Chapter 17: Heartbroken, Falling into Chaos

Taking advantage of Concubine Li's improved mood, Zhu Yijun found an opportunity and handed Zhang Hong's letter of apology to Concubine Li.

"Zhang Hong said that he used to work in the Needlework Bureau and took some."

"Now that I have won the appreciation of mother, I feel like I have been reborn. I am afraid that something bad will bring shame to mother, so I dare not hide anything and specially apologize to mother."

Concubine Li flipped through it casually.

After taking a look at it, he threw it aside: "He is still loyal. Okay, I get it. Let him not do it again."

She dismissed him with just a few words. It was obvious that Concubine Li was accustomed to asking eunuchs for favors.

Zhu Yijun responded and said nothing more. In Concubine Li's eyes, this matter had nothing to do with him anyway.

Concubine Li did not take it seriously, and then began to chat about family matters with great interest.

Gossip about noble ladies, his father wanting to be conferred a title, etc.

Zhu Yijun kept echoing Li's emotions, either sighing or being filled with indignation, just like a friend of women on the same front.

After a while, the palace maid brought some fruits.

Concubine Li stopped her son from rubbing his shoulders and said, "I heard that you don't eat candy anymore, so I asked them to replace the cakes with fruits. Come, try some."

Zhu Yijun took a look and saw some fresh bamboo shoots, pomegranates, apricots, etc. on the plate.

They were all his favorite foods.

He threw one into his mouth and it tasted surprisingly good. He couldn't help but ask, "Is this the tribute this year?"

Concubine Li nodded and said, "They are all sent by the various provincial governments. Eat more if you like."

Zhu Yijun suddenly thought of something and said with a flattering smile, "Mother, can I ask for a favor from you?"

Concubine Li looked at him suspiciously: "What are you trying to do again?"

Zhu Yijun shook his head: "Mother, it's not a fuss. I attended the court for the first time yesterday and realized how difficult state affairs are. I also feel that it is not easy for all the ministers to work."

"Mother, you can understand that the court officials have been in arrears of monthly salaries for several months."

"The minister of state left by the late emperor, my son's teacher, Mr. Gao Yi, is now fifty-five years old, but still has no place to live and can only rent a house everywhere."

Of course, Concubine Li didn't know about these things.

She was stunned for a moment, and then asked curiously, "Don't officials in our dynasty make a living by embezzling money?"

Now it was Zhu Yijun's turn to be speechless. He didn't know how to answer for a moment.

So this imperial concubine who came from a peasant family had this impression of court officials?

I don’t know what I went through before entering the palace.

Zhu Yijun could only silently save his dignity: "There should be many upright people like Gao Gelao."

Concubine Li said "oh", still a little bit unbelievable, and asked curiously: "Then what favor do you want to ask for?"

Zhu Yijun looked at the plate of fruits and said, "Mother, this tribute tastes quite delicious. Why not let all the officials taste it as an encouragement?"

"Besides... Mother just saw me reciting. My teacher taught me a lot. I am really grateful to him and I can't bear to see my teacher in such an embarrassing situation."

"Can you use this as an excuse to give me some daily necessities to supplement my family expenses?"

Concubine Li shook her head and laughed: "You, it really is..."

She couldn't find the right words for a moment, so she just continued, "Okay, I'll take this on. Just follow the teacher and learn well."

Zhu Yijun felt relieved and thanked her quickly: "Thank you, mother."

A soft knife is most deadly to honest people.

Gao Yi, your king and father treat you like this, can you really be so heartless?
……

Late at night, at Duke Cheng’s Mansion.

When the lights should have been turned off for rest, the study was brightly lit and the sound of conversation could be heard from time to time.

"Father, Zhongfu, could this be Zhang Hong, the eunuch, holding a chicken feather as a token of authority?"

Zhu Shitai asked in confusion.

He came back from the brothel and was called to the study by his father as soon as he arrived at the door.

At first he thought he was going to be taught a lesson again, but when he saw his second uncle Zhu Xixiao was also there, he immediately knew it was serious business.

As Zhu Xizhong's eldest son and the future Duke of Chengguo, he has naturally seen the world.

But after listening to what his second uncle Zhu Xixiao said, he still found it unbelievable.

Is there such a precocious saint?
He's only ten years old! He's so well versed in politics and insight into people's hearts? Then Zhu Shitai has lived like a dog for half his life!

I was so shocked that I couldn't help but ask this question.

Unfortunately, he did not get the approval of his father.

Zhu Xizhong covered his mouth and coughed lightly, stroking a jade pendant, and shook his head, saying, "I put this on the crown prince personally when he was crowned."

He picked it up again, held it in front of his eyes and stared at it intently: "It is really a good piece of jade, with a subtle aura that almost made me miss it."

Zhu Xixiao knew that his brother was using objects to describe people, and he also sighed with emotion.

When Zhang Hong secretly came to him, he was still a little confused.

