Chapter 938
Palace Intrigue
Standing on the white jade steps, Pan Yun glanced around and asked directly, "Your Majesty, Sun Yuanzhen's policy of stabilizing the refugees is progressing very well, so why has the imperial decree to build a seaport in Zhejiang been delayed?"
Knowing that no one was around, Zhu Qiyu went straight to the point: "Southern Zhili also wants to open a seaport..."
Pan Yun frowned: "Isn't Suzhou already here?"
"Suzhou is quite far from the birthplace of the emperor, so the court officials suggest that another one be opened in Huai'an Prefecture."
Pan Jun asked with a half-smile, "Has His Majesty agreed?"
Zhu Qiyu shook his head: "I'm still stalling."
He looked troubled: "Those who proposed this are all important ministers, and I cannot refuse them immediately."
"A member of the royal family, right?"
Zhu Qiyu blinked: "How did the Imperial Advisor know?"
Pan Yun said, "Aside from court officials who are deliberately trying to curry favor with the imperial family, who with a brain would agree to open another seaport between Lingshanwei and Suzhou, especially in Huai'an Prefecture?"
Zhu Qiyu: ...
Upon careful consideration, he realized it was true; several strong-willed officials in the court, such as Yu Qian and Cao Nai, directly opposed it.
Pan Jun said, “Your Majesty, you even cut back on expenses during the Emperor’s birthday celebrations, fearing that spending more money from the national treasury would increase the burden on the people. The two empress dowagers and the two empresses in the palace have followed your orders and are living frugally. As a result, your relatives are spending national funds to build a seaport for their own selfish interests.”
“What does Huai’an Prefecture have?” Pan Jun counted on his fingers for the emperor: “The textiles and tea of Southern Zhili are close to Suzhou City, and can be shipped out from Suzhou Port. If another large port is built in a province, whose goods will be shipped through Huai’an Prefecture? At that time, not to mention tariffs, the court will have to spend extra money to support the port staff to work for them for free.”
Pan Yun recalled the smuggling case involving members of the imperial family that was uncovered last year, which ultimately resulted in the execution of two people and was thus dropped.
The main culprits didn't even show their faces, let alone receive any punishment. They were simply exempted from several months' salary and imprisoned for a few months because the censor heard rumors about the matter and reported it to the emperor.
The mission to Japan and the silver fleet almost perished at sea because they hired pirates to plunder.
Pan Yun's anger surged, and after spinning around twice, she said to Zhu Qiyu, "Your Majesty, you must be decisive and not hesitate, otherwise you will follow in the footsteps of the late emperor."
Zhu Qiyu frowned: "What do you mean? Why are you bringing up my elder brother?"
"Your Majesty, let's not talk about the seaports of Huai'an Prefecture for now, but about the seaports of Zhejiang. Didn't you promise Sun Yuanzhen that as long as he could get the local gentry, landlords and merchants to contribute land and money to settle the displaced people, you would build him a seaport?"
Zhu Qiyu paused, then nodded: "I have hinted at this before..."
Pan Yun nodded and said, "Your Majesty, it is enough that you agree. If the ruler is not trustworthy, it is the same as the country being untrustworthy. Even if Sun Yuanzhen is a subject, he will be disheartened. And it will not only be him, but also the people of Zhejiang. In fact... if a person loses his trust, who will trust Your Majesty in the future?"
Zhu Qiyu's expression turned slightly solemn, and after a moment he said in a deep voice, "I will issue the decree formally tomorrow."
Pan Jun was slightly relieved. This kid was teachable and still salvageable. It was worth it for her to teach him how to build his own power.
"Alright, now that one thing is settled, let's come back to discuss the second matter. Your Majesty, do you know how much it costs to build a seaport?" Pan Yun said, "Sun Yuanzhen promised me that the seaports in Zhejiang will not require conscripts. In other words, the Zhejiang Provincial Administration will have to spend money on the construction of the seaports, and may even request funds from the national treasury. As for the seaport in Huai'an, do you want the national treasury to allocate funds, or will you force conscripts to serve?"
