Chapter 477: Fatal Secrets – Letting Go Does Not Mean Abandoning Responsibility

The twenty-four agencies under the eunuch system—the Twelve Supervisory Offices, Four Bureaus, and Eight Departments—had always been led by the Court Rituals Bureau. But now that the position of head eunuch in that bureau was vacant, the remaining leaders, all experienced and respected, refused to acknowledge anyone else’s authority. Thus, open or secret struggles were inevitable. However, the more cautious older eunuchs understood that no matter how much they caused trouble in the palace, it would be useless; if they went too far, they might end up like Huang Yanjiang Bao and the others. So they stayed out of it, allowing the younger ones to fight among themselves.

That day, it was Ping Shun, a young eunuch under Hou Xian of the Court Rituals Bureau, who went to Lingji Temple to offer incense. Faced with this sudden incident, he returned to the palace without making a fuss. Instead, he sternly ordered his attendant Huo Ze to keep quiet and not say a word. Then, with a fake smile, he went to report to Hou Xian, completely omitting the mention of the second branch of the Yangwu Marquis who suddenly appeared at Lingji Temple. Only when he returned to his own quarters did he show signs of hesitation.

Hou Xian was leaving for the west in a few days, so it would be fine to cover up this incident. But the order to keep quiet would only hold for three or five days at most, especially since there was also a minor Taoist servant at Lingji Temple. Still, there had to be a proper way to report it. Since the Yangwu Marquis was not in the capital, while Duke Zhang Fu of Yingguo was still there, if that duke thought he was stirring up trouble, he could easily crush him with just a finger.

After much thought, Ping Shun decided to inform Zhang Qian, an eunuch from the Imperial Work Bureau. Yet as soon as he left the spacious alley of the Court Rituals Bureau, several strong eunuchs came toward him—clearly serving in the Qianqing Palace. As they surrounded him, he still held out a glimmer of hope. But the usually amiable old eunuch gave him a stern look and said, “The Emperor summons you immediately. Come with us, Eunuch Ping.”

Sticking to his composure and hiding his shock, he quickly asked with a smile, “Brother, this looks rather ominous. What’s going on?”

“What’s going on? You know best!” the old eunuch replied irritably, then signaled with his hand. Once his two strong attendants had firmly grabbed Ping Shun from both sides, he, out of past friendship, said casually, “Someone among those who came back with you from Lingji Temple went to the Qianqing Palace and reported everything they saw and heard. You’ve really doomed yourself this time—such matters must be reported right away. You can’t hide them forever.”

Half an hour earlier, the entire Qianqing Palace was enveloped in a tense and fearful atmosphere. That day, Zhu Di somehow came across an old painting of Consort Wang. From morning on, his expression remained gloomy, and he refused even to eat lunch. Although Crown Princess Zhang and Zhu Ning happened to be there and managed, with much effort, to persuade the increasingly moody emperor to eat a few snacks, soon some unexpected incident completely ruined his mood.

“That woman said that when Lord Yangwu married her, it was the Duke of Qian who acted as the matchmaker, and many military officers attended the banquet. The Tusi of Mangshi even provided an extremely generous dowry. Yet after she returned to the capital with Lord Yangwu, she first fell into the canal, then mysteriously suffered a miscarriage, and afterward left home in anger. Only later did she realize it was all a trap set by his wife. She also said that the people of Mangshi had always been loyal to the court and the emperor—why should they suffer such treatment? Furthermore, she revealed that Zhang Chao had secretly brought a woman of unknown origin back to the capital while suppressing the pirates. Worried that his affair with a woman in the army would be exposed, the Zhang family secretly locked her up, and later claimed that the pirates had silenced her…”

Zhang and Zhu Ning, who happened to be there, exchanged glances—her face as calm as water, while he bit his lip, deeply shocked. Since Zhang Fu had advised Zhu Zhanji not to join the northern expedition, and Zhang Yue had previously contributed to suppressing rebellions, she naturally understood the stance of this prominent family. But now, they were vividly describing the private affairs of Lord Yangwu and his son, which filled her with anger. As for Zhu Ning, he never expected the matter to involve murder; his mind was in turmoil.

She had once harshly scolded Zhang Chao, hoping he would take responsibility—either to marry the woman or send her away decisively. What did it mean to keep her secretly? If this whole situation stemmed from her meddling, then she had done good intentions but ended up causing harm… No, even if he brought a woman back during the war against the pirates, it would at most be considered an affair. With Zhu Di’s personality, the worst punishment would be a reprimand or a reduction in salary—how could it escalate to murder? Could there really be something wrong with that woman?

“Shut up!”

