Chapter 426: Act When It’s Time to Act

“Grandfather the Emperor has gone to rest.”
After leaving the Eastern Warm Pavilion, Zhu Zhanji saw his parents waiting outside and softly said those words. Just after returning to the Qianqing Palace from Fengtian Gate, Zhu Di could no longer contain his fury. His intense anger was even difficult for Zhu Gaochi to handle, let alone Zhu Zhanji, who had rarely witnessed such a scene. In the end, it was the Crown Princess Zhang who rushed over urgently. Together, the three of them persuaded Zhu Di to drink a bowl of goji and tremella soup to calm his nerves, and then helped the exhausted emperor go to rest.
“Fortunately, this happened in the Qianqing Palace. If it had happened at Fengtian Gate, those censors would surely have protested. With both sides clashing, things would have gotten very complicated.” Thinking back to that scene, Zhu Zhanji still felt shaken. After much consideration, he realized that one Zhang Yue was far from enough, and things could have gone wrong. So he added, “Thankfully, Minister Xia is calm and composed.”
Although the Crown Princess Zhang hadn’t been at Fengtian Gate herself, the eunuchs in the Eastern Palace kept traveling back and forth between Huiji Gate and Youye Gate to gather news and report it. Thus, she was well aware of the prolonged argument that had taken place earlier. Glancing at Zhu Zhanji, she smiled and said, “Though you often stay by your grandfather’s side, this is probably your first time in such a situation. It’s good to get some experience. You can ignore the censors’ words or not like them, but it’s useful to keep them around.”
Since they were in the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Gaochi didn’t want to discuss further and waved his hand. As the three of them stepped out of the palace, attendants immediately surrounded them with umbrellas. Just as they were about to leave, someone hurried over from the Qianqing Gate. In front was a young eunuch holding an umbrella in one hand and a tall petition in the other, followed by Du Zhen. Remembering that none of the ministers from the six departments had escaped, and only Du Zhen among the cabinet members had managed to get away, while the others had been soaked in the heavy rain for a long time, Zhu Gaochi sighed inwardly.
“Is Scholar Du here to deliver a petition to Father the Emperor? Father has just gone to rest. Please leave your things and go back first. Someone needs to be on duty at the Wenyuan Pavilion.”
After bowing, Du Zhen nodded in response, “That’s exactly what I intended. I’ve already exchanged shifts with Scholar Yang. I’ll be on duty at the Wenyuan Pavilion tonight. The other three are quite old, and they’ve been in the rain for over two hours today, so they’ve gone home on leave. All the ministers from the six departments have also taken leave. I planned to mention this to the Emperor first.”

“They naturally can’t compare to those censor officials who are full of vigor. It’s only right for them to take leave and return home to recuperate; if they fall ill, important matters might be delayed. These days, Scholar Du will have to work harder. Even if the two Scholars Yang and Scholar Jin can manage to attend court, their performance will likely be greatly reduced.”

“It is my duty, and I will surely do my best.”

Zhu Gaochi nodded, stepped forward a few paces, but suddenly turned back and called out to Du Zhen, asking, “Among these memorials, are there any that should be submitted directly to the emperor? If so, pick them out for me first. Submitting them now would undoubtedly add fuel to the fire. If the emperor gets angry, all the efforts of Xia Yuanji and Zhang Yue earlier will be in vain.”

Seeing Du Zhen hesitate slightly before taking out the bottom few volumes from the stack held by the eunuch, Zhu Gaochi smiled even more and said, “It seems Scholar Du was prepared, knowing that even if the emperor gets angry, he might not immediately look at the bottom ones. Alright, send the rest in first. I’ll have Zhanji deliver these to the Qianqing Palace at an appropriate time later.”

As they had been busy soothing Zhu Di earlier, both Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji had missed lunch. Upon returning to Duanjing Hall in Duanben Palace, Lady Zhang quickly ordered food to be brought in. However, perhaps due to extreme hunger or still preoccupied by earlier matters, despite the table being filled with various dishes, both father and son only touched their food slightly. In the end, Zhu Zhanji stood up and left. With no choice, Lady Zhang allowed him to go, then shook her head at Zhu Gaochi as soon as he left.

“Zhanji has even started to imitate you, Your Highness—getting distracted and not eating properly… From the look on his face in the Qianqing Palace, it seems he has something on his mind. As the crown prince, he only reads books in the Eastern Palace, rarely interacts with outsiders, and no one seems to bother him. There’s no news of him being interested in any women either. It seems it’s because of today’s matters.”

“That’s only natural. I told him before that this time the censors submitted their memorials with great intensity, determined not to back down. He must be taking it seriously, which is why he probably sent someone to mention it to Zhang Yue. But he anticipated this outcome but not another—although Zhang Yue pleases the emperor, his influence isn’t enough. If it weren’t for Xia Yuanji today…”

Although Zhu Gaochi did not go into further detail, having been married to Lady Zhang for many years, she could easily guess what was implied. A smile appeared on her face immediately: “Zhanji is still young, and besides, he has been pampered by the emperor since childhood without ever facing any setbacks. How could he be as meticulous as you? However, this time, Xia Yuanji must be acting according to your advice, not out of respect for you as the crown prince.”

