Chapter Seventy-One: Fate Cannot Be Defied

Seeing this, Zhu Hao thought to himself, “No wonder this old fox was able to deceive my father! His bearing is truly impressive—if I didn’t already know the course of history, I might have been fooled by this old scoundrel’s appearance as well!”

Knowing he could no longer stop what was coming, Zhu Hao shot a fierce glance at Fang Congzhe, hoping to remind him of their earlier conversation and urging him to intervene. Yet Fang Congzhe gave him no response whatsoever, leaving Zhu Hao’s heart even colder.

As Zhu Hao tried to communicate with Fang Congzhe through his gaze, Empress Guo also fixed him with a cold, warning look. If her earlier glance had been subtle, her next words made her intent unmistakable. Her voice was icy as she addressed Cui Wensheng, “Eunuch Cui, you are the chief recording eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, the person His Majesty trusts most. I am ordering you to stand guard here—fulfill your duty. Do not allow anyone to disturb His Majesty’s rest!” She paused briefly, then continued menacingly, “Given the complex personnel in the palace, I hereby grant you the authority to act first and report later. If anyone dares cause trouble in front of the Palace of Heavenly Purity again, regardless of who they are, execute them on the spot with no exceptions!”

With these words, Empress Guo led Fang Congzhe and Li Kezhuo into the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Zhu Hao exchanged a glance with Zhu Youjiao and, feeling helpless, left the palace. Compared to Zhu Youjiao’s dejected mood, Zhu Hao’s feelings were dominated by powerlessness. He had exhausted every means to prevent his father from taking the red pill, yet in the end, he could do nothing to change the outcome. All of this, Zhu Hao concluded, was due to his own lack of power—for without strength, there is no voice. This truth holds everywhere at all times.

Deeply troubled, Zhu Hao returned to his own quarters. Though he lay on his bed, sleep eluded him. He wondered how he would survive in the future without his father’s protection.

While Zhu Hao tossed and turned in his chambers, an event about to shock the world and echo through history was unfolding in the Palace of Heavenly Purity: Emperor Taichang, Zhu Changluo, was about to take the immortal medicine that would end his life.

Pale and weak, Zhu Changluo reclined on the imperial bed, eyeing Fang Congzhe and Li Kezhuo with evident displeasure. He said to Fang Congzhe, “Sir, I entrusted my life to you. Why have you disregarded my well-being? I have issued two imperial decrees, yet you have ignored them. Should you not give me an explanation?”

Fang Congzhe hastily knelt and replied, “Your Majesty, please do not be angry. The notion of immortal medicine is most elusive. Out of prudence, I have been consulting with the Grand Secretaries on its feasibility without a moment’s delay. Please, Your Majesty, see my intentions clearly.”

Zhu Changluo, unsatisfied, pressed on, “You have deliberated with the Grand Secretaries for so long—has there been any progress?”

Fang Congzhe responded quickly, “Your Majesty, after much discussion, we all agree that the claims of immortal medicine are not credible. I beg Your Majesty to consider carefully and not be deceived.”

With a cold snort, Zhu Changluo looked past Fang Congzhe to Li Kezhuo, kneeling behind him. “Minister Li, this so-called immortal medicine was presented by you. Tell me, is it to be trusted or not?”

Li Kezhuo immediately kowtowed and replied reverently, “Your Majesty, this elixir was given to me by an immortal master I once met while gathering herbs on Mount Emei in my youth. All its ingredients are gathered from divine realms and are said to cure all ailments. I swear upon my life that the medicine is entirely trustworthy!”

Empress Guo, standing to the side, eyed Li Kezhuo suspiciously. “You take one first. If nothing happens, then His Majesty may try it.”

Zhu Changluo, knowing the Empress spoke for his own good, said nothing further. Seeing the imperial couple’s doubts, Li Kezhuo complied and swallowed a pellet himself.

Zhu Changluo, hearing Li Kezhuo’s earnest assurances and seeing his otherworldly demeanor, was further reassured by Li’s willingness to test the medicine. He immediately sat up and declared, “Very well! I trust Minister Li! I am already gravely ill—what harm is there in trying? If Heaven grants me more life, perhaps this elixir will prove miraculous.” He paused, then spoke with resolve, “Minister Li, bring me the medicine!”

No one noticed the glint in Consort Dowager Zheng’s eyes as she watched from afar, a faint smile playing at her lips.

Li Kezhuo produced from his person an ancient brocade box, drew forth a red ‘elixir’, dissolved it in water, and offered it to Zhu Changluo.

