Chapter 22 A Knife
Although Zhu Yuhuan returned to the capital, he had been living in the princess's mansion outside the palace for the past few days and had no intention of returning to the palace.
During this period, she asked Han Guilan to return to the palace to inform Wang Zhen about the matter of the imperial farm and report it to Zhu Qizhen, which was also an answer to the emperor. She continued to live freely outside the palace.
Without Zhu Yuhuan, only the brothers Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiyu were left. Although they were not bored, they were not as relaxed and happy as when Zhu Yuhuan was around. Zhu Youtong had no interest in riding horses and would slip away after combing the hair of Zhu Yuhuan's horses every day. Zhu Hanjia was even less interested in riding and shooting and focused on reading all day long.
Although Zhu Qiyu was also at an age where he loved to play, he was ultimately under the control of Wu Miaosu. People around him often reminded him that they were not only brothers, but also monarch and subject. He had to keep a certain distance from the emperor and always remember the difference between monarch and subject.
Ever since Wang Zhen was punished by the Empress Dowager, he never dared to be negligent again. He tried his best to discipline Zhu Qizhen. However, the young eunuchs under his command often played with Zhu Qizhen.
But there were only a few things to play with in the palace, and after the novelty wore off, Zhu Qizhen lost interest and returned to his daily routine of reading question books, going to school, and practicing calligraphy.
Wang Zhen had been following Zhu Qizhen all along, so he could tell that Zhu Qizhen had been in a bad mood. He was thinking about giving him some words of advice, but then he heard Zhu Qizhen ask, "Big sister, haven't you returned to the palace yet?"
Wang Zhen, upon hearing this, immediately said, "Princess Shunde has been staying in the Princess's Mansion for the past few days. It seems she is recruiting apprentices for Madam Xu and training a few female doctors."
Zhu Qizhen asked with some confusion: "Isn't there an imperial physician in the Imperial Hospital? Is your elder sister feeling unwell? Is she seeing a doctor outside?"
"The imperial physician is a man after all, and there are always times when it's inconvenient for him to treat the old ladies and empresses in the palace."
"I see..." Zhu Qizhen knocked on the table and said, "Big Sister is away these days, so no one is checking my homework. A while ago, I deliberately made a typo and handed it in, but the lecturer didn't dare to point it out."
Wang Zhen smiled awkwardly and said, "Your Majesty is a supreme ruler. How dare the lecturers offend him?"
Zhu Qizhen curled his lips in disdain and said, "My father has been so kind and trusting to them, yet they don't even have this much courage."
Wang Zhen weighed the pros and cons and immediately sided with Zhu Yuhuan, saying, "These officials appear to be obedient to the Emperor, but they all have their own agendas. They are nothing like the eldest princess, who is devoted to the Emperor."
Zhu Qizhen chuckled and asked Wang Zhen, "Just like Mr. Wang?"
Recently, in class, lecturers would occasionally tell Zhu Qizhen some examples of eunuchs causing great harm during the Tang Dynasty, simply hoping that he would be wary of Wang Zhen.
Although Zhu Qizhen did not have a good impression of these civil servants, he also knew that what they said made sense. As long as Wang Zhen could obey his orders and not go too far, Zhu Qizhen had no need to restrain Wang Zhen.
Recently, when the gates of the imperial city were being repaired, the officials and craftsmen who had been relatively obedient under his father's command began to riot under his command and fled one after another, making Zhu Qizhen even more vigilant.
These people were probably like Zhang Puxiang and others, thinking that he was the new emperor and was young, so he could be easily fooled.
His father had warned him not to trust others easily, but his grandmother threatened Wang Zhen but did not kill him. She simply hoped that Wang Zhen could be used by her.
The elder sister did the same, reminding him to be careful in everything. She was obviously telling him to use Wang Zhen's knife with caution, so it's not that Wang Zhen cannot be used.
Moreover, Zhu Qizhen was also very clear that Wang Zhen did not have any great ambitions. At best, he just wanted to climb to a higher position and show off his wealth.
Even if Wang Zhen made a few small mistakes, as long as his usefulness outweighed his mistakes, there was no need to pursue him. This was the case with Jin Ying, and naturally it was the same with Wang Zhen.
Hearing him say this, Wang Zhen was shocked. With an honest expression on his face, he said, "Master Xuan Temple ordered the eldest princess to become a Taoist priest because he saw in her talent. How dare I compare myself to her?"
Wang Zhen felt a little guilty about making these craftsmen and common people do extra work, but Jin Ying had done similar things before, not to mention that this temple was used for praying for the royal family...
Zhu Qizhen remained silent upon hearing this, and simply said, "Just don't fall into the hands of my elder sister. She rules strictly, and if she wants to break up with her, she won't care who you are."
