Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 142: Big guys want stability, small guys want promotion.

When Zhu Changluo arrived at the Western Warm Pavilion, Li Zhulan, the imperial concubine, was sitting in the pavilion, admiring the falling snow in the last rays of the day's light. Beside her was a stove, on which sat a boiling kettle.

"The Emperor has arrived!"

Hearing the eunuch's cry of "The Emperor has arrived," Li Zhulan's slightly dazed eyes suddenly brightened up. She put down the teacup in her hand and hurried to the door.

"Your humble concubine pays homage to the Emperor, Long Live the Emperor." Li Zhulan knelt down and saluted in a proper manner. She no longer had the arrogant and willful look of someone who relied on her favor.

"Where is Ti'er?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"Ti'er was taken out to play by the Fifth Prince."

"Well. You can get up now." Zhu Changluo sat down where Li Zhulan had been and picked up the only teacup on the table. "Isn't the water boiling? Why is the tea cold?"

"It's the pot that's hot, not the cup. The wind is cold and the snow is chilly. If you forget about it for too long, the water will naturally get cold." Li Zhulan replied resentfully.

"Good tea, even when it's cold, is still drinkable." Zhu Changluo lifted the lid and drank the remaining tea without a care in the world. "If the tea is bitter and tasteless, I'll just have to throw it away and brew it again."

"My humble concubine, my humble concubine, does not mean to complain." The indifference and intimidation made Li Zhulan's nerves fragile and sensitive. "It's just, it's just..."

"I didn't come here to see you cry. Hold it back." Zhu Changluo squatted in front of the kneeling Li Zhulan, held her face with both hands, smiled and said in a firm tone.

"Yes." Li Zhulan tried her best to force a smile, but the tears that had already gathered in the corners of her eyes still slid down her cheeks under the action of gravity.

The tears didn't fall completely, because before that, Zhu Changluo wiped them away with his thumb. "You're laughing like you're crying. Would you like to have dinner with me?"

Li Zhulan looked up in surprise. "Yes!" Having been in the palace for over ten years, she naturally knew what it meant to share a meal.

"Very good." Zhu Changluo took Li Zhulan's hand. "It's cold outside, let's go inside and sit down."

"Yes." Li Zhulan lowered her head, a smile of relief spreading across her face. She was confident that as long as she adjusted her strategies in time to suit the Emperor's new preferences, she could regain his favor.

Entering the house, Li Zhulan immediately took off the thick white mink fur cloak she used for warmth. Under the cloak was a red robe with golden threads interspersed with blue and silver.

Although he had met Li Zhulan several times, Zhu Changluo was still captivated by the enchanting red color that was as charming as a blood-red rose.

Li Zhulan was tall and slender, at least a head taller than the shorter of the Park sisters, Park Miu. Her lips and cheeks were rosy, but she used a dark purple makeup blended with gold powder to create a darker eyeshadow. The rosy pink, gold, and purple combined to create the allure of a succubus who brought disaster to her nation. Dried tears tried to tarnish this allure, but in vain, they only added a shattered beauty that was undesirable, yet more powerful than before.

"sit down."

"Hmm," Li Zhulan responded timidly with a nasal tone, as if she really couldn't resist this burning gaze.

Li Zhulan sat down to the emperor's right, instinctively creating a gap between them where he could reach out and hold her left shoulder, but not her right waist. At this distance, if the emperor wanted to embrace her whole body, he would have to move closer to her.

But to Li Zhulan's surprise, the emperor did not hug her as hastily as before, but continued to look her up and down openly as if he was appreciating a work of art.

Although there were palace maids serving in the room, the silence still made the atmosphere ambiguous.

Just as Zhu Changluo was about to dismiss the palace maid, a familiar child's voice came from far away.

"Emperor Father!" Because the emperor had not yet eaten and had not given any special instructions, the palace maid waiting at the door naturally opened the door for Zhu Huiti.

Zhu Changluo's anger immediately subsided. He adjusted his attitude and continued to play the role of a loving father. "Tie'er, do you miss your father, the emperor?"

"Yes. Every day!" Zhu Huiti answered without hesitation.

"That's great. Daddy, I miss Ti'er too." Zhu Changluo picked up Zhu Huiti and spun her around. This time, he wasn't panting as hard. "Where's your fifth brother? Didn't you go out to play with him?"

"Fifth brother knows that father is here, so he doesn't want to come." Zhu Huiti completely ignored Zhu Youjian's instructions and told him the reason in detail.

