Chapter 278: The Rear Palace

"Sister, you're only a few months along—these next month or two are when you must be most careful. On no account should you move about freely, and you must never be without someone at your side. I'll give orders shortly to send several more maids and eunuchs to Cining Palace for your use. When you have nothing to do, it's best to rest quietly, and your food and drink should lean toward the light and plain. The privy purse is quite ample now—we're not short the silver it takes to nourish our bodies. If you need anything, sister, just have the servants below purchase it. His Majesty is broad-minded and generous by nature; he won't quibble over a bit of silver spent in the rear palace. This is a great matter concerning the continuation of the bloodline!"

On the brocade couch in Kunning Palace, Empress Zhou held Noble Consort Yuan's hand and urged her earnestly.

The Crown Prince, Prince Ding, and Kunxing were all born of Empress Zhou, so she was rich in experience when it came to childbirth. Noble Consort Yuan had once borne Zhu Youjian a son, but sadly the child had died in the seventh year of Chongzhen. As a woman herself, Empress Zhou understood Noble Consort Yuan's inner grief from the bottom of her heart. Moreover, Noble Consort Yuan's soft and gentle disposition made it hard for anyone to feel dislike toward her, so in the rear palace she received special care and attention, and the two ordinarily addressed each other as sisters.

Since the end of the ninth year of Chongzhen, first Empress Zhou had conceived, and when the new year turned, Noble Consort Yuan and Noble Consort Tian had also conceived in succession. This delighted Zhu Youjian to no end—if nothing unexpected happened, he would finally have true heirs of his own blood, and his lineage would continue in this world.

"I'm grateful for sister's concern; I'll keep your admonitions in my heart. I do know to rest quietly in ordinary times—it's just that I thought sister was nearing her time and, unable to set my mind at ease, came to visit. Though sister has been through childbirth several times, you must not be careless—take care in all things. Lang'er and the others are visibly growing up, but the palace has not added a new little one in a long while. Our Great Ming grows more peaceful by the day, and the rear palace has seen one happy conception after another; His Majesty's countenance shows his joy every day—the gods and Buddhas above have truly opened their eyes! I was thinking, sister, that once the children are born and pass their hundredth day, we sisters should go to Wanshou Temple to offer incense and donate some oil money, thanking the gods and Buddhas for their protection of our Zhu family. What do you think, sister?"

The death of her previous child had struck Noble Consort Yuan a heavy blow. From then on she often ate vegetarian meals and chanted sutras, making vows and praying for blessings, beseeching the Buddha's care so that she might conceive a child of the dragon again.

Whether it was due to the Buddha's protection or some other reason, several years later her wish was finally fulfilled. This left Noble Consort Yuan both overjoyed and somewhat anxious, fearing that after the child was born misfortune might strike again—hence her idea of going to Wanshou Temple to offer incense and make her prayers.

"Sister's idea is excellent! When the time comes, we'll bring Lang'er and the other little ones along. First we'll go enjoy ourselves at West Lake, then on the return trip we'll stop at the temple to offer incense, take a meal, rest a while, and then turn back to the palace."

"Sister, I'll follow your arrangements. As for the outing, I've roughly calculated the dates—the incense offering will fall right in the third or fourth month of next year, when flowers are red and willows green everywhere. Lang'er and the other little ones are sure to have a perfectly delightful time! Hee hee!"

"Sister, don't speak of going out to play! Ever since His Majesty took the Crown Prince out of the palace a few times, the boy has gotten a wild streak. Whenever the five-day rest day comes around, he sneaks out of the palace. I've disciplined him any number of times to no avail. When I told His Majesty about it, he always wears an air of letting it be—saying the Crown Prince will one day inherit the great throne and cannot sit in this tiny corner of the palace discoursing on doctrine, or he'll know nothing of the world outside; that he must learn the hardships of the common people, know how much salt costs, how much grain goes for; and he even says things like 'reading ten thousand volumes is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles,' and that in the future he'll have the children travel even farther. But in these thousand years, has there ever been a Crown Prince who ran wild outside the palace? Emperor Wuzong's lesson is not far behind us—I truly worry the Crown Prince will take the wrong path! But what can I do when His Majesty is set on it? Alas!"

As for the methods the Ming dynasty and all previous dynasties had used to train their heirs apparent, Zhu Youjian, coming from a later age, naturally opposed them utterly.

