Chapter 866: The True Reason

The Eastern Warm Pavilion of Renshou Palace.
After serving Empress Dowager Zhang with her medicine and waiting until she fell asleep, Zhu Ning spent some time sewing on a cushion nearby. When a maid serving by the bed signaled to her that the empress dowager had fallen asleep, she put down the embroidery frame she had only just started working on and instructed the four maids in the room to stay alert. Then, she tiptoed out to the outer room.
Though it had only been a day and night, it felt like an eternity to her. Her limbs were sore, her head ached, but the most unbearable was the deep-seated fatigue. Sitting in the rosewood chair with floral patterns recently delivered by the Imperial Workshops, supported by its well-curved backrest, she propped her head in one hand and gazed thoughtfully with half-closed eyes.
As a princess from a royal family, she was accustomed to her brothers’ struggles for power, so she was naturally vigilant about the sudden arrival of the Princes of Zheng, Yue, and Xiang. However, just because three of them came together didn’t mean they all had ulterior motives. Moreover, Zhu Zhanji had more than just those three brothers, making it difficult to identify the troublemakers. Family ties in the imperial family were weak; even those who grew up together might not truly understand each other’s thoughts. Even if the empress dowager and the emperor were determined to investigate thoroughly, how many would dare to question their own relatives?
“Princess, Eunuch Fan has arrived, saying it’s urgent.”
Hearing it was Fan Hong, Zhu Ning immediately opened her eyes, glanced at the curtain inside, and got up to leave. Due to the cold weather and the empress dowager’s illness, the fire in the brazier in the Eastern Warm Pavilion was burning fiercely. As soon as she stepped outside, wearing only a thin undercoat, she felt a chill sweep over her. She then remembered she had left in a hurry and forgotten her fox fur cloak. Fortunately, a maid had rushed after her and helped her put on a coat.
It was just a few steps from there to the main hall’s back room, where she saw Fan Hong already waiting, looking very worried. When he tried to bow, she waved him off and asked, “What urgent matter?”

Fan Hong glanced at the two maids, and only after Zhu Ning waved to send them away did he speak in a low voice, “Princess, when I saw off Lord Zhang yesterday, we talked about the palace’s menu. Out of curiosity, I went to the Bureau of Food Preparation. Lord Zhang said that eating too much meat and fish can cause blood circulation problems. After checking the menu, I noticed that over the past few months, both the Empress Dowager and the Emperor have stopped serving seasonal vegetables. Normally, there are already few vegetables in the palace, and with winter coming, even more meat and fish are served. Last night, I consulted the imperial physicians, who agreed with Lord Zhang’s views. So I sent someone to the Marquis of Pengcheng’s residence, using the excuse of offering condolences to the marquise’s wife to gather information. She said that the late Marquis of Pengcheng also died suddenly from a heart disease.”

“You mean the Empress Dowager’s illness might not be accidental?”

Zhu Ning frowned deeply and after thinking for a moment, she said, “There’s a small kitchen in Renshou Palace. I’ve always thought the meals there are too greasy. Because of the Empress Dowager’s preferences, only medicinal dishes are served occasionally. What do you mean by the seasonal vegetables being removed?”

“It was an order from Lady Lu of the Bureau of Palace Affairs, passed down by the Empress Dowager. Since I didn’t know the full situation, I had to find an excuse to keep Lady Lu in the Bureau of Palace Affairs and had people keep a close watch on her. People from the Bureau of Food Preparation were also sent there, so nothing will leak out for now.”

“This matter is getting increasingly strange!”

Zhu Ning spent twenty days out of the month in the palace. Hearing this, her eyebrows furrowed in anger. The six female official bureaus were part of the Hongwu era’s system and once even held more power than eunuchs. But with the emphasis on eunuchs during the Yongle era, these bureaus gradually declined in influence. Unless the Empress Dowager Zhang employed many female officials now, these people were merely slightly above ordinary maids and couldn’t leave the palace easily. Even Lady Lu was nothing but a servant in front of the Empress Dowager—how could she suddenly go outside to pass down orders?

“Investigate it. No need for the Eastern Depot; you’ll lead it personally.” In the blink of an eye, Zhu Ning made her decision. She then ordered, “If she tries to resist, tell her the Empress Dowager already knows. If she refuses to confess, beat her to death immediately—her family won’t be spared either! Also, bring those people Lady Lu is close to to Renshou Palace for a thorough interrogation. Don’t let this spread outside.”

Now, aside from those in the Renshou Palace, only Fan Hong, Jin Ying, Yang Shiqi, and Zhang Yue knew that the Empress Dowager was ill—less than a handful in total. Thus, Zhu Ning naturally didn’t want to make this public. Fan Hong understood immediately and quickly agreed. Just as he was about to leave, he bumped into Cao Jixiang, who rushed in. Being younger, Cao Jixiang saw Fan Hong stumble backward and quickly helped him up, but his eyes were fixed on Zhu Ning.

