Chapter 70: The Harem Catches Fire

  Zhu Houzhao hummed and said with great dignity: "Yongchun, you have no manners at all, and you don't even know how to pay respects when you see me."

  "That delicate girl's voice said: 'Forget it, brother. If you're willing to follow the rules, Mother will have less to worry about. You always say "I" and never say "we", what kind of etiquette is that?'"

  Yang Lingli stood behind the screen and heard Zhu Houzhao calling her Yongchun. She thought: "The current emperor has one son and two daughters, this must be the youngest daughter of Emperor Hongzhi, Princess Yongchun. I've heard she's only 11 years old, no wonder she's so mischievous. The other one must be Princess Yongfu. What are these two little girls doing here?"

  Princess Yongfu was only thirteen years old, two years younger than Zhu Houzhao. She was dignified and gentle, very knowledgeable about etiquette. Her younger sister was mischievous, but she just smiled and didn't bother her. She still performed the formal palace rituals for Zhu Houzhao: "Imperial Sister Yongfu has seen the Crown Prince, may the Crown Prince live for a thousand years, a thousand times a thousand years".

  Zhu Houzhao had never liked court etiquette, and although he had just scolded his younger sister, he actually quite liked her casual attitude. Now seeing Yongfu Princess making a deep bow, he could only sit up straight and accept the courtesy, then raised his right arm like a puppet on strings and said dryly: "Imperial sister, you don't have to be so polite, stand up straight. You never come to Chunfang normally, what's this today...?"

  Princess Yongchun hastily said: "Prince Brother, the harem is in a great uproar now, you quickly go..."

  Princess Yongfu suddenly coughed and interrupted her words, saying: "You all retreat, we have something to say to the Crown Prince."

  "Yes!" Gu Dazhong was very alert and hastily responded with a wave of his hand, leading the two small eunuchs out the door and quietly closing the palace gate.

  Princess Yongfu sat on the soft couch, her face filled with worry, and said: "Imperial brother, you'd better go to the rear palace quickly. Father Emperor has always been most fond of you, perhaps your intervention can calm down Father Emperor's thunderous anger."

  Zhu Houzhao was momentarily stunned and asked in confusion: "Father Emperor, what has made you angry?"

  Princess Yongfu said: "Just at the noon court, Minister Li impeached Hou Shouning, saying that he cleverly took and seized, widely occupied private land, and outside the nearly 4,000 hectares of good land given by the imperial family, he also occupied nearly 1,800 hectares. He didn't even mention competing with the people for benefits, and he also instigated his family members to privately buy and sell the remaining salt in Huaiyang, 12 million yuan. Moreover, he occupied people's homes, forcibly took prostitutes from brothels as concubines... In the end, they had a big quarrel with Hou Shouning in court, and Father Emperor was so angry that he put both of them in prison... Alas!"

  "What?! Zhu Houzhao was stunned, how did it end up like this? He stared for a moment, moving his eyes and said: "Two people... both were severely punished, it seems that someone had impeached Shouning Hou before, but Father Emperor had never been so furious, what's going on this time?"

  Princess Yongchun burst out laughing and jumped up to grab his arm, saying: "When Academician Li criticized the outer relatives of Shouning Hou for abusing their power, he misspoke and mentioned that Empress Zhang was honored together with her son. Shouning Hou took advantage of this to accuse him of being a subject who dared to speak disrespectfully of the empress as if she were just a Zhang, a crime punishable by beheading."

  Li Xueshi was furious, snatched the gourd hammer from Jin Guashi and chased Shou Ning Hou in the Golden Temple. He, a nearly sixty-year-old old man, couldn't beat Shou Ning Hou at all, but instead was kicked by Shou Ning Hou twice after being deprived of his gourd hammer. The Emperor was furious, saying they had lost etiquette in front of him, so both were put in prison.

  Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but want to laugh, and he raised the corner of his mouth, saying: "How can this be? Hehe, cough, this......" As he spoke, the corners of his eyes slid towards the screen behind him, but there were two princesses sitting outside, so Yang Ling didn't dare respond.

  Princess Yongfu gave her younger sister a worried glance and said, "Imperial brother, the emperor's health has never been good. Now that Li Dongyang has been imprisoned, Xie Qian, Liu Jian, and Liu Daxia have led all the civil and military officials to kneel in the great hall to beg for mercy. The emperor was furious and retreated to the rear palace. But when Empress Dowager heard that Shouning Hou had been arrested, she cried and made a scene in front of the emperor. My sister and I saw that things were not going well, so we came to see you..."

  Zhu Houzhao was mischievous, but he respected his father the most. Upon hearing this, he quickly stood up and said: "I said so, Father Emperor never allows any woman to enter the East Palace for lectures, how did you all come today? I'll go to the back palace now, you...".

