Chapter 334: A Piece of Devoted Effort (Still Five Updates Today)

"Chief Grand Secretary, then how is my Imperial Father supposed to save face?"

Zhu Cilang then posed another difficult problem to Chief Grand Secretary Wei Zaode: what was to be done about Chongzhen's fall into the water? The news had already leaked. Considering that Zhu Cilang was now controlling the Son of Heaven to command the realm, everyone would probably assume he intended to kill the sovereign and seize the throne!

By then that old madman Zuo Liangyu might well think he had a chance to march east and fight! Although Zuo Liangyu certainly could not defeat the Kenan New Army, this was a critical moment for reform, and a stable external environment was needed.

Besides, the matter had to have some reasonable explanation, did it not? What could be said? That the Emperor was playing dead? That the Emperor had learned bad habits and was using suicide to threaten the Crown Prince? That did not fit the Chongzhen Emperor's established character either!

"We must have His Majesty go to the Xiao Mausoleum for the ritual sweeping as usual," Wei Zaode said. "As long as everyone sees that His Majesty is unharmed, the rumors will naturally disperse."

"He is willing to go sweep the Xiao Mausoleum?" Zhu Cilang frowned. "Is it not precisely because he lost half the realm and has no face to bow before the ancestors that he staged this whole affair?"

Wei Zaode said, "That... this subject and His Highness the Prince of Fu will go persuade His Majesty."

"You and the Prince of Fu can persuade him?" Zhu Cilang was doubtful.

"Let us try." Wei Zaode smiled. "This subject already has an idea."

"Oh?" The Prince of Fu, Zhu Yousong, looked at the top jinshi and Chief Grand Secretary Wei Zaode. "Chief Grand Secretary, how do you intend to persuade him?"

Wei Zaode said, "It is not this humble official who will persuade him, but Your Highness who will persuade him."

"Me?" The Prince of Fu was taken aback, thinking: Do I have that much face?

After Zhu Cilang left the Chongzhen Emperor's bedchamber with Wu Xiang, Wei Zaode, and Zhu Yousong, the other ministers and princes who had come to "mourn" also excused themselves on the pretext of not disturbing the Emperor's rest and withdrew. Only Empress Zhou, Lu Jiude, Pang Tianshou, and a few eunuchs and palace maids remained in the hall.

The Chongzhen Emperor had stopped coughing as well. He simply stared fixedly at the roof beam. This time he had truly flung a basin of filthy water onto the Crown Prince. He wondered how Zhu Cilang would respond. Would he become so enraged by shame that he really would kill his father? If he did, there was nothing here at Xipu that could stop him!

At that thought, the Chongzhen Emperor grew a little afraid again!

Just then, Wei Zaode and the Prince of Fu walked in.

"Your subject Wei Zaode respectfully inquires after His Majesty's sacred health."

"Your subject Zhu Yousong respectfully inquires after His Majesty's sacred health."

"Cough, cough, cough." Hearing their greetings, Chongzhen hastily began coughing — his feigned illness really was a bit unconvincing! But there was nothing to be done; his constitution was simply better than ordinary people's. He would turn thirty-four the next year and had barely ever been ill. With no experience in such matters, how could he fake it well?

The Prince of Fu, Zhu Yousong, was a drunkard with very poor health. Seeing Chongzhen pretending to be ill when he was not, he found it both laughable and awkward, so he said to Chongzhen, "Your Majesty, stop pretending. Your subjects all know Your Majesty is feigning illness, and we also know Your Majesty's intention."

Seen through? Chongzhen thought: We coughed that hard, and still We were seen through?

"What are you all talking about?" Empress Zhou's slightly reproachful voice rang out.

Of course she also knew Chongzhen was playing dead to deceive people, but the matter could not be exposed. If it were exposed, how could he ever save face?

"Your Highness," the Prince of Fu said, "this subject has discussed it with the other princes, the grand secretaries, and the guard commanders, and we all feel that His Majesty's feigned illness is a piece of devoted painstaking effort!"

So you finally saw it? Chongzhen thought: You know that We are enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden for the sake of the Ming realm!

Empress Zhou asked, "Do you know what His Majesty's devoted painstaking effort is?"