"Wow." Zhu Changluo chuckled. "Never mind him. Ti'er, come have dinner with Daddy, okay?"

"Okay." Zhu Huiti responded crisply.

This was a heartwarming scene, but it also made Li Zhulan feel inexplicably terrified. She had been the emperor's favorite for ten years and knew him too well.

She knew very well that the emperor favored Zhu Huiti not because she was his daughter, but because she was her daughter.

Li Zhulan still remembered that when the emperor's eldest daughter, the daughter of the former Crown Princess Guo, the seven-year-old Zhu Huijuan, passed away in the 38th year of the Wanli reign, there was not a trace of sadness in the emperor's eyes. It was as if the one who died was not his daughter, but an insignificant child.

"Serve the meal." The emperor's voice pulled Li Zhulan out of her swirling thoughts. She looked at the emperor and found that he was also looking at her.

Zhu Changluo noticed Li Zhulan's absent-mindedness. He gently stroked Zhu Huiti's soft hair and asked with a smile, "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm not thinking about anything. I'm just happy." Li Zhulan licked her lower lip, which was not dry, and rolled up the vermilion lipstick to make it lighter.

------

When Lu Wenzhao crossed the East and West Chang'an Avenues again and returned to Zhang's residence in Nanxunfang, it was not yet the hour of You. However, in winter, with its short days and long nights, it was already completely dark.

"Captain!" Seeing Lu Wenzhao coming from afar, Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian on duty greeted him with a smile.

Lu Wenzhao handed the lantern to Lu Jianxing and asked as usual, "Is everything okay?"

"Of course not. Who would dare to cause trouble for the Jinyiwei under the emperor's feet?" Lu Jianxing replied.

"Since the adults are here, let's..." Shen Lian looked like he was in a hurry to leave.

"Why are you panicking? That kid Yin Li hasn't arrived yet." Lu Jianxing scolded with a smile.

"You kid runs to Huanghuafang all day long. Can your wallet bear it?" Lu Wenzhao said jokingly with a subtle expression.

Shen Lian scratched his head. He was almost out of money, and all the money he used to go to the brothel was borrowed from his elder brother.

"Okay, stop messing around and get down to business." Lu Wenzhao suddenly became serious.

"Your command, my lord."

Lu Wenzhao took a deep breath and said, "I took an errand."

"What job?" Lu Jianxing was immediately interested. He wasn't as ambitious as Lu Wenzhao, but he wasn't much less so. Especially since his mother would always ask him when he could take over his late father's job.

"A job for the Donglin Party." Lu Wenzhao led Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian to a relatively secluded corner. "As expected of you, sir!" Lu Jianxing praised. "You're even able to solve this heinous case."

If Lu Wenzhao knew something about the inside story, then it didn't matter. Lu Jianxing, who held a lower position, knew nothing.

"This is not right." Lu Wenzhao shook his head. He didn't intend to kick the ball away.

"Is there something fishy going on?" Lu Jianxing put away his smile.

"What is the specific mission? Sir, please tell us and we can discuss it." Shen Lian also asked.

Lu Wenzhao thought for a moment and said, "I don't know what's going on. It's just that this job is too big, too big to be handed over to me. Do you know who the Northern Pacification Division has arrested?"

"I know. We arrested more than a dozen people, from all over the government office." Lu Jianxing nodded.

"During the previous emperor's reign, at most they arrested a few censors, but this time there are even court officials involved." Shen Lian sighed.

"The Dali Temple Minister and the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. They are the two biggest fish in this case." Lu Wenzhao said.

"They jumped into your pool?" Combining with Lu Wenzhao's previous words, Lu Jianxing came to his senses.

"Sun Ruyou, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. He was handed over to me by the higher-ups." Lu Wenzhao didn't mention Hai Zhentao, only vaguely referring to him with the word "higher-ups." "When things are out of the ordinary, there must be something fishy going on. This kind of job wouldn't be worth even a thousand taels of silver, and now it's slipped into my hands."

Lu Wenzhao didn't want to cause any trouble at all. He just wanted to spend the year in peace and then lead the imperial envoy to Liaodong.

While being sent to an enemy country is dangerous, at least the goal is set and the risks are known. If you get caught up in such a murky political struggle, you won't even know how you'll end up dead. If you're not careful, you could become a victim and be torn to pieces.

Lu Jianxing thought about it and decided to take a gamble: "Sir, please give this job to me and let me judge it. If anything goes wrong, you can just blame me."