  Just as he said this, someone in the distance shouted loudly: "Your Majesty is arriving at the East Palace, and the Crown Prince is coming to greet him!" This was a eunuch who was specially responsible for singing rituals in the palace, with a loud and distant voice. Princess Yongfu heard it and jumped up anxiously, saying: "It's bad, Father Emperor is already in a rage, if he sees us disobeying his orders, I'm afraid he will be even angrier, this...this...this..."

  Princess Yongchun pulled her imperial sister and said, "Quickly, hide first. Father the Emperor might be coming to check on Imperial Brother's homework. Let's wait until he leaves before we come out."

  Yong Chun, the little princess, pulled her sister behind the screen, and Zhu Houzhao couldn't stop them in time. The two had already hidden behind the screen. After a while, no surprised voices were heard from behind the screen. Just as Zhu Houzhao was feeling puzzled, the palace gate opened, and Emperor Hongzhi walked in. Seeing this, Zhu Houzhao hastily bowed down and said: "Your son pays his respects to Your Majesty."

  "Get up," Hongzhi waved his hand, and with a glance at Miao Kui, who was attending beside him, Miao Kui quickly led the people to quietly retreat and softly closed the palace gate.

  Zhu Houzhao got up, quietly observing the emperor's expression, and saw that the emperor's expression was calm and peaceful, with a hint of a smile in his eyes, not like he was furious. He put down his guard, but at the same time felt a bit strange.

  As soon as the palace gate was closed, Hongzhi also stopped putting on an emperor's airs. He casually sat down beside his desk and patted the embroidered couch, saying: "Imperial son, sit!"

  Zhu Houzhao sat beside his father, the emperor. He didn't dare to bring up what had just happened in the harem, so he asked instead: "Father Emperor has just finished the noon court session, why not take a rest? Look at you, sweating again."

  Hongzhi looked at him with a benevolent gaze, smiled and said: "Your mother is currently arguing with the emperor, the emperor has come to your place to hide, hehe, these two days the university scholars are busy with the spring examination, have you put aside your homework?"

  Zhu Houzhao pretended to be surprised and asked strangely: "The Empress Dowager and you are at odds with each other, why is this?"

  Hongzhi looked at him with a good smile, suddenly his face turned serious: "Imperial son, don't you really know?"

  Zhu Houzhao was shocked in his heart and saw the piercing eyes of his father, Emperor Wu. His forehead inadvertently sweated.

  Yang Ling hid behind the screen and listened to these princes and princesses discussing state affairs as if they were discussing family matters. The imperial family, the empress who was the model for the world, originally had the same relationship with her husband as ordinary couples did. Just as he was listening intently, he heard someone outside shouting "The Emperor has arrived!" followed by a whiff of fragrance, and two palace-dressed beauties hastily flashed behind the screen, leaving Yang Ling stunned.

  In a flash, she saw a girl in a bright yellow palace dress, with a beautiful and elegant appearance, about thirteen or fourteen years old. Her hair was tied up in a high black cloud-shaped bun, under which was a small white face, her eyebrows like a new moon, her eyes like autumn water. As soon as she saw him, she was startled, her cherry-like mouth opened into an O shape, and she almost cried out.

  Another little girl, still a yellow-haired baby, wore a purple palace dress, with a small melon face, although young, but with a lovely appearance, her figure was as delicate as a perfume pendant. She saw Yang Ling and couldn't help but widen her eyes, but seeing her sister about to exclaim, she quickly covered her cherry lips and gently shook her head at her sister.

  Princess Yongfu's mouth was covered by her sister, only revealing a pair of big, shiny eyes. She blinked at her sister, signaling something, and Princess Yongsong finally let go. The two turned their heads, their bright eyes staring at Yang Ling. Yang Ling made a bitter face, first bowing, then pointing outside, then pointing to himself, and finally cupping his hands together, looking like he was acting out a silent drama.

  The petite Princess Yongchun couldn't help but giggle, hastily covering her mouth and gazing at him with big, smiling eyes. Seeing his appearance, Princess Yongfu also couldn't help but reveal a smile in her eyes. At this moment, Emperor Hongzhi had already entered the room, and the two of them were afraid of being discovered by their father, so they quickly leaned in closer, which made Yang Ling even closer to them.

  Yang Ling and Yong Chun didn't mind much, but Princess Yongfu was already a 13-year-old big girl. For the first time, she was so close to a man, and her heart couldn't help but feel a little awkward. At that time, the ritual teachings were in a relatively embarrassing period. Some great Confucians no longer required men and women to be as strict as they were since the Song Dynasty, while others strictly demanded a return to ancient times, with increasingly harsh requirements for ritual teachings. For example, Hai Rui thought it was too excessive for his five-year-old daughter to receive a pancake from a man's hand, so he forced her to starve to death in order to maintain her reputation, which was a bit extreme.

