Chapter 40: Watching the Eyes
After Zhu Zhanji left, Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Yuhuan exchanged a glance before speaking: "Prince Xiang seems to be quite perceptive and can be considered honest."
Zhu Yuhuan suppressed his smile and said, "Fifth Uncle has witnessed the events of the Yongle era, so how could he not know the seriousness of the matter? Your Majesty, just give him a few words of advice, and Fifth Uncle will understand your intentions. When the time comes, Your Majesty only needs to show him some kindness, and Prince Xiang will undoubtedly be grateful and will not harbor any ulterior motives."
Zhu Qizhen had just had a brief conversation with Prince Xiang. He saw that Prince Xiang knew when to act and when to retreat. Even when facing him, he did not act like an uncle. His attitude towards him was more respectful than that of many ministers.
Zhu Yuhuan thought, ever since the incident with the Prince of Han, who would dare to offend the emperor?
Zhu Zhanji was like this, not to mention that Zhu Qizhen was just a child now. He might kill someone if he was unhappy. An Jing was a living example of this.
Even when killing ministers, no one spoke out, let alone killing members of the imperial clan? Currently, the only people who could dissuade the emperor were Hu Shanxiang and Zhu Yuhuan. Unfortunately, these mother and daughter were related to Zhu Qizhen, so they couldn't persuade the emperor without any worries.
In this situation, everyone is worried about their own safety. Who would dare to take risks? Everyone is trying their best to control themselves and not make mistakes.
Zhu Qizhen showed a satisfied expression, and then said to Zhu Yuhuan: "Sister, do you have a specific plan for the martial arts exam?"
Zhu Yuhuan half-jokingly said, "Your Majesty has given the order, so how could I not come up with one? It's just that it's easy to think of a solution, but Your Majesty hasn't revealed your intention to the cabinet or the ministers of state yet, so even if you have a solution, it may not be implemented."
Zhu Qizhen waved his hand confidently, saying, "I am the emperor. How could anyone dare to disobey my will? Furthermore, this military examination is the best way to select talent. My sister also said that, like the civil examination, candidates are first selected from various regions and then sent to the capital. The selected military officers can be appointed to official positions without having to enlist in the army. This is fairer than the recommendation system. The person selected should be a military officer like Wang Ji. How could they reject me?"
Zhu Yuhuan simply smiled upon hearing this and said, "Your Majesty, everything you do is for the benefit of the country and the people. These officials originally entered the court with the lofty ambition of 'establishing a heart for heaven and earth, and a life for the people.' How could they not understand your Majesty's good intentions?"
The only problem is that this matter will affect too many people, and it is not a simple policy like the previous one of registering and settling refugees who fled their hometowns.
Zhu Yuhuan continued, "But this matter is also closely related to military merit, and I'm afraid the cabinet is also hesitant."
Zhu Qizhen snorted coldly and said with some disdain: "They are so timid all day long. Why don't they seem afraid when writing memorials? They just look down on me."
In his opinion, these officials were afraid of offending the military heroes, but weren't they afraid of offending the emperor? He had never seen them making excuses before, so he would not lift them up and put them down like he did when his father was still alive.
When Zhu Yuhuan saw him like this, he knew that Zhu Qizhen had subconsciously regarded most of the officials as his imaginary enemies. Even though he looked calm on the surface, he was actually full of suspicion towards these officials.
Zhu Yuhuan probably understood without guessing that Zhu Zhanji had probably told Zhu Qizhen during his lifetime to be cautious in dealing with officials and never trust someone wholeheartedly. However, Zhu Qizhen's personality obviously lacked tempering, and his excessive self-confidence became arrogance.
I wonder how Zhu Zhanji would feel if he knew that Zhu Qizhen was practicing his "earnest teachings" in this way.
Throwing aside all sorts of thoughts, Zhu Yuhuan said, "As long as Your Majesty is determined, is there anything Your Majesty cannot accomplish?"
Zhu Qizhen was very proud and said, "Of course." He looked at Zhu Yuhuan, was silent for a moment, and suddenly said, "Big sister, please don't become like Prince Xiang in the future."
Zhu Yuhuan was slightly stunned when he heard him say this, and asked with amusement, "Why do you say that, Your Majesty?"
"My eldest sister, my second sister, my third sister, and Yu'er are all blood relatives." Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment and said, "If you all become like Prince Xiang, then I will have no one to whom I can speak the truth."
Zhu Yuhuan chuckled and said, "As long as Your Majesty treats us sincerely, why would we use empty words to please Your Majesty?"
Zhu Qizhen said this, but never mentioned what Zhu Zhanji said to him before his death. Before Zhu Hanjia got married, she never asked her opinion, but just because of the trouble, she followed Empress Dowager Sun to make arrangements.
