The Minister of Works, Yan Zhenzhi, impeached the Minister of Personnel, Zhan Hui. This incident caused an uproar almost instantly, even surpassing the Zhu Emperor's summons of all the princes to respond to the imperial court. This was an absolutely major event.
Although summoning all the princes back to the capital did indeed cause some concern among many civil and military officials, and some even submitted memorials to the emperor, the matter did not cause much of a stir. His Majesty the Emperor considered it a family matter, simply because he was getting old and missed his children and grandchildren, and that was all he had done.
Moreover, it is quite obvious that His Majesty the Crown Prince did not object, and even when some members of the Eastern Palace hinted at it intentionally or unintentionally, His Majesty the Crown Prince did not express any opinion.
All of this speaks volumes about their attitudes. The Crown Prince's faction has gained confidence. It seems that some things are beyond the Crown Prince's control, or simply that the Crown Prince doesn't care about certain matters, so there's not much to say about it.
However, if Yan Zhenzhi impeached the Minister of Personnel without the Crown Prince's authorization, no one would believe it. After all, the Crown Prince is not yet the emperor, and even if infighting exists in officialdom, it shouldn't be the Crown Prince's key figures acting presumptuously on important matters; the Crown Prince's faction cannot afford such losses.
Zhan Hui was very alarmed, but he quickly regained his confidence. He was upright and had nothing to fear, so he naturally did not need to worry about unfounded impeachments.
The Crown Prince may have instructed Yan Zhenzhi to impeach Zhan Hui, but this does not mean that the Crown Prince's will can disregard everything. Aside from the fact that some civil officials themselves did not want the imperial power to be too strong, Yan Zhenzhi's background also made him unpopular with some orthodox civil officials, naturally leading to a great deal of power struggle in this matter.
Zhu Xiong Ying listened quietly, expressionless, showing no intention of getting involved. Let the officials in the court continue arguing; he'd intervene when the time was right. He and Old Zhu were clearly taking sides.
It's hard to come to a conclusion from arguing all at once, but there's really nothing to worry about. Just be patient.
Back at the East Palace, Zhu Xiong Ying spoke with Xu Miao Qing for a while before going to Lian Qiong Qiong's place.
With her large pregnant belly, Lian Qiongqiong carefully stood up, supporting her stomach. "Welcome, Your Highness."
"Alright, sit down." Zhu Xiong Ying stepped forward quickly and helped Lian Qiongqiong up, saying, "I'm counting on you to give me a daughter, so I'll have both a son and a daughter, and then I'll feel at ease."
Lian Qiongqiong smiled slightly and asked again, "Does Your Highness really want a daughter?"
“You don’t even know how mischievous Wen Yin is. He’s a troublemaker enough.” Zhu Xiong Ying laughed, then said, “Tomorrow, have the Crown Princess issue an imperial decree to let your mother-in-law come to the palace and keep you company.”
It's said that entering the palace is like entering a deep sea, and that's no joke. For Lian Qiongqiong now, seeing her family is virtually impossible. Unless she receives an imperial decree or it's a special occasion, it's truly difficult for her to see them.
Birthday banquets and audiences with noblewomen were all presided over by Xu Miaoqing. Although Lian Qiongqiong, as a concubine, could occasionally help out, she was only an assistant and not the one in charge.
In a good mood, Zhu Xiong Ying hugged Lian Qiong Qiong and talked for a while, looking very affectionate with her.
Most of the time, news about events happening in the Eastern Palace doesn't get out. Only occasionally, information is intentionally or unintentionally released, and many people then learn about it and make their own guesses.
For example, after hearing some news, Old Zhu muttered to himself, "Ying'er has always been a thoughtful child!"
He then looked at Shuangquan and instructed, "The Crown Prince's concubine is virtuous and kind, and her father, Lian Zining, has made great contributions to her education. Grant Lian Zining a flying fish robe, and grant his wife a robe embroidered with gold cloud and pheasant patterns."
While the flying fish robe itself wasn't particularly remarkable, this gold-embroidered cloud and phoenix pattern was clearly different. This was the ceremonial robe of a noblewoman, normally reserved for women of the second rank. For Lian Zining's wife to wear such attire was unusual and excessive.
Since it was a special decree issued by Zhu, ordinary people couldn't say anything, especially since there was a very good excuse and reason for it.
Lian Zining's daughter was a concubine of the Crown Prince. When the Crown Prince's concubine seemed to be devoted to him and appeared virtuous and a model of womanly virtue, her parents could naturally benefit from it.
Lian Zining is going to be disliked by some civil officials, and some self-righteous civil officials will probably not bother to associate with him.
Lian Zining was a second-place scholar in the imperial examinations, a perfectly orthodox civil official, yet he seems destined to become a treacherous minister. At least for now, it appears Lian Zining will rise in status through his father's influence.
Moreover, bestowing this reward upon Lian Zining at this time could easily lead to speculation. Although Lian Zining is currently only the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, it's hard to guarantee that some people won't think that this might be a signal that Lian Zining is about to replace Zhan Hui as the Minister of Rites.
Using a smokescreen, Lian Zining did have some effect; it wasn't so easy to guess what Old Zhu and Little Zhu were thinking.
The emperor's mind is unfathomable; this is probably some of the thinking behind Zhu De and Zhu Xiong Ying. They may indeed send strong signals on certain matters. However, some signals may not be the most accurate or direct, and this probably requires some people to guess.
Understanding the emperor's intentions is important, but being too clever and imitating Yang Xiu is not a good idea. However, being clueless is also not acceptable.
Zhan Hui seemed to still be confused about the situation; he didn't seem to understand why Yan Zhenzhi had impeached him. This disappointed Zhu Xiong Ying, who felt that Zhan Hui's continued actions were simply wasting everyone's patience and practically courting death.
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