Chapter 279: Father and Daughter

"Your Majesty, I feel that the Empress's concern is not without reason; as the heir apparent, every word and deed of the Crown Prince will be watched by all. If he acts too flamboyantly or loses his composure, he will inevitably become a target for everyone's criticism. Although Your Majesty has always been deeply fond of the Crown Prince, I believe that excessive indulgence is not necessarily a good thing. I hope Your Majesty will think it over carefully!"

Seeing that Zhu Youjian was completely unmoved by Empress Zhou's persuasion, the usually gentle and humble Noble Consort Yuan could not help but also speak up in admonishment.

"What the Empress and Noble Consort Yuan say does hold reason, but I do not see anything absurd or excessive in the Crown Prince's words and conduct. The Crown Prince is daily instructed in his studies by strict teachers, and only has leisure for other matters on his one rest day every five days. I know you two fear the Crown Prince may indulge in play and neglect his studies, or even stray onto evil paths through association with outsiders—this is only natural human concern, and I am well aware of it. In my spare time I have on many occasions examined what he has learned, and the Crown Prince has indeed not disappointed my hopes; in the classics and histories he already has a solid foundation, far surpassing his peers. What I do is not indulgence but guiding him according to circumstances and strengthening his wings. Though the way of the sages must be known, applying what one learns is the highest attainment. Understanding the affairs of the world is all learning; skill in human relations is itself literature. The Crown Prince is destined to inherit the entire realm of the Great Ming, not to sit the examinations and top the lists. If he knows only the classics and cannot tell one grain from another, he will easily be deceived by others. Only by knowing more of the world and clearly distinguishing right from wrong can he avoid being fooled by outsiders. On this matter you two need not worry overmuch—just know that I will not lead him astray!"

Zhu Youjian smiled and explained at length, but his attitude remained extremely resolute.

On the question of raising and nurturing a child's growth, he would not listen to anyone's opinion.

Though the correct methods verified by countless facts in later generations were resisted by the people of this age, Zhu Youjian intended precisely to use gradual, subtle influence to change these ingrained ways of thinking and habits.

Though Empress Zhou and Noble Consort Yuan held exalted status, in the end they were women. In this era that stressed the superiority of men over women and the five cardinal relationships, setting aside Zhu Youjian's identity as Emperor, as wife and concubine they did have a certain right to speak, but when major matters required a decision, in the end they still had to defer to their husband—and upon reflection, their husband's words did sound quite reasonable.

"Noble Consort Yuan and I only feared the Crown Prince might stray onto the wrong path. Since Your Majesty has his own views, I shall defer. Have you been to the Palace of Inheriting Heaven to visit? Just now Zhaoge'er came looking for the Crown Prince to play and said the Left Commissioner-in-Chief is visiting at the Palace of Inheriting Heaven. I have already ordered the maids to send some tonics over, so that the Left Commissioner-in-Chief may rest assured."

Though Noble Consort Tian excelled at chess, music, calligraphy, and painting and was much beloved by the former Chongzhen Emperor, her personality was quite introverted and she was not skilled at social intercourse. On ordinary days, apart from festivals, she had little contact with Empress Zhou and Noble Consort Yuan.

Today, hearing from Prince Yong, Zhu Cizhao, that Tian Hongyu, who held the nominal title of Left Commissioner-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had entered the palace to visit his daughter, Empress Zhou, as mistress of the harem, hurriedly sent people with some tonics and five hundred taels of silver, afraid that someone might speak ill of her.

Though Empress Zhou's relationship with Noble Consort Tian was not close, being upright in conduct and kind-hearted, she had never treated Noble Consort Tian harshly because of it. The treatment of everyone in the Palace of Inheriting Heaven was no different from that of Kunning Palace.

"Mm, I know. Yesterday I already went to visit. Noble Consort Tian does take good care of her own body; but her constitution is weak, and she usually prefers vegetarian food. I fear that after pregnancy she may not get enough nourishment, so I specifically urged her to eat more meat to build up her strength—though I don't know whether she took it to heart."

After giving birth to Prince Yong, Zhu Cizhao, Noble Consort Tian had borne Chongzhen three more sons, but all had tragically died young one after another—a tremendous blow to her spirit.

Zhu Youjian could do nothing but sympathize. Seeing that she was thin and frail, he ordered the imperial kitchen to prepare more meat dishes and send them over—whether Noble Consort Tian ate them or not, he did not know.

Just as they were speaking, the young eunuch Sun Feng of Kunning Palace came in, knelt, and reported: "Reporting to His Majesty, the Empress, and the Noble Consorts—the Earl of household retainers requests an audience with the Empress outside the palace, and has brought a cartload of gifts. We servants are presently unloading them to carry into the storehouse!"

