The old palace in Nanjing.

Since the Ming Dynasty had two capitals – Nanjing and Beijing – running in parallel with two complete sets of central leadership, one going through the motions while the other handled real business. Though the old Nanjing palace had no master, it was still maintained by old palace servants who had remained in Nanjing. At least moving in with luggage wouldn’t be a problem.

However, people breathe life into houses. No matter how magnificent the palace or how careful the maintenance, after four years without inhabitants, it quickly lost its vitality and deteriorated badly – like a face that had been frantically injected with hyaluronic acid, then once the treatments stopped, the entire face collapsed, aging twenty years overnight.

This happened to coincide with the bleak early winter season when all things withered. Rain mixed with snow, and even the chrysanthemums couldn’t endure – yellow flowers accumulated all over the ground, clear and cold, miserable and wretched. How could one word “decline” capture it all!

It was under such desolate circumstances that the Eastern Palace family moved into the old palace’s eastern quarters. Just after settling in, Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji rushed to his ancestral home in Fengyang to worship at the ancestral tombs first, entrusting his household entirely to his mother-in-law Hu Shanwei.

Being experienced people, seeing the respectful but distant relationship between Zhu Zhanji and A’Lei, Hu Shanwei understood clearly: “Your Highness need not worry about going. This humble servant will arrange everything here and ensure the Eastern Palace’s safety.”

Before coming, Empress Zhang had already spoken privately with the crown prince. Everyone tacitly waited for “good news” from Emperor Hongxi. The crown prince had Eastern Depot agents monitoring him, and he couldn’t skip visiting any grave sites, or he’d be labeled “unfilial.”

Before departing, Sun Liangdi presented a set of knee guards, holding her slightly protruding belly as she bid farewell to the crown prince: “The weather is damp and cold, and tomb worship requires frequent kneeling. Your Highness must beware of cold qi entering your body. These knee guards were made by this consort personally. This consort’s craftsmanship is crude – I hope Your Highness won’t disdain them.”

The crown prince accepted the knee guards: “Don’t make such things anymore. Sun Liangdi should focus on nurturing the pregnancy.”

“Yes.” Sun Liangdi touched her belly, hesitating before finally gathering courage to say: “Your Highness, this consort is actually an informant the emperor placed in the Eastern Palace. In my early years serving beside Earl Pengcheng’s grand lady, my father secretly pledged loyalty to His Majesty when he was still crown prince. His Majesty promised that when this consort participated in the imperial selection, he would definitely help this consort marry into the imperial family. Father was just a minor clerk in Yongcheng County, not even an official, counting on this consort to curry favor with dragons and phoenixes for future prosperity.”

“But, Your Highness…” Sun Liangdi approached and embraced Zhu Zhanji’s arm: “This consort has admired Your Highness since childhood. Though born humble, the first time this consort followed Earl Pengcheng’s grand lady into the palace, Your Highness was building a snow rabbit with the crown princess and Prince Han’s heir. Prince Han’s heir mistook this consort for a palace maid and wanted this consort to distribute his gold pearls from his purse among the palace servants. This consort felt embarrassed and wished to burrow into the snow pile. It was Your Highness who recognized this consort and resolved the awkwardness.”

Zhu Zhanji’s gaze grew melancholy. The scene of the three of them building snow rabbits remained vivid – that year marked childhood’s end. From then on, all three harbored their own concerns and never played so heartily again.

Sun Liangdi lowered her eyes: “This consort knows her place and understands Your Highness treats everyone kindly, not just this consort alone. But for this consort, born humble and spending years half-master half-servant beside Earl Pengcheng’s grand lady, despised by Beijing’s noble daughters who disdained association with me – no matter how hard I tried, I could never truly integrate into the Beijing socialite circles.”

“That Your Highness could remember this consort’s name and help resolve this consort’s predicament – this consort will remember Your Highness’s grace for life. Though this consort rose to the branches overnight through ‘selecting beauties from the fields and forming marriages among commoners’ and was carried into the Eastern Palace, in these six years, this consort has never truly betrayed Your Highness. All information passed to His Majesty was harmless, merely to appease him. Now that this consort is with child, even if not considering myself, I must plan for the child.”

Sun Liangdi withdrew a thin roster from her sleeve and presented it to the crown prince: “This is a list of His Majesty’s informants this consort has collected over the years – spies in the Eastern Palace and those planted beside the empress in Kunning Palace. I hope it can help the Eastern Palace weather this crisis.”

Sun Liangdi had presented her pledge of allegiance.

Indeed, as Empress Zhang had predicted, using a child to bind Sun Liangdi to the Eastern Palace’s boat would naturally change her stance. Whether Sun Liangdi’s feelings for the crown prince were false or genuine no longer mattered – interest-binding was more reliable than ethereal emotions. The child in her womb was real and living, and the first name on the pledge was Eunuch Wang Zhen – this roster was authentic too.

