Chapter 72: Bring us our whip!
When everyone in the west hall heard the sound, they all looked towards the door, only to see a boy standing there, panting and leaning on the door bolt.
This boy was none other than Zhu Yunhuan, the Third Prince of the Crown Prince's Mansion.
Every woman standing on the stool looked at Zhu Yunhuan with hope, hoping that he could bring them a miracle.
Only Lu looked at Zhu Yunhuan with a look full of disdain and disgust.
"Zhu Yunxun, why are you running here instead of attending class in the main hall?"
As soon as Mrs. Lu asked this question, she saw four little girls crying and appearing behind Zhu Yunhuan. She understood instantly when she saw this scene.
It must be that girl Zhu Mingyue who ran out just now and told Zhu Yunhuan what happened here, wanting her to save their mother.
When Mrs. Lu thought of this, she couldn't help but sneer in her heart.
Who does he think he is?
This was an imperial decree issued by the old man himself. Not to mention that he was just the emperor's grandson, even when his father, that rubbish, was alive, he would not dare to disobey the old man's order!
But he came at the right time, just in time for him to see how horrifying it was to see more than twenty women hanged at the same time!
It would be best if his brain was scared out of his wits so that he couldn't memorize the book. Then we'll see how he can win the favor of that old man!
When Mrs. Lu thought of this, she immediately shouted to the people around her.
"Someone come!"
"Send all the concubines on their way!"
As soon as Mrs. Lu finished her words, more than twenty eunuchs and palace maids came forward and tried to help the women who were to be buried alive remove the stools.
Seeing this, Zhu Yunhuan took the door bolt and slammed it on the ground several times, then shouted loudly.
"Stop it!"
Finally, Mrs. Lu couldn't bear it anymore and pointed at Zhu Yunhuan and scolded him.
"Why stop!"
When Zhu Yunhuan heard this, a trace of confusion flashed through his mind.
Yes, why?
It seemed like he was just a grandson of the emperor and had no right to order them to stop.
However, he came up with a solution after a quick thought.
Although this method is a bit useless, it is better than watching a group of people die, right?
What's more, he has four younger sisters here.
If I don't help them, they will be like me, an orphan.
When Zhu Yunhuan thought of this, he made up his mind and spoke shamelessly.
"There is an imperial decree!"
"I just came from Grandfather Emperor, and he gave me the latest decree!"
"Imperial edict?"
Mrs. Lu was also stunned when she heard this, but she did not dare to doubt it.
Because in the Ming Dynasty, there had been rebellions and treasons, but there had never been a case of forging an imperial edict.
When others heard the imperial edict, they immediately knelt on the ground. The concubines who were preparing to hang themselves also jumped off their stools and knelt on the ground to pray respectfully, praying for a miracle to happen.
Seeing that everyone else had knelt, Mrs. Lu had no choice but to kneel down as well. However, after kneeling down, the grandson was reluctant to speak, which made her suspicious again.
"Zhu Yunxun, where is your imperial edict?"
"No matter whether it's a handwritten or oral decree, you have to produce one!"
Zhu Yunhuan glared at Lu in displeasure, thinking to himself, I am faking the imperial edict, so don't I have to make it up for a while?
"The Emperor of Heaven and Order proclaims: In my grief, I uttered rogue orders that nearly caused a disaster. I now appoint my grandson Zhu Yunhuan to restore order."
"As the old saying goes, God has a benevolent heart. As the Son of Heaven, I should accept God's will and obey the will of the people."
"I hereby order that all concubines be exempted from burial alive with their husbands, and their portraits will be used instead!"
"So ordered!"
When Lu heard the first sentence, she knew that the imperial edict might be fake.
Because based on her understanding of the old man, he rarely used "I" in imperial edicts.
Generally speaking, as long as it is not an article to commemorate the heavens or the earth, he would just write this and that, how could he write in such a flowery way?
But Zhu Yunhuan's expression was so calm that she had to believe it. Could it be that His Majesty had really changed his personality?
Just when Lu was confused, Erhu came hurriedly with a few people.
As soon as Lu saw Erhu, he immediately asked.
"Brother Erhu, has His Majesty really issued an imperial decree to exempt people from being buried alive with their loved ones?"
Erhu felt a headache as soon as he heard this. No matter how hard he tried, he was still a step too late, and ultimately the Third Prince got into big trouble.
Falsifying the imperial edict!
If this grandson gets any other surname, it will be a heinous crime of exterminating all nine generations of his clan!
Even if his last name is Zhu and he is the most beloved grandson of His Majesty, this matter is no small matter.
Being beaten up by the emperor would be the lightest punishment for him. He was afraid that the emperor would become displeased with him and make him a vassal king or drive him out of the capital.
"Two tiger brothers?"
"ah!"
"Princess, please speak!"
"I just want to ask, is this His Majesty's decree?"
"This... should be it, right?"
"By the way, Crown Princess, could you please repeat the imperial decree that the Third Imperial Grandson just said?"
Lu immediately repeated Zhu Yunhuan's imperial edict. She had married into the Prince's Mansion as a talented woman, and she repeated the imperial edict of only a hundred words without making any mistakes in even the punctuation marks.
"Erhu, you don't even know the emperor's decree, do you?"
When Erhu heard what Lu said, he quickly made up a lie.
"The Emperor is worried that His Royal Highness the Third Grandson may have misspoken, so he asked me to come and verify it."
After Erhu said this, he picked up Zhu Yunhuan and left.
However, there was no way Lu would let him go like that, so she hurriedly asked.
“Wait!”
"Brother Erhu, what should we do with them?"
Erhu was completely numb when he heard this and just said it perfunctorily.
"Let's do as His Royal Highness the Third Grandson says first!"
When Lu saw Erhu's reaction, she immediately understood what was going on.
Zhu Yunhuan was so bold that he even dared to forge the imperial edict!
However, this is a good opportunity. If it goes well, we can drive him out of the capital directly!
When Lu thought of this, she immediately praised the emperor's wisdom and brought all the concubines to thank the emperor for his grace. Then she ordered people to find dozens of painters to paint portraits of the concubines.
She didn't even have to say it deliberately. As long as the painters asked people what the portrait was used for, there would naturally be people who would tell them quickly.
After hearing this, every painter was moved by your Majesty's benevolence and righteousness, and they all praised your Majesty's wisdom.
Every time Lu heard this, he would add another sentence.
"Who said it wasn't true? When Zhu Yunhuan first came to deliver the decree, I didn't dare to believe it, for I was afraid that the kid had delivered the wrong message. Later, it was the Tiger Guard who came and said it, and I finally believed it!"
As a result, dozens of painters learned a secret: this imperial edict was conveyed by His Majesty through Zhu Yunhuan, and they also praised Zhu Yunhuan a few words.
When dozens of painters finished painting the portraits of the concubines, the news that His Majesty had asked Zhu Yunhuan to convey the imperial edict spread throughout the court as they left.
However, many officials in the court expressed deep doubts about this, because this imperial edict was obviously not in the style of His Majesty the Emperor.
Especially Duke Lan Yu of Liang, who sneered when he heard about this.
He didn't believe that Zhu the Butcher had such kind intentions!
But when he thought about it again, he realized something was wrong. Why was Zhu Yunhuan involved here?
When the gossip inside and outside the palace reached the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang's roar became louder.
"Someone come!"
"Bring us our whip!"
"We must beat this rebellious grandson to death today, and see if he dares to falsely convey the imperial edict!"
