Chapter 541: Closest and Farthest Relatives

Zhu Gaochi had a plump face and large ears; he was not as tall or robust as his two younger brothers. Yet in handling state affairs, Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui combined could not compare to even the smallest finger of his. Even when he was still the crown prince, he had managed important affairs while Zhu Di pretended to be insane. When Zhu Di led troops on military campaigns across the country, it was only because he remained in Beiping that they did not lose their base. Even after Zhu Di ascended the throne, he, as the crown prince, had served as regent several times. Though he could never control the appointment and dismissal of high-ranking officials and was often suspected, his ability to handle affairs straightforwardly was no less than that of his father, Zhu Di.

Yet now, in the Duanjing Hall—renowned for its respect toward officials and hailed as a model of kindness and filial piety—the crown prince Zhu Gaochi, for the first time in his life, lost his temper in front of his subordinates. He threw a memorial document violently onto the ground and glared angrily at Yang Shiqi, who delivered it, shouting, “What is this? Is he insane? If this is submitted, our father will surely be furious. Does he think this is some child’s game?”

When they first moved to Beijing, seven out of ten eunuchs and maids in the Duanjing Hall were new faces, but he didn’t need to worry about them—Crown Princess Zhang would take care of that gradually. Now, anything he said in this hall, unless it involved extreme matters, would never leak outside. That was why he wasn’t hiding his anger at this moment. After glaring at Yang Shiqi for a while and seeing that the latter remained unrepentant, he finally realized his anger was completely unfounded and sat down resentfully.

“If I had known he lacked sense, but haven’t he and his father caused enough trouble already? That day, when the Prince of Shouguang was flogged, the Qianqing Palace was in chaos, and almost a death occurred on the spot. Now, with this memorial submitted, does he really want to kill his own son? Such father-son relationship—how can there be such people in the world? Can’t he show some restraint?”

After his anger subsided, Zhu Gaochi took a deep breath, realizing that what annoyed him the most was something else. He had been the eldest son from birth and the undisputed crown prince, so he had been separated from his brothers since childhood, studying alone in his own courtyard, always adhering to etiquette and rules. Zhu Di often scolded him, being the strictest father. Yet when it came to Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui, Zhu Di would show concern and kindness. Just considering all the mischief Zhu Gaoxu had caused over the years, he should have died many times already.

Everyone says it was the Han King who managed to save them through his intercession, but who knows that he merely saw through Zhu Di’s protective instincts and had to suppress his disgust to speak soothingly? Even without him, Zhu Gaoxu wouldn’t die, nor would Zhu Gaosui! His father only wanted to discipline them, but was extremely harsh toward him!

“Let’s put this memorial aside for now. We can find a good opportunity to present it to the Emperor after tomorrow’s New Year’s court session.”

Whenever the Emperor went on a military campaign or inspection, it was always Yang Shiji who stayed behind to assist the Crown Prince. In everyone’s eyes, he was a true member of the Crown Prince’s faction, so he never avoided entering the Eastern Palace. At that moment, seeing a small eunuch hurriedly pick up the memorial from the ground and respectfully present it to him, he didn’t take it but instead bowed to Zhu Gaochi sitting at the head.

“Your Highness, please forgive my blunt words. Your intentions are good, but I’m afraid they go against the Emperor’s wishes. The Emperor has said that all memorials from princes above the rank of outer vassals, military commanders above the rank of military governors, and civil officials above the second rank should be submitted for his review. If you think it’s inappropriate to submit this memorial, you still can’t just set it aside. Moreover, since the Han King is so bold, he must be determined to deal with the Prince of Shouguang. You can submit it as you see fit, and offer advice afterward. This is a formal memorial, not a rumor—it can’t be suppressed.”

After being persuaded by Yang Shiji’s words, Zhu Gaochi was deeply shaken. Although no northern campaign had yet taken place, Zhu Di had already left all court affairs in the hands of the Eastern Palace. He himself spent his days gathering military officers to discuss routes, logistics, troop deployment, and weapons supply… Yet even so, Zhu Di’s sharp gaze would occasionally sweep over the Eastern Palace. If his good intentions were misunderstood as ulterior motives, why go through the trouble?

“Very well. Then accompany me to the Qianqing Palace later.”

After giving this brief order, he couldn’t help but stare intently at the memorial with its yellow silk cover, filled with confusion. The Prince of Shouguang, Zhu Zhanqi, had inherited Zhu Gaoxu’s irritable temper and often acted unlawfully. Yet he simply couldn’t believe that his nephew, who was not even twenty, would dare to have an affair with a eunuch guarding Xuanfu and even leak military secrets to the Tartars. If this was false, then Zhu Gaoxu must be insane; if true, then Zhu Zhanqi was.

Could it be that Zhu Gaoxu realized there was no hope of seizing the throne through legitimate means, so he resorted to extreme measures, desperate to drive his own father to madness?

The Ming Dynasty had a vast territory, and the number of memorials submitted to the Bureau of State Affairs each day was astronomical. Only a diligent emperor like Zhu Yuanzhang could possibly review them all by himself, while Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, had to rely on the Grand Secretariat as his secretaries. Although Zhu Gaochi was skilled in government affairs, he lacked the energy to do so and almost always responded according to the drafts prepared by the Grand Secretariat.

He absentmindedly spent an hour going through a stack of memorials before suddenly raising his head and asking Yang Shiji, “Have those two memorials accusing Zhang Yue submitted by the Censorate been presented?”

