Chapter 8: A Crown Prince with a Mother Is a Treasure (With Favorites, With Recommendations,)

"Her Majesty the Empress summons the Crown Prince to an audience." A eunuch's high, chanting voice rang out.

At that moment, Zhu Cilang was standing boldly at the entrance of Kunning Palace, his brows tightly knitted.

So this was meeting the parents... Although his body was genuine beyond doubt — the original Zhu Cilang — his soul had been swapped for a different version, no longer the original stock! Would Empress Zhou see through him?

Though somewhat uneasy inside, Zhu Cilang still straightened his crimson everyday robe and strode toward the main hall of Kunning Palace.

Empress Zhou had only returned from Qianqing Palace to Kunning Palace that morning, and her eyes were still a little red — whether from crying or from a sleepless night, it was hard to say. The instant she saw her son, her brows furrowed involuntarily. Something about the Crown Prince seemed off. Why wasn't he wearing a worried, gloomy face? Since the start of the year, the Crown Prince had been so burdened by concern for the state and the people that his face was always clouded with gloom, as if he and his Imperial Father had come from the same mold.

Why did he look so full of life today? Could something good have happened?

"Chun Ge'er has come." Empress Zhou nodded slightly at her son, her slender, delicate fingers resting on the armrest of her chair. In her sorrowful eyes, a tender, loving gaze appeared.

Empress Zhou and Chongzhen were born in the same year; both were thirty-three this year. She had kept herself well, and she was a beauty chosen from among thousands. Though she wore no makeup, her natural looks could be described as enough to make fish sink and geese fall.

Seeing her, Zhu Cilang couldn't help thinking of his wife from his previous life. How was she now? Would the property he left behind be enough for her to spend? She never had much sense about money...

At that thought, a fondness for Empress Zhou that surpassed ordinary mother-son affection rose in Zhu Cilang. And when he thought that in a few days this beauty would be done to death by that fatuous ruler Chongzhen, his sympathy stirred.

It seemed he really had to save her... A real man, a true man — how could he not save such a beautiful mother? Would that even be human?

"Chun Ge'er, what are you thinking about?" Empress Zhou's slightly hoarse voice broke into Zhu Cilang's thoughts.

Only then did Zhu Cilang come back to himself. He hurriedly made a deep bow and said, "Your eldest son Cilang greets Imperial Mother and wishes Your Highness peace."

Empress Zhou raised her hand, and Zhu Cilang straightened up accordingly.

Palace attendants brought an embroidered stool and placed it below the Empress's seat.

Zhu Cilang sat down steadily upon it and looked at his beautiful mother with a grin.

Empress Zhou's fine brows knitted slightly. The Chongzhen Emperor was determined to be a sage ruler, so after taking the throne he had vigorously tightened palace ritual and decorum. And the Crown Prince was an obedient child, proper from childhood — practically a model Crown Prince. As he grew older, his temperament came to resemble Chongzhen's: very serious, rarely grinning like this.

"All of you, withdraw," Empress Zhou said in a low voice.

These words were directed at the surrounding palace attendants and eunuchs. Between mother and son, there were private words to be said.

When she saw that the palace maids and eunuchs had all withdrawn, Empress Zhou looked at her son with tender affection. Seeing the unseemly smile on his face, she shook her head and said, "What is it today? Why are you so happy?"

Happy?

Zhu Cilang was taken aback too. He was thoroughly depressed! Not happy at all — how could anyone be happy about something like this...

Oh, she meant the smile hanging on his face? That was professional habit. When meeting investors, one had to look optimistic; one couldn't wear a gloomy face as if the stock market were about to crash.

Zhu Cilang put away his smile and switched to a standard bitter-gourd face — the expression he used when discussing refinancing with listed companies.

Seeing her son change faces as fast as flipping a page, Empress Zhou was even more astonished. Was this the legendary ability to hide one's emotions? Even his Imperial Father lacked such skill. For one so young to have such depth — he was a bit stronger than his Imperial Father.

Empress Zhou lowered her voice: "Divine Physician Zeng said that your long sleep yesterday was not illness, but perhaps a dream sent by the ancestors... Is there truth in this?"

So Divine Physician Zeng really did have some skill?

At these words, Zhu Cilang immediately looked at that four-eyed imperial physician with new respect. To even diagnose an ancestor-sent dream — he truly was a divine physician!

He paused, then said slowly, "Imperial Mother, your son saw the Exalted Emperor, Grand Progenitor Gao, in a dream!"

Empress Zhou's face changed color: "Truly a dream from the old ancestor? Did the old ancestor say anything in the dream? Can our Great Ming... survive this calamity?"

Zhu Cilang looked at his mother, her lovely face drained of color, and mused that this beautiful mother was even easier to fool than Wang Cheng'en! She believed him the moment he said it. How could such a guileless woman play palace intrigue with anyone?

In truth, there had never been much splendid palace intrigue in Chongzhen's inner court.

