Chapter 85: Ideas
Wang Zhen returned to Zhu Qizhen's room with a worried heart. Seeing the eunuch sitting on the footstool beside the bed, drowsy, Wang Zhen, who was already worried, could not help but get angry. He slapped the eunuch aside and cursed in a low voice: "Damn eunuch! I told you to watch over my brother, but you're dozing off here!"
The young eunuch was startled, but having been by the Crown Prince's side for many years, he didn't dare utter a word. He begged for mercy in a low voice, "Sir, I was wrong! I know I was wrong! I won't do it again!"
Wang Zhen was afraid that he would wake up Zhu Qizhen, so he immediately told him to get out. When the door was closed from the outside, Wang Zhen looked inside the bed curtain and was shocked.
Zhu Qizhen's eyes were still open, and he was staring at Wang Zhen intently. He stood up and asked, "Where did you go just now?"
Zhu Qizhen has been very tired in recent days and has changed his resting place, so it is inevitable that he will not sleep well. Naturally, he hopes that someone close to him can be with him.
Seeing the unhappy look on his face, Wang Zhen said embarrassedly, "I am worried..." He remembered that Zhu Yuhuan had instructed not to reveal the news to the prince at will, but now it has threatened Zhu Qizhen's throne and affected Wang Zhen's efforts over the years.
Therefore, these news could not be hidden from the prince any longer. Wang Zhen gritted his teeth and made up his mind to tell Zhu Qizhen all the news he had obtained.
Zhu Qizhen immediately revealed an indignant expression after hearing this. He said, "Dad clearly said on the day he died that I would be the future emperor! They actually want to ask Prince Xiang to inherit my and Dad's thrones. How audacious! Grandma will definitely deal with them!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Zhen said in a troubled tone, "But there has been no movement from the old empress yet. It's possible that the ministers outside know everything... I heard from someone that it was His Royal Highness Prince Wei who informed the old empress and Empress Hu of the news. The old empress still hasn't come up with a comprehensive idea..." He didn't dare to continue for a moment.
——Although the Crown Prince is the Queen Mother’s grandson, the Prince of Xiang is the Queen Mother’s son. Compared with the son and the grandson, which one is closer, anyone with a discerning eye can tell.
Zhu Qizhen was even more displeased upon hearing this, and could not help but ask, "When Dad was still alive, they were all so wise and resourceful. Why are they acting like cowards now? Are they taking advantage of my young age and deliberately delaying the process so that Prince Xiang can become emperor?"
Wang Zhen was afraid that his voice would be too loud and that the other palace maids in Kunning Palace would hear him, so he hurriedly tried to persuade him, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, the princess will definitely find a way. You and Your Majesty are close siblings. If you become emperor, the princess will be the eldest princess. The sister of the emperor is so noble, how could the princess not understand this?"
Zhu Qizhen thought of his father's last words to him, and finally calmed down. He said, "Big sister must have an idea..." He couldn't sit still and said, "I'll go see you now!"
Normally, my sister is very nice to him, and she must have promised my father to take good care of him. As long as the two of them are together, there will be no difficulties that they cannot overcome.
Wang Zhen hurriedly stopped Zhu Qizhen and said, "It's so late, the princess may have rested. It's better to go after the funeral tomorrow..." He followed Zhu Qizhen and naturally knew that Zhu Qizhen was a rebellious person. The more he tried to stop him, the more he would try.
As expected, Zhu Qizhen didn't care whether Zhu Yuhuan had rested or not, and just changed his clothes with Wang Zhen's reluctant help.
Although Zhu Qizhen didn't know whether he would become emperor or not, he always had an answer from his father in his heart.
Who else but me can be the supreme ruler?
Elsewhere, Han Guilan saw Wang Zhen off and saw Zhu Yuhuan grinding ink himself. She quickly stepped forward, took the ink stick from Zhu Yuhuan's hand, and asked, "Wang Zhen is so talkative, I'm sure he'll tell His Majesty soon."
Zhu Yuhuan wrote furiously on the paper and said with a smile, "When he was serving dinner just now, he should have realized that something was wrong. Wang Zhen has been patient for so many years just for this day. He wants the prince to ascend the throne as soon as possible more than anyone else."
Han Guilan glanced at the door and asked curiously, "It's so late, will the prince really come?"
Zhu Yuhuan smiled, tapped the pen with her fingertips and said, "He will come. I watched him grow up, and I know exactly what kind of person he is." She already had the manuscript in her mind, and now she was just writing out the article she had thought of in advance. Therefore, in just two minutes, a letter of recommendation and a reply were successfully completed.
