Chapter 834: Long Feng’er, Investigating the Strange Matters

Princess Chenliu’s Residence in Golden Fish Alley.

The residences of princesses in the Ming Dynasty were built according to first-rank standards, with five bays and seven rafters in their main gates—superior even to those of dukes and marquises. However, gold was not allowed to be used in construction. The residences of princes and princesses among the imperial relatives were of a lower standard. As originally planned by Zhu Zhanji, the princess’s residence here should have followed the specifications of a princess’s palace, but Zhu Ning firmly refused this. Now, both the residence and the garden behind it were constructed by the Ministry of Works, and all the furniture and furnishings were bestowed from the palace. From the outside, it didn’t seem luxurious, but inside, everything was exquisitely crafted.

Yet everyone knew that Princess Chenliu, Zhu Ning, was highly trusted by the empress dowager. Among the many noblewomen in the capital, only a few were allowed to enter this residence. Zhu Ning spent most of her time in the palace and was rarely here. She came out today because of a message sent by Mother Feng, prompting her to return home.

As soon as she entered the house, she learned that Mother Feng had also invited Du Wan and Xiao Wu. A smile appeared on her lips, and she walked more lightly. Upon reaching the second gate, she deliberately slowed down. Sure enough, a head suddenly appeared beside her, and after a shout, someone grinned at her. She stepped forward and pulled the person out, saying irritably, “I knew you still cared about this! You’re already a mother, yet you still act like this. It’s all because of your husband who spoils you!”

“Does being a mother mean staying indoors and not stepping outside? My family doesn’t have such stupid rules!”

Xiao Wu wrinkled his nose before hugging Zhu Ning’s arm and saying affectionately, “I went to take a look. They’re truly a lovely pair—such rare twins! Sister was so captivated watching them that she didn’t even bother to greet you. Mother Feng also said that on the journey from Henan to the capital, the two kids just ate and slept all the time, and they even gained some weight when they arrived!”

Hearing what Xiao Wu said, Zhu Ning felt even more delighted, but thinking of the origins of these twin siblings, she felt a pang of sorrow. Although her legitimate elder brother Zhu Youxi had had his title revoked and was imprisoned, he still had her as his sister, so no one dared to treat him harshly. He lacked nothing in terms of food and expenses, and his former concubines and maids served him, with dozens of servants at his disposal. The mother of these two children, Yuan, was originally a maid. Giving birth to twins was considered an extremely auspicious omen, but she died from blood loss during childbirth. With Zhu Youxi losing his title as the Prince of Xinan, he didn’t even bother to include them in the family genealogy or take care of them. If it weren’t for Mother Feng, who happened to go back to look for the children and reported the news to Prince Zhou and the princess immediately upon hearing it, bringing the children out, the twins would likely have starved to death.

Since the empress dowager and the emperor had given their approval, she planned to raise the children with her. Zhu Youxi had brought this upon himself, but the children were innocent.

Before reaching the main room, Zhu Ning heard a clear cry, so she pulled Xiao Wu along and quickened her pace. The maid who had seen them earlier quickly lifted the curtain. As soon as she stepped over the threshold, she found the main room empty, so she followed the sound to the east room. Upon entering, she saw Du Wan smiling as she held a swaddled baby.

“Sister Ning has arrived? Come and take a look! This little girl was crying just now, but she stopped as soon as you came in. Look how cute she is now!”

Taking the baby from Du Wan’s arms, Zhu Ning felt a weight in her arms and became a bit flustered. Du Wan and Xiao Wu beside her couldn’t help but give her some guidance. After finally getting used to holding the baby, Zhu Ning finally had the chance to look at the child’s face—and was stunned. Seeing this, Du Wan sighed even more. She had already noticed when holding the baby that, whether boy or girl, the child resembled Zhu Ning greatly, after all, they were the children of her legitimate elder brother.

Mother Feng had taken care of Zhu Ning since she was young. When she brought out the children, she realized they looked almost exactly like Zhu Ning as a child. She had initially hesitated because they were the children of a criminal, but upon seeing those faces, she couldn’t hold back anymore and immediately reported it to Zhu Ning. Fortunately, thanks to the emperor’s grace, she received the news on the way—his Majesty had approved it.

Now, seeing Zhu Ning shedding tears, she hurried over to comfort her, saying, “Princess, after all, they have shed their status as criminals and can be raised under your care. You should be happy! With you here, their father surely won’t be treated harshly, and even their mother in the afterlife can rest in peace. Look, they were crying so badly just now, but now they’re smiling!”

