If Jiang Yeguang were to be implicated, I fear there would be no one left in the imperial court to stand against the Qing army.
Even though he knew the Imperial Court was heading toward its demise, Zhu Ci did not want anything to happen to Jiang Yeguang right now.
To put it selfishly, the longer the imperial court lasts, the better he can prepare for his escape and lay a foundation; otherwise, he would be nothing more than duckweed in a chaotic world.
Without Jiang Yeguang and the Donglin Party, the imperial court would likely have collapsed without even putting up a fight.
After all, the Emperor and Ma Shiying intended to join forces to suppress the Mongols and the rebels.
After Zhu Ci forcefully suppressed the matter, the group appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, undercurrents continued to surge.
The Donglin Party was temporarily much more friendly toward him because of this matter; Jiang Yeguang was a mainstay of the Donglin Party, if he were truly framed by the Grand Secretary's Party, the losses would be heavy!
Zhu Ci couldn't be bothered with the struggle between the two factions. He directly called the Fu siblings onto the carriage, looked at Fu Qiulu, asked softly, "What did the Imperial Physician say? Is the injury serious?"
Fu Qiulu shook her head and said softly, "It's not serious. The Imperial Physician said to avoid water, I'll be fine after a few days of rest."
Zhu Ci nodded, lost in thought for a long while, before saying, "Because the assassination attempt delayed the Mission, we will likely have to travel at full speed from now on. Under these circumstances, you won't be able to rest and recover properly. It just so happens that we are still within the borders of Huzhou Prefecture and not far from Songjiang Prefecture. Whether the two of you stay in Huzhou Prefecture or return to your hometown in Songjiang Prefecture, the choice is yours."
As he spoke, he took out a box and handed it over, saying, "These are the identity certificates for the two of you, there is also a three-hundred-tael banknote inside. From this day forward, you are both free people."
Fu Chunsheng and Fu Qiulu were momentarily stunned. After a long while, Fu Chunsheng finally asked, "Is Your Highness planning to drive us away?"
Zhu Ci laughed, "Why would I be driving you away? I know that in those years, you sold yourselves because you had nowhere else to turn. Now that I am letting you go, wouldn't that be better than staying by my side without any status or title?"
Fu Qiulu seemed a bit anxious. "But.."
Zhu Ci's murderous intent surged, yet his face wore a gentle smile: "What? Unwilling?"
Author's Note:
----------------------
Zhu Ci: If you are unwilling to leave, then I shall be forced to "send you on your way." *Evil kitty draws sword. jpg*
Next update tomorrow at 12:00 PM~
Chapter 20
Fu Chunsheng held back Fu Qiulu, who was trying to speak further, said with great joy, "No, it's not that we are unwilling; it's just that we siblings are so overjoyed we've lost our heads. Thank you, Your Highness."
As he spoke, he pulled Fu Qiulu down to kneel with him in the carriage.
Zhu Ci pulled them up and said, "The two of you are incredibly loyal, you were injured because of me. If you had any proper status, I could reward you with a government position, but unfortunately.. it matters not. I have urgent matters to attend to now, it is truly not suitable for Qiulu to recover from her injuries here. When I return, if the two of you still wish to follow me back, then wait for me at the next relay station."
Fu Chunsheng breathed a small sigh of relief and immediately said, "We siblings only wish to follow the Crown Prince, we will certainly return when the time comes."
Zhu Ci smiled slightly and said, "Fine, once we reach the next relay station, you two shall stay behind."
Fu Chunsheng and Fu Qiulu both dared not say anything, so they could only put on a look of great joy as they stayed behind.
Watching the Crown Prince's procession depart, Fu Chunsheng said in a low voice, "This is the perfect time to ask the Marquis for instructions. The Crown Prince is about to enter the borders of Hangzhou Prefecture; how should we handle this?"
Fu Qiulu frowned. "Those two are truly useless; they can't even handle such a small matter, they've even caused the loss of many of the Marquis's men."
Fu Chunsheng shook his head. "It is our fault. I did not expect the Crown Prince to be so extraordinary; it might not be easy to take him away without causing him harm. We will need to plan this more carefully."
Fu Qiulu was somewhat anxious: "The journey there is the most convenient time. Once he returns with Zhu Ci, the Hangzhou Prefect will certainly deploy heavy troops for protection, I fear it will be even more difficult then."
