Chapter 291: The Old Prince Fu and His Mother Obediently Fork Over the Money

Back in the study, Zhu Youxiao had just sat down in the chair when he happened to catch sight of the old Prince Fu kneeling on the ground. He hurriedly stood back up, as if his backside had grown thorns, and rushed over to the man's side, reaching out to help him to his feet.

"Imperial Uncle, Imperial Uncle, look at you—what are you doing? Please, rise quickly." Zhu Youxiao said with a warm smile as he helped the old Prince Fu up.

It was plain to see that the old Prince Fu was overnourished; that layer of fat on him could rival a white pig raised at home.

Old Prince Fu Zhu Changxun stood up, still somewhat puzzled in his heart—what was his imperial nephew, the Emperor, up to?

But his face was full of trepidation as he hastily said, "This guilty subject does not deserve such treatment. This guilty subject is ashamed before Your Majesty, ashamed before my imperial brother!"

Looking at Zhu Changxun's face full of shame, Zhu Youxiao reached out and took his hand, speaking with great earnestness: "Imperial Uncle, you must also understand me. Some matters are not something I alone can decide."

"What you did in Henan truly was not right. Of course, matters of our imperial house are not all judged by right and wrong either."

"You are honored as the Imperial Uncle—having a bit more land and property is no great matter, and living a life of plenty is only natural. But those ministers, not knowing their place, kicked up such a fuss that I had to give them some explanation."

"Originally they wanted to strip you of your title and send you off to Fengyang to watch over the ancestral tombs. I forcibly stopped them—I could not bear to part with you, Imperial Uncle!"

The smile on Zhu Youxiao's face was radiant, his tone sincere, the very picture of deep affection between uncle and nephew.

Zhu Changxun was no fool. He had been a prince himself back in the day, one who had contended for the position of Crown Prince. Even if he had never eaten pork, he had certainly seen a pig run.

This whole spiel from his imperial nephew was nothing but nonsense meant to fool ghosts.

When something happened, the Emperor was never wrong—the fault always lay with the ministers.

When something was done wrong, it was never the Emperor's intention—it was always that his underlings did not know how to handle things, or had misunderstood his meaning.

These tactics were nothing new at all.

But in this world, one could not be too particular about such things. If the Emperor said it, you had to listen; if you would not listen, then you might as well not listen at all—just have your head chopped off, and then you would not hear anything anymore.

Zhu Changxun hastily knelt to the ground, forcing out two drops of tears, and said with great self-reproach: "Your Majesty's kindness to this subject is deep as the sea. It was this subject's senile confusion and reckless behavior that brought shame upon Your Majesty. This subject is deeply ashamed!"

Zhu Youxiao helped Zhu Changxun up once again, saying with a smile: "Imperial Uncle, here there are only the two of us—sovereign and subject. There is no need for all this."

The old Prince Fu's eyes were brimming with tears, but in his heart he was unimpressed. So you get to put on your own act, but you tell me not to act? We're both old layers of puff pastry—you scheme, and I scheme right along with you.

"Rest assured, Imperial Uncle—I still value the bonds of imperial kinship, and I would never do something that grieves our own and gladdens our enemies. The reason I brought you to the capital is chiefly to protect you."

"Out in the provinces, now that you have fallen on hard times, who knows what those people might do. If they stir up some trouble, and I am far away in the capital—the sky is high and the Emperor is far—I truly would be powerless to help."

"Now that you are in the capital, first, I can protect you from close by; second, I can renew the bond between uncle and nephew; and third, you can fulfill your filial duties here in the capital."

"I know that what happened in Henan was a grievance to you, Imperial Uncle, which is why I brought you to the capital. Consort Dowager Zheng in the capital has missed you dearly—this I also know. When you have the time, come into the palace and keep the Consort Dowager company more often. This bond between mother and son is something I must also look after."

Zhu Changxun hastily knelt down once more, knocking his head to the ground with tears of gratitude: "Your Majesty's kindness is as vast as heaven and earth—this subject is moved to the depths of his heart!"

"Enough, enough—Imperial Uncle, rise quickly. Do not kneel at the drop of a hat. You are my Imperial Uncle; if you keep kneeling to me, I will not feel at ease either."

Zhu Youxiao helped Zhu Changxun up yet again, then turned to Chen Hong and said: "Bring the Imperial Uncle a stool. I will sit and chat with him."

"This subject thanks Your Majesty!" The old Prince Fu did not stand on ceremony.

"Pass the word down—unless something major comes up today, do not disturb me. I wish to properly converse with my Imperial Uncle about our kinship." Having said this, Zhu Youxiao turned and walked back to the dragon throne, sitting down.

Chen Hong also hurriedly brought over a chair and placed it beside Zhu Changxun.

Although Zhu Youxiao's attitude was very gentle and his words very pleasant to hear, Zhu Changxun's heart still was not at ease in the slightest.

Zhu Changxun's unease came precisely from Zhu Youxiao's courtesy.

In his view, he and his imperial nephew had no bond of affection whatsoever. Never mind this imperial nephew—even with his deceased imperial brother, he had no affection.

Theirs was a relationship where each wished the other dead so he could become Emperor—how could there possibly be affection?

If the imperial nephew were playing the game of "strike while the iron is hot," Zhu Changxun would not have been surprised in the least.

Say, giving him a good dressing-down upon arrival in the capital, throwing him into the dungeons of the Court of the Imperial Clan, or directly placing him under house arrest—he truly would not have been surprised at all, and in fact would have felt much more at ease.

The imperial nephew acting like this instead was what made the old Prince Fu Zhu Changxun feel afraid.

But Zhu Changxun had no recourse. Now they were the knife and the chopping board, and he was the fish. The affairs of this world were not something he could shape however he wished.

