Chapter 889: Mother and Son Share Hearts, Amidst Turmoil

Unable to withstand Zhu Ning’s teasing, and with it already being too late, Zhu Zhanji naturally wouldn’t stay any longer. He left with Ruan Lang to meet Wang Jin, immediately returning to the palace under the escort of a large group of Jinyiwei guards. While his entourage rushed off, Zhang Yue also slipped out through the back door of the princess’s residence. As it was late and the city’s curfew had been lifted, and since they were returning from the east side to the west, Zhu Ning specially assigned two people to escort him. By the time Zhang Yue reached his home, it was already 3 a.m. (2:12 a.m.).

Upon returning to his courtyard, Zhang Yue noticed that the main house was still lit. Entering the warm pavilion, he saw Du Wan already sitting up, supported by a maid. He couldn’t help but complain softly, “I had no idea if you’d be coming back tonight. Why didn’t you rest earlier? You’re carrying two lives—shouldn’t you take better care of yourself?”

“The Emperor isn’t that rude. It’s one thing to leave the palace incognito, but staying overnight at a subject’s home would be outrageous, especially since it’s the princess’s residence,” Du Wan said. She asked the maid to bring her a pillow and smiled, “Besides, this isn’t my first time. I’m in good health and sleep well. I just woke up when I heard noise and sat up to check. If you really hadn’t come back, someone would have sent word by now.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue felt ashamed, realizing he had been too absorbed at the princess’s residence and forgotten the time. If not for Zhu Ning’s reminder, the emperor and his subject might have talked until dawn. He hung his cloak on a maid and watched as she quickly brought a copper basin, filled it with hot water, and helped him wash his feet. Then he sat on the bed edge and complained a bit more about the troubles caused by watching the lanterns that night.

Du Wan listened without interrupting. Gradually, his voice grew softer until it stopped altogether. Curious, she soon heard steady breathing nearby. It was the maid, who had been busy lowering her head, who looked up and exclaimed in surprise that the young master had fallen asleep. Only then did she understand and quickly ordered the maid to go outside and call two people. After some time, they helped him lie down on the bed in the corner. Despite all this, Zhang Yue didn’t even blink, his snoring only getting louder. Knowing that Huobo Qiuhen might not yet be asleep, she naturally sent someone to inform her as well.

Although the court officials enjoyed this rare holiday, few dared to truly relax and enjoy themselves. It was said that the holiday was even busier than usual—there were constant exchanges of visits, efforts to build relationships and gather information, alliances for mutual support, and the use of money to purchase various elegant gifts to present to superiors, along with jokes and laughter with geishas in formal gatherings… Scholars and literati established their circles through the inevitable exchanges of favors, while nobles strengthened their positions through intricate networks of kinship ties. As for the current emperor, after leaving the palace on the Lantern Festival, he never stepped outside again and spent several days resting in the Renshou Palace.

Although Empress Dowager Zhang was still far from recovery, her condition had improved significantly compared to her previous state of frequent unconsciousness. As a result, Doctor He received a large reward but firmly refused to stay at the Imperial Medical Academy. After taking her pulse, he knelt and respectfully bowed to the emperor, saying, “Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager’s condition has improved. I need to prepare a new prescription.”

Zhu Zhanji simply nodded and then signaled the eunuch in charge of the imperial pharmacy, Suo Lianzhou, along with the two imperial physicians to follow. Once they left, he sat down on the brocade cushion by the bed and asked softly, “Is Mother feeling better?”

Reclining on a pillow adorned with golden-threaded pythons, Empress Dowager Zhang replied calmly, “Much better. I should be able to see people in a few days. I also want to see Xiao San and Xiao Wu—after all, I might have to go into exile after the New Year. Besides, now that you’ve returned to the capital, there’s no need for me to hide anything anymore. Just say the crown prince has recovered, and I caught a slight cold, so as to prevent people from thinking there’s something wrong with the heir.”

Although he had initially intended to keep the past events hidden from Empress Dowager Zhang, with too many people like Fan Hongjin, Ying Zhonghuai, and others aware of the truth, Zhu Zhanji, after much consideration, could no longer conceal the reality. Over the past few days, he had gradually explained everything that had happened in the capital. Now, faced with this answer that could relieve his burden, he couldn’t quite describe his feelings.

