Chapter 614: There Is Only One Zhu Di in the World—No Second Will Ever Exist!

Though he had fought on battlefields since his youth and suffered few defeats in his life, even now Zhu Di had to rely on others to help him mount a horse, as his health continued to decline after his birthday celebration. Yet, despite his lack of strength, after hearing news from both the north and south the previous night, he stayed up late, keeping Jin Youzi with him until midnight before sending him away. With this matter on his mind, he couldn’t help but ponder deeply before going to bed. That night, he visited Consort Zheng again, and in the morning he ate plenty of meat, which led to his illness.

Wind arthralgia wasn’t a fatal disease, but it was extremely troublesome. Although Beijing was dry, lacking the dampness of the south, the condition couldn’t be cured completely and would flare up unexpectedly, much to Zhu Di’s frustration. Taking the prescription written with ingredients like Bieji, processed Aconite, Cinnamon bark, and Ephedra, he glanced at it and torn it to pieces in seconds.

“Taking medicine, taking medicine—you’ve almost turned me into a medicine jar, yet the illness still flares up constantly. What’s the use of these medicines! Even if it can’t be cured, at least a few doses should suppress it temporarily. What’s the point of these half-hearted remedies? Get out! All of you, get out! Someone, go find the head physician of the Imperial Medical Academy and have him take my pulse!”

After driving the two physicians away in a fit of anger, Zhu Di leaned back, panting heavily, and thought again of the news he had learned early that morning. He had three sons and five daughters. Princess Yongping had never been his favorite, especially after Li Maofang’s incident—she was worth no concern even in death. But one suicide after another, and this time, some in the princess’s household claimed someone had murdered her, which truly angered him.

Leaning back on the padded support of the soft couch, he couldn’t help but think of Zhu Ning, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time. He also thought of the restless sons under Zhu Zhu’s care, but Zhu Ning’s character and temperament were outstanding, which made him even angrier. More than half of his children were born to Empress Xu, yet none of them inherited their mother’s impeccable character—some were infuriatingly weak, others were ambitiously reckless, and none of his daughters could be considered considerate.

Since childhood, no one had been able to compare to him, yet now this guy finally had one thing where he surpassed him! Fortunately, he still had a good grandson—a grandson skilled in both civil and military affairs…

“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is waiting outside, along with Eunuch Zheng and the others.”

“I’m merely sick, not dead—there’s no need for such a fuss! Send them back to their duties; don’t stand here!”

Hearing this voice speaking with extreme caution, Zhu Di became even angrier. Watching the young eunuch retreat in a panic, he snorted through his nose and remained reclined on the couch. Yet the persistent pain in his joints kept distracting him until Shi Quan, sweating profusely, arrived in the warm chamber. After taking his pulse, he immediately dissolved a pill in water for him to swallow.

It was unclear how much time passed before the unbearable pain subsided, and his thoughts turned to what Jin Youzi had said the previous night. There were two military reports: one about Arutai attempting to revive the Tatars, and the other about the Oirats requesting aid. Jin Youzi and Li Qing’s views were similar—they wanted to sit back and watch the conflict. More than half a month earlier, Zhang Yue had also said that the Tatar tribe had declined.

But ever since he was the Prince of Yan, he had fought repeatedly beyond the borders. Should he now stop fighting altogether? The Tatars might have declined, but who knew if another extraordinary leader might emerge? As for sending people to the frontier…

The emperor was clearly lost in thought, and Shi Quan saw this clearly. Yet even as he gently felt the pulse on the emperor’s left wrist, he faced his own difficulties. This condition, known as wind arthralgia, could be treated with decoctions, acupuncture, or heat compresses, but a complete cure was difficult. Most importantly, to minimize its outbreaks, the best approach was to avoid raw, cold, or greasy foods—something utterly impossible for Zhu Di, who would become irritable at the mere thought of a meal without meat. Now that the emperor was older, he suffered from various other ailments in addition to wind arthralgia, making it nearly impossible for even the best imperial physicians to attend to them all.

“Relying on him for everything—Li Qing and Jin Youzi really just want to avoid trouble. Do they all want to imitate me?”

These sudden words jolted Shi Quan awake. Looking up, he saw Zhu Di staring at the ceiling beams, talking to himself. Realizing these words were not meant for him, he quickly pretended not to hear anything. Only after withdrawing his hand did he respectfully say, “Your Majesty, taking the medicine as a decoction and using it for fumigation is more effective. As for the dizziness and headaches, more rest will help; it will pass after a while.”

