Chapter 670: Great Chaos

In the Duanjing Hall of the Eastern Palace.
Since being appointed Crown Prince, apart from attending morning and evening court sessions, necessary ceremonies, and sacrifices, Zhu Zhanji had never left the Eastern Palace area. He even had less freedom than when he was the Heir Apparent. Although it had been decided that he would lead some civil and military officials to Nanjing in April to pay respects at the Xiaoling Mausoleum, he didn’t need to get involved in any preparations—only to set off when the time came. Thus, his main task became dealing with the old scholars in the Eastern Palace.

Among the teachers in the Eastern Palace, Zhang Ying and Chen Shan obeyed every command without question, never advising or reporting anything to Zhu Zhanji. Dai Lun and Lin Changmao, on the other hand, were constantly noisy and even spoke directly before the emperor. Only Wang Rang advised when necessary, never abusing the emperor’s authority. As a result, Zhu Zhanji acted recklessly around the former but kept his distance from the latter—only Wang Rang commanded his respect.

That day, it was Wang Rang who taught him. He taught in a measured pace, taking a break every hour. Zhu Zhanji would either step outside for fresh air or drink tea and eat some snacks, always finding time to rest. At noon, several eunuchs brought food as usual. While exchanging formal greetings with Wang Rang, he noticed Chen Wu sneaking in and giving him frequent eye signals.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhanji immediately understood that Chen Wu had something to say. He pretended that Wang Rang was old and weak and asked two young eunuchs to serve him in the next room for lunch, planning to resume lessons after a short nap. Wang Rang, being sensible, politely withdrew. Once there were no distractions, Chen Wu quickly approached Zhu Zhanji and handed him two letters with a smile.

“Your Highness, I just came from Princess Chenliu and brought these two letters along. One is a short historical commentary written by Lord Zhang as ordered, and the other seems to be an important letter. It’s good that Princess Chenliu stayed in the capital; otherwise, I would have to keep going to the Duke of Ying’s residence, which would be too noticeable. After all, Eunuch Zhang no longer handles affairs, so it’s not appropriate for me to visit frequently.”

“Thankfully, there’s Aunt Ning. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t trust anyone else to handle such matters.”

Zhu Zhanji cut open the envelope with a paper cutter while asking, “By the way, when His Majesty ordered Li Shimian to be imprisoned yesterday, I happened to arrive just in time. I saw him covered in blood, seemingly barely alive. I sent someone to the General Administration Office to inquire, only to find out that the memorial had never been there. Judging from His Majesty’s furious reaction, it must have been destroyed on the spot. His Majesty rarely gets angry, let alone so fiercely. There’s something strange about this. Have you heard anything?”
“I tried to inquire through Eunuch Huang. He’s now assigned to the Crown Prince’s side. Aside from a few people like Eunuch Fan, no one is as influential as him. But he secretly mentioned that no one was present when the Emperor met Li Shimian. It was only after he became enraged that he summoned the Jinyiwei. In his fury, he almost killed Li Shimian on the spot. Later, he found fragments of burned paper in the charcoal basin, suggesting the memorial was completely burned. Li Shimian was someone who even dared to defy the late Emperor, yet he was only imprisoned for his remonstrances in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. I heard that the palace guards worked all night to clean up the bloodstains along the way.”
Zhang Yue’s two letters varied in thickness—one stack was thick, with at least seven or eight sheets, while the other was just two thin pages. Zhu Zhanji was currently reading those two pages. Hearing Chen Wu’s words, he once again saw the bloody scene before his eyes and couldn’t help frowning. Then he ordered, “Go and investigate further. You must figure out what’s really going on… Huh? Damn it, how could such a thing happen!”
Chen Wu nodded in agreement and was about to leave when suddenly heard that angry outburst, startling him. When he turned around, he saw Zhu Zhanji with furrowed brows and blazing anger. He quickly stopped in his tracks. After waiting for a while, he cautiously asked, “What did Lord Zhang say that made Your Highness so angry?”
“Angry? I don’t have the time to get angry over a bunch of despicable people!”
Though he said that, Zhu Zhanji’s brows remained knitted. He gathered the papers and got ready to stand up, but stopped after just a few steps. Taking out the two thin sheets again, he glanced at them several times before slowly sitting back down, lost in thought. After a long while, he sighed deeply. “A strong army left in Nanjing, yet not even as good as the imperial guards there, with reduced rations. It’s no wonder their morale is low and they might rebel. To think some even suggest using them to build the palace in Nanjing—pure nonsense!”

