The court reconvened on the fifteenth day of the first month, the same day as the minor funeral procession.

The coffins were carried out from the Eastern Palace and transported all the way to the imperial mortuary chapel. Officials dressed in blue robes with black sashes followed the ceremonial procession, while white paper money cut to resemble silver ingots fell like snow throughout the entire palace compound.

The coffins of Zhu Minda and Shen Jing would remain in the imperial mortuary chapel for half a year. Once the underground tomb was completed, they would be transported to the imperial mausoleum in a grand funeral procession—by then it would already be the scorching days of the seventh month.

Zhu Zhaowei knew that too many people had seen Zhu Nanxian outside the city gates on the day of prayers, making it impossible to sustain accusations that he had murdered the Crown Prince. Therefore, the day after the minor funeral procession, he issued an edict stating that on the day of prayers, the Thirteenth Prince had heard the sound of bells while returning from Nanchang Prefecture and had rushed to Zhaojue Temple to rescue the Crown Prince. Unfortunately, he had arrived too late—not only failing in the rescue but also being harmed by treacherous villains. Now gravely injured, he was convalescing in the Eastern Palace and could not receive visitors under any circumstances.

In the following days, after the rains passed and several thunderclaps marked the Awakening of Insects solar term, the case of the Crown Prince’s murder reached its conclusion—it was said that several units of the Yulin Guards had simultaneously rebelled that day. Although Wu Yusheng had led troops to resist with all his might, he was outnumbered and overwhelmed, unable to protect the Crown Prince and Crown Princess in time, resulting in their tragic deaths.

As for why the guards had rebelled and who had instigated them, these matters were left vague and unclear.

Though officials harbored doubts and some submitted memorials requesting a thorough investigation, Zhu Zhaowei gave his nominal approval but then simply shelved the matter. Given the current murky situation in the palace, as time passed, the voices of dissent in court gradually diminished.

In the second month, two pieces of news arrived from the north—one joyful, one worrying.

The joyful news was that the Fourth Prince’s consort, Shen Jun, had safely given birth to a son. Actually, Shen Jun’s due date had originally been early in the third month. However, in mid-first month, news of Crown Princess Shen Jing’s death reached Beiping and could not be concealed from the Fourth Prince’s consort. In her shock, Shen Jun experienced abdominal pains and her water broke two months early. Fortunately, both mother and child survived the ordeal.

The worrying news, however, was that Northern Liang, having learned of the Great Sui Crown Prince’s death and the instability of the dynasty, had already assembled an army of three hundred thousand troops at the border.

When this news broke, the court immediately erupted in chaos.

The conflict between Northern Liang and Great Sui’s northern frontier had long been ongoing. Under normal circumstances, this matter wouldn’t be particularly thorny. But with the current court in turmoil and people’s hearts unsettled, bandits were rising throughout Lingnan, Japanese pirates were frequently harassing the Eastern Sea, enemy states beyond the northwestern border were watching like hungry tigers, and Northern Liang was now gathering three hundred thousand troops at this moment—it was truly adding frost to snow.

Court officials voiced numerous opinions yet could reach no consensus. In the end, looking between Zhu Zhaowei and Liu Chaoming, they didn’t know whose lead to follow.

This was hardly surprising. Years ago, when Zhu Jingyuan had executed meritorious officials, very few talented generals remained. Apart from the Fourth Prince and the Twelfth and Thirteenth Princes, only Qi Wujiu and two or three old generals were left.

After morning court that day, Zhu Zhaowei had no choice but to consult with Liu Chaoming.

Liu Chaoming took a rather pragmatic view: “Send Qi Wujiu to the Eastern Sea; have the Twelfth Prince return to Lingnan; if the Thirteenth Prince recovers from his injuries in the Eastern Palace, send him to guard the northwest; as for the northern frontier, although the Fourth Prince’s commanders in Beiping Prefecture are currently defending it, the situation there is most critical—the Fourth Prince should be ordered to depart for the north without delay.”

Though Zhu Zhaowei disagreed with Liu Chaoming on many political matters, Liu Chaoming’s final statement struck a chord deep in his heart.

But Zhu Zhaowei also knew that the current moment was an excellent opportunity to seize the succession, and it wouldn’t be easy to send Zhu Yushen away to Beiping.

After their discussion, layers of clouds were already pressing down from the sky. Spring in the capital brought rain every day, and the entire palace compound was dim and windy. Zhu Zhaowei stood under the palace eaves, lost in thought.

Seeing him like this, Zhu Yiheng said, “Seventh Brother, I think Minister Liu’s words make some sense. Right now, Great Sui faces troubles both within and without. If you can send Fourth Brother on campaign, on one hand you can resolve the northern frontier crisis, and more importantly, once Fourth Brother leaves, won’t your position in the palace become even more secure?”

