Chapter 14: Solving Doubts
Jin Ying suddenly became enlightened after hearing what Zhu Yuhuan said. He first went to the King of Yue to use his connections, and mentioned the idea of building a temple to pray for several emperors. He also gave the King of Yue some valuable gifts.
The King of Yue accepted the gift and naturally spoke highly of Jin Ying, mostly because of his unwavering loyalty to the imperial court, having enjoyed considerable influence since the end of the Yongle reign. He remembered the favors bestowed upon him by Zhu Gaochi and Empress Dowager Zhang, and was a valued assistant to the late emperor. To repay their kindness, he offered to build a temple with gifts from several generations of emperors. However, Jin Ying was now advanced in age and lacked the ability to properly manage his servants, making him less useful than he had been in the past. Therefore, Empress Dowager Zhang could simply expel him from the Imperial Household Department rather than exterminate him.
The results of Xu Gong's investigation had already been placed on the desk of Empress Dowager Zhang, and how to proceed depended entirely on the decision of Empress Dowager Zhang.
After visiting the King of Yue, Jin Ying went to the Empress Dowager Zhang and cried, confessing his mistakes from beginning to end, from big to small. He said that he did not dare to cause the Empress Dowager Zhang trouble and was willing to die to prove his innocence.
Empress Dowager Zhang, of course, couldn't let him continue. She simply said, "You've been in the Imperial Household Department for many years. You should be familiar with all these twists and turns, yet you still made such a mistake. How can you be worthy of the trust His Majesty has placed in you?"
After all, Empress Dowager Zhang was a nostalgic person, and Jin Ying was someone her son once valued. There was indeed no direct evidence to prove that Jin Ying had any contact with officials. His crime was not punishable by death, so it would not be a bad idea to directly replace him with someone else to succeed the position of the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department.
Jin Ying also heard the slight softening in Grand Empress Dowager Zhang's tone, and immediately kowtowed with tears, saying, "This servant knows that I have failed the three masters. I beg Your Majesty to select a virtuous person to take over the post of Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, and then to take my head. Only then will I have the courage to serve the masters in Paradise..."
Empress Dowager Zhang sighed and soothed him, "Okay, okay, why has it come to the point of chopping off your head?" She looked at Jin Ying lying on the ground, thinking back to what he had just said, and her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Although Jin Ying was a eunuch in the Imperial Household Department, his relationship with officials was not so antagonistic. On reflection, the censors' collective attack on Jin Ying was truly excessive, as if they were determined to take Jin Ying's life.
Something must be wrong when things are out of the ordinary. In addition, Jin Ying just mentioned the arrangements made by the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department. Empress Dowager Zhang couldn't help but start to suspect that perhaps someone was deliberately framing Jin Ying.
As for who "framed" him, the answer is very obvious. It was naturally Wang Zhen who was beside Zhu Qizhen.
"You should leave now."
Jin Ying secretly glanced at Empress Dowager Zhang, only to see that she was silent, not knowing what she was thinking about, and she looked less energetic than usual.
Seeing Jin Ying retreat, Empress Dowager Zhang couldn't help but raise her hand and rub her brows. She said to the female official beside her, "Send someone to summon Princess Shunde."
"yes."
Jin Ying left the main hall, still feeling a bit nervous. If the Empress Dowager did something, wouldn't it be his fault? But out of the corner of his eye, he saw the female official next to the Empress Dowager Zhang quickly come out. After giving a few instructions, the palace maid left for Qingning Palace.
Jin Ying immediately understood that it seemed that Empress Dowager Zhang was planning to discuss the matter with Princess Shunde.
Now he felt a little more fortunate in his heart. Fortunately, he had gone to find Princess Shunde first. This was the real insurance.
The military supervisor was just Empress Dowager Zhang testing her granddaughter. She knew better than anyone that once a person began to come into contact with power, he would undergo earth-shaking and thorough changes.
This kind of change will bring immeasurable consequences whether it occurs between a husband and wife or between siblings. If it were not for birth, old age, sickness and death, in the end one party would be defeated by the other.
Inside the palace, Empress Dowager Zhang was in a state of confusion.
She is now in the same situation as her son, unsure of who is stronger between Zhu Yuhuan and Zhu Qizhen. Her grandson is still young, and Empress Dowager Zhang does not want her throne to have any setbacks.
However, the relationship between his grandson Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen was too close, and there was no guarantee that Wang Zhen would not use this as an opportunity to seize excessive power in the future.
There was a balance of power between ministers and eunuchs, and no matter which one was more powerful, the power was always in the hands of the emperor.
But if the country wants to prosper in the long run, the emperor must make a trade-off between the two.
Although Empress Dowager Zhang had high hopes for her grandson Zhu Qizhen and knew that he was not a person who could be easily manipulated, Zhu Qizhen was not without flaws and could still be accurately identified.
As long as it suits his taste and meets Zhu Qizhen's requirements, Zhu Qizhen will never be stingy. If the object has other requests, Zhu Qizhen may not be on guard.