“Princess! Something’s wrong—Consort Sun insists on seeing the Crown Prince!”

It had only been a day or two, and already trouble had arisen?

Zhu Ning had anticipated this and wasn’t surprised. She asked directly, “Where is Consort Sun?”

Since all the eastern and western palaces were sealed off, Cao Jixiang couldn’t enter. With Zhang Yue out of the palace, he had nothing to do. Thanks to the timely report and Fan Hong and Jin Ying being occupied, he stayed in the Renshou Palace with Cheng Jiu to keep watch—one overseeing the eastern palaces, the other the western ones. At that moment, he swallowed hard and spoke in a lower voice, “She’s in Yongning Palace… Consort Sun is kneeling in the courtyard inside Yongning Gate…”

Crying, making a scene, and attempting suicide—these were the lowest forms of protest in the royal family. Attempting suicide was even worse. But Consort Sun’s silent kneeling was particularly unusual. Even Zhu Ning, who usually had close relations with her, frowned upon hearing this. During Wu Pin’s pregnancy, she had heard rumors coming from Yongning Palace, but nothing had happened. It was clear Consort Sun was truly clever this time. But since it was her own son, could she really stay patient forever?

Glancing inside, she nodded and said, “Eunuch Fan, go back to the Bureau of Rites first. Jixiang, wait here. I’ll go to Yongning Palace once I’ve arranged everything.”

Fan Hong was also startled at first, but since Zhu Ning was so calm, he felt reassured. After bowing again, he left quietly. Cao Jixiang didn’t hesitate. Watching Zhu Ning leave with two maids, he rubbed his hands and stamped his feet, feeling both fearful and excited. Fearful because he had thought of everything except the Empress Dowager’s illness; excited because he had finally caught the attention of a noblewoman and would surely gain a foothold in the future. After waiting a while, he saw a fat eunuch bowing and following Zhu Ning out.

“You are a eunuch in the Imperial Pharmacy; keep a close eye on those three imperial physicians, and be thorough in testing medicines and so on. If anything uncertain arises, report to me immediately.” Zhu Ning glanced at Suo Lianzhou, noticing his forehead glistening with sweat, and his tone grew even stricter. “Do your job carefully—don’t harbor any fear or hesitation.”

Seeing Zhu Ning leave with Cao Jixiang, Suo Lianzhou, who was full of flattery, couldn’t help but pinch his plump cheeks hard to force his stiff muscles to relax. Not to mention him, even those three imperial physicians in charge here must be anxious and fearful—afraid of slander and death. If the Empress Dowager’s illness could be managed steadily, that would be fine; but if not… he, as a eunuch in the Imperial Pharmacy, might end up like a dead fish in the Imperial Kitchen… If he had known this would happen, he never should have been transferred here because of the difficult tasks at the Armory Bureau. Even Lord Zhang, though hard to deceive, was still better off than him now, facing execution!

Yongning Palace was located to the west, in the middle of West Second Long Street. Since the emperor often came here, the nearby Changning Palace and Jingyang Palace naturally benefited from his presence. Sometimes, when the emperor passed by, he would enter and rest there. As a result, the concubines living in these two palaces treated Concubine Sun with utmost respect, having reaped some benefits over the years, yet still remaining childless. They could only watch helplessly as Concubine Wu became pregnant after just a few attempts, and would be promoted once she gave birth.

If that were all, it might have been tolerable, but just then news came that the Crown Prince had suddenly fallen ill. Living inside the palace, they had nothing to do with what was happening outside. After Zhu Zhanji ascended the throne, aside from the empress and Concubine Sun, only Concubine Liu and Concubine He from the Eastern Palace were granted titles, but those two had long lost favor and lived quietly in the Western Six Palaces. Now that Concubine Wu was pregnant, they naturally took charge of caring for her, as they hoped to gain favor by pleasing Concubine Sun and also by getting close to the Crown Prince’s mother. With Concubine Sun holding an imperial decree, even her deposition might not be certain in the future.

So, when Concubine Sun knelt in the snow like this, the two of them rushed over in a hurry, trying to persuade and pull her up. They must have exerted great effort and sweated profusely, but Concubine Sun remained motionless, as if determined to kneel to death there. Seeing this, Concubine Jiao couldn’t help but sit down on the ground, overcome with sorrow.

“Your Highness, even if you don’t think of yourself, you must think of the Crown Prince. In such cold weather, if anything happens to you from kneeling, what will become of him?”

