When faced with power, some people understand that power is a double-edged sword. After becoming intoxicated with it for too long, it becomes very difficult to control one’s private desires, as power corrupts the heart. They place shackles on their own hands, setting limits for themselves. For example, Empress Xiaoci established the Six Bureaus and One Department to restrain herself – it was both assistance and a form of constraint.
Others, however, wish nothing more than to grasp power firmly in one person’s hands, acting according to personal whims, holding power of life and death over others, where those who submit prosper and those who oppose perish. Take the Crown Princess, for instance – relying on this logic, she thrived in the Eastern Palace, achieving her goals. In her eyes, other people’s lives were like ants – there was no right or wrong, only whether they followed her wishes. Those who didn’t align with her interests had to be eliminated.
The Palace Management Bureau, Imperial Kitchen Bureau, Court Bureau of Rites, and Palace Justice Department launched a joint operation, forging Baoqin’s letters and records. Hu Shanwei had assumed the position of Palace Manager with unanimous support, and when she commanded, all the female officials responded. Although the female officials knew there were risks involved, they still cooperated with Hu Shanwei to create the false impression that Baoqin had indeed left behind contingency plans.
Furthermore, the Three Bureaus and One Department also collaborated with the Embroidered Uniform Guard in a joint sting operation, and the Crown Princess predictably took the bait.
All along, the Crown Princess had tasted success from her behavioral pattern of “the bold feast while the timid starve.” She also knew there were risks involved, but she still decided to eliminate all threats completely.
The Crown Princess immediately dispatched her trusted eunuch from the palace to bribe desperate outlaws from the martial world, traveling day and night to rush to Baoqin’s hometown in Wuxi. The plan was to arrive before the Embroidered Uniform Guard, find Baoqin’s letters, destroy the evidence, and as a precaution, massacre Baoqin’s entire family to silence them forever.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard had set up an inescapable net in Wuxi, capturing all the assassins. Mao Qiang personally conducted the interrogation – someone had schemed against Ji Gang, whom he had personally promoted, so how could he let this slide? The eunuch couldn’t withstand the torture and confessed about the Crown Princess.
Mao Qiang presented the eunuch’s confession to Emperor Hongwu, who read it with an expressionless face and said, “Summon the Crown Prince.”
The Crown Prince was at the Chancellery dealing with mountains of official business. When he heard that Emperor Hongwu wanted to see him, he couldn’t help wondering which policy he had handled incorrectly today.
As the saying goes, “embrace your grandchildren, not your sons.” In the past, when Crown Prince Yiwen made even minor mistakes, he would always receive a thorough scolding from Emperor Hongwu or simply be beaten with a whip. Toward his other sons who were in their prime, Emperor Hongwu harbored suspicions, worried that one day imperial power might fall into other hands and he would become a powerless retired emperor. So he simply kept all the heirs of the princely domains detained in the capital under the pretense of fulfilling filial duties to their fathers, when they were actually hostages to prevent the princes from rebelling.
But Emperor Hongwu had never beaten or scolded the Crown Prince. Toward this eldest grandson on whom he placed such high hopes, Emperor Hongwu always showed unprecedented patience, teaching him hand-in-hand how to handle political affairs.
The more Emperor Hongwu behaved this way, the greater the Crown Prince’s pressure became. He was cautious and meticulous, afraid of making mistakes that would disappoint his imperial grandfather.
Every step the Crown Prince took, he watched Emperor Hongwu’s expression, hoping not to let down his grandfather’s expectations. This feeling of being needed and relied upon made the aging Emperor Hongwu feel very secure and warm. But when he thought of his sons, Emperor Hongwu would feel uneasy and suspicious. Comparing the two, Emperor Hongwu felt even more convinced that choosing his eldest grandson as heir was the most suitable decision.
The Crown Prince came to Qianqing Palace with trepidation. At the entrance, the guard was still Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Mao Qiang. Mao Qiang bowed to him and stepped aside. The Crown Prince nodded in return, and as he brushed past Mao Qiang, he faintly smelled blood mixed with an indescribable burnt odor. This scent inexplicably filled people with dread, and the Crown Prince immediately had a bad premonition. His hands hidden in his sleeves unconsciously clenched into fists in a defensive posture.
The Crown Prince paid his respects, and Emperor Hongwu granted him a seat, asking him to read the confession on the desk.
The Crown Prince opened it and immediately turned pale!
Emperor Hongwu observed his eldest grandson’s expression, sighing inwardly: Still lacking composure, unable to hide his inner thoughts.
In his youth, Emperor Hongwu had an oval face with a full forehead and proper features – quite handsome, which was why Guo Zixing had taken notice of him and made him part of the ceremonial guard. Now in old age, he had gained some weight, and his oval face had become round like a full moon.
