Seizing the moment when Noble Consort Li's mood had improved, Zhu Yijun found an opening to hand over Zhang Hong's confession note to her.
"Zhang Hong says that when he served in the Needlework Bureau in the past, he dipped his hands into a few things."
"Now that he has earned Mother's favor, he considers your grace tantamount to giving him a second life. Terrified that any future trouble might bring shame upon your name, he dared not conceal the slightest detail and specifically came to confess his faults to Mother."
Noble Consort Li flipped through it casually.
With a single glance, she tossed it aside. "At least he knows how to be loyal. Fine, I have seen it. Tell him not to let it happen again."
Dismissing it with a casual remark, it was obvious that Noble Consort Li had long grown accustomed to eunuchs lining their pockets.
Zhu Yijun murmured in assent and said no more; in Noble Consort Li's eyes, this matter had nothing to do with him anyway.
Noble Consort Li did not take it to heart either. Soon, she was chatting away with high spirits about everyday family affairs—gossip about the titled wives of the nobility, her own father's yearning for an ennoblement, and so forth.
Zhu Yijun chimed in frequently from the side, matching Consort Li's moods with either heavy sighs or righteous indignation, playing the part of a steadfast confidant on her side of the battle line.
After a while, palace maids brought in fresh fruits and delicacies.
Noble Consort Li told her son to stop massaging her shoulders and said, "I heard you've given up sweets, so I had them replace the pastries with fresh fruit. Come, have a taste."
Zhu Yijun glanced over. In the platter lay fresh bamboo shoots, pomegranates, apricots, and the like.
Surprisingly, they were all things he enjoyed.
Tossing one into his mouth, the flavor was remarkably sweet. He could not help asking, "Is this year's tribute?"
Noble Consort Li nodded. "Sent up from the various Provincial Administration Commissions. If you like them, eat more."
Zhu Yijun suddenly thought of something and smiled ingratiatingly. "Mother, may your child ask a favor of you?"
Noble Consort Li cast a suspicious look at him. "What mischief are you scheming now?"
Zhu Yijun shook his head. "Mother, it is no mischief. Only yesterday, when I held court for the first time, did I realize how difficult state affairs are, and I felt deep empathy for how hard our court officials have it."
"Mother, did you know that the court officials have gone months without receiving their stipends?"
"The testamentary minister left behind by the late emperor, my teacher Grand Secretary Gao Yi, is now fifty-five years old, yet he still has no permanent residence and must rent lodgings wherever he can."
Noble Consort Li naturally knew nothing of such matters.
She stared blankly for a moment, then asked in bewilderment, "Don't all the officials of our dynasty make their living through graft?"
Now it was Zhu Yijun's turn to be struck dumb, at a loss for words.
So this was the impression a consort of peasant origin had of court officials?
Just what had she experienced before entering the palace?
Zhu Yijun could only salvage the dignity of his ministers in silence. "Upright figures of the pure stream like Grand Secretary Gao should not be few either."
Noble Consort Li let out an "Oh," still somewhat incredulous, and asked curiously, "Then what favor do you want?"
Zhu Yijun looked at the platter of fruit and said, "Mother, this tribute tastes exceptionally delicious. Why not bestow some upon the court officials to taste, as an encouragement?"
"Furthermore... Mother saw me recite just now; my teacher has taught me a great deal, and your child feels truly grateful. I cannot bear to see my own teacher living in such hardship."
"Could we use this as an occasion to bestow some household necessities to supplement his livelihood?"
Noble Consort Li shook her head and chuckled. "You, honestly..."
Failing to find the right words for a moment, she simply continued, "Fine, I agree to this. Just make sure you study well with your teacher."
Relief washed over Zhu Yijun, and he bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, Imperial Mother."
A soft knife cuts an honest man the deepest.
*Gao Yi, when your sovereign and master treats you like this, can you truly remain stone-hearted?*
...
Late at night, the residence of the Duke of Chengguo.
At an hour when lamps should have been extinguished for rest, the study remained brightly lit, low voices drifting out from time to time.
"Father, Second Uncle, could that wretched eunuch Zhang Hong be brandishing a chicken feather as an arrow of command?"
