Chapter 880: Meeting Between the Imperial Family and Princes

It had been five days since the emperor’s procession entered the capital. During those five days, Duke Zhang Fu returned home to pay respects to his ancestors, ensuring that three generations of the Zhang family could enjoy the offerings from their descendants. Empress Dowager Zhang’s health improved significantly, and the crown prince stopped crying as often. No officials who knew the emperor had arrived incognito dared to reveal this news. Thus, when the grand procession entered through Chaoyang Gate and the townspeople bowed along the streets, no one realized the emperor had already arrived in the capital.

On Chongwenmen Street, colorful banners, majestic horses, and brave warriors passed by. Only after they had gone for a long time did the people get up from the ground, rubbing their stiff knees and backs as they discussed what had just happened. Under the supervision of the Shuntian Prefecture officials and the Five Cities Military Command, they gradually dispersed. In Ganmian Hutong, those who had taken shelter there also came out one by one. The leader, a Jinyi Guard in his early thirties, brushed off his robes and said with a smile, “The emperor has finally returned. It seems there are fewer attendants, probably because they rushed here. But it’s good—this way, we can still attend the New Year’s court ceremony.”

Another man, dressed in a simple Hangzhou silk coat and looking much younger than his companion, folded his arms and said, “Uncle Wang, you’ve only been in the mansion for two days already and are in such a hurry. Is it because you haven’t seen Ninth Aunt? This time, I’ve come on behalf of my father. First, it’s by imperial order that I’m here to pay my respects, and second, I want to take the opportunity to explore the capital and stay a few more days.”

These two were Prince Xiangfu, Zhu Youze, and the Crown Prince of Lu, Zhu Taikan, who had arrived in the capital by imperial decree a few days earlier. No one knew why Prince Liang had been punished, but the residences of the princes in the capital were all connected, making information flow easily. Moreover, the residence of Prince Liang was under strict surveillance. Crown Prince Zhu Taikan was of the same generation as Zhu Zhanji, while Prince Xiangfu was an older generation. One was a crown prince and the other a prince of a county—both highly respected members of the imperial family. More importantly, indirectly, Crown Prince Zhu Taikan also had close ties to the Guo family of Marquis Wuding, as his grandfather, the Prince of Lu, was the son of Concubine Guo Ning.

But after all, this was a matter from long ago. Prince Lu had always been renowned among the imperial princes for his wisdom. Zhu Taikan, though young, had inherited the virtues of his ancestors—tall and handsome with a face as pure as jade. Prince Xiangfu, Zhu Youze, was also the most respected among the sons of the late King Zhou Ding. Moreover, although his elder brother, the King of Zhou, took many concubines and occasionally had good news—either a daughter or a son who died in infancy—Zhu Youze had long been regarded by those with ulterior motives as the natural heir to the Zhou princely house.

Though they were related as uncle and nephew, they had never even met. It was only because the residences of Prince Lu and the King of Zhou were adjacent that they had come out together. Now that they had seen the festivities, they ordered their attendants to bring the horses so they could return. Not far behind them, several men in plain clothes watched their movements anxiously until they turned into the alley of the Prince of Shi’s residence before leaving.

Back at the King of Zhou’s residence, Zhu Youze let someone remove his fur coat and sat down in an armchair, holding a copper hand warmer to warm his hands. He then asked the steward standing nearby, “Is there still no news from the princess?”

“The princess is in Renshou Palace. The news is really difficult to deliver…” The steward bowed with a forced smile and, noticing Zhu Youze’s expression, added, “I’ll send someone to inform them at Donghua Gate right away.”

“Never mind!”

Zhu Youze waved his hand to stop him and then dismissed the man, deep in thought. There was a significant age gap between him and Zhu Ning. He had been made a prince early and moved to his fiefdom with his wife, so their relationship was not particularly close. Moreover, the reason why Zhu Ning’s full brother, the Prince of Runan, had had his title revoked and been imprisoned was partly due to the current King of Zhou and partly due to him. Although he had no choice but to fight back, it was inevitable that Zhu Ning would hold some resentment.

“Your Highness, Your Highness!”

