The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the Carpenter Prince!

Once the status is established, the rules change.

Less than half a day after the decree appointing the crown prince was sent out from the warm pavilion, Zhu Youxiao's visits to the warm pavilion to attend to his illness changed from "occasional visits" to "his duty".

It is only natural for the Crown Prince to serve his ailing father. No matter how much power Li Xuanshi holds over the Qianqing Palace, she has no reason to stop him.

When he arrived at the warm pavilion, Emperor Taichang had just woken up. He was leaning against the couch, flipping through a book of questions. He put it down after flipping through two pages, clearly exhausted.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty."

Emperor Taichang glanced at him and said, "Sit down."

"Is Father feeling any better today?"

"What's so good about it?" Emperor Taichang gave a wry smile. "I'm out of breath when I sit up, and I feel suffocated when I lie down. You only need to believe one out of ten good things the imperial physicians say."

His tone was more relaxed than yesterday.

The words "I have wronged you" had barely cooled when a layer of something new suddenly appeared between father and son, something that had never existed before, and some things seemed to have loosened a bit.

Having spent half his life as crown prince, Emperor Taichang always spoke with a degree of wariness to everyone he met. Now, in his current state of illness, with his own son in front of him, he probably couldn't be bothered to maintain the facade any longer.

Zhu Youxiao sat down at a low table in the corner, took out a piece of boxwood and a carving knife from his sleeve, and began to carve.

Carving wood is a form of camouflage.

A prince who has never been married and has never studied, sitting in the warm pavilion without looking at his exam papers or speaking, is considered a nuisance.

Carving wood is called a habit.

Everyone in the palace knew that the eldest prince was good at carpentry; he would sit in a corner and carve a few strokes without anyone giving him a second glance. But his ears were never idle.

Wang An was organizing documents on a small table beside the couch.

This eunuch, who handled official documents, had a habit of muttering to himself. He didn't speak loudly, so he could remember the key points, and every now and then he would look up and report a few words to Emperor Taichang. Zhu Youxiao sat three steps away, his hand constantly wielding the knife, his mind working in sync.

"...Yang Lian's memorials have been registered with the Six Ministries. They impeach Cui Wensheng for improper use of medicine. There are three memorials in total, one each from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War."

Emperor Taichang closed his eyes and hummed in agreement.

"This morning, Grand Secretary Fang sent someone to deliver a memorial, saying that Cui Wensheng's case could be dealt with leniently, considering that he 'also acted out of loyalty,' and that demoting him to Nanjing would suffice."

"To be lenient" implies loyalty.

Zhu Youxiao paused slightly on the edge of his sword.

Cui Wensheng's laxative nearly killed the emperor, and Fang Congzhe defended him, saying it was "also out of loyalty"? The Grand Secretary was adept at smoothing things over; in plain terms, he meant, "Don't delve into this matter; just send the person away."

The investigation into Cui Wensheng followed that lead upwards, eventually reaching Consort Zheng. Fang Congzhe's relationship with Consort Zheng was murky; the Zhejiang faction had been wavering in the struggle for the foundation of the state, and bringing this old grievance to light would be unpleasant for anyone.

He's been trying to smooth things over for seven years, and now he's doing it again.

Emperor Taichang remained silent. His silence meant he hadn't made up his mind yet.

Wang An turned another page. "Xiong Tingbi from Liaodong has sent a report that the situation in Puhe is temporarily stable, but the military pay shortfall remains the same old problem, and the Ministry of Revenue is unwilling to budge."

Emperor Taichang frowned. "Didn't I send Fang Congzhe to urge them the other day?"

"We urged them, but the Ministry of Revenue said that the Taicang silver reserves were depleted and they were willing but unable to pay. In Xiong Jinglue's report, he also mentioned that the soldiers in Liaodong were owed wages for more than four months, and if the silver was not paid soon, there was a risk of unrest."

Emperor Taichang closed his eyes briefly. On his first day on the throne, he allocated one million taels of silver from the imperial treasury to reward the border regions, and it was all spent in the blink of an eye. The hole in Liaodong was like a bottomless pit; no matter how much he filled it, it would leak out again. He issued the decree to allocate the silver, but no one explained to him where it went.

