mention of any chronic illness!
The official in charge of the memorial hurried over and retrieved it.
Liang Dekuai opened the memorial and read it carefully.
After reading it, Liang Dekuai was somewhat confused.
Zhu Dachang was not dead, but his second son had died.
And he had died so close to the Imperial City, just three miles away.
In addition to requesting leave due to his son's passing, Zhu Dachang's memorial also vehemently condemned the perpetrator and requested that Liang Dekuai severely punish the killer and bring him justice.
At Liang Dekuai's signal, the official in charge read the contents of the memorial aloud.
All the civil and military officials were stunned!
This was a major incident!
In itself, Zhu Pigu's death wasn't a huge matter, but his death within three miles of the Imperial City made it significant!
After the court adjourned, Liang Dekuai sat thoughtfully before the imperial dining table.
For some reason, his first thought upon seeing the memorial was of Ye Fan.
He had indeed heard of Zhu Pigu's misdeeds, but lacking evidence, he had been unable to punish him.
Zhu Pigu, this scoundrel, had been a problem for quite some time.
If someone had truly been fed up and taken action, it wouldn't have taken until now.
Yet, Ye Fan had only arrived in the Imperial City not long ago, and Zhu Pigu was already dead.
It was hard for Liang Dekuai not to associate this with him.
However, upon further reflection, Liang Dekuai found it unlikely.
According to reports from his subordinates, Ye Fan and Zhu Pigu had only met twice.
The first time was with his second son and Xiao Jiu, and they had only exchanged polite greetings.
The second time was even simpler, just a nod, not a single word spoken.
Before this, Ye Fan had never been to the Imperial City; it was impossible to assume they held any grudges.
Ye Fan had no reason or motive to kill Zhu Pigu.
Could it have been a cultivator from elsewhere participating in the Grand Competition?
Upon careful consideration, it wasn't entirely impossible.
In previous Grand Competitions, there had been instances where external cultivators clashed with Zhu Pigu.
It was reported that Zhu Pigu had once molested someone's junior sister, leading to the senior brother beating him on the spot.
Unfortunately, Zhu Pigu's guards had intervened too quickly, preventing him from being beaten to death...
Of course, thinking this way was satisfying, but if it were truly the case, Liang Dekuai would still be displeased.
After all, such an act would be considered a provocation to imperial authority.
Now that Zhu Pigu, this scoundrel, had died right outside the Imperial City, he felt his personal safety was severely lacking!
Even without considering Zhu Dachang's involvement, this matter had to be thoroughly investigated!
If it was indeed because Zhu Pigu's actions had angered an external cultivator, then he must be severely punished!
Yes!
He must be thoroughly lectured and educated!
And if it were other individuals with malicious intent testing the waters, they would be met with iron-fisted suppression!
During the time the Ancestor was in seclusion, some individuals were likely growing restless...
"But speaking of which, it seems I should find an opportunity to meet this Ye Fan..."
Liang Dekuai turned his head to look out the window, murmuring to himself.