Chapter 295: Now It's Duke Chengguo's Turn to Enter the Palace for a Drink

In the capital, some news can be suppressed in an instant, while other news spreads very quickly—especially matters everyone cares deeply about, such as news from within the imperial palace, or affairs in officialdom.

Those who follow such news include gentry, common folk, and above all, the officials of the Great Ming.

Recently, everyone in the court learned of one thing: His Majesty had richly rewarded the old Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun.

It was said that the old Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, had contributed two million taels of silver to the palace, asking His Majesty to use it to build a theater pavilion as a filial offering to Consort Dowager Zheng. Meanwhile, the remaining funds were for His Majesty to repair the imperial palace, since His Majesty had even halted construction within the palace.

In response, His Majesty was greatly pleased and, with a wave of his hand, bestowed an imperial manor upon Zhu Changxun.

The news spread with vivid detail, sweeping across the entire Ming officialdom like a typhoon.

Opinions on the matter varied widely. Everyone felt this was not a good thing—especially the four Grand Secretaries in the Grand Secretariat.

The Grand Secretariat duty room.

Han Kuang and the other three sat together drinking tea, with a few simple pastries laid out on the table, which they occasionally picked up and ate. There was no kitchen here, no meals to be had; eating a few pastries was merely to fill their stomachs.

Han Kuang took a sip of tea and gently set his teacup down on the table.

Seeing that everyone had more or less finished eating, he spoke slowly: "This year's court expenditures have been passable, with some surplus one way or another. Should we repair the imperial palace for His Majesty?"

After these words were spoken, Xu Guangqi and the others exchanged glances. They had long since received the news and naturally understood what Han Kuang meant by saying this.

Still, the several men remained somewhat hesitant—especially Xu Guangqi, the Second Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat.

Unlike the others, Xu Guangqi concurrently held the post of Minister of Revenue. No one knew the fiscal condition of the Great Ming better than he did.

Saying there was a surplus was, in truth, still a matter of patching holes, squeezing funds from elsewhere. In reality, it would be better not to spend this money at all.

Xu Guangqi also understood Han Kuang's intent—after all, Zhu Changxun's gesture had pleased His Majesty greatly, which meant His Majesty was short on funds.

Could it be that they, as his ministers, had been too harsh on His Majesty?

If so, His Majesty might become displeased.

That would not be a very good thing, so Han Kuang's proposal was hardly surprising.

After a brief moment of deliberation, Sun Chengzong spoke slowly: "If it can be postponed, it should be postponed. The southwest is still engaged in warfare—though a report of victory arrived earlier, no one knows how things will ultimately end."

"Liaodong is also unsettled. This winter has been quite cold, and I estimate that come spring, there will be a major battle in Liaodong. Beyond that, the northwest is unstable as well, with many natural disasters across the regions—both droughts and floods."

"It would be more prudent for the court to retain some silver. Should any unexpected crisis arise, we would be prepared to respond." Sun Chengzong's words were quite direct, and his meaning was clear:

They could not give money to His Majesty.

If it were any other matter, perhaps it could be discussed, but taking this money to repair the imperial palace for His Majesty was something Sun Chengzong would absolutely not concede.

As for whether His Majesty would be pleased or not, that was no longer something Sun Chengzong could concern himself with at the moment.

Huang Kezuan glanced at Sun Chengzong without changing his expression, somewhat surprised.

He had originally assumed Sun Chengzong would support Han Kuang's words, since Sun Chengzong was His Majesty's teacher and would surely feel some sympathy for his own student.

Since Sun Chengzong had spoken thus, Huang Kezuan saw no need to voice anything further.

Having one position stated was enough; there was no need for him to add more. Approving this matter was not right, and disapproving was also not right, so saying nothing was best.

Han Kuang glanced at Sun Chengzong, nodding noncommittally, then turned his gaze to Xu Guangqi and asked with a smile: "What does Grand Secretary Xu think of this matter?"

After a brief moment of deliberation, Xu Guangqi showed an expression of agreement, nodded, and said: "I believe Grand Secretary Sun is right."

Having said this, Xu Guangqi did not speak further.

A single sentence of position-taking was sufficient; saying more would hold little meaning.

Han Kuang had not expected his proposal to be rejected, but he did not mind either way.

This proposal only needed to be voiced through his mouth; if it were truly to be implemented, he would actually find it a headache, for the money truly was not that abundant.

Now that he had raised it and they had opposed it, that was for the best. If word of this reached His Majesty's ears, he would bear no responsibility, and His Majesty would not come to despise him.

Han Kuang was quite clear about his own position. Neither Sun Chengzong nor Xu Guangqi shared the same relationship with His Majesty as he did.

Sun Chengzong was His Majesty's teacher; Xu Guangqi had always been His Majesty's trusted confidant, deeply favored by His Majesty. In this regard, he could not compare to the two of them.

Some time ago, someone had directed their spear at him, and Han Kuang suspected it was these two men. After all, Sun Chengzong and the other looked down on him.

Especially Xu Guangqi—previously, with unstable standing and insufficient power, he had made no major moves against Han Kuang, but now he was clearly unable to hold himself back.

Having this opportunity to display loyalty was enough. Han Kuang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said thoughtfully: "In that case, let it be so."

The affairs of the Grand Secretariat soon spread outward; no one knew who had leaked the news.

In any case, whether it was the Ming imperial palace or the various government offices, they were often like a tattered net that could hold nothing back.