“Mother…”

“It’s been extremely difficult for you and your brothers, as well as your sons. Otherwise, when your eldest son was born, I wouldn’t have agreed to a general amnesty for celebration across the land. Sun was raised in my presence, and logically, the empress should have come later, so I should have preferred her. But she was too much like Consort Guo back then—equally lively, equally clever and charming, and equally eager for the throne. Zhanji, I know you once considered deposing the empress. As long as you didn’t speak up, I pretended it didn’t happen. But this time…”

The more Zhu Zhanji listened, the more alarmed he became. Eventually, he couldn’t help but stand up, lift his robes, and kneel before the bed: “Mother Empress, I would never dare to think such a thing.” Perhaps he had in the past, but now, though he wanted to keep the woman he loved and believed she would never do such a thing, his refusal to set foot in Yongning Palace showed his inner turmoil. With his head bowed, he stared at the dragon and phoenix patterns on the rosewood bed frame, almost in a daze.

“As for Lady Sun, I know her well—she has the desire but not the courage, just like the former Concubine Guo. Her thoughts are always on men. As for harming me, she lacks both the courage and the scheming skills. Considering she is the biological mother of the Crown Prince, there’s no need to pursue her this time, lest it undermine the foundation of the dynasty. But I don’t want to see her again—never let her enter Renshou Palace!”

At this point, Empress Dowager Zhang’s tone suddenly became extremely stern. Seeing Zhu Zhanji’s shock, she nodded gravely, then closed her eyes tiredly before asking after a long pause, “I heard you went to A’ning on the Lantern Festival?”

Fangling had promised to report this to the Empress Dowager when escorting Zhu Zhanji back to the palace, so Zhu Zhanji wasn’t surprised. After admitting it, he honestly said he went to Qiongfang Tower, solved riddles, and met Zhang Yue. Sure enough, though Empress Dowager Zhang scolded him for wearing imperial robes improperly, she didn’t punish him harshly. Instead, she praised Zhu Ning again.

“I know you rewarded A’ning generously after returning, but to avoid causing trouble, you didn’t go too far. Yet privately, you should compensate her more. Her marriage was deliberately delayed by Emperor Taizong, and by the time she grew up, she had lost hope. If not for her, the palace would have been in chaos long ago. Any promotion or reward would be appropriate, but she is extremely polite and even hid at home under the pretense of illness. She mentioned Ru Jun and Ru Yun to me, not wanting them included in the imperial family genealogy. I initially refused, but now, after falling ill, after careful thought, I’ve decided to agree. Tell her this, and she will surely be grateful to you.”

For ordinary people, being included in the imperial family genealogy meant glory and wealth, but for the imperial descendants, it was a constraint. With Zhu Ning’s abilities, she could surely raise her children well. Once they were included in the genealogy, even if they were made princes or princesses, they would spend their lives idle. If not included, people might say the royal bloodline had been lost outside the family. Now that Empress Dowager Zhang had made the decision, Zhu Zhanji had no more hesitation.

“Your Majesty, rest assured. I will handle this matter right away. It’s just the child’s surname…”
“The surname should naturally be Zhu, following the mother’s surname. We can arrange an adoption relationship with your uncle and the others later.” Empress Dowager Zhang glanced at Zhu Zhanji, then gently patted the bed. “Enough, stop kneeling. Sit down. Tell me, you’ve been at Princess A’ning’s residence for so long, talking with Zhang Yue for at least an hour and a half—what have you discussed?”
Since Empress Dowager Zhang was still recovering, Zhu Zhanji could only briefly explain his general plans. Though he respected his mother, he had already made up his mind to push this through no matter what. He might not be as great as the Taizu Emperor, who abolished the prime minister and centralized power in the six ministries, nor as great as the Taizong Emperor, who established the cabinet. But if the imperial lectures were reformed into the format Zhang Yue suggested, it would mean that requests for candid advice, which were usually granted on an ad hoc basis, could be extended to a much wider range.
Zhang Yue was right—originally, imperial lectures were not just about giving lectures!
Empress Dowager Zhang didn’t offer her suggestions right away. Instead, she looked at Zhu Zhanji thoughtfully. Seeing his determined expression, she gradually retracted her objections and closed her eyes. Back when Zhu Gaochi was the crown prince and governing in the capital, he never avoided consulting her on major matters. After ascending the throne, she continued the habit she had as the crown prince’s wife. Now, thinking back, he had indulged in pleasure excessively at that time. Rather than showing respect for her, he seemed distant—wasn’t that partly because of her strong and independent personality, and also because of her advice on state affairs?
Since he was the emperor, how could he not want to make decisions unilaterally? Instead of always having her by his side as a “crutch,” it might be better to wait until it was truly necessary to seek her help. She had already lost her husband—was she going to lose her son too?
After opening her eyes, Empress Dowager Zhang regained her usual calm expression. “You are the emperor. Since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t say much. But think carefully about everything and avoid being hasty. Show leniency toward the princes who have come to the capital by imperial order, but be strict with Prince Ninghua Zhu Jihuan. We can’t let all these princes follow his example and come to the capital to rebel. Resolve the matter involving the Jin princes as soon as possible. After all, even Emperor Taizong regretted once for being too biased and wronging the Mei Gui father and son.”

