Chapter 45: Death by the Hammer

"This humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"

When the Emperor and his entourage were still over a dozen zhang away, Master Bao had already kowtowed deeply, pressing his forehead directly against the cold ground.

His voice was loud and brimming with exceptional reverence, far more emotional and pious than when he had visited his own parents' graves. His heart felt as though it were soaring, his body weightless.

The Duke of Korea had exhausted every possible effort to construct the Central Capital, and the Emperor was exceedingly fond of it. Otherwise, His Majesty would not have rushed to inspect it on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

The Emperor's mood was bound to be exceptionally good. Under such circumstances, many would be rewarded. Of course, this applied to grand figures like the Duke of Korea, having nothing to do with lowly wretches like themselves.

Yet at this very moment, a twist of fate occurred—his ancestors must have truly blessed him! The Emperor had actually walked directly toward his sector.

If he performed well right now, coinciding with the Emperor's exceptionally buoyant mood, there was a strong likelihood he would receive a reward. A promotion was by no means impossible!

He had truly never imagined such extraordinary good fortune could fall upon his head.

Following Master Bao's lead, the laborers under his supervision dropped to their knees one after another, not even daring to raise their heads.

With his forehead pressed against the dirt and his backside hoisted high in the air, Master Bao stole a glance backward out of the corner of his eye.

Seeing that all these lowly laborers had followed suit and knelt, he felt a wave of relief, deeming these wretched drudges sensible after all.

Yet the next instant, his gaze involuntarily contracted!

For in his peripheral vision, he caught sight of six legs that remained unbent—still standing rigidly upright.

Judging by the positions and usual demeanor of these base laborers within his memory, he instantly identified who the defiant figures standing there were:

The three sons of the Wu family!

Were these three damned curs courting death?!

Daring not to kneel in the presence of the Emperor?!

Had his golden opportunity to shine before the sovereign been completely ruined by them just like that?

At that moment, he was gripped by a mixture of terror and fury, his eyes turning bloodshot!

Yet because the Emperor had already arrived right before them, he dared not make any sudden movements. He could only remain frozen there, watching those three fools court their own doom!

Old Miao, kneeling on the ground, had likewise spotted the abnormality of the Wu brothers. He hurriedly reached out a stealthy hand to tug at Wu Jian standing beside him, urging him to kneel immediately.

This was no time for recklessness.

One false move, and their entire clan could be executed to the ninth degree!

Yet Wu Jian, usually so quick-witted and worldly, had somehow turned utterly foolish today. Not only did he refuse to kneel despite the tugging, but he even shook off Old Miao's grip, murmuring that all was well and there was no need to worry.

Then, he began walking forward.

The person standing right up ahead was the Emperor himself!

How was this behavior any different from seeking death?

How could everything possibly be fine?

Why on earth had these Wu brothers chosen to lose their minds at a time like this?

Though terrified out of his wits, Old Miao had no other recourse. He could only close his eyes in bitter despair, unwilling to witness what would happen next.

***

Master Bao, kneeling near the front, watched in mounting shock and fury as the three brothers not only failed to kneel before the Emperor, but actually bypassed him entirely to approach the sovereign.

Alongside his utter disbelief and rage arose a wellspring of venomous malice. He eagerly awaited the moment these despicable, worthless dogs were hacked to pieces on the spot by the Emperor's guards! Truly, they were entirely ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth.

"This son pays respects to Royal Father, and wishes you peace in your holy person!"

Zhu Shuang, Zhu Gang, and Zhu Di addressed Zhu Yuanzhang, offering their salutations and inquiries.

The moment these words left their lips, everyone except Zhu Yuanzhang was struck dumb with astonishment.

Li Shanchang, Li Cunyi, Wu Liang, and the rest stared with slack-jawed incredulity at the three figures who looked no different from ordinary laborers, their minds descending into utter chaos.

Although the Emperor had been led toward this direction by Zheng Shiyuan, those with quick minds had already sensed a lingering sense of foreboding, vaguely picking up on certain undertones.

Yet when they truly beheld three laborers of the Central Capital shouting "Royal Father" to the Emperor, they still suffered a direct blow to their very souls!

This affair... was absurd enough to make absurdity itself open the door to absurdity—it had reached the absolute pinnacle of the ridiculous!

Who in the world could have ever imagined that the Emperor's three sons would arrive in the Central Capital ahead of schedule?

And as if that were not enough, that they would actually be treated as common laborers?

Could this... could this possibly get any more absurd?!

"I am doing quite well!"

Zhu Yuanzhang gazed at his three sons, whose appearances had drastically changed in this brief span of time, and nodded.

"Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother!"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao, clad in a bright yellow robe embroidered with coiling dragons, cast aside all court protocol and rushed to their side instantly.

Looking at his three younger brothers, whose garments were in tatters, whose hands and faces were covered in deep, chapped cracks, and who had visibly thinned considerably over the mere span of a few days, he could not help shedding tears in public.