Han Guilan helped Zhu Yuhuan spread out the three pieces of paper to let the ink dry. She then silently read the contents of Zhu Yuhuan's article in her mind. She was quite surprised and said, "Your Highness, are you... going to ask the people to implore His Royal Highness to ascend the throne?"
When Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji inherited the throne, they were surrounded by dangers. Although Zhu Qizhen no longer had such worries, he had to face doubts about his ability to govern.
Since we want to solve the problem, we naturally have to solve it from the source.
"How can the common people speak?" Zhu Yuhuan nodded slightly, checking his spelling for any typos. He raised his finger and pointed at the rooftop, saying, "They can only speak when they need to. Not to mention that they are not needed in the first place."
What the emperor needs are subjects who perform their duties and serve wholeheartedly, preferably puppets who can act completely according to his orders. Of course, he does not need these people to speak.
She said this in a calm tone, but Han Guilan couldn't help but tremble in her heart and whispered, "Your Highness is talking about..."
"I think Grandma should also send someone to deliver a letter to Uncle Wu, asking him to submit a petition in person as soon as possible to declare that he has no other intentions towards the throne." Zhu Yuhuan nodded with satisfaction and said, "But distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. The most urgent task is to provide a reasonable way for the Crown Prince to ascend the throne as soon as possible..."
As she was speaking, she suddenly made a gesture to silence herself. A palace attendant's voice came from outside, saying, "Your Highness, the Lord is knocking on the door..."
Zhu Yuhuan nodded slightly and said, "Quickly let the Thousand Year Old Master in, don't let him get cold."
The weather in the capital was already cold, and as soon as Zhu Qizhen entered the room, he brought in a gust of cold wind. Seeing this, Han Guilan hurriedly picked up a cloak from the side and put it on Zhu Yuhuan.
Zhu Qizhen took the hand warmer handed to him by Zhu Yuhuan's palace servant and said anxiously, "Sister, Dad told me to be a good emperor!"
Zhu Yuhuan reached out and touched his slightly chilled earlobe, then said to Wang Zhen, "Why didn't you stop Your Highness? There's a funeral tomorrow morning. What if he doesn't get enough rest and catches a cold?"
Before Wang Zhen could say anything, Zhu Qizhen interrupted, "I am the one who wants to see my sister. She loves me the most and will definitely be able to help me this time."
Zhu Yuhuan was a little amused and said, "What can I help with? What's wrong?"
Zhu Qizhen immediately spilled the beans about Wang Zhen and himself ascending the throne. Then, tugging at Zhu Yuhuan's sleeve, he said, "Sister, I'm the crown prince, shouldn't I be the emperor? Why do they all say that grandma wants to make Prince Xiang the crown prince?"
Zhu Yuhuan glanced at Wang Zhen and saw that he lowered his head in guilt. Then he lowered his head to look at Zhu Qizhen, patted him on the back gently, and said comfortingly: "Trust me, the throne belongs to you. If anyone else dares to have any evil intentions, I will help you get rid of him."
These words touched Zhu Qizhen's heart. He immediately grasped Zhu Yuhuan's hand and said, "I knew my sister would stand by me! If anyone dares to disrespect me and my sister, I will throw them into jail like my father did!"
Zhu Yuhuan smiled slightly, handed the paper on the table to Zhu Qizhen, and said, "Look at this."
Zhu Qizhen took the paper. He was now able to read the article smoothly, but he still didn't understand its meaning. He asked in confusion: "What does this mean? I have never received these letters, nor have I replied to them..."
Wang Zhen, who was standing next to him, also read the entire article and naturally understood that this was an article written on behalf of ministers, soldiers, common people, and elders to persuade the crown prince to succeed to the throne.
He requested and declined three times, and every word was precious, which could be said to be sincere and heartfelt. The sentence "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is young, his benevolence and wisdom are known throughout the world, and his personal learning and quick conduct are well-known throughout the world" proved Zhu Qizhen's ability. He also persuaded the Crown Prince to ascend the throne by saying "The people of the world cannot be without a master for a day, and the ancestral artifacts cannot be left empty for a day." After several articles, it seemed as if there had never been any rumors from the outside world, and people all over the world were looking forward to Zhu Qizhen's ascension to the throne.
Wang Zhen immediately understood what Princess Shunde meant. She wanted to prove that the Crown Prince was the popular choice and the one that everyone expected. As long as Empress Dowager Zhang announced these letters to the world, all the rumors would naturally disappear.
Zhu Yuhuan did not explain to Zhu Qizhen, but simply said: "Tomorrow when you pay your respects to Grandma after the funeral, you will give this to her. She will have her own plan, and then you will understand the purpose of these."
Zhu Yuhuan’s words just now were like a “stabilizing force” for Zhu Qizhen.
So Zhu Qizhen nodded vigorously and said, "I remember it."
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