Since Empress Dowager Zhang had no objections, Zhu Zhanji breathed a huge sigh of relief. As for the matter of the princely fiefs, he already harbored resentment, so naturally he wouldn’t object further. After leaving the Warm Pavilion, he summoned several eunuchs from the Secretariat of Rites who remained in Renshou Palace and questioned them carefully. When it came to Cheng Jiu and Cao Jixiang, he examined them closely. Before leaving, he said to Wang Jin, “You two have also contributed this time. Wang Jin, inform Fan Hong that one of them will be promoted to Deputy Director of the Secretariat of Rites, and the other to Assistant Director of the Secretariat of Rites.”

At that time, the Secretariat of Rites did not have the power to issue imperial edicts, but the difficulty of advancing in rank within it was well-known among the eunuchs. Therefore, the sudden promotion of these two left them so overjoyed that they forgot even to thank him. It wasn’t until they saw the emperor leave that they knelt down. They didn’t get up until he was out of sight. They exchanged glances and went about their tasks without much conversation. After all, having spent so much time together these days, they knew each other well enough to understand that deep friendship was unlikely between them.

The imperial guards and other troops had already received rewards before the New Year. Although the palace eunuchs only received their promotions and rewards after the Lantern Festival, they were all overjoyed. Lu Feng, who was in charge of the Eastern Depot, was extremely frustrated because his subordinates had risen to equal status, but like Fan Hong and Jin Ying, who had previously been fined and reprimanded, he also received compensation from the emperor before the holidays ended—each was granted a house and a silver seal. In addition to these good news, the emperor, under the pretext of needing to reorganize the twenty-four eunuch departments, asked these three, along with Wang Jin from the Imperial Eunuch Bureau, to draft a plan.

However, the changes among the eunuchs were naturally insignificant to the court officials. Because at the first court session after the Lantern Festival, the matter of the princes being assigned fiefs was finally brought up officially. At that time, it happened to be just before Zhu Taikan, the heir to the Prince of Lu, and Zhu Youze, the Prince of Xiangfu, who had come to court by imperial order, were set to leave the capital. Logically, there was nothing surprising about this, but since the court had not explicitly addressed the recent events in the capital, people couldn’t help but speculate. Thus, the assignment of fiefs to these princes became a hot topic of discussion.

“It was long overdue. The younger ones are already seventeen or eighteen, and the older ones are in their early twenties. Staying in the capital all the time only invites trouble. As early as when Emperor Ren was still alive, their fiefs were supposed to be assigned—this has been delayed for four years now.”

“However, considering that most of these fiefdoms are extremely remote, no wonder the emperor couldn’t make up his mind before. The King of Zheng was assigned Fengxiang, the King of Yue to Quzhou, the King of Xiang to Changsha, the King of Jing to Jianchang, the King of Huai to Shaozhou, the King of Liang to Anlu, the King of Wei to Huaiqing, and even the late King of Teng was granted Yunnan as his fief. Once they left, who knows when they would be summoned back by imperial order?”
“I’ve also heard that not all the vassal kings are being sent to their fiefs this time… Ah, be quiet! Vice Minister Zhang is coming.”
Seeing the officials who had been whispering among themselves immediately step aside upon noticing him—some returning to their offices and others continuing with their tasks—Zhang Yue paid them no attention. Since there was no Minister of War at the moment, he had to attend every meeting, and he naturally knew about the speculation going on. Among the kings being sent to their fiefs, the sickly King of Wei was obviously not included, but it was surprising that the King of Yue was also left behind. Thinking of the prohibited items and furnishings seized by the imperial troops in Taiyuan, along with the private guards recruited illegally by the Jin vassal state, and the barely alive former crown prince of Jin, Mei Gui, the high-ranking officials naturally favored severe punishment for the Jin vassal state. Yet, the extent of such punishment had not yet been decided.
But the most important thing was the Imperial Lectures at Hongwen Pavilion in three days. At today’s court meeting, Duke Ying of Britain, Zhang Fu, had been appointed to oversee these lectures. During the subsequent private meeting, Zhu Zhanji proposed adding discussions on state affairs to the lectures, which caused a great uproar. As for the outcome, it would have to wait until three days later.