Zhu Di had long forgotten that he was still a patient; only upon hearing these words did he come back to his senses. The first two imperial physicians had given complicated and hard-to-understand diagnoses, without even mentioning when he would recover, so Shi Quan’s words undoubtedly reassured him even more. Thinking he wouldn’t have to drink those bitter and astringent traditional medicines, he nodded in satisfaction: “Arrange everything as you say. I’ve been a hero my whole life; I don’t want to end up unable to ride a horse or wield a sword, forced to lie in bed all the time! Now leave, and tell Yang Xueshi to come here for me!”
While calling out Yang Rong’s name, Zhu Di was actually thinking of the letter of apology given to him by Princess Yongping earlier. In fact, he didn’t need her to say it—he already knew that his son also wanted to follow in his footsteps, to endure hardships first before sweeping the world under his control. But those who wanted to imitate him never considered that there was only one Zhu Di in the world—there would never be another!
No wall is airtight; with the emperor ill, news quickly spread from the palace to the outside world and then to other parts of the realm. Compared to emperors from past dynasties, both Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di could be considered to have lived long lives and reigned for extremely long periods—Zhu Yuanzhang had to crown his grandson after his crown prince died, while Zhu Di kept his crown prince under strict control while also naming a grandson as heir. However, compared to the powerful regional lords during the Hongwu era, there was now only the Prince of Han who deserved attention.
Thus, amid such news, Princess Yongping’s death went almost unnoticed. With her husband and son already dead, her several half-brothers at most shed a few tears in her presence, while her siblings, nieces, and nephews were all preoccupied with the ill Zhu Di. Even those who came to pay their respects at the funeral were in a hurry and didn’t notice that many people had disappeared from the grand princess’s residence. Not even her closest attendants were there.
Apart from the necessary formalities arranged by the Ministry of Rites for her funeral, the mourning at the princess’s residence was quiet and unattended. Meanwhile, elsewhere, people were busy preparing for a wedding. Wan Shijie and Xiao Wu’s wedding was set for the third day of the sixth month. Although the groom had few relatives, Wan Shijie was an open-minded and generous person with many friends. Even Peng Shisan, who was now quite rare, sent a pair of items as a betrothal gift, while the dowry and other wedding expenses were kept minimal.
In Xiao Wu’s words, if she cared about money, she wouldn’t have married a penniless man. And Wan Shijie didn’t care about it either. If he valued dowry, there were many wealthy families in the capital willing to give their daughters to a scholar-official as a son-in-law.

So, after both sides finalized their guest lists, it was necessary to send invitation cards to relatives and friends. Xiao Wu, concerned that Meng Tao and Meng Fan had already left and only women and children remained in the Meng family, decided to visit them in person to see if Meng Min could make it. Unexpectedly, as soon as she stepped out of the gate, she ran into Zhang Yue. Although she had been shy for a while, the approaching wedding date made her regain her usual generosity. She tilted her head, glanced at Zhang Yue, and blinked.

“Brother-in-law, are you really leaving the capital for the north again?”

It wasn’t certain yet. Zhang Yue had only mentioned it to Du Wan, and he was surprised that Xiao Wu asked so directly. “It’s not settled yet. How did your sister tell you?”

“She wouldn’t be that quick to talk. She doesn’t even tell our parents, so how would she tell me!” Xiao Wu huffed indignantly, but soon two dimples appeared on her cheeks. “It was Wan Da Ge who told me. He works in the Ministry of War with you and is well-informed. He also said that you always take on the tough tasks—there’s no such thing in this world.”

Knowing that Wan Shijie was always straightforward, Zhang Yue didn’t take it to heart and just smiled. Upon learning that Xiao Wu was going to the Meng family, he thought for a moment before offering, “When Meng Tao left a few days ago, he asked me to look after his family. There are only women and children there now, and it’s not convenient for me to go alone. Since you’re going to deliver the invitations in person, I happen to need to leave the city today to handle some matters in Tongzhou. I can take you to Xi Ji Town on the way.”

Xiao Wu was delighted to have company and agreed without hesitation. Walking side by side with Zhang Yue, she learned that he was there to submit a strategy document for pacifying Jiyi to Du Zhen. She pouted disinterestedly, “You’re always so busy that you’re never around, Wan Da Ge is also always missing, and Dad is busy from dawn to dusk. All men are like this—never at home. Back then, watching Mom and Sister, I always thought they were bored staying at home. Now it’s my turn to be idle!”
“That’s not exaggerated. You’re not alone. Even after getting married, who will stop you from going wherever you want? Besides, if Wan stayed at home all the time, you might find him annoying! A man doesn’t have to do something earth-shattering, but he can’t be a lazybones, right?”
“Brother-in-law, you’re always full of big principles!”

Seeing Xiao Wu make a face at him before wrinkling his nose and climbing into the carriage, Zhang Yue mounted his horse. He shook the reins to set off, but couldn’t help drifting into thought. It had been eleven years since he arrived here. Compared to the uncertain days of his past life, he now had parents and brothers, a wife and children, sisters, as well as relatives and close friends—his life was incredibly fulfilling, with not a moment wasted. Since he already had everything he needed, and this time he didn’t have to rescue his father-in-law like before, perhaps it was time to find a solution. The old powers in the court were scheming, but he wasn’t just a pawn they could manipulate at will—there was only one emperor!