“Xia Yuanji is an upright man. Otherwise, when our father went to Nanjing, even when others brought Xia Yuanji before him, our father would not have released him so easily. It is not uncommon for officials to disdain wealth, but those who are lenient and forgiving are rare. Although Jian Yi is an upright person, he is too cautious. If we entrust this matter to him, it would be better to entrust it to Xia Yuanji.”

Seeing his wife’s approving look, Zhu Gaochi felt quite proud. Although he had a domineering father like Zhu Di, making him the crown prince was like walking on thin ice. But if he stayed in the Eastern Palace without taking any action after arriving in the capital, he would be acting too weakly. It was unacceptable to be reckless like Zhu Gaoxu, nor was it acceptable to act desesperately like Zhu Gaosui. Now that his position as crown prince was unshakable, it was time to take action when necessary.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the Crown Princess, there is a document delivered from the Tongzheng Office.”

Hearing this, Zhu Gaochi and Lady Zhang sitting across from each other were stunned. Lady Zhang ordered it to be brought in. Seeing that it was Fan Hong, a eunuch from the Eastern Palace’s study, she frowned: “Now that Your Highness the Crown Prince is no longer acting as regent, all matters, big or small, should be submitted to Wenyuan Pavilion before being reported to the emperor for decision. How can the Tongzheng Office ignore such rules? You’re also ignorant for accepting the document!”

Seeing Zhu Gaochi’s displeased expression as well, Fan Hong hurriedly explained, “I have served in the Eastern Palace for many years; how could I not know such basic rules? It was specifically the Han King who sent this document to the Eastern Palace, so the Tongzheng Office sent someone to deliver it. I checked it carefully and confirmed there were no errors before accepting it.”

Hearing that it was a letter sent by Han King Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Gaochi felt strangely uneasy. He shared the same mother as Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui, but the three brothers had very different temperaments. They would send gifts to each other during festivals, but their usual letters were merely superficial. In the past, when Zhu Gaoxu sent letters, he never used the Tongzheng Office. What was the purpose of this mysterious action this time? Seeing Lady Zhang take the document, he said directly, “Read it to me. Let’s see what he wrote.”

“Brother, as you know, my eldest son died first. Though I don’t like this weak and delicate kid, he’s still my eldest son, so it feels uncomfortable. Yet even after his death, he still tries to scheme against me—he even sent a memorial to the Emperor, asking to make my second son the crown prince. What kind of mess is this! That damned kid once accused me in court; I didn’t even want to recognize him anymore, and now they want to make him the crown prince? Do you think the Emperor has lost his mind for sending people to release him? They even told me that since he’s my son, I have to accept it… Ugh, anyway, I can’t benefit from this son. Now that the Emperor is unwell, let him go to the capital—at least he’ll be under your watchful eye…”

Zhu Gaochi knew well that Zhu Gaoxu had always favored martial affairs over literature, so he wasn’t surprised by such a blunt and vulgar family letter. Yet its contents caused him great distress. The memorial submitted by Zhu Zhanqi, the Prince of Shouguang, had caused a stir throughout the court. Although he hadn’t seen Zhu Di’s furious reaction firsthand, when others informed him, he thought that foolish nephew would never recover. Who would have thought that after Zhu Zhan Tan, the heir to the Han Prince title, died, he was released after all this time? Now Zhu Gaoxu even wanted to shift this trouble to him!

After Zhang read it, she also felt something was off and asked, “Your Highness, could there be a trick here?”

“My second brother has always been the type to act on impulse. Do you think he only wrote to me? He must have submitted a memorial to the Emperor as well. This isn’t some plea—it’s just a notification! If the Emperor agrees, what does it matter if I agree or not? He’s clearly doing this on purpose!”

Although the plump Zhu Gaochi rarely lost his temper, he was truly enraged this time. In the imperial family, fratricidal strife wasn’t uncommon, but what annoyed him most was Zhu Gaoxu’s attitude of assuming everything was his fault, believing he had stolen the position of heir. Indeed, during the Jingnan Campaign, Zhu Gaoxu had served Zhu Di loyally and earned great merits. But without him holding back in Beiping to protect their base, how could they have made it to the end and achieved victory?

Seeing Zhu Gaochi’s expression grow increasingly grim, Lady Zhang sent Fan Hong and the others away before gently advising him, “Your Highness needn’t worry too much. Even if the Emperor allows Prince Shouguang to enter the capital, he will surely keep a tight rein on him. Besides, since the father and son are already at odds, even if Prince Han sent him to the capital with ulterior motives, he may not truly be loyal to his father. Judging from his past actions, he’s just someone who causes more trouble than good and won’t be able to stir up any chaos in the capital.”
Though Lady Zhang spoke in a gentle tone, Zhu Gaochi still couldn’t shake his most pressing concern. To this day, Zhu Gaoxu still maintained close ties with those nobles—who knew if Zhu Zhanqi, after being reprimanded, had become even more obedient to Zhu Gaoxu?
So, when he casually flipped through a few memorials that had just been brought in and found they were written by the recent imperial examinations graduates, Zhu Gaochi snorted in annoyance. It was one thing if those censors didn’t know better, but what about these guys!