The Prince of Fu said, "Of course it is to pass the throne to the Crown Prince!"

Nonsense! The Chongzhen Emperor abruptly sat up, stopped coughing, and glared furiously at the fat Prince of Fu. His complexion at that moment was far better than the Prince of Fu's — no matter how one looked at him, he did not seem deathly ill and on the verge of dying!

The Prince of Fu said with a smile, "His Majesty is in the prime of life, with an excellent complexion. Even if he fell into the water, what of it? Moreover, the pond in an ordinary residence is not deep. His Majesty could stand in it and the water would not even reach his belt. How could he possibly choke on water?"

What? The pond water is not deep? Chongzhen was stunned. But the Taiye Pool was quite deep... Ah, right, that was the imperial palace! Xipu was only a garden. How deep could a pond inside a garden be?

The Prince of Fu continued, "With His Majesty's dragon constitution, there would be no problem in serving as Son of Heaven for another forty years. How long would the Crown Prince have to wait? And the Crown Prince is so brilliant and divinely martial — he is the sovereign who will restore the Ming — how could he be made to wait so long? So His Majesty devised this plan, using the fall into the water and catching a chill as a pretext to abdicate. His Majesty's intentions are truly painstaking! Your subjects have already understood His Majesty's implied will, and we will certainly handle the matter properly. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."

Rest assured? How could this Emperor possibly rest assured?

The Chongzhen Emperor stared wide-eyed, momentarily at a loss for words. Beside him, Empress Zhou hastily asked, "Your Majesty, is that what you meant? Do you truly wish to pass the throne to Chun'er?"

"We — since when did We ever mean to pass on the throne?" Chongzhen roared.

"What?" Wei Zaode suddenly cried out in alarm. "This is terrible! The princes and ministers are all urging the Crown Prince to take the throne right now!"

The Prince of Fu nodded as well. "Indeed. Everyone misunderstood, thinking Your Majesty had grown tired of being Son of Heaven and no longer wished to continue."

Could one ever grow tired of being Son of Heaven?

Chongzhen was truly speechless. How were the Ming's ministers and princes all so treacherous? They could twist anything into the question of his abdication.

"We will not abdicate!" Chongzhen said. "We are only thirty-four after the new year. How could We abdicate?"

"Not abdicate?" The Prince of Fu's bun-like face crumpled. "Then why were you feigning illness? What a mess this has become. What is to be done now?"

Wei Zaode said hurriedly, "Quickly send someone to tell the Crown Prince!"

"Too late!" the Prince of Fu said. "How fast does the yellow robe being draped on one's shoulders happen? Once he has ascended the throne, can he still step down? Your Majesty, perhaps we should just let the mistake stand!"

Chongzhen grew anxious. "Nonsense! How can such a matter be allowed to stand as a mistake?"

"Then what is to be done?" The Prince of Fu looked utterly helpless.

Wei Zaode, brows tightly knitted, said, "Your Majesty must risk leaving the palace! The people of Nanjing must see Your Majesty in the prime of life. And it must be done quickly — if we are slow, the Crown Prince will be the Son of Heaven!"

Once he became Emperor, there would be no stepping down! If Chongzhen still refused to yield the throne, it would become a life-and-death struggle!

Chongzhen had no time to think it through carefully. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Lu Jiude, help Us change clothes. We — We shall ascend the Sanshan Gate!"

The Prince of Fu immediately pressed, "Will Your Majesty still go sweep the Xiao Mausoleum tomorrow? If Your Majesty's dragon body is unharmed, you should go to the Xiao Mausoleum and bow before the Exalted Emperor, the Grand Progenitor."

Chongzhen stamped his foot. "Tomorrow... We shall go to the Xiao Mausoleum to beg forgiveness from the ancestors. Remember this: only to beg forgiveness, not to pass on the throne! After begging forgiveness, We are still the Emperor!"

Chongzhen really was easy to deceive. One nudge from Wei Zaode and he fell for it again — this man had only been the top jinshi for a few years and had already managed to coax a Chief Grand Secretary post out of Chongzhen, so his talent for persuasion could well be imagined. The Prince of Fu, who played along with him, clearly had a gift for acting as well. It seemed his position as foremost among the princes could continue.

(End of Chapter)