Mother Feng hurriedly brought over another swaddled baby. Du Wan also spoke a few words of encouragement, and Xiao Wu added, “That’s right! Looking at them, I want a pair of twins too. If they look exactly alike, we can dress them however we want from a young age, and it’ll be great to take them out to play!”
“You only think about playing!”
Ju Ning stopped crying at her words. After glancing at her angrily, she carefully handed the baby over to the nurse, but her eyes remained fixed on those two identical faces. After a while, she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief before sitting outside with Du Wan and Xiao Wu. Speaking of these twin children, Du Wan asked with a smile, “Now that the children are here, have you thought of names for them?”
“It was the Empress Dowager who chose their names,” Ju Ning said, taking out a yellow silk scroll from her sleeve and unrolling it for Du Wan and Xiao Wu to see. “The boy is named Ru Jun, and the girl is named Ru Yun. As for the surname, it will be mine. As long as I’m here, I’ll protect them for life… My fifth brother wasn’t properly guided by our father back then; I definitely won’t let them repeat the same mistake. Once they grow up a bit, I’ll focus solely on educating them.” Ju Ning’s expression brightened as she spoke, then she smiled at Du Wan and Xiao Wu again. “Let’s be like sisters. If these children end up falling in love, we can become family!”
At these words, Xiao Wu clapped her hands excitedly, “That’s great! I want Ru Yun to be my daughter-in-law!”
“You silly girl! How dare you snatch a daughter-in-law like that? If your brother-in-law finds out, he’ll be furious!”
Du Wan said, pinching Xiao Wu’s cheek, but she also smiled at Ju Ning. “Since this girl has been taken away by Xiao Wu, I don’t know if I’ll be lucky enough to have another daughter. If I could have you as my mother-in-law, any mother would feel at ease.”
Seeing that the three of them had already settled matters regarding their children’s marriages while chatting happily, Mother Feng couldn’t help but smile. But looking at Ju Ning’s joyful expression, she couldn’t resist turning away to wipe her eyes. On this return to Kaifeng, all the princes and relatives, starting from the Prince of Zhou, had treated her, a servant, with great courtesy—undoubtedly out of respect for Ju Ning. When they returned, the princesses had also prepared generous gifts.

However, of the princess’s sisters who had already married, although they held noble status, only a few were still alive. After all, in the past there were few restrictions on who could serve as attendants to the princess, but over the years the rules became increasingly strict. Several who once held actual positions were displaced, and even the Princess of Lanyang, who married Xu Maoxian, the younger brother of the Duke of Dingguo, remained unmarried for years because Xu Maoxian had numerous concubines and was lustful. To be married yet suffer because of one’s husband’s failures—what kind of noble status is that? Since she had agreed with Empress Dowager Zhang before returning that she would go back after the palace gates were locked at night, Zhu Ning wasn’t in a hurry. She spent time chatting with Du Wan and Xiao Wu, playing with the two children, and even found meals more delicious than usual in her joy. In the afternoon, Xiao Wu said that since it wasn’t the Wanshi Festival, she had to help take care of his properties and then left in a hurry. So only Du Wan and Zhu Ning sat together and talked. They discussed children’s matters, then household affairs, and then state affairs. When Du Wan mentioned that Zhang Yue had left early that morning and was likely not to return for several days, Zhu Ning suddenly pinched her face. “What, a day apart feels like ages? Are you missing him?” Having already had a son and a daughter, Du Wan felt no need to hide anything from Zhu Ning and frankly said, “It would be a lie to say I’m not worried about what happened yesterday. Just thinking about it makes me scared. He didn’t see how worried my mother-in-law was, and even my own mother repeated ‘Amitabha’ several times when I visited her this morning. This sudden change is so strange… Sister Ning, do you think the fraud in the military examinations might just be a pretext, and someone actually wants to place people in the military units?” Zhu Ning’s smile vanished instantly. After a long pause, she asked with a frown, “Did Zhang Yue tell you this?” “He didn’t say it outright, but casually mentioned what happened at the training ground yesterday. I just kept thinking about it after he left this morning, and suddenly came up with this idea that I just can’t shake.” Due to lack of sleep the previous night, Du Wan rubbed her eyes before continuing, “After all, the emperor is not here, and at least half of the high-ranking civil and military officials are accompanying him. I can’t help but wonder…”