If Zhu Yuhuan had not relied on herself to get to where she is today, her fate would probably be even more tragic than Zhu Hanjia's.
Zhu Zhanji was right about one thing: his son was like him and was trying hard to be like him.
It depends on who has better methods.
Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile, "The completion of the three main halls will be in the next one or two months. When they are officially completed, Your Majesty should invite the officials to the palace and have Ruan An explain to them how the construction of the three main halls was frugal, so that these officials will not be ignorant and make nonsense."
Zhu Qizhen liked the hustle and bustle, his eyes lit up, and he said, "That makes sense!"
The reconstruction and renovation of the three main halls were officially completed. Such a happy event dispelled the sad atmosphere of Empress Chengxiao's death. Zhu Qizhen took the initiative to hold a grand banquet in the palace, inviting officials to visit the halls, climb the palace towers to enjoy the scenery, and celebrate the completion of the three main halls.
As autumn arrived in the capital, the sky was clear and the air was crisp. Officials were granted permission to ascend the towers to enjoy the scenery. This was a first, demonstrating the new emperor's benevolence and generosity, as he shared joy with his subjects. Furthermore, Ruan An explained the materials and expenses involved in the renovation of the three main halls, emphasizing the significance of the various facilities at Wunong Temple for this renovation, significantly accelerating the completion of the palace.
Although the officials were very surprised by this, they did not dare to act rashly. They just remained silent as usual during court sessions, only occasionally whispering a few words or agreeing with Ruan An's words.
After all, there were three "extra guests" nearby: one was Prince Xiang Zhu Zhanji, who was invited by the emperor to attend the inauguration banquet, and another was Prince Wei Zhu Zhanzhen, who stayed in the capital year-round and was responsible for visiting the mausoleum. But the most eye-catching person was the third one - Princess Shunde.
Even if a woman was assisting in the administration of the country, there was no reason for her to stand in the crowd so openly, not to mention Zhu Yuhuan's outfit, which was really unbearable to look at.
Only Yang Pu and Yang Shiqi looked calm. Together with Wang Qiang, the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, who had seen Zhu Yuhuan dressed like this, none of the three showed any surprise.
Zhu Zhanji noticed that the officials would occasionally glance over at him, but they didn't dare to be seen, looking rather sneaky. He couldn't help but sneer and whispered to Zhu Yuhuan, "Huanhuan, do you usually tease them like this?"
Zhu Zhanzhen was somewhat helpless and said, "Fifth brother, Huanhuan doesn't usually meet with officials in the palace. Even less so outside the palace. He just goes to the teahouse to check accounts and business. It's no big deal to wear it for fun."
Zhu Yuhuan didn't seem to mind it much. She tapped her closed folding fan against her palm and said with a smile, "You'll get used to it after seeing it a few times, right? I'm even planning to sell matching outfits like this in my clothing store..." As if afraid others wouldn't know, she quickly added, "When grandma was still alive, the outfit I wore for the sword dance at the birthday party was a huge hit. I made a lot of money."
Seeing her like this, Zhu Zhanzhen said helplessly, "It's nice, but that dress is too different from the clothes of our Ming Dynasty. Who would wear that on a normal day?"
Zhu Yuhuan was now even more proud. He said, "So, I'm wearing a set of Ming Dynasty clothes today, right? I also want to take this opportunity to sell some more clothes. I'll make some with intricate patterns and sell them specifically to the wealthy families. I'm sure they'll make a lot of money!"
Seeing her interest, Zhu Zhanzhen simply warned her, "Don't make a big fuss about it, or the censors will find fault with you and write a letter to impeach you."
Zhu Zhanji had already understood the meaning behind his niece's behavior. She was just like him, worried that her actions were too cautious and would arouse suspicion, so she deliberately acted in a shallow and absurd way to prove her harmlessness to the emperor.
So Zhu Zhanji simply patted his tenth brother on the shoulder and said with emotion: "No wonder your business is booming. It turns out you're obsessed with money every day."
Zhu Zhanzhen quickly understood what Zhu Zhanji meant, and quickly stopped talking, not daring to speak casually.
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "It seems that Uncle Wu has not been wandering around for nothing. If I didn't have so little free time on weekdays, I would have thought of taking Uncle Wu to visit the imperial farm together."
Zhu Zhanji waved his hand and said, "Alas, the princess and the children are still waiting for me to come home soon. We can talk about it again if there is a chance in the future."
Zhu Zhan'an looked back and forth between the two men, then glanced at the officials and palace maids not far away. He couldn't help but sigh that the two men were in unison and had achieved their respective goals in just a few words.