Fu Chunsheng shook his head. "The heavy guard is to protect Zhu Ci, not this Crown Prince. Haven't you noticed that he has always been on guard against something? Aside from us, there is only Ge Xudong by his side; he rarely keeps other people around."
Fu Qiulu exclaimed in shock, "Someone wants to kill him? Who? The Donglin Party?"
Fu Chunsheng let out a long sigh. "I don't know. The current imperial court is nothing but a muddy pool."
Fu Qiulu frowned. "Then we must report this to the Marquis immediately. It doesn't matter who wants to kill him; what matters most is that he must not die. Sigh, if I had known, I wouldn't have rushed forward, I wouldn't have been left behind."
Fu Chunsheng glanced at her. "He is suspicious of us. Otherwise, he would have only let you stay; why bother letting me stay as well?"
Fu Qiulu's eyes darted around. "Our identities shouldn't be that easy to expose. On the surface, we are the ones sent by the Emperor.. wait, is he being on guard against the Emperor?"
Fu Chunsheng froze for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Fu Qiulu, they said in unison, "The Emperor wants to kill him."
Fu Chunsheng sneered, "For a dignified Emperor to resort to such ghostly tricks.. he truly lacks any sense of dignity."
Fu Qiulu immediately spoke with great enthusiasm, "We must find a way to let people know. When that time comes, the dog emperor will have lost the people's support, his reign will be over."
Fu Chunsheng shook his head. "Wait a little longer. This small matter is not enough to overthrow the Emperor, not to mention we haven't taken the Crown Prince away yet. Even if something happens to the Emperor, the Crown Prince can still ascend the throne smoothly. Do not let any complications ruin your plan, Marquis."
Fu Qiulu frowned. "Why must the Marquis insist on taking him away? If he is worried about causing complications, wouldn't it be better to just kill him directly? Or perhaps it would be better to fan the flames and let that dog emperor kill him instead."
Fu Chunsheng watched the Mission gradually disappear, then turned and said, "Do not speculate on the Marquis's thoughts. Go back and tend to your injuries first. Although the Crown Prince is suspicious of us, the medicinal salve he provided is indeed excellent."
“The Crown Prince doesn't care about the old Emperor's offspring at all.” Fu Qiulu turned and followed him inside.
Fu Chunsheng's voice gradually faded: "After all, his mother is the eldest daughter of the Xi family."
Sigh, what a pity for the Empress.
..
"Your Highness, is there something wrong with your eyes?" Ge Xudong asked with great concern, bringing over a cup of tea.
Zhu Ci pressed the corner of his right eye with his finger and said, "Not really, it's just that my right eyelid has been twitching uncontrollably."
Ge Xudong's expression tightened instantly, yet he did not dare to say anything.
He said nothing, but Zhu Ci said to himself, "It seems it won't be peaceful when we return either."
Ge Xudong immediately said, "Your Highness will surely turn misfortune into a blessing."
Zhu Ci didn't think much of it; after all, he was currently like Tang Sanzang, with all sorts of forces staring at him, wanting to kill him.
Previously, he had only thought that the Emperor and the Donglin Party would want him to die out there, but then another group of people suddenly appeared; he didn't even know who he had offended.
Zhu Ci simply stopped thinking about those things and asked directly, "Are we almost at Hangzhou City?"
We should arrive in about half an hour. I have heard that the Hangzhou Prefect has personally left the city to welcome us.
Zhu Ci nodded and looked out the window.
Along this journey, he had almost no opportunity to witness the hardships of the common people.
When the Crown Prince travels, no matter how low-profile he remains, he must still have the proper ceremonial guard. The official route must be cleared, no one is allowed to linger; even local officials can at most send people to present some gifts, but without a formal summons, one could never meet the Crown Prince.
By the time they arrived at Hangzhou City.. it was more or less like this.
After paying respects at the Shili Pavilion ten miles outside the city, the Hangzhou Prefect led the Mission directly to his residence.
Zhu Ci sat in the seat of honor. After the Hangzhou Prefect and his subordinates paid their respects once more, he said, "Your Highness must be weary from your journey. I have prepared a banquet to welcome you and wash away your travel dust."
Zhu Ci raised his hand and said, "There is no rush for this. Where is the person who claims to be Crown Prince Chongzhen right now? I wish to see him."