Zhu Shitai asked in doubt.
He had just returned from the pleasure quarters, only to be called straight into the study by his father at the door.
At first, he had assumed he was in for another scolding, but seeing his second uncle, Zhu Xixiao, present, he immediately knew it was serious business.
As Zhu Xizhong's eldest legitimate son and the future Duke of Chengguo, he had seen something of the world himself.
Yet after hearing Zhu Xixiao finish his account, he still found it unbelievable.
Could there truly be a holy sovereign so precocious?
He was only ten years old! To be so versed in statecraft and so perceptive of human nature? Had he, Zhu Shitai, wasted half his life living like a dog?
Stunned to the core, he could not resist asking the question.
Unfortunately, his father did not agree.
Covering his mouth with a slight cough, Zhu Xizhong stroked a jade pendant and shook his head. "When the Crown Prince underwent his capping ceremony, I fastened this onto him with my own hands."
Lifting it once more, he stared at it in a daze. "A fine piece of jade indeed, its inner brilliance restrained—so much so that even I nearly misjudged it."
Zhu Xixiao knew his elder brother was using the jade as a metaphor for the person, and he sighed with deep emotion.
When Zhang Hong had secretly sought him out, he had been somewhat in a fog.
Only after his elder brother untangled the knots for him did he grasp the critical implications, leaving him shaken with awe and trepidation.
This Crown Prince almost made him feel as though he were looking upon the Emperor of Ten Thousand Longevities—who had never stepped outside his palace, yet held the entire court in his palm.
Zhu Shitai remained skeptical. "How could someone only ten years old understand political maneuverings? Did he gain understanding in the womb? I still find it impossible to believe."
Zhu Xizhong coughed sharply.
Seeing his brother in discomfort, Zhu Xixiao explained on his behalf, "This is an old tradition of the Zhu family."
"Emperor Shizong ascended the throne at fourteen and immediately ignited the Great Rites Controversy, forcing the Senior Grand Secretary out of power."
"Emperor Wuzong ascended the throne at fourteen and established the Leopard Quarter to suppress the civil officials and seize control of the court."
"When Emperor Yingzong took the throne at nine, with the Grand Empress Dowager and the Grand Secretariat dominating state affairs, he knew how to bide his time, subtly meddling in the selection of the seal-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial and cultivating his own trusted confidants."
"Whatever their governance skills may be, the emperors of the old Zhu house have never been sloppy when it comes to wrestling for power."
"This Crown Prince, I fear, surpasses even his predecessors."
Zhu Shitai remained half-convinced, muttering stubbornly, "None of those Zhus you mentioned had particularly good ends."
Looking at his ignorant nephew, Zhu Xixiao felt helpless and did not pursue that point further.
Yet he still harbored doubts of his own, and turned to Zhu Xizhong. "Brother, the Crown Prince is only ten years old. Even if he wishes to test his strength, why act in such a manner?"
Coughing once more, Zhu Xizhong chuckled self-deprecatingly. "You mean to say that since he is to ascend the throne in a matter of days, he need only govern with composure and quiet dignity—why resort to clandestine scheming, unbefitting a ruler?"
Zhu Xixiao nodded.
As a junior, Zhu Shitai could not butt in directly, but merely grumbled, "Exactly. What's the point of creating all this pointless fuss?"
"Alas..." Zhu Xizhong sighed.
His younger brother was merely a bit slow, but his own son was downright foolish. When the dukedom passed into his hands, could he truly keep it safe?
He shook his head, dreading to think too far ahead.
Letting his gaze sweep back and forth between his brother and his son, he picked up the question from before and said, "Govern with composure...?"
"If either of you were placed on that throne, as long as Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng had a single breath left in them, not an imperial edict would ever leave the Imperial City."
Holding the rank of the Three Excellencies, Zhu Xizhong had held the ceremonial crown for the late emperor's accession and capped the Crown Prince for his coming-of-age; precious little at court could escape his eyes.
What was the situation when the late emperor was alive?
As Senior Grand Secretary, Gao Gong also served concurrently as Minister of Personnel, gathering power over policy and personnel alike into his sole grasp.
