Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 409 Entrustment
Wei Zhongxian's people came again today, under the pretext of visiting Zhu Youjian, and brought a lot of gifts.

Following Zhang Yan's reminder, Zhu Youjian met the visitor in person and spoke very carefully, for fear that a wrong word would give Wei Zhongxian something to hold against him.

Wang Chengen's words just now really scared Zhu Youjian. He subconsciously thought that Wei Zhongxian was going to attack him.

As a figurehead prince with no power, it would be easy for Wei Zhongxian to kill him. The uneasy Zhu Youjian was almost like a frightened bird, with complicated feelings. He was excited about becoming the emperor soon, but also terrified with a butcher's knife hanging over his head. This mixture of conflicting emotions almost drove Zhu Youjian crazy.

"You said this is what the emperor meant?" After hearing Wang Chengen's explanation, Zhu Youjian relaxed a little, but still asked another question with concern.

Wang Chengen sighed inwardly, thinking that his master had been too nervous these days, and would have wild thoughts at the slightest sign of trouble. In fact, there was no need to be like this. Wang Chengen himself was a eunuch, so he had some understanding of the eunuchs' thoughts. They were all dependent on their masters, and Wei Zhongxian was the same. If the Tianqi Emperor was gone, this 9,900-year-old man would also be gone.

Now the news has spread in the palace that the Tianqi Emperor's passing of the throne to Prince Xin is basically a done deal. Under such circumstances, it is natural for Wei Zhongxian to send someone to visit Zhu Youjian and explain something. Moreover, Zhu Youjian is not only a prince, but also the heir to the empire. No matter how courageous Wei Zhongxian is, he cannot do such a thing as murdering him.

The Ming Dynasty was not the Tang Dynasty, and the eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty were not the eunuchs of the Tang Dynasty. Once Wei Zhongxian did this, he would be completely finished. Wei Zhongxian was not stupid, so how could he do such an irrational thing? Unless he wanted to perish together with the others, what good would that do him?
However, Zhu Youxiao's nervousness is understandable. After all, his master is too young and has a fear of loss. It is normal to make a fuss in this situation. More importantly, for Wang Chengen, this is not only an opportunity for Zhu Youjian, but also an opportunity for himself. As the saying goes, if one person succeeds, the whole family will rise to heaven. Once Zhu Youjian succeeds the throne as the emperor, Wang Chengen will also rise to heaven in one step, and he may be the next Wei Zhongxian.

"My Lord, I think this is what the Emperor meant. After all, no matter how powerful Wei Zhongxian is, he cannot disobey the Emperor."

"That's true. My brother can still suppress Wei Zhongxian..." Zhu Youjian was relieved and echoed this sentence, but soon he frowned again: "Wang Banban, what do you think of my brother's current situation? What if my brother... Wei Zhongxian attacks me at that time? What should I do?"

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I believe the Emperor has his own arrangements. I'm afraid the Emperor will summon Your Majesty to the palace in the next few days. Then Your Majesty will know."

"Well, that's good... That's good..." Zhu Youjian nodded repeatedly, feeling more relieved. But not long after, he began to have wild thoughts again, worrying about this and that, which made Wang Chengen on the side laugh and cry.

In the next few days, Zhu Youjian stayed in the palace and waited patiently for news from the palace. He did not touch the gifts sent by Wei Zhongxian, and did not even look at the food before letting it be taken away. For safety reasons, Zhu Youjian not only wore soft armor under his clothes in case of accidents, but also paid more attention to food and drink. He asked Wang Chengen to personally handle all the food, and he would rather starve than touch anything given by others.

In the blink of an eye, it was August 18th. On this day, news suddenly came from the palace that Wei Zhongxian sent someone to pick up Zhu Youjian, saying that the emperor summoned him.

After receiving the news, Zhu Youjian changed into robes and followed the visitor to the Forbidden City with trepidation in his heart.

After arriving at the Qianqing Palace, he saw Wei Zhongxian waiting outside the side hall. When he saw Zhu Youjian coming, Wei Zhongxian hurried forward to greet him and saluted him.

"I dare not trouble Eunuch Wei, but I wonder why the emperor summoned me..." Zhu Youjian quickly moved aside and asked carefully.

Wei Zhongxian was still very polite to Zhu Youjian. His expression was full of sorrow, and he sighed, "The emperor woke up today and felt a little better. After eating, he asked me to summon Your Highness to the palace. Your Highness, the emperor may have important matters to entrust to you. When you see the emperor, Your Highness, you must be careful to answer."

Zhu Youjian's heart suddenly moved. Wei Zhongxian's words revealed two messages. One message was that Emperor Tianqi suddenly felt a little better, but Emperor Tianqi had been seriously ill these days. His sudden improvement was definitely not a recovery from the illness, but probably a last burst of vitality.

As for the second piece of information, it was that the Emperor Tianqi was looking for him for a big deal, and he was probably going to pass the throne to him. Thinking of this, Zhu Youjian was first happy, and then he felt a deep sadness, because this meant that his brother, the emperor, was about to come to an end.

After thanking Wei Zhongxian, Zhu Youjian followed him inside. After entering the palace, they continued walking forward for a while and came to the bedroom of Emperor Tianqi. Wei Zhongxian asked Zhu Youjian to wait at the door for a while while he went in to report first.

After entering, Wei Zhongxian saw Emperor Tianqi half lying on the couch, with a blush on his face, looking more energetic than usual. But Wei Zhongxian knew that Emperor Tianqi's days were numbered, and he was only in his last moments of life. Looking at Emperor Tianqi's face, Wei Zhongxian couldn't help but shed tears.