"You... you have suffered..."

Zhu Biao's voice was thick with suppressed emotion.

Initially, the three brothers had not felt particularly aggrieved, but upon seeing their eldest brother and hearing his words, a sudden soreness gripped their throats.

Yet, recalling the tragic lives of the countless laborers they had witnessed here, they forcefully suppressed the rising sentiment.

Compared to those who had lost their lives, what did their meager sufferings amount to?

Taking a deep breath to rein in his tumultuous emotions, Zhu Biao instructed attendants to bring forth dragon robes for the three of them to change into...

Master Bao, still kneeling upon the ground, was utterly thunderstruck.

He felt as though bolts of heavenly lightning were crashing down upon him!

Even though he knew full well he had no business raising his head at a moment like this, he could not resist stealing a peek.

Right before his eyes, he saw the three brothers—Wu Tian, Wu Xing, and Wu Jian—donning the dragon robes of imperial princes right in front of the Emperor and the high-ranking civil and military officials.

His mind completely flat-lined!

These... these three Wu brothers were actually... the Emperor's own biological sons?!

The very people he had berated at whim and whipped with a lash were Imperial Princes of the Great Ming?!

What on earth... what on earth had he been doing all this time?!

Yet surely he could not be entirely blamed for this!

Who... who on earth could have ever guessed that three biological princes of the Emperor, beings akin to immortals, would forsake a divine existence and disguise themselves as lowly laborers to toil on the Central Capital?

And as ill luck would have it, they had wound up under his direct command?

This... this damned thing—

Their ancestral graves were truly smoking! Billows of thick black smoke, at that!

Master Bao wet his trousers on the spot, his entire body going completely limp.

Where was his previous fierce, overbearing demeanor, the arrogant cruelty with which he lashed others?

"Royal Father, Eldest Brother, I must kill someone first!"

After pulling on his dragon robe, Zhu Shuang looked toward Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao, and this was the very first sentence he uttered.

"Right, kill someone first!"

Zhu Gang and Zhu Di, who usually did not see eye to eye, spoke in perfect unison, casting aside their mutual animosity for the moment.

Zhu Yuanzhang had already noticed the whip marks lingering on the second prince's neck and left cheek.

Without needing to ask, he knew his three sons had suffered no small amount of grievance here.

"Go ahead!"

He had already been harboring a bellyful of murderous intent; faced with this request from his sons, naturally he would not refuse!

The Central Capital needed a thorough purging, and it might as well start right here with this petty supervisor!

Zhu Biao was inherently benevolent and always advocated doing things strictly by the statutes; even if a criminal deserved death, due process should normally be observed first.

Yet this time, he raised no voice of objection.

Granted their father's permission, the three princes immediately strode toward the paralyzed Master Bao.

Prince of Qin Zhu Shuang snatched the whip away from Master Bao and rained fierce, vicious lashes down upon him from head to toe!

"I'll have you whipping me at every turn!"

"I'll have you deliberately denying me steamed buns!"

"Four little buns a day, and you still embezzled two of them!"

"I'll have you executing my nine generations!"

"I'll have you cursing my mother!"

The very whip that had tormented countless laborers was now gripped by Zhu Shuang, falling relentlessly upon Master Bao's body until his flesh was torn open and mangled!

All the grievances and forced humiliation endured over the past few days were unleashed to their heart's content at this very moment!

Zhu Gang and Zhu Di quickly joined in the fray.

Instead of whips, however, they picked up the heavy iron hammers they had used for chiseling stones over the past few days, smashing them down upon Master Bao's hands and arms one heavy blow after another.

Until all four of his limbs were crushed to a pulpy ruin!

Though such a scene ought to have appeared brutal and sanguinary, Zhu Biao watched without blinking an eye, and was even tempted to step forward and join in the smashing himself!

This was not merely because Master Bao had lashed and mistreated his second brother, but because from his second brother's curses, he had learned that this wretch had hurled insults at the Empress, their mother!

Neither Zhu Yuanzhang nor Zhu Biao found the spectacle gruesome, nor did the nearby laborers.

To them, it was deeply gratifying—so much so that they wished they could rush forward and join the execution themselves!

Master Bao died a thoroughly wretched death, yet not a single person present felt an ounce of sympathy.

Given the atrocities he had committed, exterminating his entire household would scarcely have been excessive!

Dying alone was truly letting him off lightly.

The death of Master Bao plunged the atmosphere of the entire area into a frozen stillness.

One could almost hear the rapid, drum-like thumping of countless racing hearts.

An invisible, heavy iron curtain seemed to have descended over the multitude of Central Capital officials led by Li Shanchang.

Zhu Yuanzhang watched the entire process without blinking once, and without uttering a single word, slowly shifted his gaze toward Li Shanchang...