Anyone who crossed him in the slightest was purged from the court. Even fellow Grand Secretaries of equal stature, such as Li Chunfang and Yin Shidan, were powerless to resist.
He had even dared to seal and reject imperial rescripts multiple times.
How overbearing was that?
Not to mention Gao Gong today: holding the late emperor's testamentary edict in hand, charged with regency by imperial decree. In such circumstances, wanting to 'govern with composure'? It was pure fantasy.
Precisely because of this, the Crown Prince's conduct had earned his profound respect.
Zhu Shitai hesitated. "Father, I've heard something of Gao Gong's character, but how can Zhang Juzheng be mentioned in the same breath?"
In his impression, Zhang Juzheng was nothing more than Gao Gong's lackey.
Zhu Xizhong was almost amused by his son. "You squander your days idling and carousing in the pleasure quarters; I fear the ducal estate will be ruined in your hands."
"You useless boy, just wait and watch. Sooner or later, those two will have a reckoning, and when that day comes, the entire Grand Secretariat will fall under the absolute control of a single man."
When the Embroidered Uniform Guard was founded at the start of the dynasty, they could spy out even the sleep-talk of ministers with clarity, ubiquitous as spilled mercury finding every crevice.
Though their power had waned somewhat since then, their intelligence network was still leagues ahead of ordinary ministers. How could these men's subtle maneuvers escape his notice?
Commanding the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Zhu Xizhong keenly felt the violent undercurrents of the present moment—enough to make even him tremble in fear.
A single misstep would mean eternal damnation.
Were it not for this, upon receiving the hint today, he would have jumped to kiss the Crown Prince's feet immediately, instead of hesitating in contemplation here.
Zhu Shitai waved his hand dismissively. "What is there to fear? Old decrepit fogies, no matter how formidable, can they outlive the Crown Prince? If we don't align with the imperial house, are we supposed to bow and scrape to civil officials?"
The hereditary nobility had grown weak; even with the Duke of Chengguo's prestige at its zenith, Zhu Shitai still frequently endured suffocating slights.
Even taking ten thousand steps back, even if he could swallow the humiliation, the civil officials considered the nobility too filthy to even use as stepping stones.
Yet he forgot that there were two 'old decrepit fogies' sitting right in the room.
Choking with rage, Zhu Xixiao snapped harshly, "Shut your mouth!"
Once his anger cooled slightly, however, he realized that his nephew's rough words held some truth; crude as they were, they made a valid point.
He looked at his elder brother and said, "Brother, what Shitai says does seem to have some sense."
"Our family has received imperial grace for generations, sharing honor and misfortune with the state. If we incur the Crown Prince's grudge, it could sow seeds of immense disaster."
Thunder and dew alike are imperial benevolence; the nobility relied on imperial power and had never possessed the luxury to refuse.
Had it been otherwise, Zhu Xizhong would not have 'earnestly declined but been unable to refuse' when Emperor Shizong bestowed upon him the rank of the Three Excellencies.
Even command of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had been thrust upon Zhu Xizhong by the late emperor.
Now that the time to settle the bill had arrived, how could they evade it?
Zhu Xizhong slowly shook his head. "If we incur the grudge of the Grand Secretariat, retribution will arrive between morning and evening."
Regardless of his illustrious titles, if the Grand Secretariat truly set its mind on crushing him, it would be all too easy.
Gu Huan, the Marquis of Zhenyuan, who had once been equally prominent, had been fiercely backed by the late emperor to oversee the Capital Guard.
Yet simply because he displeased the Grand Secretariat, censorial officials threw themselves into impeaching Gu Huan one after another for being old and mediocre. For every censor the late emperor punished, ten more sprang up.
Later, memorials even emerged accusing Gu Huan of clinging greedily to power and driving a wedge between sovereign and subjects, calling for the forfeiture of his title.
Frightened out of his wits, Gu Huan fell into a sudden bout of dementia overnight before the Grand Secretariat deigned to stay its hand. Someone had even declared outright that one should 'only know to yield and protect oneself to preserve honorable renown and avoid suspicion.'
