Chapter 42: Prince Han Storms the Palace

A teacup rolled halfway across the desk, splashing tea leaves and liquid onto the bright yellow, dragon-patterned tablecloth like a suddenly withered flower.

"Detaining an imperial official of the court in private—do you still see Me in your eyes, do you still care for the laws of the realm?" Emperor Yuanchang asked word by word, stepping right up to Shen Jifeng.

Shen Jifeng held her head high. She had never seen Emperor Yuanchang look like this before. The man before her was neither the grandfather who would smilingly call her "Yanru," nor the old man who would indulge her when she tugged at his sleeves and acted willfully. Instead, he was the iron-fisted monarch who had raised his banner at White Head Mountain, fighting his way through a sea of corpses from a mere cowherd to the pinnacle of absolute power.

"It is precisely because I wanted to fulfill the task assigned by Imperial Grandfather that I dared to test the law myself." Shen Jifeng slowly lowered her head, the tears in her eyes finally uncontrollable as they pattered down onto the carpet, quickly blooming into wet stains.

Emperor Yuanchang’s stern and hardened heart softened just a fraction at the sight of Shen Jifeng’s tears. "When the Ministry of Punishments went to the mines to make arrests, you could have put on a false front to buy time, or outwardly complied while secretly defying them and refusing to hand anyone over. There are a hundred ways to handle it, yet you chose the most foolish one, the one that makes it easiest for others to seize a handle against you. For all your usual shrewdness and capability, you're just like your Fourth Uncle—brains full of mush!"

Scolded thus, Shen Jifeng felt an even deeper wave of grievance. "I'm not that stupid! The very first thing I thought of was letting the Ministry of Punishments go down into the mines to make the arrests themselves. The tunnels are complex and dangerous; without miners to lead the way, they could wander around down there for days and never find their way out."

"Then why didn't you do it?" Emperor Yuanchang's face remained dark.

"I just trusted Imperial Grandfather too much! I thought you would surely issue an imperial decree for me! Besides, how much time could mere stalling buy? The chief clerk sent by the Ministry of Punishments is no simple character either. If I had stayed at the mines, I could still keep him in check, but I had to return to the capital to petition you for an edict, and back at the mine, not a single person could stand up to him."

"I just never imagined that Imperial Grandfather wouldn't help me!" Shen Jifeng wailed loudly—all thunder and little rain. Standing nearby, Lin Ping'an had initially broken out in a cold sweat for her, but seeing Emperor Yuanchang cast a glance of exasperation at her, he knew the storm had passed and the skies had cleared.

"First crying, second making a scene, third threatening to hang yourself—you truly manage to broaden My horizons." Emperor Yuanchang flicked his sleeves and turned away. Before leaving, he instructed Lin Ping'an to lock Shen Jifeng in the adjoining side hall so she could properly reflect on her actions.

Right behind the Chongwen Hall was a small garden. Though not as grand as the Imperial Garden, it was a rare sanctuary of quiet and coolness. Having just been given a headache by Shen Jifeng's clamor, Emperor Yuanchang had come here to catch his breath.

He had scarcely been seated for a quarter of an hour when a young eunuch came running in frantically. Emperor Yuanchang's eyelid twitched—what fresh trouble had arisen now?

Prince of Han, Zhao Zhen, had forced his way into the palace and been subdued by the guards. The Imperial Guard did not dare make a unilateral decision and had come to ask for his instructions.

Emperor Yuanchang's recently extinguished anger began to flare up anew.

"Lock that rascal in the duty room for the night! No one is permitted to plead on his behalf!"

Watching the retreating figure of the messenger eunuch, Lin Ping'an thought to himself that at this hour, there was hardly anyone left to intercede anyway; the Emperor had simply been angered into a muddle.

"The ancients say that many children bring much fortune," Emperor Yuanchang muttered. "Look at them—not a single one brings peace of mind. Where is the fortune in that?"

Lin Ping'an offered words of persuasion, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Han was only afraid that the commandery princess had a rash temper and might provoke your wrath, which is why he rushed over in such a flurry. It was entirely an expression of filial devotion."

"He didn't come for My sake; he clearly came for Yanru, fearing I would punish her volatile temper."

Lin Ping'an smiled. "The Prince of Han has always treated the commandery prince and commandery princess as his own flesh and blood. Such uncle-niece and uncle-nephew affection is truly rare. If I may make a somewhat inappropriate analogy, in an ordinary commoner's household, all the neighbors would raise their thumbs in praise."

Flattery never fails to please. Though Emperor Yuanchang's expression remained neutral, he was deeply gratified inside. Back when the eldest prince was alive, the fourth prince had always treated those two children with more care than his other nephews did. During the period when the two children went missing, he had personally gone out to search for them, spending over half a year looking until he grew alarmingly thin, yet still refusing to return.

