Chapter 916: The Golden Boy and the Jade Girl

Whenever a consort gave birth, imperial physicians, female officials, midwives, and palace maids would always be present to assist. Even when Concubine Sun was in labor, despite Zhu Zhanji’s concern, he was not allowed to visit her, so naturally, the situation was even more restricted this time.

Thinking of the possible celebrations upon the birth of the prince or princess, he couldn’t help but give prior instructions before rushing to Renshou Palace. After chatting with Empress Dowager Zhang for a while, he remained restless. Eventually, Empress Dowager Zhang, who had just recovered from a serious illness, noticed his anxious demeanor and ordered Queen Hu to go check on him. Before the gentle and composed queen could leave for long, someone rushed in like the wind—it was Cheng Jiu, the deputy head of the Imperial Secretariat, who had been ordered to stay there.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty! It’s a prince!”

“A prince?”

Zhu Zhanji asked eagerly. After receiving another affirmative reply, he grew thoughtful. As the emperor, he had only one son, the crown prince, which seemed risky in the eyes of his ministers. Even he himself felt it was unstable. But now that there was a second son, he couldn’t help but wonder about Empress Dowager Zhang’s reaction. Just as she had shown coldness and distance before, Concubine Sun hadn’t set foot inside this palace for a long time. Even when coming to pay respects, she could only kneel outside the main hall. Even lower-ranking concubines had more status than her. Now that there was a second son, what if his mother really harbored such thoughts? What should he do?

Yet, this was undoubtedly excellent news. After standing in daze for a moment, he hurried back to Empress Dowager Zhang’s chamber to tell her the news in person. As expected, after a brief pause, Empress Dowager Zhang’s eyes lit up, and she nodded in satisfaction. “It’s all thanks to Concubine Wu for safely giving birth to this precious child. Since it’s a prince, let’s promote her to the rank of Virtuous Consort. As for the child, assign someone to take good care of him and raise him there.”

What Zhu Zhanji feared most was that his mother might say the child was born too early. Since Concubine Wu was still in her postpartum period, he thought the child should be raised with Queen Hu or even in Renshou Palace. Hearing his mother’s words, he was initially stunned, then blushed and nodded firmly. “I’ll follow your wishes, Mother.”

“The position of heir apparent is now settled. There must be a clear order of precedence to prevent misunderstandings.”

Empress Dowager Zhang made her point clearly. Setting aside her son’s stubbornness, having lived so long and witnessed the struggle among Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu, and Zhu Gaosui for the position of crown prince, she understood deeply how crucial stability was for the court, so she had to put aside her personal preferences. Seeing Zhu Zhanji already kneeling before her on one knee, she gently placed her hand on his strong shoulder and smiled.

“You’re still young; you shouldn’t have to worry about so much, but some things must be taken precautions for. Since several imperial physicians have hinted that my illness might stem from ancestral factors, you too need to be careful. After all, your father and your third uncle both died at a young age—anything that can be prevented should be done. As for your horseback riding and hunting in the Western Gardens, I used to worry that the ministers would think you, as emperor, were indulging in pleasure. But now it seems you were raised just like Emperor Taizong—it would be a shame to give up those habits.”

Having spent many years together, Zhu Zhanji was used to his mother’s constant advice and guidance. But these days, he felt she was much less strict and harsh than before, seemingly more reasonable, which made him extremely happy. At this moment, Empress Dowager Zhang even relaxed her restrictions on his hunting, which was often criticized by the ministers, so he was even more delighted. He quickly nodded in agreement and made several promises, including taking her out of the capital for sightseeing once she recovered. Although he was criticized for not caring about the people’s welfare, it still brought the mother and son closer.

By the time he left Renshou Palace, Zhu Zhanji’s initial worries had vanished, replaced by a sense of satisfaction. After visiting the child in the Virtuous Consort’s palace and seeing how tiny it was, with the imperial physicians also looking anxious, he felt a hint of fear and worry. Yet he could only order that the child be carefully watched over before returning to Qianqing Palace.

“It’s a pity it’s not full term. I hope heaven will protect it… I wonder if Zhang Yue’s wife is carrying a boy or a girl.”

