Chapter 95

After a flurry of activity by the imperial physicians, who used massage, medication, and acupuncture, Zhu Hejian finally stopped coughing urgently, but his face remained frighteningly pale, as if he could fall ill again at any moment.

As for what was wrong with Zhu Hejian and why he had suddenly started coughing, the physicians seemed at a loss to explain, but they naturally did not dare to say so outright. They could only give the standard reasons of "weak constitution" and "needs rest" to get by.

Of course, all this information was gathered by Zhao Junchen from the eunuchs in the palace. As for the specific details, Zhao Junchen was not entirely clear. The inner palace was a forbidden area, and Zhao Junchen was not suitable to delve deeper, nor could he follow Emperor Deqing. After Zhu Hejian was carried to the inner palace, Emperor Deqing, Crown Prince Zhu Heyu, and the other princes all followed. Zhao Junchen, however, was led to a side hall of the Yangxin Palace and waited there for Emperor Deqing.

"If Zhu Hejian is really ill, that's one thing, but if he's pretending to be ill, that's a different matter altogether," Zhao Junchen thought to himself, recalling the scene in the prince's study.

Zhu Hejian was indeed in poor health, which was certain; otherwise, he could not have fooled the imperial physicians. If he was faking his illness, such a deliberate and prolonged coughing fit would be no joke for someone with a naturally weak constitution. If not handled carefully, a fake illness could turn into a real one, severely damaging his health.

If Zhu Hejian's sudden illness was indeed a deliberate act, aimed at interrupting Crown Prince Zhu Heyu's counterattack against Zhao Junchen and to show goodwill towards him, then this person was not only deeply calculating but also had a resolve that Zhao Junchen found even more terrifying.

After all, in this world, most people can be ruthless towards others to achieve their goals, but those who can be ruthless towards themselves are few and far between.

"Minister, please sit and wait for His Majesty. He is with the Seventh Prince, so you may have to wait a while longer," a young eunuch said, bowing and offering Zhao Junchen a seat. Several other eunuchs brought tea and snacks.

Considering that he was waiting in the side hall of the Yangxin Palace and that even if Emperor Deqing arrived, he would only be summoned to the main hall, Zhao Junchen did not refuse. Instead, he took out a 500-tael silver note and handed it to the eunuch, smiling. "Thank you, sirs. This is a small token of my appreciation. Please share it among yourselves."

The eunuch glanced at the silver note and his face showed even more respect. "We have heard that you, Minister, are the kindest to us servants. It is our honor to serve you today."

Zhao Junchen nodded and sat down. "I haven't seen you before. May I ask your name?"

The eunuch replied respectfully, "My humble name is Zhang Xiu. I have just entered the Office of Ceremonial and am now working in the Yangxin Palace. I am new and inexperienced, and I hope for your guidance in the future."

Zhao Junchen smiled. "You are a close attendant to His Majesty, while I am an outer minister. How can I guide you? However, to enter the Office of Ceremonial and become a steward in the Yangxin Palace at such a young age, you have a bright future ahead. Your master is Zhang De, the eunuch, right? Why isn't he accompanying His Majesty today?"

Hearing this, Zhang Xiu's expression became even more humble. "Minister, you are wise. Zhang De is indeed my master, and it is my good fortune to have been taken under his wing since I entered the palace. I owe much to his care to be working here in the Yangxin Palace."

He paused and continued, "However, His Majesty's birthday is approaching, a great event. The palace has been busy preparing, and the various halls and palaces are being renovated. His Majesty trusts my master and understands his intentions, so he has been helping with the preparations, which has reduced the time he spends attending to His Majesty."

"I see," Zhao Junchen said, his eyes showing a thoughtful expression.

With Emperor Deqing's birthday approaching and the year-end, it was a time of "double joy." To create a festive atmosphere, the palace was being renovated, and there was a lot of purchasing outside the palace. Zhao Junchen, who managed the inner treasury, knew this well. The renovation and purchasing expenses had been flowing out of the inner treasury like a stream, and in just over a month, nearly 200,000 taels of silver had been spent. Although it was not his own money, Zhao Junchen still felt a pang of pain.

