The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the Carpenter Prince!

Emperor Taichang fell into a deep sleep again.

The physician examined her pulse and said that the deficiency fire was gradually subsiding, but her constitution was too weak, and she needed to rest and recuperate.

He spoke so succinctly that his life was spared; whether it will turn out well or not is up to fate.

Zhu Youxiao sat on the edge of the couch without moving.

Despite not sleeping all night, my mind was actually clearer than during the day; my fifteen-year-old body could withstand the strain.

The only sounds in the warm chamber were the candlelight and Emperor Taichang's breathing.

The official title hasn't been finalized yet, the debt for the red pills hasn't been settled, and we don't even know how far word has spread about the incident of intercepting the medicine in the warm pavilion last night.

There are so many things to deal with, you can't pull any of them first.

Emperor Taichang moved slightly.

This time I was more awake than before dawn; although my vision was still blurry, I could focus.

He saw Zhu Youxiao and paused for a moment.

"...Schoolboy."

"Your subject is here."

"You...you're still here," Emperor Taichang's voice was hoarse. "How long have you been guarding this place?"

"Not long after."

Emperor Taichang looked at him for a while, then suddenly asked, "How much longer can I hold on like this?"

The warm room fell silent for a moment.

Zhu Youxiao thought for a moment and answered with four words.

"The imperial physician says it's stable."

Emperor Taichang stared at him for a while, then chuckled softly.

"You little rascal, you've learned to talk now."

For fifteen years, I had never heard such words from Emperor Taichang. Last night's words, "I have failed you," still lingered in the air, and now this sentence was added.

Two sentences can express the weight of fifteen years; it must be quite heartbreaking for a son to have to go through this.

"The imperial physician said that Father's health is severely compromised, and recuperation is of utmost importance. He must avoid overexertion," Zhu Youxiao continued. "As for external matters, Grand Secretary Fang and the other ministers are handling them. Father, you only need to focus on resting your health."

Emperor Taichang did not respond to this.

He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, his gaze becoming clearer.

"...The court officials are coming to pay their respects today. You stay here and keep watch over them for me."

Keep an eye on things for me.

The fact that the eldest son of the emperor, who had not yet been officially appointed, was standing in the audience with the emperor was itself a decree in effect.

Let the court officials see him.

"Your subject obeys the decree."

………………

Just after Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the court officials were summoned to the warm pavilion.

There weren't many people present: three cabinet ministers, Fang Congzhe, Liu Yizhu, and Han Kuang; Duke of Ying, Zhang Weixian; Minister of Rites, Sun Ruyou; and Minister of Personnel, Zhou Jiamo, totaling six or seven people.

The warm room was small and packed full.

Zhu Youxiao retreated to a position slightly behind the Emperor Taichang's bed, standing with his hands hanging down.

The eldest son of the emperor, standing there, was almost as tall as a pillar.

However, pillars also have their advantages; since no one is watching you, you can get a clear view of everyone.

This is the first time I've seen so many important people crammed into one room. It's more interesting than watching a play—the actors in the play are fake, but everyone in this room is a real person.

Standing at the very front is Fang Congzhe, a living fossil who served as prime minister for seven years.

The cabinet is supposed to be a place for forming a team, but he single-handedly managed to keep the team in place, playing both sides until no one was satisfied but no one could do without him. His greatest skill was not expressing his opinion and never making any definitive statements.

Seven years as prime minister alone, just based on that mouth of his, he's remarkable.

But when it comes to the Red Pill, he probably won't have enough words to keep him quiet.

It was his luck that the emperor didn't die, but the Donglin faction wouldn't let the matter of "the emperor almost died and you let the person who administered the medicine into the palace" go unpunished.

Standing behind Fang Congzhe were Liu Yizhu and Han Kuang. They had entered the cabinet on the same day, August 19th, and it had only been ten days since then. Both of them were from the Donglin faction and had waited for many years to finally squeeze into the cabinet after the new emperor ascended the throne. They hadn't even had a chance to sit down properly yet.

Liu Yiju stood half a step ahead of Han Kuang. Since they were two people with similar seniority, whoever stood in front was the one who wanted to stand out.

Han Kuang was neither competitive nor eager to grab, and stood firmly and steadily, displaying a maturity and composure that he didn't put on.

Having only been in the cabinet for ten days, with a very shallow foundation, how can he possibly overthrow the prime minister who has been the sole prime minister for seven years? He'll need to wait for a major event to act as a fulcrum.

The Red Pill Case is this fulcrum.

Do they know? Yes. Do they dare to use it? It's hard to say.

Next was Sun Ruyou, Minister of Rites.