Though Zhu Zhaowei hadn’t let down his guard against Zhu Yiheng, these words played right into his hands, so he replied, “You think I don’t want to send Zhu Yushen away? But will he be willing to go? Now that Zhu Minda is dead, Zhu Nanxian is imprisoned, and Seventeen is a failure who fled to Nanchang Prefecture, there are essentially no legitimate imperial sons left in the palace. Moreover, Second Brother was disposed of by Liu Yun long ago, and Third Brother was impeached by Su Shiyu into becoming a useless person. Who is the eldest imperial son in this palace if not Fourth Brother, Zhu Yushen?

“He remains calm and collected, spending his days occupied with military affairs at the Northern Encampment, waiting for this prince to deal with Zhu Nanxian for him, waiting for Father Emperor to pass away. Though he’s not legitimate, he is the eldest, and by rights he should inherit the throne.”

Zhu Yiheng said, “According to what you’re saying, Seventh Brother, won’t all your efforts end up making wedding clothes for Fourth Brother?”

“No matter.” Zhu Zhaowei smiled. “Zhu Yushen’s military forces are all in the northern frontier and cannot be mobilized during the current chaos. Let him continue making his wishful calculations in the capital. Once my Fengyang troops arrive, he can stand properly and wait to be crushed to death by this golden pie falling from heaven.”

Zhu Yiheng thought for a moment and said, “Seventh Brother, I have a way to get Fourth Brother to return to Beiping.”

Hearing this, Zhu Zhaowei raised an eyebrow: “Really?”

Zhu Yiheng’s eyes were utterly sincere: “Please trust Tenth Brother just this once—Tenth Brother will definitely not disappoint Seventh Brother.”

As the two spoke, rain had already begun falling between heaven and earth. Zhu Qiyue looked up at the vast, dense curtain of rain and after a long while said, “Seventh Brother, I want to return to Lingnan.”

Ever since the Ningjiao Pavilion incident in the Eastern Palace, Zhu Zhaowei had been particularly dissatisfied with his Twelfth Brother. Clearly one of his people, yet he had to uphold his principles and protect Zhu Nanxian’s safety, making himself neither fish nor fowl. And now he actually wanted to request permission to return to Lingnan?

Zhu Zhaowei said with displeasure, “Don’t you realize you’re the only one in this forbidden palace who can legitimately command the imperial guards? If you return to Lingnan, these masterless military forces will become fair game for anyone. When chaos erupts in the palace and you return from campaign, who knows who will be sitting on that throne? If the surname is still Zhu, that’s one thing, but what’s most feared is that it will be someone surnamed Liu—the kingdom will have changed hands. What kingdom would you still be fighting for then?”

Zhu Qiyue said, “But right now, with foreign enemies harassing our borders and the people within our territory living in misery, regardless of who sits on the throne, isn’t protecting our land and safeguarding the common people most important?”

He paused, worry deepening between his brows: “I don’t understand court politics very well, but having commanded troops in Lingnan for years, I know all too well what disasters befall the common people when bandits rise or foreign enemies invade.” He recalled past experiences and said, “Seventh Brother, you haven’t seen the bandits in Lingnan. When they band together, they’re like regular military forces, often colluding with foreign enemies from the southern frontier. Wherever they go, they burn, kill, and plunder—committing every atrocity. Moreover, Guangxi has suffered natural disasters for years with no relief in sight. You also know Tenth Brother’s situation—he’s already struggling to make ends meet yet still generously gives aid to relieve the common people. If the bandits from Lingnan spread north from Guangxi, what then? Won’t the people suffer disasters all along the route from Guilin Prefecture to Nanchang Prefecture and on to the capital?”

After hearing Zhu Qiyue’s words, Zhu Zhaowei found them not without merit. However, he thought for a moment and said, “The current court situation is truly critical. If you leave, the entire court structure will completely collapse. Give Seventh Brother more time to think. I’ll ponder a solution these next two days. If there’s really no other way, I’ll send General Luo to Lingnan.”

Zhu Qiyue said, “But General Luo is advanced in years. If he goes to Lingnan, when will he return? I fear he won’t be able to come back to the capital.”

“Women’s kindness!” Zhu Zhaowei rebuked. “You’ve been like this since childhood—wanting to protect this side while also preserving that side. Don’t you understand the principle of losing one while trying to save both, and gaining nothing in the end? To drive out external threats, we must first secure internal stability. The situation is already like a taut bowstring. If you leave and that string breaks, never mind other military forces—just between the Yulin Guards, the Jinwu Guards, and the Jinyiwei, there will be a battle. Then would you rather see Zhu Nanxian leading Nanchang Prefecture troops to break through my Fengyang borders, or watch Zhu Yushen leading his Beiping forces march through the capital gates? Won’t the common people suffer then?

