Chapter 0107: Emperor Jian’s Bait-and-Switch, Xie Chengze’s Grumbling
Glancing at the two guards at the Eastern Palace entrance, Xie Chengze stepped forward and asked, “Has your Crown Prince returned from court?”
He didn’t ask whether Emperor Jian had arrived, because even if he had, he probably wouldn’t have used the main gate, or would have ordered the guards not to reveal his presence.
“Second Prince.” Seemingly quite surprised to see the Second Prince here, the two Eastern Palace guards exchanged a look before stepping aside. “The Crown Prince has not yet returned to the palace, but His Highness has given instructions that if you come, no announcement is necessary. You may enter the Eastern Palace directly.”
“Very well.” Not detecting anything unusual, Xie Chengze stepped directly into the Eastern Palace.
After he had gone some distance, the guards at the Eastern Palace entrance couldn’t help but exchange another look. “Didn’t the Second Prince say he would never come to the Eastern Palace again?”
“That was so many years ago. He’s probably forgotten all about it by now.”
“I’m not so sure… If he had truly forgotten, why hasn’t he visited even once all these years? And you and I both witnessed how furious he was back then.”
“Ah, true enough. After that, the Crown Prince often reminded us that if the Second Prince ever came to the Eastern Palace, we must not stop him… It’s been four or five years now, hasn’t it?”
“Indeed…”
Xie Chengze remained completely unaware of the guards’ whispered conversation behind his back.
With no one to guide him, he wandered aimlessly for a while, intending to let Emperor Jian lower his guard. He planned to wait until the emperor thought he was well hidden before launching a “surprise inspection.”
This being his first time in the Eastern Palace, Xie Chengze found everything quite novel at first. But as he walked further, he noticed how simple and austere the place was—a far cry from Cheng Huan Palace.
Aside from a few pavilions dotting the lakes, most structures were dark, cold halls. As dusk fell, no one came to light the lamps. Occasionally, a retainer would hurry past, showing slight surprise upon seeing him before bowing in greeting. Beyond these fleeting encounters, the place felt utterly lifeless, without even a proper palace maid in sight—like a desolate wasteland.
Xie Chengze soon grew bored with his exploration. Just as he was about to ask someone for directions to the study, an elderly steward approached hurriedly from a distance. Bowing respectfully to Xie Chengze, he said, “Your Highness, the Crown Prince has not yet returned to the palace. May I request you to proceed to the Eastern Palace bedroom first?”
Why go to the bedroom?
Puzzled, Xie Chengze shook his head in refusal. “No need. This prince wishes to go to the Eastern Palace study.”
The old steward paused briefly. The Eastern Palace study was a place of important affairs where, in principle, outsiders were not easily permitted. However…
Bowing again, the steward gestured and said, “Please follow me, Your Highness.”
Xie Chengze fell in step behind the old steward, inquiring as they walked, “Why is the Eastern Palace so desolate? There aren’t even any palace maids or guards around. Has Jian’an become so impoverished that we can’t even afford palace attendants?”
The old steward: ?
“Your Highness, the Eastern Palace has always been this way. Moreover, the palace attendants are all serving the retainers in the rear halls.” Seeming somewhat surprised by Xie Chengze’s question, the steward gave him a puzzled look before understanding dawned. “It must be because Your Highness hasn’t visited in so long, and you were too young to remember properly back then. It’s normal that you’d forget.”
Always been like this? Xie Chengze stroked his chin. “I am indeed somewhat hazy about matters from my childhood. Could you elaborate?”
“If Your Highness wishes to know, perhaps you should ask the Crown Prince. This old servant’s position makes it inappropriate for me to speak.” Seemingly fearful of something, the old steward’s face momentarily shifted before returning to normal as he stopped before a gatehouse. “Your Highness, we’ve arrived at the study.”
Xie Chengze looked up and indeed saw the plaque inscribed with “Study Pavilion.” The pavilion was brightly lit, and he couldn’t help showing an expression of confirmation. Pushing open the study doors with both hands, he shouted, “Father! You’ve certainly made me search for you!”
To avoid him, he even tried to have someone deceive him into going to the Eastern Palace’s bedchambers? Fortunately, he was clever enough to know he’d definitely be in the study!
Yet there was no response from within. Puzzled, Xie Chengze turned his head and discovered the study was completely empty, with not a single memorial on the desk.
“Father? Father! Stop hiding—I can see you!” Xie Chengze wandered around the study but found no trace of anyone. He couldn’t help slapping his forehead hard. “Damn it! I’ve been tricked!”
It was a diversion tactic!