Empress Dowager Zhang then ordered, "Bring me what I put in the box."
Qingning Palace and Renshou Palace were not far from each other. Zhu Yuhuan arrived at Renshou Palace in about a minute. He first paid his respects. Seeing that Empress Dowager Zhang's brows were slightly red, he knew that she was probably worried about recent events again. She took the initiative to ask, "Grandma, is your headache coming on again?"
There were countless big and small events before and after the change of the reign title. It is no wonder that Empress Dowager Zhang's body, which had been well maintained for a long time and had a good complexion, began to have problems again. It is unknown whether Empress Dowager Zhang can hold on until the day Zhu Qizhen grows up if she continues to toss at this frequency.
Empress Dowager Zhang signaled the palace maids to bring a chair for Zhu Yuhuan, then said, "Things are going on outside very turbulently. You've been out of the palace so often, so you must have heard about it a long time ago."
Zhu Yuhuan didn't hide it and nodded slightly, saying, "I have indeed heard a lot of related things."
Empress Dowager Zhang looked at her granddaughter for a long time and asked, "What do you think?"
Zhu Yuhuan pondered her question for a moment before speaking, "Things have come to this point. Failure to punish Jin Ying would be unsuccessful and would undermine Your Majesty's wisdom. However, Jin Ying has assisted several generations of emperors. A death as apology would appear unkind and ungrateful to the imperial court." She paused for a moment before continuing, "These censors are well aware of Jin Ying's years of dedicated service at the Imperial Household Department, yet they still dare to act this way. I'm afraid someone is behind this."
Empress Dowager Zhang looked at her, raised her chin, and said, "Continue."
Zhu Yuhuan then continued, "Given His Majesty's favor for Wang Zhen, if Jin Ying were to step down from his position as the Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, His Majesty would undoubtedly choose Wang Zhen. It seems that Wang Zhen would be the one who would benefit the most from Jin Ying's departure. Therefore, I suspect that the person behind the scenes fanning the flames of these civil servants is most likely Wang Zhen."
Zhu Yuhuan's words were almost completely consistent with what Grand Empress Dowager Zhang had thought. Grand Empress Dowager Zhang nodded slightly, but suddenly asked, "Are you completely unaware of the so-called trouble caused by Jin Ying's servants?"
Zhu Yuhuan shook his head sincerely and said, "I don't know. The people from the Taiping Teahouse and the Military Commission are familiar with each other. I guess Wang Zhen is afraid that the manager of the Taiping Teahouse will call the people from the Military Commission, which would make it difficult to resolve the situation..."
Even with Wang Zhen's pitifully small courage, he didn't have the guts to dance in front of Zhu Yuhuan.
Although she looked confused, Empress Dowager Zhang already had the answer in her heart. Wang Zhen was confident in controlling the emperor, but he was afraid of Zhu Yuhuan.
Empress Dowager Zhang knew that she had a severe headache and could not guarantee that she would survive until the emperor came of age. She had to think like Zhu Zhanji: what would happen to the future of the Zhu family if she was gone.
After a long time, Empress Dowager Zhang had already figured out the answer. She said, "He must be afraid of you and deliberately avoided your teahouse."
Zhu Yuhuan thought for a moment and said, "I see. If Taiping Teahouse gets involved, I'll know about it too. I'm afraid it will be reported directly to Grandma and His Majesty. Then, his plan will be useless."
Empress Dowager Zhang nodded slightly, content but silent. She simply said, "Wang Zhen is truly audacious. He actually dared to frame Jin Ying."
Zhu Yuhuan paused after hearing this, then said, "If Wang Zhen can be used properly, he might be a fine weapon." She met Empress Dowager Zhang's gaze and said, "Although Wang Zhen hasn't served the imperial family for as long as Jin Ying, he has a shallow foundation and can only rely on Your Majesty. He will naturally do his best for Your Majesty. As for the rest, we can slowly cultivate him in the future."
"Oh?" Empress Dowager Zhang raised an eyebrow and asked, "Wouldn't the civil servants be attached to him, like Jin Ying today, secretly colluding with officials?"
Zhu Yuhuan said solemnly, "Father chose Wang Zhen to serve Your Majesty because he passed the imperial examination and had some knowledge. Unlike Cheng Jing, who served with Prince Qing, he voluntarily entered the palace as a castrated man. Most officials in the court were born through the imperial examination. Those with knowledge and ability look down on someone like Wang Zhen, and those who do look up to him only want to get a taste of his sweetness. Wang Zhen won't cause any major trouble."
At this point, a smile played on her lips as she continued, "So Wang Zhen can only cling tightly to Your Majesty. No matter how reluctant Wang Zhen is, he dares not say a single word 'no' to anything Your Majesty wants him to do."
Empress Dowager Zhang knew that she had understood what she meant, and continued, "Both your father and the emperor trust you. Otherwise, Wang Zhen would not be afraid of you."