Zhu Youxiao, head down, was whittling wood, making a mental note of the matter. How much was allocated, how much actually went, and how much was lost in between—this muddled account would have to be settled piecemeal in the future. But he couldn't worry about that now; the matter of getting the medicine was still unresolved.

"Grand Secretaries Liu and Han jointly submitted a memorial requesting the emperor to verify the case of Cui Wensheng, stating that the relevant authorities should investigate the matter and that a verdict should not be made solely based on the words of the Grand Secretaries."

This is a polite way of saying it. In other words, Fang Congzhe wanted to help Cui Wensheng clean up the mess, but the Donglin Party wouldn't allow it and asked the Emperor to go through the formal procedures.

The swords of the Donglin Party and the Zhejiang Party have already clashed on Cui Wensheng.

Zhu Youxiao made a note of it.

He didn't interrupt. When the Crown Prince was ill, he could listen, but he couldn't speak carelessly. If word got out that "the Crown Prince was interfering in state affairs," the court officials' spittle would drown him.

Emperor Taichang coughed twice, his voice hoarse, "Let's put Cui Wensheng's matter aside for now; I haven't made up my mind yet. We need to expedite the matter in Liaodong."

Wang An hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"What?" Emperor Taichang opened his eyes.

"Your Majesty, Yang Lian submitted another memorial this morning, asking when the reply to Cui Wensheng's case would be given. The wording was more urgent than the first one."

Emperor Taichang waved his hand, "Let him wait. All the affairs of the court are urgent, but even the most urgent matters must be prioritized."

Leaving it unattended is just procrastination.

Did Fang Congzhe learn this move from him, or did Fang Congzhe learn it from him?

They've mastered the art of stalling to perfection.

However, now is certainly not the right time to investigate. The emperor has just escaped death, and if this thread is pulled, the entire court and harem will be wiped out, and Emperor Taichang will have no mood to recuperate.

We'll have to wait.

…………

About half an hour later, footsteps came from outside the corridor, and a figure in crimson robes appeared at the threshold before the person.

Consort Li.

"Your Majesty, I have come to see you." She bowed to Emperor Taichang as she entered, then glanced at Zhu Youxiao and smiled, "His Highness the Crown Prince is here as well."

The titles had changed. Before, they were foster mother and foster son; now they were favored concubine and crown prince. With just one word, the rules were different, and her demeanor had changed accordingly—the smile was still there, but the slight condescension in her eyes had disappeared.

"Greetings to Your Majesty." Zhu Youxiao bowed and then sat back down to whittle wood.

Consort Li sat down beside the couch and tucked the blanket around Emperor Taichang.

"Your Majesty looks better today. I've asked the kitchen to prepare some white fungus soup, it will be brought over shortly."

"Thank you for your trouble," Emperor Taichang said gently.

After a few words of concern and inquiries, the conversation abruptly shifts.

"I heard from the servants that the ministers outside are making a huge fuss, relentlessly pursuing Cui Wensheng." She sighed. "Although Cui Wensheng used the medicine improperly, he was ultimately loyal. Your Majesty is magnanimous; why bother with a mere servant?"

Zhu Youxiao slightly deflected the tip of his knife, leaving a shallow mark on the wood.

A heart full of loyalty. This echoes Fang Congzhe's statement that it was also out of loyalty. Did this concubine do her homework before coming to "see His Majesty," or did someone do it for her?

Emperor Taichang hummed in response but did not answer.

Consort Li was not in a hurry, and continued, "I am not speaking on behalf of Cui Wensheng, but I have heard that there are more and more petitions to investigate this case. I am afraid that in the end, innocent people will be harmed, and Your Majesty will be troubled again during your illness."

It harms innocent people.

The four words sound simple, but their meaning is anything but. Consort Zheng wanted to be named Empress Dowager, and Consort Li wanted to be named Imperial Noble Consort. The two imperial edicts requesting these titles were stuck at the Ministry of Rites, delaying the proper procedures. Once this vine was pulled, Consort Zheng's old grievances were brought up again, and no one on their side could escape—Consort Li's title, hanging in mid-air, would be the first to fall.

