Chapter 354: Boundless Imperial Grace and Heavenly Blessings

Xigong Xiuchun Hall.

Compared to the early-deceased Concubine Zhang Zhaoyi and Concubine Kwon Hyeon, Concubine Wang had neither a distinguished background nor exceptionally outstanding talents. When Concubine Zhang and Concubine Kwon were both conferred their titles in the seventh year of Yongle’s reign, she was merely a rank of “Zhao Rong” before eventually being promoted to concubine. Yet while Concubine Kwon, who held control over the six palaces, met a tragic end due to her beauty, and Concubine Zhang died young from illness, it was she who held power over the palaces for many years. Even in such a prominent position, she never became arrogant or haughty, and not a single person in the palace spoke ill of her.

It was Princess Yongping who came to visit her in the warm chamber. In terms of age, she was even older than Concubine Wang, yet she remained extremely respectful toward this stepmother. Upon learning that Concubine Wang had been suffering from headaches and dizziness for some time due to illness, she promptly offered ginseng from Yunnan and took out a string of Buddhist beads from a box, personally placing them on Concubine Wang’s hands.

“His Majesty’s temper is becoming increasingly unpredictable. We are all deeply grateful for Your Grace’s constant protection. These are blessed Buddhist beads I specially obtained from Qingshou Temple. Besides warding off evil, they also bring the protection of the Buddha. As long as You Grace takes good care of herself, this illness surely won’t be a problem.”

Although princes and princesses all addressed her as “Your Grace,” it was hard to tell whether their sincerity was genuine, but Concubine Wang never cared about such things. She thanked them with a smile, though she appeared tired. A maid quickly brought a medicine bowl, but Princess Yongping did not leave. Instead, she continued to sit on the brocade cushion by the bed, smiling as she used a handkerchief to cover Concubine Wang’s clothes.

“It’s freezing cold these days, and His Majesty is not in good health. Who knows if he’ll catch a chill during court meetings tomorrow. When I came today, I heard that His Majesty sent the Jinyiwei to Tongzhou Post Station… Speaking of which, no matter how much trust His Majesty has in that Zhang Yue, such excessive favoritism is excessive. There should be room for young people to progress in the future, right? I heard he was very domineering in Ningbo Prefecture, using the Emperor’s sword to act ruthlessly. Besides being a butcher, he also had a reputation for confiscating people’s property. Moreover, there were rumors that the Emperor’s sword was broken—God only knows how he behaves outside. To be honest, he isn’t even a legitimate descendant of noble families!”

Seeing that the Imperial Concubine Wang merely smiled faintly, Princess Yongping immediately felt disheartened. She had grown up in luxury, being of noble birth, yet in front of this concubine from humble origins, she always seemed inferior—this feeling was extremely uncomfortable. Recalling her encounter with Du Wan at Crown Princess Zhang’s place, she decided to be more explicit.

“Your Majesty, it’s not that I’m spreading rumors. Our father relies solely on his own preferences when choosing people, and he may not always see through their true nature. Once, I even saw his newlywed wife at my sister-in-law’s place, along with the Duchess of Cheng. Although my sister-in-law said she invited them, how could such a high-ranking figure as a crown princess deign to meet a mere concubine? It must be that he persuaded his wife to invite the Duchess of Cheng, aiming to attach himself to my sister-in-law’s influence. Such motives…”

“Always talking about motives—what are your motives then?”

Hearing this cold voice suddenly, Princess Yongping, who had been speaking fervently, felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively stood up. Seeing Zhu Di standing at the door of the warm pavilion at some point she didn’t notice, she felt a wave of coldness surge through her. She hurriedly knelt down to pay respects, not daring to lift her head. After a while, as her hands clutched tightly at the cracks in the floor tiles, she faintly saw a pair of black boots with thick soles pass by her, followed by a cold snort.

“Don’t think just because the Imperial Concubine protects you that you can keep coming here to cause trouble. Can’t you see how sick she is? Why does she still have to listen to your ulterior motives? Use your time to take care of your son instead of letting him act arrogantly and self-important. If all hereditary nobles were like him, how could I expect them to serve the country?”

Zhu Di’s voice grew louder and louder, and soon he kicked over the cushion, shouting fiercely, “A princess like you coming here to talk about a low-ranking official—do you also want the Imperial Concubine to whisper in my ear? If I hear or see you doing this again, you’ll never set foot in the palace again! Get out, hurry up and leave!”

The repeated command to “get out” made Princess Yongping tremble all over. After bowing deeply, she staggered out. Only after she left did the silent Imperial Concubine Wang speak softly, “Although the princess acted out of selfish motives, there is some truth to what she said. I know the emperor has a good eye for people, but he still needs to consider others. Zhang Yue is too young. Even if he seems mature for his age, others will see it as the emperor’s favor. There are likely many who think as the princess does.”

