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Zhu Ci: How much is that昏君 paying you? Why are you working so hard? *Cat bristling and hissing. jpg*
Next update tomorrow at noon~
Chapter 16
Zhu Ci looked at Fu Chunsheng and Fu Qiulu, who were halfway undressed, clicked his tongue, saying, "You two are really.. Alright, both of you, come up here."
Fu Chunsheng and Fu Qiulu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that there shouldn't be any problems this time.
After the two of them went up, they heard the Crown Prince say, "Go inside, lie down."
Although they were somewhat confused, these princes and nobles always came up with all sorts of tricks in the bedroom, so they were not surprised. After lying down obediently, both pairs of eyes turned toward Zhu Ci.
Zhu Ci lay down on the outermost edge, closed his eyes, said, "Alright, go to sleep quietly. If anyone makes any more trouble, I'm going to start hitting people."
The brother and sister??
They exchanged a hesitant glance, after a short while, they heard the Crown Prince's breathing become long and steady, clearly having fallen asleep.
They hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not dare to move.
The Crown Prince's tone had already become quite impatient just now; if they continued to pester him, he might actually beat them, or even if he didn't do it himself, he could call someone to throw them out, which would ultimately be more trouble than it was worth.
Zhu Ci breathed a sigh of relief only after confirming that these two little brats had settled down; fortunately, his bed was large, otherwise his sleeping space would have been encroached upon.
Sigh, the wicked old society.
He rolled over, having finally fallen asleep.
Sleeping beside two strangers did not affect Zhu Ci's sleep. After waking up early the next morning, he continued to have the siblings repeat yesterday's work, by nightfall, the three of them were still sharing one bed.
However, because he didn't go to Wenhua Hall today, Zhu Ci wasn't that tired. He directly started a pre-sleep chat and asked casually, "Where are you two siblings from?"
Fu Chunsheng said in a low voice, "My sibling and I are from Songjiang Prefecture."
After hearing this, images of maps flashed through Zhu Ci's mind, he remarked with emotion, "Songjiang Prefecture is a wonderful place."
Present-day Songjiang Prefecture encompasses the future Shanghai, though the Shanghai of today likely has nothing particularly special about it.
After finishing his感慨, Zhu Ci had a sudden thought and asked, "I will be heading to Hangzhou in a few days. Do you two want to head home on the way?"
Fu Chunsheng and Fu Qiulu were stunned for a moment, hesitating for a long while before saying, "I'm afraid it is not on the way."
Zhu Ci was somewhat surprised: "You even know it's out of the way?"
The route from Nanjing to Hangzhou indeed does not pass through Songjiang Prefecture; Songjiang Prefecture is to the southwest of their route.
However, the fact that these two siblings knew this proved they were very familiar with the route; conservatively estimating, they were quite familiar with Tiantian Prefecture, Changzhou Prefecture, Suzhou Prefecture, even Guangde Prefecture, or at least knew exactly where these places were located.
Fu Chunsheng realized with a start that he had said the wrong thing and immediately shut his mouth.
Zhu Ci spoke as if it were just a casual question, saying only, "It's no matter, just consider it playing with me; I haven't even left the capital before."
His tone was incredibly lighthearted, as if he were a primary school student looking forward to a spring outing; after all, given the age of this body, he was only a middle schooler, so it was perfectly fine to act a bit naive and childish at times.
Fu Chunsheng and Fu Qiulu, hearing this, simply thought the Crown Prince was being playful, so they replied obediently, "Yes."
Zhu Ci closed his eyes. There were many variables on this journey, he could only try his best to find an opportunity to see if he could leave.
However, if he wanted to leave, he first had to deal with the people around him to create an opening.
Traveling incognito under the pretext of visiting Songjiang Prefecture was one method, but he could not bet all his hopes on just this one plan; to this end, he had prepared four different plans.
The imperial court was also engaged in bickering. It was certain that someone would be sent to investigate and determine whether the Crown Prince was real or a fake, but the choice of this person would require careful deliberation.
