Chapter 542: Calling for Reinforcements and Seeking Advice

“Sending a goose feather from afar—though the gift is small, the sentiment is deep. Zhang Yue is just over 300 miles away in Xuanfu, yet he resorts to such a trick!” As he spoke these words, Zhu Zhanji’s face was filled with joy. He had received Zhang Yue’s painting the day before. It had to be said that compared to his calligraphy, Zhang Yue’s painting skills were rather ordinary—the lighting, density, and composition were all mediocre. Yet the red plum blossoms blooming in the snow were painted beautifully, exuding a vibrant brightness that uplifted the spirit, much to his liking.

What delighted him the most was that last night, he eagerly took the painting to share it with the Crown Prince’s concubine, Sun Hanzhen. While they were chatting and laughing, she suddenly showed a strange reaction. After years of marriage, none of his concubines or maids had become pregnant. Out of concern, he had had the imperial physicians examine him several times. So this morning, fearing he might be disappointed and end up blaming her, he secretly sent someone to summon Shi Quan from the Imperial Medical Academy. Once it was confirmed that she was indeed pregnant, overjoyed, he rushed straight to the Qianqing Palace without caring about anything else. He was still extremely excited.

Huang Run, who accompanied Zhu Zhanji, didn’t want to dampen his enthusiasm, but after much thought, he finally whispered a reminder, “Your Highness, this is indeed a great joy, but one should first report the good news to the Crown Prince and his wife. I saw the Crown Prince’s astonished expression when he heard the news—it seemed quite unexpected…”

“It’s not unexpected; how else could it be a surprise?”

At first, Zhu Zhanji waved his hand dismissively, but after a few steps, he realized he had gotten carried away with his joy. Yet if it were someone else who became pregnant, he wouldn’t be so excited. But after all, it was the woman he had wanted to marry. Though he was the Crown Prince, the wife he was forced to accept wasn’t the one he desired, leaving Sun Hanzhen to suffer. Now that she had finally conceived, he wanted the whole world to know his joy—where was he to think of such things?

“Father and Lord Yang seem to have important matters to report. I’ll go apologize to Father later.” He stopped in his tracks and said that, then turned to ask, “By the way, I didn’t see you all afternoon yesterday. Where were you?”

“Your humble servant…” Seeing that the few eunuchs were only following from a distance, Huang Run stepped forward and explained in a low voice, “Your humble servant went to deliver medicine for the King of Shouguang. Please do not be angry, Your Highness. It was the Crown Princess’s orders. She said that although it is shameful for the King of Han and the King of Shouguang to fight each other, if the imperial family has no familial bonds at all, it would be a laughingstock to the world. So, the medicine was sent in Your Highness’s name. Ah, it’s not that your humble servant is overbearing, but seeing all the blood and wounds was terrifying. Yet the Jinyiwei officers knew their limits in beating them—since the Emperor was watching, they struck hard at first but eased up once the victims became too painful. Otherwise, how could the King of Shouguang still be alive?”
Zhu Zhanji had never felt close to his two uncles or their cousins; he was even reluctant to put on a show of affection. Now that Huang Run brought up his mother as an authority figure, he stopped further interference but still gave a cold warning, “If such things happen again, don’t hide them. Remember, you were sent to me by the Emperor’s grandfather.”
Realizing that his master was now upset, Huang Run was extremely cautious and kept assenting. As they walked along Tianjie Street, before reaching the back left gate, they heard shouts behind them. Turning around, they saw a young man who seemed to be a guard officer chasing after them. When he got closer, he hurriedly bowed, barely able to catch his breath: “Your… Your Highness, the Crown Prince, the Emperor is furious in the Qianqing Palace. One of the eunuchs came out and said to hurry back and bring the Crown Princess along to persuade him.”
By then, Zhu Zhanji had recognized the man as Sun Han, who often guarded in front of the Qianqing Gate. He was Zhang Yue’s brother-in-law and a close ally of Fangling. Zhu Zhanji had spoken to him a few times before. But after hearing Sun Han’s panting explanation, he was shocked: “The Emperor’s grandfather was fine just now. Why did he suddenly get so angry?”
“I really don’t know. It was what that eunuch inside said—apparently, the Crown Prince was also implicated.”
Zhu Zhanji didn’t suspect anyone of spreading false news, as such nonsense couldn’t possibly be true. He immediately turned and rushed to the Eastern Palace. Entering the western side hall of Duanjing Hall in a hurry, he found not only his mother there but also Princess Chenliu, Zhu Ning, along with Liu Yongcheng, an eunuch from the Imperial Horse Supervision Bureau. He was overjoyed and quickly recounted what had just happened.

He had thought his mother would be surprised for a while due to the suddenness of it, but instead, Lady Zhang merely frowned briefly before calmly turning to Zhu Ning and saying, “I had intended to keep you for a while longer, but it seems that’s not possible now. Well, since Liu Yongcheng is here, let Zhanji and him see you out of Donghua Gate; I’ll go check on the Qianqing Palace.”

Knowing that since the death of Concubine Wang, there were countless young and beautiful concubines in the harem, it was still Lady Zhang, the Crown Princess, who could speak effectively before Zhu Di, so Zhu Ning wasn’t surprised by this and quickly got up to take leave. Seeing Zhu Zhanji still standing there, seemingly wanting to say something, she stepped forward with a smile and asked, “What, does His Imperial Grandson not wish to see me off?”

