King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 645: The Situation Takes a Sudden Turn

It was late at night and normally the emperor should have gone to bed, but he really couldn't sleep tonight.

There have been a lot of things happening inside and outside the court recently. His three sons had just made a fuss a few days ago, and now they have caused such a big trouble again, which really makes him tired.

After all, he is already fifty-three or fifty-four years old and his energy is always limited.

Holding the Annals of the Tang Dynasty in his hand, Zhu Xianming looked towards the roof. His inner depression made him not as calm as he looked on the surface.

"Your Majesty, the East Factory has sent another message saying that Zhu Jingting's son is missing!"

Zhu Xianming had already figured out the cause of Zhu Jingting's death: he committed suicide by slashing his throat.

According to his family, Zhu Jingting committed suicide out of shame and anger because he was humiliated.

Zhu Xianming knew very well the character of the royal family. How could a dissolute young man like Zhu Jingting have such a strong self-esteem?

Things were not right in the first place, and now that Zhu Jingting's son had disappeared, it seemed even more fishy.

So he quickly thought that Zhu Jingting's son might know something!
"Order the East Factory and the Northern Pacification Office to find Zhu Jingting's son for me!" Zhu Xianming said in a deep voice.

"Yes!"

Cheng Ying was about to turn around and give instructions, but she heard Zhu Xianming ask, "These past two days... Old Thirteen hasn't left the house? And he hasn't seen anyone?"

Cheng Ying replied, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Xiang studies in the morning and has fun in the afternoon and evening. This has never changed!"

Zhu Xianming nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The night passed quickly, but many things happened during this night, and many things were developing in an uncontrollable direction.

Zhu Jingchun was released back to his mansion in the middle of the night, and the clan court punished him with house arrest for half a month in accordance with clan laws.

Zhu Xianming did not comment on this.

When the situation is unclear, as an emperor he cannot express his opinion casually, and if there is any mistake, it will only be the fault of his subordinates.

The capital city is big, but also small.

The news that General Zhu Jingting was "beaten to death" spread in the capital the next morning, and it really acted as a catalyst, making the original rumors even more rampant.

Just because Zhu Jingting spread rumors, King Xiang ordered King Qingyang to beat him to death. This was indeed outrageous in the eyes of the people.

Of course, some people believe it and some don’t, so people are discussing it everywhere in private, and it eventually leads to a debate, which to a certain extent affects the overall public security.

This is the perspective of the grassroots people. From the officials' perspective, this incident is a completely different situation.

First of all, this was a great opportunity to attack Zhu Jinghong, and also a good opportunity to alienate him from the emperor.

March 16, the 14th year of Zhengtong, was the second day after the incident.

At noon that day, a joint memorial was submitted from the Ministry of Public Administration to the Cabinet, and then appeared on the emperor's desk.

A total of fifteen officials jointly submitted a memorial requesting the emperor to severely punish the murderer Zhu Jingchun.

The article fully discusses the necessity of strictly examining this case from the aspects of family harmony, royal reputation, and the world's outlook.

With just a quick check of these people's background, one would find out that three of them were even disciples of the Eastern Palace scholar.

In other words, these three people can be attributed to the prince's men, while these fifteen officials speak for the prince.

In fact, the prince had just summoned several scholars in the morning and asked them to control their subordinates and not to take action at this critical juncture.

Prince Rui's Mansion had also conveyed similar words to his own disciples.

However, this memorial still appeared on the emperor's desk, which shows that the prince's prestige is indeed not enough and he is unable to effectively control his subordinates.

The sun was setting in the west. In the study outside the East Palace, the prince's face turned ashen.

In front of him, two officials stood and three others knelt on the ground.

The next three people were the young officials who led the memorial, namely the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, the Censor of the Censorate, and the Scholar of the Hanlin Academy.

The morale of these three people is high, and even though the prince has proved his power again, they still don't think they have done anything wrong.

Whether from the perspective of maintaining national laws or protecting the interests of the prince, they all believed that they should submit a memorial.

Therefore, they consider themselves to be loyal subjects, and they are willing to endure some grievances and misunderstandings.

The Crown Prince had just been reprimanded by someone sent by the Imperial Household Department, and he was now trying to persuade them with all his might. But when he saw that these people were stubborn and unyielding, he was really pissed off.

"You...you..."

In a fit of rage, Zhu Jingyuan fainted, causing everyone at the scene to panic.

"You guys...why can't you adapt?" a scholar lectured.

Then one of the young officials replied: "Sir, it's not that we are inflexible. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We can..."

"Shut up!" another scholar shouted angrily.

Seeing these high-spirited young people, the two scholars also felt a headache. They also went through this age and knew very well that it would be too difficult to convince them.

As for Prince Rui's Mansion, he knew everything about the Eastern Palace, but Zhu Jingyuan had no time to be happy.