The news of the emperor’s joyous birth of a son in the palace had not yet spread, while in the Zhang household, people were pondering over what the emperor had said, with everyone watching each other warily. Princesses were hard to marry off, and county princesses even harder, especially given the declining status of the feudal princes. With a prince needing to marry more than a dozen county princesses, it became a major issue. Since scholars aimed to enter government service through the imperial examinations, they were unlikely to consider becoming ceremonial attendants. Those with some prospects wanted to advance step by step and were unwilling to bring a county princess home to be treated as a trophy. Thus, those who could marry county princesses were either officials with nominal titles, ordinary wealthy families’ sons, or descendants of hereditary military positions. These three groups replaced the nobles who used to marry county princesses the most and became the main force among ceremonial attendants. As for the sons-in-law who married princesses, few were from prominent families.

“Unless the sons-in-law can become officials, even local officials, marrying a princess or a county princess will still be seen as a daunting task,” said Zhu Ning, who had gone through the same experience. So when Zhang Yue mentioned the origin of this matter, she joked, “But the emperor’s decision to betroth the princess to your family isn’t just a joke. Wan’er is renowned for her excellent upbringing, and I’ve mentioned this to the empress dowager, so presumably the emperor is serious about it. Jingguan is the eldest son; even if he doesn’t take the imperial examinations, he’ll still have some advantages through his family’s influence, or he could pursue a military career—it depends on him. But you need to set aside one for the younger generation… Enough with the jokes. I often see the two princesses. Though young, they’re not spoiled at all. It would be a shame if they were married off hastily just because of their status…”

Parents’ orders and matchmakers’ suggestions were obstacles no one could overcome. Although Zhang Yue had avoided the trap of forced marriage, without prior plans from his elders, even his best efforts would be useless. Hence, Zhu Ning’s jokes about the young couple were mixed with her own reflections, and as he listened, he began to think quickly. Yet, throughout history—from the unrestrained behavior of princesses in the Han and Tang dynasties to their merely nominal status in the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties—there seemed to be no truly good system in any era. So he could only set aside those ingrained ideas.

“If we want the princesses to marry satisfactorily, the most important thing is hierarchy. If the princesses don’t even need to serve their in-laws, but instead the in-laws must bow to them, then the husband’s family is far too low in status—who would want to marry such a ‘bodhisattva’ just to keep her around? Second is the husband’s official position. It’s fine if he lacks talent, but if he has talent yet remains idle, it’s not a blessing to the country. If he has the ability to govern a county, assign him to that role; if he has the skills to manage a province, give him a position as an advisor to help oversee affairs; and if he has the aptitude for a ministerial role, even if he can’t hold a full ministerial position, let him try serving as an assistant minister.”

It was Zhu Ning who spoke. Seeing Du Wan staring at her with wide eyes and Zhang Yue frowning in thought, she smiled lightly and said, “I’ve thought about this for a long time, but I’ve never brought it up even in front of the Empress Dowager or the Emperor. Consider it just for reference. I’m not solely thinking of these noble princesses or just the husbands—they’re important, but the key lies in two words: resentment. The same goes for princely matters—how to ease the resentment of most people is what truly matters most.”

As Zhu Ning was speaking, suddenly came sounds of scrambling and shouting from below. Looking down, she saw four children tangled together in a mess. Zhang Yue, who had been thinking about resentment, burst into laughter at the sight. He quickly stood up, picked up Duan Wu and Si Si, and let Hu Bo and Qiu Hen take each of them away to watch over. Then, thoughtfully, he picked up Zhu Rujun. After staring at his round eyes for a while, he finally returned the child to Zhu Ning.

“So Sister Ning was talking about princesses and noblewomen, but her real intention was something else.”

Du Wan also came back to her senses and whispered, “After the Song dynasty moved south, they relaxed the previous restrictions on their relatives, allowing them to hold official positions.”

“The best example of this was during the Tang dynasty. Li Shizhi, grandson of the deposed crown prince Li Chengqian, once reached the position of left chancellor—this shows just how effective it was. Moreover, the practice of reducing ranks when inheriting titles had already proven to be a wise strategy over the Tang and Song dynasties, even more effective than the enfeoffment system of the Han dynasty. If only…”

Even saying such things to one’s closest wives and concubines or confidants like Zhu Ning at home was somewhat taboo, so Zhang Yue naturally omitted mentioning it. Yet in his mind, he wondered why Zhu Yuanzhang, who was stubbornly adherent to small-scale peasant mentality in some aspects, made such disastrous mistakes in certain matters, leading to repeated changes in the system of vassal kings that completely lost its original purpose and turned into nothing more than a means of raising pigs. When the emperor came from a different social class, the direction of such major policies naturally differed.