Raising his hand and quietly wiping away his tears, Wei Zhongxian took two steps forward and told Emperor Tianqi that Prince Xin had arrived and asked if he wanted to see Prince Xin now.

Emperor Tianqi hummed and signaled Wei Zhongxian to bring Zhu Youjian in. Wei Zhongxian responded, and after leaving, he signaled Zhu Youjian, who was waiting outside, to follow him in.

Zhu Youjian straightened his clothes, followed Wei Zhongxian inside, and soon met Emperor Tianqi.

"Your Majesty, I, Zhu Youjian, pay my respects to you. Long live your Majesty..."

When he got inside and saw Emperor Tianqi, Zhu Youjian hurriedly took two steps forward and knelt down in front of him, paying homage to him with great respect.

"There's no need to do that. Get up." Emperor Tianqi looked at his younger brother, and at Zhu Youjian's young face that looked very similar to his own, he felt extremely emotional.

He was also this age when he first ascended the throne. In the blink of an eye, his younger brother has grown up. Since he became emperor, Emperor Tianqi rarely saw his younger brother, especially after he was named Prince Xin and moved out of the Forbidden City, Emperor Tianqi saw him even less.

The last time they met was a few months ago, and so much time has passed in the blink of an eye. Until now, Emperor Tianqi has never looked at Zhu Youjian as carefully as he did today, and has never taken a good look at his younger brother. As his eyes lingered, he saw Zhu Youjian's calmness, which was different from that of a young man, and a sharp spirit, which made Emperor Tianqi very pleased.

Although he had already made the decision to pass on the throne, he still had to explain a few things to his younger brother Zhu Youjian. His younger brother was too young. Moreover, Zhu Youjian was different from himself. Emperor Tianqi grew up in the Eastern Palace. Although Emperor Wanli did not like the prince when he was alive, he was still good to him, the eldest grandson of the emperor. From time to time, he would summon him to the Qianqing Palace to meet him and talk to him.

Following his grandfather Wanli, Emperor Tianqi learned a lot, especially the means of being a ruler. In addition, although Emperor Tianqi did not go to school in name, he actually had no shortage of teachers around him, especially Mr. Sun Chengzong, who was a rare and capable minister. Under their guidance, Emperor Tianqi quickly understood how to be a good emperor and how to use the means of a minister.

But compared to himself, his younger brother Zhu Youjian was far behind. If it were normal, Zhu Youjian would never be able to become emperor, but things in the world are so unpredictable. Emperor Tianqi himself did not know that he would be so seriously ill. Because he had no offspring, his only choice now was to pass the throne to Zhu Youjian, so this younger brother was the only candidate for succession.

"It's been a while since I last saw you, brother. You seem to have grown taller. Come closer so I can take a closer look." Emperor Tianqi said with a smile.

Zhu Youjian was stunned, and when he looked up he saw Emperor Tianqi smiling at him. He subconsciously stood up and walked forward to the edge of the collapse. Emperor Tianqi stretched out his hand, and Zhu Youjian also stretched out his hand, and the two hands were clasped. At this time, the smile on Emperor Tianqi's face became even wider.

"Fifth brother, my time is running out..."

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

"Listen to me first." Emperor Tianqi shook Zhu Youjian's hand with a little force, and Zhu Youjian swallowed the rest of his words.

Looking at his younger brother, Emperor Tianqi said, "I have been on the throne for seven years. Now I am bedridden and I am afraid that I will not have much time left. I have no offspring to leave behind. According to the ancestral system, you should succeed me as the emperor after I am gone. I have already made arrangements for this matter and have written a will to pass on the throne. After I am gone, you should follow this will to succeed me."

As he spoke, Emperor Tianqi gave a look to Wei Zhongxian who was standing beside him. Wei Zhongxian hurriedly walked to the side and took out a box that had been prepared long ago. The box contained the edict of succession left in advance by Emperor Tianqi.

Emperor Tianqi asked Wei Zhongxian to open the box and show Zhu Youjian the edict of succession. Then Wei Zhongxian gave the edict to Zhu Youjian. Zhu Youjian subconsciously reached out to take it, held it in his arms, and didn't know what to say for a while.

"Fifth brother, you are young and you are a new ruler. You should make the stability of the government your priority. In recent years, the Ming Dynasty has been plagued by internal and external troubles. Although I have tried my best, I have not been able to completely resolve the war in Liaodong. There are also many disasters in the west. Although the court has provided relief, it is just a drop in the bucket."

"I don't have time to do these things. After I leave, you will have to solve them. I hope you will not be arrogant or impatient, and take your time. There is no trivial matter in state affairs. The emperor should think twice before acting, and never be willful or impulsive. As for the major affairs of the court, if you don't understand something, you can ask Wei Zhongxian. Wei Zhongxian has followed me for many years and has always been loyal and capable. He is trustworthy. I leave him to you, and you can use him with confidence."

"Your Majesty... your servant... your servant..." Wei Zhongxian, who was standing by, could no longer hold back after hearing this. He knelt down and kowtowed to the Emperor Tianqi, tears streaming down his face. To this day, the Emperor Tianqi had already entrusted his affairs to him, but he had not forgotten his promise to Wei Zhongxian. He specifically told Zhu Youjian to trust him and use him. With such a master, Wei Zhongxian would be willing to die!
At this time, Zhu Youjian subconsciously looked at Wei Zhongxian, who was crying uncontrollably, with mixed feelings. He didn't know whether he felt that Wei Zhongxian was really trustworthy as his brother said, or whether he felt that Emperor Tianqi was deceived by Wei Zhongxian and had not yet woken up.
However, Zhu Youjian did not show any of this. At this moment, he was silently shedding tears and just nodded vigorously without saying a word.

(End of this chapter)