Chen Wu knew full well why Zheng He was leading the overseas troops to defend Nanjing, and he hadn’t taken it to heart. Now, hearing that Zhang Yue had specifically mentioned it in his letter, he found it strange. Recalling that Zhang Yue had once tried to lift the sea ban at the Ningbo Maritime Administration, he thought he understood his intentions and quietly warned, “Young Master Zhang’s intentions are certainly good, but since the emperor has just issued an order, Your Highness should be more cautious if you have any plans.”

“What he’s proposing is merely to equalize the rations of the overseas troops with those of the imperial guards—it’s not a major policy issue. I can handle that. Besides, our late emperor always treated the troops sent overseas generously; we can’t just let them struggle to make a living. How about this: find an excuse to meet with Grand Secretary Yang. He’s the emperor’s most trusted minister, and the emperor will always listen to his advice on such matters. Ah, and Xia Yuanji—though he advocates abandoning treasure-seeking ships to the West, his stance on the sea ban is unclear. Have him consider this as well.”

Zhu Zhanji spoke calmly, but Chen Wu admired him secretly. Yang Shiqi was now the top figure in the cabinet, and almost none of his drafted memorials were rejected by Zhu Gaochi. Moreover, as Zhang Yue’s senior mentor, it wouldn’t hurt to share some insider information with him. As for Xia Yuanji, who had been imprisoned in the past, Zhu Zhanji had repeatedly persuaded Zhu Di gently. This old minister also had a good relationship with Du Zhen, so he wouldn’t stay idle on such matters, either personally or professionally.

Although Zhu Zhanji, as crown prince, only had a nominal title and didn’t hold the same regnal powers as Zhu Gaochi in the past, precisely because of this, the relationship between father and son was only slightly strained—not as harsh as Zhu Di’s treatment of Zhu Gaochi back then. Thanks to his careful arrangements, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue quickly agreed to treat the overseas troops equally to the imperial guards. However, Zhu Gaochi added another clause, ordering Zheng He not to request favors arbitrarily.

Yet, compared to the turbulent politics of the time, this was just a minor issue, and few paid much attention. After Li Shimian, the Jinyiwei suddenly presented a list of crimes committed by Shu Zhongcheng, an imperial censor who had offended the emperor in the past. Immediately, all the ministers in the government offices felt uneasy—if this became a precedent, with old grievances being brought up one after another, how many officials would remain? Thus, several close cabinet scholars earnestly advised against it, but before the emperor could respond, several memorials from Nanjing caused a stir in the cabinet.

“One side is a bunch of scoundrels, and the other side is also a bunch of scoundrels!”

Yang Rong, who was usually gentle and refined, became so angry that he spoke recklessly, cursing both sides. Only then did he say resentfully, “This is utterly unheard of! The Jin Yi Wei in Nanjing arrests people without orders, sets up secret prisons to extort high officials—how can they even remember their duties? Yet even so, Xu Jinghuang was far too reckless to simply bring those people to the Yingtianfu government office and then seek refuge in the Nanjing Garrison. It’s complete chaos!”
Jin Youzi had taken leave for over ten days and had just returned from illness when he heard such an unbelievable news. He felt a sharp pain in his head. After reviewing the several memorials sent from the Zongzhengsi to the Simili Jian and then to him, he rubbed his temples while saying without looking up, “In the last years of Emperor Taizu’s reign, an edict was issued to abolish the Jin Yi Wei. It was restored at the beginning of Emperor Taizong’s reign, and the Dongchang was established later. To put it bluntly, leaving aside the Jin Yi Wei in the capital for now, the one in Nanjing should be disbanded.”
Huang Huai himself had almost spent his entire life in the Jin Yi Wei’s prison. Watching several of his comrades die or fall ill, his own health was also deteriorating. Whenever he saw his colleagues in the cabinet, he would have certain hidden thoughts. Yang Shiqi and Du Zhen had been imprisoned twice, while Yang Rong and Jin Youzi enjoyed great favor during the Yongle era. Wasn’t it easy for them to criticize the Jin Yi Wei? After coughing twice, he simply said two words.
“Liu Jun not only detained the sons of officials but also many relatives and disciples of nobles. But what’s more important is another aspect. Think carefully about how many nobles are involved in this matter.”
During the Yongle era, Zhu Di treated the nobles who had helped him conquer the country generously, giving them hereditary titles, land, gold, silver, and official positions—almost anything they wanted. Now, to stabilize the people after the new emperor ascended the throne, he also had to treat these military leaders well. Most of the Three Dukes and Three Marquises were nobles. And this incident involved four of the highest-ranking dukes in the court. Even if it were truly the emperor’s orders, they would probably refuse to admit it—after all, they thought the emperor wouldn’t be so eager for quick success.
“The Duke of Yingguo, the Duke of Qianguo, the Duke of Weiguo, the Duke of Dingguo…” Du Zhen softly listed these four names. His heart stirred slightly, but he said, “The last two received their titles through imperial grace or were restored to their positions, so they’re not a concern. But the Duke of Yingguo heads the Military Command, while the Duke of Qianguo guards Yunnan. In the secret prison run by the Jin Yi Wei in Nanjing, there’s a relative of the Duke of Yingguo and a close family member of a son-in-law of the Mu family. If they really were guilty, it might be acceptable, but it’s almost certainly a frame-up. Such a crime is unforgivable.”