This is what he meant by "the so-called elixir of immortality should not be used lightly." He publicly opposed it before administering the medicine, keeping a backup plan. He still has a political sense.

Standing next to him was Zhou Jiamo, the Minister of Personnel, who had forced Consort Zheng to bring up the tough nut of the Qianqing Palace. People in charge of personnel are naturally sensitive to "who recommended whom," which will come in handy in the future when investigating the personnel chain behind Li Kezhuo.

Zhang Weixian stood motionless among the civil officials. He was the Duke of Ying, a hereditary title for two hundred years, and commanded the Beijing Garrison.

Such people don't need to say anything; just standing there is their statement.

There was another young man in the back row, Yang Lian, a censor in the Ministry of Revenue, the one who impeached Cui Wensheng for "misuse of medicine".

Emperor Taichang himself praised him, saying, "He is truly loyal to the emperor."

Others bowed their heads respectfully when they came to pay homage, and this man also bowed his head, but there was a light in his eyes.

Even when it's broken, you keep playing it; even when it's too hard to play, you still play it. Your courage talent is probably maxed out.

He's a talented person.

Six or seven people, six or seven accounts, outwardly respectful but inwardly harboring their own secrets. That's how the imperial court is, in every dynasty and era.

The court officials knelt and paid their respects. Emperor Taichang managed to respond with a few words, his voice weak but his thoughts clear. He inquired about the imperial tombs, the Liaodong military supplies, and gave a few minor instructions.

Fang Congzhe tactfully took the lead in resigning, saying, "Your Majesty, please take care of your health. We will take our leave."

Before leaving, Emperor Taichang suddenly raised his hand.

"Grand Secretary Fang, please wait."

Fang Congzhe stopped.

"I already issued an edict the day before yesterday regarding the appointment of the eldest son as crown prince. I will repeat it again today in front of all the ministers." Emperor Taichang's gaze swept around, his voice not loud, but each word was clearly enunciated, "Draft an edict to appoint the eldest son, Zhu Youxiao, as crown prince."

The warm room fell silent for a moment.

Sun Ruyou spoke.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say."

The Minister of Rites, who is in charge of the rites and rituals of the realm, carries a different weight when he speaks.

"The Crown Prince is extremely filial and attentive to Your Majesty's health, which we deeply admire." He first bowed respectfully, then raised his head and spoke calmly, "However, the ceremony of appointing the Crown Prince concerns the stability of the nation and must be conducted in accordance with ancestral rules. The Crown Prince has not yet left the palace to study and is not well-versed in the classics. If we hastily appoint him, I fear it will not be able to win the hearts of the scholars of the land. I request that we first send lecturers to begin the classics lectures, and wait until the Crown Prince has learned some of the classics before proceeding with the appointment."

It was all well-reasoned and there wasn't a single fault with it, yet every sentence was an obstacle.

Sun Ruyou had reason to say this.

The investiture process was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites. As the Minister, he had the final say on whether or not the investiture ceremony was conducted.

This man just withstood pressure last month to block the appointment of Consort Zheng as Empress Dowager, and he was also the one who stood up to oppose the administration of the Red Pill on the day of the Red Pill case.

They dare to take charge, but they do so with tact, always citing the rules so you can't find fault with them.

Remarkable! To be able to confront the emperor face-to-face and still maintain such composure—the civil official's verbal skills are truly exceptional.

No one responded in the warm room.

Fang Congzhe kept his head down, motionless. Liu Yiju slightly turned his body, his gaze fixed on the ground. Han Kuang didn't even turn his body. Yang Lian was in the back row, expressionless.

Silence means consent.

Zhu Youxiao stood by the couch without saying a word, and glanced at Sun Ruyou.

A second-rank official, in charge of the nation's rites and the imperial examinations, was responsible for selecting talent and would tell the emperor directly that his son was unworthy.

From whispering behind someone's back to speaking up to their face, it didn't take three days in total; the rejection reaction was faster than expected.

But it doesn't matter, his dad is more anxious than him.

really.

Emperor Taichang's expression changed in a flash. The patient's face was already sallow, so the change was not easy to notice, but Zhu Youxiao was close enough to see it.

The phrase "unversed in classical studies" struck at his deepest sore spot. Whose fault was it that his son was unversed in classical studies? Emperor Wanli had neglected him for most of his life, and he had neglected his son for fifteen years while preoccupied with his own problems. The entire court used these four words as an excuse to block his son from view, and he couldn't deny this debt.

Because he couldn't deny it, he actually got hard at that moment.

However, Emperor Taichang did not directly refute it.

He did something even more ruthless.

His gaze passed over Sun Ruyou and landed on the judge on duty in the corner.

"Court ruling."

The judge trembled and knelt down with a thud.

