Chapter 43: Tip Him
In the Palace of Heavenly Purity, after all the so-called court officials had left, Zhu Qizhen, already drunken from the ministers' sloppy deception, said to Wang Zhen beside him, "Mr. Wang, what do you think we should do?"
Although he still called him Mr. Wang Zhen, his tone was not as easy-going as usual, which showed that he was in a bad mood.
Wang Zhen originally wanted to take advantage of the situation and take advantage of this opportunity to get Zhu Qizhen's affairs done. It was precisely because of this guarantee that Zhu Qizhen showed him grace many times.
But how could these cunning people in the cabinet really let him succeed? They fought back with a single move and achieved a great result.
Wang Zhen was sweating profusely and said hurriedly, "It's my humble and shallow nature..."
Seeing him like this, Zhu Qizhen couldn't help but sigh and said, "Even if they move out the Queen Mother and the eldest sister, there's nothing they can do."
Who asked Empress Dowager Zhang to issue a clear order for the mother and daughter to take over her "mission"? Even if Empress Dowager Zhang did not handle government affairs personally, she would always ask about them whenever political affairs were mentioned, and would never let Zhu Qizhen act arbitrarily.
Compared with Empress Dowager Zhang, Hu Shanxiang and her daughter Zhu Yuhuan were actually not a threat. One of them did not like to compete for fame and fortune, and the other was a princess who was supposed to marry out. They were already the most suitable candidates for regents that Empress Dowager Zhang could find within her range.
As long as Zhu Qizhen had not grown up, the cabinet could always use these two to fool Zhu Qizhen.
Seeing that he had no intention of pursuing the matter further, Wang Zhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "Although I am not even one ten-thousandth as capable as Princess Shunde, I will utterly and wholeheartedly serve His Majesty, and will serve him until my death..."
Apart from anything else, Wang Zhen was very sure of one thing: only when the emperor was well could he be well. He had to be well not only with the current emperor, but also with the future emperor, so that he could enjoy the emperor's grace forever. As such, Wang Zhen naturally racked his brains to come up with suggestions for Zhu Qizhen, regardless of whether they were right or wrong, as long as they satisfied Zhu Qizhen, they were good!
Zhu Qizhen hummed, his tone softening considerably, and asked Wang Zhen, "Sir, how do you feel about attending the banquet today?"
Although he failed to enter the palace through Donghua Gate, Wang Zhen had already enjoyed an honor that other eunuchs had never had - entering the palace to attend banquets. This honor was different from a simple reward. More importantly, it demonstrated that Wang Zhen's status and position far surpassed those of other eunuchs.
Jin Ying had previously enjoyed considerable influence in the Imperial Household Department, but could he have been on equal footing with the cabinet ministers and other important officials? Wang Zhen enjoyed treatment that no other eunuch in the dynasty had ever enjoyed.
Once there are such signs, as long as Wang Zhen is willing, even if he cannot win over important officials of the court, he can at least win over a few officials of moderate importance who are willing to make progress and do something real to prove himself.
Zhu Qizhen looked at the returned military examination documents, read them from beginning to end, and said, "It would be great if I were the same age as my elder sister."
If he could grow up with Emperor Taizong like his elder sister, and be taught by his grandfather and father for a few more years, he would definitely learn a lot, and the situation today would not be like this.
Zhu Qizhen didn't care about anything else, but on this point, he was always secretly jealous of Zhu Yuhuan.
Especially after what happened today, thinking about what Hu Yi had just said, Zhu Qizhen naturally couldn't help but wonder, if Zhu Yuhuan was here just now, would he be able to easily resolve the various obstructions of these ministers.
Wang Zhen vaguely caught the envy in Zhu Qizhen's words and was taken aback. Then he hurriedly flattered, "The Emperor and the Princess are blood relatives. Your Majesty was taught by the late emperor, and at such a young age, he has already taken on the responsibility of governing the country and has his heart set on his country. In comparison, the Princess, although she was raised by the late emperor and is knowledgeable and talented, is ultimately just the apple of his eye. How can she compare to the Emperor's wisdom and bravery?" After saying this, he secretly glanced at Zhu Qizhen's expression and said, "Besides, no matter how intelligent the Princess is, she is still a subject of the Emperor. The intelligence and talent of a subject should naturally be used by the Emperor."
He said this, but he knew in his heart that no matter how good Princess Shunde was to the emperor, she would never allow herself to be played around like a monkey and become an object for others to toy with.
But at a time when the emperor needed and liked the eldest princess, how could Wang Zhen, as Zhu Qizhen's close confidant, say such "depressing" words?
Zhu Qizhen felt much more relieved after hearing what he said. He said, "You have some truth in what you said."
At least for now, Wang Zhen's usefulness is far less than that of his elder sister. He naturally cannot let Wang Zhen ride on his elder sister's head, and he cannot let there be too much rift between the two...