So, speaking up for Cui Wensheng is ultimately speaking up for her own title. The chain of interests goes through three twists and turns before reaching her; this foster mother's calculations are meticulous.

Emperor Taichang still did not respond.

Consort Li waited for two breaths, her smile undiminished, before changing the subject again.

"By the way, Your Majesty, has the Ministry of Rites responded to my request for an official title the other day?"

coming.

The white fungus soup was the prelude, pleading for Cui Wensheng was the prelude, and requesting an official appointment was the main course. She knew exactly what she was doing, like a chess game played three moves in a row.

Emperor Taichang frowned. "I've already mentioned it to Minister Sun, and he said the ceremonial procedures are still being drafted."

"It's been drafted for half a month." Li Xuanshi's smile faded slightly.

Sun Ruyou's insistence on not following the proper procedures for requesting the official seal of office was not solely his decision.

The selected concubines were not ranked among the imperial concubines. To jump directly from a selected concubine to an imperial noble consort, skipping the three ranks of concubine, consort, and noble consort, was unprecedented in any dynasty.

The court officials are blocking the process, using ancestral rules as a shield, just like yesterday when they blocked the appointment of the crown prince.

However, it wasn't entirely because of her.

Sun Ruyou had previously withstood pressure to refuse to confer the title of Empress Dowager on Consort Zheng, and now he was dragging his feet on the ceremonial arrangements for Consort Li. This acting Minister of Rites was indeed fair and impartial in the matter of "the law of propriety must not be violated".

It's not surprising that Consort Li was in a hurry.

What's unusual is the way she was in such a hurry—she directly urged the emperor to grant her the title in front of him, even while he was ill.

A truly confident person wouldn't rush things like this; if they do, it means they've run out of options. They've probably tried all the connections and avenues they could, and only when those fail do they resort to this last resort.

The more anxious you are, the more likely you are to reveal your hand.

Zhu Youxiao put down his carving knife and suddenly spoke.

"Father, there is something I don't understand."

Emperor Taichang and Consort Li looked over at the same time.

"Cui Wensheng isn't a royal physician, is he?" He scratched his head, looking completely bewildered. "He's a eunuch from the Imperial Pharmacy. How could a eunuch dare to prescribe medicine for the Emperor? Whose man is he?"

The warm room fell silent for a moment.

Whose person is it?

The three words were crude, simple, and unadorned, like something an uneducated person would casually utter. Yet, in the warm pavilion, these three words carried more weight than Yang Lian's three impeachment petitions combined.

Yang Lian played the tune of "Unauthorized Use of Medicine," and was investigating Cui Wensheng himself. "Whose Man" was investigating the connection behind Cui Wensheng. The head eunuch of the Imperial Pharmacy had no prescription authority, yet he could prescribe medicine for the emperor—who approved it? Who let him in?

Everyone knows the answer. But "knowing" and "saying" are two different things. Saying it means dealing with it, and dealing with it means breaking ties.

Emperor Taichang scrutinized him for a long time.

Consort Li was taken aback, but quickly regained her composure. "What the Crown Prince says is true. Your Majesty should indeed investigate this matter."

It spins fast.

She adapts to any change in the wind, even more nimbly than those people in the imperial court.

Being a fence-sitter is also a skill.

But Emperor Taichang did not answer "whose person".

He simply closed his eyes and said, "I am tired."

Consort Li tactfully took her leave, giving one last reminder about the white fungus soup before leaving. Her crimson robe flashed under the eaves, and she disappeared, carrying with her an air of meticulous refinement.

Emperor Taichang's breathing was deep and drawn out, and the rustling sound of wood chips falling to the ground filled the gaps.

Emperor Taichang reached for the memorials beside his bed, but put his hand down halfway, his fingertips trembling. Just half a month ago, he could still sit and meet with his court officials, but these past few days he needed help even to turn over.

After a long silence, Emperor Taichang spoke.

"Schoolboy".

"Your subject is here."

"Don't ask anymore," Emperor Taichang said softly. "There are some things, it's not that I don't know, it's that even if I knew, there's nothing I can do."