"Tell the officials what happened in the warm pavilion last night."

The judge's forehead was almost pressed against the floor tiles.

What should he say? How should he say it? What could he possibly say about matters concerning the Emperor? But with the Emperor's decree in his ears, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak.

"Your Majesty... Yesterday at Shenshi (3-5 PM), after Li Kezhuo took the first red pill, Your Majesty was overjoyed and urged him to take the second pill. His Highness the Eldest Prince, who was attending to the sick, asked Li Kezhuo, 'Since this medicine is so good, why not give him two pills at once?'"

The judge's voice trembled, but the warm pavilion was so quiet that you could hear a person breathing. Every word he spoke hit everyone's ears.

"Li Kezhuo admitted that he needed to wait two more hours to observe His Majesty's reaction, so he put away the second pill. After nightfall, the effects of the medicine wore off, and His Majesty's internal heat became intense. We...we dared not prescribe a prescription on our own."

He paused, and his voice lowered.

"It was His Highness the Crown Prince who spoke up again, asking me, 'Is it a heat or a cold?' I replied that it was a heat ailment, and His Highness said, 'Then it can be treated.' So I... I dared to devise a prescription that nourishes yin and clears heat."

After the judge finished speaking, beads of sweat dripped from his forehead onto the floor tiles.

Good heavens, no sooner had Sun Ruyou finished saying that he was "unversed in the classics" than Emperor Taichang ordered the court judge to recount the events of the previous night in front of everyone.

You say he's ignorant of martial arts, but last night he stopped Hongwan and saved the emperor's life. What do you think?

Without even needing to refute it himself, the judge used his words to slap Sun Ruyou's face on the ground.

Even in such a state of illness, he could still pull off this stunt; being an emperor is truly not something to be taken lightly.

The warm room was deathly quiet.

Sun Ruyou's face visibly stiffened.

The phrase "uneducated" was still on their lips when someone saved the emperor's life.

So what if you don't understand the classics?

Fang Congzhe frowned slightly.

He heard the news this morning, but the details weren't that thorough.

"Why not give two pills at once?" The words spoken by the court judge in public were completely different from those spoken by the eunuch.

Yang Lian raised her head slightly in the back row, her gaze falling seriously on Zhu Youxiao for the first time.

Zhu Youxiao stood there with his hands at his sides, fiddling with a loose thread on his cuff, as if these words had nothing to do with him.

Emperor Taichang withdrew his gaze, his voice not loud, but everyone in the warm pavilion heard him.

"My mind is made up."

"The eldest son of the Emperor shall be appointed Crown Prince, and an imperial edict shall be drafted immediately. The matter of him leaving the palace to teach will be discussed after the appointment."

He paused, his gaze falling on Sun Ruyou's face.

"No need to discuss it further."

Imperial edict.

The ailing emperor revealed his true imperial nature once again, and the entire warm chamber fell silent.

Zhang Weixian made a move.

The Duke of England stepped forward half a step, bowed deeply, and gave a proper salute without uttering a word.

For two hundred years, the hereditary nobility has not been disputed as to whether or not they were literate. The eldest son inherits the throne, which is the ancestral system, and whoever the emperor chooses to establish is the one.

His move was clearer than any words could have said.

Fang Congzhe glanced at Emperor Taichang, then at Zhang Weixian, before bowing and saying, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Fang Congzhe is quite something. He first checks whether the emperor's will is truly settled, and then sees which side the commander of the troops is on. He only speaks after confirming both sides.

He remained in power for seven years as prime minister solely because of his ability to "read the wind before speaking out."

Liu Yiju followed the fastest and spoke the loudest.

Han Kuang was a beat slow, but he pronounced the words "as ordered" most clearly.

There's a trick to the pace between two people.

Liu Yizhu wanted the Grand Secretary to see his attitude, while Han Kuang wanted the imperial decree to be implemented.

Sun Ruyou remained calm, bowed, and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

The loss of face in the warm chamber was irretrievable, but fortunately, this Minister of Rites was shrewd enough to swallow it.

Yang Lian's gaze swept over from the back row, lingering on Zhu Youxiao for two breaths, a breath longer than before.

The eldest prince, who was not yet married, did not utter a single word from beginning to end, and simply stood by the bed with his hands at his sides.

But he was standing in the wrong place.

According to the rules of audience, princes should stand to the side of the couch, but this prince was standing where Emperor Taichang could reach him with his outstretched arm. Someone had told him to stand there.

Yang Lian withdrew her gaze, mentally rehearsing the words the judge had just spoken three times.

"Why not give two pills at once?" This question refers to the pace of administering the medicine.

"That's certainly something to treat," the voice urged, pushing for the direction of treatment.

