Wanli Emperor Chapter 103 Part 1 (Patreon)

Chapter 103 Part 1: A Perilous Feast and Fault-Finding

Red rafters and embroidered tiles leaned against the slanting twilight;

Songs of Chu and dances of Yan filled the eyes and ears.

Detached palaces and separate lodges rose to meet the heavens;

Jade steps and golden pavements gleamed under the bright moon.
…

The Residence of the Prince of Chu, modeled after the Forbidden City, was indeed vast in scale and imposing in its grandeur.

Successive halls were embellished with gold, corridors arranged distinctly, and adorned with indigo blue. When the lanterns were lit, they studded the night scene with exceptional beauty.

Unfortunately, Zhu Changwen, trailing behind Wu Jinghe, had no mind for sightseeing. He kept his head down, trying only to diminish his presence.

But Wu Jinghe, having bid the man follow, naturally had words to say.

"In the fourth month of last year, I traveled to Changsha with the Earl of Huairou, Shi Guangzu, to confer upon your father the title of Prince of the Blood."

The current Prince of Ji, Zhu Yiluan, had inherited the Ji Princedom through collateral succession—when an elder brother dies, the younger succeeds—and was of the same generation as the reigning emperor.

Wu Jinghe walked ahead, his voice reaching Zhu Changwen's ears, making the latter grow ever more tense.

"At that time, the late emperor bestowed upon your father an eight-character maxim: 'Reverent, Cautious, Fearful in Affairs; Uphold Ritual and Law.'"

Wu Jinghe turned his head, looking at Zhu Changwen, his tone turning cold. "It seems you have not learned a single word of it."

He did not specify which matter he referred to. It seemed to point to Zhu Changwen's earlier shouting at the city gate, yet perhaps it hinted at something else entirely.

Zhu Changwen's eyelid twitched. He mulled over the implications within Wu Jinghe's words, while his face put on a placating smile. "Granduncle-in-law's lesson is well taken. I shall reflect, I shall reflect."

He had switched to addressing him as a relative.

Although the connection was beyond the fifth degree of mourning, it could not withstand sheer thick-skinnedness—last year, when sending a congratulatory memorial to the emperor, he had even dared to call him "Uncle Emperor Your Majesty."

An official from the Residence of the Prince of Chu led the way, guiding the two, one behind the other, through the Imperial Garden.

Wu Jinghe shook his head, his tone indifferent. "Imperial Clansmen leaving the outer walls require permission before acting."

"You traveled from Changsha to Wuchang. Did you ever report to the Imperial Secretariat?"

According to regulations, princes and their kin were required to report any travel outside their fiefdoms. Without approval, they were not permitted to leave their designated lands; even the annual trip out of the city for ancestral worship and tomb sweeping required prior notification to the Ministry of Rites.

Zhu Changwen's current presence in Wuchang was clearly irregular.

Despite this, Zhu Changwen still paused for a moment before the meaning registered.

Ah, so he had violated the prohibition on leaving his designated territory!

It was hardly his fault he had been slow to react; ordinarily, absolutely no one took this prohibition seriously!

Never mind leaving the fiefdom—secretly slipping into Beijing was as common as eating and drinking.

In the seventh month of the sixth year of the Jiajing reign (7/1527), a Bulwark-Lieutenant of the State from the Residence of the Prince of Jingjiang had twice violated the rules, leaving the city and sneaking into Nanjing.

In the thirty-seventh year of the Jiajing reign (1558), a Bulwark-General from the Residence of the Prince of Leiping of the Han Princedom had, "at the end of the third month, run away from his father to travel, his whereabouts unknown."

Even earlier, during the Tianshun era (1457–1464), there had been the incident where the Prince of Linchuan of the Ning Princedom, Zhu Panye, had "left the city without authorization, arbitrarily entering people's homes to demand property."

Even recently, just at the beginning of this year, several Generals and Lieutenants from the Residences of the Princes of Ninghua, Fangshan, and the Qin Princedom had secretly slipped into the capital to petition for their stipend grain—essentially, to demand payment of arrears from the court.

Although the emperor had "decreed that each be returned to their idle residences for confinement," the various princedoms had subsequently—just last month, in fact—gone to the capital to petition again.