Seeing Lady Zhang’s gesture and hearing Zhu Ning’s words, despite his concerns about what was happening elsewhere, Zhu Zhanji reluctantly accompanied Zhu Ning out of the western side hall. Outside, he remained worried. Given the events of the 1414 year, he even wondered if his father had angered his grandfather over some matter. It wasn’t until he heard Zhu Ning’s soft cough that he snapped out of his thoughts, though his face remained gloomy.

“The Crown Princess clearly knows what’s going on. Why do you still look so stern? Never mind. I come to this palace often. Besides, with Eunuch Liu around, just quietly follow the Crown Princess to the Qianqing Palace—no need to stay here worrying.”

These words snapped Zhu Zhanji out of his thoughts. Only then did he realize his mother had seemed overly calm earlier. Yet, he was well aware of Zhu Di’s unpredictable temper. Since Zhu Ning had spoken thus, he immediately felt relieved. “Then thank you, Aunt Ning, for your understanding. Liu Yongcheng, take Princess Chenliu out of Donghua Gate… no, Dong’an Gate!”

Liu Yongcheng, the eunuch in charge of the imperial stables, was already busy handling matters related to the imperial guards, but since Zhu Zhanji had given the order, he agreed without hesitation. After seeing Zhu Zhanji and his party leave in a hurry, he smiled and led Zhu Ning outside, chatting idly as they walked. To those who didn’t know him, he might have seemed like an ordinary old man, never guessing that he was still the powerful figure in charge of the imperial stables even after Zheng and Zhang Qian had taken control of the twenty-four eunuch bureaus.

“This Crown Prince is truly filial—upon hearing that the Emperor was angry and that the Crown Prince was also present, he was so frightened that he forgot everything. Speaking of which, the conflict between the King of Han and the King of Shouguang, which dragged others into it, is really pointless. The Emperor is now old, and what he favors are those who are upright, peaceful, kind, and filial. Yet fate seems against us, causing such turmoil… By the way, I heard Princess Ning is returning to Kaifeng after the New Year. It’s not that I’m nosy, but though Kaifeng is a famous city, it suffers from frequent floods along the Yellow River and is not as prosperous as the capital. Since the Emperor likes it, why do you have to go back? Even that little rascal Lu Feng, who was upset just being in Xuanfu, let alone you, who are the Emperor’s most beloved daughter—how could you possibly settle there…”

Having lived in the palace for a long time, Zhu Ning was well acquainted with Liu Yongcheng, one of the most prominent eunuchs at court. She knew full well that he was by no means an idle old man who liked to chatter. As she listened quietly to his seemingly incoherent words, her eyes wandered around absentmindedly, responding occasionally. When they reached the East An Gate and saw her carriage waiting there, she turned back.

“Thank you, Eunuch Liu, for seeing me off. But I don’t deserve to be called your ‘most beloved daughter.’ I’m just a princess from a distant province, not a true princess. Even if I were a princess, there are many of them in the capital now, and not all of their lives are smooth. I appreciate your kindness, and if there’s anything I can do, I will definitely help in the future. Also, since you’re going north with the Emperor this time, please be extra careful on the journey. The northern lands are bitterly cold, not like the Central Plains, and it’s not as safe as Eunuch Hai’s trip to Korea.”

Once in the carriage and with the thick red silk curtain drawn, Zhu Ning leaned back in her seat, holding her hand warmer, and began to think deeply. Since Du Zhen had been released, his past relationship with her father had been made public before the Emperor. Even if they couldn’t continue to communicate in the future, no one could use it to stir up trouble. However, she and Du Wan would need to be careful if they sent letters to each other, or even sent messengers—anything could be intercepted, and the innocent could be framed as guilty.

The carriage traveled along Chang’an Street for a while. Just as it was about to turn, she suddenly felt a sharp jolt, followed by an exclamation from outside the carriage, along with a series of questions. Surprised, she opened a slit in the curtain and saw a young girl in green clothes blocking the way. Her features seemed familiar, and she was momentarily stunned before suddenly realizing who it was.

“Don’t stop her; I sent her on a task!” Zhu Ning personally lifted the carriage curtain a bit higher, then called out, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get in the carriage! It’s been so long since they left, and yet they’re only returning now!”
There were a few people by the roadside who had stopped to watch, but upon hearing this, they lost interest and soon left. The girl in green also hurried over quickly, climbed onto the carriage, and after nodding at Zhu Ning with a smile and offering her a hand warmer, she shyly shook her head and said in a low voice, “Thank you, Princess, for saving me from this awkward situation.”
“Why say such things? I already knew you were a reliable person last time. Besides, you and your master are now living peacefully at the manor, observing mourning rites, so you surely won’t run around recklessly. Cuimò, did something happen that prevents you from seeking help from Marquis Baoding?”
Cuimò’s shiny black hair was adorned only with a grass flower, making her look as simple as an ordinary peasant girl. Impressed by Zhu Ning’s ability to get to the point quickly, she thought for a moment before gritting her teeth and saying, “Princess, please forgive me. It wasn’t the young lady who sent me here. I took the opportunity to go to Tongzhou for purchases to go to the capital and seek advice from someone reliable. Recently, the court plans to conscript 230,000 laborers, right? Peasants and poor farmers in many places in North Zhili have to leave their homes to avoid conscription, and our family is also registered. These are minor issues; I’m sure Marquis Baoding has a way to handle them. But the important thing is, I noticed that someone is recruiting these registered laborers for the manor… I recognize them; they’re from the Prince of Anyang’s mansion.”