Chapter 854: Shocking News

He was awakened once in the dead of night, but he slept soundly for the rest of the night. When someone woke him, he felt refreshed. Though he had always been adaptable and had traveled to countless places, able to fall asleep easily once he let go of his worries, this was his first time living in a palace. So when he got up, seeing a young eunuch come to assist with his morning routine, he felt a sense of disorientation. He was distracted even while having breakfast.

“Eunuch Cao.”
As he was distracted, holding a pickled melon with his chopsticks, he heard this voice. Looking up, he saw Cao Jixiang and an old eunuch entering through the curtain. The old eunuch wore a gold-trimmed black hat and a slightly worn jacket with floral patterns on the collar and narrow sleeves. His face was covered in wrinkles, making it difficult to determine his age at first glance.

It was already late when Fan Hong brought him here last night, and he had never met the eunuch in charge of the Archives Bureau. At that moment, he realized that this old eunuch must be the one in charge of it.

The Archives Bureau was responsible for managing the Archives Library, as well as imperial decrees, seals, certificates, and other related matters. It used to be one of the most prestigious among the twelve bureaus, four departments, and eight offices. But as the Court Protocol Bureau’s influence grew and the Imperial Horse Bureau took control of military affairs, the status of the Archives Bureau among the twenty-four government agencies became awkward. With his gloomy appearance, the old eunuch didn’t win the favor of the nobles, so he wisely avoided seeking attention. He appeared as usual, exchanged a few words—something like “Speak if you have business; otherwise, I won’t come”—and then left under the pretense of having matters to attend to.

Not everyone in this palace was eager to build relationships or climb the ladder.

Cao Jixiang was glad to see the old eunuch leave, but he still personally escorted him outside before pulling back the curtain and entering. Without bothering to send someone to clean up the leftovers on the table, he stepped forward to Zhang Yue’s side. “Lord Zhang, last night, after I delivered the imperial edict from here, I heard that someone from Renshou Palace went to the Imperial Pharmacy to summon the imperial physicians. I didn’t hear any updates at the time, and it wasn’t until this morning that I learned the news—the Crown Prince is ill!”

Hearing that the imperial physician said the crown prince was ill, Zhang Yue was instantly stunned, quite surprised. The crown prince was still young; although he had never seen him, Du Wan was close to Zhu Ning, who often came back saying that the crown prince was fortunate—he had remained healthy since birth, rarely suffering from illnesses, and his height and weight had increased over the months. Now, with so much going on outside, why had Zhu Qizhen suddenly fallen ill?

As if the previous news wasn’t shocking enough, Cao Jixiang lowered his voice further and said, “Also, a servant I know went to Renshou Palace, but was stopped even before reaching the gate. It was said the empress dowager ordered that no outsiders be allowed in the harem starting today. After returning, he secretly told me that all six palaces had been sealed off.”

Now, Zhang Yue was even more astonished. If it were just a minor illness, it wouldn’t warrant such strict measures. The empress dowager’s heightened vigilance clearly indicated she was on guard against something—unless someone was trying to harm him… But if that were the case, wouldn’t Zhu Ning, who had been taking care of the crown prince, have something to explain? Thinking this, his brows furrowed, but since he was also trapped in this repository of ancient and modern records, it was difficult to do anything. After all, the affairs of the royal family were the most unpredictable of all!

After sharing these news, seeing Zhang Yue hesitating, Cao Jixiang couldn’t help but complain, “Sir Zhang, since this morning, the guards outside the palace have become extremely strict. Eunuchs who could previously leave the palace at will now can’t get permission either. I tried going to the Bureau of Rites several times but was sent back, told that Lord Fan and Lord Jin had ordered me to focus on my duties here. I’m really scared—could it be that the Bureau of Rites has some…”

Zhang Yue instantly considered whether Fan Hong and Jin Ying might be involved in the crown prince’s sudden illness, but dismissed the idea quickly. Those two were veterans of the eastern palace; even Wang Jin had to show them respect when he was in the palace. Moreover, it wasn’t easy to gain the trust of the emperor and empress, so no amount of coercion or temptation would likely sway them. Thus, he simply interrupted Cao Jixiang, “Don’t speculate recklessly on such matters.”

Having entered the palace to escape a poor life outside and spent many years there, Cao Jixiang was naturally clever and calculating. So when Zhang Yue grew stern, he immediately fell silent. Seeing him return to his desk and start dealing with the military documents brought into the palace, Cao Jixiang stood for a moment before quietly retreating to the outer room.