Zhu Youxiao did not respond.

I sat in the warm pavilion for most of the day and saw everything I wanted to see.

Cui Wensheng almost killed him, but he managed to get away with it.

Consort Zheng sent eight beauties, and he accepted them all—not out of lust, but because he wanted to reconcile with his enemies and thought that accepting them would prevent further trouble.

Fang Congzhe's attempts to smooth things over were obvious to him, but he didn't expose them. When Consort Li urged him to be granted a title, he frowned but didn't refuse.

The less trouble, the better.

The struggle over the succession lasted for fifteen years, and ministers who spoke up for him were demoted one after another. Wang An was almost exiled to Fengyang by Emperor Wanli for protecting him.

Those who helped him all met with bad ends, while those who didn't help him steadily rose in rank.

Over the course of thirty years, he learned one thing—to speak less, to offend fewer people, and to be patient whenever possible.

Would backing down be of any use? He accepted eight beauties from Consort Zheng in an attempt to reconcile, but then Cui Wensheng arrived and nearly killed him with a dose of laxatives.

Yang Lian tolerated Fang Congzhe's attempts to smooth things over without exposing him, and his memorials were piled up in the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, one after another, without anyone to approve them.

Consort Li was granted the title of Imperial Concubine and was to become Empress.

Zhu Youxiao took a deep breath and smiled bitterly to himself. This was his shield, but if the shield itself was weak, what would happen to the people behind it?

A long way to go!

The emperor's reform plan is imminent!

Wang An asked softly, "What Your Highness just said..."

"I just asked casually," Zhu Youxiao said, looking down as he whittled wood. "I'm not well-educated and don't know anything about these things."

Wang An swallowed the rest of his sentence.

He had served Emperor Taichang for twenty-six years and had seen all sorts of things, but the phrase "whose person" coming from the mouth of a fifteen-year-old boy always felt off.

It didn't sound like a casual question, but rather like someone had taught it to him.

But who taught him? He knew everyone in the Crown Prince's palace, but none of them had this kind of insight.

Zhu Youxiao turned the carving knife in his hand, and the wood shavings fell to the ground as thin as cicada wings.

Cui Wensheng's case couldn't be rushed; Emperor Taichang had to figure it out himself. But he remembered the network of interests surrounding Consort Li.

She was more anxious than he was.

If you rush things, you're more likely to make a mistake.

…………

As soon as he stepped out of the warm pavilion, Liu Shun was already waiting under the eaves.

The young eunuch, barely in his twenties, had served the Crown Prince since childhood. He was clumsy in his work, but he was good at keeping quiet. He carried a bag of pastries in his left hand, which he had taken from the small kitchen, and rubbed his sleeve with his other hand, his nose turning red from the cold—he had been standing in the corridor for most of the hour.

"Your Highness," he leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Just now, Chun Tao, who serves the Consort, came to me and asked how long Your Highness stayed in the warm pavilion today and what you said to His Majesty. She also asked if Your Highness had seen Grand Secretary Fang's people."

Chun Tao was Li Xuanshi's trusted palace maid, and she was extremely well-informed. Every time Zhu Youxiao went to the warm pavilion, Chun Tao would come to inquire within an hour, more accurate than a copper kettle telling the time.

"What was your answer?"

"This servant said His Highness was just whittling wood, he didn't say anything else."

"If she asks again, just answer the same way. Don't say a word more." Zhu Youxiao patted his shoulder. "Let's go back."

Liu Shun followed behind him, muttering to himself, "Why do the people who select concubines always seem to be asking about His Highness?"

Zhu Youxiao did not turn around.

Consort Li has laid a net of informants in the Qianqing Palace, monitoring his every move. Currently, this net is merely observation, not yet reaching out to seize him. But if Emperor Taichang truly falls ill, this observation will escalate into blocking doors and intercepting him.

The seeds of the palace relocation case have long been sown in history.

An autumn breeze swept into the corridor, and the door to the warm pavilion slowly closed behind him. Emperor Taichang did not answer "whose person," but he said something else entirely.

"There's nothing we can do even if we know."

For an emperor to say such a thing is far more terrifying than simply saying "I don't know."