Although Empress Dowager Zhang never told Zhu Qizhen about his mother and sister, Zhu Qizhen could vaguely feel over the years that there was indeed friction between the two. Otherwise, Zhu Yuhuan, who always had a smiling face, would never give anyone an advantage and ignore his stepmother who was now the empress dowager. After all, she was gentle and amiable to his father's concubines and cared about everything.
When Wang Zhen heard him mention Zhu Yuhuan, her expression froze. She laughed dryly and said, "I have taken note of the emperor's instructions. The princess is naturally upright and will not tolerate any injustice. How dare I rebel against her?"
Zhu Qizhen naturally noticed the slight discomfort on Wang Zhen's face. Knowing that he was afraid of Zhu Yuhuan, he couldn't help but laugh at him. Then he said, "I remember that you originally stayed with the third sister, and later came to my side. Why are you so timid around my eldest sister? What's the matter? Have you been punished by my eldest sister?"
Of course, Wang Zhen could not say that he was chosen by the late emperor because of Princess Shunde, and he did not dare to say bad things about Zhu Yuhuan in front of Zhu Qizhen. After all, the lesson from the past was still there, and there was no guarantee that Zhu Qizhen would tell Zhu Yuhuan later.
Therefore, Wang Zhen simply replied, "Princess Shunde was personally raised by the late emperor, and her majesty is indeed frightening."
"Really?" Zhu Qizhen put down the pen in his hand and said, "Why don't I feel anything?"
He had never remembered Zhu Yuhuan getting angry with others, so naturally he couldn't imagine what Zhu Yuhuan would look like when he became majestic.
Wang Zhen thought to himself, "You are the Emperor. Even the Grand Empress Dowager has never spoken harshly to you, let alone the Princess Shunde? It's not going to get you any good..."
"That's because Princess Shunde loves the Emperor. Not only does she have to work day and night on state affairs, she also has to keep busy with her studies. Otherwise, why would she personally review the Emperor's homework and correct typos?" Wang Zhen said this while secretly glancing at Zhu Qizhen's face. Seeing that he didn't seem unhappy, he continued, "Besides, the Princess is the Emperor's sister, so she's naturally very tolerant of him and treats him far better than the Prince of Qin."
A hint of satisfaction surfaced on Zhu Qizhen's face, but he quickly suppressed it. He shook the pen in his hand, and with a hint of envy in his tone, he said, "If only I could have been born earlier, I could have been by my great-grandfather's and my father's side."
Wang Zhen knew that what he was thinking about was Zhu Yuhuan accompanying Zhu Zhanji on border patrols. Because of this, Zhu Zhanji was able to rest assured that Zhu Yuhuan would go to Liaodong to patrol the border.
Although Zhu Yuhuan did not personally fight in the battlefield during his two border patrols, he did accumulate a lot of reputation, so it is no wonder that Zhu Qizhen was envious.
In fact, what Zhu Qizhen envied more was the opportunity to follow his father, appreciate the scenery outside the Great Wall together, and fight the enemy together.
When young, he wears a thousand helmets and is invincible in the world. This is how a real man should be.
Zhu Qizhen flipped through the manuscript and looked at the staggering amount. Suddenly, he remembered something and said, "Did the storeroom receive Hui ink and rice paper earlier? Send some to the Grand Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager Cihui, and the Empress Dowager."
"Yes," Wang Zhen agreed, but he couldn't help but feel a little confused. He asked, "Didn't the emperor send it to him at the beginning of the year? Old Lady Zhang also said to keep it in the emperor's storeroom for him to use when practicing calligraphy."
"I see Second Sister combing the horses whenever she has free time. She probably wants to use the mane to make brushes for Big Sister, so I'm doing her a favor."
Wang Zhen then understood that the emperor had sent something that pleased him, and Princess Yongqing would have informed Princess Shunde. At that time, Princess Shunde would have to return to the palace to express her gratitude and could not continue to "float around" outside the palace.
"Your Highness, His Majesty has sent gifts to Empress Zhang and the two Empresses."
Zhu Yuhuan was originally leaning on his Luohan bed reading a book. After hearing Han Guilan's words, he vaguely replied, "I understand. I will leave for the palace in a moment."
Zhu Yuhuan stayed in the princess's mansion for seven or eight days and felt refreshed. He was much more comfortable than in the palace and indeed had a feeling of "not wanting to leave". However, Zhu Qizhen's intention was obviously to ask Zhu Yuhuan to "go home", so Zhu Yuhuan naturally couldn't stay outside any longer.
No wonder her fifth uncle ran off to the fiefdom overnight. She felt much more comfortable living in the princess's mansion in the capital, let alone living a free and easy life in the fiefdom.
Seeing Zhu Yuhuan's lazy and comfortable look, Han Guilan couldn't help but pursed her lips and smiled, saying, "Your Highness, it would be more relaxed outside."
