xymnovel Chapter 20 The Prince
Chapter 20 The Prince
Zhu Zaizhen didn't wait at Yang Jisheng's house until dawn the next day. Around 1 AM, he heard a familiar voice, a voice whose owner he could completely trust—
His father-in-law.
Wang Xiang, the commander of the Eastern City troops.
Following closely behind Wang Xiang was Yan Shifan, who was soaking wet and had bloodshot eyes.
Afterwards, more people arrived, including Wu Ang, Wu Yingfeng, Lu Bing, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Zhou Jing, and even Li Bin, the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and Eunuch Li. In no time, the Yang family's courtyard was crowded with people. In the blink of an eye, everyone left and escorted Zhu Zaizhen quickly towards the West Garden.
The Emperor issued an oral decree:
Summon King Jing to the palace immediately!
Tonight, the Wanshou Palace in the West Garden was brightly lit. Zhu Zaizhen and Lu Bing stepped into the inner hall together. As soon as they entered, they saw the emperor, dressed in a light blue Taoist robe, standing in the center with his hands behind his back.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
"Your subject greets Your Majesty."
Jiajing did not look at his wet nurse brother, but gazed at his son for a long time, then smiled softly, "I really misjudged you two before. You two brothers are both capable."
In the empty hall, only the emperor's voice, which sounded like a smile but was actually angry, echoed: "It's only been a month since you left the palace, and Prince Yu has taken two concubines and slept with three maids. He's been indulging in revelry every night in his palace. Prince Jing isn't doing any worse. Today he went to the Ministry of Rites to check the results of the imperial examinations and caught a candidate to play with. Tomorrow he'll go to the Hanlin Academy to fight with some sorcerer. You're all very busy."
"It seems that keeping you all cooped up in the palace all this time really made you all terribly bored!"
"It is my fault."
The palace servants standing on both sides of the main hall had their heads bowed and their expressions blank, like wooden figures that could neither see nor hear. Lu Bing, who had entered the hall with him, stood quietly with his eyes downcast and his mind at ease. Huang Jin looked anxious and frequently gave Jing Wang meaningful glances.
It was in this atmosphere that Zhu Zaizhen knelt down with a thud, "Your subject knows his crime!"
Before he could finish speaking, Jiajing's face immediately darkened. "Do you know your crime? Do you know the pain now?"
"A prince of the Ming Dynasty, yet he spends all his time mingling with a mere compiler in the Hanlin Academy. Is he a gold nugget or a silver nugget, that he makes you linger there so much?!"
"A few sorcerers held you hostage, and then you knew to fight for your life? Now you admit your guilt?"
"What crime have you committed!"
After Jiajing finished speaking in one breath, seeing that his son remained silent, he finally felt a little less angry. He flicked his sleeves and sat back on his dragon bed.
"Where are you hurt?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty," Huang Jin, standing to the side, knew that the question was directed at him and quickly replied, "Before Prince Jing entered the palace, he was examined by the imperial physician. He only suffered some minor abrasions and is otherwise unharmed."
"Don't think you're really fine just because you're physically alright. Learn from your mistakes!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will remember."
"stand up!"
Zhu Zaizhen sincerely thanked him and silently got up.
Seeing his demeanor, Jiajing's anger flared once more. "Stop acting like a girl! Since I ascended the throne, what haven't I experienced? Being kidnapped is nothing! I've even been assassinated! Hairpins were already piercing my face, and Bai Ling was strangling my neck! Am I afraid?!"
"That time, I had two concubines executed by slow slicing, and the number of heads rolled. This time, I wouldn't mind doing it again."
"Lu Bing!"
Lu Bing bowed and said, "Your subject is here."
Jiajing coldly declared, "Those who participated in the kidnapping of Prince Jing tonight, regardless of their sect or background, will all be killed, and their entire families exterminated! Any officials suspected of protecting them will be imprisoned and thoroughly interrogated! Those who neglected their duties will be exiled!"
