Daming: Brother, there is no future for monks, let's rebel

Zhu Han smashed the wine bag among the rocks. The fire suddenly lit up the scar on his brow bone and said, "Inform all units to retreat immediately after the fire attack and pretend to be defeated in the direction of Juyong Pass."

He pulled out a whistling arrow, the feathers of which glowed blue in the firelight. "Remember, you have to make your defeat look more realistic."

In the study of the East Palace, Gu Qingping was stuffing a secret letter into a bamboo tube. The newly sprouted buds of the asparagus fern cast sparse shadows on the window screen. On the desk was a mutton-fat jade bracelet given by Empress Ma, and the blood stain on the center of the bracelet was dazzling red.

Meng Shang Gong came in holding the newly-tributed gold-woven satin, and suddenly staggered to hold onto the door frame: "Your Majesty, someone is coming from Kunning Palace."

"Why are you so flustered?" Gu Qingping inserted the bamboo tube into the asparagus fern pot, "Is it the Queen's call?"

"It's... it's the head nanny in the Xianfei Palace." Meng Shanggong's face turned pale, "She brought twenty strong men from the palace and said... she said she wanted to confiscate the private collection of the East Palace."

Gu Qingping looked at the pot of asparagus fern on the desk and suddenly remembered what Zhu Han said when he broke the bamboo branch three days ago: "The hollow heart can contain the world, and can also produce wind and thunder."

She reached out and stroked the warm lines on the bamboo pendant, and a cold smile appeared on the corner of her lips: "You came just in time."

In the side hall of Kunning Palace, Empress Ma was spinning Buddhist beads. Each mother bead on the red sandalwood Buddhist beads was engraved with the Heart Sutra. This was made by melting the golden crown of the enemy chieftain after the great victory in Poyang Lake when she followed Taizu to fight.

When Gu Qingping came in, Concubine Xian was holding the pot of asparagus fern that had been moved. She laughed shrilly and said, "The Crown Princess secretly kept the bamboo pot. I'm afraid there is something hidden in it..."

“How dare you!” Empress Ma suddenly opened her eyes, and the Buddhist beads made a crisp sound on the rosewood table. “I remember that the Wenzhu was given by His Majesty himself when the Crown Prince got married.”

She glanced at the phoenix hairpin inlaid with kingfisher feathers in Concubine Xian's hair, "But Concubine Xian, the oriental pearl on this phoenix hairpin..."

The virtuous concubine's face suddenly changed, and she knelt down: "Your concubine... Your concubine..."

"Dongzhu is the Queen's regulation." Queen Ma stroked the newly sprouted shoots of the asparagus fern and said, "Crown Princess, this bamboo is well grown."

When Gu Qingping was paying her respects, the bamboo pendant in her sleeve hit the jade bracelet, making a clear sound: "My mother, bamboo likes shade. I water it with overnight dew every day at dawn."

"Although dew is nice, it still needs the sun to dry." Empress Ma suddenly broke off a bamboo branch, revealing the hollow cross section, "Just like this deep palace, light shines in the dark." She handed the bamboo branch to Gu Qingping, "Take it and put it on the desk."

"Thank you, mother, for your advice." When she turned around, she heard Empress Ma say to Concubine Xian indifferently: "Since it's your first offense, you'll be slapped twenty times."

Inside the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang stared at the cinnabar ink on the table, which was a memorial stained by tea three days ago. He suddenly coughed violently, and dark red blood stained the cuffs of his dragon robe. At this time, a fast horse rushed into the hall with an urgent report: "Your Majesty! Urgent news from Yandi!"

“Speak!” Zhu Yuanzhang clenched the armrests of the dragon throne until his knuckles turned white.

"The King of Yan... The King of Yan has rebelled!"

Green smoke was rising from the Coiled Dragon Copper Furnace outside the Fengtian Hall. Gu Qingping stood under the red steps, looking at the Chiwen about to fly from the eaves.

The morning dew wet her embroidered shoes, and she vaguely heard Zhu Biao's whisper before he left: "If you are in danger, you can take the jade hairpin to Prince Jing's mansion for help."

"Crown Princess!" Meng Shang Gong came running over breathlessly, "Kunning Palace...Kunning Palace has a fire!"

Gu Qingping's heart was shaken, and she lifted her skirt and ran towards Kunning Palace. In the morning mist, she saw the red palace walls reflecting the flames, and the thick smoke dyed half of the sky a hideous red.

