Chapter 36 Before Departure
As soon as Zhu Yuhuan entered Renshou Palace, she smelled a scent of medicine. She sniffed it and then said to the female official who was leading the way, "Why don't you let people take the medicine to another place to boil it? Renshou Palace is dyed like a medicine jar."
The female official quickly replied, "It was the old lady who said not to mobilize a large force. The people in Renshou Palace can make the medicine themselves."
Recently, Empress Dowager Zhang has been in poor health and has almost no time to handle government affairs. She just asked Zhu Qizhen to consult Zhu Yuhuan when he had any questions, and if it was really difficult to handle, he could send it to her.
It can be seen that Empress Dowager Zhang's spirit is obviously not as strong as before.
Hu Shanxiang had to deal with palace affairs and had no time to personally attend to Empress Dowager Zhang. She could only try to find time to visit her. Thanks to Zhu Zhanji's concubines who were not buried alive, they took turns to take care of her, so Empress Dowager Zhang's bedside was not too lonely.
As for Empress Dowager Sun, she was busy preparing for Zhu Hanjia's marriage. The reason was simple: Empress Dowager Zhang's health was still uncertain. If she passed away, the wedding would have to be postponed. With two "extraordinary" couples, Zhu Yuhuan and Zhu Youtong, and Empress Dowager Sun also having her own needs, she certainly couldn't let her daughter's marriage be delayed. So she tried her best to get Zhu Qizhen to urge the Ministry of Rites to quickly arrange the marriage of Princess Changde and her husband.
The one serving today was Concubine He Hui. Seeing Zhu Yuhuan coming, she stood up and walked to Zhu Yuhuan, whispering, "The old lady has been resting for a while. The princess just came back from outside the palace. Why don't you go to the side hall and have a cup of hot tea first?"
Zhu Yuhuan simply shook his head and said, "No need. I'll stand here and wait for Grandma to wake up. After all, I'm the younger generation, and I'm here to tend to my mother and look after Grandma for His Majesty. How can I just go and rest on my own?"
Concubine He Hui couldn't help but sigh at Zhu Yuhuan's attentiveness, as he always took every detail into consideration and made it impossible to find any fault with him.
Not to mention that Empress Dowager Sun was still busy marrying off her daughter at this moment, which made Zhu Yuhuan's filial piety even more precious.
Zhu Yuhuan had long seen through Concubine He Hui's little thoughts. He was probably secretly comparing her with Empress Dowager Sun in his heart, so he comforted her, "Empress He has been guarding for a long time. Leave the rest to me. Empress Wu is still nagging you to go back and check on Xiaoyu's homework."
When Concubine He Hui heard her mention Wu Miaosu and Zhu Qiyu, mother and son, she didn't want to stay any longer and said hesitantly, "As for the Grand Empress Dowager..."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, Madam He, I'm here."
After Concubine He Hui and the palace maids left, Zhu Yuhuan walked to the bedside of Empress Dowager Zhang. Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, he asked people to place Buddha's hand fruits and other things in the hall to disperse the original medicinal smell. He also whispered to Han Guilan to bring the special candied fruits made in the small kitchen.
After everything was arranged, Zhu Yuhuan stood by the bed with a book in his hand. He would flip through a few pages and then check on Empress Dowager Zhang's condition. From time to time, he would ask how the medicine was going.
Anyone who sees such a scene will sigh with gratitude for filial piety.
Of course, Zhu Yuhuan did not just want to show his filial piety in front of Empress Dowager Zhang, but also wanted to take advantage of the Empress Dowager Zhang's most vulnerable psychologically to achieve his own goals.
About an hour later, Empress Dowager Zhang finally awoke. Seeing Zhu Yuhuan leaning against the bed, sitting on the footstool with a book in his hands, she couldn't help but laugh. She said in a hoarse voice, "You're such a grown man, how come you're still so unruly?"
Zhu Yuhuan quickly stood up and said with a smile, "No matter how old she is, she is still grandma's granddaughter. If His Majesty and Prince Qing didn't have to attend classes, and Tongtong didn't help mother with palace affairs, we would definitely all gather around grandma."
Hearing her say this, Empress Dowager Zhang couldn't help but feel a little sad, but she pretended to be calm and said, "You are so eloquent and sharp-tongued, just like when you were little."
Zhu Yuhuan just smiled and said, "Grandma, please stop nagging me. Drink the medicine while it's hot."
The palace maid brought the decocted medicine. Zhu Yuhuan blew it cool carefully and fed it to Empress Dowager Zhang's lips spoon by spoon. After she had finished it all, he handed the bowl and spoon in his hand to the palace maid beside him.