Those who are not well-versed in classical texts would not say such things.

But he had not yet begun lecturing, yet both of his questions were perfectly pertinent.

Yang Lian didn't understand, but he remembered this person.

Zhu Youxiao lowered his head slightly, his eyes somewhat glazed over, as if he were stunned by the sight of the room full of ministers.

This is the reaction a prince who is ignorant of classical studies would have.

have to.

The official title is now in hand.

But while he has the title, he has no pen or seal in his hand, no official documents to hold, and his plans to leave home and give lectures are still not on the agenda.

The road ahead is still long.

………………

The court officials withdrew from the warm pavilion.

Zhu Youxiao followed him out, and as the sunlight shone on the corridor, he squinted.

Several eunuchs stood under the eaves, waiting for news.

Madam Ke was also waiting in the corridor. She was Zhu Youxiao's wet nurse, whom he had raised since he was a baby. She was in charge of all the miscellaneous affairs inside and outside the Eastern Palace.

As soon as she saw him, she rushed up to him, "Your Highness, you didn't come back all night, you scared me to death! Please go back and rest."

Zhu Youxiao waved his hand and was about to turn back.

"elder brother!"

A small figure ran out from around the corner of the corridor. It was a nine-year-old boy in a worn blue robe. He was running so fast that he almost tripped, but was caught by the old nanny behind him.

Zhu Youjian, the younger brother raised by Dong Li, had red eyes, as if he had been crying.

"Brother, where have you been? I've been looking for you all day."

Zhu Youxiao ruffled his hair.

"Father is ill, so I went to see him." He softened his voice. "I'll take you to see Father later, okay?"

Zhu Youjian nodded vigorously.

Mrs. Ke was busy putting a coat on him, muttering, "Oh dear, he hasn't eaten anything all night."

Zhu Youjian held onto his sleeve tightly, refusing to let go.

Another series of footsteps came from under the corridor.

Wang An.

The old eunuch hurried over, bowed, and offered his congratulations, "Congratulations, Your Highness! With the imperial decree issued, your status is confirmed, and the nation has hope."

Zhu Youjian looked up at the old eunuch, not recognizing him, and shrank behind Zhu Youxiao.

"You're too kind, Da Ban." Zhu Youxiao patted his younger brother's hand. "Is there anything else?"

Wang An hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a folded paper from his sleeve.

"Your Highness, there are several memorials impeaching Cui Wensheng in the Six Ministries. The one led by Lord Yang Lian was submitted a few days ago, but it has been stuck in the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs without approval. Now that His Majesty's condition has improved slightly, these memorials... should be processed."

Cui Wensheng's laxatives caused Emperor Taichang to have diarrhea for half a month, and Consort Zheng was behind it all.

Impeaching him would be like stabbing Consort Zheng in the back, something Fang Congzhe was trying to avoid at all costs, so he kept his secret.

Now that the emperor is alive, these folded paper documents have become a knife.

The question is, who delivers it, and who does it end up with?

Zhu Youxiao took the folded book, flipped through it, closed it, and stuffed it back into Wang An's hand.

"Master, these memorials go through the procedures of the Six Ministries. Approval will proceed as required." He paused for a moment, then added, "I'm just a carpenter; I can't manage these things."

Wang An paused for a moment.

"This old servant understands."

It's a lie to say I can't control it; the truth is I won't get involved. I'll have the Six Ministries deliver the knife, so the blood won't reach the Eastern Palace.

The Cui Wensheng case itself wasn't difficult to handle. The difficulty lay in what followed—if the rules for distributing medicine weren't changed, even if one Cui Wensheng was driven away today, another would appear tomorrow.

"There's one more thing," Zhu Youxiao lowered his voice, "Just now in the warm pavilion, how many people in the court share the same sentiment as Minister Sun who said those words? Keep an eye on it, Your Excellency."

Wang An glanced at him.

His Highness spoke in a flat, indifferent tone, as if he were instructing a servant to buy charcoal.

"This old servant understands."

Zhu Youxiao nodded and took his younger brother's hand as they walked back.

Zhu Youjian looked up at him and asked, "Brother, will Father's illness get better?"

"It will be alright."

"Then why is my brother unhappy?"

"Who says I'm not happy?" Zhu Youxiao ruffled his hair again. "I'm very happy."

After walking a few steps, he turned back and glanced at Wang An under the eaves.

The old eunuch was still standing there, clutching the few folded documents in his hand. The autumn wind blew into the corridor, causing the hem of his robe to flutter.

The name on the folded document is Cui Wensheng. Behind Cui Wensheng stands Consort Zheng, and next to Consort Zheng squats a Consort Li.

If you hand this knife out, the water in the warm chamber will only get muddier.