  Princess Yongfu, the royal princess, although she was said to be elegant and refined, felt quite uneasy being alone with a young man. Moreover, in the palace, she had rarely seen men before. At this moment, she stole a glance at him, he was dressed as if he were one of the prince's attendants, tall and handsome, with a straight nose and square mouth, extremely good-looking, her face grew even redder, and she didn't even hear what was being said outside in her daze.

  Yang Ling was accompanied by two little beauties, but with his eyesight of several lifetimes, he didn't get dizzy. Moreover, the emperor and the crown prince had seen them before, so their identities might not be able to shock him. He had apologized to the two princesses, who didn't dare make a sound after seeing him, only then did he put down his guard, perked up his ears to listen to the commotion outside, but all he heard was a low murmur, followed by the loud laughter of Emperor Hongzhi, and what he said to the crown prince was inaudible.

  The Crown Prince had confessed to Hongzhi that he had collected evidence and instructed Li Dongyang to impeach the Emperor, but he still had some sense of justice and did not betray Yang Ling. Hongzhi burst out laughing when he heard this, and smiled: "Imperial son, Li Dongyang is a scholar of the imperial court, clever and astute, can your little tricks deceive him? However, there are some things that even if both parties know what's going on, it's not wrong to do so."

  The Emperor smiled and said, "Some things are not convenient for me to mention myself, so it's up to you, my ministers, to clarify them. My son, the nobles and royal family members in the court have been increasingly encroaching on the people's interests, it's not just the Shouning Marquis' family, your father and several senior scholars are preparing to abolish some of the corrupt practices, restricting the acceptance of land donations and encroachment on people's interests by the imperial relatives and meritorious families."

  He nodded in approval and said, "It's just that the Emperor has been unable to find a breakthrough point to smoothly implement new policies, so as to avoid opposition from the entire imperial family and meritorious officials. The Emperor is worried about this. Hehe, if it weren't for the Emperor... Li Dongyang, although a straightforward official, may not have dared to snatch the golden melon and show off his fists on the Golden Throne. I was just using him to teach Shouning Hou a lesson."

  Hongzhi frowned and sighed, "I have always been generous and lenient to the imperial relatives, but recently the two brothers of Shouning Hou are indeed too arrogant. Detaining him for a few days will also help to curb his arrogance."

  Zhu Houzhao glared and said, "So it was Father Emperor... Father Emperor had intended to punish him all along. I said, how did Li Dongyang's guts become so big? It turned out that it was under Father Emperor's instructions, but... but why did Father Emperor also arrest Li Xue together?"

  Yang Ling was also secretly shocked by what he heard from behind, and he had really underestimated Li Dongyang. Moreover, he had underestimated this somewhat foolish and fat emperor. Now it seems that it's still unclear who is being used as a gun by whom.

  Hongzhi patted his hand and smiled: "Foolish child, if not so, your mother would not give up, would she? State affairs are easy to handle, but if your mother is stubborn, I also have a headache."

  He smiled faintly and said, "However, the Crown Prince has always been fond of playing and never cares about state affairs. Those people led by Gu Dajiu only know how to flatter you, messing around with some street performers in the East Palace, I'm not unaware of this. This time you suddenly care about the sufferings of the common people, painstakingly creating a 'Roadside Memorial', but whose idea was it, Yang Shiren's?"

  Princess Yongfu was also eavesdropping behind the screen, listening to Emperor Hongzhi and Crown Prince talking. When she heard this, her heart skipped a beat, and she turned her head towards Yang Ling. As she moved, the pearls on her hair slid against the screen, making a slight noise. The room was quiet, with only Emperor Hongzhi and the Crown Prince speaking. At the sound, Emperor Hongzhi immediately shouted: "Who? Who dares to eavesdrop on my conversation with the Crown Prince? Come out!"

  Yang Ling looked at the two princesses, only to see Princess Yongfu's small face flushing as she gazed at him. Princess Yongsun's dark eyes rolled around and she stretched out a slender finger, pointing at Yang Ling and then pointing outside. Yang Ling awkwardly pointed at his own nose, and the little princess nodded elegantly, smiling with great satisfaction.

  Yang Ling helplessly looked at Princess Yongfu, only to see her with a face full of apology, but also with a pleading look in her eyes. He couldn't help but smile wryly and thought: "These two little princesses are really something, eavesdropping on your father's conversation is not a big deal, even if they get caught, at most they'll just be scolded a couple of times, why do I have to take the fall for them?"

  He didn't know that Hongzhi was very lenient to the crown prince, but still quite strict with the princess. In the eyes of a child who feared his father, his father's scolding was already a severe punishment. Yang Ling had no choice but to walk out with a stiff upper lip, not daring to lift his head, and hastily took two steps before kneeling down on the ground and saying: "Your humble servant Yang Ling has seen Your Majesty, Your Majesty has arrived, I didn't have time to avoid you, so I hastily hid behind the screen, I didn't mean to startle Your Majesty, please forgive me!"