It was not until his brother pointed it out to him that he finally understood the key and was terrified.

This crown prince almost made him mistake him for the Emperor Wanshou, who never left his house and was in control of the government.

Zhu Shitai was still suspicious: "How can someone be so knowledgeable about politics at the age of ten? Could he have been sensible since his mother's womb? I still find it hard to believe."

Zhu Xizhong coughed violently.

Seeing that his brother was unwell, Zhu Xixiao explained on his behalf: "This is an old tradition of the Zhu family."

"When Emperor Sejong ascended the throne at the age of 14, he launched the 'Great Ceremony Debate' and forced the Prime Minister to resign."

"Emperor Wuzong ascended the throne at the age of 14 and established the Leopard Room to suppress civil officials and control the government."

"When Emperor Yingzong ascended the throne at the age of nine, the Empress Dowager and the cabinet controlled the government. They knew how to bide their time, secretly interfered with the selection of the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, and cultivated their own confidants."

"No matter how capable the Zhu family's emperors were in governing, they were always eager to fight for power."

"This crown prince is probably even better than his teacher."

Zhu Shitai was still skeptical, and muttered unconvincedly: "The Zhu family members you mentioned didn't end up so well."

Zhu Xixiao felt helpless when he saw his uneducated nephew, and he didn't dwell on the topic any more.

But he still had doubts, so he turned to look at Zhu Xizhong: "Brother, the crown prince is only ten years old. Even if he wanted to show off his skills, why did he act like this?"

Zhu Xizhong coughed again and laughed, "You mean to say that he will ascend the throne soon, so we can just keep him calm. Why do we have to act secretly? It's not in the way of a monarch."

Zhu Xixiao nodded.

As a junior, Zhu Shitai couldn't interrupt, so he just muttered, "That's right, what are you doing?"

"Oh..." Zhu Xizhong sighed.

My younger brother is just a little dull, but this biological son can be said to be completely stupid. If the title is passed to him, can he really keep it?
He shook his head and refused to think about it. He glanced back and forth between his brother and son, picked up the question and said, "Calm down..."

"If you were to take that position, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng would not be able to leave the imperial city as long as they were still breathing."

He was one of the Three Dukes. He was in charge of crowning the late emperor upon his ascension to the throne and crowning the crown prince when he came of age. Few things that happened in the court could be hidden from his eyes.

What was the situation like when the previous emperor was alive?
Gao Gong was the chief minister of the cabinet and concurrently the Minister of Personnel, with both power and authority concentrated in the hands of one person.

Anyone who did not agree with him would be expelled from the court. Li Chunfang and Yin Shidan, who were also ministers in the cabinet, were completely unable to fight back.

He even dared to refute the previous emperor's edict several times.

How powerful is this?

Not to mention Gao Gong now, who has the last will of the late emperor in his hands and is following the emperor's orders. How can he still keep calm in this situation? It is simply wishful thinking.

It is for this reason that he looks up to the crown prince for his actions.

Zhu Shitai hesitated and said, "Dad, I have heard about Gao Gong's character, but how can he be ranked with Zhang Juzheng?"

In his impression, Zhang Juzheng was just Gao Gong's follower.

Zhu Xizhong was amused by his own son: "You are uneducated and spend all day hanging out in brothels. I'm afraid the Duke's Mansion will be defeated by you."

"You are useless, just wait and see, these two will fight sooner or later, and by then the cabinet will be in the hands of one person."

When the Jinyiwei was founded, they could even spy on ministers' dreams, and were known as mercury pouring out of the ground, penetrating every pore.

Although he declined a little after that, he was still much more informed than ordinary ministers. The little tricks of these people could not be hidden from him.

Zhu Xizhong was in charge of the Jinyiwei, and he felt deeply that the undercurrent was so turbulent that even he felt frightened.

A little carelessness can lead to disaster.

If not for this, he would have immediately stuck to the Crown Prince's favor after getting the hint today, and would not have hesitated here.

Zhu Shitai waved his hand indifferently: "What are you afraid of? No matter how powerful I am, can I live longer than the crown prince? If we don't follow the royal family, do we have to look at the faces of the civil servants?"

The nobles were weak, and even though the Chengguo Mansion was once prosperous, Zhu Shitai still felt depressed on a daily basis.

To take a step back, even if he could endure the humiliation, the civil servants would find it dirty to use the nobles as stepping stones.

But he forgot that there were two old men in the room.

Zhu Xixiao was so angry that he said angrily: "Shut up!"

After calming down a little, he felt that his nephew's words were reasonable and his crude remarks had some merits.

He looked at his brother and said, "Brother, what Shi Tai said seems to make some sense."

"We have been blessed by the Emperor for generations, and we share the same fate with the country. If the Crown Prince holds a grudge against us, it will probably bring disaster."

The so-called thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from heaven. The nobles depend on the imperial power and there is no room for refusal.

