Chapter 445: Unrepentant to the Death

Zhu Ning and Zhu Zhanqi were not close, but she had heard of his past vile actions. Hearing these words now, she raised an eyebrow. She didn’t care about the charges he leveled against her. With a cold glance at him, she said, “If I had the ability to stir up trouble, I wouldn’t have stayed in the capital so peacefully for years. Prince Shouguang can make trouble out of this as he pleases, but I just want to remind you—you are the emperor’s grandson, and it’s always your father who shields you. Instead of wasting time investigating my trivial matters, you’d better think about why your father sent you to the capital. Your father isn’t as protective as the emperor; while the emperor might forgive you, his attitude isn’t so easy to change.”

After saying this, Zhu Ning turned and gave an order, then entered the palace with her two maids. Zhu Zhanqi wasn’t prepared for her blunt attitude and was stunned for a moment, his face turning pale. He clenched his riding whip tightly, ready to lose his temper, when he heard someone from his entourage calling out.

“Your Highness!”

Although he inherited his father Zhu Gaoxu’s irritable temper, Zhu Zhanqi had been imprisoned for over two years and suddenly snapped back to reality. Glancing at the expressionless guards at Donghua Gate, he grunted in anger before turning and walking back to his entourage. He mounted his horse and rode away at full speed. He rushed back to the Han Prince’s residence in no time. Upon entering, he stormed inside, heading straight to his study. He slammed the desk, sending pens, ink, paper, and inkstones scattering across the floor.

“Who does she think she is? Relying on her grandfather’s favor, she dares to look down on me like this!”

The person who followed behind closed the door and asked, “Your Highness, what did Princess Chenliu say?”

Zhu Zhanqi turned sharply, staring at him fiercely for a while before saying coldly, “This isn’t your concern! Fang Rui, just do your job and don’t interfere in everything! Although my elder brother trusts you, he’s him and I’m me. Besides, he’s already dead! Go away and let me be alone for a while. Stop standing in my way all the time!”

Hearing this, Fang Rui was furious. Though Zhu Zhanqi had improved compared to before, he still wasn’t as gentle and kind to others as Zhu Tan. Thinking of the crown prince who died young before achieving anything, he felt even more that the two couldn’t be compared. After enduring it, he left silently without saying a word.

Before his death, Zhu Zhan Tan used his status as crown prince to secure for him the position of head of the Han King’s Imperial Guard, a rank in the sixth tier of the official hierarchy. Thus, he held the highest rank among those accompanying him. Yet even though he was no longer a commoner, he felt no sense of triumph. The Han King was violent and bloodthirsty, and Zhu Zhan Qi was not the kind of person who could bend or endure. If things continued like this, it would be difficult to even protect himself, let alone stand out. Although he couldn’t hear Zhu Ning’s words clearly from afar, he could guess what they were.

After all, the deceased Zhu Zhan Tan had been appointed as crown prince by the emperor, and the Han King treated him fairly. But Zhu Zhan Qi was the Han King’s most disliked son. Even if the Han King managed to replace the crown prince and become emperor, how likely was it that Zhu Zhan Qi would succeed to the throne? At this point, despite failing to fulfill the crown prince’s last request, he had to try to win the Han King’s favor—after all, his status still had some use. With this thought, his expression softened slightly, and he strode toward his room.

However, when he pushed open the door and saw someone suddenly present in what should have been an empty room, he was shocked. The moment he recognized the person’s face, he forced down the exclamation that rose to his lips, quickly stepped over the threshold, and shut the door behind him. Before he could ask questions, the other person spoke lightly, “You silently forced to death a Minister of War—what clever tactics! By the way, if I’m not mistaken, Fang Bin seems to be your distant uncle. You really know how to act.”

“Tang… stop talking nonsense… What does Fang Bin’s death have to do with me?”

“I’m just reminding you—don’t think everyone in this world is stupid! This matter has nothing to do with me, and I’m too lazy to get involved. You were the one who coordinated everything between me and Zhu Zhan Tan before. So I’m just warning you: don’t underestimate Zhu Zhan Qi. Did he take you with him when he met Princess Yongping? When he met Prince Anyang? I’m only warning you—don’t tell Zhu Zhan Qi about my affairs, and don’t try to control me!”

Although he hadn’t said anything about Fang Bin’s death during the court meeting, Zhu Di still valued his contributions and had no desire to deal with state affairs. But now that a northern expedition was imminent, he had to summon his strength. Yet upon seeing the stack of reports sent by Yang Shiqi, he grew even more irritable. He flipped through the top few documents and ordered Yang Shiqi to draft responses as appropriate, promising to review them later. Then he stood up and left the main hall.

As soon as he stepped out of the Qianqing Gate, he saw the empty sky behind the high wall ahead and couldn’t help frowning. Yet even if he wanted to rebuild those three main halls right away, he knew the Ministry of Revenue would never allocate such a large sum of money, so he could only frown. Thinking of Minister Guo Zi’s fearful reports about the ministry’s expenditures, he felt even more that everything was going wrong this year, and he let out a deep sigh. The eunuchs serving around him didn’t understand why the emperor was angry and were all terrified.