Big shots seek stability, small shots seek advancement. If Lu Wenzhao continues to pass the buck, it would be easy for his subordinates to shoulder the brunt of the blame. He wouldn't even need to resort to trickery; motivated subordinates would simply step up and step up.

"Take your men to the prison." Lu Wenzhao said.

"Thank you for your help, sir." Lu Jianxing bowed and turned to leave.

"Stop!" Lu Wenzhao stopped him, "I haven't finished what I'm saying yet."

"Please show me, sir."

"Take people to guard him. No matter who comes to offer you any benefits, don't let him in to meet Lord Sun." Lu Wenzhao thought for a while: "If you want to interrogate him, remember not to use torture. Even if you want to interrogate him, only you can do the written interrogation. And no matter what you ask, don't record it, just remember it in your mind." The so-called written interrogation is just asking questions.

"Sir, why is this happening?" Lu Jianxing was puzzled.

"It doesn't matter what Lord Sun says, or whether he says it or not. Even the truth behind this case is not important." Lu Wenzhao licked his dry lips.

"Then what's important?" Lu Jianxing asked.

"This is an imperial errand. What the emperor wants is the most important thing." Lu Wenzhao pondered for a moment and replied.

"Do you know what the emperor is thinking?" Shen Lian asked this question because he knew that the emperor had given Lu Wenzhao instructions in person.

"I'm not a palace eunuch. How could I possibly know the Emperor's thoughts?" Lu Wenzhao rolled his eyes at Shen Lian. "If I knew what the Emperor was thinking, would I have to go to such great lengths?"

"That's it. Take a few trusted brothers and go to the prison to keep him under guard." Lu Wenzhao turned to look at Lu Jianxing. "What should I do next? I need to ask someone first." Although he said this, Lu Wenzhao didn't know if the person he wanted to contact would pay attention to him.

"Yes, sir." Lu Jianxing clasped his fists and accepted the order, then rushed to the East Office with a lantern.

"Shen Lian, don't go looking for Miss Zhou for the time being." Lu Wenzhao said to Shen Lian. "Just stay here and look after the Zhang Mansion with Yin Li."

"Yes." He still knew the importance of things.

------

The next morning, just after the hour of Mao, Lu Wenzhao crossed the entire inner city from south to north and arrived at the gate of a medium-sized house in Lingchunfang near the Shuntian Prefecture Office.

This is the residence of Cao Huachun, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department.

"Dong! Dong! Dong!" Lu Wenzhao pulled the door handle and knocked on it gently a few times.

After a while, the side door opened and a yellow-haired man with a white face and no beard walked out.

Although Lu Wenzhao was only wearing the uniform of a sixth-rank official, the eunuch yawned and asked politely, "Who are you, and what brings you to Cao's residence?"

"I am Lu Wenzhao, a captain in the Eastern Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I would like to request an audience with Admiral Cao." Lu Wenzhao took out a visiting card and a twenty-liang silver note from his bosom.

Lu Wenzhao was afraid that he would be stopped by the gatekeeper at the door, so he added respectfully, "I have met Admiral Cao once before. Admiral Cao even gave me some personal advice."

"Is this your first time here?" The eunuch chuckled.

"Yes," Lu Wenzhao said with a smile. "But everything has a first time."

"After the master was promoted to admiral, he basically stayed at the yamen all night and rarely went home." The eunuch shook his head and said, "He should be sitting in the yamen right now."

"Excuse me, where can I submit my visiting card to see Admiral Cao?" Lu Wenzhao's heart tightened. He took back the visiting card, but stuffed the banknote into the eunuch's pocket.

"You won't be able to see the master anywhere you go to submit your visiting card." The eunuch didn't refuse the banknote. This amount of money would have been enough for him to save by tightening his belt for half a year. "Just go directly to the Imperial Household Department."

"But I can't enter the imperial city." Lu Wenzhao was anxious, but still smiled apologetically.

"You're so generous, I can't just accept your money for nothing." The eunuch stuffed the banknote into his sleeve pocket and then held out his hand again. "A visiting card."

"Thank you, eunuch. You have taken the trouble." Lu Wenzhao bowed and handed the visiting card to the eunuch with both hands.

"Just wait here and don't go anywhere. I'll give you a definite answer within an hour." The eunuch took the card. "But a definite answer isn't necessarily good news. I can't influence whether the master is willing to see you or not."

"Of course. I'm already very grateful for your help, sir." Lu Wenzhao lowered his posture even more.

"Then you wait." The eunuch was quite honest. He put the visiting card in his arms and strode towards Bei'anmen.

(End of this chapter)