This was sufficient.

Zhu Zhanji handed the roster to A’Lei: “Even so, we cannot completely trust Sun Liangdi. Dispense with all morning and evening attendance rituals and try not to associate with her. Your condition grows heavier daily, this pregnancy hasn’t been smooth, plus the boat travel fatigue – rest well in the Eastern Palace and give this roster to Supervisor Hu. She’ll make appropriate arrangements.”

Being born into the imperial family, Zhu Zhanji had to be extra cautious. If Sun Liangdi bore a daughter it would be fine, but if both A’Lei and Sun Liangdi bore sons, Sun Liangdi’s child would be only three months younger than A’Lei’s. With such a small age gap between legitimate and illegitimate sons, there would surely be hidden troubles in the future…

Thinking of this, Zhu Zhanji couldn’t help shivering. Before the children were even born, his first reaction wasn’t to love them as a father or trust them, but to guard against them.

So what difference was there between him and his father? He had no right to criticize his father. When he became emperor, perhaps he’d be even worse.

Originally, Zhu Zhanji hadn’t understood A’Lei’s sudden transformation, feeling she’d cut ties too quickly and ruthlessly.

Now even Zhu Zhanji admired A’Lei’s rationality.

Born into an imperial family, this was inescapable destiny.

Mother-in-law Empress Zhang’s words were proving prophetic. A’Lei wasn’t surprised by Sun Liangdi’s pledge of allegiance: “I know. Go to Fengyang to worship at the tombs without worry. Don’t let anyone catch you on unfilial behavior to splash dirty water on the Eastern Palace.”

A’Lei spread white paper on her desk and took out calculating rods, compass, rulers and other tools one by one, beginning to draw blueprints: “I plan to give the child in my womb a gift. I’ll seclude myself to work – Sun Liangdi won’t be able to disturb me.”

A’Lei knew all of Zhu Zhanji’s concerns, so she’d simply keep to herself.

Zhu Zhanji added charcoal to the brazier, then quietly watched A’Lei draw. Once A’Lei picked up her brush, she’d enter a state of complete absorption, not even noticing when Zhu Zhanji left.

While Zhu Zhanji worshipped at tombs in Fengyang, A’Lei drew blueprints in the old Nanjing palace, and Hu Shanwei arranged personnel using Sun Liangdi’s roster, Emperor Hongxi was implementing new policies in Beijing. The new policies focused on recuperation, encouraging agriculture and commerce, reducing taxes in Jiangnan, and replacing the harsh legal systems of the Hongwu and Yongle reigns with tolerance. Both court and commoners praised Emperor Hongxi’s reputation and prestige highly, calling him “benevolent.”

Emperor Hongxi had experience as regent, sophisticated political methods, and popular support. Though Prince Han and Prince Zhao were inwardly resentful, they dared not act rashly. However, with Crown Prince obeying imperial orders to leave the capital and take his entire family to the old Nanjing palace, Emperor Hongxi might fool the ministers but couldn’t fool his two brothers Prince Han and Prince Zhao, who had sparred with him for half their lives.

Both princes guessed that Emperor Hongxi had conflicts with the Eastern Palace. Their dead hearts were reactivated, wanting to profit from the struggle between Emperor Hongxi and the Eastern Palace. The two joined forces, secretly recruiting soldiers and buying horses, waiting for opportunities to benefit.

Besides the Eastern Palace, Emperor Hongxi also drew up lists to settle accounts with those who had supported deposing him as crown prince years ago, such as his sister Princess Ancheng and her husband Marquis Xining Song Hu. Princess Ancheng had supported Prince Han back then, as had Song Hu. Emperor Hongxi, considering that Princess Ancheng was also born to Empress Renxiao and was his full sister, didn’t move against her, but the prince consort was different – he was an outsider.

Moreover, Marquis Xining controlled heavy troops and had been responsible for the Ming Dynasty’s northern defense for generations. Emperor Hongxi worried Song Hu might collude with Prince Han, threatening imperial power.

Emperor Hongxi issued an edict stripping Song Hu of his Marquis Xining title and cutting his prince consort stipend, giving the title to Song Hu’s brother Song Ying – who was also the prince consort to his sister Princess Xianning.

Princess Xianning had supported crown prince big brother back then. With a disciplinary committee member’s meticulousness, Emperor Hongxi had always kept a little notebook recording who treated him well and who didn’t. Now as emperor wielding imperial power, he could do almost anything – revenge for grudges, reward for kindnesses. This feeling was truly exhilarating!

Emperor Hongxi turned his hand to make clouds, overturned it to make rain in the capital, using imperial power to achieve dual satisfaction of personal vendettas and political ambitions. Twenty-one years of forbearance had all been worthwhile.

However, Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji wasn’t completely shrouded under his father’s shadow. Some ministers still saw the hidden dangers of the Eastern Palace being far from the capital and submitted frank memorials.

In the first year of Hongxi, first month, Emperor Hongxi officially adopted the “Hongxi” era name at the New Year’s Day grand court assembly, finally completely escaping the pain of being dominated by “Yongle.”

What an exhilarating feeling!

As spring warmed and flowers bloomed, Emperor Hongxi was triumphant, having spent the most perfect spring of his life. However, by the fifth month, after the crown prince had finished worshipping at all the imperial tombs in Fengyang and Nanjing, his great task complete, Emperor Hongxi still hadn’t summoned the crown prince back to the capital.

The ministers weren’t fools – they sensed something amiss. The crown prince was the heir apparent, the backup, set up precisely to prevent national turmoil by seamlessly taking over should the emperor suddenly die. Now the heir apparent was dispatched to Nanjing a thousand li away – what was the point of having an heir apparent?

The time had come.

Mu Chun, remaining in the capital, seized the opportunity to spread “rumors” throughout the city about Emperor Hongxi’s gluttony, favoring Imperial Noble Consort Guo, spoiling Prince Teng, and neglecting the crown prince.

Many believed these rumors because Imperial Noble Consort Guo’s brother Guo Xuan inheriting the Marquis Wuding title was an established fact, while Empress Zhang’s family remained Earl Pengcheng. The dignified Ming empress’s family held a title one rank lower than the noble consort’s family – clearly favoring concubines over the wife!

Even for Empress Zhang’s dignity, granting her brother a one-time Marquis Chengen title to save face would be acceptable, but no matter how ministers memorialized, Emperor Hongxi refused to grant the Zhang family a marquis title.

Moreover, Emperor Hongxi’s weight gain over the past half year was obvious – the flesh of his chin nearly hung to his collarbone, and the eunuchs supporting his walking had increased from two to four.

With facts laid out one by one, “rumors” became truth. No matter how the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Eastern Depot tried to refute rumors and arrest rumormongers, more and more people believed them.

The ministers couldn’t sit still. Li Shimian, the monitoring censor famous for his integrity, became the first to eat crab.

Li Shimian was a second-list jinshi from the second year of Yongle, selected into the Hanlin Academy as a bachelor scholar. After graduation he served as a reader-scholar in the Hanlin Academy. Due to his high learning and good character, he was chosen to be a scripture teacher for Imperial Grand Prince Zhu Zhanji.

In the nineteenth year of Yongle, the newly built Beijing palace’s three main halls – Fengtian Hall, Qianqing Palace – were struck by lightning and caught fire. Li Shimian believed this was a heavenly warning and petitioned Emperor Taizong not to relocate the capital but return to Nanjing. Emperor Taizong flew into rage, stripped Li Shimian of his official position, and threw him into prison.

After Emperor Hongxi ascended the throne, his teacher Yang Rong entered the cabinet as a cabinet minister. Yang Rong rescued Li Shimian from prison, restored his official position, and arranged this brave remonstrator who feared no powerful figures into a professionally suitable position – monitoring censor.

Monitoring censors had KPI standards – they must and could only memorialize one matter daily and provide suggestions.

Li Shimian was after all Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji’s teacher. How could he sit by watching the crown prince remain far from the capital, sitting on the cold bench in Nanjing?

On the eleventh day of the fifth month, Li Shimian’s first day as monitoring censor, he used today’s KPI on the crown prince. Before the full court of civil and military officials, completely disregarding Emperor Hongxi’s dignity and Cabinet Minister Yang Rong’s repeated coughing signals to shut up, he spoke frankly:

“…Your Majesty is the supreme ruler. You should draw near worthy ministers and distance yourself from petty ones. Dark hours are unsuitable for approaching consorts, and the crown prince is unsuitable to leave your side! Otherwise the heir apparent becomes unstable and the nation endangered!”

Worthy of someone who had been imprisoned by Emperor Taizong – his backbone was hard enough. Having just removed his prisoner’s clothes, his official robes not yet warmed, he dared speak words hitting every one of Emperor Hongxi’s sore spots.

Li Shimian’s mouth seemed poisonous. With every word he spoke, Emperor Hongxi’s face visibly reddened, blood pressure rising, clearly striking the dragon’s reverse scales. By the time he heard “the nation endangered,” Emperor Hongxi’s face had swollen to the color of pig’s liver!

Since ascending the throne, Emperor Hongxi had always presented a benevolent image, relaxing criminal justice, appearing as an amiable fat man who never lost his temper publicly. Li Shimian’s every sentence was venomous. Suddenly encountering such great stimulation, Emperor Hongxi flew into court rage, pointing at Li Shimian: “Guards! Quickly beat this traitor to death!”