"Yes."
Are there any fish that slipped through the net tonight?
"have."
"Investigate thoroughly, find the culprit, and execute him by slow slicing!"
"Your subject obeys."
After a few words, the temperature inside the hall seemed to drop ice crystals. Looking around, apart from a few people, all the other eunuchs were kneeling on the ground with their heads bowed, not daring to breathe.
This moment.
Inside the hall, you could hear a pin drop.
A flicker of anger flashed in his eyes. The emperor had vented his anger and uttered what he needed to vent. He was about to wave his sleeve and order everyone to leave when Zhu Zaizhen, who had been bowing his head and admitting his mistakes since entering the hall and was sparing with words, suddenly stepped forward, raised his head, and said, "Father, I have a request to make!"
Jiajing glanced at him and said, "Speak."
Zhu Zaizhen cupped his hands and said, "May I let Father Emperor know that I was not acting like a daughter earlier? It was merely that I had to humbly accept Father Emperor's teachings. Even though I was kidnapped by demons tonight, I am not afraid. I wish to request an imperial decree to participate in the capture of the murderers and personally kill the culprits... an eye for an eye!"
Upon hearing this...
The atmosphere in the room became subtle.
Seeing that Prince Jing had finished speaking indifferently and had not looked directly at Zhu Zaizhen from beginning to end, Lu Bing and Lu Zhangwei, who had been watching him, now subtly shifted their gazes. Huang Jin and Eunuch Huang, after a moment of inexplicable unease, subconsciously looked towards the dragon bed.
On the dragon bed.
Jiajing's expression was quite interesting. One eyebrow was raised, while the other was lowered. Half of his face remained furious, while the other half seemed to be... smiling.
When Huang Jin stared at him, Jiajing immediately laughed and scolded, "You idiot, why are you looking at me? Look at him! Take a good look, this is my son."
"This is truly my son!"
"good!"
"What a fine example of tit for tat!"
That night, the oppressive atmosphere that had just begun in the palace vanished completely, and this sudden change from relaxation to tension, and then from tension to relaxation, spread throughout the capital the next day.
Some high-ranking people even overheard snippets of conversation in the West Garden. After that, the threshold of Prince Jing's mansion was worn out by people coming to visit under the pretext of checking on Prince Jing's safety.
"Hey!"
"Unexpectedly, King Jing turned misfortune into a blessing!"
In the main hall of Prince Yu's residence, Gao Gong, who had just returned from Prince Jing's residence, sat down with a dark face. Chen Yiqin, who had accompanied him, also had an unpleasant expression, his face as gloomy as water.
"What happened?"
Prince Yu, Zhu Zaiji, asked, puzzled.
Gao Gong snorted coldly: "What else can we do? The prince didn't see it, but from the three Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet to the Ministers and Vice Ministers of the Six Ministries, everyone who could go to Prince Jing's residence today went. We came here using your name, and we almost couldn't even squeeze in."
Prince Yu hesitated and said, "My fourth brother was just frightened yesterday. It's only right that officials from all departments go to visit him, isn't it?"
Didn't he himself send two teachers on a trip? Why get so angry?
Whoops!
Seeing Prince Yu's attitude, Chen Yiqin and Gao Gong didn't know whether to say that the prince was slow-witted or too kind. The emperor had said that Prince Jing resembled him, and the officials were starting to change their tune. Why wasn't the prince in a hurry?
You know what?
Zhu Zaiji was in no hurry.
Firstly, it was his personality; he wasn't impulsive or rash. Whatever he wanted to do or strive for, he always proceeded slowly and deliberately, without rushing. Secondly, Zhu Zaiji had the confidence—
He is older than his fourth brother.
Even a month's difference is still a significant amount. As long as you prioritize yourself, there's no need to rush.
all in all.
Not urgent.