Yang Shiji had naturally read the lengthy 5,000-word memorial written by Liu Zixu, the censor overseeing Xuanfu. Setting aside its content, it was indeed a fine piece of writing—well-structured, with elegant diction and passionate language, which was understandable given his lack of full context. Zhang Yue and Zheng Heng had already submitted their memorials regarding the so-called Tatar envoys, and the ministers accompanying the emperor certainly knew about this. The emperor appreciated this small trick but ordered everyone to act as if it never happened and to wait to see what feedback the spies sent back from Oirat and Tatar territories would bring. Zhu Gaochi was also aware of this.

“Your Highness, they were submitted a few days ago. The emperor only reviewed them yesterday. He said that it is normal for censors to supervise on behalf of heaven and submit memorials. However, as this matter is significant, it has been kept confidential. As for the matter reported by Yu Qian, it will be discussed after the northern expedition.”

These were two completely different approaches. After hearing this, Zhu Gaochi frowned. While Zhu Di was on the northern expedition, he had entrusted others with overseeing the country, managing supplies, and so on. It was still uncertain whether Zhang Yue, who was now the governor of Xuanfu, would accompany the emperor. If he stayed, Zhu Di might assign him other important tasks; if he went, he could be useful in another capacity.

“Zhanji once mentioned to me that he wanted to transfer Zhang Yue to the Crown Prince’s palace, but given his current competence, it might be difficult for him to serve in the Eastern Palace. During the New Year, he even sent Zhanji a gift—a painting of red plum blossoms in snow, hand-painted by him. It seems he still remembers the past. I hope the emperor will allow him to accompany the army this time so he can gain some experience.”

What Zhu Gaochi could think of, Yang Shiji could naturally think of as well. With 300,000 elite troops outside, once they entered the grasslands, they would store provisions and divide their forces in the fortresses built during the previous two northern expeditions. The provisions brought in advance could sustain the army for months, so there would be no shortage of food in the rear. The emperor was old, and he was worried about any potential accidents. He certainly trusted Yang Rong and Jin Youzi, but by then, a group of civil officials might not be able to control those military generals who held military power. Even if these people’s families were all in the capital, it should be noted that the crown prince acting as regent could never move the troops stationed to defend the capital. For the emperor, military power must never fall into the hands of outsiders.

After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, “I actually forgot about another matter. This time, the Ministry of War submitted a list of all those to be transferred. That Wang Yu, the commander of Liaohai Guard, has been replaced by someone from the Shence Guard.”

If it were an ordinary commander, Yang Shiji would surely not remember him, but this man had once uncovered a major case in the past, and it was also known that he seemed to be related to Zhang Yue, so he had kept an eye on him. After mentioning this, seeing Zhu Gaochi pause and look thoughtful, he changed the subject.

“For this northern expedition, there were three supervisors in charge of transporting provisions: Zhang Xin, the Marquis of Longping; Li Qing, the Minister of War; and Li Chang, the vice minister. Below them, Chen Yu, the Marquis of Taining, and 26 others were in charge of transporting goods by cart, while Gu Xingzu, the Marquis of Zhenyuan, and 25 others were in charge of transporting them by donkey. For the later shipments, everything was transported by cart, with two supervisors: Meng Ying, the Marquis of Baoding, and Chen Ying, the Marquis of Sui’an, leading 1,000 cavalry and 5,000 infantry for protection. All 6,000 escort troops came from the Shence Guard.”

Zhu Gaochi had already heard about this arrangement before, but after Yang Shiji mentioned it twice, he immediately understood. He didn’t say much more. After finishing reading the memorial, he ordered it to be neatly organized and placed together with the top memorial sealed in yellow silk in a box. Then he asked Yang Shiji to leave the Duanjing Hall with him. When they left the Zuo Shun Gate and saw that the others were far away, he whispered to Yang Shiji, “Are all the people dispatched by the Ministry of War from the Shence Guard?”

“All of them are being transferred to strengthen the Shence Guard. It was Mianren’s idea.”

Upon hearing it was Yang Rong, Zhu Gaochi immediately understood. Yang Shiqi was skilled in administrative affairs but mediocre in military matters; such an idea could indeed only come from Yang Rong. As for how the other party would influence the Ministry of War, he didn’t need to worry about that. In high spirits, he even walked more lightly until he entered Qianqing Gate, when he put on a cautious expression. However, just as he and Yang Shiqi stepped up the white jade steps in front of Qianqing Palace and headed eastward toward the warm pavilion, they heard laughter coming from inside.

Knowing that Zhu Di inside must be in a good mood, Zhu Gaochi breathed a sigh of relief. When they reached the curtain door and were allowed in after being announced by a eunuch, he saw Zhu Zhanji sitting below Zhu Di. Apparently upon seeing him arrive, Zhu Zhanji had already stood up, though he seemed somewhat uneasy. As Zhu Gaochi wondered why while bowing, Zhu Di waved at him with a smile.

“Zhanji’s marriage has been going on for many years now, and finally, the Empress Dowager Hu has some good news. After all, this is my great-grandchild. If it’s a boy, you’ll have another grandson!”

Though this was excellent news, seeing Zhu Zhanji’s beaming face and realizing that his own father wasn’t even the first to hear the news, Zhu Gaochi’s face remained smiling, but his heart felt bitter. In Zhu Di’s eyes, unless he had a virtuous crown princess and a clever son, his status as crown prince would likely be insignificant. Yet without him, how could Zhu Di leave the vast empire behind time and again to go on military campaigns?