The guards holding golden maces before the throne immediately seized Li Shimian, stripped off his official robes, and raised large golden hammers to strike him. Li Shimian remained defiant – with each blow he cried out “The crown prince is unsuitable to leave your side!” After eighteen strikes and three broken ribs, Li Shimian was beaten unconscious before falling silent.

Such iron backbone was truly admirable. Cabinet Minister Yang Rong and others hurriedly stepped forward to plead for Li Shimian.

Just now in his fury, Emperor Hongxi had ordered the golden mace guards to beat Li Shimian. Li Shimian stubbornly refused to change his words, so the enraged Emperor Hongxi didn’t call for them to stop. Now that Li Shimian was beaten half to death and unconscious, finally shutting up, the court filled with pleas for mercy and forgiveness. Emperor Hongxi immediately awakened from his rage: No, I must control myself. My benevolent image mustn’t collapse. How can I beat a minister to death in court?

This dynasty practices benevolent rule!

Moreover, Li Shimian as monitoring censor was just doing his job by speaking frankly.

Emperor Hongxi then ordered the golden mace guards to stop and had Li Shimian thrown into the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s imperial prison.

Thus, having just been released from prison, Li Shimian made a second entry with three broken ribs.

Emperor Hongxi didn’t want to hear any suggestions about the crown prince returning to the capital, so he immediately ordered the court dismissed. Just as he stood up supported by four eunuchs, Emperor Hongxi felt dizzy and swayed. To maintain dignity, he forced himself to endure the dizziness and nausea, slowly walking out of Fengtian Hall and getting into his large sedan chair back to Qianqing Palace.

He didn’t know that the eunuchs supporting him kept watching his facial expression changes. The eunuch discovered Emperor Hongxi’s face remained flushed like pig’s liver color without recovering, and his facial expressions seemed out of control, like a wax figure – whether angry or feigning composure, he maintained the same expression.

The eunuch recalled a certain female doctor’s instructions – the time had come!

Emperor Hongxi reached Qianqing Palace feeling increasingly dizzy with increasingly blurred vision. Even wearing reading glasses felt laborious. He immediately summoned the imperial physicians and Imperial Noble Consort Guo.

“I’m unwell. I’ll lie down first and take a nap. When the imperial physician comes, have him take my pulse and apply acupuncture first.” Like his three predecessors, Emperor Hongxi was a diligent emperor who never napped during the day. Today he really couldn’t hold on.

Emperor Hongxi lay in bed half-asleep when he heard footsteps and voices. He opened his eyes to blurred vision – like looking at the world through frosted glass in winter, all hazy. But he could be certain from the silhouette that the woman before him was definitely not Imperial Noble Consort Guo!

Where was the noble consort? Where was the imperial physician? Emperor Hongxi wanted to speak but could only make simple grunting sounds – his tongue wouldn’t obey.

Emperor Hongxi wanted to sit up and grab his reading glasses from beside the pillow to see clearly who was before him, but discovered he felt like being pressed by ghosts – no matter how hard he tried, his whole body wouldn’t obey and he couldn’t move at all.

Was this a dream?

Wake up quickly!

As Emperor Hongxi pondered, the blurry woman beside him spoke: “His Majesty has opened his eyes. Ru Siyao, how many more days can His Majesty last?”

It was Empress Zhang!

Ru Siyao pricked Emperor Hongxi’s finger with a silver needle, squeezed out a drop of blood onto a glass slide, and tilted it downward. That drop of blood actually didn’t flow downward.

“His Majesty’s blood is as thick as syrup. Facial paralysis, unable to speak, no response to needle stimulation at the knee and other acupoints. Under Li Shimian’s stimulation, His Majesty’s blood flow accelerated, but the fragile blood vessels in his brain couldn’t withstand such thick blood flowing rapidly. Vessels ruptured, brain congestion caused paralysis and total organ failure. He should expire by tomorrow morning.”

Empress Zhang’s words held neither joy nor worry, as bland as discussing tomorrow’s weather: “Pity Li Shimian, bearing the crime of angering the emperor to death, facing family extermination.”

A familiar male voice said: “Now that the empress controls the palace, simply don’t announce the death. Continue sending food, water and medicine to Qianqing Palace as usual, and keep recording pulse examinations daily. When His Majesty dies is up to Your Majesty’s word. Once the crown prince secretly returns to the capital, then announce the death – Li Shimian can also be cleared of guilt.”

It was actually Mu Chun!

Emperor Hongxi realized this wasn’t a nightmare but reality, yet he couldn’t speak a word. Only his eyeballs could still move.

Soon his brain felt like chopsticks had been inserted and were rapidly stirring like beating eggs, mixing the whites and yolk together. He lost consciousness, sinking into boundless chaos.

At midnight, Emperor Hongxi expired.