Chapter 12: Heartfelt Words
After being away for so long, Zhu Yuhuan finally returned home. He first had a big meal and then went to bed early.
The next morning, Zhu Yuhuan went to Renshou Palace to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Zhang. However, paying his respects was secondary; reporting other information in person was the most important thing.
While listening to Zhu Yuhuan's report, Empress Dowager Zhang looked at her granddaughter carefully.
This time, she had specifically delegated power to Zhu Yuhuan, testing his intentions. Empress Dowager Zhang understood better than anyone what it was like for someone who once held little power to suddenly "possess" it. Even when she had become the Crown Prince of Yan's consort, she couldn't help but rejoice at the small amount of power she held. But her granddaughter's face showed no sign of abnormality.
Empress Dowager Zhang specially sent people around her to observe Princess Shunde at the banquet. Yesterday, when Zhu Yuhuan met the emperor, he was wearing the clothes given by the previous emperor and dressed simply. Perhaps considering his identity as a Taoist priest, he also wore a round crown, trying to be simple without losing the royal dignity and princess's demeanor.
Even the details of the clothes can be noticed. Zhu Yuhuan either has no attachment to power, or he has extremely strong endurance, which allows him to restrain himself and return to propriety.
Empress Dowager Zhang naturally believed more in the latter conclusion.
"grandmother?"
Empress Dowager Zhang came to her senses and looked at Zhu Yuhuan, who looked confused. "Are you talking about compiling household registrations for refugees from various places?"
Zhu Yuhuan responded and explained, "Next year we'll be changing the reign title, and a detailed count of the nation's household registration is needed. We might as well take this opportunity to show leniency to those who have fled and redistribute land and household registration. This will not only enrich the national treasury and collect taxes, but also calm public resentment and prevent the emergence of demons like Zhang Puxiang who deceive the people. I've already written a memorial to the emperor and presented it to your majesty."
As she spoke, she glanced at Empress Dowager Zhang's expression and saw that she was indeed tired. After all, it was a matter of the elderly sending off a young person. Even if Empress Dowager Zhang was strong inside, it was hard to guarantee that her mood would not be affected by this.
Empress Dowager Zhang rubbed her brows and said, "You went to Cizhou in person. You understand the people's livelihoods better than the people in the capital. What you said does make some sense. I will discuss this with the cabinet later and let them discuss it carefully."
Seeing her like this, Zhu Yuhuan knew that Empress Dowager Zhang was about to suffer from a headache, so he tentatively said, "If your old illness has recurred, why not ask Xuan Wangzhi to come to the palace to take a look?"
Empress Dowager Zhang sensed the concern in her words and was somewhat surprised, but she still said, "I heard that the little girl from the Xu family is doing very well as a doctor outside the palace. If she is summoned to the palace, she won't be able to go home for ten days or half a month. I'm afraid she herself doesn't want to do that."
She actually knew very well that if anything happened to her, the person who would assist the underage emperor would be Empress Dowager Cihui Hu Shanxiang. For the mother and daughter, it would be more beneficial for her, the Grand Empress Dowager, to die early.
Zhu Yuhuan pretended not to notice the momentary hesitation of the Empress Dowager Zhang, and simply said earnestly, "Wang Zhi respects Grandma the most, how could he be unwilling? Besides, my brother is still young, and state affairs still need Grandma's approval. Naturally, Grandma's health and well-being are the most important thing."
For Zhu Yuhuan, it didn't matter whether Empress Dowager Zhang was alive or not. As long as she was alive, she was still the one in charge. Although she was not friendly to Zhu Yuhuan, she also looked down on Empress Dowager Sun and could help suppress the Sun family.
Moreover, Empress Dowager Zhang might be a catalyst between her and Zhu Qizhen. Compared with Empress Dowager Zhang, Zhu Yuhuan did not have the value of "the late emperor's last will" or "reining in government by imperial order".
Although Zhu Qizhen was still young, he knew what it meant to form cliques. To him, it was not important whether they had a common goal or not, but whether they had a common enemy or not.
Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Zhang showed a rare hint of melancholy and said, "Mid-Autumn Festival is almost here..."
Last year's Mid-Autumn Festival was spent together as a family. This year, her son is no longer alive, leaving behind a group of young children. Empress Dowager Zhang couldn't help but feel sad.
Zhu Yuhuan had no recollection of the family dinner from last year's Mid-Autumn Festival; it consisted of nothing more than clichés and musical performances. He only remembered that after returning to Kunning Palace, the kitchen delivered a plate of taro-filled mooncakes, which Zhu Youtong loved so much that he even sent them to Wu Miaosu the next day so that she and Zhu Qiyu, mother and son, could also try them.
