Chapter 516: My Son Is Not as Good as His Son-in-Law

As the twelfth lunar month arrived and the New Year neared, not only were the common people becoming increasingly busy in preparation for the festival, but even the court officials were stretched to the limit. With only a few days of rest available throughout the year, usually at the turn of the year, they had to rush to handle all pending matters before the New Year arrived. Moreover, the Xin Chou year coincided with the three-yearly inspection period for provincial governors and other high-ranking officials, leaving even the Ministry of Rites extremely busy, not to mention the already overworked six ministries and the Censorate.

While the provincial officials were busy, the royal family was no less so. Although Zhu Di had left state affairs in the hands of Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi, intervening only in major military or administrative matters, he still did not completely disengage himself. From time to time, he would send people to the Eastern Palace to request summaries of reports. Thus, the cautious Zhu Gaochi decided to have summaries delivered to the Qianqing Palace every three days to ease his father’s suspicion. However, his health was already poor, and having had less restraint while acting as regent in Nanjing, he now had to exert both physical and mental effort. Apart from letting Zhu Zhanji handle more matters, he also relied heavily on the three scholars of the Grand Secretariat.

Since Zhu Di had temporarily suspended regular court sessions, holding them only on the new and full moons, Zhu Gaochi got up at the usual time of 3 a.m. on that day. At 5 a.m., Yang Shiji from the Grand Secretariat came to see him, and he began to process various reports until noon when he could finally catch his breath. After Yang Shiji left, he quickly had lunch, then rubbed his temples and sent for Zhang Qian. Once Zhang Qian entered and bowed, he asked, “Has Father summoned the Prince of Han to court for the New Year’s ceremony?”

Zhang Qian had been serving in the Qianqing Palace these days and hadn’t even had time to attend to the affairs of the Imperial Workshops. Hearing the Crown Prince ask about the Prince of Han, he naturally became very cautious. “Your Highness, the Emperor has not mentioned this yet,” he replied.

“If Father doesn’t mention it, I still can’t ignore it. Think of a way to ask later. The Prince of Han hasn’t been to court for years. Even if Father is angry with him, he should still be given the chance to appear before him,” Zhu Gaochi said calmly. Seeing Zhang Qian nod in agreement, he took a sip of tea and continued, “The Prince of Zhao has been confined in his residence for a year. Even if he needs to reflect, he should have reflected enough by now. Keep this in mind as well. After all, they are all my own brothers. I can’t just ignore them.”

They were said to be three brothers born of the same mother, but Zhu Gaochi was made crown prince in his early years and was deeply favored by Emperor Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang. In contrast, the unruly Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui were not well-liked, so resentment had formed among them from an early age, known to everyone in the palace. Still, it was always right for the crown prince to show kindness, so Zhang Qian could only agree. Seeing that Zhu Gaochi had nothing else to say and about to take his leave, another question was posed.

“I heard that His Majesty was furious when he received reports from Xuanfu yesterday afternoon?”

“Your Highness, Wang Guan has been in Xuanfu for many years. The emperor always thought he was loyal, but after investigations by the Eastern Depot, every charge—embezzling military rations, engaging in unauthorized trade, and colluding with the Tartars—was backed by solid evidence. On top of that, Censor Yu Qian reported that half of the grain reserves in Kaiping were moldy, which made the emperor even angrier. Early this morning, he sent an envoy to order Wang Guan to be beheaded.”

There were also various factions among the eunuchs. Although Zhang Qian disapproved of such practices, he knew well that Wang Guan now sided with Liu Yongcheng of the Imperial Horse Supervision Bureau, and both the senior and junior officials there favored the Eastern Palace. Still, after saying this, he added, “The emperor also said that such disloyal eunuchs must be killed to appease the army’s anger. Even if they were once merely minor officials in the Imperial Ceremonial Bureau, they would still be executed. As a result, Eunuch Liu was reprimanded.”

Zhu Gaochi didn’t care much about Wang Guan, but he was highly alert to the reasons behind this matter. Though Zhang Qian was Lu Feng’s master, he had always been impartial and fair, so his words could be trusted. After pondering for a moment, he said nothing more, nodded, and sent the man away. Yet as soon as Zhang Qian left, Zhong Huai rushed in hurriedly.

“Your Highness, here’s the latest news. It seems the King of Han sent a messenger to the capital and gave the King of Shouguang a scolding. In anger, the King of Shouguang beat the messenger severely and now has him detained outside Donghua Gate, waiting to be brought in!”

Hearing this, Zhu Gaochi frowned deeply. He tightened his grip, accidentally scalding himself with the teacup. In his haste, the porcelain cup shattered on the floor. Without even looking at the maids and eunuchs rushing to clean up, he raised his head and ordered, “Go inform Zhan Ji and tell him to go take a look. Donghua Gate is not a place for him to act recklessly!”

A son who knows no restraint and a father who is unruly—both fools who can’t even learn to be patient!

