Chapter 335: The Crown Princess’s Summoning
Due to the impending move of the capital to Beijing, most of the prominent concubines and eunuchs in the Nanjing palace had already followed the emperor to the western palace in Beijing. Those remaining were mostly the elderly and disfavored. However, the Eastern Palace, located inside the Donghua Gate of the Forbidden City—specifically, Duanben Palace—was an exception. Since the crown prince and his heir remained in Nanjing, all their attendants stayed as well. Yet over the past month, there had been significant changes in the people in Duanben Palace’s Duanjing Hall and Rouyi Hall, with all the eunuchs and maids being extremely cautious.
That day, Zhu Gaochi got up early after breakfast and began reviewing documents in the eastern warm chamber of Duanjing Hall. Although major military and state affairs had to be reported to the capital, and appointments and dismissals of officials were decided by the Ministry of Personnel and Ministry of War there, he had no decision-making power. Still, all incoming documents passed through his hands. Though not everything required his review, he would take a look at those specially selected by Yang Shiqi. As he read the document word by word, his brows furrowed deeply, and eventually he let out a sigh.
“Why so annoyed so early in the morning? Angry with someone again?”
Hearing this teasing voice, Zhu Gaochi raised his head. Seeing a young eunuch lifting the curtain, he realized it was Crown Princess Zhang entering, and he relaxed. He waved his hand to indicate she didn’t need to be formal, told her to sit across from him on the kang, then handed her the document and sighed again.
“The Japanese pirates have attacked Shanghai County, killing and injuring nearly a hundred people in several coastal fishing villages. These are petitions from civil officials opposing the lifting of the sea ban. After all, it’s a tradition established by our ancestors. My father made a hasty decision based on just one person’s opinion. With the pirates appearing frequently now, if we still allow ships to set sail, won’t that only encourage them further? Even if we try to hunt them along the coast, it’s not easy to eradicate them all!”
Crown Princess Zhang didn’t look at the document in her hands but gently placed it on the kang table. Though she was the crown princess and the rightful mistress of the Eastern Palace, her attire was extremely simple. She wore no floral phoenix-shaped headdress but instead a more modest pearl crown. She didn’t use any ornate gold hairpins; only her robe, embroidered with golden clouds and dragon patterns, shone brightly under the amber candlelight.
“It’s not just the emperor who values Zhang Yuanjie; Zhan Ji does too. I’ve read his articles, and they’re not empty flattery to win favor—he truly has talent and knowledge. But he’s too radical, and some of his words are alarmist. It’s no wonder the ministers accuse him of violating ancestral traditions. When Zhan Ji came to see me before, he mentioned the Japanese pirates attacking Songjiang Prefecture. Besides what Your Highness said, he also brought up another matter. Do You Highness know that Shanghai County could still be preserved thanks to Zhang Yuanjie’s efforts?”
Zhu Gaochi had just read several memorials, all opposing the lifting of the sea ban on the grounds that the Japanese pirates were cunning and brutal. After reading them with such passion, he raised his eyebrows upon hearing what Lady Zhang said. After listening in detail to the whole story, he stroked his beard thoughtfully, and his furrowed brows gradually relaxed.
“If that’s really the case, he does have some courage. After going through life and death, he should know that things aren’t that easy to handle. Lifting the sea ban shouldn’t be rushed… Enough, it’s useless to talk about this. Even if these memorials are sent to Beijing, our father will likely ignore them. He’s now determined. By the way, is Zhan Ji still having those two deceased palace maids investigated?”
As he spoke, an older palace maid brought over a red lacquered dragon-patterned tea tray with two Ru ware celadon teacups, placing them carefully on the table before retreating. Lady Zhang had already reached out to take them, but upon hearing these words, her hand trembled, and she accidentally touched the edge of the scalding teacup. Still, she only frowned slightly before casually picking up the cup and taking a sip, her little finger turning slightly red.
“After all, she’s served him since childhood. Even if it’s not out of affection but for face, it’s only right to investigate. Since Your Highness has dealt with them, it’s better to explain things clearly to Zhan Ji to avoid discord between father and son. He doesn’t know that someone is spying on the Eastern Palace, nor that someone has stolen items from it to make money, let alone that two of his trusted palace maids are passing information outside. It’s good for him to know so he can be cautious—after all, the Rouyi Hall may not be any cleaner than the Duanjing Hall.”