Emperor Hongwu’s genes were very strong, like the British royal family’s baldness gene. No matter who bore his children, his sons almost all had big-headed baby-like oval faces, and Crown Prince Yiwen was no exception.
But in the grandson generation, each had their own characteristics. The Crown Prince’s appearance and temperament took after his mother, Crown Princess Lu Shi, with a delicate and handsome pointed face and a gentle, quiet disposition. Even now, when his face had turned completely pale, he still struggled to control himself and continued reading page by page.
After the Crown Prince finished reading the eunuch’s confession, just as he was about to kneel and plead for his mother’s forgiveness, Emperor Hongwu raised his hand, signaling him to remain seated and listen. He said calmly, “Managing the family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world are all difficult matters, especially managing the family. Sometimes I feel it’s even harder than bringing peace to the world. In my youth, I started from humble beginnings as a commoner from Huaizuo, destroyed Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng, then launched the Northern Expedition to destroy the Yuan Dynasty. I was decisive in killing, sleeping only four hours each night, sometimes staying awake all night. Though bringing peace to the world was very arduous, in terms of mental anguish, it still couldn’t compare to the torment that managing the family brought me. My life’s greatest blows came not from enemies, but from family members.”
Recalling the past – his first wife Empress Xiaoci refusing treatment and seeking death, Consort Dading’s betrayal that cuckolded him, his two personally raised sons Prince Qi and Prince Tan attacking the Xiaoling Mausoleum and failing, then jumping from the wall together in suicide while shouting “Better to see the King of Hell than the rebel king,” his carefully cultivated Crown Prince Yiwen poisoning his own younger brother Prince Lu, and his originally intended successor Consort Duanjing poisoning Crown Prince Yiwen in revenge…
Each incident brought Emperor Hongwu no less devastation than a lost war.
Emperor Hongwu looked at his somewhat naive Crown Prince with eyes full of pity. “I am the emperor, but also a father, husband, grandfather, and maternal grandfather. The imperial family has now spread its branches and leaves – grandsons and maternal grandsons combined already number over a hundred. After the selection ceremony ends, my great-grandsons will also come into this world one by one.”
“Like common people, I have a simple wish – that harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things, that the whole family lives together in peace and happiness. But I’ve read through the histories and seen generation after generation of dynasties unable to escape the fate of mutual slaughter, husband and wife turning against each other, father and son becoming enemies, brothers fighting, and troubles arising from within. I thought perhaps our Zhu family could avoid repeating these patterns, but—”
Emperor Hongwu smiled self-mockingly. “Facts have proven that I was too naive. Imperial power is supreme, there’s only one throne, only one empress position. With little porridge and many monks, competition is inevitable. Even though we’re all flesh and blood, blood thicker than water, we still can’t avoid fighting to the death.”
“So in my later years, I’ve been massively slaughtering old ministers and conducting great purges in the court. This is to ensure you can smoothly inherit the throne without repeating the situation where powerful ministers in previous dynasties each supported different princes competing for the throne, leading to mutual slaughter. I’ve cleared away all hidden dangers for you. With the heirs of various princely domains held as hostages in the capital, they can’t stir up much trouble. As long as you ascend to the throne and control power legitimately, with all people submitting to you, your uncles will have no choice but to accept reality. Even if there are some disturbances in the future, they won’t matter much.”
Now that the Crown Prince’s position as heir was secure, Emperor Hongwu spoke quite directly with him, not concealing his true intentions, explaining the reasons for slaughtering the meritorious officials in just a few words.
Emperor Hongwu continued, “When you ascend the throne and become emperor, you’ll be the head of the Zhu family. You’ll also face the same problems I do – endless imperial family disputes. Young as you are, you’ll have to be the head of household, with so many elders above you pressuring you – it will only be harder than what I’ve faced. Then you’ll discover that the problem you’re encountering today with your mother slandering palace female officials and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and forcing palace maids to death, is really just a trivial matter, not worth mentioning.”
Emperor Hongwu pointed to the confession on the desk. “How to handle this matter, I leave entirely to you. Whatever decision you make, I will support it. Consider it training. However, you must think clearly – once you make a decision, you must be prepared to bear the consequences that follow. Weigh the pros and cons yourself, then tell me your decision.”
For Emperor Hongwu, this was a small matter, but for the Crown Prince, it was a shocking major event.
Undoubtedly, mother’s actions were wrong upon wrong. It wasn’t even about competing for something significant – just because she felt her face was hurt, she wanted to spread rumors to destroy Palace Manager Hu’s and Commissioner Ji’s careers and lives, and force palace maids to death. Such behavior could be called tyrannical.
Moreover, her methods weren’t clever either, instead angering Palace Manager Hu, who commanded her subordinate female officials to set a trap that lured mother in.
