However, after meeting Zhu Ci's warning gaze, he realized the situation and decisively shut his mouth.
After hearing this, Zhu Ci leaned forward slightly and asked, "Do the ministers have nothing else to report?"
Everyone nodded in agreement in quick succession, then they saw the Emperor wave his hand with great elegance: "Dismissed."
Before the words had even faded, everyone had already disappeared behind the screen.
Well, what else is there to be unclear about?
Zhu Ci hurriedly returned to the Qianqing Palace to prepare to change into casual robes. Just as he was about to order the preparation of a carriage, Jiang Xueyan preempted him and said, "Your Majesty, the imperial carriage is already prepared. In accordance with your instructions, everything has been kept simple."
Zhu Ci nodded at her with satisfaction. Very good; the person who had always stayed by his side was indeed thoughtful.
After changing his clothes as quickly as possible, he immediately left the palace.
At this time, the various officials from the Grand Secretariat and the Censorate had not yet returned to their duty rooms, but from a distance, they saw the imperial carriage rapidly exiting the palace.
The Censors and the two Vice Grand Secretaries of the Grand Secretariat exchanged glances, before Emperor Zhu Yujian finally remarked with emotion, "The Marquis of Huating is currently in high favor."
From now on, one must remember this: unless His Majesty clearly shows his dislike for the Marquis of Huating, do not start imagining all sorts of things just because you think the Marquis of Huating has lost the Emperor's favor.
Fortunately, Emperor Zhu Yujian still had two Vice Grand Secretaries who were on good terms with Fu; they would neither gloat nor add insult to injury, so there was no need to worry about offending the Emperor because of this.
When Zhu Ci arrived at the Marquis's Mansion, the mansion's steward rushed out to welcome him. Just as he was about to kneel and pay his respects, Zhu Ci raised his hand and said, "At ease. How is Huaizhang doing?"
He walked inside while speaking, heading straight for the main courtyard.
This mansion was specially left for Fu by Zhu Ci, it is separated from the Forbidden City by only a single wall.
This place was originally the Southern Palace, but after the Manchus entered the pass, Dorgon occupied this Southern Palace as Prince Rui's Mansion.
After returning, Zhu Ci waved his hand and directly gave this mansion to Fu.
When he had bestowed the mansion before, some people had jumped out to claim it was an impropriety.
Zhu Ci paid them no mind, gradually, many people figured out the situation and stopped saying anything.
At this moment, he felt extremely fortunate that he had insisted on giving this residence to Fu back then. If his every move hadn't been under everyone's watchful eyes, he could have arrived just by scaling a wall, wouldn't have needed to take such a long detour.
The Marquis's steward hurriedly followed behind Zhu Ci and said, "Your Majesty, Physician Yan is already examining the Marquis's pulse and prescribing medicine. He says the Marquis's internal organs are overheated and that he has been invaded by external evils."
Hmm? What is that?
Could it be His Majesty's arrival?
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: If I had known I'd be transmigrating, I would have studied medicine instead! A kitty putting on a white lab coat. jpg
Next update at noon, twelve o'clock.
Chapter 271
Before Zhu Ci could even enter the room, he heard Fu's weak voice. He immediately said, "It is I who has arrived.. What are you doing? Move aside."
He had just arrived at the outer room when he was stopped by two guards standing at the entrance.
The guards were all trembling with fear at this moment. Before he could even speak, Fu said, "Ahem.. Your Majesty, your servant's illness has not yet fully recovered. I beg Your Majesty to return to the palace, lest you catch my sickness."
Zhu Ci suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, thinking to himself that his own health was much better than yours.
He raised a hand, Wu Xia and Jiang Xueyan, who were behind him, immediately stepped forward to pull the two guards aside.
The two guards stumbled several steps before they could steady themselves, looking at Wu Xia and Jiang Xueyan with disbelief. How could these two delicate young girls possess such immense strength? They had nearly thrown them out just now!
Zhu Ci strode into the inner room, as soon as he entered, he smelled a heavy scent of medicine.