Zhu Di suddenly slammed his hand hard on the armrest, then stood up and kicked the kneeling eunuch, sending him tumbling to the ground. He then strode straight out of the hall. After taking a few steps, he turned around, pointed at him angrily, and cursed, “How dare you bring hearsay to pollute my ears? You worthless scoundrel! Take him outside and execute him by flogging—never let me see this dog again! Someone, summon everyone who was at Lingji Palace today!”
Hearing these orders, Zhu Ning thought Zhu Di was impatient and about to ignore the matter. But upon hearing the last command, she immediately realized he wasn’t satisfied at all and was using this as an opportunity to vent his anger. Seeing the eunuch kowtowing repeatedly and begging for mercy, only to be dragged out with a ball of burlap stuffed in his mouth, she fell into deep thought. After Zhu Di walked away, she glanced at Lady Zhang.
“Princess Consort, shall we return to the Eastern Palace for now?”
Even if Empress Xu or Consort Wang were still alive, they would surely avoid getting involved in this matter, let alone Lady Zhang, who was merely a daughter-in-law. When Zhu Ning asked, she naturally nodded. The two stepped out of the main hall of Qianqing Palace and stood on the high white marble platform. From there, they saw Zhu Di already on Tianjie Street, seemingly heading east. Almost simultaneously, the same three words came to their minds—Inner Eastern Depot.
After leaving Qianqing Gate with Lady Zhang, the cold wind made Zhu Ning even calmer. She hadn’t paid much attention to Zhang Chao’s affairs afterward, but based on her understanding of that old lady’s temperament, she knew she would never do such a drastic thing. Besides, even if someone wanted to silence him, how would the second branch of the family find out? Sensing some kind of conspiracy, she unconsciously frowned, not noticing that Lady Zhang was studying her thoughtfully.
“Whether this is true or not, His Majesty will surely send the Jinyiwei or the Eastern Depot to investigate. You don’t need to worry, Aning. Even if it’s true, the Zhang family probably won’t go to such extreme measures.”
Though Lady Zhang spoke casually, Zhu Ning inwardly smiled bitterly, recalling how the Marquis of Qingyuan had lost his title because his concubine accused him and his wife of slander. She had thought the second and third generations of the Zhang family were very harmonious, far better than her own brothers who constantly fought with each other. It seemed that every family had its own troubles, and no family could truly enjoy peace.

With these thoughts in mind, by the time she arrived at the Duanjing Hall in the Eastern Palace, she had already recovered from her initial shock and was pondering those secret reports from Kaifeng that had driven her father to the brink of explosion. The Prince of Runan and the Prince of Xin’an had simply set up camp in the Prince of Zhou’s palace, and her elder brother, the crown prince, was utterly helpless against them. The entire palace was in chaos. If her father, Zhu Tu, didn’t return soon, the whole of Kaifeng might fall into disarray. Moreover, Zhu Tu suggested that since Zhu Di was going on a northern expedition and couldn’t take her along, she might as well return to Kaifeng with him and come back next year once the army returned…

Her father likely had more in mind. Having not seen her for most of the year, Zhu Di might very well forget about his niece. After all, in front of the emperor, there were surely many who would flatter him. But her biological mother had passed away, and in Kaifeng, her father was the only close relative she had. She truly couldn’t bear to part with Du Wan and the others, for this separation might mean never seeing them again—after all, she was a princess of the royal family.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

Zhu Ning, lost in thought, snapped back to reality at the sound of this voice. She saw two eunuchs helping Zhu Gaochi, who wore a winged crown and a red robe with golden coiled dragons on the narrow-sleeved high-necked garment, enter. She hurriedly bowed. Seeing that the crown prince and his wife seemed to want to talk, she wisely stepped back. After leaving the palace and calling for her attendants, she planned to order them to exit through the Donghua Gate. Unexpectedly, a young eunuch rushed over from near the courtyard gate, holding the hem of her robe.

“Princess, princess! Eunuch Zhang sent me to deliver a message for you!” The young eunuch finally managed to steady himself and caught his breath before lowering his voice. “The emperor has just summoned everyone who went to Lingji Temple today. He is extremely angry and has already executed several people. Please send someone to Zhang’s family with a message, or have the Duke of Ying enter the palace to mediate, or find other nobles to step in. It’s just a petty matter; it can be brushed aside.”

Zhu Ning didn’t respond but stared at him with a half-smile before sneering, “Eunuch Zhang is overstepping his bounds. I do visit Zhang’s family often, but only to meet my close friends, not to meddle in their affairs! If he wants to be a good person, let him send someone. I won’t get involved. I’m not Zhang’s housekeeper! Go back and tell Eunuch Zhang to calm down and not turn a small matter into a big one. Otherwise, he won’t be able to play the good guy anymore!”

With that, she left without looking back, accompanied by a few attendants. It was only after she got into her own carriage outside Donghua Gate that she shed her angry expression. Although that eunuch was indeed from the Imperial Guards, with so many chaotic matters going on, she didn’t dare trust him easily—otherwise, not only would others be harmed, but her father and herself would also get involved. Even if it were really Zhang Qian, if that eunuch went back and told him, he would surely understand.

After traveling for a while, Zhu Ning suddenly felt the carriage stop abruptly. She instinctively leaned forward and nearly fell. Knowing that the drivers outside were carefully selected from the prince’s household and would hardly make mistakes, she frowned and lifted the curtain to find they were at an intersection. She quickly asked, “What happened?”

“Your Highness, ahead are people delivering urgent military reports. Judging by their attire, they are from Xuanfu.”

Urgent military reports from Xuanfu! Zhu Ning’s heart sank instantly. Almost instinctively, she ordered, “Go and find out what exactly happened in Xuanfu!”