In fact, he was also very worried that his subordinates would be greedy and reckless and do the same stupid things as the prince's family.

If it doesn't happen today, there is no guarantee that it won't happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. If they themselves are not involved, there is no guarantee that they will not instigate their peers, fellow townsmen or colleagues.

There is no way around it. Most of the officials who follow the Crown Prince and Prince Rui are trying to maximize their own interests.

The Crown Prince and Prince Rui are merely representatives of interests, which does not mean that the people below are under their absolute control.

To put it in a broader context, even the emperor who holds the highest power cannot make his officials united in mind and purpose.

Another day passed, and even if the emperor kept the memorial and did not send it out, it could not stop the raging public opinion. On the same day, more than a dozen memorials were submitted to the palace, requesting the emperor to severely punish Zhu Jingchun.

On this basis, Zhu Jinghong, the mastermind behind the scenes, was also mentioned as needing to be investigated.

The emperor still kept the memorial and ordered the Ministry of Clan Affairs to explain the cause of the case to the outside world, saying that the "misunderstanding" had been eliminated.

However, this had little effect, and the discussion about the matter became more intense among the court and the people.

The focus of the discussion also shifted from the case itself to King Xiang's "arrogance".

Just because of the merits he has made, he dares to be proud of himself and ignore the laws of the country to kill his relatives. This is something that is outrageous to both humans and gods.

Following the impeachment and discussion, only three days later, a more exciting situation emerged.

Just because of the fact that Zhu Jinghong's "confidants" were appointed to positions, it was also dug out by some people with ulterior motives.

The power behind the Prince Xiang, who was under house arrest, was clearly revealed, once again refreshing the perception of people in the capital.

The commanders and attendants of the Beijing camp, the thousand-man guards and commanders, the high-ranking officials of the local governorates... one by one their names were spread and discussed.

As for the employment status of Zhu Jinghong's so-called "confidants", senior officials of the court would more or less know the general situation as long as they were willing to find out.

But those who are interested are only a minority after all, so when these things were exposed, the people who were most shocked were the court officials, because they knew better what it meant.

Only four days had passed and things had developed to this point. What the emperor had to do was no longer to find out the facts of the case, but to control and stabilize the situation as quickly as possible.

It is actually more accurate to call Zhu Jinghong’s so-called “confidants” “old friends”.

Zhu Xianming had a more complete list for this. He had already begun to make adjustments, and the demotion of Shen Jinxun and others was the first step.

This kind of thing is done in secret, and it will eventually come to fruition if it is done step by step.

But now, the so-called "confidants" list has been exposed, which makes those on the list think more, and in a sense promotes their grouping.

In other words, if he wanted to make adjustments, he might encounter resistance. Of course, Zhu Xianming still had absolute power and was still in absolute control of the situation.

After all, he had not only been emperor for more than a dozen years, but he had also fought wars for more than twenty years before that. It could be said that his confidants were everywhere in the army.

But things have changed after all, and if we want to make major personnel adjustments, there is a possibility of chaos.

Right now, the northwest is at war, Korea is peaceful but still unstable, Annan is also in turmoil, Luzon is also invaded by the enemy, and three provinces in the country are still implementing land reclamation...

Under such realistic circumstances, stability always comes first, especially stability within the court, and especially stability in the army.

In the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Xianming, wearing a casual robe, looked at Cheng Ying standing beside the imperial desk and asked, "What has the Thirteenth Master done these days?"

In fact, what he asked was nonsense. From the beginning of the incident to now, he had to understand the situation of Prince Xiang's Mansion every day, and it can be said that he knew it very clearly.

"Your Majesty, everything remains the same!" Cheng Ying replied.

"Um……"

After answering, Zhu Xianming continued, "Do you think I should meet him?"

Although Cheng Ying did not work in the Imperial Household Department, he was the eunuch most trusted by Zhu Xianming, and no one in the 24 offices of the inner court dared to look down on him.

But the reason why he could hold such a position was not only because of the emperor's trust, but also because of his outstanding abilities. He just concealed his shortcomings according to the emperor's needs.

Having followed Zhu Xianming for decades, he knew very well what should and should not be said, and when to say it and not say it.

For example, right now, he knew he should tell the truth.

"Your Majesty, I am a stupid servant... I don't understand any great principles!"

Holding the teacup in front of the emperor, Cheng Ying continued, "But I know that a harmonious family is the most important thing!"

"If the family talks things out, the trouble will be resolved!"

Zhu Xianming smiled and then said, "So let's meet Old Thirteen!"

"Yes... I will send someone to tell them right away!"

When Cheng Ying answered, he was actually very disappointed. He knew the truth that "a harmonious family brings prosperity", but the emperor did not listen at all.

Otherwise, if we really want to talk it out, we should let the Crown Prince and Prince Rui come as well.

