Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1253 Vigilance
Upon arriving at Consort Xian's palace, Zhu Shenzhui sat down and chatted with the princes and princesses, with Consort Xian and Consort Shu keeping him company. They were all enjoying themselves. A short while later, Empress Xu Jingqiu arrived. Everyone except the Emperor quickly rose to pay their respects. The Empress smiled and waved her hand, saying that the Emperor was in the mood for a family banquet and that there was no need for such formalities in the inner palace. She then sat down beside the Emperor and chatted with him. A moment later, Consort Hui and Consort Liang arrived with their nursing child. The Crown Prince, Crown Princess, and the Emperor's grandson, who lived in the East Palace, which was a bit further away, were the last to arrive.

Smiling broadly as he looked at his large family, Zhu Shenzhui was very happy. The family dinner today didn't involve much else, just small talk about household matters. Looking at his children and grandchildren, Zhu Shenzhui couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. Who would have thought he would become a grandfather so soon? Time really flies. It seems like only yesterday he and Xu Jingqiu got married, yet more than twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Although this family dinner was a last-minute decision, it allowed Zhu Shenzhui to temporarily set aside his worries and immerse himself in the joy of family life. But happy times must eventually come to an end, and as dusk fell and the children looked a little tired, the family dinner came to an end.

Afterwards, Zhu Shenzhui did not return to Qianqing Palace, but stayed overnight in the Empress's Palace. When he arrived at the Empress's Palace, Xu Jingqiu personally helped her husband wash up and change clothes. Zhu Shenzhui, who had changed into his undergarments, sat on the edge of the bed, and she brought him a cup of ginseng tea.

"Have some ginseng tea. You must be tired after a long day. This ginseng tea is made from Korean ginseng, which is a tribute from North Korea. It is mild and gentle. I used it a while ago and found it quite good."

Nodding, Zhu Shenzhui accepted the ginseng tea offered by Xu Jingqiu. In the candlelight, his gaze unconsciously fell on the Empress's face. Although the Empress's appearance remained unchanged, a closer look revealed the subtle signs of aging.

"Jingqiu, we haven't spent much time together these past few years. Do you resent me for that?"

"What are you saying, Your Majesty?" Xu Jingqiu smiled and shook her head, saying, "Your Majesty is the ruler of a country. You have been diligently governing the country these past years. Isn't it normal that you spend less time in the harem? Besides, I am the Empress and have given birth to two princes for Your Majesty. What more could I ask for in this life?"

Reaching out to grasp Xu Jingqiu's hand, Zhu Shenzhui nodded, and couldn't help but sigh softly. People often say it's good to be an emperor; not only is the emperor high above, with golden words, but he also has three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines, enjoying endless pleasure every night.

But in reality, it was not like that at all. Not to mention that governing such a large country required a lot of energy, even the concubines in the harem could not possibly make Emperor Zhu Shenzhui really indulge in nightly revelry. A person's energy is limited. Many times, after a day of work, Zhu Shenzhui basically did not even go to the harem, and spent most of his time in his Qianqing Palace.

Unless he had physiological needs, Zhu Shenzhui would not bother to visit the inner palace. It was for this reason that he did not spend much time with his concubines in recent years, instead focusing more on state affairs.

"When you first came to Beijing, we talked privately about having a few more children, but more than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and we haven't been able to fulfill your wish..."

"Your Majesty, I am already content with the Crown Prince and the Prince of Song. Moreover, such things are beyond my reach; they were all arranged by Heaven long ago. Heaven has been so kind to me, giving me two princes, as well as Your Majesty's affection. What more could I ask for?" Xu Jingqiu replied with a smile. These words greatly pleased Zhu Shenzhui. He reached out and embraced his wife, gently resting his head against her temple, just like when they had just married. It was as if time had instantly reversed, returning them to more than twenty years ago.

The room was completely silent. Neither of them spoke, yet they could both feel each other's heartbeats, immersed in this warm and peaceful feeling. After what seemed like an eternity, the candlelight in the distance flickered slightly, bringing them back to reality.

"Is Your Majesty preoccupied with something?" Xu Jingqiu asked softly.

The two were an old married couple, and they had even married in the countryside. Xu Jingqiu knew her husband, Zhu Shenzhui, all too well. She knew Zhu Shenzhui's character and temperament perfectly. Today, being neither a holiday nor a festival, Zhu Shenzhui would never have gone to the garden to relax, much less have decided to hold a family banquet just because he happened to run into Consort Xian and the others.

Earlier, when they were in the Xianfei Palace, Xu Jingqiu noticed the hidden irritability behind Zhu Shenzhui's outward appearance. Although Zhu Shenzhui smiled and acted like nothing was wrong in front of his sisters and children, how could Xu Jingqiu, as his wife, be wrong?

