Chapter 85: Hidden Worries Come One After Another

Zhu Xu had actually underestimated the difficulty of the late Ming. Grain was sometimes more precious than gold.

Moreover, the Great Ming suffered from droughts, locust plagues, frequent earthquakes, and endless popular uprisings. Even here in the capital, beneath the very feet of the Son of Heaven, cheap noodles were worth fighting over.

Zhu Xu flipped through the pages slowly. When he saw the name Yang Huaizhong, his eyes narrowed involuntarily.

This wealthy merchant of Datong was not conspicuous among the Shanxi merchants, but he was the kind who kept the lowest profile while quietly amassing a fortune. In later ages, someone had opened the coffin of a Shanxi merchant—the grave goods were no less than those of a prince!

Most importantly, this man had dealings with the Dutch who occupied Taiwan and the Portuguese who lived in Macau, while also running smuggling operations with the Later Jin!

"Don't rush, don't rush. Take it slow."

Zhu Xu told himself quietly, suppressing the urgency in his heart, telling himself that the time to scheme against them had not yet come.

"Alright, file it away. Oh, Sister Qingqing, bring me a watermelon—iced." Zhu Xu closed the ledger and turned to call out to Yao Qingqing.

Yao Qingqing glanced at the two men, bent her knees slightly, and turned to head toward the kitchen.

Cao Wenzhao glanced around, then stepped close and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, I've received word that His Majesty wants to release Wei Zhongxian."

Zhu Xu's heart leaped at once, but he quickly furrowed his brow in thought and asked, "Are you certain?"

"I heard His Majesty even sent his personal attendants to the imperial prison to check on him. It's basically confirmed." Cao Wenzhao said.

Zhu Xu's eyes narrowed, and a faint worry stirred in his heart.

Wei Zhongxian was someone he had put in there. Although Wei Liangqing did not walk closely with Zhou Yingqiu, it probably wouldn't stay hidden for long. If Wei Zhongxian learned that Zhu Xu had engineered his downfall, and that Zhu Xu had returned to the palace, then things would not be so easy to handle.

Zhu Xu fell silent. Zhu Youxiao had never fully recovered his spirits since Madam Ke's death. Whether in court affairs or carpentry craftsmanship, he seemed utterly perfunctory. As a result, Zhu Xu rarely visited the Imperial Study. On top of that, Zhu Xu had nearly ransacked every yamen in the capital this time—no matter what Zhu Youxiao thought in his heart, Zhu Xu felt too guilty to dare visit him often.

If Zhu Youxiao harbored any suspicions, or if he transferred his guilt over Madam Ke's death into compensation for Wei Zhongxian, that would pose an enormous threat to Zhu Xu! No one understood Wei Zhongxian's capacity for destruction better than he did.

Cao Wenzhao looked at Zhu Xu's furrowed brow and said in a low voice, "There's also word from the maternal uncle's side—His Majesty intends to promote the maternal uncle to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

Zhu Xu's brow furrowed even deeper. Ming emperors, in order to seize power from their ministers, would often recklessly trample on ancestral rules or the rites and regulations established by those literati—but when it came to consort relatives or princes, they were basically unanimous.

That was: strict vigilance and absolute defense!

"Elder Brother Emperor, what scheme are you cooking up now?"

Zhu Xu felt uneasy, vaguely sensing that all of Zhu Youxiao's moves were aimed at him.

"I'll go see Sister-in-Law Empress."

Zhu Xu suddenly stood up, grabbing his clothes to head outside.

Cao Wenzhao was startled. While helping Zhu Xu with his clothes, he said, "Your Highness, are you going to sound out Her Majesty the Empress?"

"No," Zhu Xu finished dressing and straightened himself, then took a breath and said, "I can't keep staying in the palace. The house arrest order must be lifted."

Cao Wenzhao fell silent at this. Last time, Zhu Xu had nearly offended every civil and military official in the court. Although it had ultimately fizzled out, those gentlemen were masters of settling scores after the autumn harvest. No one knew whether they were holding back some hidden move against Zhu Xu. That was why Empress Zhang's house arrest order on Zhu Xu had never wavered—no matter what tricks Zhu Xu tried, nothing worked.