The Hangzhou Prefect immediately said, "That man has been settled in a separate courtyard. This official will lead Your Highness there."
Zhu Ci turned his head toward Ge Xudong and said, "Bring those two eunuchs along and have them identify the person."
After speaking, he followed the Hangzhou Prefect all the way to a secluded courtyard within the city.
The courtyard was located in a very tranquil area, surrounded by many grand residences. The gates appeared unassuming from the outside, yet the interior was heavily guarded by troops, though it was unclear whether they were there to protect Zhu Ci or to prevent him from escaping.
They walked all the way inside and met the Crown Prince, who had undergone so many tribulations, in the main hall.
Zhu Ci remembered that the original novel had once described how, in history, this Crown Prince was recorded as fair and beautiful.
At a glance, he was indeed very fair-skinned; standing there, he made the surrounding officials look utterly ordinary, like a crane standing among a flock of chickens.
One must realize that although the Great Ming was nearing its end, a large portion of the current officials had been appointed back when Chongzhen was still on the throne.
One of the most important aspects of selecting officials was their appearance; it could be said that even the officials of the Great Ming with the least attractive looks still possessed well-proportioned features.
Most importantly, Zhu Ci felt that even without someone else identifying him, he could conclude that the person before him must be their true cousin, as their facial features were at least fifty percent similar.
It was just that Zhu Ci's facial features were more pronounced and striking, possessing a brilliant and flamboyant beauty, whereas Zhu Ci was even more gentle and refined in appearance.
Zhu Ci hesitated for a moment upon seeing Zhu Ci; given the current situation, he didn't even know how to greet this younger cousin.
The Hangzhou Prefect and the other officials did not dare to make a sound, the scene fell into a brief silence.
Fortunately, this silence did not last long, as two eunuchs immediately threw themselves onto their knees at Zhu Ci's feet.
One cried out, "Your Highness, this eunuch has finally seen your honorable self again."
The other one also said through tears, "Your Highness, how have you become so thin? You have suffered so much!"
Zhu Ci looked down, finding the two of them somewhat familiar. As a memory surfaced, he couldn't help but shed tears and say, "I also thought I would never see you again.."
Ge Xudong, standing beside Zhu Ci, immediately stepped forward and asked, "Look closely, is this truly Crown Prince Chongzhen?"
Because there were two Crown Princes present, the crowd could only refer to him this way after much deliberation; in any case, Chongzhen was already an era name, since the era was about to change to Hongguang, it was not considered disrespectful to the late Emperor.
The two eunuchs turned to Zhu Ci, kowtowed, said, "It is absolutely true. The two of us served in the Eastern Palace for many years, so we could never mistake you."
After they finished speaking, everyone's gaze converged on Zhu Ci.
Zhu Ci smiled, cupped his hands in a respectful salute, said, "Zhu Ci greets his elder cousin."
Zhu Ci, who had been so nervous that his fists were clenched, breathed a sigh of relief the moment he realized the other man was willing to acknowledge his identity.
Zhu Ci took a step forward, holding his arm, said, "There is no need for such formality between brothers."
As he drew closer, Zhu Ci looked at the Crown Prince's casual attire on the other man, feeling a sudden pang of sorrow and trepidation.
All of this had originally been his, now, whether he would even be able to wear these clothes again remained unknown.
After putting his hands down, Zhu Ci looked at Zhu Ci and said, "Cousin, I would like to speak with you privately for a few words, if that is alright?"
"This.." Zhu Ci hesitated for a moment.
Although he didn't detect any malice in Zhu Ci, he still felt somewhat uneasy about being alone with him.
What if the other party lost his temper and tried to kill him?
Although he was the elder brother, in reality, he was only one year older than Zhu Ci, there was no significant age difference visible when the two stood together.
Zhu Ci said in a gentle voice, "If my cousin is uneasy, let those two stand guard outside the door, I will simply hand over these things of mine."
As he spoke, he tossed the dagger he was carrying directly to Ge Xudong.
Ge Xudong immediately bowed to catch it and stepped aside.
Zhu Ci spread his arms and turned in a circle, saying, "Rest assured, cousin. I am not carrying any weapons; I truly only wish to speak with you privately for a few words."
Before Zhu Ci could even speak, the Hangzhou Prefect and the other officials beside him immediately made excuses to withdraw.