The Gujin Tongji Library was located near the south wall of the palace. All he could hear were the steady footsteps coming from outside the palace walls, along with the sound of bells. Having spent many years in the Ministry of War, he was quite familiar with the palace defense system—forty red guard posts in the inner palace and seventy-two in the outer palace, with bells rung every night for duty. Bells were only rung during the day in case of important situations. The officials and soldiers who had just passed by were clearly wearing boots, and from the sound, it was evident that their number was far more than just ten guards per post; it was highly likely that reinforcements had been added.

Yet Empress Dowager Zhang had always been shrewd and low-key—so why would she suddenly mount such a large-scale operation?

After two or three rounds of those steady boot sounds, it had not been long since silence settled outside when there was suddenly another commotion, as if people were arguing loudly. Hearing the chaotic noise, he couldn’t help frowning, put down his pen, and stood up to go outside. When he reached the outer area, it was already empty—Cao Jixiang was nowhere to be seen. Finding this strange, he took a heavy cloak to drape over himself and lifted the thick blue silk-cotton curtain at the entrance before he could see what was going on in the courtyard.

There, five or six eunuchs from the Seal Supervision Bureau were surrounding a person in a hooded cloak, pushing and shoving them while sneering at them. “What does this Gujin Tongji Library think it is? Is it a place where you can shout around?” “A fifth-rank supervisor from the Court Rituals Bureau? I’m even a junior supervisor in the Seal Supervision Bureau—why are you here arguing about ranks? Everyone knows that if it weren’t for you accompanying Doctor Wan on a mission to Oirat, you’d already be dead in some remote corner. And now you come here to cause trouble at this hour—how dare you!” “Exactly! Did you think you were still Lu Gonggong’s favorite? Even Lu Gonggong couldn’t become an eunuch himself, let alone you!”

Though their voices weren’t loud, they were extremely harsh. Cao Jixiang, standing below the steps, didn’t turn around, but hearing the movement of the curtain and footsteps, he knew Zhang Yue had come out. He immediately stepped forward and shouted, “Eunuch Cheng might have been sent here by order to see Lord Zhang. Don’t just focus on blocking him—ask him clearly first!” “You’re also from the Court Rituals Bureau. If Master Fan has anything to say, why send such a useless person instead?”

The tall and thin middle-aged man in charge of the Seal Supervision Office was not on duty here last night. It was not until this morning that he found out his own Ancient and Modern Collection Repository had been taken over by an external official. He did not dare to anger Zhang Yue, but having rarely seen the emperor and empress over the years, he naturally vented his frustration on others, becoming even more sarcastic and harsh. “And you, a mere attendant, how dare you not use respectful terms like ‘my lord’ when speaking to me?”

Cao Jixiang felt choked by these harsh words and was about to speak when the man who had been surrounded suddenly had his hood pulled off by someone, revealing his face. Now, not only could Zhang Yue see him clearly, but he too finally saw Zhang Yue. He quickly raised his voice and called out, “Lord Zhang, I truly have an urgent matter! I came from outside the palace!”

At that moment, the tall and thin supervisor, who had been sneering, suddenly turned around. Seeing that Zhang Yue had indeed left the room, he immediately fell silent. As an inner official, even if he didn’t often see the emperor, he still carried an indescribable sense of pride. But in front of Zhang Yue, he couldn’t maintain that attitude. Facing Zhang Yue’s icy gaze, he felt a chill down his spine and forced a smile.

“Lord Zhang, I was afraid someone might disturb you…”

Zhang Yue didn’t look at him but instead asked Cheng Jiu, “You say you came from outside the palace. Aren’t you in the palace?”

Seeing that Zhang Yue was speaking directly to him, Cheng Jiu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward. After bowing, he hurriedly said, “I was sent by Eunuch Fan to handle some matters outside the capital and only returned today to report. I didn’t expect I wouldn’t be able to enter the Secretariat. Since my official badge for handling palace affairs hadn’t been returned, I was able to enter Donghua Gate, but not Renshou Palace. I don’t have anyone important in the palace I can turn to, and I’m afraid it will delay important matters. Hearing that Lord Zhang is at the Ancient and Modern Collection Repository, I came to seek your help for a solution. Lord Zhang, I just returned from Shanxi. It was the Empress Dowager who instructed Eunuch Fan to give me this task…”

Upon hearing the word “Shanxi,” Zhang Yue’s heart tightened. After staring at Cheng Jiu for a moment, he nodded and said, “Follow me inside to talk.”