As he was lost in thought, an urgent voice came from outside. He gave an order, and immediately a middle-aged man dressed as an eunuch rushed in. Before he could steady himself, he hurriedly said, “Wait a moment. From the Jin princely house, Prince Ninghua, Zhu Jihuan, has arrived in the capital with only seven or eight attendants. It seems he’s accusing the Jin princely house of various crimes! Also, the princess has returned to her residence. Please wait a while, Your Highness; she will come to see you this afternoon.”

Zhu Youze paid no attention to the first matter. Whatever the Prince of Ninghua had to say, the Jin princely house was already doomed anyway. But since Zhu Ning had returned, he immediately stood up and ordered in a deep voice, “Get ready. We’re going to the princess’s residence.”

Seeing the older official looking dazed, he impatiently shouted, “What are you standing around for? Hurry up and go!”
Startled by this, the official didn’t dare mention that Zhu Ning was the sister and Zhu Youze the brother—after all, it shouldn’t be the brother who went to see his sister. He rushed out to get ready. Meanwhile, Zhu Youze went inside and soon came out dressed differently. He had just left with the Crown Prince of Lu; although he was traveling incognito, he had changed into a brocade robe with large floral patterns to prevent people from thinking he was deliberately wandering around. Now, going to see his sister, he didn’t need to go to such lengths—just a plain dark blue silk jacket and an old-fashioned cloth belt. Apart from his leather boots, he looked just like an ordinary scholar.
Once ready, the group set off. Since it wasn’t far, Zhu Youze didn’t use a carriage and walked straight to the princess’s residence. As her biological brother, he knew they couldn’t afford to be careless at the gate. They invited him in and quickly reported his arrival. By the time Zhu Youze reached the second gate, Zhu Ning, who had been informed, had already come out to greet him.
Although they were fifteen years apart in age, upon closer inspection, they did bear a striking resemblance, especially in their eyes and mouths. After meeting, they walked side by side inside. Zhu Youze casually chatted about family matters among siblings before suddenly asking, “Ninth sister, do you really not want to get married?”
“Fourth brother, do you think I’ll live better and more comfortably if I get married?”
Zhu Youze already knew Zhu Ning was determined, but her straightforward reply made him pause. After a long silence, he laughed awkwardly and said, “I misjudged. Indeed, when a princess marries, it’s not like a queen descending—she still has to serve her in-laws and husband. Besides, even Princess Baoqing, who was raised by Empress Renxiao in the past, couldn’t stop her husband from having multiple wives and concubines. How much more so for a princess? You’re quite comfortable raising those two children now. By the way, where are those two little ones? Let your uncle take a look.”
Knowing Zhu Youze wasn’t very interested in children since he had his own sons and daughters, Zhu Ning asked out of habit, but she still showed delight. It had been a long time since she’d been home, yet as soon as she arrived, she went straight to see the children. The twin boys and girls, though too young to speak, seemed to recognize her and clung to her, refusing to leave her arms. It took quite some effort to get them back to bed.

“When Mom carried them out back then, the fourth brother must have taken a look—they were still so tiny. This time, you might not even recognize them. Not only are they both chubby babies, but they also laugh nonstop. The nurses and maids love to tease them. Even when they were brought to the palace to show the Empress Dowager last time, she adored them greatly and bestowed many little trinkets on them. As for those who come to see me, none of them fail to bring them something—everything from longevity charms to bracelets and anklets.”

Seeing Zhu Ning’s smiling and radiant expression, Zhu Youze felt that she was even more beautiful than in her youth. But when he followed her to the small courtyard, pushed aside the curtain to enter the house, and saw her holding the little child, he realized that his sister, who used to cling to his father, had fully grown up. It wasn’t until Zhu Ning brought the child over with a smile that he snapped out of his daze and hurried forward.

“This is Rujun, and this is Ruyun.”

Zhu Youze stared at the two identical children in front of him, stunned. After a while, he finally looked up at Zhu Ning, his face filled with confusion. “Though one is a boy and the other a girl, they look exactly the same. How can you tell them apart?”

“Look at their heads—one has a swirl on the left, and the other on the right. Also, Rujun and Ruyun laugh more often.” Zhu Ning smiled, bent down, and gently poked their rosy cheeks twice. When they started laughing, she stood up straight and said without looking back, “With such a pair of little ones by my side, I’m content.”

Zhu Youze naturally understood the deep meaning behind the word “content.” He also knew that the King of Zhou and Consort Gong had previously considered arranging Zhu Ning’s marriage. With these two facts, it was obvious that Zhu Ning must be disappointed. So, he cleared his throat gently, picked up the children one by one and played with them for a while. Then he took out a pair of white jade rings and gave one to each child. “These are little trinkets from your uncle as a gift for them to play with.”