“Some troublesome matters…” Zhu Shenzhui sighed and said, “The Yellow River has breached its banks in Huaibei, flooding three prefectures and seven counties, affecting an area of ​​nearly a thousand miles, and displacing hundreds of thousands of people. The cabinet reported this to me early this morning. I am very uncomfortable about this matter, and moreover…”

“Your Majesty, although I am the Empress, the founding emperor established a rule that the empress should not interfere in politics. These are matters of great importance to the court, and Your Majesty should not tell me about them.” Before Zhu Shenzhui could finish speaking, Xu Jingqiu whispered a reminder in his ear. “It’s alright. It’s just discussing matters, not asking you to discuss politics. Just listen. This doesn’t count as interfering in politics.” Zhu Shenzhui said dismissively. Seeing this, Xu Jingqiu didn’t say anything more and listened quietly to her husband’s words.

Zhu Shenzhui, as if confiding in an ordinary husband and wife, told Xu Jingqiu everything that had happened that day, including Yang Sichang's underhanded tactics and Hong Chengchou's attitude at the time. At this point, Zhu Shenzhui couldn't help but sneer, his words revealing his dissatisfaction with Yang Sichang and a hint of wariness towards Hong Chengchou's actions. This caused Xu Jingqiu to frown slightly.

However, Xu Jingqiu didn't say anything, nor did she ask any questions or try to dissuade him. She simply continued to listen, doing a very good job as a listener. In the end, Zhu Shenzhui vented his frustrations, letting out all the anger in his heart. After he finished speaking, he felt much better.

"It's all just a bunch of trivial matters!" Zhu Shenzhui shook his head and said, "Our Great Ming has only just recovered its strength and finally achieved this state of affairs. Was it easy for me to be the emperor? How many years have passed? How long have we enjoyed these good days? And these people are already starting to stir again. Can't they just calm down?"

"People's hearts are fickle, that's common, Your Majesty need not worry. Besides, these are merely Your Majesty's guesses, perhaps they don't think that way at all," Xu Jingqiu comforted him.

"Heh, that makes sense," Zhu Shenzhui sneered. "But some people, the more they read, the more ambitious they become. They want more after getting something, and it's inevitable that they'll be greedy. However, I won't let them succeed. Over the years, I've done so much to consolidate imperial power and suppress the cabinet and the outer court. If things were to return to the way they were during the Wanli and Chongzhen reigns, with civil officials controlling the government, wouldn't the Ming Dynasty fall into their hands?"

The more knowledge one has, the more reactionary one becomes! These scholars with their headscarves have countless ulterior motives, especially those who forget past grievances easily. Coupled with some people's侥幸心理 (a sense of侥幸, a belief that they can get away with something), they've started plotting crooked schemes. Zhu Shenzhui is neither the Chongzhen Emperor nor the Wanli Emperor; this kind of behavior is extremely dangerous. How can we let them have their way?
Although Zhu Shenzhui complained to Xu Jingqiu, he didn't tell Xu Jingqiu about arranging for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate the Ministry of Revenue and Yang Sichang. Even husband and wife need to keep things confidential in some aspects, especially since Xu Jingqiu is the Empress. If too many people find out, it will eventually become a problem.

Furthermore, he was only taking precautions at the moment and couldn't be entirely certain that Yang Sichang or anyone else truly harbored the thoughts he suspected. These matters still needed to be verified before they could be clarified. However, since Zhu Shenzhui had these concerns in mind, he had also made his decision.

It was late at night, and Zhu Shenzhui had fallen into a deep sleep. However, Xu Jingqiu, who should have been asleep long ago, had opened her eyes at some point. She turned her head to look at her husband, her gaze falling on his slightly furrowed brows even in his sleep.

After a long while, Xu Jingqiu sighed silently and gradually closed her eyes. A little while later, snoring began to rise, and the palace was quiet except for the intermittent chirping of insects.

The Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, and the Grand Secretariat quickly came up with a final plan regarding the Yellow River breach. The Censorate also dispatched censors to Huaibei to undertake disaster relief and post-disaster management. In addition, the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate sent officials to investigate the problems with this Yellow River breach, as the breach was extremely serious, the largest since the Yongming Dynasty, and the losses were devastating.

Such a major matter could not be left uninvestigated; a result was imperative. The court officials were well aware of this, and they also knew that someone was likely to suffer. Whether it was a few or a dozen people who would be affected depended on the final investigation results.

However, the official investigation by the court was not important, and Zhu Shenzhui did not expect it to uncover the truth. In his view, the phenomenon of officials protecting each other had always existed in officialdom, especially since it was common for major issues to be downplayed and minor issues to be ignored. Even such a major matter might end up being raised high and then gently dismissed, with a few unlucky people without connections finding to take the blame. Zhu Shenzhui was well aware of this.

Therefore, Zhu Shenzhui focused his investigation on the Embroidered Uniform Guard, believing that only their findings would be truthful and credible. Long before the imperial envoy sent to Huaibei departed, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already secretly arrived and begun their investigation. None of the court departments, including the cabinet, were aware of this, and Zhu Shenzhui himself made no mention of it.

He wanted to see what the real situation was, what results the officials he had sent would produce, and what the attitudes of the court officials were towards the matter. These were his true objectives.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and the final results from Huaibei had not yet reached Zhu Shenzhui's desk, but the main reasons for the Yellow River's breach had already become clear. Just then, a memorial from Zhu Mincheng, the Prince of Song, who was far away in the New World, arrived first. After reading the memorial, Zhu Shenzhui was first taken aback, and then couldn't help but chuckle.

(End of this chapter)