Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 694 The Hunting Trap

Pei Yuan felt reassured.

Good, good. As long as the two big shots don't start fighting, he can rest assured.

Even if things escalate into a fight, as long as it doesn't involve me, I can accept it.

Empress Dowager Zhang felt exceptionally happy today.

Years of hard work have been recognized, and there is hope that long-standing hidden dangers can be eradicated. It's truly a great sense of accomplishment.

She couldn't help but press further, "The situation in Shandong is so important, you should still go and keep an eye on it as soon as possible."

Pei Yuan hurriedly replied, "Before I came here, the court had already sent Bian Xian to the capital, and the situation in Shandong was taken over by Wang Chang, the governor of Shandong. In addition, Bi Zhen, the eunuch in charge of Shandong, and Gu Dayong, the director of the Western Depot, are also working hard to investigate this matter."

"If it weren't for the fact that I had to return to the capital to see the Empress Dowager, I would probably be doing what Your Majesty wants, helping out in Shandong."

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Zhang said, "It doesn't matter. If I hadn't been able to see you in person, how would I have known of your virtue and ability?"

Ultimately, she was determined to resolve the issues in Shandong as soon as possible.

So I couldn't help but ask again, "When do you plan to go to Shandong?"

Pei Yuan immediately said, "In fact, I have long been disgusted by Zheng Wang's seditious words. Even if the Empress Dowager had not inquired about it today, I would have intended to put an end to this matter."

He continued, "Actually, I arrived in the capital yesterday, but I was concerned about my travel-worn appearance and dared not disgrace Your Majesty, so I only dared to request an audience today."

"After I arrived in the capital yesterday, I immediately contacted Li Shishi, the Left Censor-in-Chief, because of this worry of the Empress Dowager."

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Zhang asked with some confusion, "Oh, what do you mean by that?"

Pei Yuan quickly said, "The Empress Dowager may not know that Li Shishi is related to Prince Ning by marriage."

Empress Dowager Zhang thought to herself, so what if they are related to Prince Ning by marriage? What does this matter have to do with Prince Ning?
Pei Yuan looked up again and hinted to Empress Zhang, "The matter of De Fan slandering the Empress Dowager and the Emperor should be verified by the elders of the Zhu family clan for it to be more convincing."

Empress Dowager Zhang suddenly understood after hearing this.

She immediately praised, "Pei Yuan, what you said makes sense."

Since it concerns Zhu Houzhao's origins and involves a powerful clan, only a powerful figure from the Zhu family can come forward to refute the rumors and silence the public's gossip.

Seeing this, Pei Yuan calmly said, "After this humble servant reasoned with him and appealed to his emotions, the Left Censor-in-Chief Li Shishi has promised that Prince Ning will definitely find a result that will satisfy the Empress Dowager and His Majesty."

Empress Dowager Zhang clapped her hands in praise and exclaimed, "Well done!"

Pei Yuan seized the opportunity to say, “Your Majesty, I was just about to apologize. Although I was eager to share the burdens of Your Majesty yesterday, I may have been somewhat disrespectful. Now that I think about it, even if I have disgraced Your Majesty, I should at least report to the Empress Dowager first.”

Empress Dowager Zhang didn't take it to heart at all, and said with a smile, "What's the rush for my affairs? The fact that you were able to handle this matter as soon as you returned to the capital shows that you truly care about me."

Empress Dowager Zhang, still uneasy, asked again, "Did Li Shishi really agree?"

Pei Yuan said confidently, "Li Shishi has agreed."

Empress Dowager Zhang asked with some surprise, "How could he, a Left Censor-in-Chief and an important official of the court, easily agree to something like this?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan looked at Empress Dowager Zhang and paused for a moment in surprise.

Empress Dowager Zhang became increasingly puzzled.

Just as she was about to ask, Pei Yuan said in a strange tone, "Doesn't the Empress Dowager know? The Prince of Ning's heir will be in charge of incense at the Imperial Ancestral Temple during this year's sacrificial ceremony. The Prince of Ning is currently very afraid of making a mistake, so of course he is willing to do things for His Majesty."

"What?!" Empress Dowager Zhang exclaimed in fury, "The Prince of Ning's heir is in charge of incense? Who decided this? Were those court officials forcing him to do so?"

The Zhu family has faced a succession crisis since the Chenghua era.

Empress Dowager Zhang personally experienced the turmoil within the inner palace during the reigns of the Chenghua and Zhengde emperors; how could she not understand the significance of it all?

She never imagined that Zhu Houzhao's seemingly impregnable throne would face such a severe challenge.

Empress Dowager Zhang angrily retorted, "His Majesty is only twenty years old!"

