Chapter 110: Consort Lü: Let Them Go! They Are Seeking Their Own Demise! Requesting Monthly Tickets!
Just after Zhang Biao proposed ‘auditing the Imperial Treasury’ and was rejected by Old Zhu, and then was reviewing the Ministry of Revenue, news also came from the Eastern Palace about him.
After all, the Ministry of Revenue and the Eastern Palace had always been in contact.
And this connection already existed when Zhu Biao was the Crown Prince.
Therefore, Zhu Yunwen was completely stunned upon hearing this news.
“Mother! Is Zhang Biao… isn’t he just seeking his own death?!”
“Heh!”
Consort Lü pursed her lips and chuckled softly, her voice like silk gliding over ice, with a hint of faint mockery:
“Yunwen, if you only see this one step, then my usual teachings to you have truly been in vain.”
Zhu Yunwen looked bewildered: “Mother? Would the Imperial Grandfather still spare that scoundrel Zhang Biao?!”
He couldn’t understand how such treasonous acts could possibly have any room for maneuver.
“Spare him? Of course, it’s impossible to spare him.”
Consort Lü’s lips curved into a cold arc:
“The Emperor right now probably wishes he could eat his flesh raw. But why hasn’t the Emperor immediately issued an order to kill him? He only sent Jiang Huan to monitor him?”
As she spoke, she slowly put down the round fan in her hand and tapped her fingertips on the smooth rosewood small table, as if playing an exquisite game of chess:
“Because this lunatic Zhang Biao has once again turned himself into a ‘difficult problem’ and thrown it at the Emperor.”
“What he threw this time is a branding iron hot enough to scald anyone who touches it.”
“Auditing the Emperor? Heh heh, truly unheard-of, arrogant words.”
“But precisely because of its arrogance, precisely because of its absurdity, if the Emperor were to kill him immediately, he would instead appear at a disadvantage, seeming cowardly and short-winded, as if this lunatic had indeed hit a sore spot.”
“Who is the Emperor? What does he value most? It’s face, it’s authority, it’s the ironclad rules and regulations of the Hongwu Dynasty!”
“He can kill people, he can confiscate property, but he cannot be forced to kill someone in this manner by a subject! That would make him seem like he’s being manipulated by a subject.”
Zhu Yunwen seemed to understand but not understand, his brow furrowed:
“But… but if we don’t kill him, are we just going to let him be so rampant? Where does the Imperial Grandfather’s authority lie?”
“Naturally, we will not let him be rampant.”
A cold glint of knowing intelligence flashed in Consort Lü’s eyes: “The Emperor’s cold treatment of him is the most brilliant move. This is both a thunderous warning, drawing a line that cannot be crossed, and also a strategic retreat for progress.”
“A strategic retreat for progress?”
“Precisely.”
Consort Lü nodded slightly: “The Emperor is telling everyone, especially Zhang Biao: ‘We have heard your crazy talk, but we disdain to pay attention to it.'”
“‘Your provocations are like a dog’s bark; they cannot shake us in the slightest. We are not killing you not because we dare not, nor because we cannot, but rather…'”
She paused, a smile curling the corners of her lips: “‘You are not worthy of us getting angry and breaking our rules for you.'”
“At the same time, this is also forcing Zhang Biao, forcing him to continue to go mad, forcing him to bite others. The Emperor has confined him within the scope of ‘allowed to be mad,’ but absolutely does not allow him to touch the forbidden zone of ‘cannot be mad.'”
“In this way, this knife, Zhang Biao, can still be used, but it will not harm the wielder.”
After saying this, she looked at Zhu Yunwen again, her tone becoming profound: “Yunwen, you must remember, the most brilliant power tactics are sometimes not storms, but quiet actions.”
“The Emperor’s actions, seemingly a concession, are in fact firmly controlling the situation. Zhang Biao’s life and death are still only a thought away for the Emperor.”
“And for now, keeping him alive is more useful than killing him.”
Zhu Yunwen felt a chill run down his spine. He realized he had vastly underestimated his Imperial Grandfather’s imperial cunning and also felt more deeply his mother’s terrifyingly calm calculations.
“Then… then what should we do?”
Zhu Yunwen asked in a low voice, a hint of reliance and bewilderment in his tone.