“Yesterday, when Zhang Yue went to Wenhua Hall to see the Empress Dowager, he made things clear. He also suspected this possibility, so the Empress Dowager has ordered a thorough investigation. As for any major upheaval… you needn’t worry. Throughout the ages, how many people have truly tried to do such things and succeeded? They’re just petty clowns. You should know that after Liu Yongcheng went to Nanjing to take command, the person in charge of the Imperial Horse Guard was Zhong Huai, who had served Emperor Renzong and the Empress Dowager for many years. Moreover, with the Duke of Cheng in charge of the capital troops, what use could a few officers possibly be? If it weren’t for what happened yesterday, a sudden uprising might have had some effect, but now that the plot has been exposed, the smart ones will lay low. As for those who aren’t smart… can the Emperor leave the capital safely for his northern tour if not for the Empress Dowager staying behind?”
Du Wan knew that Zhu Ning was always decisive, and since she was by the Empress Dowager’s side, after hearing this and thinking it over, she nodded in agreement. She also knew it was inappropriate to dwell too much on this issue. Just as she was about to change the subject, she noticed Mother Feng beside her looking hesitant. Being close to Zhu Ning, she quietly gave her a wink. Soon, Zhu Ning realized something was wrong.
“Mother Feng, is there something you want to say?”
Mother Feng snapped out of her daze. Seeing that Zhu Ning was looking at her, she hesitated for a moment before saying, “When I reported the two children to the prince’s mansion, I accidentally disturbed the heavily drunk Fifth Lord. When he heard that the princess wanted to take the children in to raise them, he didn’t know what had provoked him. He laughed uncontrollably and said his sister didn’t know what she was thinking—causing trouble for her brother yet still caring about her nieces and nephews. Considering you still remember these things, he will ask someone to spare you the next day… I thought it was nonsense and didn’t take it to heart. Later, after staying in the Zhou family’s mansion for a few days, I heard the princess say that in recent years, there has been more interaction between the princes and Kaifeng. Last New Year, gifts were even sent over, something that hadn’t happened in years—neither the Second Lord nor the Fifth Lord were left out.”
The so-called Second Lord and Fifth Lord were naturally the Prince of Ruyang and the Prince of Xin’an, who had had their titles revoked and reduced to commoners. After all, Mother Feng still held some respect for them and didn’t dare call them by name. Hearing this, Zhu Ning frowned, thinking that even at this point, her fifth brother, Zhu Youxi, still hadn’t repented. Fortunately, he couldn’t do anything outrageous while in exile, so there was no need to worry too much. Still, some matters couldn’t be ignored. She planned to treat Ru Jun and Ru Yun as her own children—she certainly couldn’t let their biological father suffer eternal ruin.

Du Wan had also been paying attention to external affairs. Hearing what Mother Feng said, she realized it involved the Zhou family’s affairs, so after exchanging a few casual words, she got up to take her leave. Zhu Ning naturally wanted to keep her for dinner before she left, but Du Wan shook her head and smiled, saying, “I told my mother-in-law that I came to gather information. I can’t just stay outside forever; I need to comfort her as well. Besides, you’ve just had a pair of children, so you should spend more time with them. I came in a hurry today, so the gift I brought was just a pair of pouches I made myself. I’ll prepare a more substantial gift when the time comes for the ‘catching of the Zhou’ ceremony.”

Since Du Wan said so, Zhu Ning naturally stopped trying to keep her. She had intended to see Du Wan off to the second gate personally, but Du Wan refused, saying she would only accompany her to the front door and let Mother Feng see her off instead. Back in the main room, she sat for a while before going to the desk in the inner room. She quickly wrote a letter and then sent someone to summon the head steward to the small meeting hall outside.

The head steward of the princess’s residence was originally the head steward of the Zhou prince’s mansion. Since it was unlikely that the Zhou family would return to the capital in the future, and there wouldn’t be many major matters at the Zhou prince’s mansion either, Zhu Ning simply transferred him over.

He was someone Zhu Ning was used to commanding. Now that she was highly influential at Empress Dowager Zhang’s side, everyone in the Zhou family in the capital obeyed her orders without hesitation. The head steward’s life had even become more comfortable than before. At this moment, he stood upright in front of Zhu Ning, listening carefully.

“Go to Kaifeng in person, deliver this letter to the King of Zhou, and then meet with my fifth brother. Ask him…”

Zhu Ning lowered her voice and gave detailed instructions. At first, the head steward remained calm, but by the end he was shocked and raised his head to ask, “How could the princess think of that?”

“I hope it’s just my overthinking… My fifth brother was once capable of such cruel acts. After being imprisoned for so long, it’s uncertain whether he still has connections with the outside world. Although you’re old, I can’t trust anyone else for this task. Of course, I’ll inform the Empress Dowager, so you don’t need to worry about overstepping your authority.”

“Yes.”

The head steward felt a chill in his heart. After answering, he prepared to leave, but Zhu Ning suddenly called out to him, “Mother Feng said that my eldest brother had a son before the New Year, but he died young. You might as well keep an eye on his health and advise my eldest sister. Without a son, she will suffer the most in the future. Even an illegitimate son is better than having no son at all.”