And today, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng were more formidable still; how could Zhu Xizhong dare offend them?
With an overbearing Grand Secretariat and a precocious new monarch, while they themselves were being forced onto the stage against their will, they were truly trapped from both sides.
Zhu Shitai was already growing impatient. "Then let's just treat Zhang Hong's words as hot air and pretend we never heard a thing."
Zhu Xizhong could not even be bothered to correct his son's uncouth demeanor, merely closing his eyes in contemplation.
Zhu Xixiao did not press him either, gently standing up to adjust the blanket over his brother's shoulders.
After quite some time, Zhu Xizhong opened his eyes. A sharp gleam flashed across his gaze as he looked at Zhu Xixiao. "Jiang Keqian of the Count of Yutian's residence—isn't he serving under your command?"
Zhu Xixiao started, then nodded. "Yes. In the eighth month, he inherited the post of Assistant Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
Then dawn broke upon him. "Brother, do you mean... to hand this assignment to Jiang Keqian?!"
"Brilliant! Masterful!" The more Zhu Xixiao thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and he could not help slapping the table in admiration.
The title of Count of Yutian was bestowed upon imperial in-laws, first granted to the younger brother of Empress Xian in Emperor Shizong's reign.
By the time it passed to Jiang Keqian's father, it was only in its second generation.
However, Jiang Keqian's wretched father had been a dissolute scoundrel who repeatedly flouted the law by violating women from respectable families, directly causing Jiang Keqian's inherited rank to be demoted.
As a result, Jiang Keqian could only inherit a minor post in the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Though it was a minor post, he was still an aristocrat, an imperial in-law through and through!
Even better, such fallen houses that had known wealth in the previous generation possessed extreme mentalities and were natural gamblers, itching to render merit immediately and restore their family's former glory.
Having him represent the Embroidered Uniform Guard in throwing his lot in with the Crown Prince would be welcomed by both sides, while making it easy for the Duke's house to cut ties at any moment—a victory on all fronts.
Zhu Shitai was thoroughly baffled. "What's so brilliant about that? Doesn't that mean we won't be close to the Crown Prince?"
Zhu Xixiao had no choice but to explain, "When entering a gambling den, one increases bets gradually while getting the lay of the game. Who bets their entire fortune the moment they walk through the door?"
Using a gambling den as an analogy, Zhu Shitai caught on immediately.
He nodded repeatedly. "Makes sense, makes total sense!"
Zhu Xizhong coughed furiously in exasperation.
If this wretched son of his had even half the wits of that Crown Prince, he would not be terrified of dying even while terminally ill.
Leaving the Chengguo dukedom in this boy's hands, he feared it would turn out no different than that dissolute scion of the Count of Yutian.
Loitering in brothels and gambling dens was bad enough, but if he were framed by his shady cronies and handed down evidence of criminal misconduct...
The censorial officials were ravenous as wolves and tigers, glaring intently at the hereditary nobility!
In particular, their Chengguo ducal residence—commanding the Embroidered Uniform Guard and bearing the rank of the Three Excellencies—was seen as a thorn in the side and a mote in the eye.
One false step, and the Duke of Chengguo's house would inevitably plunge into ruin, and Zhu Shitai might even lose his life.
He had few days left to live. Who could shield this immense ducal mansion and this worthless, foolish son?
Wagering on the Crown Prince... perhaps, it might not be a bad opportunity after all.
***
Note 1: In the sixth month of the sixth year of Longqing, fresh bamboo shoots were bestowed upon the Grand Secretaries, Lectors, and officials of the third rank and above in all yamens. — *Veritable Records of Ming Shenzong*
Note 2: In the eighth month of the fifth year of Longqing, Jiang Keqian, son of the late Count of Yutian Jiang Rong, was appointed Assistant Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard with salary. Keqian, being an imperial relative by marriage, should by precedent have received the rank of Vice Commissioner, but on account of his father's repeated offences of illicit relations, his inherited rank was demoted. — *Veritable Records of Ming Muzong*
Note 3: *Goulan*, though broadly referring to performance venues, specifically denotes high-class brothels in this chapter.
Chapter 16