At this thought, Emperor Yuanchang sighed with lingering regret. If his other royal brothers could possess even half of the fourth prince's character, he would not have to expend so much effort.

In the Prince of Chu's residence, Shen Jifeng's other uncle, the Prince of Chu Zhao Jian, was lying face down on his bed. Hearing that his younger brother had forced his way into the palace and been arrested, he tried to sit up in excitement, but the movement pulled at his wounds, eliciting an involuntary groan as he dropped back down.

"That fool of a Fourth Brother, why on earth would he force his way through the palace gates? Has he grown tired of living?"

The strategist Mei Linghan pressed down on Zhao Jian's shoulder to keep him from thrashing about. "Your subordinate suspects the Prince of Han acted mostly for the sake of the commandery princess. The men from the Ministry of Punishments have already arrived at the mines, and the craftsmen have been taken into custody. There's no need to wait for the ninth day of the eighth month—the commandery princess's military pledge means certain death. Of course he panicked."

Zhao Jian tilted his head. Receiving twenty heavy bamboo strikes this time was truly an unmerited disaster, but if he could use this opportunity to disrupt Shen Jifeng's mining plan and send her back empty-handed, it could also be considered a venting of his pent-up fury.

Summer wounds healed slowly. Three days had passed since the beating, and despite the application of the finest healing ointments, he still could not move; the slightest exertion caused blood to seep through.

Watching the red stain blooming on the white silk bandages, Mei Linghan hurriedly motioned for the maidservants to continue applying the medicine.

"Thanks to Your Highness's careful strategizing, once the craftsmen reach the Ministry of Punishments, never mind the ninth day of the eighth month—even the ninth day of the tenth month can be delayed."

His wounds were both painful and itchy, and Zhao Jian felt uncomfortable enough to cry out, but for the sake of his image, he could only grit his teeth and endure.

"The remnants of the previous dynasty are a chronic illness in His Majesty's heart. We don't need to fan the flames any further. The silver mines are no longer a threat; the most urgent matter now is the south—why is there still no news from there?"

Mei Linghan waved his hand, and the young maids applying the ointment filed out one by one. "Your Highness, do not be impatient. The closer they get to the capital, the more likely they are to let down their guard, and the easier it will be to strike."

Zhao Jian remained noncommittal. The third brother was born disabled and posed no threat; the fourth brother was an absolute fool, unworthy of great responsibility; the seventh brother was still wet behind the ears, and the tenth was nothing more than a nursing infant.

Only Zhao朴! The only thing standing between him and that supreme throne was Zhao朴!

His fingers clenched tightly into the white silk. If you cut the grass without digging up the roots, you breed future troubles—fortunately, he still had the chance to set things right and eliminate the future threat once and for all!

On the fifth day of the sixth month, at the first watch of dawn, faint sounds drifted through the grand hall, accompanied by the distant rustle of the Imperial Guard changing shifts—it was time for the morning court session.

Shen Jifeng had not slept peacefully through the night. It wasn't out of fear of punishment from Emperor Yuanchang; her mind was entirely consumed by how she could possibly keep the silver mines operating if the craftsmen were gone, and where and within the shortest time she could recruit reliable artisans.

Pondering these thoughts in a drowsy, half-asleep state, she seemed to have returned to the mines once more. The smelting furnaces burned brightly, and countless gleaming silver ingots flickered amidst the coal ash.

Shen Jifeng reached out to grab them, only to grasp empty air. She snapped back to wakefulness, and listening to the commotion outside, she knew her Imperial Grandfather had also risen.

Lin Ping'an came personally to summon her. Keeping her head lowered, Shen Jifeng followed him all the way to the doors of Emperor Yuanchang's sleeping quarters.

Looking down from on high at the fuzzy crown of Shen Jifeng's head, Emperor Yuanchang said in a deep voice: "I will issue a decree to the Ministry of Punishments ordering the case to be tried in the Xijing Prefecture office. You must cooperate and are not permitted to shirk! Should any craftsmen be implicated, they shall be immediately detained and brought to the capital. If you dare to delay again, I will have you hauled to the Ministry of Punishments along with them."

Shen Jifeng nodded like a pounding pestle. "Thank you, Imperial Grandfather! If anyone is truly implicated, Your granddaughter will personally escort this bunch of rebellious scoundrels here at the very first moment."

Currying favor, Shen Jifeng stepped forward to massage Emperor Yuanchang's shoulders. "Imperial Grandfather, it's time for you to attend court. Your granddaughter won't linger here and wear out my welcome."

With that, she lifted her foot to leave.

Emperor Yuanchang called her to a halt. "You must handle the matter of detaining the Ministry of Punishments' chief clerk yourself. As long as anyone in the imperial court impeaches you, everything will be handled according to the Ministry's wishes. Understood?"

"Understood, understood, understood." Shen Jifeng patted her chest in guarantee. "This matter will never spread beyond the Xijing silver mines. Your granddaughter honors her word."