This time, he was equally pessimistic.

But Zhu Xu didn't care about any of that anymore. Wei Zhongxian—that man was far too terrifying, absolutely not to be underestimated!

He hurried to the gate of Kunning Palace, rearranged the words he had rehearsed along the way, then ran in with a grin, calling out, "Sister-in-Law Empress, I'm here again! Huan'er, this prince wants watermelon—iced!"

Huan'er was just then doing embroidery with Empress Zhang. Hearing this, she looked up and glanced at Zhu Xu, then muttered to Empress Zhang in a voice neither loud nor soft: "Your Grace, we don't have much watermelon left either. We can't keep feeding it to outsiders."

Empress Zhang was already more than four months pregnant, her belly slightly rounded. She looked at Huan'er and said, "Alright now. Our Prince Hui has been cooped up in the palace lately. If we don't give him some watermelon, I worry he'll mope himself into an illness."

Zhu Xu sat down across from Empress Zhang and complained, "Sister-in-Law Empress, the people in your palace are getting more and more undisciplined. How about sending them to my palace—I'll train them for a while?"

Empress Zhang let out a chiding laugh and said, "Enough. Drop that idea right now. Come on, what's the real reason you're here again today?"

Zhu Xu straightened his back and said with utter seriousness, "To eat watermelon."

Empress Zhang looked at him, her eyes and brows carrying a smile. She had clearly seen through Zhu Xu's intentions long ago—she just refused to take the bait.

Huan'er soon brought up the cut watermelon and served it to Zhu Xu.

Zhu Xu glanced at Empress Zhang and said with a look of concern, "Sister-in-Law Empress, has your appetite been alright lately?"

Empress Zhang's face was radiant with maternal light. She touched her small belly and said with a soft smile, "Quite well. Those pastries you had sent over are quite appetizing. I've been eating well lately."

Zhu Xu gnawed on his watermelon and mumbled, "That's good."

Zhu Xu chatted idly with Empress Zhang while eating watermelon—both of them were the sort of idle people with time to spare. After finishing the watermelon, Zhu Xu wanted pastries too, while Empress Zhang embroidered and dealt with Zhu Xu half-heartedly.

Before they knew it, it was noon. Zhu Xu showed no sign of leaving, nor did he mention going out of the palace. Empress Zhang likewise seemed determined not to allow Zhu Xu out of the palace, and went along with Zhu Xu's topics in idle chatter.

Zhu Xu kept eating without pause, all the way until noon. He turned to look at the sky, then suddenly said to Huan'er, "Sister Huan'er, quickly—prepare the midday meal. I want to dine with Sister-in-Law Empress."

Huan'er's eyes went wide. Had Prince Hui suddenly turned into a pig today?

Empress Zhang, however, saw through it all like a clear mirror. She turned to Huan'er and said with a faint smile, "Didn't you hear Prince Hui? Go prepare the midday meal."

"Yes, Your Grace." Huan'er vaguely understood as well. She pursed her lips in a smile, acknowledged the order, and turned to leave.

Zhu Xu chattered on about this and that, then, thinking of the Wei Zhongxian matter, abruptly changed the subject: "Sister-in-Law Empress, has Elder Brother Emperor been coming by often lately?"

Empress Zhang's expression clearly stiffened for a moment, then she quickly masked it. Keeping her head down as she embroidered, she said, "Alright, I'm tired. If there's nothing else, you should head back."

Zhu Xu had only asked casually, but seeing Empress Zhang's expression, his heart stirred sharply. Could it be that his elder brother had taken a fancy to someone new?

'Why do I feel like I've been as blind as a bat in this palace lately?'

Zhu Xu muttered inwardly, but on the surface he kept his grin and said, "I've nowhere to go anyway. I'll just stay and chat with you, Sister-in-Law Empress."

Empress Zhang seemed to have lost all interest because of Zhu Xu's earlier question. She said flatly, "From now on, you'll be allowed out of the palace twice a month, each time no more than one hour. If you exceed it, don't even think about leaving the palace again."

Zhu Xu's face lit up with surprise, but inwardly he grew very wary. What kind of woman could make Empress Zhang—who never revealed her emotions—lose her composure like that?