But mother was his birth mother, and this was happening right at the crucial moment of the imperial selection. If this scandal got out, both the Eastern Palace’s and the Crown Prince’s reputations would be affected.
However, if he blindly favored mother and covered up this matter, it would likely hurt the hearts of Palace Manager Hu and other female officials. After all, reputation was like life itself to female officials.
What should he do?
The Crown Prince was torn between difficult choices, deep in thought.
Seeing his grandson’s struggle, Emperor Hongwu sighed inwardly: The grandson is still somewhat indecisive.
Actually, if Emperor Hongwu were handling this matter, he would secretly execute the Crown Princess who was dragging the Crown Prince down – such a stupid and vicious woman would certainly be a disaster in the future. Emperor Hongwu still had feelings for his own children, but was ruthless and merciless toward daughters-in-law. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have done things like skinning Lan Yu and sending the skin to Prince Shu’s consort (who was Lan Yu’s daughter), forcing Prince Shu’s consort to suicide.
However, the Crown Prince was about to marry. If the Crown Princess died, he would have to observe mourning for nearly three years. By then, Emperor Hongwu would be seventy-one years old – he didn’t even know if he could live that long.
If the Crown Prince could marry smoothly and have a son, establishing a family and career, his image would mature, which would help consolidate his position as heir.
Emperor Hongwu felt it wasn’t worth harming the jade vase to catch the mouse – it was detrimental to the overall situation. Even if the Crown Princess had to die, it should wait until after the Crown Prince married and had children, then she could be secretly executed.
The Crown Prince finally made his decision and told Emperor Hongwu.
Emperor Hongwu nodded. “I keep my word. Go handle it.”
The Crown Prince took the confession and went to the Eastern Palace.
The Crown Princess was still “ill” from the shock and grief of Baoqin’s suicide. Hearing that her son had come to see her despite his busy schedule, she quickly dragged her “sick body” up to greet him. “The Crown Prince has so much official business yet still thinks of me. I’ll be better in a few days – you don’t need to worry.”
In a few days, when Baoqin’s family was all dead and the family letters burned, with the Embroidered Uniform Guard finding nothing, she would have no more worries and could officially “recover.”
Who knew the Crown Prince would say to his old mother, “Mother Consort, because you miss Crown Prince Yiwen, you’ve become ill with melancholy. From today forward, the Eastern Palace will close its doors to guests and no longer host banquets. Mother Consort should rest well in the Eastern Palace.”
“What?” The Crown Princess looked at her proud eldest son in disbelief.
The Crown Prince handed the eunuch’s confession to his mother. “Stop now, Mother. You’re already the Crown Princess. In the future, I’ll earn your advancement for you. Rest well in the Eastern Palace and don’t extend your reach to other parts of the rear palace. Whether it’s Palace Manager Hu or Consort Cui in the rear palace, they’re all formidable figures who can see through your thoughts at a glance. You fell into their trap without even knowing it. His Majesty asked me to handle this matter to test my abilities. But you’re my mother – I must leave you some dignity. Confining you to the Eastern Palace under the pretext of illness is already the most lenient decision I can make.”
“Illness? I’m not ill!” The Crown Princess was so angry she immediately recovered, tearing up the eunuch’s confession casually. “The imperial selection is about to begin, you’re about to marry – am I supposed to be ill and miss your wedding? Where would the Eastern Palace’s dignity be? Moreover, the Embroidered Uniform Guard tortured my eunuch under interrogation. A eunuch couldn’t bear the pain and spoke nonsense, throwing dirty water on me. Does His Majesty believe this too? Others might be understandable, but why don’t even you believe me? Based solely on an old eunuch’s one-sided words, you’re confining your own mother?”
The Crown Prince looked at the torn paper scattered on the ground, still maintaining his calm. “Whether others believe it, whether I believe it, whether the evidence is sufficient – none of that actually matters. As long as His Majesty believes it, then this matter was indeed instigated by Mother, and the case cannot be overturned. Mother surely knows His Majesty’s temperament and methods well. When sons make mistakes, they can still be forgiven. When daughters-in-law make mistakes, His Majesty strikes ruthlessly without mercy.”
“Previously, when Prince Qin and Side Consort Deng committed many evil deeds at the princely mansion in Xi’an, His Majesty forgave Prince Qin but ordered Mao Qiang to secretly strangle Side Consort Deng, making it appear as suicide. Mother, this is a lesson from the past. You must stay alert and not think that becoming Crown Princess means you can act as you please. Not just you – even His Majesty cannot do everything according to his own wishes. Everyone has helplessness and constraints. So my confining Mother to the Eastern Palace is actually protecting Mother – it’s all for Mother’s good. Mother should reflect well in the Eastern Palace. The situation outside is different now. You cannot act as you did before. After all, His Majesty still rules this palace.”