Leaving the city against regulations was, one might say, commonplace.

It was only because Wu Jinghe had pointed it out directly that Zhu Changwen realized the impropriety.

Unwritten rules were unwritten rules—valid only when no one pursued the matter.

Now, with the Head of the Court of the Imperial Clan present in person, asking about this matter in a stern tone, Zhu Changwen was immediately choked speechless.

He trailed behind Wu Jinghe, somewhat at a loss.

The two passed the Goldfish Pond. By now, the faint sound of singing could be heard; the singing girls maintained by the Residence of the Prince of Chu were performing within, their voices carrying indistinctly.

To Zhu Changwen's ears, however, it only grew more grating.

He followed closely behind Wu Jinghe, step for step. After pondering for a long while, he finally spoke cautiously, "Granduncle-in-law, there is a reason for this!"

"From the Longqing era until now, the allocated amount for the Princely Stipend has been insufficient. The Imperial Secretariat has repeatedly borrowed against it, and now owes my Ji Princedom over sixty-six thousand, five hundred shi."

"Our relatives are forbidden from engaging in the occupations of the four classes, yet the Princely Stipend is insufficient. Truly, the hardship is unbearable. Now, with the great floods in Huguang, many relatives' houses are damaged and leaking, with no means to repair them. We truly cannot hold out much longer."

"Father had no choice but to order me to come and seek out the offices of the Three Provincial Commissions, to press them for payment."

"The offices of the Huguang Three Provincial Commissions are all in Wuchang. I too was forced by circumstances. Exigency demanded flexibility."

The best defense was to turn the accusation back on the accuser.

The court was in arrears on stipends, yet it forbade people from coming to demand payment? If it came down to it, the worst that could happen was that he would return for confinement. Could the court then repay the money?

Besides, what Zhu Changwen said was also the truth.

Local government offices being in arrears on Princely Stipends was already standard practice.

All the major princedoms had their own granaries. The Guangshi Granary of the Residence of the Prince of Ji had not seen any stipend rice delivered for several years.

The members of the imperial clan who had previously gone to the capital to demand payment, repeatedly stating, "From the fortieth year of the Jiajing reign to the first year of the Wanli reign, not a single fraction of the stipend grain due has been given," were not speaking falsely.

Even though, as early as the fifth year of the Longqing reign (1571), the late emperor had promised appeasement—"Princely Stipends have been in arrears for many years. Order the officials of the commissions and prefectures to press for payment through various means, allocating one or two quarters' worth each year to provide sustenance."

The localities still turned a deaf ear.

If not for this, why would their Residence of the Prince of Ji need to find its own means of livelihood?

Wu Jinghe walked ahead unhurriedly, his hands clasped behind his back.

He knew the court was in the wrong on this matter and did not linger on it. Instead, he questioned again, "Then you should have gone to the Provincial Administration Commission Office. Why come here to feast?"

Zhu Changwen gave a bitter smile. "Granduncle-in-law, you wrong me! How could this be called feasting!"

"With the current changes in the Three Provincial Commissions' offices, they have no time for me for the moment."

"Having reached a dead end, I sought help from the Residence of the Prince of Chu, hoping they might generously open their purses and offer some relief to my relatives."

"It was then that the Prince of Dong'an invited me along to the banquet, so we could discuss this matter quickly..."

Zhu Changwen, trailing behind, repeatedly bowed and clasped his hands, even occasionally wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.

Unfortunately, Wu Jinghe did not see his pitiful display, nor did he even listen to the rest of his words.

He immediately seized upon the key information.

The Prince of Dong'an... Zhu Xiankuan.

He naturally knew of this man—the previous Prince of Chu's paternal cousin, now a Commandery Prince, and one of the leading figures of the Chu Princedom.

Wu Jinghe frowned.

The emperor had dispatched him to Huguang not merely to assist in investigating a case.

His Majesty had emphatically instructed him to reform the system of imperial princedoms, regardless of whether these princes were implicated in the case or not.

Or rather, even if they were not involved, this opportunity had to be seized to get the matter done—even if innocent, they had to be "potentially" guilty.