Donghuamen was located on the east side of the palace complex. From a distance, one could see a tall red city platform seated on a white jade Sumeru base, with yellow glazed tiles and a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof. Three gateways led downward, giving it a solemn and imposing appearance. As it was adjacent to the Eastern Palace, its inhabitants usually entered and exited through here. When eunuchs were ordered to summon court officials, they often took this shortcut as well. In addition, imperial relatives and nobles from the capital also passed through here. Thus, it was usually less busy than the main entrance at Wumen and remained quiet most of the time.

Yet on this day, with the sun high in the sky, there had just been some commotion here. Although the guards on duty knew they would surely face punishment this time, facing a legitimate imperial grandson and their superiors being whipped, they didn’t have the courage to intervene. They simply sent someone inside to report the situation, while the rest stood motionless like wooden posts. As for those from the Eastern Palace who had planned to enter through here, after some consideration, they also took a detour, clearing a large area for the imperial grandson.

Standing there, pacing back and forth, Prince Shouguang Zhu Zhanqi’s face was filled with anger. His gaze kept drifting to the man who was firmly held down by his guards. Away from Shandong, he felt like a tiger freed from its cage, no longer under anyone’s control. Even when writing letters to the HanMansion, Fang Rui handled them on his behalf, with him merely stamping his seal. He could pretend to be a obedient grandson in front of the emperor’s grandfather, patiently copy scriptures to appear filial, and even find various ways to please Zhu Di…

Breathing heavily through his nose, he clenched his fists tightly. Seeing no movement inside Donghuamen, he almost rushed in with his men. Zhu Gaoxu, under the guise of a father, had killed his own mother—a scene he had witnessed with his own eyes. After that, Zhu Gaoxu had never regarded him as anything but despised and looked down on him. Later, he even called him an untrainable wolf pup behind his back. From then on, he no longer saw that man as his father; he was merely his enemy!

Sending a messenger was just to humiliate him. Who did Zhu Gaoxu think he was? That man only had theMansion’s silver plaque and no other credentials. Leaving the prince’s territory without permission as a guard of theMansion was a capital offense under either set of rules! To become the heir apparent, what was most needed was not his father’s approval but his emperor grandfather’s recognition. Once Zhu Di could no longer tolerate Zhu Gaoxu, he could even become a prince directly, without having to be a dependent heir apparent!

Zhu Zhanji, summoned by his father, hurried out. He glanced at Zhu Zhanqi, who wore a black hat with folded corners and a bright red robe embroidered with golden dragons, then saw the middle-aged man being held down on his knees by two people. Though he roughly understood what was going on, he still found the scene utterly disgraceful. He stepped forward quickly and asked, “Brother Qi, what’s going on here? This is Donghua Gate. Is it appropriate for you to block the road here with your men?”
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince, I simply couldn’t bear it any longer, so I had no choice but to resort to this extreme measure! That wretched scoundrel, relying on a royal ID badge, dared to claim to be my father’s messenger. He barged into the Marquis of Han’s residence and insulted me in front of everyone with utterly vile words! If you don’t believe me, ask them—ask what kind of insults that damned man uttered!”
Zhu Zhanqi had always been both envious and jealous of the Crown Prince, who had been favored by Zhu Di since birth. But he had learned to control himself enough to know he couldn’t vent his anger at Zhu Zhanji. So he calmed himself down and began to make excuses. Hearing these justifications, Zhu Zhanji knew full well that it was still a disguised form of father-son conflict. His already furrowed brows became even more knotted. He gave Zhu Zhanqi a few mild rebukes before noticing someone coming out in a hurry, so he stopped talking.
“Marquis of Shouguang, the Emperor summons you!” Yang Qing, the breathless eunuch in charge, said to Zhu Zhanqi. Seeing Zhu Zhanji there as well, he said with a smile, “The Emperor met with the Duke of Ying today and, on a whim, wrote a few characters to bestow as a gift. He just gave one to the Duke of Ying. Since Your Highness, the Crown Prince, is here, it’s perfect. We can go to the Qianqing Palace together—so you can express your gratitude in person, and it saves this old servant a trip.”
Rather than being an attempt to take advantage of his age, it was more of a kind reminder, so Zhu Zhanji readily agreed and immediately accompanied Zhu Zhanqi inside the palace with the man. Seeing the middle-aged man’s red and swollen cheeks and his body covered in footprints and shoe marks, he knew the man must have suffered greatly, but he only felt annoyed.
What on earth was his grandfather thinking? He could have simply made Zhu Zhanqi the heir and sent him back to Shandong, thus avoiding trouble in the capital!
Since Duke of Ying Zhang Fu had left earlier, the Qianqing Palace was quiet. While it was common for Zhu Di to suddenly lose his temper and scold everyone in front of Zhang Fu, the emperor’s gloomy, silent expression at this moment was even more unsettling. At least the maids and eunuchs around him had served Zhu Di for a long time and knew that his anger wasn’t the worst—he was most unpredictable when he held back his anger.

“Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the King of Shouguang have arrived.” Hearing this cautious voice, Zhu Di couldn’t help but glance at the memorial held in his hand, his anger growing ever fiercer. His own son was no match for his son-in-law; that Zhang Yue would go to any length for his father-in-law Du Zhen, yet his own son and grandson, who were blood relatives, wished each other death! Moreover, it seemed all his sons were hoping he would die soon!