Consort Lü picked up the round fan again, fanning it gently, her phoenix eyes narrowed, looking out the window as if she could see through the palace walls to the mad figure being ‘escorted’ by the Imperial Guard: “We? We should naturally help the Emperor play this game of chess more steadily, and also more ruthlessly.”
“Zhang Biao wants to audit accounts at the Ministry of Revenue? Very good. Let him audit. The deeper he audits, the more people he exposes, the more chaotic the Imperial Court will become.”
“The Emperor wants to borrow a knife to kill? Then we will secretly sharpen this knife even further.”
“Let our people ‘unintentionally’ leak some clues to Zhang Biao, especially those related to the Hu Weiyong case but managed to escape, or those who are not on our side.”
“Let him bite, let him tear!”
“It would be best if he could investigate certain princes’ close associations with court officials, or some old individuals who have long since lost power but still occupy their positions… such as those connected to the Chang Clan…”
Consort Lü’s voice grew lower, but every word was like a knife, precisely cutting through the veins of power.
She intended to steer the storm initiated by Zhang Biao towards any direction that could threaten Zhu Yunwen’s future succession.
Zhu Yunwen’s eyes gradually brightened; he finally understood his mother’s intentions.
This was driving a tiger to swallow a wolf, and even more so, borrowing a knife to kill.
Letting Zhang Biao, this ‘mad knife,’ clear the obstacles for them.
“As for Yunteng…”
Before Consort Lü could finish speaking, a report sounded from outside the door:
“Your Ladyship, a message has come from the Northern Five Offices… it’s from an old nanny from the Chang family, passed through an eunuch in charge of procurement…”
The young eunuch’s voice was kept very low:
“She said that Your Highness Yunteng and the two Princesses deeply miss their deceased mother, and coincidentally, Madam Chang recently appeared in a dream, causing them unease. Therefore, they wish to request Your Ladyship’s permission for the three siblings to leave the palace together and go to the Chang Family Old Residence to pay respects to their birth mother’s spirit tablet, fulfilling their filial duty…”
After the young eunuch finished speaking, he held his breath and lowered his head, not daring to look at Consort Lü’s expression.
Involving the late Crown Princess Consort Chang and her family was one of the most sensitive topics in the Eastern Palace.
However, the expected displeasure did not appear.
Consort Lü was first slightly taken aback, and then an unbelievable, almost irrepressible gleam of ecstasy suddenly exploded in her deep, pool-like phoenix eyes.
But she quickly lowered her eyelids, concealing this unseemly emotion with her long lashes.
Heaven truly helps me!
She was worrying about how to further alienate Old Zhu from Zhu Yunteng and his siblings, how to confirm their crime of ‘colluding with a traitor’!
These siblings had actually delivered such a major handle to her!
Missing their deceased mother? Paying respects at the Chang Family Old Residence? And this at such a sensitive time when the traitor Zhang Biao had just proposed ‘auditing the Imperial Treasury,’ enraging the Emperor and causing widespread panic throughout the court?
This was simply walking into a trap and seeking their own death!
Consort Lü’s heart pounded with excitement, but her face quickly adopted an extremely kind, even sympathetic, expression of sorrow.
She sighed softly, wiped away nonexistent tears with a handkerchief, her voice as soft as dripping water:
“Alas, these three poor children… their filial piety is truly commendable and heartbreaking…”
As she spoke, she glanced at Zhu Yunwen, who was still bewildered beside her, her tone full of maternal care:
“Yunwen, look, Yunteng and his siblings miss their mother so much, this pure filial heart is witnessed by heaven and earth. Although palace rules are strict, how can human feelings and moral principles be disregarded? They lost their birth mother’s protection at such a young age, and now they want to visit their mother’s old residence and pay their respects; it’s only natural for people to feel this way…”
Zhu Yunwen was immediately stunned. Looking at his mother’s compassionate demeanor, he couldn’t react for a moment.
Didn’t she just say how to scheme against Zhu Yunteng? Why the sudden change…?
Consort Lü did not give him time to think and continued her performance, her tone becoming even more understanding: “Although the Chang family is a noble old residence, it is not what it used to be. For the siblings to go there, firstly to fulfill their filial duty, and secondly, to experience some of the former glory of their mother’s clan and find some comfort. As their Imperial Consort, how could I refuse?”
