Chapter 2

A palace maid brought over a brocade stool and placed it below the Empress.

Zhu Chilang sat down steadily, waiting for his mother to speak. After living in this deep palace for fifteen years, all the etiquette norms had become second nature to him.

He had heard that outside, the rituals and propriety had long since collapsed, with people wearing undergarments as outerwear and men dressing as women. But the imperial family was a model for the millions of commoners. In the outer court, there were civil officials watching, and in the inner court, there were old palace maids and nannies keeping an eye on things. Even if he were just a prince who had not yet come of age, or even if he were the Emperor, any breach of etiquette would be mercilessly pointed out.

Technically, these palace attendants and eunuchs were all servants of the imperial family, but in this inner palace, they had long formed an independent community, merely needing to rely on the imperial power to draw sustenance.

Moreover, the founding emperor had set a rule: all consorts must be selected from humble families.

This prevented the Ming Dynasty from repeating the mistakes of the Han Dynasty, where powerful in-laws dominated the government. However, it also led to the Ming imperial family becoming a non-aristocratic leader of the aristocracy, resulting in emperors who were either rebellious and impossible to communicate with or obedient like lambs.

However, Zhu Chilang had no right to complain about this. It was precisely because the consorts and emperors had a sense of family that there were no shortage of devoted people among the Ming emperors, and the atmosphere in the imperial family was not suffocating. It was even less likely that there would be family tragedies like the Nine Dragons' Struggle for the Throne... Perhaps this was also why Ming palace dramas could not replace the queue dramas, as they lacked the material for palace intrigue.

"Spring, you came early today." Empress Zhou looked at her son with affection, noticing the flush on his face. She turned and said, "Bring some of the iced drinks from the sweet food kitchen."

Zhu Chilang indeed felt his throat dry. He cleared his throat and said, "Gong Yonggu was presenting his report in the Wenhua Hall, talking about the great epidemic in the capital. I couldn't bear to listen, so I came out early."

"My son will be a benevolent ruler in the future," Empress Zhou said with satisfaction. Seeing the palace maid bring over the cold drink, she quickly said, "Eat some quickly, your throat is hoarse."

Zhu Chilang picked up the porcelain bowl, feeling a chill. The outside of the bowl was covered with a layer of dew, and a cool mist rose from the rim. Just a small sip refreshed him, and all the heat disappeared.

"Hmm, Mother, Zhou Jing is attending the class today and is still outside," Zhu Chilang said after a sip, looking up at Empress Zhou.

Empress Zhou nodded, a smile on her face, even more pleased with her son's kindness. She instructed, "Serve the soup."

Zhu Chilang drank half the bowl in one breath, then slowly said, "Mother, I want to go out of the palace to help the people affected by the epidemic."

Empress Zhou's face changed. "Absolutely not! You are still young. What if something happens to you! You are already of age to attend lectures, how can you not understand this basic principle after reading the sages' teachings!"

Zhu Chilang was well aware of his mother's reaction. Although she was from Suzhou and gentle and quiet, her nature was straightforward. As long as he explained the reasons clearly, she wouldn't be too stubborn, which made her much easier to communicate with than the Emperor.

"Mother, the capital region has suffered disasters year after year, and the people are in great distress. This great epidemic has made things even worse," Zhu Chilang shook his head. "Every time I think of the people's suffering, I can't sleep or eat."

Empress Zhou's expression softened, and she spoke more gently. "There are officials outside. Why do you, the Crown Prince, need to go out?"

"All the officials are mediocre and greedy," Zhu Chilang said. "They might even take advantage of the situation."

Since the reign of Emperor Jiajing, the opposition between the emperor and the civil officials had become a daily state. During Emperor Chongzhen's seventeen years on the throne, he had changed fifty prime ministers. He had even written "All civil officials should be killed" in water during a court session, deliberately showing it to the eunuch Wang Zhixin, almost tearing the face off the civil officials.

Hearing his son say this, Empress Zhou also felt that the civil officials were unreliable, and her expression became serious.

"Let the eunuchs and the nobles go," Empress Zhou said, unwilling to let her son face danger. "The Crown Prince should stay safe in the palace and be informed of the situation regularly."

