Chapter 54 Renshou Palace
Soon after the palace gate opened, Zhu Yuhuan entered the palace, which scared the palace guards.
Princess Shunde had gone out with officials from the Wunong Temple. Not only did she come back first, but she was also accompanied by only three or four guards and eunuchs. There were marks of dew on the hem of her clothes, indicating that she had returned in a hurry.
Zhu Yuhuan entered the palace and first asked Huai'en to visit Hu Shanxiang in Kunning Palace, while he went straight to Renshou Palace where Empress Dowager Zhang was.
Empress Dowager Zhang now pays more attention to her health and always goes to bed early and gets up early. Therefore, the gate of Renshou Palace is always opened very early, and the palace servants sweep the inside and outside of Renshou Palace early.
The palace maids saw Princess Shunde running towards them from afar. Her hair was slightly disheveled and her eyes were red. She stumbled closer and asked, "Where's Grandma?"
Everyone in the palace was stunned to see Princess Shunde so panicked. However, one palace servant reacted quickly and said, "The Empress Dowager has stood up."
Zhu Yuhuan hurriedly passed through the palace gate. The palace servants looked at each other and cautiously peeked inside, but the palace walls were too high and deep to know what was going on inside.
However, the palace maids in the hall saw Zhu Yuhuan running in at a rapid pace. Even the announcement could not catch up with her speed. They saw that the usually lively and playful Princess Shunde actually burst into tears in front of Empress Dowager Zhang, crying and saying, "Grandma, someone wants to kill me, someone wants to kill me——"
Empress Dowager Zhang was originally surprised that her granddaughter came back alone, but when she saw that she looked shocked and frightened, she quickly reached out and held her in her arms, gently patting her back.
Seeing this, the female official beside Empress Dowager Zhang waved everyone away and quietly retreated.
Empress Dowager Zhang hugged Zhu Yuhuan and coaxed her again and again. Seeing that she was choking and silent, she finally asked, "What's going on? Who wants to kill you?"
She had originally thought Zhu Yuhuan was frightened and would only speak like that, but after listening to Zhu Yuhuan's full account of the whole story, Empress Dowager Zhang's face changed and she angrily exclaimed, "How dare you! You even want to kill the princess! You're pretending to be a bandit today, and tomorrow you're going to imitate those traitors and rebel!"
Empress Dowager Zhang doesn't care how concubines or ministers fight with each other, but there is one thing she cannot tolerate, and that is harming her descendants. They even spread false news in the palace to harm the royal heirs. Do they really think that she, the empress dowager, is a vegetarian?
Zhu Yuhuan wiped away his tears, but his eyes were still red. He lay on the lap of Empress Dowager Zhang and said, "I didn't think much of it at the time, but I was so scared afterwards that I didn't dare to stop and entered the city at daybreak..."
Empress Dowager Zhang had long noticed that she was exhausted, and thought that she was so flustered but did not make a fuss. It was obvious that she was afraid that this matter would spread and affect the reputation of the royal family, and she felt aggrieved, so she ran to her own palace.
Empress Dowager Zhang consoled her, "Don't worry, once you're in Grandma's palace, even the Jade Emperor wouldn't dare mess around!"
Empress Dowager Zhang has always been a devout Buddhist, but she could speak so freely, which shows that she is serious about it.
Empress Dowager Zhang said softly, "Rest well here with me. I'll have someone call your father over and have him dispatch the Imperial Guards to investigate the case and make the decision for you."
Zhu Yuhuan had not slept all night and had been traveling in the night wind. He was already very tired. Hearing the words, he felt relieved and fell into a deep sleep.
Empress Dowager Zhang was startled when she saw her suddenly faint. She reached out to touch her burning forehead and then her cold hand. She immediately sensed something was wrong and hurriedly raised her voice, "Someone! Quickly send the imperial physician to Renshou Palace!"
Zhu Zhanji was going to court today to discuss matters with his ministers. Although Empress Dowager Zhang was unhappy, she would not interfere with state affairs. She only asked the palace maids to invite him to Renshou Palace when the emperor was free.
