Chapter 376: Chaos

Although the emperor had previously granted her a residence outside the palace, it was undoubtedly prepared for Zhu Ning’s wedding. So now, she merely stationed a dozen guards there while continuing to live in the Western Palace. On the way back, she lost her composure in front of Zhang Yue and Du Wan, sitting with her knees drawn up, filled with worry. As the saying goes, it’s okay once or twice, but not three times. Her father had escaped three disasters—could he truly stay safe this time? If the emperor could even harbor suspicion and murderous intent toward his own son, what about his legitimate younger brother confined to a remote place?
“Princess, we’ve arrived at the Western Palace.”
Hearing this, Zhu Ning snapped back to reality. She adjusted her clothes slightly before lifting the curtain and stepping out of the carriage. This was Shenwei Gate, a less crowded entrance to the Western Palace, which she used regularly for coming and going. Though the coachman was a carefully selected guard from the Prince Zhou’s household, he couldn’t enter the palace, so she sent him back and entered alone. After taking a few steps through Shenwei Gate, she saw a group approaching. The old man at the head had a pale face without a beard, wearing a bright red silk robe adorned with an embroidered qilin. He smiled as he stepped forward and bowed to her.
“Princess, you’re back! Just now, a few little boys were running around, saying they were looking for you!”
Even Zhu Ning became fully alert in the presence of this top eunuch. “Eunuch Huang, do you know who’s looking for me?”
“Who else but the emperor?” Huang Yan smiled broadly, his eyes narrowing into slits. “The eastern palace complex is almost finished, so the emperor has decided to move to Qianqing Palace in a few days. The concubines in the inner palace will also gradually move there, and of course, you must move as well. The blueprints have already been sent to Renshou Palace—surely the emperor wants you to choose a good place to live.”
Seeing Huang Yan’s obsequious smile, Zhu Ning couldn’t tell whether the old eunuch knew about someone reporting Prince Zhou’s rebellion. She quickly thanked him with a smile. Since Huang Yan still needed to check out the newly built Secretariat of Rites, he assigned only a few young eunuchs to accompany Zhu Ning to Renshou Palace. Once they left, he snapped at those who lingered behind.
“If you really want to follow the princess, tomorrow when she gets married, I’ll send you to serve at her residence!”
The attendants were all under fifteen, wearing small black hats—they were minor eunuchs used for chores in the Secretariat of Rites. Most of them fell silent immediately. Only one, relying on being Huang Yan’s disciple, laughed and said, “Eunuch, the emperor treats the princess better than those princesses. Even if we go to her residence, it’s still better than doing menial work in the palace, right?”

“How dare you be so bold! If you like, we can send you to the princess right now!” Huang Yan glared and sneered coldly. “Even though the emperor dotes on her, the princess isn’t a true princess! The husbands of those princesses are all top-ranking nobles. Though the princess was given imperial permission to choose her own husband, would she dare pick a noble? Hmph! If she did, she wouldn’t be the Princess of Chenliu! Enough chatter—come with me quickly. The Imperial Secretariat is moving there, and there are tons of trivial matters to attend to; we can’t afford to delay!”

After scolding those eunuchs, Huang Yan glanced at Zhu Ning, who was already far away, and thought of the news that had just arrived from Lufeng. As the saying goes, those who gain power become arrogant. That little monkey, at such a young age with so little experience, actually dared to target him. His actions in Korea had been approved by the emperor, and his own interests involved even Prince Zhao. If that kid didn’t know his place, he would surely be dealt a heavy setback this time! With these thoughts in mind, he flung his sleeves back and walked toward the Shenwei Gate with his hands behind his back, humming a tuneless melody.

Zhu Ning rushed to Renshou Palace to see Zhu Di, and indeed it was about the move of the palace. She had never really cared much about such matters, so she simply pointed at a quiet spot on the large scroll. To her surprise, Zhu Di glanced at it and couldn’t help but laugh: “Girl Ning truly shares my thoughts. You probably find the living quarters of the concubines in the six palaces too noisy. Only the Zizhu Garden in the west is quiet—I had originally planned to leave it for you.”

Seeing Zhu Di’s amiable expression, which showed no sign of anger, Zhu Ning became even more cautious in her responses. After chatting idly for a while, she was about to take leave when Zhu Di suddenly asked, “Did you go to the Meng and Zhang families today?”

Although she only brought one attendant with her, Zhu Ning hadn’t intended to hide these matters from the emperor, so she nodded and frankly recounted everything she had discussed at the two families’ homes. She didn’t even hide the fact that she had consulted Du Wan about choosing a husband. Finally, she said with a smile, “Seeing how protective Zhang Yue is of Wan’er, I don’t expect the future husband to hold a high position or rank. As long as he can be half as kind as Zhang Yue is to Wan’er, that will be enough.”