Zhu Youjian had never liked Zhou Kui to begin with. Hearing Sun Feng's report, he immediately rose and said with a smile: "Summon the Earl of household retainers in. I shall go bathe and change clothes first. Noble Consort Yuan, you may also return to your palace and rest. The Earl of household retainers has likely not been in the palace for a long time—we outsiders ought to make ourselves scarce, so that father and daughter may speak their heartfelt words, hehehe!"

How could Empress Zhou not know what her husband was thinking? Though somewhat displeased inside, she still rose and forced a smile: "Your Majesty has been handling state affairs all morning and must be weary. Please go rest awhile. And my sister's condition is not suited to sitting long either—she had best return to Cining Palace to rest quietly. When I have time, I shall go visit you!"

Shortly after Zhu Youjian and Noble Consul Yuan left, Zhou Kui, wearing a qilin-patterned official robe with a jade belt at his waist, strode in.

"Your subject, Zhou Kui, Earl of household retainers, pays respects to the Empress!"

Though they were father and daughter, propriety could not be abandoned—Zhou Kui still had to kowtow and pay respects to his daughter.

"The Earl of household retainers may rise. Be seated!"

Empress Zhou sat steady as a mountain, and after receiving her father's bow, spoke in a flat, indifferent tone.

Sun Feng brought over an embroidered stool, and Zhou Kui stole a glance at the Empress's expression before sitting down.

"The Earl of household retainers has not come to the palace for quite some time. How has your health been lately? Are my two elder brothers well? What business brings you to the palace today?"

Though she harbored deep prejudice against her father and brothers, even once issuing harsh words forbidding Zhou Kui from entering the palace freely, that bond of blood kinship was after all the hardest thing for ordinary people to sever. Seeing her father behaving so cautiously before her, Empress Zhou's heart still softened, and her tone gentled as well.

"Your father's health is passable, but I grow older by the day—my legs feel weak when walking, and my eyes grow dimmer, so that things up close are already blurry to me. Your eldest brother still muddles through his days as before, and Fang Ge'er's old ailment still flares up from time to time—by the look of things, who knows how long he'll last. What fortune that his pair of children are no different from ordinary folk; if not for that, even if your father departed this world, I could not rest easy in the underworld. Ah!"

At the mention of his second son Zhou Fang, Zhou Kui's plump face instantly wrinkled up like a bitter gourd, and sighs could not help but escape his lips.

"I have on several occasions inquired of Director Wu of the Imperial Academy of Medicine. According to him, Second Brother's brain was damaged by fever, and with current medical skill it can hardly be rooted out—only maintained. Fortunately this illness is not fatal, and Second Brother's lifespan should be no different from an ordinary man's. Father, do not worry overmuch and harm your own health!"

Wu Youxing, who had been promoted to Director of the Imperial Academy of Medicine, had personally gone to examine Zhou Fang. With his superb medical skill, he had seen countless patients with all manner of symptoms, and had encountered many cases like Zhou Fang's, yet no prescription he tried proved effective. He therefore frankly told Empress Zhou that with current medical knowledge, this illness truly could not be cured, that there was no point in continuing medication, and that it could only be left to run its course.

When Zhu Youjian heard Empress Zhou mention it, he understood at once—this was a case where high fever had not been brought down in time, damaging part of the brain's nerves. Even in later generations this illness had no cure, let alone several hundred years ago.

"Life and death are as fate decrees, alas! Blame your father for lacking ability, for having no money to get Fang Ge'er timely treatment—that is what brought him to this state today. Your father has failed him!"

In his youth, Zhou Kui had supported his family of several mouths on the meager income from setting up a fortune-telling stall, until Empress Zhou was selected as Princess Consort of Prince Xin, which lifted them out of poverty and hardship. Only after Prince Xin, Zhu Youjian, inherited the throne did the Zhou family thoroughly turn over a new leaf and become a wealthy, noble household.

"Father, do not blame yourself. However it may be, Second Brother surviving at all is already a blessing from heaven. Second Brother merely had his brain damaged by fever from a chill—how many people have died from such chill ailments? As long as Father and I raise Second Brother's children to adulthood, that will be doing right by him! Father, you did not come to the palace today over Second Brother's affairs, did you?"

Though Empress Zhou was grieved in her heart as well, she also knew this was not something within her control. Henceforth she would do her best to help her nephew and niece establish themselves and their families—with an aunt who was Empress to rely on, those two nephews would never fall to the ground.

"With these words from Afeng, your father can rest easy! I have not seen you in a long while, and missing you, I thought of your approaching confinement, so I selected some tonics for use after childbirth to send over. I came to the palace today with no great matter—only, having heard that His Highness the Prince of Zhou has donated some fields and shops to the court, I thought that if I could beg a little something for Fang Ge'er, to serve him in his old age and for raising his children, that would be excellent indeed!"

Zhou Kui spoke, addressing Empress Zhou by her childhood name.