“This is what comes of enfeoffment—in the end, there must always be a struggle. The unified empire can only accommodate one king. Bloodshed and warfare are inevitable. That the situation has reached this point is a tribulation for all the people under heaven. Though we in positions of power must shoulder responsibility, we needn’t shoulder excessive responsibility. We can’t hold everything together alone until the end, only to hand our own kingdom over to others, can we?”

Having said this, Zhu Zhaowei softened his tone: “Of course, your elder brother understands all your concerns. How about this—once the situation stabilizes somewhat, your elder brother will immediately grant you permission to return to Lingnan.”

Zhu Qiyue was about to say more, but Zhu Zhaowei, unwilling to waste more words on him, waved his hand and dismissed him.

Once a person reaches a high position, their shoulders bear responsibilities weighing a thousand pounds.

Previously, Zhu Zhaowei had only focused on seizing the succession, but now with myriad matters pressing before him, he finally understood that being a ruler was truly not easy—to the point where he currently couldn’t even spare the time to eliminate Zhu Nanxian.

With this thought, Zhu Zhaowei said to Zhu Yiheng, “I’ll leave the matter of sending Zhu Yushen to Beiping in your hands. If he feels that Beiping Prefecture’s hundred-thousand-plus troops cannot match Northern Liang’s three hundred thousand, and wants to borrow troops from the Northern Encampment, as long as it’s not too many, approve his request. But I want to see Zhu Yushen leave before the third month.”

Zhu Yiheng said, “Seventh Brother, rest assured—Tenth Brother is confident.”

Shortly after, Zeng Youliang from the Ministry of Personnel came to report on the third month’s selection of officials.

In previous years, officials of the fourth rank and above were personally appointed by Emperor Jingyuan, but this year was different. With Zhu Jingyuan gravely ill and Zhu Zhaowei controlling the Ministry of Personnel, he could freely place his own people in various ministries. As long as his people held key positions in each ministry and power gradually concentrated in his hands, even if Liu Chaoming led the Grand Secretariat, he would no longer be able to check and balance him.

After hearing Zeng Youliang’s report, Zhu Zhaowei suddenly remembered something: “By the way, has Shen Qingyue’s whereabouts been discovered?”

Zeng Youliang glanced at Zhu Yiheng without answering. Zhu Yiheng said, “That day, Wu Yusheng’s people were stopped by the Jinwu Guards outside the palace gates and didn’t clearly see where Su Shiyu took Shen Qingyue after helping him onto the carriage. But since Su Shiyu took him, it must be related to the Imperial Censorate. The Yulin Guards have secretly investigated the residences of all the censors, but haven’t found him. Right now, only the Liu, Qian, and Zhao residences remain.”

Zhu Zhaowei thought that given the current chaotic situation, it wasn’t advisable to have a direct confrontation with the Imperial Censorate, so he said, “Don’t investigate those three residences for now. The monk may run, but the temple can’t. Come the third month, Shen Qingyue should go to tend horses. If he doesn’t go, that’s dereliction of duty. Unless he doesn’t want his old father to live, he’ll have no choice but to obediently report to the Court of the Imperial Stud.” After a pause, he added, “What has Su Shiyu been doing lately?”

Zeng Youliang replied, “Reporting to Seventh Prince, Su Shiyu seems somewhat anxious. He’s changed from his usual manner of toiling over documents at the Imperial Censorate. As soon as he finishes his duties, he goes to visit key officials from the Hanlin Academy and the Chancellery of the Heir Apparent who formerly supported the Eastern Palace—several old academicians. He’s also been to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites, and I hear he plans to visit the Court of Judicial Review in the next few days.”

Hearing this, Zhu Zhaowei smiled and said, “This Su Shiyu is extremely annoying, but he’s truly devoted to his friends. When Shen Qingyue received those eighty strokes of the cane, if Su Shiyu hadn’t fought for his life, he couldn’t have held on until Zhu Yushen returned to the palace. Su Shiyu saved Shen Qingyue’s life, but he’s too overconfident—he actually wants to save Zhu Nanxian too? He’d do better to think carefully about how to preserve his own life.”

Having said this, his smile deepened: “Zeng Youliang, that letter from Su Shiyu to Jizhou that was found on Zhu Nanxian’s personal guards during the prayers at Zhaojue Temple—did you have someone deliver it?”

“It’s been delivered.” Zeng Youliang said, “Su Shiyu’s family in Jizhou has fallen on hard times. The Su household scattered, and now only a pitiful few remain, living in poverty. Su Shiyu’s younger sister received this letter and, wanting to seek help from Su Shiyu, is now already on her way to the capital.”