Apart from the dynasty's founding years, Ming empresses and consorts had always been chosen from humble households. They had never had the chance to be steeped in the intrigues of great mansions. Someone like Empress Zhou had entered the palace at fourteen or fifteen, in the prime of innocence, become Princess of Xin, then been promoted to Empress, and smoothly borne a prince. And Chongzhen was a man so proper as to be dull. How much storm and intrigue could there be in his inner court?

Moreover, Empress Zhou and the Chongzhen Emperor were deeply attached. She had borne Chongzhen three sons and two daughters, of whom two sons and one daughter still survived. And under the Ming succession system, the Crown Prince was inevitably her son; as long as her son did not die before Chongzhen, the position of heir apparent was unshakable!

In all of Ming history, no Crown Prince had ever been deposed by his Imperial Father!

The civil officials of Great Ming loved nothing more than "contending over the foundation of the state"! If it blew up, the Chongzhen Emperor could not bear it!

So Empress Zhou had gone from obedient girl to obedient princess consort to obedient empress. Though she had once clashed with Noble Consort Tian, it was not as later legends claimed — that she had even bought Chen Yuanyuan to beguile Chongzhen. Sending a courtesan into the imperial palace — if the civil officials learned of such a thing, wouldn't they drown some state father-in-law in spittle?

Besides, State Father-in-Law Zhou was a famous miser. How could he bear to buy Chen Yuanyuan? Chen Yuanyuan was terribly expensive!

Zhu Cilang looked at his simple-hearted, beautiful mother and sighed: "Imperial Mother, the Exalted Emperor, Grand Progenitor Gao, said that Juyong Pass has already fallen, and Tang Tong and Du Zhizhi have both gone over to the bandits... Tomorrow the Roving Bandit's great army will reach the outskirts of the capital, and the day after they will surround the city and attack!"

"Ah..." Empress Zhou's face went deathly pale, and her voice trembled. "Is — is — is this true? Our Great Ming..."

At that, tears came streaming down, and the sight was truly heart-wrenching!

Zhu Cilang hastened to comfort her: "Imperial Mother, do not worry. Your son and Wang Cheng'en are already arranging a breakout... When the time comes, we will surely keep Imperial Mother and Imperial Father safe."

Empress Zhou's expression eased a little, but her tears would not stop flowing. For her, the fall of the capital meant only one road: death!

Chongzhen, as Emperor of Great Ming, might not truly die for the altars of the state, but she, as Empress, would in the moment of crisis have to take her own life to preserve her chastity... Death — of course Empress Zhou feared it!

Empress Zhou asked through her tears: "What can a child like you do? Wang Cheng'en can't be counted on either — he's just a useless, honest man!"

"There is a way, there is a way," Zhu Cilang said with feigned mystery. "If there were no way, the Exalted Emperor, Grand Progenitor Gao, would not have sent your son a dream."

"Truly?" Empress Zhou looked at her son pitifully.

"Truly, truly!" Zhu Cilang nodded earnestly. "Imperial Mother need only trust your son. However, your son has an unworthy request."

"Cilang, what unworthy request would you make of your mother?" Empress Zhou thought for a moment. "Is it money you need? Mother still has some private savings; you may take it all."

"Imperial Mother," Zhu Cilang nodded, "consider your private savings a loan to your son. Once we reach the south, your son will repay it double."

"Repay what? And where would you get money to repay?"

"Then your son thanks Mother most gratefully." Zhu Cilang said thanks with his lips, but the money would certainly be repaid. Not to mention that once they reached Jiangnan and he became emperor, even if he were to govern jointly with Chongzhen as Crown Prince, he would have ways to rake in plenty of money.

"Imperial Mother," Zhu Cilang continued, "your son's unworthy request is not for money, but that Imperial Mother temporarily conceal from Imperial Father both the dream sent by the Exalted Emperor, Grand Progenitor Gao, and the breakout your son and Wang Cheng'en are arranging."

"Why conceal it?" Empress Zhou did not understand.

Zhu Cilang said, "Because Imperial Father should not know these things."

"Should not?"

"Correct!" Zhu Cilang nodded. "Imperial Father is a wise ruler. He can only guard the gates of the state and die for the altars. How could he arrange flight? This should have been arranged privately by Wang Cheng'en all along. If it were exposed, Imperial Father would surely oppose it."

"That is true!" Empress Zhou nodded repeatedly. "But Wang Cheng'en is such an honest old eunuch."

Zhu Cilang smiled: "Fortunately, Great Ming has the protection of its ancestors... But the matter of a dream is too fantastical. Imperial Father is a wise ruler and will not readily believe such a thing. If he learned of it, he would insist on a thorough investigation — but by the time everything was made clear, the Roving Bandit would be inside the city!"

Empress Zhou nodded: "You have thought it through well, Cilang... That Imperial Father of yours has a wooden head and cannot turn corners. Mother will certainly cover this matter for you. And if there is anything else you need Mother's help with, speak freely. If you cannot get away, send Huang Dabao to tell me."

Zhu Cilang let out a breath. A crown prince with a mother is a treasure indeed! With Empress Zhou cooperating, his chances of successfully breaking out and escaping had just grown considerably!

(End of Chapter)