Empress Ma's exclamation pierced through the din: "Biao'er! Biao'er is still in Fengtian Palace!"

"Don't panic, mother!" Gu Qingping supported Empress Ma's trembling arm, "His Highness is not in Fengtian Palace." She remembered the secret letter she received by carrier pigeon last night, that Zhu Biao had led the Black Armor Army to raid Juyongguan and should be on his way back.

"That fire..." Queen Ma looked at the thick smoke, "Is it a way to lure the tiger away from the mountain?"

Gu Qingping nodded: "Since Zhu Di dared to rebel, he must have put spies in the palace." She suddenly remembered what Zhu Han said three days ago: "To move a bamboo three inches, you must first cut off its roots." She turned to Meng Shanggong and said: "Go and pass the order quickly to close the palace gates and no one is allowed to enter or leave!"

In front of Kunning Palace, Gu Qingping looked at the burning West Wing Hall and suddenly realized that the fire was spreading very fast. She picked up the charred beam on the ground, touched the ashes with her fingertips and twisted it: "It's tung oil."

"Crown Princess!" Concubine Meng pointed at the dark shadow in the fire scene, "There's someone!"

Gu Qingping drew out the soft sword from her sleeve, and the sword light pierced through the thick smoke like a silver dragon. She saw a familiar figure holding a sandalwood box and running towards the depths of the fire. That figure was clearly the head nanny in the palace of Concubine Xian.

"Catch her!" Gu Qingping leaped over the wall of fire, and the soft sword wrapped around Mammy's ankle. The two of them tumbled down among the charred ruins, and the sandalwood box broke to the ground, revealing the yellowed silk book inside - it was the secret letter from the Oirat that was intercepted three days ago.

"Tell me! Who ordered you to do that?" Gu Qingping pressed the tip of her sword against Madam's throat, fire flickering in her eyes like candles.

The nanny suddenly sneered: "The Crown Princess has good means, but unfortunately..." She suddenly bit the poison sac between her teeth and died with blood gushing out of all her orifices.

Gu Qingping looked at the burning secret letter and suddenly remembered what Zhu Han once said: "Bamboo gives birth to wind and thunder, and we need to take advantage of the momentum." She picked up the unburned silk book fragments, turned to Meng Shanggong and said: "Go to Prince Jing's Mansion quickly and ask the emperor's uncle to mobilize troops!"

Zhu Biao looked at the pile of corpses of Wala cavalrymen under the tower, and his black armor was stained with blood. He suddenly remembered the secret letter sent by Gu Qingping last night, which had only eight words on it: "Bamboo grows three inches, thunder shakes the sky."

"Your Highness!" Zhu Han rode over, his armor stained with grass debris, "The main force of the Wala has been defeated, and Batur fled to the northern desert." He took off his bloody helmet, revealing a new knife wound on his forehead, "But..."

"But what?" Zhu Biao looked at the red moat outside Juyongguan, and suddenly heard the familiar sound of horse hooves coming from afar.

"But your fourth brother has brought a great gift." Zhu Han threw the blood-stained secret letter to Zhu Biao, "The cavalry he privately raised in Beiping is probably circling around Nanjing at this moment."

Zhu Biao unfolded the secret letter and saw Zhu Di's handwriting clearly visible on the back of the paper: "Brother, do you know that if you want to move a bamboo three inches, you should cut its roots first?" On the back of the letter was a picture of a ferocious wolf head, which was the totem of the Oirat royal family.

"Order the Black Armor Army to return to Jinling immediately!" Zhu Biao burned the secret letter, and the firelight made the cinnabar mole between his eyebrows as red as blood. "My Dongfeng, it's time to return to the palace."

Outside Jinling City, the Black Armor Army swept in like a black torrent. Gu Qingping stood on the city wall, watching Zhu Han's flags fluttering in the twilight.

She suddenly remembered what Empress Ma said when she handed her the Empress Phoenix Seal in Kunning Palace three days ago: "Bamboo has seven virtues. The last virtue needs you and Biao'er to cultivate together."

"Qing Ping!" Zhu Biao's voice came from the city. She turned around and saw that the prince was still wearing his black armor, and the cinnabar mole between his eyebrows was glowing softly in the twilight. He was holding the bamboo-patterned jade hairpin in his hand, and the word "Biao" at the end of the hairpin was as powerful as a knife carving in the firelight.