Zhu Di had always known Zhu Ning to be generous in nature, so he didn’t take it to heart at this moment: “When the Noble Consort was alive, she hoped you would marry a suitable husband. As long as you take your time choosing, I don’t believe there’s anyone who can’t compare to Zhang Yue. I probably can’t promise you a high official position, but a generous salary isn’t a problem—perhaps even an extraordinary earldom in the future! You are your fifth brother’s most cherished daughter. If your marriage is handled carelessly, won’t he come to me demanding revenge?”
Faced with such a kind-faced emperor, Zhu Ning almost wavered in her thoughts—if Zhu Di had truly received a report accusing the Prince of Zhou of rebellion, how could he speak so casually? As she was filled with doubt, a eunuch suddenly reported that Jiang Tingzhan, the Deputy Minister of Works, wished to see her. She quickly took her leave. As she left through a side door, she deliberately slowed down and overheard Jiang Tingzhan talking at length about the construction of the palace complex after his audience.
“The Qianqing Gate, Qianqing Palace, and the Jiaotai Hall and Kunning Palace behind them are already completed. By the emperor’s order, the Palace of the Crown Prince in the southeast of the imperial city has also been built, waiting only for His Highness the Crown Prince to return…”
Zhu Ning had no interest in listening to this. Just as she prepared to leave faster, she suddenly heard a loud crash from inside. Startled, she quickly turned around and heard Zhu Di’s angry roar coming from the main hall.
“Still thinking about life after death before you even die! How worthless of a grandson I have!”
Although she didn’t understand why Zhu Di, who had been listening attentively to Jiang Tingzhan’s report, suddenly brought up such a matter, after pondering for a moment, Zhu Ning still decided not to stay and hurriedly left. Back in her residence in the palace, she ordered several maids and eunuchs to pack her things. The busy work lasted until evening. Yet, she had only eaten half of her dinner when a young eunuch sent from the Renshou Palace arrived.
“Princess, ever since you left, the emperor became furious after reading just one memorial, causing Minister Jiang to leave in disarray. He even threw away the dinner sent by the Imperial Kitchen Supervisor. The brave Wei Zi, who dared to advise him, was dragged away and beaten—whether he’s still alive is unknown. Eunuch Huang also dared not enter after taking a quick look, so he sent me to summon you, Princess.”
Zhu Ning casually wiped her face with a silk handkerchief before asking, “What exactly happened?”

That eunuch used to often go to Consort Wang for help when the emperor was angry. Now, seeing Zhu Ning’s every move closely resemble that of the recently deceased consort, he was stunned. Soon, with a mournful expression, he said, “I really don’t know what’s going on. I only heard it was a memorial sent by the Crown Prince of Han. It’s said the Crown Prince is seriously ill and on his deathbed, so he probably asked the emperor to pardon someone in the memorial, which angered the emperor greatly…”

Even without hearing the rest, Zhu Ning could guess what had happened. The King of Han had only two legitimate sons—one was dying, and the other was still in imprisonment. Naturally, Zhu Zhan Tan hoped the crown prince position would fall to his half-brother. But given the emperor’s temper, how could he easily forgive Zhu Zhan Qi, who had once accused his own father of disloyalty and unfilial conduct?

“All of them are unreliable—appearing respectful on the surface while harboring ulterior motives, thinking I don’t know!”
“One asks for more guards, another claims the guards’ weapons need replacing, and some cling tightly to military power and refuse to let go! With the country at peace now, why do they need so many guards? Are they planning a rebellion?”
“Brothers, sons, grandchildren… They probably think they’ll be at ease once I die!”

After spending two full hours in Renshou Palace, using every kind of soothing word and tactic, Zhu Ning finally convinced Zhu Di to take his medicine and rest. By the time she left the bedroom, she felt dizzy and unsteady on her feet. Though she had previously played such a role in calming things down, Consort Wang was still alive back then. But Zhu Di’s words just now were like knives, piercing her heart. If not for her mental preparation, her courage would have long been shattered.

Deep in thought, Zhu Ning walked to the entrance of the main hall. A gust of cold wind made her shiver, instantly clearing her foggy mind. She had originally thought the emperor’s decision to place Zhang Yue in the Ministry of War was impulsive, but now it seemed he might not trust the Military Command or the imperial guards. If that were the case, it truly was a “great appointment”…

The relocation of the palace wasn’t as grand as outsiders imagined. Everything in the newly built palace—furniture, household items—was already in place. Apart from the items, books, and daily necessities that Zhu Di favored and was accustomed to using, the only things that needed to be moved were people. Even so, it took five days just for the emperor to move to the new palace. During those five days, Zhu Di also issued an edict at court to officially designate Beijing as the capital, and the officials accompanying him on the northern tour naturally dropped the phrase “temporary” from their titles.

Amidst the chaos everywhere, the weary British duke Zhang Fu returned to this newly established capital, accompanied by seven or eight of his personal guards. After nearly two years of training in Xuanfu, he had become much thinner than before, with several knife-like wrinkles appearing on his forehead, yet his back was straighter than ever. Facing a few former comrades who had come to greet him by order, he merely nodded slightly without saying much.
Whether he wanted to or not, he had finally returned!