Chapter 207: Stand in Line Properly First
The Ming Dynasty had been established for just over fifty years, yet the crown prince heir had already been designated twice. During the Hongwu era, Zhu Yuanzhang appointed Zhu Yunwen as the crown prince heir because his eldest son, Zhu Biao, had passed away. However, in the ninth year of the Yongle era, Zhu Di appointed his eldest grandson, Zhu Zhanji, as the crown prince heir out of favoritism and foresight for the future. Although he disliked the plump and foot-affected Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Di treated Zhu Zhanji like a kind grandfather, even taking him along on northern expeditions—showing a stark contrast to his critical attitude toward the Crown Prince.
Since the palace in Beijing was still under construction, Zhu Di and his concubines continued to live in the Western Palace. Zhu Zhanji’s residence was located to the east of Zhu Di’s warm hall, named Jingfu Palace, and its accommodations were almost on par with those of the Crown Prince. Due to the cold weather, Zhu Di ordered the Timber Conservation Department to supply Jingfu Palace with an additional ten pounds of high-quality red silk charcoal daily. The palace’s heated kang stoves burned constantly, and thick gold-threaded red carpets hung at the entrance, creating a spring-like warmth.
On the evening of the fifth day of the first lunar month, Zhu Zhanji left the warm hall and hurried back to Jingfu Palace with a few attendant eunuchs, looking very upset. Since before the New Year, his grandfather Zhu Di’s arthralgia had been flaring up frequently. Such a strong man was severely troubled by the illness, often losing his temper, and even those who were usually favored by him suffered as well. Although treatment had improved things slightly, the long-term outcome was uncertain. After a few young eunuchs helped him remove his cloak and boots and change into casual clothes, he finally sat down by the heated kang in the inner room and let out a long sigh.
“A few days ago, it was said that the ships from Nanjing were delayed for some reason. They should have arrived by now. Has Father sent any letters?”
“Your Highness, the tribute ships indeed arrived. But the Crown Prince only sent a message asking Your Highness to study hard and be filial to the Emperor. No other letters came. However, Lord Yang Shiqi brought a letter for Your Highness. Additionally, the Crown Prince ordered fifty new books, ten blocks of Huimò ink, ten blocks of Duan ink, as well as wolf-hair brushes and jade paper to be given to Your Highness. The Crown Princess also sent two gold-threaded python robes, a pair of hand-sewn sable ear warmers, and a belt…”
Learning that there were no letters from his father and only ones from Yang Shiji, Zhu Zhanji felt deeply moved. Before he turned ten, his grandfather Zhu Di had taken him on a northern inspection tour; he stayed in Beijing during the first expedition and accompanied him on the second. His bond with his grandfather was even stronger than that with his father. His father had always been cautious and now, governing alone in Nanjing, tried his best to avoid any mistakes. It had been Liang Qian who, through his secret efforts, and Du Zhen’s advice that saved him from trouble. When a eunuch brought over ear warmers and a belt made by his mother, he casually picked up the simple belt and stroked it, feeling somewhat nostalgic for his mother, and immediately ordered the eunuch to change him into it.
In addition to gifts sent by the crown prince and princess, Zhu Di had already distributed rewards on New Year’s Eve, and most officials also brought holiday gifts on the first day of the new year. Dukes and marquises presented treasures and weapons, while civil officials brought calligraphy, paintings, and books—there was simply too much to deal with. He was too lazy to pay attention to all of it and merely ordered the eunuchs to distribute rewards according to past customs. However, while he ignored others, some families could not be neglected. After dinner and a cup of hot tea, he went to his inner study and summoned Eunuch Huang to ask detailed questions.
Eunuch Huang, who already had an idea, quickly explained, “The gifts sent by the Duke of Yingguo were 20% more generous than in previous years. I added a bright red, multicolored silk python robe to the return gifts and gave the Duke of Yingguo’s wife four bolts of palace silk with patterns of hundred children, along with donkey-hide gelatin recently sent from Shandong. For the Duke of Chengguo, I had two fine horses presented as tribute from the Tartars, along with a zelkova wood bow.”
“Not bad. You’ve handled this well.”
Since Eunuch Huang was a trusted person, Zhu Zhanji merely asked out of caution, and he was naturally satisfied. He took out a piece of rice paper and picked up a pen to write, but suddenly remembered what he had seen and heard at the emperor’s court that day, and lost the mood to compose a poem.
Yuan Fang, the commander of the Jinyiwei, reported during today’s audience that Zhu Gaoxu, the Prince of Han, sent a cartload of gifts to Zhang Yue on the first day of the new year. Zhang Yue tried to return them on the third day but failed. It was absurd that a demoted prince could still act so openly, and his grandfather kept tolerating it over and over again! He had seen people force others to give money, but never forced them to give gifts!
He put down the pen and asked, “Did Zhang Yue send any gifts?” When Eunuch Huang froze, he added impatiently, “I mean that nephew of the Duke of Yingguo. I ordered you to give him the four essential writing tools to congratulate him on passing the exams!”
Only then did Eunuch Huang realize what had happened, recalling his last visit to the Zhang residence. But no matter how hard he tried to remember, he couldn’t be sure whether Zhang Yue had also sent a gift. After all, there were already too many gifts from the officials in Beijing alone to keep track of, let alone from a minor official who might not even be qualified to give gifts. Seeing Zhu Zhanji’s displeased expression, he hurriedly bowed in apology and rushed out, summoning two trusted eunuchs to go through the gift lists from the past few days. Once he found what he was looking for, he still didn’t relax and searched the warehouse for a while before finally locating the unassuming lacquered box.