Upon receiving the news, Zhu Youxiao let out a helpless sigh.

For Zhu Youxiao, such matters truly needed to be avoided as much as possible. If the four Grand Secretaries started making a fuss, it would be quite troublesome indeed. It seemed the pace would need to be accelerated.

Checking the time, Zhu Youxiao glanced at Chen Hong, who stood not far away, and asked: "Is everything ready over there?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, everything is ready." Chen Hong hurriedly replied.

"Good, then let's go take a look." Zhu Youxiao stood up and said with a smile.

After saying this, Zhu Youxiao walked directly outside.

After stepping through the doorway, Zhu Youxiao suddenly seemed to recall something and asked: "Has Duke Chengguo arrived?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, he has arrived." Chen Hong once again answered respectfully.

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said nothing more, instead walking over to the theater stage.

Unlike yesterday, there were no women here now—only Duke Chengguo, Zhu Chunchen, and the old Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, seated upright.

At this moment, the atmosphere between the two men was somewhat awkward, for they were not familiar with each other.

Of course, that was only one reason. The other reason was genuine awkwardness: Zhu Changxun had originally been a prince, but now he no longer held a title, and his face could not bear it.

Duke Chengguo, for his part, did not know how to address Zhu Changxun, nor how to calibrate his relationship with this former prince.

Being too close was certainly inappropriate, and being too distant also seemed unsuitable. Moreover, this man had recently seemed to gain His Majesty's favor—who knew if he might turn things around one day.

This left Duke Chengguo quite vexed, making things even more awkward.

Fortunately, the awkwardness between the two did not last long, for Zhu Youxiao arrived.

Upon seeing their sovereign approach, the two men breathed a sigh of relief, quickly rose from their seats, walked over, and together bowed respectfully to Zhu Youxiao. "Your Majesty."

Watching the two of them, Zhu Youxiao smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, no need for formalities. This isn't the court, so relax—no need for so much ceremony."

Zhu Changxun and the other man smiled, yet their etiquette remained impeccably proper.

Some things His Majesty says are best taken with a grain of salt and never taken seriously; but sometimes, words that seem like jokes truly must be taken to heart, or the consequences will be truly dire.

"Alright, sit down, let's watch the opera together." After Zhu Youxiao sat down and saw the two still standing there dumbfounded, he couldn't help but smile and gesture for Zhu Changxun and the other man to take their seats.

Zhu Changxun and the other man dared not be remiss, carefully taking their seats.

Ever since the last time he watched an opera, Zhu Changxun was utterly unwilling to watch another—his heart was truly uneasy, unsure of what situation awaited him.

Zhu Changxun was very worried that his imperial nephew might trick him again.

The Duke of Cheng beside him was the same—the whole man was tense.

After all, compared to the other dukes, the Duke of Cheng's family had declined considerably over the years and had never received much favor. His relationship with His Majesty wasn't that good either, so why had he been summoned?

Thus, the Duke of Cheng's heart was also filled with trepidation, though he dared not ask.

The opera began soon enough—first came *The Romance of the Western Chamber*, followed by *The Pavilion of the Moon Worship* and other pieces.

Aside from *The Romance of the Western Chamber*, Zhu Youxiao had never heard of or seen the others, yet today he found them quite enjoyable.

Zhu Changxun and the Duke of Cheng had been nervous at first, but when they realized it truly seemed to be just opera-watching, they relaxed and began watching along as well.

The opera continued until the sun set over the western mountains.

Zhu Youxiao stood up, somewhat reluctant to leave, and smiled at the two men, saying, "What do my two beloved ministers think?"

"Truly splendid and brilliant." The Duke of Cheng hurriedly smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for allowing me into the palace—otherwise I would never have known this opera was so wonderful."

"Good, good—I am pleased today as well, so let us, sovereign and ministers, share some wine together." Zhu Youxiao smiled and said, "Chen Hong, prepare the wine and dishes."

Beside him, Zhu Changxun's face was about to turn black.

Drinking again?

He still remembered that two-million-tael silver banquet from last night.

But when His Majesty bestows a favor, one dares not refuse. Zhu Changxun could only resolve inwardly to be careful and absolutely not drink too much.

The Duke of Cheng beside him, however, had no such concerns—he was actually rather pleased.

First an opera, and now a banquet of wine bestowed as well—it seemed His Majesty truly valued him. Could it be that from today onward, he would become one of His Majesty's favored ministers?

The Duke of Cheng was overjoyed inside—his family was finally about to turn things around!

All these years, he'd only watched the Duke of Ding and the Duke of Ying—especially the Duke of Ying, whose household was of the utmost prominence.

Though they were all dukes, his own family was far behind theirs. Thinking that his family was about to flourish and grow, the Duke of Cheng was truly delighted.

Leaving the opera stage, they came to the palace hall ahead, where the wine and dishes were already prepared.

After each had taken their seats, Zhu Youxiao smiled and said, "Today's opera was quite good—Imperial Uncle has been thoughtful."

With that, Zhu Youxiao raised his wine cup and drank it down.

Zhu Changxun and the other man dared not be remiss—if His Majesty had drunk, how could they not? Would they not feel ashamed?

In the end, Zhu Youxiao's mood truly seemed excellent, and he drank cup after cup, leaving Zhu Changxun and the other man no choice but to keep him company.

The wine went down fast and furious—after a dozen or so cups, Zhu Changxun and the Duke of Cheng were both feeling rather muddled.