Zhang Qian, who had caught up from behind, saw Zhu Di, dressed in a rose-purple brocaded silk robe, standing motionless, with everyone else around him as still as wooden posts. He felt puzzled at first, then remembered what had just happened. Although he had temporarily accepted that gift the previous night, he certainly wouldn’t take on such a troublesome task so easily. So he had sent it to Zhu Zhanji under the pretense of giving it to the crown prince for enjoyment, subtly hinting at the matter. After setting this concern aside, he came here with Zhang Yue’s proposal, only to happen upon the emperor.

“Why is Your Majesty standing in the wind?”

Hearing this reminder, Zhu Di snapped out of his thoughts and immediately felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. Realizing it was a sable fur cloak and seeing Zhang Qian approaching to pay his respects, he understood what was happening. He smiled gladly and continued walking forward. After ordering the others to step back, he said to Zhang Qian with emotion, “The Qianqing Palace is right behind those three main halls. Every day when I go out, I see this empty space, which really makes me feel frustrated!”

If it were some sycophantic eunuch, he might have jokingly suggested having the Ministry of Works send craftsmen to rebuild them. But anyone who had been in the palace for decades understood the significance of the Hall of Heaven, the Hall of Supreme Purity, and the Hall of Modesty. So after much thought, Zhang Qian simply sighed and said, “Not to mention Your Majesty, even we feel upset seeing those three main halls reduced to just their white marble foundations. Your Majesty aspires to rule the world, and with urgent military matters at hand, he naturally can’t focus solely on rebuilding the palaces.”

This comforting words undoubtedly struck a chord with Zhu Di. Though he was someone who stuck to his decisions once made, the fact that the three main halls had only just been completed after the capital was moved, and then disaster struck so quickly, was still a huge blow to him. At this moment, he didn’t stop walking but nodded slightly.

“You understand better. Even if I can’t build the three great halls now, future generations will surely be able to do so—there’s no need to rush. Look at Alutai’s greedy ambitions; if I don’t personally guard the north, they’ll march south step by step, and sooner or later the whole realm will be thrown into chaos! Only by fighting—only by me, the emperor, leading the charge against them—will they know pain, fear, and learn to retreat… Why did I break my promise and not allow the Doyan Three Guards to march to Danning Guard? Isn’t it because they too are greedy and insatiable? If the Ministry of Revenue squeezes out funds, the north can remain peaceful for several years…”

Seeing the emperor grow more and more agitated as he spoke, Zhang Qian, who had initially intended to offer some advice, gradually gave up the idea. Since the Cabinet and the six ministers had failed to calm the emperor, there was no point in adding fuel to the fire. Since the topic of the Ministry of Revenue came up, he carefully followed that thread and then brought up the issue of transporting grain for the northern campaign.

“Not to mention transporting grain—just thinking about it makes me angry. Didn’t Zhang Yue mention sea transport before? I had hoped to use it this time, but he said it couldn’t be done in the short term… Then there were those four damned…” Zhu Di’s anger flared at the thought of the four ministers, but remembering that Fang Bin had hanged himself out of anxiety, his anger subsided a bit. He then changed his tone and said irritably, “When you have time, go to the Zhang family and find out what’s going on with Zhang Yue. In the past, whenever he couldn’t persuade me, he would submit reports one after another. Why did he give up this time?”

Zhang Qian had been worried that the emperor would fly into a rage, but hearing that Zhu Di had brought it up himself, he was overjoyed. He quickly apologized with a smile, “Your Majesty should know Lord Zhang’s character—he’s not someone who gives up easily. The day you summoned him, you asked just one question and sent him away. So he wrote something right away after returning, but he didn’t dare present it rashly. That’s why when I went to the Duke of Ying’s residence, I volunteered to take on this task.”

“You’re good at taking on tasks!” Zhu Di was slightly surprised. With a light snort, he stretched out his hand. “He chose the right person to entrust this to. Show it to me!”

“Your Majesty, it’s windy here…”

“Stop being so cautious. I’m not that fragile! It’s freezing in the north, yet I’ve endured just like all the soldiers. Hand it over quickly. If I’m not in the mood later, I won’t even bother looking at it even if you bring it to me!”

Helpless, Zhang Qian could only take out the thick scroll from his sleeve and present it with both hands. Seeing Zhu Di turn around and face away from the wind, he quickly called out behind him. Several strong men from the Jinyiwei and eunuchs immediately gathered around, shielding the emperor from the wind, from tallest to shortest. This lasted for a little over fifteen minutes. Zhu Di carefully examined each page, pondering as he studied the handwriting. Although it didn’t differ much from Zhang Yue’s previous handwriting, he had a keen interest in calligraphy and had seen or copied Shen Du’s works countless times, so even the slightest differences were noticeable. Finally, he gave a calm order: “Go to the Ministry of War and tell him to come to the Qianqing Palace. I want to question him in person.”