Zhu Qiyu's heart skipped a beat.
Looking at his expression, Pan Jun softened his tone and continued, "Your Majesty, there are many things they dare not ask you directly. I am a lonely man, and since you trust me, I dare to ask you this question."
Pan Yun said, "The national treasury has no money, and the labor force... The labor force needed to build a port, calculated by working hours, will not be less than 100,000 man-hours. But what about the materials? Will they be forcibly requisitioned, or will the money be squeezed out from elsewhere to build it?"
"If the port of Huai'an Prefecture were a necessity and could bring revenue to the national treasury after its completion, that would be fine. But everyone knows that the port is located near the place where the emperor rose to power, which is intended for the use of the imperial family. It will not earn a single penny for the national treasury. On the contrary, it will require the national treasury to spend money on its maintenance every year. Your Majesty, do you really want to build such a port when the Ming Dynasty is in such a difficult situation, and the two empress dowagers have to tighten their belts to share the hardships with you?"
Zhu Qiyu clenched his fists, his face grim.
Pan Yun stopped there, bowed, and left.
The emperor stood in front of the palace for a long time until Cheng Jing carefully draped a cloak over his shoulders, which brought him back to his senses.
Zhu Qiyu tossed the cloak to him with disdain, saying, "It's so hot, I'm not cold."
Having said that, he strode towards Kunning Palace.
Cheng Jing hurriedly jogged to catch up: "Your Majesty, it's late and the dew is heavy, you should wear something."
Zhu Qiyu confided his worries to Empress Wang: "Of course I know this is inappropriate, but since I ascended the throne, I have never shown favor to the imperial family. On the contrary, I have... This time, several old princes jointly submitted a memorial proposing the motion. If I reject it again, I'm afraid it will be..."
Empress Wang had not considered this point before, and now she couldn't help but feel troubled.
She thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "If Empress Dowager Sun can step in and plead for leniency, this matter should be able to be dropped."
Zhu Qiyu was even more troubled: "Empress Dowager Sun is now devoted to Taoism and I rarely even see her. It would be extremely difficult to persuade her to come."
Empress Wang bit her lip and whispered, "Shall I go and pay my respects to Empress Dowager Sun tomorrow?"
Zhu Qiyu nodded immediately.
After Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne, he made his mother, Consort Wu, the Empress Dowager, but he did not dare to let her live in Cining Palace. Instead, she continued to live in her previous palace.
She was treated like an empress dowager.
Because there were two empress dowagers, they were distinguished by their surnames. One was Empress Dowager Sun, who lived in the West Palace and was occasionally referred to as the West Empress Dowager.
One of them was Empress Wu, whose palace was located on the east side, and she was also known as the Eastern Empress Dowager.
Empress Wu was gentle and content with the status quo; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to raise a son like Zhu Qiyu.
She was excited for two days after becoming Empress Dowager, but when she found that life was not much different from when she was a concubine, she retreated to her palace and did not move again.
The Wu family members did make several trips to the palace to request an audience with her, hinting at their intentions. However, before Empress Dowager Wu could ask the Emperor for official positions for her uncles and cousins, Empress Wang brought up the Emperor's current predicament, noting that many people were watching him closely to demand impartiality...
Between her son and her brother, her son was of course more important, so Empress Dowager Wu never spoke to Zhu Qiyu, and later she even stopped seeing her family members.
Empress Dowager Wu had no interest in power, so Empress Dowager Sun remained the most respected figure in the harem.
Although it seemed that Empress Wang was in charge of palace affairs after she entered the palace, the inner palace was still under the control of Empress Dowager Sun.
She had a keen eye on everything that happened in the imperial court and the inner palace.
Her decision to shut herself away was a deliberate act of refusing to participate in affairs, but that doesn't mean she was truly unaware of anything. Therefore, when Empress Wang came to pay her respects, she knew exactly why she had come.