If not for this, when Emperor Shizong bestowed the title of one of the Three Dukes on Zhu Xizhong, he would not have "refused but was unable to do so".

Even the Jinyiwei were forced upon Zhu Xizhong by the late emperor.

Now that the time has come to pay the debt, how can I avoid it?
Zhu Xizhong shook his head slowly: "The cabinet has held a grudge against me, and the consequences will come soon."

Although he holds an important position, if the cabinet is really determined to control him, they should not do so easily.

The late emperor made sure that Gu Huan, Marquis of Zhenyuan, who was also prominent at one time, would be in charge of the Beijing camp (the permanent central army).

Just because it did not meet the cabinet's wishes, censors came one after another to impeach Gu Huan for being old and incompetent. For every time the previous emperor punished one censor, ten more would pop up.

Later, a memorial was submitted that Gu Huan was greedy for power and position, and wanted to alienate the emperor and his ministers and deprive him of his title.

Gu Huan was so frightened that he suddenly fell into coma overnight, which made the cabinet show mercy. Someone even said openly, "He only knows how to retreat and defend himself in order to preserve his reputation and avoid suspicion."

But now Gao and Zhang are even worse than him, so how could Zhu Xizhong dare to offend them?

The cabinet is strong and the new emperor is precocious, but he is forced to take the lead, which is really a dilemma.

Zhu Shitai was already impatient: "Then let's just treat it as Zhang Hong talking bullshit. We haven't heard anything."

Zhu Xizhong was too lazy to correct his son's expression, he just closed his eyes and thought.

Zhu Xixiao did not urge him. He gently stood up and adjusted the blanket on his brother's body.

After a while.

Zhu Xizhong opened his eyes, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, and he looked at Zhu Xixiao: "It seems that Jiang Keqian in the Yutian Marquis's mansion is working under you?"

Zhu Xixiao was startled, then nodded: "Yes, the position of the deputy commander of the Jinyiwei who attacked in August."

Then he suddenly realized: "Brother means... to give this task to Jiang Keqian!?"

"Great! Great!" The more Zhu Xixiao thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and he couldn't help but applaud.

Yutianbo was a title bestowed on a relative by marriage, and the first person to be given the title was the younger brother of Queen Xian during the reign of King Sejong.

It was only the second generation when it was passed down to Jiang Keqian's father.

But Jiang Keqian's unfortunate father was a playboy who repeatedly disregarded the law and had sex with decent women, which directly destroyed Jiang Keqian's hereditary status.

As a result, Jiang Keqian could only inherit a minor official position in the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Even though he was a minor official, he was still a nobleman after all, and was a genuine royal relative!
What’s even more interesting is that these impoverished people, whose previous generation was wealthy, have an extreme mentality and are naturally prone to gambling. They can’t wait to build achievements again and restore their glory.

Letting him represent the Embroidered Uniform Guard and side with the Crown Prince is something both parties want, and it also makes it convenient for them to cut ties at any time. It can be said to be a win-win situation for all parties.

Zhu Shitai was confused: "What's so wonderful about this? Wouldn't this mean that we won't be close to the Crown Prince?"

Zhu Xixiao reluctantly explained: "When you enter a casino, you have to slowly increase your bets and get familiar with the game. You don't just bet your entire fortune right away."

Using the casino as an analogy, Zhu Shitai immediately understood.

He nodded repeatedly: "That makes sense, that makes sense!"

Zhu Xizhong was so angry that he coughed for a while.

If his unfortunate son had half the intelligence of the crown prince, he would not be so terminally ill and would not even dare to die.

If this lineage of Duke Chengguo were handed over to him, I'm afraid it would be no different from that playboy in the family of Earl Yutian.

It would be fine if he was hanging around in brothels and gambling dens, but if he was set up by his bad friends and caught committing crimes...

The censors are as fierce as wolves and tigers, staring at the nobles!

Especially for them, the Chengguo Mansion, which is in charge of the Jinyiwei and one of the three highest officials, is regarded as a thorn in their side.

If something goes wrong, the Chengguo Mansion will inevitably decline, and Zhu Shitai might even be in danger of his life.

He didn't have much time left to live. Who could protect this huge Duke's Mansion and this useless and foolish son?

Betting on the Crown Prince... maybe it's not a bad opportunity.
-
Note 1: (June of the sixth year of the Longqing reign) Fresh bamboo shoots were granted to ministers, lecturers and officials of the third rank and above in all government offices—Records of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty

Note 2: (August , Longqing Year) Keqian, son of the late Yutian Earl Jiang Rong, was appointed as a paid deputy commander of the Jinyiwei. Keqian was a relative of Wan, and according to the rules, he should have been appointed deputy commander, but because his father had committed adultery, he was demoted. - "Records of Emperor Muzong of Ming Dynasty"

Note 3: "Gou Lan" refers to a performance venue in general, and this chapter specifically refers to high-end brothels.

(End of this chapter)