Mostly Heartless Spring (Part Six)
As evening fell, Zhu Mingyu led a group of personal guards on a routine patrol of the western market of the capital.
As Zhu Mingyu rode his horse to inspect the capital, his gaze kept drifting towards the palace, and he didn't even hear what Li Mingjing was saying beside him.
“Mingyu, why are you so absent-minded today?” Lieutenant General Li Mingjing rode closer and winked mischievously. “You’re out of your mind. Has your soul been bewitched by the future general’s wife? Well, with such a joyous occasion, it’s normal for your eyes to wander and you to almost bump into someone else’s stall.”
Upon hearing this, Zhu Mingyu quickly reined in his horse, managing to stop just before hitting the pedestrian.
"Uncle, I'm so sorry," Zhu Mingyu said, cupping his hands in apology.
The guards standing nearby chuckled.
Just as Zhu Mingyu was about to stop everyone, he caught a glimpse of a dark figure flashing past him out of the corner of his eye.
He was a thief dressed in a gray cloth jacket and shorts, still clutching the money bag he had just been hanging from his waist.
With his waist empty, Zhu Mingyu withdrew his hand.
He reacted extremely quickly, lightly touching the stirrup with his toes, and darted out like an arrow, grabbing the thief's wrist with one hand and snatching the money bag with the other.
The thief's arm was twisted behind his back, rendering him unable to move.
"Behave yourself!" Zhu Mingyu's voice deepened, and the guards quickly stepped forward to subdue the thief.
“The security in the capital has been rather poor lately.” Li Mingjing stepped forward, watching the thief being escorted away, and frowned. “His Majesty is not in good health, and the policies he has implemented are too lenient. It’s inevitable that some unscrupulous people will take advantage of the situation and slack off, which has also corrupted the atmosphere in the capital.”
Zhu Mingyu took the money pouch, weighed it in his hand to confirm that nothing was missing, glanced at the thief tied up by his personal guards, and then looked around at the bustling yet somewhat restless streets. He said nothing, only waving his hand: "Send the man to the authorities. Continue your patrol!"
Finally, night fell and the inspection was over. Zhu Mingyu changed into casual clothes and strode towards the imperial kitchen.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw Zhiwei holding a blue cloth apron with a small white plum blossom embroidered on it. She smiled, her eyes crinkling, and even the mole on her cheek seemed to radiate liveliness: "You're here? Put it on quickly. Your task today is to make me a bowl of sweet rice wine with egg."
Wasn't this a surprise for him?
Zhu Mingyu took a few steps back, closed the door of the imperial kitchen, and after confirming that he hadn't gone to the wrong place, reopened the main door.
Zhu Mingyu: "What did you just say?"
Zhiwei: "I told you to make me sweet rice wine with egg."
"What did you say?"
Zhiwei clenched her fist: "Serve your mother the meal!"
"Yes, sir." With a large bump on his head, Zhu Mingyu seemed to wake up from a dream.
"I've been patrolling the city all day, my legs are practically numb, and you still want me to cook? Where are the imperial chefs? Why don't we just have them cook?"
There was no delicious food, no tender women; he had been tricked into becoming a servant. After bending down to start a fire, Zhu Mingyu, belatedly realizing he had been taken advantage of, straightened his back and tried to argue his case.
"Isn't this just being considerate of you?" Zhiwei put the oil-proof apron on him and gently poked his chest with her finger. "It's late at night, no one will see, and no one will laugh at a general like you working around the stove. Besides, the sweet rice wine with egg you make is even more delicious than what the chefs in the imperial kitchen make."
She leaned closer to his ear, lowering her voice slightly, with a hint of slyness: "I even warmed up a jar of rice wine. Add two spoonfuls when you cook it, and it will taste even better."
Zhu Mingyu was so coaxed that he lost his temper, shrugged helplessly, and took the apron to tie it. Sweet rice wine with egg was a dish the two of them often made in Lingnan, and it was also one of the few dishes that Zhu Mingyu had learned from Zhiwei.
