Chapter 648: What Are His Intentions?

A row of maids knelt neatly on the ground, each holding a lacquered tray, with various items shining brightly under the light of the candles in the room.
There were hats made of soot-colored silk, black felt hats with straight brims, hats adorned with coral and gold dates, belts made of gold and cloud-patterned rhinoceros hide, dragon-shaped sashes woven from gold and jade, purple-threaded sashes with gold decorations, an ivory-handled sword with floral engravings, one robe of silk, one of gauze, a pair of soot-colored deerhide boots, and a pair of multicolored embroidered leather boots.
The clothes were all splendidly embroidered with gold and silver threads, and the ornaments were exquisitely crafted. Under normal circumstances, a few favored eunuchs would surely try to flatter them, but now none dared utter a word. Even the officers who had been called over exchanged glances, with no one speaking. As a result, Zhu Gaoxu, seated on the throne, gritted his teeth even harder, his fists clenching with a cracking sound.
“That damned fat man!” Zhu Gaoxu cursed viciously before waving his hand impatiently. “Put all these things in the warehouse! I don’t want to see them! And get all the extras out of here!”
Only after those items were removed and the room was empty did he sigh in relief, then sneer. “He’s always been like this—good at pretending to be kind! When our father was angry with me, he tried to persuade him, and everyone praised him for his kindness and filial piety, while I was sent to some hellhole like Le’an! Later, when the third brother almost suffered because of rebels, he comforted him after returning, and now the third brother has just been released from the prince’s mansion! It’s the same again—he sends these trivial things from our father to me, but why doesn’t he bring along our father’s imperial seals too? What are his intentions?”
“Since the things have been sent, Your Highness might as well keep them as a reminder…”
“A reminder? What kind of ridiculous reminder? Seeing these does remind me of my dead father, but it also reminds me of his fickleness! How did he promise me things on the battlefield?”

Furious, Zhu Gaoxu reached out to smash something, only to find the area beside the throne empty. Then he remembered that since learning of Emperor Zhu Di’s death and Zhu Gaochi’s control over the capital, everything in the room that could be smashed had already been destroyed. He could only slam his fist on the red-painted armrest beside him. “This position of heir should have belonged to me! My father personally promised it to me, but later he listened to those civil officials’ bribes. If not for those wretched dogs, it wouldn’t be that fat guy who’s on the throne now! That idiot of the third son thought leading the push for succession would end well—doesn’t he know he’ll soon be driven out of the capital?”

While in the capital, Mei Qing managed to meet Prince Zhao Zhu Gaosui several times. Seeing Zhu Gaoxu angry now, he quickly stepped closer and whispered, “Prince Zhao is alone in the capital. The guards from Changshan are under strict surveillance due to past incidents, and almost all his trusted subordinates have been lost. He’s just playing along for now. But he’s already agreed that if Your Highness leads an army into the capital, he’ll act as an insider.”

“Hmph! He just hopes that I and that fat guy fight to the death so he can reap the benefits. Nothing in this world is that easy!” Zhu Gaoxu dismissed Mei Qing’s words. After cursing for a while, he turned to his trusted generals. “The imperial edict states that the funeral should follow the old customs of Emperor Taizu—essentially preventing princes from entering the capital, especially me, the Prince of Han. What do you suggest?”

Although such matters should be discussed with advisors, Zhu Gaoxu didn’t trust any of the officials in the Prince of Han’s household, from the chief secretary down. So he preferred to ask these burly military officers. As soon as he spoke, the soldiers began arguing among themselves.

“Of course, we should follow the example of the late emperor and head straight to the capital. Setting aside the relationship between ruler and subject, Your Highness is after all the emperor’s legitimate son!”

“That’s right! Back then, when Zhu Yunwen kept the emperor outside, it made many noble generals lose trust!”

“During the Jingnan Campaign, Your Highness was always by the emperor’s side in every fierce battle—everyone knows that! As long as Your Highness arrives at the gates of the capital, even if they don’t say it out loud, they’ll at least have a choice in their hearts!”