—If he didn't go out this time, he would only fall into Li Zicheng's hands!

There was at most nine months left before Li Zicheng's army reached the city!

Zhu Chilang argued, "Mother, I have a plan for disaster relief. If I can't go and implement it myself, I won't be satisfied."

"Nonsense!" Empress Zhou turned her head, not giving in.

If it were another child, they would either return quietly or throw a tantrum. But Zhu Chilang, despite his young age, had a mature mind. It was impossible for him to return in fear. However, throwing a tantrum or acting cute to please his mother was also difficult for a soul that had been in a high position for a long time.

Zhu Chilang lowered his head, his hands on his knees, staring blankly at the floor tiles.

He said nothing.

Empress Zhou's heart tightened, feeling helpless: He was using this trick again!

Zhu Chilang only had one trick: silence.

Whenever he wanted something and couldn't get it, he would use this trick. This kind of cold violence might not work on others, but it was very effective on his deeply loving parents. In this era, "hysteria" was considered a very serious illness, and sudden silence and lack of response were direct symptoms of hysteria.

In other words, Zhu Chilang was pretending to be sick.

Pretending to be crazy or foolish might directly lead to being deposed as Crown Prince, but this kind of hysteria would only make his parents more worried and troubled. Moreover, over the past ten years, whether it was the Emperor and Empress or the high-ranking female officials and nannies, they all knew the best way to treat the Crown Prince's hysteria—giving him what he wanted.

Even a fool knew that the Crown Prince was using this as a threat.

But no one could be sure that he wouldn't turn his act into reality.

Empress Zhou was not a strong woman like Wu Zetian. She was a kind woman from the water towns of Suzhou who had entered the inner palace. As a mother, she was only truly happy when her son was healthy. Even a slight headache or fever would make her extremely anxious. This was especially true after the death of her second son.

Sometimes Zhu Chilang felt ashamed, using his mother's love to make her sad and worried. But he could confirm that every time he used this trick, it was to prevent the tragedy that would happen in a few months.

He didn't want to see his mother and aunt commit suicide, his father injure his sister, and then hang himself... He didn't want to be betrayed by his family and fall into Li Zicheng's hands, then into Wu Sangui's hands, and finally disappear into history, leaving behind a pile of mysteries. And the time until everything was revealed was only nine months.

—If he couldn't save the country, he would at least try to save the nation. If he couldn't save the nation, he would do everything to save the family in this grand palace.

Zhu Chilang stared at the floor tiles, his eyes focused only on the perfect seams.

"Spring, Spring!" Empress Zhou called out softly, then raised her voice, "Chilang, stop pretending to be deaf and mute! What do you want, Your Highness, the Crown Prince!" Her voice gradually rose, and she finally shouted, "Zhu Chilang! Stop pretending to be deaf and mute!"

The Crown Prince remained silent, unmoved.

The palace maids watched as the Empress's eyes narrowed and her eyebrows raised, but they were not afraid.

—The Empress was falling for it again.

They all secretly smiled.

Sure enough, after her anger proved ineffective, the Empress finally sighed and said helplessly, "Alright, alright, Mother will help you."

"Thank you, Mother!" Zhu Chilang quickly stood up and bowed, then met his mother's mixed gaze of love and frustration, and forced a bright smile.

But the smile was too forced, and no one would be deceived by it.

"Spring, you are the heir to the throne, and you are loved by both your father and me. What more do you want? Why do you always cause such trouble?" Empress Zhou frowned and said.

"I just want to help my father and mother," Zhu Chilang's smile faded, and his face became expressionless.

Throughout history, there have been many martyrs who died bravely, but few who faced death calmly. From the moment Zhu Chilang confirmed his identity, he had been walking the path of national and family destruction. He had dreamed many times of being tied to the railway tracks, watching a steam locomotive rushing towards him...

If it weren't for his strong will from his previous life, he would have been driven mad by this pressure long ago.

"You may leave," Empress Zhou felt a tightness in her chest and waved at Zhu Chilang.

"I take my leave, Mother."

"Finish your drink before you go!" Empress Zhou looked at the half-empty bowl of iced drink, gently touching her forehead, already thinking about how to persuade her husband, the Emperor of the Ming Empire.

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