Chapter 448: Suspicion and Endurance

Fang Bin was executed by the Minister of War. Xia Yuanji, Minister of Revenue, Wu Zhong, Minister of Justice, and Du Zhen, Left Assistant to the Right Spring Court and Academician of the Hanlin Academy, were all imprisoned by the Jinyiwei. As a result, the only person left from the Qianqing Palace that day was Lu Zhen, Minister of Rites, who had not been able to meet the emperor in his fury. Though he had escaped disaster, Lu Zhen felt no sense of relief. He knew well that with the emperor’s cunning, he must have realized his attitude that day. The reason he hadn’t been punished yet was likely that the emperor didn’t know how to deal with him.

Just when everyone thought it was Lu Zhen’s turn next, Zhu Di’s decision came as a shock to all—Guo Zi, Minister of Revenue, was too old, and Zhao Jin, Minister of War, lacked experience. Thus, Lu Zhen was ordered to take charge of both the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War. The censors, who had been eager to bring down Fang Bin, were suddenly dealt a heavy blow.

Although Zhang Yue had successfully submitted his proposal on sea transportation and even detailed it thoroughly during an audience with the emperor, it did not achieve the desired result. Afterwards, the emperor acted as if nothing had happened, giving no clear explanation and not mentioning Du Zhen at all. Naturally, Zhang Yue was extremely frustrated. Seeing that more people were being punished this time, he grew even more worried about his father-in-law’s safety. When the imperial edict ordered Lu Zhen to oversee three ministries, his shock was immense.

Although the six ministries had kitchens, the limited monthly budgets meant the food provided was extremely simple. As a result, officials with better means either brought their own meals or bought food from the streets outside. That noon, taking advantage of some free time, Wan Shijie insisted on taking Zhang Yue out under the pretext of relaxing, mentioning three familiar words—Du Kang Lou.

Since the purpose was to relieve stress, Wan Shijie inevitably used Lu Zhen’s situation to offer advice. But before he could speak, Zhang Yue rebuked him, saying, “This isn’t about continued favoritism. The Ministries of War, Revenue, and Justice have all lost their former leaders. If the Ministry of Rites also changes hands, it would be like the greatest earthquake in the court. So even if the emperor is angry, he can’t just dismiss everyone in a fit of anger. Someone must remain to carry out tasks. If Minister Lu does well, it will be a way to atone for his mistakes; if not, punishment will be inevitable.”

Wanshi Jie wasn’t a fool either. Seeing that he couldn’t deceive Zhang Yue with such words, he sighed immediately. Yet just as he didn’t know what to say, a thudding sound came from the floor above, and soon six or seven burly men rushed in. Judging from their bright uniforms, he knew they were imperial guards stationed in the capital. As he watched, his gaze happened to meet someone’s.

“Hey, Yuan Jie, that’s your second brother!”

Zhang Yue, who had been quietly eating, quickly raised his head and saw that the burly young man approaching was indeed Zhang Qi. He promptly put down his bowl and stood up. Before he could say anything, Zhang Qi slapped his shoulder, forcing him to sit back down. Before he could ask anything, Zhang Qi suddenly spoke in a low voice.

“I came here with my colleagues today. We booked a private room for a meal, so I can only talk to you for a bit. As you know, I’m now a centurion in the Yulin Guard. Early this morning, we received orders from above to assign ten men from our guard to serve Lord Lu of the Ministry of Rites. I heard the emperor gave a strict order.” Even the usually boisterous Zhang Qi couldn’t help but look around nervously as he spoke even quieter, “Their task is to keep an eye on Lord Lu. If anything happens to him, all ten of them will die! Third brother, be extremely careful—don’t anger the emperor!”

It wasn’t until Zhang Qi finished speaking and went to join the other officers that Zhang Yue and Wanshi Jie could recover from their shock. Wanshi Jie remembered that he had wanted to comfort Zhang Yue just moments ago, but now he didn’t even have the energy to speak. All he could do was sigh deeply. Zhang Yue, distracted, fiddled with the rice grains in his bowl before finally taking a deep breath to steady himself.

Everything depends on human effort. Even in such a dire situation, there might still be a chance!

As the saying goes, confiscating a county magistrate’s property can lead to the destruction of an entire family, and for the Jinyi Guard, such confiscations have always been the most lucrative assignments. Yet this particular confiscation was different. When confiscating Fang Bin’s property, the Eastern Depot agents were used for the most critical tasks, and even the Jinyi Guard wasn’t allowed to get involved during the inventory process. And when confiscating Xia Yuanji’s property, although Yuan Fang tried to protect his family, even without his protection, the Xia family had nothing to confiscate—just some wooden furniture and clothes in their large house.

Faced with the two vastly different lists of those to be arrested, Zhu Di’s expression became instantly unpredictable. Though he knew Xia Yuanji was upright and honest, surely different from Fang Bin, his anger still hadn’t subsided. The thought of releasing several people at once, which would be equivalent to admitting his mistake to his ministers, made him snort coldly. He tossed the two lists onto the imperial desk and dismissively sent away his two most trusted spies.

When the news reached Prince Zhu Gaochi, who was lying in bed reading, he gave no response. It wasn’t until the messenger eunuch left that he showed unmistakable regret and displeasure. Seeing Princess Zhang emerge from behind the screen, he threw down the book in his hands and punched the wooden armrest of the imperial bed.