Zhu Mingyu walked to the stove, lifted the rice jar, and found it empty except for some rice grains and scraps.
"There's no new rice left."
“There’s some old rice in the warehouse, let’s make do with that,” Zhiwei said casually, while cleaning the stove for him. “It’s just been stored for a while, but it’s not spoiled. It’s the kind of rice that the imperial kitchen prepares for storage. It’s just that we don’t use it often. After a long time, the grains aren’t as plump as new rice. We can’t give it to the nobles, but it’s fine for us to eat.”
Zhiwei was used to being frugal, and Zhu Mingyu wasn't someone with a difficult stomach to please. He nodded and turned to go to the warehouse in the backyard of the imperial kitchen.
There were more than a dozen bags of grain piled up in the warehouse. Zhu Mingyu lit an oil lamp and picked out the innermost bag of grain.
Upon untying the hemp rope, the rice grains inside were yellowish and had a faint musty smell; they were even a little sticky to the touch.
It was probably because it had been stored for too long. Zhu Mingyu then opened several more bags of old rice next to it, but every single one was the same—the rice grains were clumped together, speckled with mold, and some even had tiny green hairs growing on them, making them completely unusable.
"You must have misremembered." Zhu Mingyu took a handful of rice back and spread it out for Zhiwei to see. "It looks like it's been sitting out for a little too long."
"This rice only arrived about six months ago, it shouldn't be like this," Zhiwei murmured as she followed Zhu Mingyu to the warehouse.
Upon seeing the rotten rice scattered all over the ground, her expression immediately changed.
I squatted down, grabbed a handful of rice to examine it closely, and found some sticky moldy powder on my fingertips. When I brought it close to my nose, the moldy smell was even stronger.
"Something's not right." Zhiwei got up and counted all the old rice bags. There were twelve bags in total, and not a single one was good. Her face grew increasingly grim.
“This rice didn’t spoil naturally.” Zhiwei pointed to Zhu Mingyu. “Look at these mold spots. They started growing from the middle of the grain bag, while the grains on the edges are in better condition. Clearly, someone has mixed inferior rice into the imperial kitchen’s grain reserves.”
"You mean, someone stole the rice?" Zhu Mingyu was a little puzzled. He reached out and touched the seal of the grain bag. The knot was very tight, and it didn't look like it had been opened many times.
Then there's only one possibility.
The grain sacks were already damaged when they were first delivered to the palace.
In other words, Zhiwei and Zhu Mingyu hit it off, and someone deliberately passed off inferior goods as superior ones!
Zhiwei recalled the theft of the tribute tea, which implicated officials in dereliction of duty. Now, the imperial kitchen's grain reserves were in trouble. Could it be...?
"We need to report this immediately." Zhu Mingyu also realized this and reached out to grasp Zhiwei's hand. "If this rice is used for cooking, it might upset their stomachs. If it ends up in the hands of the nobles in the palace, the consequences would be unimaginable."
Zhiwei nodded and then gripped his hand tightly.
As night deepened, the musty smell from the warehouse wafted in on the night breeze.
"Leave this to me," Zhu Mingyu said softly.
——
The following day, Zhu Mingyu reported the findings of the imperial kitchen to his superiors. At first, people only thought it was a case of dereliction of duty and embezzlement, and not many people took it seriously. However, as the investigation progressed, the matter gradually drifted away from the inner quarters and became connected with the conflicts of the imperial court.
Ultimately, the investigation revealed that high-ranking officials in the court had been amassing wealth through various means in order to raise funds to support their private armies.
Zhiwei was not at liberty to know the details. She only knew that the emperor was deeply troubled by this matter, his hair had turned even whiter, and that the western part of Dazhao was no longer peaceful. An internal strife had broken out in the Kingdom of Siam, and the forces that opposed the King of Siam had rebelled. The two camps were fighting each other, causing unrest on the borders of Dazhao.
Based on this, the emperor prepared to send someone to mediate. Zhu Mingyu did not discuss it with Zhiwei and signed up on his own to join the expeditionary mission.
