However, he couldn't tell if it was just an illusion, but he always felt that the Emperor's twelve-tasseled ceremonial crown was not as exquisite as his own Crown Prince attire.
He stood there watching the civil and military officials kneel and salute, resisting the urge to step back while wondering if this would shorten his lifespan.
What a sin, some of these officials look like they could be his grandfather! The rest might not be grandfathers, but they could certainly be fathers.
The subsequent ceremonial procedures contained basically no useful information; while standing there acting as a mere prop, Zhu Ci used his peripheral vision to inconspicuously observe the Emperor.
Based on his intuition, it seemed as though this emperor did not particularly favor the new Crown Prince.
This is quite interesting. Since ancient times, Han dynasties have often appointed the Crown Prince based on primogeniture or seniority, though less scrupulous emperors might choose based on affection.
But now, his status was neither the eldest nor seemingly the favorite; at most, he held the status of being the legitimate son, which made it feel as though there was a story behind it.
After the ceremonial procedures concluded, Zhu Ci had no further duties and was sent directly to the Eastern Palace.
This also confirmed the fact that the Prince of Huai was not favored; if he were truly the Emperor's beloved son, the Emperor would likely have discovered long ago that he was not the original person.
He hadn't truly acted at all from beginning to end, after all, because he didn't even know who the original Zhu Ci actually was.
Those who knew him well would certainly have felt a sense of strangeness in his behavior and mannerisms; for instance, Nong Liangping discovered almost instantly that he was not the original owner of the body.
And another point: this new Crown Prince's presence in the imperial court probably wasn't very strong before, as no officials had noticed anything.
The Emperor and the imperial court were both easy to handle, the officials of the Eastern Palace were also easy to manage since their fortunes were tied to his; the only one who might be difficult to handle was the Empress.
After returning to the Eastern Palace, Nong Liangping had already brought people to tidy up the premises. Before he could offer his respects, Zhu Ci approached and affectionately took his hand, saying, "There is no need for formalities, Nong Liangping. I have something to say to you."
Nong Liangping's brow twitched as he led Zhu Ci to the study.
After entering the study, Zhu Ci asked, "When do I usually go to see the Empress?"
Nong Liangping said softly, "You should call her Empress Dowager."
Zhu Ci waved a hand dismissively. "That is not important. Tell me the main point; do not let it slip while you are at the Empr—Empress's side."
Nong Liangping fell silent for a long moment before saying, "You have no need to worry about Her Majesty the Empress. The gates of Kunning Palace have been closed for a long time; Her Majesty has not seen any outsiders for half a year."
Author's Note:
----------------------
Zhu Ci: Sigh, it's my first day wanting to go home, I don't even want to be the Crown Prince anymore. *Cat lying on the floor sighing. jpg*
Chapter 3
Zhu Ci's first reaction upon hearing this was that the Empress had been placed under house arrest by the Emperor.
He looked at Nong Liangping and asked, "What do you mean? With such a major matter, she won't even see the Crown Prince?"
Nong Liangping said in a low voice, "Her Ladyship is unwell, Kunning Palace has been closed for quite some time."
Zhu Ci was somewhat puzzled: "Not even the Emperor.. even Father is not seen?"
Nong Liangping considered his words carefully before saying, "His Majesty does not visit Kunning Palace very often."
Oh, neither mother nor son is favored.
However, this matter was a good thing for him; as a mother, she might be more familiar with her son, or perhaps not, but he did not feel like gambling.
Zhu Ci pondered for a long while before standing up and saying, "I will go for one trip, offer my respects to Imperial Mother through the palace gates."
It was a grand occasion after all; in theory, the investiture of a Crown Prince was second only to an Emperor's ascension to the throne.
Regardless of how he is treated now, the proper etiquette must be observed.
Nong Liangping was somewhat surprised and immediately had people prepare a green sedan chair, also known as the Crown Prince's sedan chair or the Eastern Palace's sedan chair.
Zhu Ci paused for a moment when he saw the green sedan chair.
The carriage he had just used when returning from before Fengtian Hall was also very luxurious, but at that time, he thought they were all ceremonial carriages, since his mind was elsewhere, he didn't pay much attention to it.
Looking at it now, those were simply the daily necessities of the Eastern Palace.
