By the time the fifth watch arrived, Zhu Youjian was still wide awake.
Outside, the night had sunk into complete darkness. Inside the imperial study, a few dim lamps struggled to hold their ground, casting a weak and flickering light that barely kept the shadows from swallowing the room whole.
Standing nearby, Cao Huachun and Wang Chengen kept him company. One emperor and two eunuchs, all waiting in silence, none of them showing the slightest intention of resting.
Time stretched on, slow and suffocating.
No one could tell how long had passed before hurried footsteps finally broke the stillness.
It was Wang Dehua, the first to return.
"Your Majesty," he reported, bowing quickly, "Zhu Cunji has agreed. He says he will wipe out the other rebel forces without fail."
Zhu Youjian's eyes immediately lit up.
"Good," he said with a sharp grin. "I knew it. That useless fool is the easiest to trick."
Not long after, another eunuch rushed in.
"Your Majesty, Chen Qianhu has also agreed. As expected of a military man, simple-minded. He read your letter and believed every word. He says he will engage the other rebels head-on."
Zhu Youjian's smile deepened, satisfaction creeping across his face.
Then came another report.
"Your Majesty, Zhu Youzhong has taken the bait. He says he will lead the Henan army and deal with the other rebels."
Another voice followed right behind.
"Your Majesty, Zhu Yujian was deeply moved. He says you finally understand his march to the capital to aid you. He feels greatly reassured."
"And Zhu Youxu has agreed as well. He will lead the Shandong and Anlu forces to eliminate the other rebels."
"Wu Sangui has also fallen for it. He promises to help Your Majesty deal with the rebels and insists he has nothing to do with the Public Governance faction."
The reports stacked up one after another, each one sweeter than the last, until the final eunuch stepped forward with a slightly awkward expression.
"Your Majesty… Flat Rabbit… acted immediately after hearing your message. However, he was defeated on the spot by a bandit leader named Zheng Gouzi."
Zhu Youjian paused for a brief moment, then waved it off as if it were nothing worth dwelling on.
"Minor issue."
His mood soared once more.
Everything else was progressing perfectly.
Perfectly.
They would fight. They had to fight.
Once those rebels turned on each other and descended into chaos, it would buy him the time he desperately needed. And if time could be secured, then perhaps Lu Xiangsheng would manage to return with reinforcements.
At that thought, Zhu Youjian frowned slightly.
Where exactly was Lu Xiangsheng right now?
No answer came.
With rebel forces surrounding the capital on all sides, no information could pass through. Messages could neither leave nor enter. The city had become a lonely island stranded on land.
After a brief hesitation, he forced himself to let it go.
It did not matter.
As long as the rebels fought among themselves, that alone was enough to put him at ease.
The tension that had been coiled tightly in his chest finally loosened.
At last, he allowed himself to rest.
He leaned back against the dragon throne, closed his eyes, and slipped into sleep almost instantly.
That night, he dreamed.
In his dream, all the rebel forces had fallen into brutal infighting, tearing each other apart until none remained. Corpses littered the land, and not a single enemy was left alive.
Then he rose above it all, called out to the world, and the people returned to him once more. They acknowledged him as their emperor again, and no one dared to call him incompetent anymore.
Even the Manchus of Liaodong bowed their heads in submission.
His Great Ming entered a glorious revival, a golden age unlike any before.
Just as the dream reached its most satisfying moment, dawn arrived.
The moment Zhu Youjian stirred, Wang Chengen was already by his side.
"Your Majesty, you're awake. Would you like to wash your face?"
"No time for that."
Zhu Youjian sprang up in one swift motion, his robe barely settling as he demanded, "What is the situation outside?"
"At first light, the rebel forces began moving," Wang Chengen replied immediately. "The eastern and western armies are both heading south. It seems they intend to gather in one place."
Zhu Youjian's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"They're gathering to fight each other, aren't they? Like a nest of venomous insects, ready to tear one another apart."
He did not hesitate for a second.
"Prepare at once. I will personally go to the city wall and watch this unfold."
This was no ordinary event.
This was a grand spectacle.
Several princes were among the participants, which made it perfectly appropriate for him, as emperor, to attend. Without them, he might have needed to maintain some dignity and keep his distance, but now there was no such concern.
He wanted to see it with his own eyes.