"Your Highness, are you willing to be the east wind?" She suddenly stood on tiptoe and kissed the corner of the prince's lips. In the distance, the shouts of the Black Armor Army shook the earth, just like the beacon fire in the northern frontier back then.

"My east wind will naturally help Qingping soar into the blue sky." Zhu Biao put his arms around her waist, and the jade pendant in his palm was as warm as before.

Under the tower, Zhu Han's warhorse snorted. The killing god looked at the tangled bamboo jade pendants and suddenly remembered what Gu Qingping said when she stuffed the fragments of "Wu Mu's Testament" into his arms in the secret room three days ago: "Uncle, the secret of moving the bamboo by three inches is not in moving it, but in nurturing it."

As the night deepened, a light snow fell from the top of Jinling City. Gu Qingping leaned on Zhu Biao's shoulder, looking at the new buds of asparagus fern in the snow.

She suddenly remembered what Empress Ma said when she broke the bamboo branch: "The hollow heart can contain the heaven and earth, and can also produce wind and thunder."

"Your Highness, the bamboo has moved three inches." She held the bamboo pendant tightly in her sleeve, "It's time for wind and thunder." Zhu Biao looked at the black armored army under the city, and suddenly unfolded Zhu Yuanzhang's secret edict. The handwriting on the edict was so strong that it could be seen through the back of the paper: "Biao'er, cultivate yourself with the virtue of bamboo, and protect our mountains and rivers with thunder and lightning." He turned to Zhu Han and said, "Uncle, tomorrow morning..."

"I understand." Zhu Han knelt on one knee, his armor clanging. "In the name of the Seven Virtues, I will clear the emperor's entourage and bring peace to the world!"

"When bamboo grows three inches, thunder shakes the sky." She stroked the jade hairpin beside her hair, and suddenly heard the familiar sound of horse hooves coming from outside the window. Meng Shanggong came in with a gift list: "Your Majesty, it's time to go to Fengtian Hall."

When Gu Qingping stood up, the bamboo pendant in her sleeve and the jade mandarin duck pendant on her waist collided, making a clear sound.

She suddenly remembered that three days ago in Kunning Palace, when Empress Ma handed her the Queen's Phoenix Seal, her eyes were both sharp and kind: "Qingping, in this deep palace, you need to be as tough as bamboo."

In the Fengtian Hall, civil and military officials had been waiting for a long time. Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon throne, his eyes sweeping over the people below the steps. When Gu Qingping and Zhu Biao walked in side by side, all eyes in the hall were on them.

"I, the daughter-in-law Gu, pay my respects to Your Majesty." After Gu Qingping finished her greetings, she suddenly stepped out of the line and said, "I, the daughter-in-law, have something to report."

Everyone in the hall was shocked. Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyebrows and asked, "What's the matter, Crown Princess?"

Gu Qingping took out the blood-stained silk fragment from her sleeve and said, "Three days ago, there was a fire in Kunning Palace, and I found a secret letter from the Oirat in the fire."

She looked up at Zhu Di, who was kneeling at the bottom of the stairs. His black robe was stained with grass debris, and he had obviously just returned from the battlefield. "The secret letter mentioned that 'Yan's iron cavalry can attack Nanjing.'"

Zhu Di raised his head suddenly: "Father, this is a frame-up!"

"Frame-up?" Gu Qingping sneered, "Why did the head nanny in the palace of Concubine Xian rush into the fire scene with a secret letter?" She suddenly turned to Zhu Han and said, "Uncle, please bring the witness up."

Zhu Han clapped his hands, and two black armor soldiers escorted a bloody man to the palace. The man was Batur, the third prince of the Oirat tribe. His right arm was severed at the root, and the wound was roughly covered with golden wound medicine.

"Speak!" Zhu Han put the tip of his knife against Batur's throat, "How did the Oirat colluded with the King of Yan?"

Batur looked at Zhu Di and suddenly laughed: "Your Highness Prince of Yan, the desert south pasture you promised me..."

"Shut his mouth!" Zhu Di suddenly jumped up, but was held down by the black armor soldiers. Zhu Yuanzhang stood up suddenly, the gold thread on his dragon robe dazzled in the candlelight: "Zhu Di, what else do you have to say?"

Zhu Di struggled to raise his head: "Father, I am your son..."

"Enough!" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly coughed violently, and dark red blood stained the cuffs of his dragon robe. "Someone! Bring the Prince of Yan..."

