The number one sycophant of the Ming Dynasty

Gao Gong, however, failed to notice Prince Yu's awkwardness. He stood up, paced a few steps in the warm pavilion, and spoke with undisguised approval:

"Your Highness! You couldn't have imagined how my heart was in my throat the day this list was submitted!"

"With the three sacrificial animals—ox, sheep, and pig—fully prepared, and the jade, silk, and ritual vessels exceeding the prescribed limits, if that scoundrel Yan Shifan were to seize upon this and present it to the Emperor in the Western Garden, he would at least be charged with 'disrespecting ancestral rules and overstepping regulations'!"

"Prince Jing was just worried about not being able to find fault with His Highness; this is practically handing a knife to his hands!"

His words were ostensibly praising Chen Han and Shen Zhiyu, but in reality, they were a dig at Prince Yu.

Prince Yu's face paled slightly, and he shrank back a little: "Mr. Gao is right. It was me... I was in a hurry. I was thinking about fulfilling my filial piety to Emperor Taizu and my father on the winter solstice. I didn't pay attention to the oversight in the regulations and almost made a big mistake."

Gao Gong then realized that his tone had been too harsh, and quickly softened his voice, bowing as he said, "Your Highness is too kind. Your Highness's benevolence and filial piety are evident to Heaven and Earth, but the people around you who handle things are too incompetent. They don't even understand the rules of the 'Great Ming Code,' and almost harmed Your Highness."

Then, he changed the subject: "But speaking of which, this Chen Han is quite capable!"

"He forcibly split a list of those destined for death into two: one for filial piety, and one for reverence for Heaven. This satisfied His Highness's filial piety, conformed to ancestral rules, and precisely hit the Emperor's sweet spot!"

"Let alone a mere eighth-rank supervisor of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, even among the well-read junior officials of the Hanlin Academy, few possess this level of discretion!"

He added, "And then there's Shen Zhiyu. She called back three times before, and I thought she was a member of Yan's faction, deliberately making things difficult for Your Highness."

"Looking at it now, she was clearly aware of the situation. She didn't escalate things too much, and she also left room for His Highness to maneuver. This woman is no simpleton!"

After saying that, he plopped back into his chair, picked up his teacup, took a big gulp, and his expression completely relaxed.

As far as he was concerned, as long as Prince Yu was safe, the situation was considered resolved.

However, Xu Jie and Zhang Juzheng remained silent.

Xu Jie lowered his eyes, fiddling with the beaded string, his smile unchanged.

But the beads in his hand spun a little faster than before, a small movement he only made when he was uneasy.

He knew from the beginning that the list was out of order.

His original plan was extremely meticulous.

Prince Yu's list was indeed excessive, but behind it lay his benevolence and filial piety.

If he were to submit it directly, and the Yan faction were to seize upon it, he could then stand up, defend Prince Yu's commendable filial piety, and request that Prince Yu request a reduction in his salary.

This would both maintain the image of Prince Yu as a benevolent and filial son, and also allow him to gain a reputation in front of the emperor for "putting the overall situation first and protecting the crown prince."

This incident also allows them to replace those incompetent people around Prince Yu with their own people, thus completely seizing control of Prince Yu's affairs.

Even if the Yen Party didn't find any fault, he could still use the pretext of "rectifying the system" to personally change the list.

He not only did Prince Yu a huge favor, but also let the Emperor see that he, as the Second Grand Secretary, was truly thinking of Prince Yu's best interests.

He acted like a grandson to Yan Song for three years, and even gave his own granddaughter to Yan Song's grandson as a concubine, all in the hope that he could one day take Yan Song's place.

This list was a perfect opportunity for him to demonstrate his loyalty to the emperor, but a minor official of the eighth rank beat him to it.

What bothered him even more was that the Emperor had already taken a liking to Chen Han.

A person who can understand the rules so well and grasp the emperor's heart so thoroughly, once remembered by the emperor, will never again be a low-ranking official of the eighth grade.

This person was not under his control; in fact, he had never even heard of this name before.

In the imperial court, the most terrifying thing is never the enemy in plain sight, but the variables that are out of control.