Though the place was noisy at the moment, everyone’s intentions were clear. Even Mei Qing believed that Zhu Gaoxu should not only go but also bring a large number of troops with him. This naturally suited Zhu Gaoxu’s wishes, so he waved his hand to stop the discussions and began assigning tasks one by one. Just as the atmosphere in the room was charged with enthusiasm, a gentle knocking at the door came from outside, followed by a timid, high-pitched voice.
“Your Highness, someone from the capital has arrived again.”
Hearing that more people had been sent from the capital, Zhu Gaoxu immediately stood up. “Come with me to meet them and see what they have to say this time! Someone, prepare the royal procession for the Prince’s Mansion. I’ll meet them in Xuanren Hall!”
Ever since the news of Zhu Di’s death spread, Zhu Gaoxu had ordered everyone in the mansion to wear mourning clothes, but he himself wore armor beneath them. His confidants knew the deeper meaning behind this, so they followed his example. Now, as everyone gathered in Xuanren Hall, they saw two rows of armored soldiers standing straight as poles all the way to the main gate of the back garden, prompting them to stand even straighter. Back then, those who had contributed to the Jingnan Campaign were mostly low-ranking officers like hundred or thousand men commanders, or even mere soldiers. Now, those who held titles of dukes and marquises were considered noblemen, having risen to power overnight. If they helped Zhu Gaoxu achieve success, they too could enjoy prosperity for generations!
Sworded cloaks, halberd cloaks, staffs, ceremonial knives, patterned swords… The royal procession items usually used only for official appearances were now arranged along the main path of the Han Prince’s Mansion, creating a solemn and imposing atmosphere. Coupled with hundreds of mansion guards in armor wearing plain clothes on both sides of the path, a sense of aggression filled the air. However, Zhang Yue was not new to this place, nor was he the inexperienced young scholar he used to be, so he wasn’t affected. As he walked, he thought back to the encounters he had had with many people before leaving.
Zhang Fu had warned him in advance, and he had already prepared to leave the Ministry of War. He certainly didn’t want to leave the Bureau of Geography at this time, as the espionage work had just begun. But since Hu Qi and the others had been assigned there, and it was his colleague Cui Fanzhi from the Armory Department who had been transferred to the Bureau of Geography as an assistant director, he had no choice but to let go. Still, even though he knew there was time ahead, he never expected to be transferred to the Ministry of Rites and then sent to Le’an.

As soon as he stepped into Xuanren Hall, Zhang Yue immediately set aside all his miscellaneous thoughts. At this moment, he could clearly feel the sharp gazes fixed on him. Offending Prince Zhao, Zhu Gao Sui, was an open affair, but offending Prince Han, Zhu Gao Xu, was done in secret—unless one counted the barely alive Zhu Zhanqi or the earlier suppression of the White Lotus Sect. At this moment, the prince’s gaze didn’t seem as piercing as a knife. Still, if he made even the slightest mistake, the Ming Dynasty was known for its leniency toward royal relatives. Even if he were an imperial envoy, there would be no one to appeal to for justice, nor would anyone stand by his side.

Zhu Gao Xu had initially assumed the visitor was either an eunuch or some ordinary official from the Ministry of Rites, so he hadn’t bothered to ask who they were. Now that he recognized Zhang Yue, he frowned and then arrogantly raised his head, saying, “I never expected it to be you this time! If you have any message to convey, just say it straight. Even if I don’t wish to go, out of respect for Zhang Fu, I won’t make things difficult for you!”

Zhang Yue had no idea what it was like when Emperor Jianwen sent someone to deliver an imperial edict to Prince Yan, Zhu Di, in the past. All he knew was that if this scene were to become known, those powerful elders back home would likely scold him mercilessly upon his return. So he took a deep breath quietly and then said in a formal tone, “In that case, there’s no need for me to read out the edict. I’ll take my leave now! I’ll report to the emperor that Your Highness is unwilling to go to the capital for the sacrificial rites…”

Zhu Gao Xu, accustomed to arrogance, became furious at Zhang Yue’s first words, but upon hearing the rest, he immediately threw away his anger and stood up. Not only him but also the military officers and officials from the prince’s mansion were shocked, and the hall fell silent for a moment.

With so many eyes fixed on him, Zhang Yue, having seen such situations many times before, wasn’t afraid at all. Sure enough, Zhu Gao Xu glared at him for a while before ordering the eunuchs to prepare an incense altar and asking about the situation in the capital. These were things Zhang Yue had planned in advance, so he answered fluently. Once the setup for receiving the edict was ready, he didn’t care whether Zhu Gao Xu was willing to kneel or not and simply read out the imperial edict dictated by the emperor and written by Yang Shiji. However, Zhu Gao Xu didn’t send him back as expected but instead forced him to stay.

Whether by design or chance, Zhang Yue found himself staying in the same premium guest room in the back garden of the Hanwang Mansion that he had occupied years ago. Seeing the green curtains embroidered with flowers and birds, the bright red satin mattress, and the brocade quilt with a sandalwood-colored background and peony patterns embroidered in gold thread, he felt as if he had suddenly returned five years in the past. When he realized it was another eunuch coming to serve him, he examined him carefully. Not finding anything familiar about his face, he smiled self-mockingly.