Wang Zhen breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Zhu Qizhen's cheerful mood. An idea struck him, and he continued, "Your Majesty, although the cabinet hasn't agreed to this today, I'm sure many people already know that Your Majesty has invited the cabinet elders and the regents to discuss matters in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. I'm thinking...why not Your Majesty directly issue an order?"
Once the imperial edict was issued, the cabinet had to give Zhu Qizhen a clear reason to refuse. However, this was not a bad thing. There were old precedents and ready-made complete plans for reference. Even if the cabinet was passive and lazy, there was no reason for it to refuse.
Zhu Qizhen did have such an idea, but Zhu Yuhuan was not there, so he could only discuss it with Wang Zhen briefly. Although he trusted Wang Zhen's sincerity, he did not trust Wang Zhen's own talent - if Wang Zhen was really capable, why would he castrate himself and enter the palace?
Moreover, he was the emperor. No matter how much these people disobeyed him, could they really disobey the emperor's orders in public? If that was the case, why should he back down? It would only end up embarrassing everyone.
Seeing that his idea was adopted by Zhu Qizhen, Wang Zhen felt a lot more relieved. He thought that since he had given advice to the emperor, Zhu Qizhen must have more trust in him. He couldn't help but start thinking about it.
Who should he recruit to join his own army? He should find a few who are useful... It is not enough to rely on the eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department alone. He also needs the help of officials from the outer court. Only then can he really become a eunuch with great influence and let those who once laughed at him know that he, Wang Zhen, can also go down in history.
With Wang Zhen's not-so-good idea, Zhu Qizhen felt more confident and went to pay his respects to Hu Shanxiang and Empress Dowager Sun the next morning as usual.
When Empress Dowager Zhang was still around, Hu Shanxiang and Empress Dowager Sun would go to Renshou Palace to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager. In order to make it easier for Zhu Qizhen to pay his respects and save time to handle government affairs, Zhu Qizhen would often pay his respects directly to the Empress Dowager and the two Empress Dowagers in Renshou Palace.
Now that the Grand Empress Dowager was away, no matter how reluctant Empress Dowager Sun was, she had no choice but to go to Empress Dowager Cihui's Qingning Palace and sit below Hu Shanxiang to receive her son's greetings.
She actually wanted Zhu Qizhen to greet her alone, so that if there was anything private, she could discuss it with her son. But thinking of what Zhu Qizhen had said before, Empress Dowager Sun really didn't dare to gamble with her son's personality.
It was also because of this that Empress Dowager Sun felt extremely sad. Thinking that her own son was not even close to her, she had to be very cautious even in asking for some glory and grace for herself and her mother's family.
Hu Shanxiang asked Zhu Qizhen, who came to greet her, to stand up and said, "There was a lively palace banquet yesterday. Why bother coming to greet you so early in the morning?"
Zhu Qizhen's tone was very gentle. He said, "Greeting your mother and mother is a filial duty and must not be neglected."
When Empress Dowager Zhang ordered Hu Shanxiang and Zhu Yuhuan to assist Zhu Qizhen together, he still had doubts. But later, Hu Shanxiang almost never asked about political affairs, but handed all matters to Zhu Qizhen, and only he and Zhu Yuhuan asked questions and discussed with them. Zhu Qizhen had even more respect for his mother.
Even Empress Dowager Zhang was not as indifferent to state affairs as Hu Shanxiang was. It was rare for Hu Shanxiang to be able to do this despite having a legitimate opportunity to assist in the administration.
He glanced around and saw only Zhu Youtong, so he asked, "Why didn't my elder sister come to pay her respects to the Queen Mother?"
Hu Shanxiang smiled and said, "She drank too much at the palace banquet yesterday and had a headache all night, so I forgot to greet her." She knew that Zhu Qizhen was asking about Zhu Yuhuan, probably to discuss government affairs, so she said, "But she usually gets up at this time. Let someone ask Guilan."
"yes."
Zhu Qizhen waved his hand and said, "My elder sister is ill, so I'd better go and visit her myself."
Hu Shanxiang sighed and said, "I'm afraid this isn't appropriate. Why bother the Emperor?"
Zhu Qizhen didn't care about it. "It's okay outside the palace, but since we are in the palace, why should we brothers and sisters strictly observe the relationship between the monarch and his subjects?" After saying that, he left with the palace people, obviously intending to visit in person.
Seeing this, Zhu Youtong also wanted to stand up, but when he thought that Empress Dowager Sun was also here, he just moved his body and sat back down steadily.
If she didn't stay by her mother's side, Empress Dowager Sun would probably say those sarcastic words again. But with Zhu Youtong, a "straightforward" junior, around, Empress Dowager Sun had to swallow all the words in her heart.
