Chapter 462: Who Can Be Trusted?

The officials in the Eastern Palace constantly reminded themselves that a son of nobility should not idle about, while the emperor should rule the realm with authority.
Yet Zhu Di personally taught that nothing could be accomplished without military strength; only by controlling military officials could one fear no threats to imperial power and deter those with ulterior motives.
Thus, faced with these two vastly different approaches to governance, the pressure on Zhu Zhanji’s shoulders was immense. Moreover, although his position as the heir apparent had been established as early as the second year of the Yongle era, he had to remain vigilant against threats from the Princes of Han and Zhao, as well as the emperor himself. With nerves perpetually on edge, he took to cricketing—first to relieve his stress through the battles between crickets, and eventually becoming utterly obsessed.
However, as the weather grew cooler, the crickets became less active, making this pastime impossible. Stuck in the Eastern Palace surrounded by those pedantic officials, he had no interest in staying there, so he often went to the Western Gardens to unwind. One day, as he left the Donghua Gate with a few eunuchs after leaving the Duan Palace, a call came from behind. Turning around, he saw Hai Shou, the deputy head of the Imperial Horse Supervision Bureau, followed by several Jinyiwei guards and eight eunuchs, each carrying a basket.
“You just left the palace to deliver an imperial edict yesterday. What household are you heading to today? This used to be the duty of the Court Rituals Bureau, but now it’s you they send frequently. Soon, your turn might come to take over their position.”
Though he had thought such things, Hai Shou certainly wouldn’t dare admit them, let alone take Zhu Zhanji’s jest seriously. He quickly replied with a smile, “The Court Rituals Bureau is currently overseen only by Lord Lu, who also has to supervise the Eastern Depot. He’s too busy with other matters, which is why the emperor has chosen me. If His Highness were to hear this, it would be disastrous—everyone knows the heads of those twenty-four bureaus are eyeing that position. I have no intention of competing with them; I’m content as long as I can manage the Imperial Horse Supervision Bureau well.”
Seeing Zhu Zhanji smile, seemingly only teasing him, Hai Shou finally breathed a sigh of relief. “As for today’s task, it’s because the Jiangnan region has sent more mandarin oranges. The emperor has already ordered that some be given to the Eastern Palace and the princes. The remaining, aside from those distributed to nobles and high officials, are to be sent to the Princes of Zhao and Anyang.”

The highly publicized rebellion case before the New Year saw some executed and others exiled, while Zhu Gao Sui, the instigator, has been under house arrest ever since. Even so, this prince still receives rewards during festivals, so it’s not surprising that he was given tangerines this time; thus, Zhu Zhanji paid no attention to it. Just as he raised his whip ready to leave, Hai Shou suddenly stepped forward, grabbed his reins, and whispered something to him.

“Your Highness, there’s something I need to remind you about. Today, the Emperor discussed a northern expedition with his ministers and later invited Marquis Wu An and several nobles to go to the imperial garden for horseback riding and archery. In the conversation, they mentioned whether you should accompany them. Zhang Jue, the deputy commander of the Jinyiwei, highly praised your versatility in both civil and military affairs, saying you bear a strong resemblance to the Emperor in his youth. With Lord Lu from the Secretariat also encouraging this idea, the Emperor has decided to take you along on the northern expedition and has already sent someone to inform the ministers in the Cabinet. You should prepare accordingly.”

These were all verifiable facts, so Hai Shou wasn’t afraid that Zhu Zhanji would think he was sowing discord. With a smile, he bowed, then turned and waved, leading his men away in haste. Zhu Zhanji was greatly surprised by this news. He clearly remembered that when he went to the Qianqing Palace to pay his respects earlier, Zhu Di had instructed him to assist Zhu Gaochi well in the capital. How could things change so quickly? And those Zhang Jue and Lu Feng—what were their intentions?

Who could he really trust?

Seeing Zhu Zhanji turn his horse around, Huang Run promptly stepped forward and asked, “Your Highness, shall we return to Duanben’s palace?”

“Go change into other clothes. I want to leave the palace and take a walk!”

Though greatly astonished, Huang Run didn’t dare disobey. He immediately ordered his attendants to escort Zhu Zhanji back to the Crown Prince’s Palace west of Duanben’s palace. After changing into casual clothes, Zhu Zhanji took Huang Run with him and selected a few Jinyiwei members before leaving the palace through the Donghua Gate. As soon as he left, someone rushed to report to the Duanjing Hall. While Zhu Gaochi frowned deeply, Crown Princess Zhang simply ordered that no one spread the news and sent the messenger away. Then she turned around and ordered someone to investigate what was happening at the Qianqing Palace.

Since the disaster in the three main halls and the officials’ pleas to move the capital, the court issued another order to relocate reputable families from the Jiangzuo region to the capital. As a result, many households gradually moved into the once empty streets and alleys, and there were far more pedestrians on the roads than before. Zhu Zhanji usually followed Zhu Di when leaving the palace, but this time he had no specific purpose and just wandered around, often heading to crowded places. This caused trouble for those accompanying him, as they had to protect their master while also keeping an eye on the surroundings. Huang Run was drenched in sweat, suffering greatly and constantly worrying about any punishment he might face upon returning.