“Xia Yuanji and the other two have truly suffered unjustly. Father is too stubborn! Zhanji could at least try to persuade them, but as the crown prince, I can only watch helplessly, unable to say a word! Being a crown prince in this situation is truly humiliating!”

“Your Highness, don’t say that. Xia Yuanji is prudent and understands the bigger picture. Du Zhen has always remained calm and composed; he surely won’t complain just because Your Highness can’t speak up,” said Princess Zhang, subtly omitting Wu Zhong’s name, before adding with a smile, “Besides, what the Emperor fears most now is others using his health as an excuse to stop the northern expedition. So, if Your Highness intervenes in politics, it might only anger him further. Even if You Highness oversees the country during the Emperor’s northern campaign, extreme caution will be required.”

“You’re right. Patience involves bearing a sword above it. I’ve endured for over twenty years. All I can do now is keep enduring.”

The slight displeasure on Zhu Gaochi’s face gradually faded. He allowed Princess Zhang to sit beside him, then glanced at the few maids and eunuchs in the room. Since he couldn’t bring all the palace servants from Nanjing to Beijing, more than half of those around him were newcomers. It was unclear how many of them were spies sent by his younger brothers, the Princes of Han and Zhao, or spies sent by his father, Zhu Di. As the crown prince, he had so few trusted people, and the only place where he could speak freely was this small room.

“By the way, have you seen the memorial that Zhan Ji brought back?” Seeing Lady Zhang nod, Zhu Gaochi relaxed further, leaning back on the soft cushion and closing his eyes. “Your Majesty is quite good at judging people. Zhang Yue isn’t the kind who tries to persuade rulers with mere novelty; he thinks things through step by step and is indeed very open-minded. Of course, this time he’s probably acting for his father-in-law—just because he was there and worked with Xia Yuanji, he was imprisoned. Your Majesty’s mood has become even more unpredictable these days. By the way, as Your Majesty grows older, and with Zhang Fu accompanying the northern expedition, what if something goes wrong? What will happen to this army…”

Though she was a woman, Zhu Gaochi, as the crown prince, dared not have too close relationships with ministers. Moreover, people like Yang Shiji were upright gentlemen, not the kind to discuss such explicit topics. Thus, Lady Zhang had always played the role of listener and advisor. Hearing the word “army,” her expression changed slightly, but she regained her composure soon.

“Your Highness should know that the families of the nobles accompanying the army are all in the capital. Even if you wanted to do Zhang’s family a favor now, you’d be powerless. If Your Majesty would listen to advice, he wouldn’t have lost three ministers from the Six Ministries just before the northern expedition. Besides, Zhang Fu is different from ordinary nobles. I don’t know how he performs on the battlefield, but from his behavior in court after returning from Jiaozhi, he’s cautious and even more careful than civil officials.”

“But my younger brother still often writes to him…”

“And so what? Among all the nobles in the court, even Liu Sheng, who oversees the military, still corresponds with the Prince of Han. In any case, Your Highness holds the moral high ground. From the Grand Secretariat to the Six Ministries, there are hardly any civil officials in the capital who favor the Prince of Han. Moreover, Yang Rong and Jin Youzi will surely accompany the northern expedition, along with the imperial guards. The nobles don’t have enough strength to turn things upside down. The Prince of Han isn’t like Your Majesty back then. Your Highness must understand that since the Jingnan Campaign, the Prince of Han has never led troops into battle again. Even the bravest generals from the past, after twenty years of ease and wealth, surely can’t become another Your Majesty.”

The husband and wife, who held positions above all others, looked at each other, as if seeking the greatest encouragement and support from one another’s eyes. It was unclear how much time passed before a soft cough came from inside the room.

“Crown Prince, Crown Princess, Your Majesty has just left the palace with the Crown Prince… escorted by the Jinyiwei.”

Seeing it was Zhong Huai, Zhu Gaochi immediately frowned. Although the emperor ruled the country with minimal intervention, Emperor Zhu Di often went on northern inspections and campaigns, never respecting established rules. Thus, it was not the first time he had taken Zhu Zhanji out of the palace incognito. After a brief pause, he asked, “Do you know where His Majesty is going?”
“I heard he’s going to the Duke of Yingguo’s residence.”
This wasn’t something that surprised the crown prince and his wife. What worried them was Emperor Zhu Di’s habit of taking Zhu Zhanji along on his trips. During the second northern campaign, Zhu Di had even taken him to the battlefield, and Zhu Zhanji had almost gotten into trouble because of a eunuch’s greed for credit. Zhu Di always wanted to raise an emperor who could handle military affairs on the spot. Since Zhu Gaochi’s health was poor, who knew if he wouldn’t take Zhu Zhanji along again on this northern campaign?
Zhong Huai paused for a moment before adding with a forced smile, “Additionally, His Majesty has also summoned Princess Chenliu to accompany him.”
Hearing this, Lady Zhang immediately laughed. “Last time Princess Yongping came to see me, she was crying, saying that Her Majesty treated her niece like a daughter, even better than her own daughter. The prince can’t associate with commoners, but he might as well be kind to Princess Chenliu. I really like her straightforwardness. Such a bright girl is rare in the royal family.”