Zhu Yuhuan simply smiled obediently and said, "Nowadays, it's Grandma who's truly the ancestor who can intimidate the ministers both within and without. Wang Zhen had the audacity to coax His Majesty into letting him be the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, but how could he dare lie to Grandma? As long as Grandma is around, why should we worry about Wang Zhen stirring up trouble right under our noses?"
Empress Dowager Zhang knew very well that her granddaughter was just saying something to save face. As for Zhu Yuhuan, it was enough to just stop there. If he got too involved in these matters, it would be like standing under a dangerous wall, which would do him more harm than good.
From Yongle to Zhengtong, her granddaughter was like her student, following her and seeing the changing hearts and the unpredictable world. No one else would easily get involved in these things.
Empress Dowager Zhang understood that even if it were her, she would not get involved in this mess.
It was also fortunate that Zhu Yuhuan did not understand the mystery. Otherwise, even if he did not immediately turn against the royal family, he would only respond indifferently.
Empress Dowager Zhang stood up and said sternly, "Huanhuan, do you still remember what your father said?"
Zhu Yuhuan immediately stood up and said, "Huanhuan remembers everything Daddy said before he died."
"Okay." Empress Dowager Zhang said solemnly, "This empire doesn't just belong to the people; it's also the legacy passed down from our ancestors. The Emperor is young, and right now he needs guidance and education. Your father and grandmother know you're well-read and understand right and wrong, so they trust you. Otherwise, they wouldn't have left that imperial edict."
Zhu Yuhuan and Empress Dowager Zhang stared at each other for a long time before finally speaking, "Grandma and Daddy are not only Huanhuan's relatives, but also Huanhuan's teachers. Over the years, everything Huanhuan says and does has come from Grandma and Daddy. As long as it's an order from these two elders, Huanhuan will obey without fail and never disobey. It has always been like this and will remain so in the future. But there is one thing Huanhuan must think about more, and that is life and death."
Empress Dowager Zhang was stunned and looked at Zhu Yuhuan with extremely complicated eyes.
The grandfather and grandson have been together for many years, but they have never had such heart-to-heart talks.
"Life is mortal, but life is short." Zhu Yuhuan said in a deep voice: "Huanhuan is not afraid of death, but I am afraid of dying in a cowardly, aggrieved, and silent death."
Empress Dowager Zhang's heart tightened. She asked, "Are you afraid...that the Emperor will not treat you well? What are you afraid of?"
But after saying this, Empress Dowager Zhang knew the answer clearly in her heart.
"If Huanhuan only had this one life, why would he fear death?" Zhu Yuhuan looked steadily at Empress Dowager Zhang and said, "But my mother still needs me to personally take care of her. How dare Huanhuan act rashly?"
Hu Shanxiang only has a pair of daughters, and she can only rely on the emperor for her future support. If Zhu Yuhuan interferes too much, when the emperor takes action to settle accounts and rectify the situation, his mother and sister will inevitably be implicated. This is human nature.
Empress Dowager Zhang was silent for a long time, and finally beckoned to the female official, saying, "Give the things I asked you to bring just now to the Princess."
"yes."
Zhu Yuhuan took the slender box with a confused look on his face. He looked up at Empress Dowager Zhang, as if he didn't understand what this meant.
Empress Dowager Zhang then said, "Inside is the Imperial Edict of the Grand Empress Dowager. It states that I have entrusted you with the task of assisting the Emperor. Anyone who dares to object would be disrespectful to the late Emperor and to me."
Zhu Yuhuan immediately knelt down and said, "Grandma..."
Empress Dowager Zhang said meaningfully, "This shows my trust in you. I also believe that the Emperor will never allow you to produce this imperial edict."
Zhu Yuhuan stared at her for a long time, and finally bowed his head and said, "Huanhuan understands."
After leaving Renshou Palace and returning to his own palace, Zhu Yuhuan looked at the box containing the Empress Dowager's decree in his hand, opened it and examined it carefully, feeling a little complicated.
In reality, her goal was to retrieve Zhu Zhanji's damned imperial edict, but she hadn't expected Grand Empress Dowager Zhang to write an additional imperial edict for this purpose. On the bright side, Grand Empress Dowager Zhang probably considered that Zhu Zhanji's imperial edict would not only fail to protect Zhu Yuhuan, but could even cost him his life, so she was unwilling to hand it over to him. On the negative side, Grand Empress Dowager Zhang might even want to use the imperial edict to manipulate Zhu Yuhuan.
Zhu Yuhuan had a plan in mind. He put the imperial edict away and handed it to Han Guilan, saying, "Please carefully choose a suitable time later and let Zheng Tong take a good look at the details."
Han Guilan took it carefully and said, "Yes."
Although this imperial edict may not really work when facing Zhu Qizhen, it is not completely a piece of waste paper.
Nothing that fell into Zhu Yuhuan's hands had become completely useless.
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