"Wait a minute!" Gu Qingping suddenly stepped out, "Your Majesty, I think we should use bamboo as a metaphor."

The whole palace was silent, and everyone was looking at the Crown Princess. Gu Qingping pointed to the pot of asparagus fern on the desk and said, "Bamboo has seven virtues: integrity, hard work, indifference, simplicity, humility, excellence, and sociability. If Your Majesty treats the King of Yan with the virtues of bamboo, why worry about unrest on the border?"

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned: "What does the Crown Princess mean?"

Gu Qingping suddenly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, although the Prince of Yan made mistakes, he is of royal blood after all. I beg Your Majesty to be lenient with him for the sake of our father-son relationship."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao suddenly remembered the secret letter that Gu Qingping had sent him in Yan three days ago, which said: "A three-inch-long bamboo can contain thunder and lightning." He looked at her back and saw the bamboo pendant in her sleeve shining with a warm luster in the morning light. He suddenly understood her intention.

"Father." Zhu Biao also knelt down, "I wish to cultivate myself with the virtue of bamboo and influence my fourth brother."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his son and daughter-in-law kneeling at the steps, and suddenly remembered what Empress Ma said last night: "Your Majesty, the most valuable thing about bamboo is its integrity. Biao'er and Qingping have already possessed the seven virtues of bamboo." He sighed and said, "Forget it, let the Prince of Yan..."

"Father!" Zhu Di suddenly roared, "I refuse to accept this! This secret letter is clearly a forgery!"

Gu Qingping suddenly stood up and took out a night-shining pearl from her sleeve: "Third Prince, do you recognize this?"

Batur's pupils shrank suddenly: "This is the holy object of Wala!"

"Last night, this item was found in the secret room of Prince Yan's Mansion." Gu Qingping held up the night-shining pearl, and the light of the pearl made her eyebrows and eyes look like a painting. "Why did the sacred object of Wala appear in Prince Yan's Mansion? Are you willing to explain, Third Prince?"

Batur suddenly laughed: "What a great princess consort of the Ming court! I am willing to exchange the three states of Mo Nan for this woman as a hostage!"

The whole hall was in dead silence. Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the table and said, "How dare you!"

Gu Qingping suddenly smiled: "Third Prince, do you know that bamboo has seven virtues? What is the last virtue?"

“I’d like to hear more about it.”

"It's a sacrifice." She suddenly smashed the night pearl on the steps, "Just like this pearl, it still shines even though it is broken."

Batur looked at the pearls scattered all over the floor and suddenly understood her intention. The princess had actually broken the holy object in order to end Wala's last hope.

"Good!" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly laughed, "The Crown Princess is both wise and brave, it is a blessing for our dynasty!" He turned to Zhu Biao and said, "Biao'er, do you know the way of self-cultivation with bamboo virtues?"

Green smoke was rising from the Coiled Dragon Bronze Furnace in the Fengtian Hall. Gu Qingping stood beside Zhu Biao, looking at Zhu Di who was kneeling on the steps below.

She suddenly remembered what Empress Ma said when she handed her the Empress Phoenix Seal three days ago in Kunning Palace: "Qingping, in this deep palace, it is most taboo to show off one's talents. You should use the virtue of bamboo to transform it, which is exactly the right way."

"Your Majesty." She suddenly stepped out of the crowd, "I am willing to go to the northern desert to negotiate peace with the Oirat."

Everyone in the hall was shocked. Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and asked, "What does the Crown Princess mean?"

Gu Qingping looked at Batur kneeling at the steps, and suddenly remembered Zhu Han's words last night: "If bamboo moves three inches, it should be done with thunder and lightning." She bowed and saluted: "I am willing to use the virtue of bamboo to turn hostility into friendship."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao suddenly tightened his grip on her wrist: "Qingping..."

"Don't worry, Your Highness." Gu Qingping turned around and smiled at him, "Bamboo has seven virtues. For the last virtue, I am willing to cultivate with Your Highness."

The morning light shines through the carved window lattices of the Fengtian Hall, casting tiny golden spots on the golden brick floor.

Gu Qingping looked at the kneeling Wala envoys at the steps, and suddenly remembered what Empress Ma said when she broke the bamboo branch in Kunning Palace three days ago: "The hollow heart can contain the world, and can also produce wind and thunder."

"The third prince." She suddenly said, "The three states south of the desert can be exchanged."

Batur looked up suddenly: "Really?" (End of this chapter)