The snow had stopped falling, but since East First Street, East Second Street, West First Street, and West Second Street—paths leading to and from the six palaces—were all blocked, the servants and eunuchs in the palaces had no time to clear the snow. Concubine Sun had only knelt for a little over two hours, and her knees, which had initially felt like they were being pricked by needles, had now lost all sensation. The snow melted by human body heat also soaked her clothes, making her feel extremely cold. At this moment, hearing Jiao Pin’s cry, she couldn’t help but shudder; she was truly on the verge of collapsing.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty! The Zhongsi Gate has opened—the Zhongsi Gate on West Second Street has opened!”

A young eunuch, rushing over like the wind, knelt down in ecstasy. But due to his momentum, he slipped far forward on the icy ground before finally stopping just four or five steps in front of Concubine Sun, almost bumping into Jiao Pin. Without even time to apologize, he hurriedly said, “It’s the princess—Princess Chenliu!”

Hearing this, Concubine Sun finally felt all her strength drain away. After Prince Zheng visited Concubine Li Xian, he revealed what the Empress Dowager had ordered earlier, confirming that the Crown Prince was indeed seriously ill. If there were only the queen in the palace, she would surely dare to make a move, but since she had been raised in Empress Dowager Zhang’s palace from the beginning, she knew well of the dowager’s strictness and coldness. She could only resort to self-harm to draw her attention. It was impossible for the Empress Dowager to come in person, but if Zhu Ning came, at least she could find out more about the Crown Prince’s condition and try to probe things out with a few harsh words.

Fortunately, Concubine Cao was there to support her, allowing Concubine Sun to barely keep her back straight. “Who else is here besides the princess?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, no one else—just a few young eunuchs following her.”

As they spoke, noises outside grew louder. Concubine Sun looked up and saw Zhu Ning had already passed through the Yongning Gate ahead. She had once had a decent relationship with Zhu Ning; though they were around the same age, she always addressed her as Aunt Ning when following Zhu Zhanji. Yet now, with her only son’s condition unknown and Zhu Ning being the one taking care of him, resentment welled up in her heart, showing on her face as she stared silently at that delicate, fair face.

Seeing Concubine Sun kneeling barefoot in the open air, Zhu Ning sighed inwardly and quickened her pace. When she reached her, ignoring the two other concubines nearby, she grabbed Concubine Sun’s arm. One was too stiff from kneeling, the other too exhausted from staying up all night; neither had the strength to overpower the other, and Zhu Ning nearly stumbled and fell. Fortunately, Concubine Jiao and Concubine Cao had already realized what was going on and hurriedly helped her up one after another.

“Get up. The Crown Prince’s illness isn’t that serious. Do you want to ruin his fortune?”

Concubine Sun had longed for such a son. At this moment, nothing mattered more to her than hearing those words—“son.” After a brief pause, she was finally helped to her feet, though her legs wouldn’t straighten. Zhu Ning didn’t care about that and quickly ordered that Concubine Sun be carried into the main hall.

Entering the warm pavilion from the main hall inscribed with “Gong Su De Yi” in Emperor Zhu Zhanji’s own handwriting, Zhu Ning sent the eunuchs away. She instructed the maids to bring warm and hot water while having others remove Concubine Sun’s clothes. When the water arrived, her calves, knees, and thighs were already blue and purple from the cold. The older maids washed them repeatedly with warm water, then switched to hot water. After all this, Concubine Sun only bit her lip, clutching the brocade blanket in silence, her eyes fixed on Zhu Ning the whole time. After all the fuss, as she lay on the large black rosewood bed covered with a brocade blanket, her gaze never left Zhu Ning.

After ordering someone to summon the imperial physicians from the pharmacy, Zhu Ning sent everyone away again and sat down on the bed’s edge. She then sighed and said, “Your Majesty, why go to such lengths?”

“If my child dies, Wu Concubine’s child can be raised by the Empress and become the Crown Prince by right. Isn’t that what everyone thinks?” Concubine Sun spat out these words with all her strength, then gasped for breath before sneering, “Don’t think I don’t know. I knew even before the news from Wu Concubine came out… I grew up by the Empress Dowager’s side. She really dislikes me, hates me so much, even my grandson…”

“Your Majesty!” Zhu Ning couldn’t hold back any longer and cut her off. Seeing the pain, confusion, and panic on Concubine Sun’s face, she shook her head and said, “I might as well tell you the truth—the Crown Prince is fine. Even if he’s ill for now, who wouldn’t do their best? Who doesn’t know he’s the Emperor’s most beloved son?”

The Crown Prince is fine!

Princess Sun froze instantly. Thinking of the heart-wrenching pain and sleepless nights she had endured upon hearing the news, of the frantic curses she had secretly uttered, and of the things she had done in secret, she simply didn’t know what to say or what expression to wear. After a long while, she felt darkness surround her and, unable to bear the shock any longer, collapsed unconscious.
Just as Zhu Ning was about to call for help, Cao Jixiang’s voice suddenly came from outside the door: “Princess, Prince Zheng has sent someone saying it’s an urgent matter that requires your immediate attention—there’s no time to delay!”