Of course, Cheng Ying also knew that this was impossible, because the royal family was not the home of ordinary people. Even if the three legitimate princes were called together, it would only be a performance of brotherly love and respect.

What's more, this matter is very different from previous ones, involving something as sensitive as military power.

Even Cheng Ying, who knew the emperor best, could not be sure of the emperor's intentions at this moment, and wondered whether his suspicion of Zhu Jinghong had deepened.

"Also... issue another strict decree. Everyone in Kunning Palace must keep the news strictly confidential. If the Queen learns of this, anyone who leaks the news will be exterminated along with their entire clan!"

The Queen has been in poor spirits recently and has been recuperating in bed most of the time. Zhu Xianming did not let her know about this because he was afraid that she would worry about it.

"Yes!"

Cheng Ying went to pass on the message, while Zhu Xianming continued to read the report, his thoughts wavering for a while.

Back inside Prince Xiang's mansion, the back garden was very lively. The ladies of the mansion were having a banquet and listening to music on the balcony with Zhu Jinghong.

Opposite the pavilion where they were, there was a stage by the water, on which several women were dancing gracefully, among them was Park Jin-young, whose movements were graceful and graceful.

On the left and right sides of the stage, there were more than a dozen musicians, playing beautiful music according to the score, adding a lot of joyful atmosphere to the scene.

Even the eunuchs and maids on duty were fully immersed in the banquet, enjoying the wonderful dance and music.

Zhu Jinghong sat in the main seat, humming a tune and clapping his hands to the rhythm, and he was deeply immersed in the performance.

Yang Jingting was sitting at his feet at this time, leaning her whole body on his legs, explaining the story of this dance to Zhu Jinghong.

That’s right, Yang Jingting participated in the writing of both the dance and the music, just to please Zhu Jinghong.

To please Zhu Jinghong has become Yang Jingting's only thought after she was "released from prison".

Today, Baochai went to the East Palace to complain as usual. Yang Jingting has the highest status among the women in the palace, but compared with the others who were sitting upright, she seemed particularly humble at this moment.

Squatting at Zhu Jinghong's feet is not something that ordinary people can do.

"Your Highness, look, this dance is inspired by the fluttering of butterflies..."

Yang Jingting explained with a smile, which made Zhu Jinghong even happier. On a whim, he pulled her over and asked her to sit next to him.

This was the first time that Yang Jingting sat next to Zhu Jinghong in public.

The latter was just normal, but for Yang Jingting, it was a completely different feeling.

"You put your heart into it, it's really good!"

Hearing Zhu Jinghong's praise, Yang Jingting did not dare to hesitate at all, and quickly replied: "As long as the prince is happy, I am willing to do anything!"

At this time, Zhu Jinghong was about to serve the wine, but Yang Jingting was quick and took the wine glass from the maid first, and then handed it to Zhu Jinghong.

"Your Majesty, please!"

"Uh-huh!"

Nodding, Zhu Jinghong looked at the women present and said with a smile, "Everyone, please!"

The women were seated on the left and right, and they all held up their wine glasses. Only the pregnant Keqing drank tea instead of wine.

After drinking it all, it’s time for the next song.

The singer was Zhang Xiaoyue, who was dressed beautifully and elegantly, and attracted Zhu Jinghong's attention.

The singing was still beautiful and Zhu Jinghong was all smiles. At this time, Yu Hai came to him and reported that someone from the palace had come to convey the imperial decree.

Upon hearing the news, Zhu Jinghong felt relieved and said to himself, "It's finally here."

His life went on as usual these days, but he paid close attention to news from the outside world. The horror of the development of the situation frightened him.

The current situation even made him suspect that the Crown Prince and Prince Rui had put aside their past grudges and joined forces to put him to death.

After bidding farewell to the women, Zhu Jinghong came to the front hall, where the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict was waiting in Chengyun Hall.

Since it is an oral order, it is relatively simple and only needs to be announced on the spot.

"The Lord has issued an order, ordering Prince Xiang to come to the palace for an audience!"

"I obey your order!" Zhu Jinghong bowed.

Then according to the rules, he should change his clothes before entering the palace, and to be more strict, he should also take a bath.

In the past, Zhu Jinghong would not care about these details, but now is different from the past.

Zhu Jinghong went to change his clothes, but several eunuchs who were there to deliver his imperial edict were waiting. Although they were some distance away from the back garden, they still heard the sound of the music.

A young eunuch couldn't help but say: "This Prince Xiang's Mansion is so lively, and I didn't know that trouble was coming!"

Hearing this, the leading eunuch immediately changed color and scolded: "Asshole... Who told you to talk too much?"

Seeing his big reaction, the young eunuch immediately fell to the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Godfather, please calm down. I was just talking nonsense!"

"Are you talking nonsense? I think you are going to die!"

"Go back and get slapped thirty times, then go to the laundry to do your laundry!" The leading eunuch looked cold.

(End of this chapter)