Sitting down obediently, Zhu Changxun waited for Zhu Youxiao to speak.

Zhu Youxiao did not disappoint him, saying directly: "Imperial Uncle, you may have some misunderstandings about me, but there will be plenty of days ahead. We uncle and nephew will get along slowly, and in time you will know what kind of person I am. Today's performance was not bad—Imperial Uncle, you put real thought into it."

"This subject was merely fulfilling his duty as a minister; I do not deserve Your Majesty's praise." Zhu Changxun hastily stood up and said respectfully.

"Imperial Uncle, why have you stood up again? Sit down and speak, sit down and speak." Zhu Youxiao said genially, hastily reaching out and pressing downward with his hand to signal Zhu Changxun to sit.

Only after Zhu Changxun had sat down did Zhu Youxiao change the subject, continuing: "But this stage is not quite adequate."

"The New Year is almost upon us, and the weather is getting colder and colder. When the weather is good it is fine, but when it is not, setting up a stage outside to put on opera performances is not pleasant to watch. Don't you think so, Imperial Uncle?"

"Your Majesty speaks truly!" Zhu Changxun hastily nodded.

He truly had no idea what his imperial nephew wanted to say, but his heart rose into his throat, and the expression on his face grew hesitant.

He resolved in his heart: he must be careful!

"I myself am fine—I have many affairs on ordinary days, and can only steal a moment of leisure to listen to opera. But the Consort Dowagers great and small in the palace, and my Empresses and consorts—they have the leisure time. It is clear they very much enjoy the opera troupe you sent, Imperial Uncle."

"I was thinking whether I should build them a place where they can listen to opera. Consort Dowager Zheng is very fond of opera. There is space in the palace, but building an opera pavilion would cost no small sum, and I am somewhat hesitant."

Zhu Changxun finally understood—his imperial nephew wanted him to foot the bill!

Did the old Prince Fu have money?

The answer was yes.

Although the old Prince Fu's lands had been confiscated and his princely mansion had been raided, that did not mean everything had been seized.

After all, his son still inherited the title of Prince Fu, and the family still had some old possessions. Between the gifts from Zhu Changxun's late father the Emperor, the things Consort Dowager Zheng had given him, and the savings accumulated in the old Prince Fu's household over the years, Zhu Changxun could be considered to have a modest fortune.

Building an opera pavilion in the palace would certainly cost no small amount of money. Was his imperial nephew trying to make him fork it over?

Clearly, the earlier talk outside about letting him keep some family property was just for show to outsiders—now that he was inside the palace, he was being made to hand things over.

This was squeezing water out of a toad!

Could he refuse to pay now?

The old Prince Fu thought it over and secretly shook his head.

He did not dare refuse. If he did, his fate would likely be miserable.

Zhu Changxun's heart ached terribly, but he still put on a smiling face and hastily said, "Why not let this subject fulfill his filial duty?"

Zhu Youxiao looked at Zhu Changxun with a hint of suspicion and asked, "Uncle, what is the meaning of this?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this opera troupe was presented to the palace by me. My mother consort also delights most in watching opera. Why not let me fund the construction of this opera house? It would allow me to fulfill my filial duty to my mother."

"No, no, that won't do." Zhu Youxiao hastily waved his hands and said gravely, "I know that Your Uncle has incurred considerable expenses along the journey from Henan, and some of your family property in Henan has also been confiscated."

"I have not given any rewards to compensate Your Uncle, and I already feel guilty toward Your Uncle in my heart. How could I let Your Uncle pay this money?"

"I have no money right now; my hands are not loose. All construction within the palace has already been halted, but I still cannot let Your Uncle pay this money. Later, when my hands are looser, I will properly reward Your Uncle. Rest assured, Uncle — in the capital, I will absolutely ensure Your Uncle lives comfortably and at ease."

Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Zhu Changxun's face darkened, and his heart turned over.

How utterly ruthless — not only could he not pay to build the opera house himself, but he was also being pushed to cover the palace construction costs. This was not only squeezing him to death, but also squeezing his mother consort to death.

Did his mother consort have money?

The answer was yes.

The old Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, knew very well how much property Consort Zheng possessed, but now it would likely all have to be brought out.

Letting out a breath, Zhu Changxun hastily knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, your subject's sins are grave indeed. That Your Majesty has not confiscated all of your subject's property is already a great kindness beyond measure."

"Now that your subject sees how frugal and thrifty Your Majesty is, your subject's heart aches as well. I am willing to contribute two million taels of silver to build the opera house within the palace. As for the remaining silver, I humbly present it to Your Majesty, so that Your Majesty may properly repair the palace."

"I beg Your Majesty to accept!" After saying these words, Zhu Changxun directly pressed his head to the ground and continued, "If Your Majesty does not accept, then your subject will not rise."

Hearing Zhu Changxun's words, a flash of anger crossed Zhu Youxiao's face as he said, "Uncle, what are you doing? Even if I am ever so poor, I cannot let Uncle pay this money. Would that not make it seem as though I were coercing Uncle?"

"Your Majesty speaks wrongly — all of this is done willingly by your subject." Zhu Changxun knelt on the ground and said, "Moreover, this is not only for Your Majesty's sake, but also for my mother consort's sake."

After saying these words, Zhu Changxun's heart sank.

He had originally thought to spend this money on his imperial nephew, the Emperor, but the imperial nephew did not take the bait and directly pushed the matter back out.

Now, if this money was said to be spent for his mother consort, then it had nothing to do with his imperial nephew, the Emperor. He was acting out of filial piety, and no one else could say anything about it.

This imperial nephew was truly as cunning as a fox — there was not a shred of doubt about that!