At this moment, Fu Ying was half-reclining on the bed. Upon seeing Zhu Ci, a hint of helplessness flashed across his pale face, then he propped himself up, preparing to offer his respects.
Zhu Ci quickly stepped over, pressed his hands on his shoulders, said, "At a time like this, don't bother with such tedious formalities."
After he finished speaking, he looked closely at Fu. At this moment, Lord Fu had his long, silver-white hair cascading down, his complexion was a few shades paler than usual, his light blue eyes were watery from illness, there was a flush at the corners of his eyes.
He truly was a sight that stirred one's compassion.
Zhu Ci was heartbroken beyond words. He estimated that no matter how cold-hearted a person might be, they would soften at the sight of such Fu, let alone him.
He turned his head and asked Physician Yan, "How is Huaizhang's condition?"
Your Majesty, the Marquis has excessive internal heat, causing his rising deficiency fire to irritate his lungs..
Physician Yan spoke in a long string of words, Zhu Ci could no longer understand him. He felt a slight headache and said, "Just tell me directly whether it is serious or not."
Physician Yan immediately said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, proper recuperation will surely ensure a full recovery."
Zhu Ci glanced at him a few more times, then turned to look at Fu. Before he could speak, Fu said, "Your Majesty has heard it as well; my illness is nothing serious, I only wish to take this opportunity to rest for a day or two. Your Majesty should return quickly."
“Why are you driving me away? Physician Yan said this is just some dry evil invading the lungs.. it's not some epidemic.”
As Zhu Ci spoke, he still felt somewhat uneasy, so he reached out and grasped Fu's wrist.
He did not remember much of the professional terminology of Traditional Chinese Medicine, but he could still distinguish between various minor ailments.
At this moment, Fu's wrist was warmer than usual. Fu lowered his eyes and looked at Zhu Ci's hand; although he knew the Emperor was checking his pulse, his heart still wavered.
The very moment Zhu Ci released his wrist, Fu subconsciously reached out and grabbed Zhu Ci's hand.
As he grasped the Little Emperor's hand, Fu snapped back to his senses and realized he had done something wrong.
When sick, it is always difficult for a person to maintain their composure, which is also why he kept wanting Zhu Ci to go back.
Zhu Ci froze for a moment, when he saw Fu's bewildered and regretful gaze, he felt a strange sensation in his heart.
Zhu Ci did not pull his hand away; instead, he took Fu's hand, gave it a gentle squeeze to comfort him, said, "Don't worry."
Fu knew that at this moment he should have let go and asked for forgiveness, but he truly craved this brief moment of warmth.
Physician Yan immediately gave a look to everyone around him, leading them all to quietly withdraw.
Zhu Ci noticed this and felt that something was strange; although the two of them had indeed frequently dismissed everyone to be alone in the past, but.. at this moment, something seemed different.
Your Majesty seems to have dismissed the court early today; has someone angered Your Majesty?
Zhu Ci couldn't say if he had rushed over to see him and scolded everyone, successfully making everyone too afraid to speak and only wanting to get off work.
He cleared his throat and said, "There is nothing major happening right now, just the usual routine, so naturally we shall dismiss from court early."
Although Fu was ill, he was not so easily fooled; he knew the moment he heard the Emperor was talking nonsense.
Nowadays, where could there not be major issues? It is difficult to conquer the world, but even harder to rule it. To bring stability to the world, to allow the common people to rest and recover, to prepare for the nomadic tribes to the north—every single matter is significant.
He guessed why the Little Emperor was so anxious to leave the court, he couldn't help but feel a warmth in his heart.
“If His Majesty is tired, he should also rest for a few days.”
Zhu Ci looked hesitant for a rare moment after hearing this, only after a long pause did he say, "Do you.. want to return to Nanjing?"
After he finished speaking, fearing that Fu would overthink it, he said, "The climate in the north is truly dry and is not good for your health. You grew up in the south, so you will ultimately be better suited there. Once you return, it would be possible for you to establish a Southern Grand Secretariat there as well."