“If I were so cautious in choosing people, Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, and the others wouldn’t have suddenly gained access to secrets!” Zhu Di sneered discontentedly. Seeing Consort Wang’s long hair hanging over her shoulders and her pale complexion, he sat down on the bed and gently tucked the covers around her. Then he frowned. “Don’t worry about these troublesome matters in the court. It’s important for you to recover properly. If anyone comes to nag you, just drive them away! That second daughter only knows how to stir up trouble—she doesn’t even consider my nature. Since I’ve entrusted her with important duties, how could there not be Jinyiwei spies watching over her?”
Although everyone praised her as virtuous and cautious, if she were merely virtuous and cautious but not good at reading situations or offering advice appropriately, Consort Wang would never be able to persuade the capricious Zhu Di. Realizing that Zhu Di had made up his mind, she changed the subject and smiled, mentioning how Princess Zhou had sent gifts before and specifically inquired about the marriage of Princess Chenliu, Zhu Ning.
Zhu Di merely laughed scornfully. “I disapprove of all of the fifth prince’s sons. But Zhu Ning has been well taught—only her bold nature makes her hardly seem like a girl. When I was still the Prince of Yan, I could pair a princess with a son of a military official, but now, if I pair her with someone from a noble family, I have to consider other factors. Those from humble backgrounds think it’s fine to serve as attendants, but they’ll surely treat her harshly if it hinders their own futures. Not to mention my sister-in-law—even the fifth prince sent a private letter suggesting he should just arrange a marriage for Zhu Ning himself… How ridiculous! If I could just pick anyone to marry her, why would I delay until now?”
“With Your Majesty’s words, I can now give an answer to Princess Zhou. But Princess Chenliu is of noble character. Even if Your Majesty were to choose from thousands, it would be hard to find someone worthy of her. Since Your Majesty is so troubled by this matter, why not select a few candidates from the list in the Imperial Clan Office and let the Prince of Zhou’s household consider them as well…”
Zhu Di stayed in Xiuchun Hall for almost half an hour before finally getting up to leave. From his gloomy expression at first to his cheerful one now, the eunuchs and maids waiting outside exchanged puzzled looks, but everyone was pleased—when the emperor was in a good mood, it was naturally beneficial for them. However, when Zhu Di was escorted back to Renshou Palace in a sedan chair under an umbrella, someone was already waiting there. Upon seeing that person’s appearance, the entourage felt a chill in their hearts.
“I pay my respects to Your Majesty.”

Seeing it was Yuan Fang, Zhu Di, who was in high spirits, waved his hand and got out of his sedan chair in front of the main hall. Without looking back, he asked, “I trust you to handle matters properly. I assume everyone has been settled. With Lao Huang Yan there, there should be no mistakes. Princess Wang once reminded me that tomorrow we will receive foreign envoys and also hear reports from the ministers. If we hold court at the Imperial Gate, those foreign envoys might not be accustomed to the cold. Since the Jinshen Hall is now completed, we will hold court there tomorrow. Arrange everything accordingly.”

Yuan Fang agreed while falling a few steps behind the emperor into the hall. At that time, aside from the emperor’s trusted eunuchs and maids, everyone else had returned to their quarters to wait, so the hall was naturally empty.

“By the way, have you taken care of all the matters you reported earlier?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I have also been reviewing old case files from the Jinyiwei recently and uncovered some old confessions, which led me to discover this matter. Back then, Ji Gang’s entire family was confiscated, with men and women sent to guard the borders, and countless amounts of gold, silver, and jewels were seized. Everyone thought that was all, but it turned out that when confiscating the deceased Prince Qi’s belongings, Ji Gang had hidden treasures in a secret place. I have ordered that all these treasures be listed one by one. Roughly estimated, there are no less than three hundred valuables, along with even more silk fabrics of various kinds, some of which are already damaged. The list will be ready in two days.”

“For such an old matter, if you hadn’t reported it and kept it hidden for yourself, no one would have known. You truly haven’t disappointed me.”

Zhu Di was extremely satisfied. These funds might not mean much to the imperial treasury, but if Yuan Fang kept them for himself, it would surely enrich his family for generations. Thinking of Princess Wang’s comment that he had a good eye for people, he felt even more proud and promptly nodded in approval, “Your efforts this time are almost as remarkable as military achievements. However, since the Ji Gang incident happened years ago, I don’t want to bring it up again. You have been in charge of the Jinyiwei for over three years and have made outstanding contributions. I will grant you the title of Deputy Commander.”

Hearing this sudden announcement, Yuan Fang was stunned. After a long while, he stammered, “I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty’s kindness. But I have no children or relatives, and my wife has passed away. This hereditary title…”

“You, the commander of the Jinyiwei, are actually a widower who never remarried!” Seeing Yuan Fang still frozen in shock, Zhu Di felt both amused and annoyed. “If you refuse to remarry, how about I choose a virtuous woman from the palace and grant her to you?”

Could the emperor actually decide to intervene in such matters on a whim? Even Yuan Fang, who was usually calm and wise, was utterly flustered at this moment. Seeing Zhu Di looking at him with a mocking expression, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue. Hereditary military positions were extremely rare; many nobles granted the title of earl were merely hereditary commanders. Yet this Jinyiwei commander, with no military achievements at all, had been granted a hereditary position as deputy commander. Even someone as favored as Ji Gang hadn’t received such an honor.

Thinking of this, Yuan Fang regained his composure and bowed again, firmly refusing, saying that his late wife meant too much to him, and he had already sworn not to remarry. Seeing his reaction, Zhu Di, in high spirits, laughed and said, “It’s truly rare to be so devoted to one’s late wife. Anyway, I’ve given you the hereditary position. You can adopt someone or find a foster son!”

After leaving Renshou Palace, Yuan Fang couldn’t help but smile slightly. The items there might seem precious, but each one bore the imperial seal, and likely no one in the world would dare to accept them. Even the silks were almost all imperial gifts. Perhaps that was why Ji Gang hadn’t moved into his own home. He had gone to great lengths to obtain that sable fur coat, only for Mu Ning, who had been buried in piles of documents these past few months, to find it right under his nose.

Fortunately, the emperor hadn’t forced him just now, so he didn’t have to marry against his will. He could still honor his late wife and son. It was a shame that the hereditary position was wasted, but he should find someone to inherit his family business. After all, this incident was a great blessing for him and immense fortune for Zhang Yue—everyone was happy.