Chapter 2: The Prince Writes an Imperial Edict

The third year of Tianqi, spring, the Forbidden City, Jinghuan Palace.

At a desk, a young boy of seven or eight, dressed in brocade finery far beyond the ordinary, lay sprawled across the table, gripping a writing brush, laboring with great difficulty to write.

A burly man of the Embroidered Uniform Guard moved with great awkwardness, afraid of making the slightest sound, carefully approaching the boy.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on the young boy's forehead, his gaze fixed intently on the brush tip; every character he finished writing left him feeling exhausted.

"Your Highness, what are you writing?" The big man craned his neck for a look, and asked in a low voice, utterly bewildered.

Just then the young boy finished writing his last character. Looking at the still-wet ink strokes on the yellow paper, he smiled faintly and said: "Writing an 'imperial edict'!"

The big man clicked his tongue inwardly, thinking His Highness's audacity was growing by the day. Still, he hurriedly said: "Your Highness, Lord Sun is returning to his hometown today."

"Mm," — Zhu Xu was now Zhu Youxu, Prince Hui of the Great Ming — he picked up the 'imperial edict' and blew on it, saying: "Old Cao, bring me ten thousand taels in banknotes."

The big man was Cao Wenzhao, who had returned from Liaodong to report on his duties and had been snatched up by Zhu Xu to serve as his personal bodyguard; he now also doubled as the steward of Jinghuan Palace.

Cao Wenzhao pulled banknotes from his bosom, handed them to Zhu Xu, and asked: "Your Highness, what do you need the banknotes for?"

Zhu Xu rolled up the 'imperial edict' and tucked it into his robes. His gaze drifted toward the sky outside the door, and he said: "I'm going to see His Imperial Majesty. Oh, right — don't forget the matter I told you to keep watch on."

Cao Wenzhao's face turned solemn, and he said: "Rest assured, Your Highness. I've bribed a minor eunuch over there; if there's any news, he'll inform me at once."

"Good." Zhu Xu nodded. Wei Zhongxian's first baring of fangs had to be struck back. With that said, he walked out of the palace and headed toward the Imperial Study.

"Greetings, His Highness Prince Hui." The guards and eunuchs at the entrance of the Imperial Study, upon seeing Zhu Xu, hurriedly bowed in salute.

Zhu Xu pulled a few bits of silver from his robes and casually tossed them to the men, then announced in a loud voice: "Spend it as you like — this prince has plenty of silver."

The four men were overjoyed, hastily pocketing the silver and grinning obsequiously: "Thank you, Your Highness."

"Royal brother, come quickly, come quickly! I did it just as you said — come see if it's right!" The moment Zhu Xu set one foot into the Imperial Study, the Tianqi Emperor Zhu Youxiao came running over, pulling Zhu Xu inside. Of what had happened before, he seemed to take no notice at all.

There, on the imperial desk that should have been piled with memorials and documents, lay nothing but wood shavings — and a three-story European-style model sat neatly in the very center.

"Come, royal brother, take a look — is it the same as the drawing you made?" Zhu Youxiao gazed at the model, his expression quite delighted. Ever since his 'royal brother' had shown the same talent for craftsmanship as himself, the surprises he brought were more than a little.

Zhu Xu clasped his small hands behind his back, made a show of examining it, then shook his head: "Royal brother, here — it should be semicircular, symmetrical with this side. Also, this protruding section needs load-bearing pillars underneath."

Listening to Zhu Xu's words, Zhu Youxiao's eyes flew wide. He too had real skill, and upon hearing this he immediately snatched up the short woodworking knife on the desk and began carving on the model, while waving at Zhu Xu: "Royal brother, go play by yourself for a while — I'll try again."

Zhu Xu nodded and watched for a while longer. Seeing that Zhu Youxiao was fully absorbed, he then walked to one side, pulled the 'imperial edict' from his robes, smoothed it out flat, then picked up Zhu Youxiao's imperial jade seal and slammed it — or rather, smashed it — down hard onto the 'imperial edict'.

The table shuddered violently. Zhu Youxiao's knife paused at once, then he glanced over and said: "This imperial seal of mine gets more use from you than from me."

Zhu Xu put the jade seal back and giggled: "If I weren't still so young, my knife work would surely be better than yours, royal brother!"