Gao and Chen could easily guess what Prince Yu was thinking. Even though they had guessed it, they were helpless and could only sigh inwardly. They then stopped dwelling on it and started talking about other things.
Many people went to visit Prince Jing today, which was indeed the proper way to conduct themselves. Excluding those who had different stances and were just going through the motions, and also excluding those who were not familiar with the Prince and wanted to make an impression, only a few people were allowed to stay at Prince Jing's residence for a banquet when Gao Gong and the others left.
It's not surprising that Yan Song, Yan Shifan, Wu Ang, Wu Yingfeng, Wang Xiang, Yang Jisheng, and others were all present. What's peculiar is...
"Is Zhang Juzheng here too?"
Zhu Zaiji repeated Master Gao's words, thought for a moment, and asked, "Who is Zhang Juzheng?"
"That's the Hanlin scholar who fought alongside Prince Jing against the White Lotus Sect demons yesterday," Chen Yiqin explained. "He's a student of Grand Secretary Xu."
"Oh~"
Zhu Zaiji realized what was happening and frowned slightly. "How come Xu Ge Lao's student is sitting at the same table with the Yan family?"
Gao Gong snorted, "Yang Jisheng is already sitting there, is it strange that there's another Zhang Juzheng?"
His words were not directed at Prince Yu, but rather a veiled complaint against Xu Jie, the Grand Secretary Xu!
Notice.
When Yang Jisheng was imprisoned, Gao Gong was furious and urged Prince Yu to help him. Firstly, he wanted to prevent an innocent person from being wronged, and secondly, he wanted to curb the arrogance of Yan's faction!
And what happened? After Prince Yu mentioned it to Xu Jie, nothing more was said.
Then again?
The Xu family and the Yan family have formed a marriage alliance!
Grand Secretary Xu has already sent his own granddaughter there, so is it really that hard to accept sending two more students over?
Whether others can accept it is unknown, but Gao Gong himself is both ashamed and embarrassed. If he were to run into Yang Jisheng now, Gao Gong would be too ashamed to face him! He would have to take a detour.
"I heard that Prince Jing was frequently visiting Zhang Juzheng's home these days, and his kidnapping this time is also because of this matter." Gao Gong was intolerant of any wrongdoing, while Chen Yiqin was slightly better and could still speak normally at this moment. "Today, Grand Secretary Xu also met Zhang Juzheng at Prince Jing's residence and exchanged a few words, but he was much more polite."
The less close the relationship, the more polite and courteous one needs to be. Zhu Zaiji understood this principle and sighed:
"They're clearly teacher and student..."
"How could this happen?"
"So what if they are teachers and students?" Gao Gong's tone softened slightly, but it was still harsh. "Children have tutors from a young age. If they can participate in the provincial or metropolitan examinations, they will have a tutor under a co-examiner and a tutor under a chief examiner. If they enter the Imperial Academy, are selected as probationary officials, or receive instruction from someone, they will have a professional teacher. How many teachers are there?"
"Teacher-student relationship, teacher-student relationship, this is just a starting point, an connection. Whether it can lead to a close relationship, whether the bond between teacher and student is closer than that between father and son, depends on whether they can walk together and whether they can provide political assistance!"
"To be frank."
Gao Gong calmly replied, "Now that I've entered the Hanlin Academy and become a lecturer to the prince, would I still visit my tutor, who's still a sixth-rank official, every day? Would he still give me detailed instructions? But if my tutor were to become the Grand Secretary and I the Second Grand Secretary, then we would probably be helping each other and as close as family!"
This is not about who is snobbish or who is opportunistic, but rather a natural choice among adults and in officialdom.
With so many teachers, who you get close to, who you interact with frequently, or even who you personally visit to serve you, all depends on whether the teacher has the ability to mentor you.
The same reason.
Teachers treat students the same way.
With so many students, one class after another, wave after wave, who to be close to, who to promote, who to spend political resources to cultivate—doesn't one have to consider whether the students can help them?
