Chapter 4

Chongzhen got off the sedan chair at the main gate of the Kunning Palace and walked in with quick steps, as if someone was always chasing him. The years of deteriorating political situation had made his brows furrow, and he had not had a chance to relax for a long time.

The Empress was naturally informed of the Emperor's arrival. According to the rules, the Empress should have greeted the Emperor at the main gate of the Kunning Palace. However, Empress Zhou abolished this rule upon her entry into the palace, citing the reason that "a wife who has shared hardships with her husband should not leave the hall," and only greeted the Emperor at the entrance of the main hall.

For sixteen years, it had been like this.

The imperial couple exchanged greetings and walked together to the throne. In front of the throne was a writing desk, on which lay a thick, bound book.

Chongzhen sat down hastily and asked, "What book is the Empress reading?"

"I am just flipping through last month's accounts," Empress Zhou replied. "Compared to the previous months, there has been no decrease, but it is much lower than the same period last year."

Chongzhen finally heard some relatively good news. Since his ascension to the throne, he had been promoting frugality in the inner palace, hoping to lead the people of the country through difficult times. For this, Empress Zhou had set up twenty-four spinning wheels in the palace and led the palace maids in spinning. By the eighth year of Chongzhen, when Zhang Xianzhong destroyed the ancestral tombs in Fengyang, Chongzhen had even abolished the imperial banquets and moved to the Wuying Hall. He eventually returned to the inner palace due to repeated petitions from the ministers.

"The monthly food expenses in the palace during the Wanli period were 10,000 taels of silver. In the twelfth year of Chongzhen, Your Majesty reduced it to 9,000 taels, and now it is only 5,000 taels." The Empress sat beside the Emperor, moved closer to the accounts, and ran her finger over the rows and columns.

This was a completely different type of ledger from the traditional流水账 (flow account), more like a report. All major, minor, and miscellaneous items were clearly listed, and income and expenses were clearly visible. The inventory was checked quarterly, and lists of movable and immovable property were made. Although it seemed complicated, once they adapted to this system, the female officials, eunuchs, and even the Emperor and Empress found it much easier to manage.

The only ones who were annoyed were the palace servants and eunuchs, as there were very few places where they could falsify records. Moreover, the few places where they could cheat were beyond their level of skill. No matter how meticulously they prepared the accounts, they could not escape the keen eyes of the imperial family. Only a few people knew that it was the Crown Prince who was helping his mother audit, and his skills were even more chilling than those of experienced accountants.

Chongzhen watched the Empress's finger move and smiled. "This financial system is indeed useful. I wonder how Chun'er came up with it. I wanted the six ministries to use this type of report, but it was too difficult for the clerks to learn."

"Even the eunuchs who have not read much can learn it, but the officials outside, who are all well-read scholars, cannot?" The Empress shook her head. "Even if they are not as talented as my Chun'er, if they cannot even learn it, it must be a form of敷衍 (perfunctory effort)."

Chongzhen sighed deeply, suddenly remembering something. "Today, Gong Yonggu came to the palace and talked about the epidemic in the capital. Do you know what Chun'er said?"

"He wants to go out of the palace to help with the disaster relief."

"Oh, that's right, he came to see me." Chongzhen suddenly remembered and asked, "Did you allow him?"

"How can I let him go out!" Empress Zhou said loudly. "Even if more people die in the capital, it cannot shake the foundation of the state! Besides, Chun'er is not yet fifteen, and if he were a commoner, he would not even have tied his hair yet!"

Chongzhen's face darkened. "But, the officials outside are not as capable as our Crown Prince."

"Now, we haven't heard of any official losing a close relative, and they are not in a hurry, so why should we be?"

"That's not the way to look at it," Chongzhen stood up and slowly paced. "This empire is ultimately the Zhu family's. They may not be in a hurry, but I cannot stand by and watch my people suffer."

Empress Zhou sighed deeply.

This sigh contained both worry for her son's safety and helplessness for her husband.

—His Majesty's rebellious nature is too strong.

Even the palace maids silently sighed in their hearts.

"I have thought about it. It would be good for the Crown Prince to go out and see the suffering of the people. He will go according to the rules for a military governor." Chongzhen said firmly.

Although she had won, Empress Zhou was not particularly excited. Using her husband's character flaws was a lesson her son had taught her. She could not fathom why the Crown Prince, who had always been raised in the deep palace, had a deeper understanding of human nature than she, the Empress.

—That rascal has succeeded again!

Empress Zhou lightly bit her inner lip.

"Empress, I trust the Crown Prince, and you should too." Chongzhen, thinking that Empress Zhou was unwilling to let her son go, stepped forward and spoke gently.