But regardless, he first needed to understand the current situation among the imperial princedoms in Huguang.

The Chu, Min, Jing, Ji, Xiang, Liao, and other princedoms were entrenched in Huguang, and had historically looked to the Residence of the Prince of Chu as their leader.

Now, upon his arrival in Huguang, they had specifically invited him—of course it was specifically for him; if it were to meet Hai Rui, they should have paid a visit in person.

The intentions of the Residence of the Prince of Chu truly required careful consideration.

Wu Jinghe's roundabout questioning of the junior relative behind him about who had invited him was not without purpose.

Although matters of a princely residence could be presided over by a Grand Consort for appearances, the actual administration still required a member of the imperial clan.

The Residence of the Prince of Chu had previously experienced a major case of regicide and usurpation. The current Prince of Chu had then died young without cause, leaving the position of Prince of the Blood currently vacant.

Therefore, the court had ordered the previous Prince of Chu's own younger brother to temporarily manage the affairs of the Chu Princedom.

When the people from the Residence of the Prince of Chu had come to invite Wu Jinghe, he had specifically asked if it was this "acting manager" who had extended the invitation.

As it turned out, the Administrative Aide had hemmed and hawed, insisting it was the Grand Consort's invitation, clearly indicating there was more to the story.

Now, hearing the Prince of Dong'an's name from Zhu Changwen, Wu Jinghe was even more surprised—the one temporarily managing the affairs of the Chu Princedom was not the Prince of Dong'an!

Wu Jinghe fell into deep thought.

Zhu Changwen, seeing his granduncle-in-law fall silent, thought he had muddled through and naturally would not speak again unprompted.

The two followed the official from the Residence of the Prince of Chu in silence.

Palaces and pavilions unfolded in sequence amidst the night and the lamplight.

Before long, they arrived at a great hall on the central axis of the Chu residence. Above the gate were inscribed the three characters "Central Harmony Hall," also constructed in imitation of the Hall of Imperial Supremacy (Zhongji Hall) in the Forbidden City.

Maids, eunuchs, and guards stood in two rows on either side, a display no less grand than that of the imperial palace.

The moment Wu Jinghe reached the outside of the hall, a group of people immediately surrounded him.

"Jinghe is truly a man skilled in martial arts. After several decades apart, you have still preserved your youth so well."

A woman dressed in the attire of a Grand Consort, appearing to be in her fifties, led the group to welcome him.

Her smile was warm, yet carried a subtle air of assuming the posture of an elder.

This was the Principal Consort of the previous Prince of Chu, the legal mother of the Prince of Chu who had passed away the year before last, and the current Grand Consort of the Chu Princedom, Lady Wu.

There was a reason for her slight affectation of seniority.

After all, Emperor Shizong, before succeeding to the throne, had been an imperial relative in Huguang, also under the care of the Chu Princedom—when the Residence of the Prince of Xing had failed to receive its stipend, it was the Chu Princedom that had stepped forward to offer some assistance.

With this connection, the Chu Princedom had also maintained frequent contact with Emperor Shizong.

After Emperor Shizong married off his daughter, Wu Jinghe had even accompanied the princess back to her old home in Anlu, Huguang.

Wu Jinghe and the Chu Princedom had, one might say, long-standing dealings.

Furthermore, the Grand Consort was a generation older than Emperor Shizong. For her to adopt the manner of an elder at this time would not seem strange to outsiders.

Wu Jinghe knew well that this was a perilous feast. Adopting the identity of a junior relative was not appropriate at this moment.

He did not take the bait, merely smiling as he replied, "This old man is already in his sixties, decrepit and aged. How could I possibly deserve such praise as preserving my youth?"

"Sent out on patrol by His Majesty this time, to be able to return whole in body and limb would already be a blessing from Heaven."

His words pointed out his age and invoked his status as Imperial Commissioner, showing not the slightest intention of accepting the role of a junior relative.

He even hinted that this mission was dangerous and that he had no desire to form connections, showing no courtesy whatsoever.

This left Grand Consort Wu in a somewhat awkward position.

She signaled those beside her to offer greetings, letting the previous exchange pass.

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