Accepting the vessel, Zhu Changluo drank the dissolved ‘elixir’ in one go. After a while, he opened his eyes, sat up, and appeared much healthier, a smile breaking over his face. He praised repeatedly, “It truly is an immortal medicine! Immortal medicine!” Then he added, “Li Kezhuo is a most loyal minister!”

Leaning forward from his bed, Zhu Changluo called, “Li Kezhuo!”

Li Kezhuo bowed low and replied softly, “Your servant is here!”

Zhu Changluo smiled, “The elixir is indeed effective. Tomorrow, bring me another dose—by then, I should be cured!”

Li Kezhuo answered at once, “There is one more pellet at my home, Your Majesty. The immortal master instructed that after taking the first dose, twelve hours must pass before the second may be administered. I shall present it after midnight tomorrow.”

Zhu Changluo, now in high spirits, said, “Excellent! When I recover, I will surely reward you handsomely!”

News of Zhu Changluo’s condition after taking the red pill quickly reached Zhu Hao. In the histories he recalled from before his time travel, his father had died after taking the red pill—he had not expected to see signs of improvement. It seemed a miracle, and Zhu Hao finally attributed it to his prayers moving Heaven itself.

Originally, Zhu Hao had planned to visit his father later that day, but when he went to the Eastern Palace to find his older brother, the Crown Prince, he was told his brother had been confined by the Empress and forbidden to leave. With no other option, Zhu Hao went alone to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, only to be blocked again by Cui Wensheng. When he tried to force his way in, Cui Wensheng sternly repeated the Empress’s words from the previous night: “Execute without mercy!” Zhu Hao had no choice but to return to his chambers and order Wei Xiaobao to keep a close watch on the palace.

Within the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Zhu Changluo seemed to recover by half after taking Li Kezhuo’s ‘elixir’. That day, aside from resting at his desk, he even walked out of the hall twice.

Meanwhile, Fang Congzhe was ill at ease in his residence. Forced by the emperor’s pressure to admit Li Kezhuo and his medicine into the palace, he had seen results, but, with years of experience and recalling Yingying’s words, he felt it was mostly a matter of psychology, not any miraculous property of the drug.

Upon returning home, several trusted aides came to inquire about the situation. All advised him not to bring Li Kezhuo or his medicine into the palace again. The physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy were unanimous in their opposition, declaring that if the Grand Secretary allowed Li Kezhuo to present more ‘elixir’, they would all resign, since they would be held responsible should anything happen to the emperor.

Knowing the true sequence of events, Fang Congzhe certainly did not wish to risk presenting more of the elixir to the emperor—after all, Zhu Hao had warned him before that he did not wish to bear the crime of regicide!

No sooner had noon passed than Zhu Changluo sent for Fang Congzhe, demanding the immortal medicine and declaring that any attempt by the Grand Secretariat to block it would be considered treason.

With no other recourse, Fang Congzhe summoned Li Kezhuo to the Secretariat and brought along Han Huoguang for company. Han Huoguang, then Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, was another leading minister. Fang Congzhe simply wanted a witness to share responsibility.

Once in the palace, just after midnight, Li Kezhuo repeated the previous procedure. After Zhu Changluo took the medicine, Li knelt and said, “Your Majesty’s health is still fragile—please, return to bed and rest.”

Zhu Changluo laughed and waved him off, “No need! I feel great today. Minister Li, you shall be richly rewarded for your service!”

When Zhu Hao heard the news in his room, he was seized by a sense of foreboding he could not explain. For days, the sky had been shrouded in ominous clouds, thunder rumbling in the distance—it was as if all of nature was foretelling disaster.

Though worried, Zhu Hao, exhausted from two sleepless nights, drifted off at last.

At some unknown hour, a peal of thunder startled Zhu Hao awake. He sat up, shaken, and, seeing the drizzle falling outside his window, an inexplicable sorrow washed over him.

Gazing into the darkness, Zhu Hao called to the attendant keeping watch outside, “What time is it now?”

The reply came quickly, “Your Highness, it’s the fifth watch!”

Zhu Hao was taken aback. “The twenty-sixth day of the ninth month, fifth watch, the first year of Taichang?”

The attendant, thinking Zhu Hao was making conversation, replied, “Yes, Your Highness, today is the twenty-sixth—nearly the end of the month!”

Just as the words left his mouth, Wei Xiaobao burst into the room, tears and rain streaming down his face as he wailed, “Your Highness, the Great Emperor has passed away!”

Zhu Hao said nothing, finally understanding the source of his unease. He swayed where he stood, nearly collapsing, and thought to himself, “Is fate truly so unchangeable? Is all of this really beyond resistance?”