The siblings played with the children in the warm room for a while. Seeing her usually stern fourth brother laughing heartily, Zhu Ning also felt relieved. It was an entire hour before they left the room and went straight to the study to talk. Thanks to the warm and pleasant atmosphere just now, the estrangement between the siblings who hadn’t seen each other for years had diminished significantly.

Since Zhu Youze was hailed as a wise king, he naturally wouldn’t ask straightforward questions about palace affairs. Instead, he skillfully brought up the news he had heard earlier about the Prince of Ninghua arriving in the capital. As expected, Zhu Ning frowned slightly and then said ambiguously, “I’ve heard about it too. The tyranny of the Jin faction is well-known throughout the land. Some additional matters have been uncovered, and with the Prince of Ninghua’s accusations, it’s now conclusive. He’s always been a man who appears fierce on the outside but is weak inside—there’s no need to worry about him.”

“He has nothing to do with our Zhou faction, so I’m not worried about him. It’s just that recently… I’ve met the Crown Prince of Lu a few times, as you know. As princes, we naturally don’t care about state affairs. I’m just worried that the court might misunderstand us because of a few troublemakers. Even before I came here, my elder brother was quite concerned about this. As you know, it’s the same for all of us brothers.”

With her brother speaking so directly, Zhu Ning hesitated. But to avoid suspicion, she had avoided the topic whenever speaking to the emperor and the empress dowager. Coupled with her own thoughts, she eventually sighed and said, “Fourth brother, it’s not that I can’t give you an answer—it’s just that I really don’t know either. However, our Zhou and Lu factions are not as well-known as those other imperial relatives. There’s no need to overthink things. It’s best to focus on taking care of ourselves when the time comes.”

Seeing Zhu Youze’s thoughtful expression, Zhu Ning stopped talking further. The siblings chatted for a while longer and agreed to meet again the next day at the Prince of Zhou’s residence. After that, Zhu Youze took his leave. As soon as he left, Zhu Ning thought for a while before returning to the children’s quarters. Holding the two little ones in her arms, she gradually felt calmer.

She didn’t expect them to be recorded under the imperial clan name, nor did she expect them to become generals or officials and achieve great things. It was enough for them to live a safe and prosperous life. Just to ensure their happiness, it would be better for her to stay in the mansion for a while longer, so as to avoid backstabbing. So, when Mother Ying came in, she raised her head and ordered, “After having dinner at Fourth Brother’s place tomorrow, spread the word that I’m sick, and then invite a court physician over.”

In the evening, Zhang Yue arrived on time at the Left Gate of Chang’an to pick up Du Zhen, who had left the palace. After the father-in-law and son-in-law got into the carriage, they headed to Wugong Hu’s residence not far away. Since the distance was short, they didn’t have much time to talk in the carriage, only exchanging some casual remarks. The Du family was as deserted as ever. After getting out of the carriage, they walked inside to the main house, where Qiu Shi and Du Wan came out to greet them. With Xiao Wu joking around nearby, the atmosphere was lively. Although it was the 29th day of the 12th lunar month and not New Year’s Eve, the five of them still enjoyed a reunion meal akin to that on New Year’s Day—unless one counted Xiao Wu glaring at Zhang Yue.

After the meal, Zhang Yue quickly assured Xiao Wu that he would be able to go home soon after the New Year, during the Wan Shi Festival, and then hurriedly helped his father-in-law leave. As soon as he left, Xiao Wu stomped his foot in annoyance and said, “He knows what’s good for him!”

As for what “knows what’s good for him” meant, Qiu Shi and Du Wan understood perfectly, as did Zhang Yue, who was helping Du Zhen to the study. Naturally, Xiao Wu, who loved children the most, had some thoughts now that Du Wan was pregnant again. So, even after entering the study, he remained smiling until Du Zhen said something that left him stunned.

“This afternoon, the emperor summoned all the members of the cabinet, the two ministers Jian Xia and Hu from the Ministry of Rites. What happened in the capital earlier was truly appalling. When I returned in the evening, I submitted a memorial written on the road, requesting a change to the law regarding the succession of princely titles.”

Why was his father-in-law so quick?