The eunuchs hurried to make preparations.
Before long, Zhu Youjian quietly left the palace in a small sedan chair, slipping through hidden routes under tight escort. By the time he reached the southern city wall, he had already composed himself, ready to watch the performance in secret.
He intended to observe first, then reveal himself at the perfect moment and astonish them all.
Seated atop the southern gate tower, he looked out over the battlefield.
What he saw made his pulse quicken.
From every direction, the rebel armies were converging toward the southern gate.
The Public Governance faction had only a single force stationed there, the combined armies of Shandong and Anlu, supporting Zhu Youxu, the Prince of De whose fief lay in Jinan.
Among them stood a figure Zhu Youjian recognized clearly.
Shi Kefa.
He had once believed this man to be loyal.
And yet now, that same man had brought troops to support a rival prince.
A traitor.
A white-eyed wolf.
Still, Zhu Youjian found a certain grim satisfaction in the thought that these so-called loyalists would soon destroy each other.
From the east, a large banner came into view, bearing bold characters that read:
"Representative of the Jiangnan People, Zhu Yujian."
From the west came another:
"Representative of the Shaanxi People, Zhu Cunji."
From the southwest:
"Representative of the Shanxi People, Chen Qianhu."
Soon after:
"Representative of the Henan People, Zhu Youzhong."
And then:
"Representative of the Sichuan People, Flat Rabbit."
One after another, they arrived.
Zhu Youjian could barely contain his excitement.
"They're all here," he muttered, his voice trembling with anticipation. "Now comes the real show. A brutal internal slaughter. Let every last traitor die."
Yet just as the moment seemed to reach its peak, something unexpected happened.
The advancing armies slowed, then came to a complete stop. None of them made any move to charge, and no clash broke out between them. Instead, from each army, a single leader stepped forward and began walking toward the same spot, gathering roughly two arrow-shots away from the southern gate.
Zhu Youjian frowned, a faint unease creeping into his chest.
What happened next only deepened that feeling.
Rather than preparing for battle, those leaders casually took their seats as if they had agreed upon this beforehand. Small tables and stools were brought out and arranged neatly, and before long, a steaming hot pot was placed right in the center.
The fragrant steam rose into the morning air, spreading slowly as more people gathered around, forming a full circle. The scene looked less like a battlefield and more like a group of old acquaintances meeting for a meal.
Zhu Youjian's eyes widened.
What… was this?
Zhu Cunji picked up a thin slice of beef, dipped it into the boiling broth, swirled it for a moment, then pulled it out, coated it in sauce, and tossed it into his mouth.
"Now this," he said with clear satisfaction, "is proper food."
Only then did he reach into his robe, pull out an imperial edict, and place it casually on the table.
"Take a look, everyone. I received this last night. Zhu Youjian wants me to kill all of you so he can make me emperor."
"What a coincidence," Zhu Youzhong replied, calmly cooking a piece of tripe. "I got one too."
He set his own edict beside it.
"Same instructions. Kill all of you."
Chen Qianhu burst out laughing as he slapped his edict down on the table with a loud bang. The force nearly sent the broth spilling over the edge, causing everyone around the pot to lean back at the same time.
"Careful!" someone shouted. "You trying to scald us?"
Flat Rabbit glanced at the pile of edicts, then spoke in a very matter-of-fact tone.
"This emperor… not very honest."
He paused for half a heartbeat, then added,
"Let's beat him up."
"Agreed," Zhu Yujian said immediately. "I've wanted to do that for a long time. I raised troops to help him fight off the Manchus, and what did I get in return? Punishment. It really feels like offering kindness and getting slapped in the face."
"Then it's settled," someone else added.
"Let's beat him up."
The agreement came effortlessly.
Not a single voice objected.
On the city wall, Zhu Youjian sat completely frozen.
His mind struggled to process what he was seeing.
This was not how things were supposed to go.
"Why?" he muttered, his voice trembling. "Why aren't they fighting? Why are they not turning on each other?"
His breathing grew uneven, panic slowly creeping in.
"Don't they want the throne? Not a single ambitious man among them? Impossible. That's impossible. There must be at least one. There has to be."
Right there, in front of him, within clear sight of the city wall, they sat together, happily eating hot pot while calmly discussing how to deal with him.