Calm persuasion was more effective than heated arguments. This was the Crown Prince’s personality – he appeared somewhat wishy-washy on the surface, always listening to Emperor Hongwu and being obedient beyond measure, but actually he had his own thoughts and positions in his heart.
Although mother had made mistakes and held him back, without mother’s methods in the Eastern Palace over those years, given his birth circumstances, he absolutely would never have been eligible for the heir position. Mother and he shared honor and disgrace together – when one prospered, both prospered; when one suffered, both suffered.
So my son still stands by my side after all!
The Crown Princess was wildly joyful in her heart but showed tears on her face. “These past three years, we mother and son have gradually grown distant, and I worry about you. So in a moment of confusion, I treated Baoqin as my eyes and ears. You are my life, my lifelong support. I was momentarily angry that Hu Shanwei made such a big fuss over a trivial matter, causing us mother and son to become estranged, so I spread rumors wanting to give her a slight punishment. I didn’t expect one wrong step to lead to more wrong steps. Mother lacks ability and was instead schemed against by Hu Shanwei, who brought it to His Majesty’s attention and forced you to punish me.”
After speaking, the Crown Princess wailed and cried. She knew that at this point, denial was useless and would also make His Majesty detest her. The only thing she could still grasp was her son’s heart.
So she simply confessed that she had done it – but everything stemmed from a mother’s most pure love for her son, not her own selfish desires.
His Majesty was already old, and her son was the heir apparent. As long as she could endure until her son ascended the throne, she would win!
Seeing mother’s tears, the Crown Prince handed her a handkerchief and comforted her. “Mother should reflect well in the Eastern Palace. The more critical the moment, the more alert Mother must be. If this matter were exploited by someone with ulterior motives, it would be detrimental to my position as heir. If I cannot smoothly inherit the throne, Mother will have no chance to leave the Eastern Palace. Mother should consider it for my future and yours – be patient in the Eastern Palace and show an attitude of repentance. Perhaps His Majesty will soften his heart and release you early.”
The Crown Prince’s gentle persuasion was entirely reasonable, and he also showed a gesture of repairing the mother-son relationship. The Crown Princess finally agreed to be confined under the pretext of illness.
With the Crown Princess “ill,” the previous excitement of hosting successive events like peach blossom gatherings suddenly vanished. No matter how busy he was each day, the Crown Prince would always make time to pay his respects to the Crown Princess at the Eastern Palace. Both court and country praised the Crown Prince’s filial piety.
Having settled matters with mother, the Crown Prince hosted a banquet in his own palace, inviting Hu Shanwei and Ji Gang to dine, apologizing on behalf of his mother.
The Crown Prince bowed with clasped hands. “Please forgive the Crown Princess’s mistakes, Palace Manager Hu and Commissioner Ji. I have confined the Crown Princess to reflect on her errors. The Crown Princess already knows she was wrong. As her son, I guarantee that similar incidents will not happen again in the future.”
With the heir apparent lowering himself to such a degree, the two exchanged glances. Ji Gang quickly went to help the Crown Prince up. “Your Highness does us too much honor. We cannot bear Your Highness’s bow – it would cost us at least ten years of life. I’m a grown man, so having romantic rumors spread about me isn’t really anything – at most people would call me romantic. But Palace Manager Hu is a female official. Something like corrupting the palace would mean her entire family’s lives wouldn’t be spared, and I would be beheaded too. People inevitably die, and I don’t fear death. If I died in battle, it would be my honor. But to be wrongly accused and also implicate Palace Manager Hu – I truly cannot accept it.”
Hu Shanwei said, “What reputation means to female officials, Your Highness surely understands clearly. As a son apologizing for another, Your Highness’s sincere apology can be felt by this official. It’s just that regarding the Crown Princess… please forgive me for being unable to forgive the Crown Princess’s actions right now. However, Buddha also said, ‘Lay down the butcher’s knife and become Buddha immediately.’ The sea of suffering is boundless, but turning back leads to shore. If in the future the Crown Princess truly repents from her heart, practices what she preaches, restrains her selfish desires, and does various good deeds to make amends, this official will naturally forgive the Crown Princess.”
The Crown Prince had no choice but to swear to heaven, “I will definitely properly instruct my mother and ensure there won’t be a next time. Please believe me, both of you.”
Having reached this point, they had to give the Crown Prince face. Hu Shanwei and Ji Gang raised their wine cups and drank them dry, accepting the apology and saying in unison, “We believe Your Highness.”
Just a few days after the Crown Princess was confined to the Eastern Palace, female officials from various regions who had gone to princely mansions to participate in the imperial selection arrived in the capital one after another, bringing the outstanding candidates from each mansion. They were housed in Chuxiu Palace and other vacant palaces. The imperial selection had begun.