After everyone else had spoken, Yang Shiqi, who had remained silent the whole time, finally opened his mouth: “Since we’re all here today, why not go together to the Qianqing Palace to see the Emperor? This is a serious matter. The Imperial Secretariat sent these over—perhaps news has already spread. If we don’t take action promptly, it might indeed lead to chaos, just as you all said.”

No wall is airtight. Though the conversations in the Cabinet were kept closely secret, and the discussions between the emperor and his ministers in the Qianqing Palace weren’t likely to leak out right away, places like the Imperial Secretariat and the General Administration Office were always full of spies. Thus, within two days, all the officials with some influence in the capital knew about it. During their leisure time, they couldn’t help but talk about that audacious commander of the Nanjing Imperial Guards. But no one could figure out whether he was acting under orders or had gone mad.

As the first month of the year neared its end, the Duke of Yingguo’s household, under Xi Yu’s direction, began to pack away the bulky items used for the festival. Now that Lady Wang was busy receiving guests, she had left all household chores to Xi Yu and had no time to worry about things like screens and decorations that could be damaged. As soon as Zhang Fu returned home, she sent the maids away and asked directly, “Sir, what exactly is going on with the Nanjing Imperial Guards? Everyone outside is speculating, and I’m dying of worry!”

“Don’t worry. Wang Quanbin is just a young man who’s done some reckless things. The Nanjing Imperial Guards are extorting money—this won’t affect his father. There are already few people in the court who understand salt administration, and since the benefits of the salt monopoly go to the border generals, the Salt Transport Bureau has limited power. Not many people are eyeing his position…”

Lady Wang, already anxious, was even more irritated by Zhang Fu’s calm demeanor as he sipped tea. She felt both angry and amused. Ignoring everything else, she cut him off abruptly, “Sir, I’m now a member of the Zhang family. I’m not asking about the Wang family’s affairs—I’m asking whether this will bring disaster to our family! If the skin is gone, where can the hair attach? I’m afraid they’ll use you as a pretext!”

Zhang Fu smiled slightly. He thought that if it were Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, this might have escalated into a major case. Even Emperor Zhu Di would have been furious and launched a thorough investigation. But for the current emperor, Zhu Gaochi, his top priorities were to guard against Zhu Gaoxu, the Prince of Han, and crush any rebellion at the slightest sign, and to dispel all the lingering troubles from the Yongle era. Since the emperor had no intention of launching a major purge of all the nobles, no matter how much he investigated this matter, there could only be one outcome.

“Even if that fool might have such an idea, things have escalated to this point, so even the emperor can only seek to calm things down and give an explanation to the meritorious officials. Don’t worry; today, the Ministry of Punishments requested to handle this case, but the emperor refused. Instead, he ordered Liu Guan from the Censorate to accompany the crown prince southward. I think the most likely outcome is that Liu Jun will be executed on the spot and his family’s property confiscated to quell public anger. Of course, Liu Guan will still investigate and must report to the emperor in secret.”

“Amitabha! If that’s really the case, this scoundrel will finally get what’s coming to him!”

Retribution? Hearing these words, Zhang Fu couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. Although Zhang Yue hadn’t sent any messages about this matter—rumors said he had been busy at the Yingtianfu Academy during his time in Nanjing, and it seemed the court had already forgotten this once brilliant young favorite—Zhang Fu knew Zhang Yue was by no means the kind of person who would wait passively.

But to say this was orchestrated by this kid seemed unlikely. It clearly seemed like the fault of the Nanjing Jinyiwei. Zhang Yue probably didn’t have the ability to involve so many high-ranking officials. Fortunately, to appease the people of Nanjing, Zhu Zhanji had decided to set off ten days earlier. By then, Zhang Yue would be closer to the crown prince and wouldn’t be as idle as he is now.

Heaven help him—this Duke of Ying had to rely on such an incident to submit a memorial properly. The incisive memorial he submitted today was written by Zhang Jiu; it was truly a masterful piece. With the imperial examinations approaching, it was uncertain whether this young nephew would achieve his goal.