Zhu Yuhuan rested his head on his arm, covered his face with the book, and said, "There are palace rules within the palace, and outside the palace, it's just the two of us now, so why not take it easy?"
"The most important thing is that His Highness is happy."
Zhu Yuhuan returned to the palace leisurely. Naturally, he first went to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Zhang and explain why he had been staying outside the palace all this time.
"Huanhuan also heard that the imperial city gate was being repaired. He was curious and took a look from afar. It seemed to be in good order."
Previously, Zhu Zhanji asked Ruan An and others to repair the moat, which solved a lot of problems. However, the city gates had been exposed to wind and rain over the years and needed repair. Moreover, since the capital was moved, there had been no gatehouses for many years. Some city gates did not even have shelters for patrol officers and soldiers, so they had to be repaired.
According to the considerations of Zhu Qizhen and Empress Dowager Zhang, they thought it was a small project and handed it directly to Cai Xin, the head of the Ministry of Works who was responsible for the construction of Beijing City. He was a craftsman and was in charge of engineering in Nanjing during the Hongwu period. He was quite proficient in construction and was highly respected. Unexpectedly, after all the trouble, materials were consumed and labor was assigned, but the project still showed no sign of completion. Some craftsmen even started to escape, and supervision by the Military Commission was needed.
Empress Dowager Zhang casually asked, "How does it look?"
"It looks like some gatehouses are being built, and the materials appear to be top-quality. It's just that the construction is taking a while." Zhu Yuhuan smiled faintly, seemingly not giving it much thought. "For such a large project, it's reasonable for it to be slow. Just like when Ruan Daban built the garden at the Princess's Mansion, he also put a lot of effort into it."
When she said this, Empress Dowager Zhang tapped the handrail with her fingertips and said, "I remember when I built your garden, I used all the leftover materials from the construction of the mansion, and it was built quickly."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "How can the princess's garden compare to such a large project as building the gatehouse of the capital? Grandma, there's no need to worry. Cai Xin was the one who oversaw the construction of the capital. Now it's just the addition of the gatehouse."
Empress Dowager Zhang sighed and said, "It's been so long and there's still no news. I think he's old now, and his thoughts and ideas are not as good as those of you young people."
Zhu Yuhuan seemed relieved and said, "Building the capital's city walls and palace was extremely difficult. Even Chief Cai managed it with ease, so what's the big deal about a gatehouse?"
It wasn't that Empress Dowager Zhang didn't understand these things, but she had already lost confidence in Cai Xin, and she didn't have the confidence to respond.
Zhu Yuhuan also understood Empress Dowager Zhang's intentions, so he said, "Ryan Daban is currently dredging the river. This project isn't big, but it's not small either. Logically, a monthly report should be submitted to Your Majesty. If it's almost complete, why not transfer Ruan Daban back to the capital to oversee the project and leave the final work of the river dredging to his subordinates?"
Empress Dowager Zhang did have this idea in mind, but dredging the river was no small matter. Even if the project was nearing completion, it could not be sloppy. Otherwise, it would only cost more manpower and resources to remedy it later.
However, the longer the project in the capital is delayed, the more trouble it will cause, and it will also cost money. It is really a dilemma.
Zhu Yuhuan also understood this and said, "It has been two years since he left the capital. It is impossible that none of the officials selected at the time have been trained to be capable. If that is the case, he should be punished for incompetence and for failing to live up to Your Majesty's trust and training."
When Empress Dowager Zhang heard her say this, she felt that there was some truth to it. She instructed the female official beside her, "Go and invite His Majesty to come down. He said he wants to discuss the construction of the gatehouse."
Seeing this, Zhu Yuhuan stood up and said, "Grandma is discussing state affairs with His Majesty, so Huanhuan will leave first."
Empress Dowager Zhang waved at her, motioning for her to sit down, and then said, "You don't have to leave. You're quite familiar with Ruan An, so it's a good opportunity to explain this to the Emperor."
"yes."
Zhu Yuhuan saw the female official go out to report, and then he tasted the tea from Renshou Palace.
Unexpectedly, not long after the female official left, Zhu Qizhen came in, followed by Wang Zhen. Seeing that his steps were a little faster, Zhu Yuhuan speculated in his heart that the military report from Ganzhou area had been brought to Zhu Qizhen's desk.
As expected, Zhu Qizhen dismissed the palace attendants as soon as he entered. He glanced at Zhu Yuhuan and then addressed Empress Dowager Zhang, "Grandma, military intelligence has arrived from the Ganzhou area. Adai has invaded from the south, plundering the people in Ganzhou and Liangzhou. The border troops are counterattacking and pursuing the enemy, but the commander-in-chief, An Jing, is incompetent. He was the first to retreat when he reached Yu'er Lake, leading to the border army's defeat."
He finished speaking like pouring beans out of a bamboo tube. Zhu Yuhuan coughed twice and said, "Your Majesty, I have not yet withdrawn."
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