However, since Empress Dowager Zhang mentioned it, Zhu Yuhuan couldn't remain silent. She consoled him, "Although Daddy is gone, Grandma assists my younger brother, and my younger brother is filial to me. If Daddy knew, he would surely be very pleased in his grave. Why should Grandma bear such a grudge?"
Empress Dowager Zhang looked at Zhu Yuhuan for a long time and said, "During your absence, the Emperor and Prince Qing missed you terribly."
Zhu Yuhuan joked, "I'm afraid he's busy with schoolwork and is using it as an excuse to take some time off. Tongtong knows His Majesty is visiting my mother's palace to relax, and she's been trying to persuade His Majesty so much that she's lost a lot of hair."
Empress Dowager Zhang couldn't help but laugh when she heard her say this, then she said seriously, "The Emperor hasn't even read a single word yet, yet he's already taken on government affairs and learned the art of ruling. However, the only way to sustain political power is through righteousness and through knowledge gained through reading. You should understand this."
Zhu Yuhuan nodded obediently and said, "Grandma has taught Huanhuan a lot, and Huanhuan understands."
When Empress Dowager Zhang heard her talk about the past, she thought of Zhu Yuhuan studying beside her when he was a child. Her expression softened a little and she said, "You are the emperor's sister. You and your mother must persuade the emperor to study hard." She thought of Zhu Zhanji's last will and testament, and ultimately did not say the words "Your father has high hopes for you."
"yes."
The Zhang Puxiang incident soon came to a final conclusion. In addition to the mastermind and accomplices who were executed later in the autumn, the officials involved were also punished. Most of them were dismissed or demoted, and a few were imprisoned and retried. Some of them were officials who knew that Zhang Puxiang and other evil people were roaming around but failed to deal with them in time, some quickly surrendered to Zhang Puxiang in order to save their lives, and some officials just wanted to escape.
In addition, Liu Mian, the former commander of the Imperial Guard, was dismissed and replaced by Xu Gong, who had made a significant contribution in interrogating Zhang Puxiang. This outcome was expected by everyone, and even Liu Mian, who was dismissed, breathed a sigh of relief.
The appointment and dismissal of officials are common occurrences in the transition from the old to the new. When the bandits rebelled, Liu Mian, as the commander, could not escape blame. However, he was lucky to be dismissed from his post in the end.
What's more, Liu Mian and Xu Gong have worked together for some years, and he knows that Xu Gong is a loyal and honest person, so there is no need to worry about the future of himself and his family.
About half a month later, the cabinet drafted an imperial edict, compiled a list, and issued it to all prefectures, counties, and states to address the refugee registration issue. The solution, inspired by Zhu Yuhuan's solution in Cizhou, was to educate the refugees about the benefits of re-registering them. Furthermore, the national treasury had more grain than Zhu Yuhuan had requested, and taxes on refugees were reduced by one cent. Consequently, many refugees were re-registered. At the same time, some taxes and grain were exempted for areas that reported the disaster.
However, for relatively wealthy places like the two capitals and Zhili, people talked more about the person who presented the memorial, Princess Shunde, than the country's handling of refugees and disasters.
Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, there have been many remarkable women from royal families, such as Empress Xiaoci Gao and Empress Renxiaowen, and more recently Empress Dowager Zhang who is assisting the young emperor. However, there are only a handful of them who can be directly gossiped about by the people.
What's more, the rumors about Zhu Yuhuan are not bad reputations, but good reputations, which makes people enjoy them even more.
Zhu Yuhuan, under the guise of her princess status, ran a business, and even occasionally attended literary gatherings. The Taiping Teahouse was filled with countless poems and essays praising Zhu Yuhuan. Just pop in for a cup of the cheapest tea and you'd have something to talk about all day. Not to mention Zhu Yuhuan's diverse business, offering both luxurious goods for royalty and affordable, down-to-earth items. Naturally, he had more to talk about than anyone else.
This situation did not gradually dissipate until after the New Year, but Zhu Yuhuan could no longer appear casually in the Taiping Teahouse. Zhu Yuhuan was not afraid of being watched by the people of the Ming Dynasty, but was mainly afraid of causing traffic jams. Who knew if anyone would be lurking in the Taiping Teahouse?
The Taiping Teahouse was inconvenient, so Zhu Yuhuan had no choice but to move to Xu Wangzhi's clinic. He first asked Zhang Zhong about the situation in Beijing, and then occasionally chatted with him and Tuotuo Boluo. There were not many people of his age in Beijing who he could talk to. Not only did Shi Jing have many difficulties in the outer city, but he himself had no idea what was wrong and had never come to visit him. Zhu Yuhuan did not force it.