“The resentment among the people has already arisen, and it’s not easy to suppress it. The most important thing is to find effective ways to channel this resentment in different directions, or even reward them after punishing them…”

“Young master, young master, someone outside has brought news!”

Cui Mama’s familiar voice outside the door woke up the man, two women, and two children inside. Zhang Yue quickly stood up and went to the door. Cui Mama whispered a few words. Zhang Yue, who had been smiling relaxedly moments ago, immediately lost his smile. He nodded at Cui Mama, turned back, and then said to Zhu Ning and Du Wan inside, “The Prince of Jin was ordered to commit suicide. Not long after, the emperor was blessed with a second son, and an order was issued to promote Wu Pin to the rank of Noble Consort.”

The Prince of Jin had already been ordered to die?

This news shocked Zhu Ning. Du Wan, who was carefully pondering the origins of this matter, suddenly felt severe abdominal pain. Her expression changed drastically as she bit her lip, trying to endure for a while before beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, and she began to moan. Seeing her in such a state, Zhang Yue almost instantly jumped up, grabbed Du Wan’s hand, and started asking questions. Zhu Ning rushed out of the room at full speed, shouting for help. Soon, Lady Sun arrived with several older women. Upon seeing Du Wan’s condition, they drove Zhang Yue out of the room, ordered someone to bring the midwife who had been prepared in advance, and sent someone to fetch hot water. But before the anxious Zhang Yue could pace outside for a while, Zhu Ning came out along with two maids carrying children.

“It’s inside…”

“It should be fine. Wan’er isn’t having this for the first time…” Zhu Ning forced a smile. Even though it wasn’t her first time witnessing such a scene, seeing her close friend struggling like this still made her heart pound heavily. She then sighed and said, “That child of Noble Consort Wu was born premature. Now, Wan’er’s child is also premature… There are so many confusing rumors in the palace, but Wan’er shouldn’t be like this. Could it be she’s been too tired lately?”

Exhaustion… At the mere thought of these two words, Zhang Yue’s expression darkened instantly. He slapped his cheeks hard twice, overwhelmed by regret. Although Du Wan no longer had to worry about household chores, her responsibilities hadn’t decreased—they had increased. The two people his father had found for her could only handle drafting letters; they were still useless for anything else. It seemed he had been so distracted that he had forgotten his wife was pregnant. What if something really happened now?

As if to keep him in suspense, Du Wan, who had given birth safely the previous two times, this time delayed delivery until nightfall. As a result, Zhu Ning had no intention of going back and ended up together with Zhang Jing, who was pacing anxiously. Zhang Yue, on the other hand, couldn’t count how many laps he had taken around the stone courtyard. He even began to blame Zhu Zhanji, who had just become a father—how could such coincidences exist? Both families having children at the same time might bring bad luck to the emperor!

Just as midnight approached, a clear baby’s cry finally freed Zhang Yue from his endless worries. He rushed to the door of the room and asked as soon as he saw the midwife stepping out, “How are the lady and the baby?”

“The young lady is fortunate; both mother and child are safe. Congratulations, young master!”

Cui Ma, who was behind him, quickly took over the conversation and delivered the good news in rapid succession. By then, Zhang Yue finally came to his senses. He stepped back, nearly stumbling, but Jing Guan, who had been hiding at the entrance, quickly helped him. Then he heard words that left him stunned.

“Is this supposed to be Xiao Liu?”

Jing Guan quickly let go of his father’s hand and pulled San San aside, though her expression remained strange. His sisters were named San San and Si Si, and now there was another child named Xiao Liu. If they all used such simple names like his father did, it would be too convenient. Just as he shook his head, San San suddenly let go of him and stepped closer to Zhang Yue, looking up and asking, “Dad, why am I San, my sister is Si, but this one is Liu?”

“If there were a fifth one, it would be too much like your fifth aunt!”

Zhang Yue was in a good mood and answered, only to realize everyone in the courtyard was staring at him. He cleared his throat and tried to brush it off. However, Sun Shi, who had just come out holding the baby, overheard everything. She scolded him for a while, then said irritably, “I told your wife that if you keep pushing everything on her, I won’t tolerate it!”