"Alas, where will the Crown Prince stay when he goes out?" The Empress added, "We should send more experienced and capable palace servants with him."

"He can stay at his former residence." Chongzhen said, "As for the palace servants, the Empress can decide, but do not exceed the regulations. Oh, the Crown Prince should also select a consort next year, so we might as well send the female officials from the four departments this time."

"I understand," the Empress paused, then added, "I still feel that the Crown Prince is too young, and it is a bit early."

Chongzhen smiled and his gaze fell back on the accounts.

...

"Oh, according to the rules for a military governor?" Zhu Chilang sat in his study in the Duanben Palace, a sheet of Xuan paper in front of him, covered with dense small characters. Although he was speaking, his brush did not stop. After finishing a page, he put down the brush, casually lifted the paper, and handed it to the eunuch beside him: "Go and engrave it."

The eunuch, dressed in a red dragon robe, took the paper and quickly walked to the door, passing it to another small eunuch. The eunuch placed the paper between two hard cardboard sheets and hurriedly ran to the Jingshi Office.

Watching the small eunuch run away, the eunuch in the red dragon robe turned back to the Crown Prince, seeing that the Crown Prince was massaging his acupoints, and stood quietly beside him.

"Tian Cunshan." Zhu Chilang leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and called out.

"Your servant is here."

"How many guards can the Eastern Palace have according to the rules for a military governor?" Zhu Chilang asked.

"This... Your servant will check and report back to the Crown Prince." Tian Cunshan said cautiously. He knew that the current Crown Prince was wise and could not be deceived easily.

Zhu Chilang's brow twitched slightly. Tian Cunshan was considered young and promising among the eunuchs, having been granted the position of Keeper of the Seal of the Eastern Palace at the age of thirty. However, for a eunuch in the inner palace, this age was still too young, lacking a solid foundation. His skills and character were still too immature. Compared to eunuchs like Cao Huachun, Wang Cheng'en, and Wang Zhi, he was even more incompetent.

However, the eunuchs whom the Crown Prince favored did not necessarily favor the Crown Prince. One reason was that the Crown Prince had taken over the easiest part of the Jingshi Office to manipulate, and the other was that these eunuchs were already quite old, and the current Emperor was still in his prime, so there was no need to plan for the future.

If he had a capable old eunuch by his side, these past ten years would have been much easier.

Zhu Chilang took a deep breath, straightened his back, and picked up the brush again. After writing two characters, he suddenly looked up and said, "Last year, a book called 'Zhuozhongzhi' was brought into the palace, right?"

Tian Cunshan did not dare to say he did not know. He knew that the Crown Prince had a photographic memory and boldly agreed, "It seems there was one. At the time, Your Highness said... said you would look at it when you had time." The Crown Prince often said "I will look at it when I have time" about many books, so even if the Crown Prince remembered it differently, it would not be a major mistake.

Not everyone was as wise as the Crown Prince.

"Was this book written by a grand eunuch of the Shenzong era?" Zhu Chilang continued writing, not looking up.

"Your Highness, forgive me," Tian Cunshan knelt down, "I will check and report back to Your Highness."

"I think it is no longer in the palace, otherwise, it would be a chief eunuch." Zhu Chilang pretended not to know and said, "Go and investigate. If he is willing to return to the palace, ask the Jingshi Office to assign him to my side."

Tian Cunshan was uneasy and secretly lamented: The Crown Prince is dissatisfied with me! Alas, serving the Emperor is like serving a tiger, and serving the Crown Prince is even more dangerous! Well, this master is not someone I can serve, so a change might be for the better.

"Your servant obeys the order." Tian Cunshan bowed and was about to run out when he suddenly heard the Crown Prince cough lightly and stopped.

"Cao Huachun has been back in his hometown for five or six years, right?" Zhu Chilang suddenly said.

Tian Cunshan immediately knelt down, tears in his eyes, "Your Highness is kind beyond measure, remembering us servants. Cao the eunuch took leave due to illness in the eleventh year and returned to his hometown in the second month of the twelfth year."

"Where is his home?"

"Your servant remembers that Cao the eunuch is from Wuching, Tianjin."

"Not far," Zhu Chilang continued, "Send someone to check on him. If he is still healthy, ask him to come to Beijing. I want to see him."

"Your servant obeys the order." Tian Cunshan quickly went out to give instructions and then hurriedly ran out of the palace.

Zhu Chilang wrote for a long time and finally finished two more pages. He called a eunuch and had him take the pages to the Jingshi Office to be engraved and printed. Although he had already printed many books, and some had even been circulated outside, the high walls of the palace had prevented any news from reaching him. The current epidemic in the capital was not part of his historical knowledge, so he had to write the epidemic control plan on the spot.