Fortunately, when Zhu Yuhuan was not in the capital, Xu Yun had already been "selected" by Ruan An to go out of the capital with him to build water conservancy projects. He was no longer staying in the Xu family temporarily, so naturally he did not have to worry about being enslaved and forced to work by Zhu Yuhuan.
Zhu Yuhuan, dressed in a moon-white, cross-collared silk jacket and an ivory-white skirt embroidered with flowers and birds, moved slightly with her footsteps. She looked at the number of people in the courtyard and couldn't help but wonder, "Isn't it already spring? Why are there so many people coming to see a doctor? They haven't caught a cold..."
Xu Wangzhi was busy bandaging the patient's wound. When he heard Zhu Yuhuan's voice, he said without looking up, "If you three are okay, come and help."
Zhu Yuhuan closed the folding fan in his hand and immediately said to Toghto Boluo, "Hurry up and learn from Wang Zhi. You will need it on the battlefield in the future. This is a life-saving skill."
Tuotuoboluo said obediently, "I'll be right there."
Toghto Boluo's father, Abji'an, suffered a relapse of his old illness, and the Xu family repeatedly visited him. Xu Wangzhi's medical skills were well known to all, and Toghto Boluo respected the doctor who saved his father's life, obeying him even more than an imperial decree. Over time, he also honed his bandaging skills. He felt that he had never been able to repay Xu Wangzhi enough, and whenever he came to the Xu family, he would find a way to help.
Zhang Zhong smiled and patted Tuotuo Boluo on the shoulder, saying, "Let's go. I'll go with you."
Zhu Yuhuan was not in a position to bandage the wound himself, so he took Huai En with him to help pound the medicine. He only came to Xu Wangzhi's side after the patient was almost treated.
She sat on the other side of the bench and asked with a smile, "Why are there so many patients suddenly? Our arms are so tired from looking at them."
Xu Wangzhi rolled his eyes at her and said, "You don't sound like a decent person would say that..."
"Why should I be so serious in front of you?" Zhu Yuhuan asked curiously, "Looking at their injuries, it seems like they were in a fight. How come they weren't captured by the military?"
"They were released after being arrested." Xu Wangzhi sighed and explained, "Most of these people were vendors in the market. Not long ago, a group of scoundrels seized the goods and monopolized the trade, disrupting their business to the point where they couldn't continue. They had no choice but to ask for an explanation. They thought a small payment would be enough to get rid of the trouble, but they were beaten by the scoundrels instead. The argument eventually turned into physical violence. The soldiers from the military headquarters came to take sides, and they were beaten for nothing and spent several days in the cells. If it weren't for their families making arrangements, they probably wouldn't be released by now."
Zhu Yuhuan raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "What a powerful rogue! He can even bribe the military department. The person behind this must be no ordinary person."
"The person behind them is Jin Ying, the eunuch of the Imperial Household Department. Naturally, they are powerful."
Zhu Yuhuan exclaimed, "They even announced their own names? This isn't a play, so why would someone introduce themselves?"
Based on Zhu Yuhuan's understanding of Jin Ying, he is a cautious person and often restrains his subordinates. Logically, such a group of idiots should not appear.
Xu Wangzhi blinked when she asked this and said, "It seems...it seems like he reported it himself." She couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that someone deliberately harmed that eunuch?"
Zhu Yuhuan was amused by her and couldn't help but reach out and pinch Xu Wangzhi's face, saying, "You haven't even asked clearly or thought about the matter clearly, and you come to me to complain secretly?"
Xu Wangzhi felt guilty after her thoughts were exposed. She couldn't break free from Zhu Yuhuan's hand, so she said, "Everyone says that Princess Shunde is wise and will make decisions for the people... I can't be considered taking advantage of my position. If it were in those operas, I could barely be considered a minister of remonstration... Didn't you say something about an official who doesn't make decisions for the people..."
Zhu Yuhuan didn't expect her to remember his words so carefully. He couldn't help but smile, his bright eyes narrowed slightly, and said, "Doctor Xu, please allow me to go back and find out what happened. I will definitely give you an explanation."
Xu Wangzhi then nodded and said contentedly, "That's about right."
Although she said this, Zhu Yuhuan actually already had the answer in her heart. She and Huai En looked at each other and saw confirmation in each other's eyes.
Jin Ying has always been good at networking and not a flamboyant person. This matter sounds a bit strange in itself, not to mention that these scoundrels deliberately revealed their identities, fearing that others would not know who is behind them.
According to what Xu Wangzhi said, it was not so much that his identity was exposed, but rather that he deliberately leaked it for fear that no one would know.
If we talk about who hates Jin Ying the most, that person is naturally Wang Zhen.
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