She ignored her and continued reciting the scriptures with her eyes closed. She then prostrated herself three times before helping herself up with the help of the female official. She said expressionlessly, "Indeed, no one visits the temple without a reason."
“This morning, His Majesty issued an edict ordering Zhejiang to build a seaport in Ningbo Prefecture to facilitate trade,” the lady-in-waiting whispered. “The cabinet has already sent someone to Zhejiang to deliver the edict.”
"They're really moving fast. They're afraid someone will stop them, so they want to confirm it as soon as possible."
"When the princes and nobles who remained in the capital heard this, they rushed to the palace and were sitting in the inner hall weeping for the founding emperor."
Empress Dowager Sun chuckled upon hearing this, her tone a mixture of sarcasm and resentment: "Does he think being emperor is so easy? My son is rightfully the emperor, and he still has to appease the imperial clan, not daring to go too far. But he, having only been on the throne for half a year, has repeatedly humiliated the imperial clan, thus winning over those so-called upright officials in the court and gaining a good reputation. But this empire ultimately belongs to the Zhu family. For the sake of reputation, he disregards the interests of the imperial clan, even trampling on his brother's reputation. Does he think he can gain favor?"
"Yes, he appointed a national advisor and believed in sorcery, yet now there's not a single voice of opposition in the court. Instead, everyone praises him, but when it comes to the late emperor... Just the other day, I overheard two civil officials discussing privately that the late emperor was only able to receive the posthumous title of 'Hero' thanks to the emperor, who abolished the practice of funerary sacrifice in the late emperor's name. Otherwise..."
Empress Dowager Sun's expression changed, and she slammed her hand hard on the table. The oil lamp on the table flickered and fell to the ground with a thud, the flames instantly igniting and startling the lady-in-waiting.
Empress Dowager Sun stared motionlessly at the rising flames, her face filled with terror.
This was a source of pain for her, especially since the more secure Zhu Qiyu's position became, the more her son was trampled upon.
They were brothers, only one year apart in age, and the younger brother succeeded the elder brother, so they were inevitably compared by people.
It wasn't obvious before the new year, but after the new year, as Zhu Qiyu's various measures were implemented and the court rectified officialdom, the new emperor's prestige rose. Because he was humble and listened to opinions, the loyalty and praise of the court officials also increased, and the former emperor was dragged out and trampled on again and again.
Some even privately speculated that if Emperor Xiaozhang had chosen the current emperor as his heir instead of the late emperor, perhaps the disaster of last year would not have occurred.
Empress Dowager Sun was so angry that she didn't eat all night.
"Your Majesty, the Empress has arrived as well. She's waiting outside with Empress Wang. Look..."
"Fools!" Empress Dowager Sun exclaimed, then closed her eyes and said, "I won't see them. Let them leave!"
The lady-in-waiting agreed and went out to dismiss the two empresses.
Empress Wang frowned slightly, feeling displeased.
Empress Qian was gentle and compliant. She took Empress Wang's hand, bid farewell to the female official, and led her out of the West Palace. She whispered, "Mother has been unwell lately and has been reluctant to see anyone. Please don't blame her."
Empress Wang quickly replied, "How could I dare? I'm just worried about Your Majesty. She's always confined to her room. What if she gets sick from being cooped up?"
At this moment, Empress Wang genuinely felt that it was not good for Empress Dowager Sun to stay in her room, thinking that she was still grieving for the late emperor's death.
"It's been half a year already, Your Majesty should take care of your health." Empress Wang suggested warmly, "Why don't we invite a few ladies and young women from the Sun family to the palace, just to keep Your Majesty company and relieve her boredom?"
Empress Qian was also somewhat tempted.
Then, Empress Wang discovered that Empress Dowager Sun was not grieving for the late emperor, but rather resentful of him, and that she simply disliked her and did not want to see her.