The news that Princess Shunde cried all the way to Renshou Palace gradually spread in the palace. Although the concubines in the six palaces did not know the truth, when they heard that Renshou Palace had summoned the imperial physician again, they knew that Princess Shunde must be ill. No one dared to disturb the princess while she was recuperating, so they just sent palace maids to Renshou Palace to express their condolences.
It was not until Zhu Zhanji left the court that he heard about Zhu Yuhuan's affairs. He first summoned the Jinyiwei to find out the whole story and ordered an investigation. Then he hurried to Renshou Palace, only to see Zhu Yuhuan sleeping with a pale face. He was shocked and felt a little pity in his heart.
"Emperor, what do you think we should do?"
Zhu Zhanji looked at his mother who came in from outside and could still smell the sandalwood on her body, so he knew that his mother had gone to the Buddhist temple.
"Don't worry, mother. We will investigate thoroughly. Saihazhi has already received the order and left."
Since Zhu Zhanji ascended the throne, Empress Dowager Zhang had retired to Renshou Palace. She had never said a word about Zhu Zhanji's actions, but now she showed an expression of disappointment and said, "You must investigate thoroughly. Today you harmed my granddaughter, and tomorrow you will harm my son. If you don't investigate thoroughly, your life will be gone one day without you even noticing!"
Zhu Zhanji heard the hidden meaning behind Empress Dowager Zhang's words and said, "She has been with you since she was little. You should know that she would never do such a thing."
Empress Dowager Zhang was furious upon hearing this, but she suppressed her anger and said, "If she doesn't do it, someone else will do it for her! Besides her, who else hates my Huanhuan so much? As a mother, I can't control which concubine the emperor favors. But there is one thing, and that is to send the eldest prince to me to raise as soon as he is born! I will never allow such fratricide like today to happen again in my family!"
Zhu Zhanji naturally wanted the prince to be raised by Sun Mengqiu's side, but with Empress Dowager Zhang so angry, Zhu Zhanji naturally couldn't contradict his mother in person, so he said, "My son obeys you. But please think carefully about the idea of killing each other. Mengqiu is definitely not that kind of person."
Empress Dowager Zhang sneered and said, "A son is a piece of his mother's flesh and blood. Do you really think I don't know what you're thinking? I'm making this clear today. No matter how many sons someone else has, I don't agree with you deposing the empress and appointing a new one. If she's not the empress, she's murderous. If she were the empress, wouldn't every child in the palace who isn't her biological child have to die?"
These words were extremely harsh. Zhu Zhanji, his mother's thoughts exposed, could only say awkwardly, "The Empress has no children. For the sake of the country, a crown prince should be appointed early..."
"I'm not forbidding you from appointing a crown prince, but he can't be raised by his biological mother, and Mrs. Hu can't be deposed. This is my bottom line," Empress Dowager Zhang said earnestly. "I'll never restrict you in anything, but you must obey me on this matter... Once you open the door to deposing the empress, your descendants' harem will never be at peace. Are there any kings, princes, generals, or ministers who are not of the same race? Your family will be replaced by another, and a century of disaster will begin from this. Do you understand?"
Zhu Zhanji's throat tightened, but he still said tactfully: "Let's talk about it after the imperial concubine gives birth to a prince."
Empress Dowager Zhang sneered and said, "How hard-hearted you are as fathers? This child was calm when the incident happened, but she is always uneasy in her dreams. She keeps calling for her parents even when she is asleep. It's a pity that her mother is also sick, otherwise she would have come to see her long ago."
Thinking of what Wu Miaosu said, Zhu Zhanji felt a little guilty. Seeing that Zhu Yuhuan's lips were chapped, he picked up the glass cup next to him and fed her water.
Zhu Yuhuan started coughing and shouted, "Don't drown me!" Then he suddenly opened his eyes and stared at Zhu Zhanji who was sitting at the head of the bed.