Emperor Deqing, perhaps accustomed to poverty, had become even more extravagant and wasteful after earning a large sum of money from soap. Zhao Junchen only managed the finances for the renovations and did not know the details, but he knew that many old palaces were being demolished and rebuilt. For the purchases outside the palace, the accounts were detailed, and Zhao Junchen was well aware of Emperor Deqing's extravagance. In short, whatever was bought was the most expensive, the best, and the rarest, and the quantities were often in the thousands or tens of thousands.

For example, in the past, due to the lack of funds in the inner treasury, the palace mostly used white charcoal, and only the favored concubines and above used the smokeless and long-burning black charcoal. The wood purchased was mostly for making white charcoal. But this year, the palace was buying mostly expensive oak wood, which was used to make black charcoal. This way, even the slightly higher-ranking eunuchs in the palace would likely be able to use black charcoal this year.

Additionally, according to the rumors Zhao Junchen had heard, the daily expenses of the concubines and princes in the palace had more than doubled under Emperor Deqing's orders.

From this, it was easy to imagine how extravagant Emperor Deqing had become with his spending.

Thinking about this, Zhao Junchen could not help but shake his head at Emperor Deqing's extravagance. Previously, the national and inner treasuries had been struggling due to Emperor Deqing's extravagance and grandiose ambitions. But now, it seemed that Emperor Deqing had been more restrained back then.

In fact, Zhao Junchen later realized that he had underestimated Emperor Deqing's ability to be extravagant and wasteful.

However, Zhao Junchen was not talking to Zhang Xiu to gather information he already knew. After a few casual words, he changed the subject and asked, "The Seventh Prince's health is worrying. I heard he is the same mother as the Crown Prince. When the Seventh Prince fell ill today, the Crown Prince seemed the most anxious. I assume they have a good relationship?"

Zhang Xiu nodded. "Of course. The Seventh Prince has been weak since childhood, and whenever he falls ill, the Crown Prince is always the first to care for him. Over the years, the Seventh Prince has been the most supportive of the Crown Prince. He has long been of age to be enfeoffed and leave the capital, but the Crown Prince, considering their brotherly bond, has repeatedly petitioned His Majesty to allow the Seventh Prince to stay in the capital for his health, even though he has not been enfeoffed, his treatment is no less than that of the princes."

At this point, Zhang Xiu looked around to ensure no one else was nearby and then lowered his voice. "According to what I know, when His Majesty was choosing the Crown Prince, the eldest surviving princes were the current Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince. His Majesty did not like the current Crown Prince's temperament and thought the Seventh Prince was too weak and sickly, so he was hesitant. It was the Seventh Prince who voluntarily gave up the position, allowing the Crown Prince to be chosen as the heir."

Zhao Junchen's eyes showed a thoughtful expression. "Oh? So there were many who supported the Seventh Prince for the position of heir?"

Zhang Xiu was slightly taken aback. "I haven't heard that. The Crown Prince has been wise and capable since childhood, with a good reputation and support from the literati. The Seventh Prince, being weak and sickly, did not perform as well as the Crown Prince and was younger, so there was little support for him."

"I see," Zhao Junchen said with a smile, then asked, "What is the Seventh Prince like? Being the Crown Prince's full brother, I assume they have similar temperaments?"

Zhang Xiu shook his head. "Not really. The Crown Prince is straightforward and strict with us servants, which makes me fear him. In comparison, the Seventh Prince is much more approachable. Even though we are lowly, he treats us kindly and sometimes even pleads for us when we make mistakes."

After some more casual conversation, Zhang Xiu left, leaving Zhao Junchen alone in the side hall, deep in thought.

The Seventh Prince had not been prominent before, and Zhao Junchen had only known of his existence. But considering today's show of goodwill, the Seventh Prince, Zhu Hejian, was not as simple as he seemed.