With his approval, Cheng Jiu felt greatly relieved. After all, he had traveled to Taiyuan in the cold weather, suffering from the cold on the way. If things were delayed, all the blame would fall on him. He followed Zhang Yue up the steps, waiting for him to enter first, only to find that the person ahead suddenly turned around and waved for him to come.

Seeing Cao Jixiang dart over swiftly, Zhang Yue lowered his voice and instructed, “Go to Renshou Palace and report his return from Shanxi! Keep it secret—use my name. Perhaps the Empress Dowager will meet with you.”

To claim shared resentment just because they were both in the Imperial Ceremonial Bureau was undoubtedly a ridiculous joke. Besides, how could Cao Jixiang not know that Cheng Jiu, though titled Deputy Supervisor of the Imperial Ceremonial Bureau, was actually no better than him, his personal attendant? So, when he stepped in to speak earlier, it was merely because he saw someone being bullied and remembered his own past, with Zhang Yue happening to be right behind him. Hearing Zhang Yue’s words now, he immediately realized there might truly be something serious and didn’t dare be careless. He quickly agreed and dashed outside.

Since Zhang Yue had abandoned his plan to inquire about Cheng Jiu personally in an instant, he naturally wouldn’t stay alone. Not long after Cao Jixiang left, the old eunuch from the Seal and Ribbon Supervision Bureau, who had appeared earlier that morning, slowly entered. Without waiting for him to speak, Zhang Yue took the lead. Hearing that Cheng Jiu had left the palace on a critical mission and had just returned, the old eunuch immediately abandoned any attempt to smooth things over in an official tone. Even if it was troublesome, he could only order someone to prepare a room in the west wing for Cheng Jiu to stay in. Seeing Zhang Yue return to his room, he glared coldly at the troublemaking young eunuch and spat out a single word:

“Get out!”

It was still that face full of wrinkles and deep sorrow, but with that light utterance, everyone in the courtyard—big and small—who had once been arrogant scattered like birds and beasts. Thinking of what might happen next, everyone felt like crying—there was one position for each person in the palace. Although the Ancient and Modern Collection Repository wasn’t a top-tier place, it wasn’t bad either. If they had known this young eunuch was so useless, why would they have bothered to back him up? Such untimely interference could really get someone killed!

The Lishun Gate, Daohé Gate, and the central Renshou Gate leading to Renshou Palace were all sealed. Though Cao Jixiang was a senior attendant in the Imperial Ceremonial Bureau, people with such titles naturally didn’t catch the nobles’ attention. If he hadn’t claimed to be sent by Zhang Yue, the Deputy Minister of War from the Ancient and Modern Collection Repository, no one would have paid him any attention. Even so, it took half an hour after multiple reports before someone came out, nodded at him, and gestured for him to follow.

They entered through the Renshou Gate with blue background and golden characters. But instead of leading him to the main hall, the person took him to the entrance of a room in a side hall on the west side. Then, quietly beside the door, they said, “Princess, I’ve brought him.”

Realizing it was the Princess of Chenliu inside, Cao Jixiang was shocked and didn’t dare to delay. He quickly knelt down at the steps. He had thought she would surely respond from outside, but instead, she ordered him to enter. Though confused, he calmed himself down, stepped over the threshold, and immediately knelt without daring to look up. He repeated verbatim what Zhang Yue had instructed him and did not hide the matter of Cheng Jiu entering the Ancient and Modern Collection Library.

“I see… In that case, go back and bring them here…” As soon as he said this, Zhu Ning suddenly remembered the instructions given by Empress Dowager Zhang when she was conscious. After pondering for a moment, she immediately changed her mind. “Wait, take this token to the Imperial Secretariat and have Lord Fan come to Renshou Palace right away. After that, return to the Ancient and Modern Collection Library and tell Zhang Yue and that Cheng Jiu to wait; I’ll follow soon. I’ll send someone with you to ensure everything goes smoothly. Do you understand?”

“I understand.”

Cao Jixiang hurriedly kowtowed in agreement. After leaving Renshou Gate with a middle-aged eunuch, he looked at the token in his hand, feeling both happy and confused. He was happy because he had finally gained the attention of an important noble, but confused because if the crown prince fell ill, how could Zhu Ning remain unaffected? Yet this doubt vanished from his mind almost instantly.

The Empress Dowager tolerated no mistakes. Since the Princess of Chenliu was still favored, he had no choice but to follow orders.