Zhu Youxiao nodded seriously as well, saying: "That much is true. Wait a few more years until you've grown, and we brothers will join hands — we're sure to craft works no one in history has ever made!"

Zhu Xu nodded in agreement, but inwardly he sneered: you're the one who won't stick to your proper business — I'm certainly not going to become a carpenter.

Once Zhu Youxiao was again absorbed in his woodworking, Zhu Xu looked at a young eunuch not far away and beckoned: "Little Cao, come here."

"Your Highness." This eunuch was around twenty-some years old, with a fair, clean face and striking handsomeness; he hurried over.

Zhu Xu handed over the 'imperial edict' and the banknotes, his gaze calm yet authoritative: "Take the 'imperial edict' and these banknotes to the city gate and wait for Lord Sun."

Cao Huachun received the 'imperial edict', then looked up toward Zhu Youxiao.

Zhu Youxiao was already accustomed to this sort of behavior from Zhu Xu. He waved the woodworking knife in his hand and said impatiently: "If I tell you to go, then go."

"This servant obeys the decree." Cao Huachun took the 'imperial edict' and turned to leave.

Zhu Xu watched Cao Huachun walk out of the Imperial Study, then turned back to Zhu Youxiao and said: "Royal brother, this young eunuch of yours is quite good. Let him come to my palace — I'm just short of a head eunuch there."

Zhu Youxiao grew even more impatient, waving his hand repeatedly: "Take him, take him. If I don't give him to you, you'll go find the Empress to pester me."

Zhu Xu giggled, made a deep bow with cupped hands, and announced loudly: "Thank you, Your Majesty. Your subject brother takes his leave."

Zhu Youxiao didn't even acknowledge him. Zhu Xu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and strutted out of the Imperial Study with his chin held high.

After Zhu Xu left the Imperial Study, Zhu Youxiao stopped his work, looked up toward the doorway, and after a moment smiled faintly: "Sun Chuanting... very well. If a vacancy opens, I can always reinstate him."

From the eastern side of the Forbidden City, two or three plain, unremarkable carriages swayed slowly toward the western city gate.

Inside the first carriage sat a man of around thirty in plain clothes. His features were handsome and well-proportioned — not quite the face to rival Pan An, yet still striking, and carrying a natural air of authority. But at this moment his brows were knit tight and his eyes held a murderous glare; clearly his heart was seething with resentment.

He sat facing east. On the north and south sides of the carriage sat three women in simple dress with their hair coiled high — clearly married women. One of them, somewhat older, looked at her husband's barely contained fury and, hesitating, said softly: "Husband, are we really leaving just like this?"

The man immediately snapped in anger: "What else can we do but this? I will never set foot in this Forbidden City again in this lifetime!"

The other two women wore worried expressions. Though their husband had resigned in a fury, his heart was still unsettled — and the one he had offended was a eunuch before the Emperor. Who knew when disaster might descend from the heavens again.

"Husband, someone is blocking the road." Suddenly, the carriage driver turned his head and called into the cabin.

Seeing that her husband remained unmoved, the first wife couldn't help but say in a low voice: "Husband, perhaps it's one of your colleagues come to see you off."

The man's heart was already filled with a rage that refused to dissipate, yet he had not lost his reason. He sighed inwardly — what colleague would still dare to see him off? Still, he rose and stepped out of the carriage. The moment he got down, he froze.

Cao Huachun smiled faintly, stepped forward, and looked at Sun Chuanting: "Lord Sun, do you not recognize this servant?"

Sun Chuanting immediately confirmed it — this was a eunuch from the Emperor's side. His heart was filled with alarm and uncertainty, yet he still clasped his hands and asked: "May I ask what business Eunuch Cao has in blocking my path?"

Cao Huachun handed over the 'imperial edict' and the ten thousand taels in banknotes, saying with a smile: "Lord Sun may see for himself."

Sun Chuanting's heart was fraught with dread, but his face remained impassive as he took them. The banknotes he paid no mind to at all. He unfolded the folded yellow paper and saw twelve large characters written upon it, stamped with the Emperor's imperial seal.

'The realm is beset with hardship; go you for now, for the summons shall not be long in coming.'

Sun Chuanting's hand trembled. With a thud he knelt to the ground and cried out loudly: "How sagacious is His Majesty!"