Zhu Houzhao was only twenty years old, the Ming Dynasty was only a little over a hundred years old, and there was always tomorrow.

Pei Yuan remained silent and did not respond.

Her son, in his early twenties, had already chosen a distant successor, and was about to risk his life in the northern frontier to protect the over-a-hundred-year-old Ming Dynasty. Meanwhile, she was still helping court officials hinder him, all to protect those two useless members of the Zhang family.

At the most dangerous moment of the Battle of Yingzhou, the cavalry of the Dalu prince almost shattered Zhu Houzhao's central army. Zhu Houzhao fought with all his might to drive the Dalu back, even though the imperial carriage was in imminent danger.

Even Zhu Houzhao himself fought with a knife and personally killed one of them.

The rolling hooves, the billowing smoke, the clashing drums and horns... who cared about what happened afterward?
Her son was almost only in his twenties, and the Ming Dynasty was almost only a little over a hundred years old. Countless Ming citizens might not have a day after tomorrow.

Empress Dowager Zhang seemed to have thought of something, and gritted her teeth, angrily asking, "Was it Li Shishi who did it?"

Pei Yuan said in a deep voice, "I have never heard of Li Shishi having such a plan. It seems that I have heard people say that it was the idea of ​​Qian Ning, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Empress Dowager Zhang suppressed her anger, "Qian Ning!"

Then Empress Dowager Zhang said resentfully, "The Prince of Ning's seniority is higher than mine. If he inherits the throne, what am I?"

"This..." Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan seemed to have thought of something, and as if he were sweating profusely, he repeatedly wiped his forehead with his hands.

Empress Dowager Zhang frowned and made a nasal sound, "Hmm?"

Pei Yuan then stammered, "It's nothing. I just suddenly remembered what I overheard about the Prince of Huai when I was talking to Li Shishi last time."

"Li Shishi, Prince of Huai?" Empress Dowager Zhang was somewhat unfamiliar with them.

Pei Yuan hesitated before saying, "It's just that...it's just that a case happened in Jiangxi. The Prince of Huai had a conflict with an official named Li Mengyang, and it seems that he sent someone to beat up Li Mengyang."

"Li Mengyang?!"

This name immediately touched a nerve with Empress Dowager Zhang.

Isn't this the same scoundrel who calls her "Zhang"?

With so many keywords, Empress Dowager Zhang couldn't help but pay attention. "What has that beast Li Mengyang, who has no loyalty to the emperor or his father, done this time?"

Pei Yuan seemed hesitant and slowly said, "It's still related to the Prince of Huai, it's just that there's some conflict."

Empress Dowager Zhang was getting impatient. "What are you arguing about?" Pei Yuan then told Empress Dowager Zhang about all the strange things Prince Huai, Zhu Youqi, had done.

When Empress Dowager Zhang heard that after Zhu Youqi ascended the throne, he referred to the rightful heir as "Uncle Wang," his biological father, Prince Qingjiang Zhu Jiandian, as "Father Wang," and even made Zhu Jianlian's wife move out of the palace and bring his own biological mother into the palace, she was almost furious.

Zhu Jianlian was of a higher generation than Zhu Youqi, and was his maternal uncle, yet he could only be granted the title of "Wang Bo" (a title of honor for a prince).

If the Prince of Ning's heir were to inherit the throne, what would become of her as the Empress Dowager?
Am I to be called "Empress Dowager Nephew's Wife"?
Then how could she possibly have a place in Renshou Palace?

Empress Dowager Zhang almost burst into tears, crying out, "These scoundrels, these scoundrels!"

Then, as if grasping at a straw, she questioned, "Do the court officials really ignore such an absurd matter? I must ask His Majesty what he is thinking!"

Pei Yuan's heart skipped a beat, but he knew that whether he could smooth things over depended on whether he could silence the Empress Dowager on this matter.

Pei Yuan said softly, "This matter is certainly not His Majesty's fault."

Empress Dowager Zhang directed almost all her anger at Pei Yuan, asking, "What do you mean by that?"

At this moment, Pei Yuan seemed to have regained the humble and fearful demeanor he had when he first met Empress Dowager Zhang. "Your Majesty, I do not wish to deceive you, but even though I have loyal advice, I fear it may be unpleasant to hear."

Empress Dowager Zhang had just gained a lot from Pei Yuan, so she naturally trusted his loyalty. She said in a deep voice, "I know what kind of person you are. Speak boldly, and I will forgive you."

Empress Dowager Zhang encouraged Pei Yuan to speak boldly, and Pei Yuan seemed to immediately muster his courage, looking boldly at Empress Dowager Zhang, "Your Majesty, this matter has turned out this way because of you!"