This shoulder litter was an enclosed eight-person litter with only small windows on both sides; the exterior was wrapped in cyan brocade, while the interior was lined with silk, the soft cushioned seats inside were also made of silk.
Zhu Ci clicked his tongue inwardly; the country was on the verge of ruin, yet they could still be so extravagant.
Even as an unfavored Crown Prince, his lifestyle was already like this; if he were a Crown Prince with high expectations, such as Zhu Ci, to what extent would his food, clothing, housing, transportation be provided?
Zhu Ci sighed while observing the situation outside through the small window.
Overall, the Forbidden City in Nanjing was indeed somewhat larger than the one in Beijing, the Kunning Palace was even more expansive.
Unfortunately, the Empress remained behind closed doors, sending only a female official to deliver the message.
After performing his salutations properly in front of Kunning Palace, Zhu Ci let out a sigh, turned to Nong Liangping, said, "Let's go, let's head back."
Go back and have a proper discussion about what kind of secrets the Empress is actually hiding.
As a result, he had barely returned to the Eastern Palace and hadn't even had a chance to speak before he heard a commotion outside. Someone shouted, "Get.. get out of the way.. This.. this Prince has come to congratulate.. congratulate Imperial Brother! How.. how dare you all block me?"
Zhu Ci looked toward Nong Liangping, Nong Liangping shouted, "Xiao Zuo."
A young eunuch immediately ran in and said, "Your Highness, the Fourth Prince has arrived."
Nong Liangping dismissed him, then turned and spoke before Zhu Ci could even ask, "The Fourth Prince is the son of the Noble Consort, he is the same age as you."
Zhu Ci asked, "Am I familiar with him?"
Nong Liangping smiled. "After all, you are of the same age and grew up together, it's just that the Noble Consort showed no respect to the Empress, the Fourth Prince.. also once coveted the position of Crown Prince."
Understood, a rival.
To make matters worse, it was a competitor who might know "him" very well, which was quite troublesome.
Zhu Ci pondered for a long while before saying, "Let's go and see him."
Nong Liangping immediately had people lead the Fourth Prince to the Small Flower Hall. When Zhu Ci entered, he smelled the scent of alcohol from a distance; not only that, but he also saw several young eunuchs moving things within the Small Flower Hall.
Do you have any situational awareness? Never mind those, this tree—move it out of here immediately, Prince of Huai!
Zhu Ci narrowed his eyes slightly and slowly lifted his hem as he stepped into the Small Flower Hall.
At this moment, four young eunuchs were laboriously carrying a person-sized jade carving of a wurtz tree. The carving was crafted entirely from green jade, possessing a clear and moist luster; the bottommost part was a deep green, becoming lighter as it went up, the branches and leaves even appeared translucent.
The entire tree, from its surface texture to its growth curvature, was incredibly lifelike; one look was enough to tell it was worth a fortune.
Zhu Ci was somewhat surprised. It was expected that court officials would present gifts to the new Crown Prince, but in the current situation, everyone's gestures toward him, the new Crown Prince, were merely superficial. To think that someone would actually be so willing to invest such a heavy sum?
After observing the tree, he glanced at the situation within the Small Flower Hall.
The once lively Small Flower Hall had fallen silent since he entered, the little eunuch brought by the Fourth Prince was currently carrying that Green Jade Wurtz Tree, looking completely at a loss.
The Fourth Prince shouldn't have been completely drunk; he sat slumped in his chair, but after turning his head and seeing Zhu Ci, he raised his hand and said, "Oh, Third Brother—oh, it is Your Highness. Please do not take offense, Your Highness; my head is a bit dizzy and I cannot stand up, so I cannot perform the salutation."
Of course." Zhu Ci was very kind. He slowly walked to the seat of honor, sat down, asked, "Why are you being so undisciplined? Why haven't you gone to get a bowl of Hangover Soup for the Fourth Prince?
The Fourth Prince froze for a moment; the taste of that Hangover Soup..
He immediately waved his hand dismissively. "No.. no need, no need. Just a little.. a little bit will do. This Prince is.. capable of drinking a thousand cups without getting drunk."
"Drinking is bad for your health, but at least Hangover Soup can nourish you. Fourth Brother, you should not refuse," Zhu Ci said, glancing at Nong Liangping as he spoke.