They say things change but people remain the same, but now it seems both things and people have changed. Even if no one has lived here since then, all the furnishings should have been replaced long ago—they couldn’t possibly remain unchanged. Someone like Zhu Gaoxu wouldn’t be that meticulous.

Yet the eunuch was extremely clever, bustling about to take care of everything. When the food was brought, he arranged it all in front of Zhang Yue. Seeing that Zhang Yue was still inspecting the table, chairs, and backrests, he said with a smile, “I’ve been in the mansion for several years and have hardly seen this room occupied more than a few times. Who would have thought that this time, His Excellency would stay here? From the curtains and bedding to the furniture, everything was chosen when the crown prince was still alive. His Excellency never cared much about such things, so they’ve remained unchanged. I heard that His Excellency used to live here—does it look familiar to you?”

Hearing that it was Zhu Zhantan who had chosen these items, Zhang Yue became curious and asked a few questions at his leisure. The eunuch usually only did ordinary chores and knew nothing about secret matters, but he happened to be talkative. Seeing that Zhang Yue only asked trivial questions, he talked endlessly, eventually sighing.

“The crown prince was extremely kind-hearted; everyone, from top to bottom, truly respected him. Yet he passed away so early. Alas, everyone thought he was getting better step by step, but who would have known he would leave so suddenly?” In his excitement, he forgot that the man before him was someone the supervisor had instructed him to be cautious around, and he added, “On the night the crown prince passed away, it is said he vomited blood heavily and couldn’t speak. He managed to scribble a character on paper, but no one could figure out what it was… Ahem!”

Zhang Yue had long suspected Zhu Zhan Tan’s early death. After all, that sickly man was extremely cunning and hard to predict. Even after facing Zhu Zhan Qi later, he always felt there was an indelible shadow behind him. Fortunately, he had people capture Fang Rui; that man was probably now on a merchant ship sailing overseas, and Zhu Zhan Tan’s spirit could finally be said to have vanished. Just as he heard something important, the young eunuch suddenly coughed, and he immediately came to his senses.

The young eunuch indeed realized at once that he had spoken too much, quickly stopped talking, and then slipped out under some pretext. Only when he saw no one around did he feel relieved. Thankfully, Zhang Yue didn’t ask any further questions. After dinner and washing his feet, he went to bed early. He waited outside for a while to make sure he was truly asleep before rushing out of the room and ordering the two strong maids sent to watch over him to keep a close eye. He then hurried off to report to the supervisor.

Assuming the people inside were civil officials, they surely didn’t possess any extraordinary combat skills, and their fighting abilities were ordinary. Now that they were asleep, the two maids gradually started chatting and then went into the side room to escape the cold, completely unaware that someone had sneaked in.

From the emperor’s serious illness to his death, Zhang Yue had hardly gotten any proper sleep these days. Now, with the warm room around him, he fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow. Yet, once he fell asleep, he kept having dreams. By the time he felt someone pushing him to wake up, he was overwhelmed by heat. Seeing a man in black standing by the bed, he was stunned at first but quickly regained his composure.

“It’s me!” Tang Sair gently pulled down her mask. Seeing Zhang Yue wasn’t surprised, she sneered, “In such a dangerous situation, you really have the ability to fall asleep right away.”

“You already call it a dangerous situation. As a scholar, if I don’t fall asleep, should I learn to fight like you? Besides, when others are watching me, it’s only proper to sleep.” Seeing Tang Sair’s mocking expression, Zhang Yue smiled slightly and said, “I’ve always believed in one principle: no matter what, it’s best to leave it to experts in that field. Otherwise, even if you had the ability to divide your body, you’d still be overwhelmed. It’s so late—why take such a big risk to come here? Do you have any important news?”

Although they had once been enemies, Tang Sair was still in debt to her for help at the moment, so she merely sneered before extending three fingers. She bent the first one first: “First, the commander of the Shandong military force was replaced before the New Year. Liu Zhong, who helped you suppress the White Lotus Sect before, has been transferred to Jiangxi. The current commander gets along very well with the King of Han.” She then bent the second finger: “Second, if the King of Han goes to the capital, he’ll likely take me with him. Now he’s asking me to treat his illnesses. Although I won’t draw attention, remember to tell my master to stay away from him.” “There’s also something even more important. I overheard that the King of Han is planning to establish a spy agency similar to the Jinyiwei. Besides gathering information, they might engage in other activities, such as assassinations. Of course, they can’t assassinate the emperor, but others might not be so safe. The nobles have countless family soldiers to protect them, but civil officials don’t.”