ILLUSION 2

Zhu Su felt his eyes get dazzled. Bright, white weird light dazzled his eyes so much. A second later, he had been sitting on a very majestic throne. No, this was not his throne when he was the Zhou Wang of Kaifeng. This throne was far more beautiful, far more majestic. And the people who fell prostrate to him right now were far more numerous.

"May we pay our deepest respects to Your Majesty the Emperor! May you have a long life for ten thousand years!"

Observing more thoroughly, the robe Zhu Su was wearing also changed. His robe at this moment was even more beautiful than the robe he used to wear when he still became the Fan Wang. This robe was entirely sewn with gold embroidery, as well as the carvings of a mighty dragon adorning his front robe. And the same with the regal crown he was wearing.

Several soldiers in black suits took some people and pushed them to kneel down in front of him, three of whom he knew very well - Zhu Yunwen, Li Jinglong, and his son Zhu Youxun.

"Fu Huang!!!" Being forced to prostrate, Zhu Youxun was busy begging for mercy. "Please forgive me! I have made a big mistake! But I promise, I won't repeat it again! So I beg you, please do not punish me!"

Next to him, Zhu Yunwen also pleaded, "Fifth Uncle! I plead my guilty, and deeply regret my fault by sending you into exile, I also ask for your forgiveness, Fifth Uncle!"

"Your Majesty! I also beg you, please spare my life!" Li Jinglong joined in pleading.

Now the entire Entrance Hall of Yingtian Palace was filled with the lamentation of the prisoners. Meanwhile, one of the fierce-looking generals stepped forward. Holding the emperor's golden yellow decree, he said icily, "Three traitors of the country, have dared to commit such great sins to the Emperor! Such great sins must be punished with very cruel punishment. Slow-slicing!"

Three of them screamed, very loudly.

"No, Fu Huang! Don't punish me with such that terrible punishment, please have mercy!" Zhu Youxun screamed, much louder than before.

"Fifth Uncle!" Zhu Yunwen had crawled right under Zhu Su's feet. "I... am willing to be your slave for life... but please... spare my life..."

"Drag them to the place of punishment, quick! Oh yes, and don't let them die immediately. Torture them slowly, and let them die only after three days!"

Now the soldiers dragged those three prisoners who did not stop to scream and beg. They screamed incessantly even though they had been tied to the stakes, where the most brutal execution method in history would be held any minute soon.

The executioners raised their knives up high. Then slicing off their bodies.

The blood was spilled up. Screams in pain broke the air.

"No!" Zhu Su screamed. He could no longer remain silent. "It's not like that! You're wrong, I won't execute them with that cruel punishment... especially to my own son! And... no matter how cruel Yunwen is... he is still my nephew! How can I possibly do such terrible thing towards him!"

"Stop being hypocritical, my Lord. You know it very well, that is what the emperors will do to execute their enemies. Your father has practiced it very often, right? As his son, you're also the same as him. When you become emperor later, that is what you will do. You need proof? Then watch the premonition more carefully, you do nothing there, right? Because it is you who order the execution. If they must die by being slowly sliced, then it is because of your order... the future Ming Emperor!"

"Noooo!"

Zhu Su's eyes opened wide. The scenery of Mount Laojun in the middle of starry night immediately stretched before his eyes. He looked left and right.

Whoever claimed to be his honest voice, they did not exist at all. He was still alone.

Big drops of sweat ran down his face. Zhu Su suddenly felt very tired. Not physically, more precisely to say, psychologically. It was his mind which was very tired.

Instead of restoring his energy, his body ran out of energy.

"... When you become emperor later, that is what you will do. You need proof? Then watch the premonition more carefully, you do nothing there, right? Because it is you who order the execution..."

Is that really what I will do if I can catch them?...

***

"Your Highness, are there any problems disturbing your mind?"

The question Hu Nayin asked in that soft voice startled Zhu Su who apparently got unfocused on his work.

"Ah... nothing, Nayin," Zhu Su answered quickly, thus continuing his focus to read a medicinal book containing Li Heng's heirloom prescriptions.

"I am so happy to hear that. I am just worried, because I notice that from earlier you are left dazed and only look bewilderedly at the sky."

"Thank you very much for your caring, Nayin. I am fine. Maybe just a little tired."

Seeing Hu Nayin's delightful smile, Zhu Su smiled back at her. It exceeded his expectation that Hu Nayin would pay attention to even such detail, especially he knew that everyone was very busy with their works. Nevertheless, he was still reluctant to say the truth, that what made him worried was the flashes of memories he got in his meditation last night. As well as the accusation of "the honest voice in his heart".

Sometimes Zhu Su was confused with his own mind. At some point, he was very compelled to overthrow Zhu Yunwen from his throne - and that, by all means, was seizing the throne and becoming the emperor. That decision had even made him determine to remove all of his kindness in order to become a heartless, cruel leader. But at the same time, another kind of feeling arose, so eagerly it condemned the previous decision - a tempting discernment to stay away from all chaotic worldliness, to stop doing cruelty caused by the lust of gaining political power. The two poles of feeling had equal strength, clashed one another, and it really disturbed his mind.

That was true, in the beginning, the immense feelings of anger, hatred, and resentment raged madly inside his mind. But after some time, the fresh breeze blowing in Yunnan began to extinguish the flames of his anger. Yunnan people were so modest and ambitionless. They were simply busy farming, working in the fields, and doing other ordinary activities. They did not concern too much with wealth, let alone power or domination. And apparently, their modest life principle began to influence his conscience.

When these two feelings became equally strong, he then started to feel tired. Tired of not being able to decide, which one he should follow.

However, the storm that would strike on a great scale soon did not give him much time to doubt anymore. In the immediate future, he would be forced to make his firm choice.