When students can walk together and help each other, no one needs to push them. Teachers love students and students respect teachers, and the bond between teachers and students naturally becomes stronger than gold!
The words were blunt.
But that's reality.
"It is said that when Zhang Juzheng was selected as a probationary official, Grand Secretary Xu was quite optimistic about him. If things had continued like this, he might have been able to provide assistance to the Prince when the opportunity arose." Chen Yiqin shook his head. "Unfortunately, Prince Jing interfered, and from then on, he and Grand Secretary Xu could only drift further and further apart."
"The commotion yesterday was so great, now everyone knows that Prince Jing and Zhang Juzheng are deeply entangled, and there's no way to separate them..."
"Ha!" Gao Gong sneered.
"In my opinion, Zhang Juzheng probably didn't want to be pulled away. Didn't you hear Prince Jing say that Zhang Juzheng risked his life to hold down the axe, which allowed them to escape?"
"What a great friendship this is! If we maintain it well, it might become a great service in saving the emperor's life in the future, and we won't be able to easily let it go."
You need to know.
Last night, the Emperor vented his anger on Prince Jing, and on the spot, he gave Zhang Juzheng a house right next to Prince Jing's residence, saying:
I want to see you.
I'll let you see me as much as you want later!
Although the Emperor was angry with Prince Jing for going out so casually, he might also have intended to assign Zhang Juzheng, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, to Prince Jing.
The emperor's intention was vague, but a hint of it was enough to make Zhang Juzheng's mind wander.
Thinking of the superior's intentions...
Gao Gong dropped his posturing and sat up straight. Chen Yiqin, seeing this, also became more imposing. The two had communicated privately beforehand, and Chen Yiqin spoke first: "Your Highness, I have something to say."
Gao Gong then said, "I have something to say."
The reason the two spoke separately was because there were two matters, one public and one private.
After a while.
Gao and Chen took their leave, leaving behind only Prince Yu, Zhu Zaiji, who was pale as a ghost.
After sitting blankly in his chair for a while, the usually mild-mannered Prince Yu suddenly snapped, "Bring Li Fang to see me! Now!"
When Li Fang, the head eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, rushed over, he saw Prince Yu staring at him with a frosty expression. "How dare you manage your people! How could my private affairs in the inner quarters be spread throughout the world, even my father knows!"
Li Fang was shocked and quickly apologized, "Your Highness, please calm your anger! This servant will investigate immediately!"
"etc."
Prince Yu stared unblinkingly at the chief steward of his palace before him, then suddenly remembered something. "I remember you received a favor from Huang Jin in the palace before you were sent to Prince Yu's palace, didn't you?"
"……yes."
"Were the service departments of both princely residences also arranged by Huang Jin?"
"yes!"
At this point, Li Fang knew all too well the prince's suspicions. His originally fair and beardless face suddenly flushed red, as if he had suffered a great injustice. He knelt down and said in a hoarse voice, "This servant has received kindness from Eunuch Huang. Although this servant has left the palace and come to the Prince Yu's residence, this servant still remembers Eunuch Huang's kindness. I remember it now, and I will remember it in the future."
"Just because I say it's good doesn't mean I'm Eunuch Huang's person. I'm a eunuch, a servant of the royal family. If we're talking about whose private servant I am, I can only be the royal family's private servant. Before leaving the palace, the Emperor was my master. After leaving the palace, the Prince is my master."
"If there is any commotion in the Prince's mansion, and if Eunuch Huang comes with an imperial decree to ask, I will answer without reservation. If Eunuch Huang sends a private person to ask, I will remain silent."
"Whether Your Highness believes it or not, I have spoken my mind... Finally, please allow me to say something presumptuous one more time, Your Highness, Eunuch Huang is a law-abiding man, and the Eastern Depot's agents have been operating for many years. Compared to the eunuchs, what Your Highness should really be wary of is the ever-present Embroidered Uniform Guard..."
"you!"