Zhu Yuhuan saw the deep wrinkles on her brow and said comfortingly, "Don't worry, grandma. You have always respected the Buddhist teachings. Your uncle and aunt have great blessings and will surely be reborn in paradise."
Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Zhang only sighed softly and said, "Is that so..."
Only Empress Dowager Zhang and Zhu Yuhuan knew about the incident of forcing Concubine Guo to be buried alive, so she could only show some uncertainty in front of Zhu Yuhuan.
Empress Dowager Zhang gave birth to three sons and one daughter, but now the only one alive is Prince Xiang Zhu Zhanji.
"A few days ago, the Prince Wei's Mansion reported that the Princess Wei was pregnant..." Empress Dowager Zhang looked melancholy and said, "When Zhan Yong passed away, he didn't even leave behind a child..."
Zhu Yuhuan took her hand, which was still well-maintained and only had a few calluses, and patted it gently, saying, "Grandma, you are worthy of the country and the people. The ancestors will naturally bless you. Why do you have to make things difficult for yourself?"
Empress Dowager Zhang looked at Zhu Yuhuan and said nothing more.
Not only was she very ill during these times, but her presence was also rather lonely. Among her grandchildren, only Zhu Yuhuan and Zhu Youtong took turns to look after her. Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiuyu were both busy with their studies and only occasionally had time to visit, but they were often too busy with their studies to have much time to enjoy her company.
Once people have nothing to do, they are bound to have wild thoughts, not to mention that Empress Dowager Zhang was already feeling uneasy.
Whether it's her children or grandchildren, they have all died to this point. How can she not feel "hard" about herself?
With emotions surging in her chest, Empress Dowager Zhang coughed a few times and said, "For the time being, I can only see you and Tongtong..."
Zhu Yuhuan helped Zhu Qizhen explain, "Your Majesty is very busy with government affairs and schoolwork, so he really can't spare the time to come and visit. But he often asks Eunuch Wang to come and inquire about grandma's condition, and he also often asks me how grandma is doing."
Hearing her say this, Empress Dowager Zhang was silent for a moment, then asked, "Wang Zhen comes here often? He's just a eunuch in the Imperial Household Department. Why isn't he helping the Emperor with government affairs instead of asking about my condition?"
Zhu Yuhuan only revealed a somewhat helpless smile, as if speaking for Zhu Qizhen: "Ever since being disciplined by grandma, eunuch Wang has been very attentive and dared not act recklessly. He only asked about grandma's health to report to His Majesty."
Empress Dowager Zhang sneered and said, "Your Majesty, forget it. But Wang Zhen probably has ulterior motives. Do you really think I can't tell whether he's convinced or not?"
At that time, Empress Dowager Zhang called Wang Zhen to her presence and scolded him, allowing all the ministers in the cabinet to witness Wang Zhen's "embarrassment" with their own eyes. How could Wang Zhen not resent Empress Dowager Zhang?
However, Empress Dowager Zhang had been protecting Zhu Qizhen all the way, and they had a close relationship as grandparents. Naturally, Wang Zhen would not be so mean as to interfere, so he could only secretly bear a grudge in his heart.
Now that Empress Dowager Zhang is unwell, Wang Zhen probably hopes for her death more than anyone else.
Zhu Yuhuan certainly understood this, and he also knew that Empress Dowager Zhang also disliked Wang Zhen. "But Wang Zhen is not without merit. At least he is loyal to Your Majesty."
When this was mentioned, Empress Dowager Zhang remained silent.
"Grandma values the experience of cabinet ministers and places great emphasis on the Three Yangs, not wanting the current peace to be disrupted by change." Zhu Yuhuan gazed into Empress Dowager Zhang's eyes, which revealed a hint of vicissitudes, and continued, "But nothing in this world is immutable. The Three Yangs are also extremely cunning, and it's possible that their subordinates are connected. Your Majesty brought Cao Nai and Ma Yu, who lectured on the Imperial Lecture, into the cabinet simply because he hoped these newcomers could divide power from the Three Yangs and give it to the officials promoted by Your Majesty... Moreover, if he didn't know this, why would Mr. Mianren leave?"
Empress Dowager Zhang, hearing her speak so clearly, knew that Zhu Yuhuan had guessed Zhu Qizhen's secret intentions and said, "He trusts the eunuchs so much, he will get into trouble in the future."
Zhu Yuhuan laughed inwardly, but his face remained calm as he counseled Empress Dowager Zhang, "Great-grandfather, grandfather, and father all trusted eunuchs, but which eunuch could possibly do such a thing? It's simply that they haven't touched Your Majesty's bottom line. But once you do too much, your mistakes will only increase. There will be plenty of opportunities to deal with them."
The emperor was able to make use of eunuchs precisely because these people were like rootless duckweed, floating on the ground and dependent on imperial power, like mayflies that lived and died in a day.