Zhu Zhanji heard from the Embroidered Uniform Guard that Zhu Yuhuan was relatively calm when the incident happened, but later he became more and more frightened the more he thought about it. He ran all the way back to Beijing at night, and returned to the Renshou Palace as soon as the city gate opened. It can be seen that Zhu Yuhuan was just pretending to be calm.
Before Zhu Zhanji could react, Zhu Yuhuan had already thrown himself into his arms. Not caring about the water that had filled his neck, Zhu Yuhuan hugged Zhu Zhanji and cried, "Daddy!"
The water she was fed with almost choked her to death!
Zhu Yuhuan finally stopped crying. Seeing that she was still ill, Zhu Zhanji did not ask too many questions and just comforted his daughter.
Seeing that Zhu Zhanji really had nothing to say, Zhu Yuhuan let go of Zhu Zhanji and said in a shy tone, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Daddy..."
Seeing that she had lost her coquettish and dependent attitude as soon as she regained consciousness, Zhu Zhanji touched her head and said with some guilt: "Daddy always forgets that you are still a child."
Zhu Yuhuan lowered his head and said, "It's my fault, Huanhuan. If I hadn't suddenly heard the news that my mother was ill, I wouldn't have rushed back at night, and I wouldn't have encountered bandits."
Zhu Zhanji stroked his daughter's long hair and said, "How can this be blamed on you? I have already ordered the Palace Administration Office and the Imperial Household Department to thoroughly investigate this matter. All palace servants who have had any connection with that eunuch will be detained and interrogated."
If Zhu Yuhuan had not been so vigilant and forced the Jinyiwei, who were originally responsible for protecting the officials of Wunong Temple, to accompany him, and Baihu Shilin had not considered the safety of the princess, it would be unknown what would have happened that night.
Zhu Zhanji has already sent people to verify the incident of bandits, but he knows very well that Fengrun is very close to the capital, so how could there be bandits? If there really were bandits, all the officials of Shuntian Prefecture would have to be beheaded, and there must be a mastermind behind this.
Empress Dowager Zhang's words still echoed in Zhu Zhanji's mind. Even though he didn't want to believe it, he had to consider a possibility.
This matter may be closely related to Concubine Sun.
Although Zhu Yuhuan was young, he had a lot of ideas and would offer treasures and suggestions from time to time. Both he and the empress dowager valued Huanhuan. In addition to the incident of the charity hall, Zhu Zhanji was indeed hesitant about deposing and enthroning the queen.
It is not impossible for Concubine Sun to retaliate for this. After all, mistakes can be created artificially. Once the news spreads, no one knows what kind of rumors will arise among the people. It is likely that some poor and corrupt scholars will blame the princess for showing up in public and causing trouble. In this case, even Zhu Zhanji would not be able to let his daughter enter and leave the palace freely.
Zhu Yuhuan, who was leaning on the bed, looked up at Zhu Zhanji, his eyes full of hope, and asked, "Dad, can I still leave the palace in the future?"
Zhu Zhanji, already filled with remorse towards his daughter, immediately said, "Daddy gave you the ivory token, how can I take it back?" He noticed Empress Dowager Zhang, sitting nearby, looking at him. He was intent on making amends for his daughter and continued, "Daddy has ordered a princess's mansion to be built for you in the imperial city. This will make it easier for you to enter and exit the palace, so you won't have to endure the cold outside the city like you did today."
Zhu Yuhuan's eyes reddened, and she was about to throw off the quilt and kneel down to thank him, but Zhu Zhanji quickly held his daughter down and said, "You are a princess, Daddy's daughter, why are you so estranged?"
Zhu Yuhuan said timidly, "Huanhuan knows that I have caused trouble for my father, but I still received his reward. I feel guilty."
When Zhu Zhanji heard her words, he knew that Zhu Yuhuan probably also thought that there was only one person in the world who could bear a grudge against her, a princess in the deep palace. He immediately said seriously: "Huanhuan, you are still sick now, don't let your imagination run wild. When the Jinyiwei investigates the matter thoroughly, your father will give you justice, but you must not accuse your neighbor of stealing the axe."