History had already proven that heirs apparent raised deep in the palace among women, though many had studied a bellyful of book learning under their tutors, had basically no chance to step outside the palace gates and get close to the common people, so they knew almost nothing of the world beyond the walls. This led to their lacking sufficient understanding and means for governing the realm after they took the throne, being utterly unaware of the dark side of human nature—and that was how, under the various machinations of those civil officials, they gradually became puppets, and many even bore the infamy of being benighted rulers.

At the present stage, the palace had already been cleaned up very thoroughly. Under his various measures and heavy investment, the living standards of the capital's commoners had already been greatly improved. The Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Shuntian Prefecture, and the Five Wards Troops and Horses Office had carried out joint crackdown operations in the capital the previous year, clearing out great numbers of city rats and ruffians, thugs and rogues. Public order in the capital could be said to be at the best point in its history, so Zhu Youjian was not worried about Zhu Cilang's safety once he left the palace. Moreover, several dozen Embroidered Uniform Guard members protected him openly or in secret—and besides, who could know that Zhu Cilang and the others, traveling in plain clothes, were of imperial blood?

Zhu Youjian was not satisfied with Zhu Cilang and the other children being limited to activities within the capital—he had an even greater plan.

He intended that after Zhu Cilang came of age, following the later-age practice of attending university in a distant place, he would encourage and support the children in traveling farther, to gain a deeper understanding of the Great Ming's current state, to come into contact with all manner of people and affairs, so that after they took the throne in the future they could not be deceived by others and could better make decisions and control the overall situation.

Of course, that was a matter for later. Zhu Cilang, born in the second year of Chongzhen, was only nine this year—there was still plenty of time, and everything could be arranged and planned at a more leisurely pace.

"Who is that speaking ill of me behind my back? Heh heh! The Empress has always been open-minded and quick-witted—how is it that when it comes to her own flesh and blood she loses her decisiveness?"

As the words fell, Zhu Youjian strode in with his hands clasped behind his back, Wang Cheng'en following bent over behind him. Outside the green bamboo curtain, several female officials and eunuchs of Kunning Palace knelt on the ground.

"Your concubine greets Your Majesty!"

"This servant greets Your Majesty!"

"Enough, enough—we're all family here, and both of you are with child. What need for so much ceremony! Qiushui, rise as well! Yuan Fei, why aren't you resting in your own palace? Your constitution is weak—you must take extra care in ordinary times!"

Zhu Youjian hastily waved his hand to stop the two expectant women from performing their bows, but Empress Zhou and Noble Consort Yuan still insisted on completing a half-curtsy.

"Rites must not be abandoned! Your Majesty is both the sovereign of the realm and the husband of us sisters. If we were to lose propriety and it got abroad, would we not become a laughingstock before all the world!"

Empress Zhou replied with a solemn expression.

Noble Consort Yuan, meanwhile, still wore a gentle smile.

"Very well, very well—the Empress is the mother of the realm and naturally should set an example in all things. I was wrong! Do sit down quickly—I fear for the children in your bellies tiring themselves out! Heh heh heh!"

Zhu Youjian smiled and sat down on a brocade couch. Wang Cheng'en performed a kneeling bow toward the Empress and the consort, then silently took his place at his side. Empress Zhou's personal female official Qiushui hurriedly rose from the ground, turned to fetch a celadon teacup from the side, poured half a cup of warm tea, and quietly set it on the low table before the brocade couch.

"Has Your Majesty just finished handling state affairs? Qiushui, go tell Xiao Qinzi to pass word to the imperial kitchen that His Majesty will take his midday meal at Kunning Palace today!"

Qiushui performed a crouching bow and had just turned to leave when Zhu Youjian smilingly called her back: "Why go far when the near will do? Qiushui's cooking suits my palate very well—have her make a few small dishes. Two meat dishes will do; the rest should be light. Qiushui should know. Go on!"

Having won His Majesty's praise, Qiushui, upon seeing Empress Zhou nod, whisked out through the green curtain as happily as a gust of wind.

"And where are Kunxing and Jiong'er? Lang'er went out of the palace on his rest day today—have those two gone out with him as well?"

Not seeing the lively and adorable Zhu Meichuo's figure, Zhu Youjian asked.

"Your Majesty dares to speak of it! Those children have all gotten wild streaks now—the refined, book-learned manner they once had is nearly gone. When they come back from outside the palace, their mouths are full of marketplace slang—I simply cannot tolerate it! The Crown Prince's tutor, Master Wang, has already come to see me several times, and the implication of his words is extreme displeasure. Your Majesty, if this continues, I fear the Crown Prince's reputation outside the palace will suffer!"

"Oh? Is that so? They came to see me about this matter last time and I refuted them until they had nothing to say. So now they don't dare come to me and have learned to go around in circles!"