Zhu Ci's sudden appearance had disrupted all the schemes of both sides. Zhu Yousong had originally only intended to kill two birds with one stone, but now he felt this idea was brilliant, so no matter how Gao Hongtu and Ma Shiying tried to dissuade him, he refused to change his mind.
Ultimately left with no other choice, Gao Hongtu and Ma Shiying could only manipulate the retinue, resulting in two more accompanying eunuchs being added to Zhu Ci's side.
It is said that these two eunuchs were once eunuchs of the Beijing Imperial Palace and were acquainted with Zhu Ci.
Zhu Ci remained noncommittal about this; he knew very well that these two eunuchs had long since defected to the Donglin Party. Regardless of whether Zhu Ci's intentions were genuine or not, by the time the moment arrived, they would only be real.
As for Ma Shiying, he was extremely passive regarding this matter, which left Zhu Ci quite puzzled; there were almost no people arranged by Ma Shiying among the key personnel in the entire group, which was highly inconsistent with Zhu Ci's perception of Ma Shiying.
He couldn't possibly be planning to wait until the results are out before taking action, could he?
After the personnel arrangements were finalized, the next step was to confirm the departure date. To this end, Zhu Ci went to Wuying Hall, marking his second time participating in a small imperial court session.
He sat below Zhu Yousong, listening to them discuss the dates. Gao Hongtu naturally hoped it would be as soon as possible, but Ma Shiying said, "With the New Year approaching, how can the Crown Prince not be in the capital?"
At this moment, Gao Hongtu had no interest in whether the Crown Prince was being difficult; once "Zhu Ci" returned, both the current Emperor and his son would be dead.
He just needed to restrain himself a little before that, otherwise, he would be the one dying.
Therefore, although he was anxious, he did not insist too much.
Yet unexpectedly, Zhu Ci, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke: "Imperial Father, while the New Year is certainly important, if that person truly is my elder cousin, I will feel uneasy letting him spend the New Year alone outside. It would be better to let me set out early; it is only a delay of one year's Spring Festival, which is nothing significant."
Gao Hongtu looked at the Crown Prince in surprise, unable to fathom the Crown Prince's thoughts for a moment; he subconsciously felt there might be some conspiracy involved, but he quickly dismissed the idea.
Because he did not think the Crown Prince had the capacity to plot a conspiracy.
It wasn't that the Crown Prince wasn't smart enough, but rather that he lacked sufficient freedom and didn't have a single person of his own under his command. Even the once-loyal Nong Liangping had been bribed by someone, seeking to lead him to his death.
Besides that, most of the news coming from the Eastern Palace spoke of how this Crown Prince was different from his father and elder brother.
He is a very compassionate person; he pities servants and rarely imposes heavy punishments on palace attendants who have made mistakes. Since becoming Crown Prince, aside from one Nong Liangping, not a single person has died in the Eastern Palace, which makes him seem quite unusual in the current Imperial Palace.
It perfectly embodied the image of a benevolent ruler.
Unfortunately, he has a decadent father, since the current realm does not require a benevolent ruler who can only maintain the status quo, Gao Hongtu had already made his decision almost immediately after receiving news that Zhu Ci might still be alive.
In this situation, it would be plausible to say that Zhu Ci decided to set out to fetch him because he felt pity that his elder cousin was spending the Lunar New Year all alone in Hangzhou.
Gao Hongtu kept these thoughts to himself, but verbally went along with the suggestion.
Zhu Yousong also offered some hypocritical resistance before finally sighing and saying, "Very well. If that person truly is my brother, he must have suffered much during his exile; he should be brought back as soon as possible."
There is a conspiracy!
Gao Hongtu and Ma Shiying exchanged a glance, both reading the same message in each other's eyes.
Based on their understanding of the Emperor, Zhu Yousong was not such a magnanimous person.
He could not even tolerate his own son being the Crown Prince; how could he possibly tolerate a nephew of the Crown Prince?
When things deviate from the norm, it is considered an omen of something sinister; Gao Hongtu began to doubt whether the Crown Prince's recent initiative to request a trial was due to genuine compassion or if he was being manipulated by the Emperor.