“It’s just precaution. Maybe we shouldn’t tell him. He’s young. If he shows it in public, clues might surface. My brothers have been spying on the Eastern Palace for days now. If a few die, more will follow. Killing a few is just to make them know I’m not blind. If it causes too much commotion and alarms our father, it won’t serve any purpose.”
Zhu Gaochi replied casually, then changed the subject. Only after taking a sip from his cup did he realize it was Liu’an Guapian tea. Thinking that all the tribute tea this year was being sent to Beijing, and that these were still sent by his son Zhu Zhanji earlier, claiming they were a special gift from Zhu Di, he felt somewhat uncomfortable, but quickly dismissed that displeasure. After chatting a bit more with Lady Zhang, he approved several memorials and finally instructed her to have them delivered to Yang Shiji after she left.
Leaving Duanjing Hall and stepping down the stairs, Lady Zhang summoned a young eunuch accompanying her and ordered him to take the memorials to Wenyuan Pavilion. It was not until the man had left that Minghe, a maid standing behind Lady Zhang, stepped forward and whispered, “Princess Consort, the Duchess of Chengguo and Lady Du have arrived at Xiefang Hall. Princess Yongping is also there.”
“Princess Yongping?”
Hearing these words, Lady Zhang was quite surprised. However, since they had already arrived, she didn’t have much to say. She simply nodded indifferently and led her entourage back along the corridor. Xiefang Hall was separated from Duanjing Hall by a wall, but one had to take a long detour. Only after entering through a small door on the west side and passing by a screen with four phoenixes did one reach the main hall of Xiefang Hall. Seeing two maids lifting the heavy cotton curtains at the entrance, she quickened her pace up the stairs and stepped over the threshold firmly.
“Princess Consort has arrived.”
Du Wan, who was waiting in Xiwarm Pavilion with Lady Mu, heard this announcement and immediately stood up. She took a deep breath discreetly, then glanced sideways at Princess Yongping, who was also there. She had heard about the incident in Fangling from Zhang Yue before—her son meeting his mother—and from her first encounter with Princess Yongping, whose aloof and arrogant attitude left a deep impression. Now, seeing the normally cold-faced princess suddenly wearing a fake smile, she knew this was someone she should respect but keep at a distance.
“I pay my respects to Princess Consort.”
As soon as Lady Zhang entered the room, she saw the three of them bowing. She quickly helped Princess Yongping up first, then, while assisting Lady Mu, she said with a smile, “I haven’t seen the Suzhou embroidery you promised me last time. I thought you wouldn’t dare come to see me, but here you are. If we calculate ten times the penalty for each delay, you owe me quite a bit this time. Don’t think I’ll forget it just because you brought Lady Du along.”
As she spoke, she nodded at Du Wan, her face wearing a warm, gentle smile: “Du Yiren, please get up too. This is your first time here, and it’s not a formal audience, so there’s no need for formalities. It’s rare to see a new face around here these days. Last time, the Duchess of Cheng mentioned that you write well. I was planning to remove the calligraphy on the walls anyway, so she brought you here.”
Although she knew this was an excuse, under Lady Zhang’s gaze, Du Wan almost believed that Lady Mu had brought her here just for such a trivial matter. It wasn’t until Princess Yongping coughed nearby that she snapped out of it.
“If Sister-in-law really wants to replace the calligraphy, not to mention the precious works of famous scholars from past dynasties, even the literati skilled in calligraphy and painting in our dynasty would be willing to offer their best works.” Although Princess Yongping wasn’t Zhu Di’s biological daughter, her husband Li Rang had been ruined by the Jingnan Rebellion, and out of gratitude, Zhu Di favored her repeatedly. She was even more favored than the biological daughters, Princess Ancheng and Princess Xianning, so she spoke freely. Glancing at the calligraphy on the wall, she curled her lips and said, “These pieces here aren’t even considered fine works—they truly don’t match Sister-in-law’s status as the Crown Princess.”
Lady Zhang, who had been smiling the whole time, suddenly grew solemn and said calmly, “These were all given to me by the late Empress. It hasn’t been even a few years since her death. Could it be that my third sister can’t even recognize her genuine works?”
Although she had other important matters to attend to today, Princess Yongping never expected that a casual remark would cause such trouble, leaving her stunned. She immediately began to reproach herself anxiously. Seeing Lady Zhang’s somewhat ambiguous attitude, she dared not stay any longer. After exchanging a few polite words, she quickly made an excuse to leave, not even touching the tea served by the palace servants.