At least, he and the Crown Prince, Zhu Heyu, appeared to have a deep brotherly bond, and he was weak and sickly, voluntarily giving up the position of heir when the situation was unfavorable. This made it difficult for even Emperor Deqing, with his imperial heart and suspicious nature, to suspect Zhu Hejian, let alone the Crown Prince, Zhu Heyu.

The system of enfeoffing princes in the Ming Dynasty, besides consolidating the empire, also had the purpose of protecting the Crown Prince. After being enfeoffed, the princes left the capital and were subject to various restrictions, making it difficult for them to return to the capital and compete for the throne. The Seventh Prince, however, had delayed his enfeoffment due to his weak health, making it easier for him to maintain connections both inside and outside the palace, which might not be a coincidence.

Although it seemed like a series of coincidences, if Zhu Hejian truly had ambitions to compete for the throne, all the necessary conditions were in place.

However, this was just Zhao Junchen's speculation, and such speculation was filled with malice and petty thoughts. He was not sure if it was true.

But Zhao Junchen believed that if Zhu Hejian truly had ambitions, his true intentions would eventually be revealed, and there would be further actions. It was best to wait and see.

"If Zhu Hejian really has ambitions for the throne, perhaps I can secretly support him. However, such a person might be difficult to control and may not be the best choice..."

Just as Zhao Junchen was deep in thought, Zhang Xiu hurriedly entered the side hall and said, "Minister, His Majesty has arrived. Please go to greet him."

Zhao Junchen nodded, stood up, and followed Zhang Xiu to the main hall of the Yangxin Palace.

Upon entering the Yangxin Palace, before Zhao Junchen could bow, Emperor Deqing waved his hand. "No need for formalities."

Seeing Emperor Deqing's furrowed brows, Zhao Junchen cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, how is the Seventh Prince's health?"

Emperor Deqing shook his head. "What can be done? The child is weak and sickly, and he falls ill every few days. I thought he had been feeling better recently, so I called him to the examination, but..."

Emperor Deqing sighed and said softly, "It's my fault. When Empress Huigui gave birth to the Crown Prince, her body had not fully recovered, and she became pregnant with the Seventh Prince. Not only was his birth difficult, but he was also born with a weak constitution. It's hard for him to endure such suffering."

As he spoke, Emperor Deqing sighed again, showing a rare display of paternal affection.

Zhao Junchen was about to offer some comfort when Emperor Deqing, not wanting to show such emotions in front of Zhao Junchen, resumed his usual stern demeanor and asked, "Enough of this. What brings you to see me today?"

Zhao Junchen took out the 9,250,000 taels of silver from Wen Guanliang and handed it to Emperor Deqing through a nearby eunuch. "Minister Wen plans to retire and return to his hometown. He feels that he has not accomplished much for the emperor and the country over the years and is ashamed before Your Majesty. Therefore, before retiring, he sold all his assets and presented this money to Your Majesty to make up for his guilt."

Emperor Deqing took the thick stack of silver notes without counting and asked, "How much is it?"

"9,250,000 taels," Zhao Junchen replied respectfully, while secretly observing Emperor Deqing's reaction.

Emperor Deqing's expression was calm, as if he did not know that a clean official could not accumulate such a fortune in ten lifetimes. He simply said, "Minister Wen is loyal. Let him enjoy his retirement."

Seeing Emperor Deqing's reaction, Zhao Junchen smiled and said, "Your Majesty is merciful. Minister Wen will be grateful to Your Majesty."

Although he smiled, Zhao Junchen was deep in thought.

He remembered how delighted Emperor Deqing had been when Zhao Junchen handed over the 1.4 million taels from the soap auction. But now, faced with 9,250,000 taels, Emperor Deqing's expression was calm. Although the former was a continuous flow of money that would increase over the years, the latter was a one-time payment, but the amount was six to seven times larger. The contrast was clear.

Emperor Deqing had not only considered Wen Guanliang's wealth as his own but had been eyeing it for a long time.

Zhao Junchen silently sighed for Wen Guanliang. Seeing that it was getting late, he prepared to take his leave.

However, just as Zhao Junchen was about to leave, Emperor Deqing suddenly spoke.

"Minister Zhao, I have some matters to discuss with you."