Emperor Jian must have intentionally had eunuchs carry memorials past the Imperial Study to mislead him into thinking they were being delivered to the Eastern Palace. In reality, he was hiding in the Imperial Study all along, waiting for him to head to the Eastern Palace first, never expecting the memorials would be redirected back to the Imperial Study halfway!
“That cunning old man, using all his tricks on me!” Xie Chengze couldn’t help cursing in frustration. “If he put half that effort into state affairs, the national treasury wouldn’t be so impoverished it can’t even support someone like me!”
The old steward following behind silently lowered his head, wishing he’d never grown these ears.
In this world, among the living, probably only the Second Prince dared to curse the Emperor and escape punishment.
As for the deceased, there was also Consort Hua.
Xie Chengze eventually returned to Cheng Huan Palace grumbling and cursing. Meanwhile, in the Imperial Study, Emperor Jian, who was reviewing memorials, sneezed and said cheerfully to Eunuch Zhao, “That boy must have gone to the Eastern Palace and found nothing, and now he’s cursing me!”
Eunuch Zhao smiled wryly.
His Majesty was holding a grudge from last time when the Second Prince had made him chase pigeons. Now that he’d “gotten even,” he was naturally pleased.
One might say that even ordinary fathers and sons were like this.
—
The next morning, Xie Chengze finally managed to drag himself out of bed. After washing up and preparing to leave for court, Eunuch Zhao arrived belatedly with a miniature imperial decree.
It was flamboyantly inscribed: “Go to the Ministry of Works after you’ve slept enough.”
Furious, Xie Chengze threw the miniature decree to the ground. “You did this on purpose! I’m already up!”
Didn’t he understand the struggle of getting out of bed in winter!
Eunuch Zhao, accustomed to such scenes, picked up the miniature decree, brushed off nonexistent dust, and placed it back in Xie Chengze’s hand. “Your Highness should keep this safe.”
Xie Chengze casually stuffed it under his pillow and inquired, “Did the Crown Prince, Shen Shilang, along with General Lin and Vice Minister Han, attend court today?”
Eunuch Zhao: “His Majesty has permitted them to oversee the deployment of officials and troops for external assignments.”
Xie Chengze nodded and then went out.
Arriving at the Ministry of Works, the officials were waiting at the entrance to greet him, clearly notified in advance by Emperor Jian of his arrival. Xie Chengze tightened his outer fur coat and walked in under everyone’s eager gazes.
The heated kang from yesterday had its top chiseled open. Smoke from the burning firewood flowed through the kang’s flue to the rear, where an old craftsman stood nearby, testing the temperature by covering the kang’s end with a stone slab to determine the appropriate stacking height for the honeycomb stones.
When Xie Chengze arrived, the old master’s face, darkened by smoke, twitched a few times before breaking into a stiff, awkward smile. “Second Prince.”
He then immediately lowered his head again, huffing and puffing as he studied the heated brick bed.
The room was thick with smoke, and Xie Chengze, finding it hard to bear, covered his nose and began coughing. “Cough, cough, cough—cough, cough.”
His coughing sounded like that of a little dog with asthma—pitiful and restrained, grating on the old master’s nerves. The old man looked up impatiently and said, “Second Prince, why push yourself? If you can’t stand it, go outside and wait!”
“Old Master~ You do care about me~” Xie Chengze teased shamelessly, braving the old man’s murderous glare as he scurried out of the workshop with quick, light steps.
After taking a few breaths of the crisp winter air, he finally felt like he had come back to life.
A short while later, the old master came out. “The issues have all been resolved. Yesterday, craftsmen from Jingcheng were summoned to the palace, and today they will be taught how to build heated brick beds.”
Xie Chengze nodded, glanced into the room, and humbly asked, “Old Master, I noticed earlier that the stove’s fire opening doesn’t seem to have a fire door to block the flames.”
The old master shot him a glance. “There is one, but for convenience, it wasn’t installed.”
“Oh, oh, oh.” Xie Chengze continued tentatively, “Then, could we add another fire opening to the heated brick bed, placed outside the house?”
“What for?” the old master frowned, even feeling that such a foolish question shouldn’t have been asked. “While cooking, you can heat the bed at the same time—how convenient is that? Putting it outside would mean braving the cold wind to add firewood. Why complicate things?”
Xie Chengze rubbed his nose and muttered under his breath, “I’m afraid of carbon monoxide poisoning.”
“What poisoning?” the old master asked, puzzled. He had never heard of anything like “oxygen” or “carbon,” and what did burning fire have to do with poisoning?