He couldn't say much about other aspects, but when it came to quick wit, the uncle and nephew were truly similar.
As they were talking, Wang Li, who was serving beside Zhu Qizhen, came over quickly, cleared his throat, and said, "Your Majesty has ordered a banquet. Everyone, please follow me downstairs into the hall." He then quickly stepped forward, unexpectedly walking in front of Zhu Yuhuan and the two princes, and said respectfully, "Your Highness the Princess, Your Highness the Prince of Xiang, Your Highness the Prince of Wei, please follow me. Your Majesty has ordered that the ministers also come into the hall and take their seats."
The eldest princess was in front and Prince Xiang and Prince Wei were behind. It was clear at a glance who was more important.
Zhu Yuhuan noticed the officials' involuntarily gazes on him, but he took it for granted. He simply said to Wang Li, "Eunuch Wang, please lead the way."
"yes."
The censors understood that the emperor valued Princess Shunde far more than the two princes. Even if the censors submitted a hundred more memorials, they could not change the emperor's opinion.
Everyone couldn't help but look at Wang Qiang, who is now the second-in-command of the Censorate, and showed some sympathy.
Princess Shunde was now quite trusted by His Majesty, yet Wang Qiang allowed these censors to file a complaint against her. However, His Majesty was still young and did not fully trust the court officials. Furthermore, Hu Shanxiang and the Princess and her daughter were assisting him in governing the country. Any casual remark from these two would inevitably result in Wang Qiang being criticized.
Wang Qiang was originally quite calm, but now that everyone was looking at him like this, he actually felt a little nervous.
Although he had been in contact with Princess Shunde for some time and knew that Zhu Yuhuan could be described as "kind-hearted", it was an indisputable fact that the Censorate had submitted a petition to impeach Princess Shunde, and he had indeed not stopped his censors. If Princess Shunde was interested in making a fuss...
Wang Qiang put aside these messy thoughts and pretended to be calm. He went downstairs with other colleagues to prepare to attend the palace banquet.
The palace banquet began and everyone took their seats. Emperor Zhu Qizhen was the last to take his seat. He first praised and rewarded Ruan An in front of everyone, and then explained the difficulties and significance of his renovation of the three main halls. Only then were everyone in the hall able to enjoy the palace music while enjoying the celebratory banquet.
This banquet was very different from the previous one celebrating Zhu Yuhuan and others' return to the court. Without the screen in front of Zhu Yuhuan, all the officials looked straight ahead, staring at the delicacies in front of them, and said almost nothing.
Zhu Qizhen soon noticed this and found it even more interesting. He looked at everyone's expression with great interest.
Normally, this group of people would spit all over the place when they disagreed with something, but now they were just attending a banquet with Princess Shunde, but they were so timid.
"Mr. Wang..." Zhu Qizhen was feeling quite bored, and was about to call Wang Zhen to join him in secretly mocking those officials, but he saw that only Wang Li was around. He asked in confusion, "Where's Wang Zhen? Why isn't he here?"
They see each other every day, so why did Wang Zhen suddenly change his attitude today and stop staying by his side?
Wang Li noticed Zhu Qizhen suddenly mentioning Wang Zhen, and quickly replied, "Eunuch Wang is, after all, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department. It's unreasonable for him to serve Your Majesty personally..."
Zhu Qizhen frowned and asked, "Did he say that?"
Wang Li immediately realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly said, "It was Eunuch Wang who said that he didn't have the same merits as Eunuch Ruan and was not worthy of appearing at the celebratory banquet."
Although Ruan An was a hero in the renovation of the three main halls, as a eunuch, he was not qualified to sit at the table, which was completely different from the various officials who appeared at the banquet.
Zhu Qizhen tutted his words when he heard this, then said, "Have someone prepare a seat for him and Ruan An."
There had never been such a rule before, so Wang Li was inevitably a little conflicted, but he grew up listening to the words of his godfather Wang Jin. The most important thing was that you could offend ministers, but you absolutely could not offend the emperor.
Even if you offend the ministers, as long as the emperor is willing, he can still help you, but if you offend the emperor, there will be no way to survive.
Wang Li immediately responded, "I'll arrange it right away."
Zhu Yuhuan, who was closest to Zhu Qizhen, was naturally aware of what was happening on Zhu Qizhen's side. When he saw that Wang Zhen, who usually followed Zhu Qizhen, did not show up, he knew what Wang Zhen was thinking.
Now that Empress Dowager Zhang is gone, almost all the people who can suppress Wang Zhen on the surface have disappeared. Naturally, Wang Zhen also hopes to prove his importance by "taking advantage of others".
The most important thing is to send a signal - Wang Zhen has become a new force.
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