Volume 1, Chapter 10: Peace of Mind

Inside the Imperial Hospital, the air was thick with the scent of medicinal herbs, yet it could not suppress the suffocating tension that filled the hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang stormed in, his face clouded with fury. The guards and eunuchs trailing behind him moved with extreme caution, not daring to even draw a full breath. As soon as he stepped through the doorway, his gaze locked onto Zhu Xiongying, who lay unconscious on the sickbed, and his heart felt as if it were being violently constricted by a tightening cord.

"Xiongying..." he called out in a low voice, his strides quickening beyond his usual pace.

On the bed, Zhu Xiongying looked deathly pale, his eyes tightly shut, with beads of cold sweat dotting his forehead. His arms and legs were wrapped in bandages, and faint bloodstains seeped through his sleeves. Although he had been changed into clean clothes, they could not hide the traces of the wounds covering his body.

Zhu Yuanzhang’s eyes swept over his grandson, his rage burning ever brighter. He turned abruptly, his glare sharp as a blade as he fixed it upon the trembling imperial physicians.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Zhu Yuanzhang roared, his voice causing the rafters to tremble. "Just how severe are the Grand Heir’s injuries? Will he survive?!"

The physicians prostrated themselves on the floor, their foreheads pressed against the tiles. Sweating profusely, they stammered, "Your Majesty, although most of the Grand Heir’s wounds are superficial, he is suffering from extreme physical exhaustion and requires several days of quiet rest and recuperation."

"Fortunately, the poison from the arrows did not penetrate the marrow; his life is not in danger... We will do everything in our power to treat him. Please, Your Majesty, set your heart at ease!"

"Set my heart at ease?!" Zhu Yuanzhang laughed in his fury. "My grandson nearly died in the hunting grounds, and you tell me to set my heart at ease?"

"If you quacks cannot cure him, I will have you all fed to the wolves!"

With that, unable to control his rage any longer, he overturned the medicine cart beside the doctors. Bowls shattered, and medicinal broth splashed across the floor.

"Whose idea was this?! Who dared to lay a hand on my grandson?!" Zhu Yuanzhang’s voice dropped to a menacing growl. "No guards, a wolf attack, and all the escorts tasked with protecting him suddenly left to protect others, abandoning Xiongying behind."

"How can such an absurd thing happen in the Ming Imperial hunting grounds?! I will investigate this—I will investigate it to the very end!"

Everyone in the room pressed themselves lower to the ground, shivering uncontrollably. Even the physicians dared not speak, only kowtowing repeatedly to beg for mercy.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The child is still ill and cannot withstand such turmoil."

Accompanying this gentle voice, Empress Ma walked into the Imperial Hospital. Her tone was soothing, yet it carried an inherent air of authority.

Zhu Yuanzhang turned at the sound of her voice. Seeing Empress Ma, the fury in his eyes receded slightly, though his temper remained far from settled. "Sister, you have come at the right time."

"Look at our grandson, look at what has become of him! The hunting grounds have become his gateway to the underworld!"

Empress Ma walked to the bedside. Seeing his pale face and the wounds on his body, a flicker of heartbreak crossed her eyes. She reached out slowly to brush his forehead and tucked the quilt around him before turning to Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Old Zhu, let the physicians treat the child properly first. Our grandson is what matters most." Empress Ma’s voice was low and calm, yet it possessed a steadying strength. "As for whose scheme this is, once Xiongying wakes up, the truth will naturally come to light."

Zhu Yuanzhang’s chest heaved as he heard this. He said in a deep voice, "Come to light? I see this as a clear case of someone pulling strings!"

"Where did the wolf pack come from out of thin air? And those damned guards—how could they just abandon Xiongying and run?!"

"I do not believe for a second that there wasn't someone behind this!"

Empress Ma nodded, her expression composed. "Your Majesty, you are right."

"This incident... it truly does not look like an accident."

Zhu Yuanzhang’s brows arched. "Oh? You think so too, Sister?"

Empress Ma’s expression darkened slightly. She swept her gaze over the still-kneeling physicians and said quietly, "Your Majesty, the reassignment of the guards at the hunting grounds... do you find that normal?"

"Xiongying’s status is illustrious; he is the eldest grandson of our Zhu family. By all rights, his guards should have been the most elite."

"Yet, why were the guards replaced on the eve of the hunt?"

"And why, when the wolves appeared, were the only guards missing the ones by Xiongying’s side?"

These words, though spoken calmly, were like knives, each one deepening the fire in Zhu Yuanzhang’s eyes.

"Yes! That is the very question!" Zhu Yuanzhang gritted his teeth. "How could the guards be reassigned so coincidentally? Why just as the wolves arrived?"

"Where are the men who were truly tasked with protecting him? Where did they go?!"

Empress Ma continued, "Your Majesty, the disappearance of these guards is suspicious. I heard they were men you personally selected; how could they have left their posts so easily?"

"Combined with the sudden wolf attack, if one were to say there was no deliberate orchestration behind this, it would be hard to believe."

Zhu Yuanzhang clenched his fists, his gaze cutting like a blade. "Sister, are you saying that this hunt was a premeditated act? That someone wants to harm our grandson?!"

He whirled around and slammed his fist onto the dragon table with such force that the corner of the heavy piece of furniture let out a dull thud, appearing as if it might split apart. He gritted his teeth, every word dripping with murderous intent: "No matter who it is! No matter where they are hiding!"

"Once I find them, I will have their heads!"

The sound was like a thunderclap, causing everyone in the hall to shudder. The physicians lay prone on the floor, shivering, not daring to breathe too deeply for fear of being implicated. Gao Ming stood to the side, a cold bead of sweat rolling down his forehead from the tension.

However, Empress Ma remained unmoved. She stepped forward slowly to stand beside Zhu Yuanzhang.

Her voice remained soft, yet carried a hidden, commanding weight: "Old Zhu, if you take someone’s head now, will this matter really be over?"

Zhu Yuanzhang turned sharply to look at her, his rage unabated but mingled with confusion. "Sister, are you holding me back at a time like this? Our grandson nearly lost his life in the jaws of wolves, and you want me to endure it?!"

"This blade of mine is meant to ensure that those who harmed my grandson never have a chance to rise again!"

Empress Ma shook her head gently. "Old Zhu, I understand that anger."

"But if this matter is handled too aggressively, I fear it will implicate the Eastern Palace and even shake the prestige of our Biao’er."

Zhu Yuanzhang’s expression darkened at these words, the fire in him dampened as if by cold water. He frowned, his voice hard. "The Eastern Palace? How could this involve Biao’er?"

"Xiongying is Biao’er’s son; how could he possibly harm his own child!"

"Your Majesty, of course you know the Crown Prince would never do such a thing, but what of others?" Empress Ma lifted her gaze, her tone deepening.

"The Eastern Palace is the foundation of the Heir Apparent. Biao’er is the future Emperor. If this matter becomes too loud and reaches the ears of the court officials, some will surely seize the opportunity to stir up trouble, claiming the Crown Prince governs his household poorly."

"You should know that not everyone is satisfied with the Crown Prince’s position. Our Great Ming has just been established; how many eyes in the court are fixed on every movement within the Eastern Palace?"

She paused, her voice dropping lower. "If you, Your Majesty, vent your rage by punishing people from the Eastern Palace, regardless of whether they are guilty or not, it will give others leverage. The world will only say that the Emperor does not trust his own Heir."

"If that happens, not only will Biao’er’s prestige be damaged, but the very foundation of the entire Eastern Palace will be shaken."