"What?" Empress Dowager Zhang looked at Pei Yuan in disbelief, never expecting him to give such an answer.

Pei Yuan's face showed pain. "Speaking of which, even I bear some responsibility."

Empress Dowager Zhang became increasingly confused.

How could the matter of Prince Ning's son being in charge of incense be his own responsibility, and how could it have implicated Pei Yuan?

Then Pei Yuan said, "Does the Empress Dowager still remember the first time she summoned me?"

Empress Dowager Zhang said, "Of course I remember, otherwise I wouldn't have thought of having the Marquis of Shouning send you a letter."

Pei Yuan said, "That time, I was instructed by Eunuch Zhang Rui to go to Empress Xia's Kunning Palace to help... and handle some matters. Later, I found something was amiss, so I had Eunuch Zhang report back to the Empress Dowager."

Empress Dowager Zhang thought to herself, "Isn't this just about framing that bitch Xia Qing last time? What's the big deal?"
Pei Yuan continued, "Later, not long after, the important officials in the court strongly requested that His Majesty follow the example of Emperor Renzong of Song and find some children from various branches of the imperial clan to bring into the palace and raise them there."

"His Majesty was furious about this, but his ministers pressured him with threats to the state and ancestral temples, leaving him with no choice."

"Just then, a courtier spoke up, saying that..."

Pei Yuan paused deliberately before continuing, "It is said that the Empress has not committed any misconduct and is still young, so it is not appropriate to pressure her too much."

"His Majesty greatly appreciated this argument and decided to set the matter aside. The senior officials dared not press the Empress and also wanted to back down."

Pei Yuan glanced at Empress Dowager Zhang as he finished speaking.

Empress Dowager Zhang's face turned pale, and she became somewhat restless.

But since Pei Yuan had already prepared for the hunt, there was no reason for him to let his prey escape.

Seeing Empress Zhang step into the hunting trap he had laid, Pei Yuan decisively locked the final link.

"And it was precisely at this moment that Your Majesty's imperial edict arrived. Although your edict did not mention evil spirits, it subtly implied that the Empress had lost her virtue..."

"This caused His Majesty to have a mental breakdown. He was unable to control himself, smashed things on his desk, and left the court in dejection."

"After that, news spread that the Prince of Ning's heir was to be in charge of incense offerings..."

"It was only a few days ago that I received confirmation."

Empress Zhang was able to gain the emperor's exclusive favor among three thousand beauties, which was entirely due to her exceptional looks.

His face was deathly pale, which made him look somewhat young.

She couldn't accept what Pei Yuangang had said at all, and couldn't help but mutter to herself, "How could this be? How could this be?"

In that case, isn't it she herself who brought them to this predicament?

Pei Yuan remained silent, deliberately putting Empress Zhang through a period of torment.

He was worried that Empress Dowager Zhang might have other ideas, so he timely lashed out with his whip to drive her back to the right path.

"I believe that, for the sake of the mother-son relationship between the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager should refrain from mentioning this matter to Your Majesty until a better solution is found."

"I know the Empress Dowager is sad, but Your Majesty must be sad too."

Empress Dowager Zhang nodded, almost helplessly.

At that time, she was determined to get rid of that bitch Xia Qing and prevent the Xia family from rising to power and becoming a scourge to the Zhang family.

That's why she deliberately sent someone to report on Empress Xia's affairs when the court officials were interrogating Zhu Houzhao, hoping to take advantage of Zhu Houzhao's anger and make him hate Empress Xia.

Then Empress Dowager Zhang was able to take the opportunity to send Xia Qing to the Cold Palace.

However, unexpectedly, the negative consequences of this incident were endless, and it eventually backfired on him.

After hearing what Pei Yuan had just said, how could she not imagine how devastated and helpless Zhu Houzhao must have felt at that moment?

Now, how could Empress Dowager Zhang possibly go and question Prince Ning's son about the matter of incense?
Empress Dowager Zhang's eyes were filled with confusion, and she murmured almost frantically, "What should I do?"

Empress Dowager Zhang had previously heard palace servants mention Zhu Houzhao's little quirks.

At first, Empress Dowager Zhang simply regarded these as Zhu Houzhao's mischievous whims.

But isn't absolute power simply about doing whatever you want?
Empress Dowager Zhang paid no attention to this at all.

In her mind, Zhu Houzhao was only twenty years old, and had plenty of time to find a suitable successor.

She never imagined that Zhu Houzhao would be unable to have a son.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Houzhao, in this predicament, would so coincidentally, under pressure from court officials and from within and without, ultimately choose to select an heir from among the outer clans.

The matter of Prince Ning's son, Si Xiang, was like a dull thud, leaving her breathless.

(End of this chapter)