Outside the palace, on the city wall, Zhiwei watched with a cold face as Zhu Mingyu led his army away.
Zhu Mingyu went to Siam on his own initiative, which Zhiwei had never expected and was angry about.
The couple's wedding was scheduled for autumn, less than three months before Zhu Mingyu's departure for war. The journey to Siam and Ying was long, and the round trip alone would take a month and a half. If the time spent mediating internal strife was added, or if they were to get caught up in some war, the wedding would definitely not be possible.
Therefore, Zhu Mingyu postponed his wedding, and Zhiwei passively accepted this.
My clenched fists still ache, but more than that, I feel a chill of being deceived.
Zhiwei learned of Zhu Mingyu's self-request from Li Mingjing, who happened to be visiting the palace. At the time, she was coming out of the imperial kitchen, preparing to deliver some refreshing snacks to Zhu Mingyu at the training ground.
Upon hearing this, she smashed the porcelain plate in her hand, led Shao Yang, and stormed towards the training ground. Li Mingjing followed behind, trying to persuade Zhiwei that this was "national honor," but Zhiwei ignored him and, after finding Zhu Mingyu, slapped him across the face.
She truly didn't understand. With the marriage imminent and the political situation constantly shifting, Zhu Mingyu, not being a resourceful civil official, was not the best choice. Yet, as if possessed, he volunteered to lead the army directly into Siam and Ying.
If this matter had been discussed with her, Zhiwei wouldn't have been so indignant. She knew he was wholeheartedly devoted to serving the country, and at most, she would have simply given him a few words of advice to "be careful." But Zhu Mingyu was mute, and learning of her husband's request from someone else was precisely what Zhiwei could not accept.
"Are you out of your mind? Why are you trying to show off like this?" Zhiwei pushed Zhu Mingyu's chest hard. "If you still consider me your wife, then find someone else. I won't allow this kind of presumptuous request."
The engagement can be postponed; that's not a problem. But the two of them are going to get married and become a family. Zhu Mingyu's actions are arguably willful, showing that he doesn't treat Zhiwei as his wife at all.
Zhiwei's request for him to change the person was just an angry outburst; she only wanted Zhu Mingyu to understand her dissatisfaction. However, Zhu Mingyu slapped her hand away and said that he was determined to go.
Many of the former Shenjing soldiers on the training ground knew about the relationship between Zhu Mingyu and Zhiwei. Zhu Mingyu was unwilling to explain anything to Zhiwei, leaving her alone on the spot, swallowing her resentment.
Although Zhiwei later learned that Cheng Yuzhi was pregnant again, and that the emperor originally intended for the crown prince to go to Siam and Ying, Zhu Mingyu, mindful of Zhu Liji's many affairs, volunteered to go instead. However, the cold war between the two continued fiercely, and Zhiwei ultimately couldn't bring herself to ask for reconciliation.
The banners of the Great Zhao fluttered in the wind, and hundreds of accompanying soldiers stood ready. The bugle call to march sounded, and Zhu Mingyu, dressed in a red official robe, rode the tallest horse at the front.
"Sister, shouldn't we go down and say hello? Brother Zhu's departure will take several more months," Shao Zhao whispered tentatively to Zhiwei.
Zhiwei scoffed, "Does he need to greet me?"
He still looked sullen.
Shao Zhao shrank back and nudged Shao Yang with his elbow. Shao Yang thought for a moment and then stepped forward.
"The general said he knows your temperament and that it was wrong of him to postpone the wedding. He has already taken away the veil that you will wear on your wedding day, saying that it will definitely be completed on time." Shao Yang took out a letter from her sleeve, which was written in Zhu Mingyu's handwriting.
They noticed the subtle signs but failed to notice.
She took two steps forward and reached the highest point of the city wall.
As if sensing Zhiwei's movement, Zhu Mingyu turned around and met her gaze.
Zhiwei opened her mouth, as if to say something.
He can't hear.
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