Realizing that half an hour had already passed, Eunuch Huang lamented inwardly and quickly carried the box and the gift list into the inner study. After sending away the waiting eunuchs, he gently placed the lacquered box on the desk and said with a smile, “Please forgive me, Your Highness. It’s either that the subordinates were unaware or I myself forgot about this. I just realized it when I went to check—Duke Yingguo sent something again yesterday. Apparently, since Lord Zhang’s rank isn’t high enough to give gifts directly to Your Highness, he asked Duke Yingguo to deliver them instead.”
Zhu Zhanji had originally asked casually, but upon seeing that Eunuch Huang seemed annoyed, he calmed down upon seeing the somewhat worn lacquered box. He even felt a hint of anticipation—Zhang Yue’s personality suited his taste, but that was secondary; it was his clever actions that were truly interesting. For example, his rare honesty, his attempt to hide his skills when reciting poems about plum blossoms, the letters he and Zhu Di saw when visiting Zhang Fu, and that article that had caused a stir last time, with several teachers around him still criticizing it as heretical. This time, he was very curious about what gift Zhang Yue would send, hoping it wouldn’t be some disappointing trinket of gold or jade.
Eunuch Huang glanced secretly and saw that Zhu Zhanji seemed quite interested. He resolved to get to know Lord Zhang better in the future, as the Crown Prince wasn’t just slightly interested in him—he was very interested. Carefully, he removed the seal from the lacquered box and opened it.
Yet even though Zhu Zhanji was prepared, he was still stunned by what he saw inside. The box was padded with thick cotton, and inside was a set of delicate tea sets—the teapot was only the size of a fist, and the cups were even smaller. But it wasn’t just the tea sets; Eunuch Huang also found a paper fan hidden beneath the cotton in the teapot base and quickly unfolded it to show Zhu Zhanji.
“On the first day of the first month in the Jihai year, I received a set of tea sets made by Shi Zhonghuang as a gift from a guest. It was said that those who obtain them are fortunate, as they cannot acquire them by mere luck, and these sets have remarkable effects in regulating the internal organs. I thus offered them to His Highness the Crown Prince, hoping it would help him live a long life.”
“Shi Zhonghuang, which can grant immortality—what good luck he has!”
Zhu Zhanji muttered in jest, though he knew that the true value of this item lay not so much in its cost but in its rarity. Moreover, with its exquisite craftsmanship, it would make a fine tea set. Suddenly, he flipped the fan over, only to find another inscription on the back.
“Once, while sitting idly in a teahouse, I overheard a salt merchant shaking his head and sighing, saying that despite delivering tens of thousands of stones of grain as required by the system, he could only get worthless paper money in return, unable to exchange it for salt. There are salt fields in Le’an and Shouguang, but all the remaining salt has been confiscated, making it unobtainable. The salt policy involves allowing merchants to exchange grain for salt, with these two measures complementing each other as part of the country’s strategic planning. I heard that households in Le’an and Shouguang keep fleeing, and despite prohibitions, the problem persists. Without a good solution, the salt fields in Shandong may run out of salt, further undermining the entire system.”
Zhu Zhanji was momentarily stunned, then his expression grew increasingly grave. Though young, he had deep insights into governance, and he had heard his teachers discuss this salt policy before. The purpose of this policy was not so much to generate profit but to ensure sufficient food supplies for the military on the borders. Not long ago, he had also heard ministers discuss how salt production was declining and fewer merchants were willing to exchange grain for salt, threatening to render this effective strategy obsolete. Now, Zhang Yue brought up this issue. Suddenly, his gaze fell on those two place names again—Le’an? Shouguang?
He suddenly understood Zhang Yue’s intentions, and everything he had heard earlier in the warm hall was forgotten. When Zhang Yue passed the imperial examination, others gave him precious books and writing supplies, yet he only sent ordinary items. Zhang Yue’s attitude then showed that what Prince Zhu Gaoxu gave as a gift didn’t really matter. Now, since Zhang Yue had gone to such lengths to give him this fan, it was undoubtedly another way of expressing his stance.
“Stealing food from the tiger’s mouth—what does he plan to do?”
Zhu Zhanji murmured to himself, then suddenly threw the fan into the charcoal brazier beside him. The flames quickly spread across the paper fan, gradually consuming it entirely. The eunuch Huang, standing nearby, was confused until Zhu Zhanji turned to look at him, at which point he finally understood.
“It is said that Stone Yellow is a sacred elixir for longevity. This Lord Zhang must have found it somewhere, truly a rare treasure. Yet since he gave it as a gift, he didn’t even include an inscription to explain it. Fortunately, His Highness the Crown Prince is well-versed and recognized this item; otherwise, I might have missed it thinking it was just an ordinary thing.”
Zhu Zhanji knew Eunuch Huang was illiterate, so he burst into laughter upon hearing his words. Looking at the set of tea sets on the table, which were as smooth as jade, he remembered how Zhu Di had dismissed the tribute tea as bland and tasteless. He decided to present it the next day and also speak a few words in Zhang Yue’s favor. Eternal life was too far-fetched for him, but it was exactly what his grandfather desired.