Regardless, he must be careful throughout the journey, he must also send someone to write to the Prefect of Hangzhou, insisting that the Crown Prince be protected at all costs.
After Zhu Ci emerged from Wuying Hall, he let out a long breath; the departure date was set for three days later.
Finally, he was going to leave this Imperial Palace, a place that could devour a person at any moment.
However, he had barely taken two steps before he was stopped by a palace maid who said, "Your Highness, the Empress requests your presence."
Hmm?
Zhu Ci paused, feeling a hint of suspicion, but on the surface, he appeared quite delighted. "The Empress wants to see me? Let's go!"
The Empress had not shown her face since that treason case, she had not sent anyone to inquire about him on ordinary days, as if she did not remember having a son like him at all. Why did she suddenly want to see him again?
Zhu Ci pondered what exactly had been happening lately as he walked.
The Empress.. could she know that he was going to Hangzhou Prefecture to pick up Zhu Ci?
If that were the case, it would prove that this Empress is not as indifferent to the outside world as the rumors suggest.
Zhu Ci felt the matter was somewhat tricky. He still hadn't figured out the Empress's true situation; if he were to be exposed.. the foolish Emperor would surely protect him, wouldn't he?
After all, everything was already planned, Gao Hongtu was also counting on him to quickly bring Zhu Ci back.
Thinking of this, he felt a bit more at ease for the time being.
Kunning Palace.. This was not his first time here, but it was his first time setting foot inside the palace.
As soon as he entered Kunning Palace, he caught the scent of sandalwood; it wasn't heavy, but it could not be ignored.
After entering the warm pavilion, Zhu Ci saw the Empress dressed in casual attire. She walked over with a peaceful expression and said, "Has my son arrived?"
Zhu Ci immediately bowed. "This servant greets the Empress."
The Empress walked up to Zhu Ci and studied him closely for a long while before sighing and saying, "My boy has grown up."
Zhu Ci gave a bashful smile; in front of his own mother, it was best to say as little as possible.
The Empress stroked his face and said, "You must remember everything I am about to say."
Zhu Ci was momentarily stunned, then he saw the Empress staring fixedly at him, speaking word by word, "Do not go to Songjiang Prefecture."
“Ah?”
Zhu Ci was startled, almost suspecting that the Empress before him possessed mind-reading abilities; otherwise, how could she have mentioned Songjiang Prefecture?
The Empress lowered her hands, her expression turning somewhat cold as she said, "I am tired. Crown Prince, you may return."
Zhu Ci wanted to ask further, but the Empress turned and walked away. A palace maid also approached Zhu Ci, bowing as she said, "Your Highness, please."
Zhu Ci walked out of Kunning Palace, completely bewildered. He looked back at the plaque of Kunning Palace, feeling as though he had just sensed something different about it.
Songjiang Prefecture.. Isn't that the Marquis of Huating's territory? Why can't he go there?
When he was just appointed Crown Prince, the Marquis of Huating had shown his goodwill with great ceremony. They had no intersection, yet they had never been on bad terms; could there be something else going on here?
Zhu Ci felt deeply that the information he possessed was far too little, but, judging solely by the Empress's words, she likely did not intend to harm him.
If the Empress had insisted that he must go to Songjiang Prefecture, he might have had some doubts, but since she told him not to go, he simply wouldn't go.
As for everything else, he didn't want to think about it for the time being!
Anyway, as long as he successfully makes his escape, the world will be his to roam, no one will care about those complicated entanglements anymore.
Zhu Ci set this matter aside for the time being.
After returning to the Eastern Palace, Zhu Ci immediately summoned Gao Lin and Ma Tai, saying, "Good brothers, which of you can help me create two fake identities?"
Gao Lin and Ma Tai immediately became wary, but on the surface, they still asked playfully, "What does Your Highness want these for?"
Zhu Ci laughed in a very dashing manner. "You know, my Imperial Father rewarded me with two people, I quite like those two. I want to give them a proper status, but since their backgrounds are ultimately not very honorable, I was thinking.."
Ma Tai immediately shook his head and said, "No, no, that won't do. If my father finds out, I'm afraid he'll break my legs."