Nong Liangping made a hand gesture.
Zhu Ci glanced at those standing eunuchs again and asked, "What is my fourth brother doing this time?"
The Fourth Prince said quite uninhibitedly, "This Green Jade Wurtz Tree is extremely rare, I find it quite pleasing. In any case, Imperial Brother won't be using it for much longer anyway. If it gets broken when.. later on, that wouldn't be good. I'll take it away first. Once I return to the Eastern Palace in the future, I'll display it there. Oh, those bonsai are quite good too; I like them very much."
Zhu Ci leaned back and said three words: "Put them back."
The Fourth Prince was extremely arrogant: "Move them out!"
The little eunuchs acted immediately. Upon seeing them, Zhu Ci knew at once that these little eunuchs definitely did not belong to the Eastern Palace.
He waved his hand directly. "Take them down."
The Eastern Palace eunuchs acted immediately, but these minor eunuchs were all holding items in their hands; in the struggle, many were broken. However, that Green Jade Wurtz Tree was so precious that no one dared to touch it casually, so it remained intact.
The Fourth Prince intentionally sighed and said, "Emperor.. Imperial Brother, look.. this.. this is such a pity. Fortunately, the Green Jade Wurtz Tree is unharmed."
"If it's broken, it's broken." Zhu Ci said with an air of indifference.
After the little eunuch was suppressed, Zhu Ci said, "Send him to whatever place is appropriate for the crime of theft."
The Fourth Prince's expression changed instantly, he asked, "You dare?"
Just then, the Hangover Soup was brought up, the Fourth Prince raised his hand and knocked it over.
Zhu Ci looked at the maidservant, who was kneeling to beg for forgiveness after being burned, said softly, "It is none of your business, go down and treat your injury."
After speaking, he turned his head to look at Nong Liangping and said, "Bring up another bowl."
When the second bowl was brought up, Zhu Ci did not let the maidservant hand it to the Fourth Prince. Instead, he stood up, walked in front of the Fourth Prince, sighed, saying, "Fourth Brother, you are no longer young; why do you not know how to cherish your own body? You must still drink this Hangover Soup."
The Fourth Prince instinctively felt something was wrong and immediately stood up.
Oh, the Fourth Prince was a bit taller than his current body, but it didn't matter.
Zhu Ci took two steps back to his side, lifted his foot, kicked the Fourth Prince in the back of the knee. The Fourth Prince immediately stumbled, turning around and saying in disbelief, "You.. you actually dared to kick me?"
Zhu Ci felt a bit of regret; if it had been his original body, the Fourth Prince would have already been on his knees by now.
Without saying a word, he pushed the Fourth Prince from behind. While the Fourth Prince was stumbling forward, he wrenched the man's hands behind his back and used some scraps of cloth left behind from something broken on the ground to bind them.
He then grabbed his collar, threw him back into the chair, pressed his right leg down to pin the Fourth Prince's body, used his left hand to squeeze the Fourth Prince's cheeks to force his mouth open, used his right hand to take the Hangover Soup from the maid.
Mm, it wasn't very hot.
Thinking that it wouldn't be too hot, he boldly poured it down the Fourth Prince's throat.
His technique was very professional, ensuring that the person would neither choke nor suffocate.
The Fourth Prince was soon driven to tears by the heat. When Zhu Ci released him, he immediately began coughing and said indignantly, "I.. I'm going to tell Father that the Crown Prince is attempting to murder his own brother!"
Zhu Ci gave a light laugh and untied him, then clapped his hands, returned to the seat at the head, said, "See, aren't you sober now? You even know to go and complain to Father Emperor."
The Fourth Prince glared fiercely at Zhu Ci and said, "So what if you've become the Crown Prince? This Prince wants to see just how long you can remain so arrogant."
After speaking, he turned and left without waiting for any reaction from Zhu Ci, appearing somewhat blustering but lacking real courage.
However, as he reached the doorway, he suddenly turned around, pointed a finger at Zhu Ci, said, "You'd better pray to the gods and Buddha to last longer than your two brothers, hmph."
The Fourth Prince left hurriedly with his men; when he departed, he didn't seem intoxicated in the slightest.