As they wandered, the group arrived at Daqing Shou Temple on West Chang’an Street. Although it wasn’t an appropriate day for praying to the gods, there were still rows of carriages and sedan chairs parked along the streets, with an endless stream of pilgrims coming in and out. Though he usually disdained such activities, thinking of the news he had just received, he hesitated and considered going in to get a protective talisman for his father, Zhu Gaochi. While lost in thought, he heard a voice behind him.

“Elder Master?”

This unusual address made Zhu Zhanji pause. Turning around, he saw Zhang Yue and immediately understood. Smiling, he said, “I thought it was someone else. It’s you. Isn’t this the busiest time for the Ministry of War? How did you manage to slack off?”

“Elder Master, you’re joking. Minister Zhao is very strict now; who would dare to slack off? It’s lunchtime now, so I took the chance to stop by the Armory Bureau on my way back, so I won’t be too busy this afternoon. I haven’t even had lunch yet—how could I dare to slack off?”

Zhang Yue’s words were partly true. Although he had just finished official duties, it was also because he had received information from the Jinyiwei that he happened to meet Zhu Zhanji along the way. Glancing at the crowded Daqing Shou Temple, he said with a smile, “This Daqing Shou Temple is very popular these days. My younger brother’s name is inscribed here as well. Judging from the flow of people in and out, I wonder how many protective talismans are sold here in a day.”

“A place meant for seclusion has been ruined by your business of selling talismans.”

Zhu Zhanji snapped in annoyance, and his desire to get a protective talisman faded significantly, as it had been just a fleeting idea. Since Zhang Yue mentioned he hadn’t eaten yet, he also felt hungry. He then said sternly, “You know this area well. Find a clean and quiet place to treat me to a meal. There are over a dozen people accompanying me—invite them all as well.”

Since the grand crown prince had explicitly asked to be treated, Zhang Yue naturally wouldn’t refuse. Glancing at West Chang’an Street, he smiled and said, “Although there are many restaurants on Qianmen Street, the Military Command and the various ministries mostly use those places as canteens, which are inevitably noisy. If we go any further, everyone will probably starve. Although the peace talismans from Qingshou Temple are famous, what’s even more renowned are the exquisitely prepared vegetarian dishes here behind. How about we try them there?”
Zhu Zhanji didn’t care about anything except the warm dishes from the imperial kitchen. Those who followed him had long moved beyond the comfortable lifestyle of eating rich meat, so everyone agreed to Zhang Yue’s suggestion. Thus, the group went to Qinfangzhai behind the temple. Since the Gu family and Lady Wang were devout Buddhists and among the main supporters of Qingshou Temple, they managed to secure two spacious private booths despite the busy vegetarian business at noon.
Huang Run understood Zhu Zhanji’s thoughts best. He sent the Jinyiwei guards and the eunuchs to another booth while staying to serve Zhu Zhanji personally. Soon, the table was filled with five or six dishes such as shiitake mushroom gluten, vegetarian “emerald” chicken slices, and toon mixed with bean sprouts. Zhu Zhanji took a few bites of each dish, praising their taste and aroma, unaware that Huang Run beside him was inwardly smiling bitterly. Even though the food was delicious, he only tasted a little before raising his teacup to Zhang Yue.
“I know you’re about to embark on a long journey soon. Today, I offer you tea instead of wine as a farewell gift!”
Zhang Yue quickly bowed slightly but replied with a smile, “This matter hasn’t been officially resolved yet. I didn’t expect it to become widely known so soon.”
“Many things in this world are like that. By the time you find out, you realize you’re the last to know.” Zhu Zhanji sneered, then couldn’t hold back his emotions any longer and casually said, “Anyway, I’ll be going north with the emperor next spring. We’ll surely have the chance to meet then. This drink isn’t so much a farewell gift for you as a gesture of shared suffering.”
Zhang Yue, who had been thinking about how to phrase his words appropriately, immediately set aside all his considerations upon hearing this. He even forgot about the importance of hierarchy in those times and asked wide-eyed, “Your Highness just said… shared suffering?”
“Your grandmother is almost seventy, and her condition is still uncertain. Her three sons aren’t around, and you, her favorite grandson, are going far to the north. Aren’t you worried about her staying in the capital? Worried that her family might fall apart?”

Although Zhu Zhanji only spoke halfway through, recalling Yuan Fang’s hint that Zhu Gaochi could not endure long labor and that many affairs of the Eastern Palace were handled by the crown prince’s wife, Zhang Yue immediately realized the situation. He also thought that, in others’ eyes, Zhu Di, now in his sixties, might not be able to withstand such a long journey—after all, he couldn’t blindly trust history; if everything else could change, why not the emperor’s lifespan? After pondering for a moment, he spoke up, “If Your Highness trusts me, I do have some ideas.”