She turned to her trusted palace maids and instructed: “Go and reply. Say that I have approved. Let the siblings prepare with peace of mind. All the offerings and ceremonial processions will be properly arranged by the Imperial Household Department. After all, they are Imperial Grandson and Princesses of our Great Ming, and their trip to pay respects to their mother must not lose its dignity.”
“Also…”
Consort Lü’s tone became even more considerate: “Tell that old nanny from the Chang family that the children are young, and they are going to their old residence, so it’s inevitable they will feel sad. If, after paying respects, they wish to linger at the old residence for a while to reminisce about their mother’s past, that is also permissible. There is no need to rush back to the palace.”
The young eunuch was extremely surprised, thinking the Consort was being unusually compassionate today, but he dared not ask further and quickly acknowledged the order and withdrew.
After the young eunuch left, Zhu Yunwen finally couldn’t help but ask in a low, confused voice:
“Mother! Why… why did you agree to them? And let them stay? Isn’t this indulging their contact with the old Chang family clansmen? What if…”
“What if what?”
The gentle and kind expression on Consort Lü’s face instantly vanished without a trace, replaced by a chilling calculation and mockery: “Yunwen, why don’t you understand yet? The more readily I agree and the more thoroughly I arrange everything, the faster they will die!”
A viper-like gleam flickered in her eyes:
“The Emperor is furious because of Zhang Biao’s auditing of the Imperial Treasury. What does he fear most right now? It’s forming factions, it’s collusion between internal and external forces, it’s prying into the Imperial Palace, it’s engaging in improper activities under the guise of mourning or old affections!”
“At this critical juncture, Yunteng and his siblings propose to go to the Chang Family Old Residence to pay respects, and they want to stay? What does this look like to the Emperor? This is harboring resentment!”
“This is using the guise of mourning their mother to collude with their maternal relatives and pry into court affairs!”
“What is the Chang family? It’s the family of Chang Yuchun! They are nobles whose former military subordinates still have influence! These siblings carry the blood of the Chang family! The Emperor already has doubts about Lan Yu, so how can he not be wary of the Chang family’s former subordinates?”
“If I arrange it even more thoughtfully and considerately, with a slightly larger scale, slightly more conspicuous ceremonial procession, and a slightly longer stay…”
“To those with discerning eyes, especially that lunatic Zhang Biao, what will it turn into?”
Zhu Yunwen gasped, and instantly understood his mother’s poisonous scheme:
“It will be seen as Yunteng and his siblings secretly associating with their maternal relatives and former officials, plotting rebellion! It will become leverage for Zhang Biao’s accusations; if he doesn’t audit the Changs, it will confirm his relationship with Yunteng and his siblings!”
“Exactly!”
Consort Lü smiled with satisfaction, a smile that was cold and cruel:
“By then, we won’t need to report it ourselves. The Emperor’s suspicion, Zhang Biao’s madness, and their siblings’ ‘self-seeking death’ behavior will naturally form a combined force to crush them!”
“We just need to fulfill their wishes and then quietly watch the show.”
Zhu Yunwen looked at his mother, feeling a chill rise from the soles of his feet, but it was soon replaced by a sinister pleasure.
He rubbed his hands excitedly:
“Mother is brilliant! In this way, Yunteng and the others will truly be unable to clear their names even if they jumped into the Yellow River!”
Consort Lü picked up the cup of cold tea again and took a sip elegantly, as if the poisonous scheme just spoken had not come from her mouth.
“Therefore. Yunwen, you don’t need to think about anything now, just study hard, be filial, and let your mother arrange everything for you. Since the Emperor has already decided to hand over the empire to you, being enfeoffed as Imperial Grandson is only a matter of time. Let Zhang Biao’s life be a congratulatory gift for your ascension…”
“Your son understands! Your son will go study now, and later I will deliver Ginseng Soup to the Imperial Grandfather!”
Zhu Yunwen’s eyes flashed with excitement and sinister light as he quickly got up and left.
Consort Lü sat alone in the hall, the agarwood from the incense burner rising in thin wisps.
After a moment, the corners of her lips curled into a smile that was extremely content, yet also incomparably cold.
“Sister Chang, if you have a spirit in heaven, you should watch closely as your children walk step by step towards you and reuniting with you.”