As expected, when Empress Dowager Sun saw that Zhu Qizhen was so respectful to Hu Shanxiang, his nominal mother, and even went to visit Zhu Yuhuan in person, she could no longer suppress the hatred on her face, but in the end she just turned her head away without saying a word.
Zhu Youtong curled his lips and kept muttering to himself.
Empress Dowager Sun even had the intention to exploit Jia Jia, a princess. With Zhu Qizhen's arrogant personality, how could he not associate himself with Empress Dowager Sun's behavior? It would be strange if Empress Dowager Sun could get her wish!
Zhu Yuhuan never had the habit of sleeping in, not to mention that she didn't have a headache in the first place. She just guessed that Zhu Qizhen would come to ask her after he realized what was going on, so she just made up an excuse to lure Zhu Qizhen over.
After all, we can't discuss political affairs in front of the two empresses dowagers, especially in front of Empress Dowager Sun.
Han Guilan helped Zhu Yuhuan put on his headband and said, "Your Highness has indeed been a bit tired lately. You should take care of your health. Why not ask some of Madam Xu's students to help take a look at you?"
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I take better care of my body than you do. It's just an occasional headache."
As they talked, they looked outside the house. Sure enough, the palace servant who had been silent for a long time finally announced, "Your Highness, the Emperor has arrived."
The two looked at each other, both showing an expression of "as expected".
Not only was it unusually quiet outside the palace just now, but there were also palace servants making gestures with their shadows at the window. Zhu Yuhuan guessed that it was Zhu Qizhen who came, so he signaled Han Guilan to turn the conversation to Zhu Yuhuan's "illness".
When Zhu Qizhen heard that Zhu Yuhuan was ill, he naturally did not ask Zhu Yuhuan to stand up and salute. He just said, "Big sister, could it be that you caught a cold after drinking yesterday?"
Zhu Yuhuan asked Zhu Qizhen to sit at the head of the table. Watching the palace servants busily coming and going to serve him tea, she said, "How could I be so fragile? I just have the occasional headache, probably because I haven't been out and about much lately." She smiled slightly as she spoke, "It just so happens that I'm planning to go to the Changping Imperial Manor to relax for a few days this autumn. If Your Majesty doesn't mind, I'll bring Tongtong, Jiajia, and Yu'er with me."
Zhu Qizhen was originally still thinking about what he was discussing with Zhu Yuhuan, but when he heard that she was going to take others out of the capital, his attention was immediately distracted. He couldn't help but ask, "Doesn't that mean I'm the only one left in the palace? Even my third sister can go, so why can't I?"
Seeing him still so childish, Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but smile slightly and said, "Your Majesty is very busy with state affairs. There are still many important national issues that need your attention. Naturally, you can't go out for fun casually. Moreover, since the mourning period has ended, the capital can celebrate as usual. Jiajia and her husband should also go out for a walk." After she finished speaking, she lowered her voice and said, "Tongtong has always been close to Jiajia. I think since she got married, she won't be able to come to the palace often, and it will be difficult for the sisters to get together. So, by going to the imperial farm to meet, we can also let Jiajia go out and relax with a legitimate reason."
"I see..." Although Zhu Qizhen understood, he still felt a little awkward and said, "But leaving me alone in the capital would be too boring."
Zhu Yuhuan jokingly said, "Even if we stayed in the capital, His Majesty would be so busy with affairs of state that he wouldn't have time to play with us."
Zhu Qizhen couldn't help but ask, "Shouldn't Big Sister also stay in the capital to assist in the administration?"
Zhu Yuhuan just smiled slightly when she heard this and said, "Your Majesty is the ruler of this world. You assist in government only because Your Majesty is still young and may act rashly occasionally, so you need an elder to keep an eye on you. But you can't let me make the decision, right?" After she said this, there was a hint of a sigh in her tone.
Zhu Qizhen quickly grasped this point and asked, "If that's the case, I want my elder sister to assist me in governing the country. What can they say? A word is as good as gold, and a king's words are not jokes. This is what they often say."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled, then said, "Isn't the matter that Your Majesty wants to discuss with me the same?"
Zhu Qizhen was slightly stunned, and it took him a while to understand what Zhu Yuhuan meant.
Zhu Yuhuan had long anticipated why Zhu Qizhen came, and he also understood what he was going to ask, so he took this opportunity to give him some advice.
Seeing Zhu Yuhuan also say so, Zhu Qizhen felt more certain that there was nothing wrong with his decision, and said with a smile: "I understand."
Seeing him eager to leave, Zhu Yuhuan continued, "Your Majesty's authority is certainly useful, but there is another point that is extremely important."
Her words really whetted Zhu Qizhen's appetite. He immediately stopped and looked at Zhu Yuhuan eagerly.
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