Lady Mu wasn’t good at navigating such situations. While waiting there, she found it extremely difficult to deal with Princess Yongping’s probing questions. Seeing her leave, she breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, chatted cheerfully with Lady Zhang, and then left the room. By this time, Du Wan, sitting in the second chair on the left, already knew it was time for something important, so she sat up straight.
“Du Yiren, what do you think would be the best to replace the current calligraphy on these walls?”
“Naturally, the ‘Book of Admonishing Goodness’ by the late Empress would be the best.”
“Why not the ‘Inner Instructions’ by the late Empress?”
Although she was forcibly taken to the palace when meeting Lady Mu today, Du Wan was prepared thanks to Zhang Zhuo’s prior warning. She bowed slightly and said, “The ‘Internal Instructions’ are precious teachings left by the late empress for all women in the world, while the ‘Book of Encouraging Goodness’ compiles the wise words and virtuous deeds of ancient people for dissemination throughout the land. Such acts of promoting goodness naturally highlight the late empress’s magnanimity. Being kind is the foundation of human conduct. For a crown princess, serving the emperor and the late empress with filial piety, assisting the crown prince in educating the grandprince, is also an act of kindness; for officials, governing the people with benevolence and righteousness is likewise kindness; for commoners, respecting their superiors, treating elders with courtesy, and engaging in farming and raising children is also kindness. For women, assisting their husbands and showing filial piety to in-laws ultimately boils down to kindness. Therefore, kindness is the most fundamental virtue, and this text is indeed most suitable to be displayed where everyone can admire it.”
“Good, truly a family with deep scholarly roots—able to articulate so many principles.”
Ms. Zhang had originally intended to urge Du Wan to study the Internal Instructions more thoroughly so she could better advise her husband, but upon hearing her words, she realized Du Wan was not the kind of talented woman she had imagined and began to admire the Du family’s values. She immediately ordered paper and pen and asked Du Wan to write on the table. Seeing her neat and fluent handwriting and her ability to recall every word exactly, she was even more astonished.
“I heard that the memorials submitted to the emperor were the result of your husband and your joint efforts?”
Du Wan was writing the character for “kindness” when she heard this. She raised her head and, seeing Ms. Zhang signal her to stay seated, blushed slightly. “Your Highness, my husband did indeed show me those articles after writing them, but only to let me check for any prohibited content or omissions. It wasn’t a joint effort. Only when the emperor asked my husband to present specific proposals did I help transcribe some drafts and discuss some details.”
From being a princess when she married to now being the crown princess, Ms. Zhang was Zhu Gaochi’s closest advisor. Unlike ordinary women, she was not ignorant of state affairs, and even Zhu Di often praised her. Yet the more aware she was, the more cautious she became. After all, from the perspective of women’s virtues, participating in state secrets was not something to be boasted about.
Already holding preconceived notions, she saw that Du Wan neither trembled in fear to please her nor proudly claimed credit. She nodded slightly and asked thoughtfully, “The Zhang family has produced many officials—truly a noble family. Your husband defied great risks. Aren’t you afraid that a single mistake could bring eternal regret?”
“My lord once told me that it is fortunate to be born into wealth and status. If one can rely on family influence or imperial favor, they can enjoy prosperity throughout their life without having to worry too much about their career. But if he knew of something that would benefit the country and the empire for generations to come, even if it might bring him disgrace, then he should naturally set aside personal gains and give it a try.”
Du Wan did not attempt to explain to Lady Zhang the advantages and disadvantages of lifting the sea ban. She knew well that since the emperor had made Zhang Yue’s series of notes public, the crown princess must have already read them, so explaining further was pointless. After a pause, she put down her pen and bowed deeply.
“Crown Princess, my lord once told me that one should be prepared for humiliation when favored and for danger in times of peace—this applies not only to individuals but also to a nation. During the confrontation between the Song and Liao dynasties, no one expected the Jurchens to rise up in the lands between the White Mountains and Black Rivers. When the Jurchens swept across the land and forced the Song dynasty to retreat to a corner, no one thought the Mongols would grow strong. Just like lifting the sea ban—initially it may not bring great benefits, but over time, its impact on a nation can be seen. Our great empire—why spend so much on sending treasure ships to the West when we could let merchant ships carry the empire’s blessings to all corners of the world, to see what other nations exist beyond our borders?”
“Be prepared for humiliation when favored and for danger in times of peace…”
Muttering these eight words, Lady Zhang gradually showed signs of admiration. If someone were merely arrogant and out of control when successful, how would the emperor easily grant them trust? In that case, she might as well take a closer look.