Fu looked deeply at Zhu Ci and said softly, "If that is the case, if Your Majesty had gone to such great lengths to suppress the many objections, wouldn't the abolition of the Six Ministries of Nanjing be a wasted effort?"
Zhu Ci thought for a moment and said, "The Southern Grand Secretariat doesn't require many people, Nanjing isn't a secondary capital; at most, it's just a municipality."
Fu Lue was somewhat puzzled: "Direct-controlled municipalities?"
Zhu Ci gave an affirmative response: "Right, I originally intended to establish several municipalities, but sigh, that is a matter for the future. Don't worry about those things for now; just focus on resting and recovering from your illness. I was just speaking casually."
He paused. "If it really doesn't work out, I remember the climate in the surrounding mountains is quite mild and humid; it might be good if you go there first to recover your health."
Although he did not fully understand what Physician Yan said, Zhu Ci used his own experience to diagnose that Fu's condition was most likely caused by being unaccustomed to the local climate and water.
Issues like being unaccustomed to the local environment could range from minor to severe. Fu's health was already quite poor, so Zhu Ci did not dare to take any risks and could only consult with him about returning to Nanjing.
However, Zhu Ci was very clear that even if the Southern Grand Secretariat was established, it would still be far from the center of politics. If Nanjing weren't relatively prosperous, such an order would be no different from exile; it might be more politely called being sent away for retirement.
Zhu Ci himself was also conflicted; he hoped Fu would stay, as after all, among the entire court of civil and military officials, Fu was the only one who truly resonated with him and supported him unconditionally.
He suppressed the urge to sigh and held Fu's hand, saying, "You must focus on recovering first. I will return after thinking of a way."
Fu looked at the Little Emperor's rare expression of distress and couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. "It is not a serious illness, Your Majesty need not worry about me; perhaps I will be well by tomorrow."
Zhu Ci thought to himself that minor illnesses were often the most taxing, especially when the body was unaccustomed to the local climate; insisting on staying here would easily cause one's immunity to decline, making it easy for all sorts of ailments to take hold.
He thought for a moment and said, "I remember there seem to be hot springs over in Jixian County, there should be some around here as well. If all else fails, we can go there; it should be much better."
The problem of the dry climate can only be partially alleviated in areas near bodies of water, soaking in hot springs is also beneficial for one's health.
Before Fu could speak, Zhu Ci decided on his own, "It's settled then."
Fu did not object, but simply asked casually, "Whom does His Majesty intend to take?"
Zhu Ci looked puzzled. "Hmm? Who else are you planning to take?"
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: The Grand Secretary cannot afford any accidents. Since he is ill, he should go on vacation to recuperate; while he's at it, I'll take a vacation too. Cat dragging a suitcase. jpg
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 272
Fu's eyes flashed with a hint of amusement upon hearing this, he responded, "It's no one. I remember there is an Imperial Palace over there; we should first send someone to tidy it up."
Zhu Ci nodded as he came to his senses. "I'll send someone to tidy it up later. Once you feel better, we will head over there."
Thinking of this, he suddenly realized that Fu seemed to be his great steward; besides state affairs, he had to care about his daily life, being just a step away from overseeing every aspect of his food, clothing, housing, transportation.
On the way back to the palace, Zhu Ci sat in the carriage with only one question in his mind: Do all the Grand Secretaries of the Great Ming Dynasty manage such things?
Although some historical records had been lost, many remained within the palace. After returning, Zhu Ci specifically had people dig some out, finally concluding: Grand Secretaries are not all the same; some only care about state affairs, while others also take an interest in the Emperor's studies. Even if they inquire about his daily life, it is usually just a passing question; most of the time, they do not pry too much.
Fu was very different.
Zhu Ci set the historical records aside and asked casually, "Has everything I requested been handled?"
Jiang Xueyan replied, "Reporting to His Majesty, time was a bit short; the Construction Bureau only submitted two maps."
Zhu Ci reached out and said, "Bring them here for me to see."
He took the map from Jiang Xueyan's hands and began to examine it closely after unfolding it.