Zhu Zhanji had known Sun Mengqiu for many years and knew that no matter how deep her resentment was, she would never harm others like this, so he naturally didn't want to believe it.
Empress Dowager Zhang couldn't bear to listen any longer. She slammed the table and said, "Alright, Huanhuan is still a child and hasn't recovered yet. Don't preach here. It's boring even for me."
Zhu Zhanji knew that he had really angered Empress Dowager Zhang today, which was why she had humiliated him so frequently. But a mother was still a mother, so Zhu Zhanji had no choice but to say, "Huanhuan, you can rest in Grandma's palace these days. Daddy will take care of everything else."
Zhu Yuhuan responded sullenly, but in the end he didn't say a word. However, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Princess Shunde was disappointed.
Seeing her pitiful appearance, Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
He was now caught between a rock and a hard place. He had to thoroughly investigate this matter and give an explanation to the Queen Mother, the Empress, and the Princess. Otherwise, the six harems would be in turmoil, and his daughter would be even more disappointed in him as a father. She might not want to take on any more responsibilities in the future. But once the investigation began, what if this matter was really related to the Imperial Concubine...
"Empress, slow down!"
The three of them, who had been silent, looked towards the door together. They saw that Hu Shanxiang wasn't even wearing the empress's attire, her hairpin dangling, and her cloak unfastened. She rushed to the bedside and hugged Zhu Yuhuan tightly. Her eyes were red as she scolded him, "Why are you so anxious? Can't you wait until daybreak? I only have you two daughters. If anything happens to you, you might as well have my heart gouged out as well!"
Zhu Yuhuan was held in her arms, and Hu Shanxiang's tears fell into her collar.
Zhu Yuhuan was heartbroken, but he never shed a tear. He just hugged Hu Shanxiang tightly and said, "Mom, I'm sorry..."
She naturally knew that if Hu Shanxiang knew about this, she would definitely be uneasy. She also knew that Hu Shanxiang would definitely "rebellion" against Zhu Zhanji, but this was the effect she wanted.
This matter had to be done. Fame was nothing to her. Zhu Yuhuan only wanted practical benefits. The bigger the fuss, the better. It should be so big that once Zhu Zhanji deposed the empress, he could make it one of the "Three Major Cases of Ming Dynasty" in unofficial history. He had to keep Hu Shanxiang in the position of empress.
Zhu Zhanji, standing by, naturally saw Hu Shanxiang weeping profusely, her pale lips bitten to reveal a hint of blood. He recalled the day when the Empress was willing to submit a petition to resign her position, only to ask for the safety of her two daughters, but now this had happened.
Zhu Zhanji suddenly felt guilty and was unusually panicked. For a moment, he didn't know whether he should give up his seat to the mother and daughter or comfort them.
Hu Shanxiang was usually as strong as steel, unbearable to fire and water, so how could she have lost the rules and etiquette of a queen like today? Zhu Zhanji had seen all kinds of scenes since he was a child, but he had never been as panic-stricken as today.
Hu Shanxiang only had Zhu Yuhuan in her heart. She never looked at Zhu Zhanji. She just stroked Zhu Yuhuan's cheek and touched her hair, fearing that something might happen to her and she would cry so hard that she couldn't speak.
Even Empress Dowager Zhang felt heartbroken when she saw the miserable appearance of the mother and daughter. She wiped her tears with a handkerchief. Even the ladies-in-waiting stopped trying to stop the empress.
Zhu Yuhuan held Hu Shanxiang's hand and said, "Don't worry, mother. I'm fine."
Seeing Hu Shanxiang's disheveled hair and her distraught state, Zhu Zhanji felt pity for her. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, saying, "Don't worry, Queen. The Empress Dowager has already ordered a consultation with the Imperial Hospital. Huanhuan is safe and sound." He paused for a moment and promised, "I will definitely give you and your daughter an explanation. Don't worry."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