Zhang Juzheng, however, was thinking differently from Xu Jie at this moment.

He put down the list, looked up at Prince Yu, and said calmly, "Your Highness, this list has indeed been revised well."

"There is one thing I may ask, Your Highness: why did you not consult with us when you drafted this list?"

The moment those words were asked, the atmosphere in the warm pavilion instantly turned somber again.

Zhang Juzheng lowered his eyes, his expression unchanged.

He asked this question deliberately in front of Xu Jie, both to let Xu Jie see that Prince Yu had no expert to guide him and to keep himself out of the turmoil.

Gao Gong, however, had already realized what was happening and quickly echoed, "Uncle Da is right! Your Highness, how can you act first and report later on such a crucial matter concerning the regulations of the ancestral temple and the Emperor's favor?"

"If we hadn't escaped unscathed this time, and the Yan faction hadn't seized on this weakness, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"

"You must remember, although you have the legal advantage, King Jing is lurking nearby; you must not act rashly!"

Prince Yu's face paled even more, a fine layer of sweat beaded on his forehead, his hands clutching his sleeves, he looked as flustered as a child who had done something wrong, and stammered:

"I... I just thought that offering tributes at the winter festival was a small matter and I didn't want to trouble you gentlemen. Who knew... who knew that such a big mistake would happen."

He didn't dare say that the list was an idea suggested to him by his concubine, Lady Li.

Behind the curtain of the warm pavilion, Consort Li stood there, holding a bowl of freshly stewed ginseng soup, her expression calm.

She heard everything that was being said outside the curtain.

She knew her husband's temperament all too well.

Kindness is real, but so is cowardice.

Under the relentless pressure from the Yan faction and the unpredictable moods of his father, he lived a life of constant fear, not daring to even raise his head to speak to his father, let alone try to understand his father's thoughts.

She forced Prince Yu to make the offerings for this winter solstice.

Prince Jing, relying on the emperor's favor, flaunted his power in the capital and always outshone Prince Yu, yet the emperor never uttered a word of reprimand.

She wanted Prince Yu to use this winter solstice as an opportunity to make an appearance before the emperor and let the emperor know that his son cared about his father and the ancestral rules.

She never expected that the people handling the matter would be so incompetent, drafting a list that was excessive in every way, almost turning a good thing into a disaster.

What was even more unexpected was that it was an unknown low-ranking official of the eighth rank who turned the situation around.

She carried the ginseng soup and did not go out.

What happens outside the curtain is for those outside the curtain to deal with.

All she needs to do is listen and remember.

She was aware of that.

The warm chamber outside the curtain remained silent.

Prince Yu lowered his head, Xu Jie twirled the beads in silence, Gao Gong looked disappointed, and Zhang Juzheng lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door of the warm room.

A respectful voice came from outside the door from Feng Bao, the chief eunuch of the Prince's residence: "Your Highness, Eunuch Zhang from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs has arrived to deliver the Emperor's decree!"

Prince Yu abruptly stood up, swaying and nearly losing his balance. He quickly straightened his clothes, his voice trembling, "Quickly! Open the central gate and receive the imperial decree!"

Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng also stood up, straightened their official robes, and stood on both sides.

Soon, Zhang happy, a eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial, walked in carrying a bright yellow food box.

He wore a formulaic smile, glanced at everyone as he entered, paused for a moment on Xu Jie, and then fixed his gaze on Prince Yu.

Prince Yu was already kneeling on the ground, performing the three kneelings and nine kowtows ceremony towards the direction of the West Garden, saying, "Your subject Zhu Zaiji respectfully welcomes the Emperor's decree, long live the Emperor!"

You could tell he was about to cry.

Because the imperial eunuch finally came to deliver the decree, and most importantly, he didn't bring any soldiers with him, which meant he wasn't there to arrest him, which was a good thing.

My mind went blank, and I almost collapsed to the ground.

This startled Zhang Xidu for a moment.

However, he didn't think about filial piety; his first thought was actually sympathy.

It's not easy!

Everyone says that it's not easy for those of us who are close to Prince Yu. Compared to him, we're actually doing quite well.

……