Empress Wang was not like Empress Qian. Empress Qian was gentle and didn't care much about who treated her badly, but Empress Wang was weak when she encountered the weak and strong when she encountered the strong.
Therefore, since their marriage, she and the emperor have had a good relationship, but they also quarrel occasionally. Every time they quarrel, it is because the emperor is stubborn.
If it weren't for Pan Yun's yellow talisman book as a deterrent, and Zhu Qiyu's relatively mild temper, the couple would have quarreled countless times long ago.
When Empress Wang sensed Empress Dowager Sun's malice, she didn't tolerate it and turned back to Kunning Palace. That evening, she said to Zhu Qiyu, "Your Majesty, Empress Hu was deposed without any fault, which the Grand Empress Dowager greatly regretted. She is now buried in Jinshan with the title 'Jingci Immortal Master.' When future generations find out, they will surely gossip about Father Emperor. I know that many old princes in the imperial clan also have reservations about this. Why not take this opportunity to restore Empress Hu's title? She is also your legal mother. Just consider it as us, her children and daughters-in-law, fulfilling our filial duty."
Zhu Qiyu opened his mouth wide enough to fit an egg.
Looking at his wife, whose eyes were bright and full of fighting spirit, he couldn't help but swallow hard and whispered, "But, but Empress Dowager Sun is still here."
Empress Wang glared at him and said, "So what? When the Empress Dowager was alive, even though Master Jingci had been deposed, she was always ranked above Empress Dowager Sun at every palace banquet."
Zhu Qiyu's heart pounded. This was a direct provocation against Empress Dowager Sun, something he had never done before.
Zhu Qiyu didn't want to do it.
Seeing his timidity, Empress Wang pinched his waist in anger: "What are you afraid of? Go and have the Imperial Advisor consult the oracle, and say that this is the Empress Dowager's will."
Zhu Qiyu yelped as he was pinched, clutching his waist and complaining, "Why did I ask the Imperial Advisor to cast a divination for no reason?"
"Just say you had a dream, and you'll have a dream tonight." Empress Wang thought for a moment and said, "Yes, just say you dreamed that your father regretted his actions."
Empress Wang snorted, got out of bed, and stood by the bed with her hands on her hips, looking at him: "This matter was originally the Emperor's fault. Empress Hu was deposed without any fault. Didn't the Emperor regret it later when he brought it up? I heard from the ladies-in-waiting that this was recorded in the daily records, so there is no doubt about it."
Zhu Qiyu muttered, "Even if he regrets it, Father hasn't rectified the situation. This shows that Father has no intention of restoring the throne."
“If it’s a mistake, it should be corrected. I already gave you the option to ask the Imperial Advisor to tell your fortune by pretending to dream about your father. If you ask me, to set things right, we should just correct it directly. There’s no need to make so many excuses.”
Zhu Qiyu covered his head and said, "Are you saying the court isn't chaotic enough already?"
Empress Wang glared at him, hands on her hips: "Just tell me, are you going to do it or not? If you're not going to do it, then I'll go see the Imperial Advisor tomorrow."
Zhu Qiyu quickly stopped her, gritting his teeth and saying, "I'll ask the ministers and the Grand Preceptor tomorrow."
After much coaxing, Empress Wang finally reluctantly agreed.
Zhu Qiyu breathed a sigh of relief, looked at her cautiously, and asked, "How did Empress Dowager Sun offend you?"
Empress Wang asked him, "Are those princes and nobles still crying in the inner palace today?"
“Hmm,” Zhu Qiyu sighed, “They’ve already cried all the way to my brother today, saying that if he were still alive, the imperial clan would not have suffered such injustice.”
Empress Wang sneered and said, "I think Empress Dowager Sun was also involved in this."
"what?"
Empress Wang said, "Anyway, you can do it tomorrow. I'll call all the old princesses into the palace tomorrow to help you with some of the work."
Zhu Qiyu breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Empress Wang affectionately: "The Empress still loves me the most." (End of this chapter)