"The Emperor is too young..." Empress Dowager Zhang sighed softly and said, "The late Emperor, Renzong, and Taizong—which one of them didn't go through years of hardship before ascending the throne? The Emperor was born into a world of luxury, spared from all hardship. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. It's good because it cultivates his regal bearing, so he won't be far inferior to others. But it also inevitably makes him arrogant and complacent. He always needs someone to keep him in check."
Zhu Yuhuan listened to her words, but just lowered his eyes and said nothing.
She had already anticipated that what Empress Dowager Zhang said today would most likely be no different from what Yang Pu said that day.
Seeing her like this, Empress Dowager Zhang said, "Go and get my clothes."
Zhu Yuhuan was a little surprised and advised: "Grandma is weak, it's better not to move around easily..."
If an accident happens, who will be responsible?
Empress Dowager Zhang's attitude was very tough, and she stood up and changed her clothes.
Zhu Yuhuan had no choice but to follow Empress Dowager Zhang closely to prevent the elderly woman from getting into any accidents.
She also had to sigh that they were a family after all. The stubborn look of Empress Dowager Zhang often appeared on Zhu Qizhen, which made her occasionally have the urge to beat someone up.
Empress Dowager Zhang simply put on her clothes, then took Zhu Yuhuan's hand and staggered to the bookshelf. She took out a box from one of the drawers and handed it to Zhu Yuhuan.
Zhu Yuhuan looked at the box in Empress Dowager Zhang's hand and asked, "Grandma, why did you give this to me again?"
"This is something your father left you. Take good care of it." Empress Dowager Zhang paused for a moment, then continued, "The late emperor's will carries more weight than anything else. Furthermore, for you, this is the last thing your father left you. I'm afraid you were very reluctant to part with it when you gave it to me."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Zhu Yuhuan calmly, trying to judge whether Zhu Yuhuan had noticed anything strange.
Zhu Yuhuan reached for the wooden box, his fingertips lightly brushing against the imperial edict. Finally, he pushed the box toward Grand Empress Dowager Zhang and said, "If this edict affects the harmony of our family, I would rather not accept it."
Empress Dowager Zhang was stunned because she didn't expect her answer to be like this.
She thought about many things Zhu Yuhuan might say. Perhaps he was apprehensive about the return of the imperial edict, or perhaps he was delighted to accept this "gift." In short, it shouldn't be like this...
After all, Zhu Yuhuan had stayed with her for a period of time, and the grandmother and grandson had been together for twenty years since childhood. Empress Dowager Zhang believed that she knew her granddaughter's intelligence very well, and knew that her every word and action now was carefully considered.
Empress Dowager Zhang was filled with mixed emotions and said, "The Emperor doesn't know about this..."
In any case, Empress Dowager Zhang still did not want her son's children to be torn apart and in a life-and-death situation. In addition, Zhu Yuhuan had previously confessed his inner thoughts to her, so Empress Dowager Zhang naturally would not hand Zhu Yuhuan's "life gate" into Zhu Qizhen's hands.
Zhu Yuhuan asked in surprise: "Grandma, why..."
When Zhu Yuhuan heard the answer from Empress Dowager Zhang, he almost held his breath. He knew that Empress Dowager Zhang had known about Zhu Zhanji's behavior for a long time, but had not informed Zhu Qizhen, which was like helping him invisibly.
Even if Zhu Qizhen knew about the existence of this imperial edict, or even had it in his hands, Zhu Yuhuan had her own way to deal with it. However, the current situation was the best outcome for Zhu Yuhuan, and she could hardly suppress the joy in her heart.
Empress Dowager Zhang had been relieved to hear her answer, but now, seeing her surprise, she simply explained, "Since I was here, why would you bother with all this?"
Zhu Yuhuan just looked at her and said, "Grandma, it's just a minor illness. You can't say such discouraging words."
Empress Dowager Zhang shook her head slightly and said, "Don't I know the importance of my own body?" She looked at Zhu Yuhuan and said, "The Emperor is still too young. If he rashly takes power, he will only cause trouble. There are no princes in the various regions who can handle such a heavy responsibility... The Emperor and I both trust you, the eldest sister of the family."
Her implication was that she would not summon Prince Xiang back to the capital. After all, the last uncle to come to the capital to see his nephew was Zhu Di. Even though Empress Dowager Zhang believed that her son would never covet the throne,
But public opinion can melt gold, and with Zhu Di's "example", no one dared to risk the world's condemnation, let alone the usually tactful and alert Zhu Zhanji. I'm afraid he would rather act crazy and lose face in the streets of Xiangyang than take such a risk and wade into muddy water.
In comparison, Zhu Yuhuan's identity as a princess meant that she had to devote everything to the royal family in her life.
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