Chapter 4: The Arrival of the Empress

Before the Yongle Emperor, an emperor could have many era names. Take Wu Zetian, that notorious addict of changing them—she had more than a dozen. Her reasons were all over the map, and according to rumor, she even once changed an era name to “As You Wish” because she was especially pleased with one of her male favorites.

Of course, when an emperor changed an era name, the calendar had to be rewritten, official documents in the court had to be adjusted accordingly, and administrative costs rose sharply. In particular, the common people also had to make changes, which inevitably caused inconvenience. For that reason, the frugal old Zhu stopped changing era names and adopted one emperor, one era.

From the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, it became possible to refer to an emperor by his era name.

Thus, the era name became especially important: it was the emperor’s name.

Just after Prince of Yan Zhu Di had successfully seized the throne through the Jingnan Campaign and ascended as emperor, he discovered that he had ended up with the same era name as a rebel. The feeling was about the same as having two jin of rat droppings forced down his throat. No need to say how bitterly revolting that was.

Zhu Gaoxu was dumbfounded as well. He really had checked to see whether the name had already been used, but the problem was that he had only looked at legitimate dynasties. Who could possibly know the era name of a rebel like Fang La?

“Fool. Why can’t you use your brain for once?”

Zhu Di’s pupils were bloodshot. He was truly furious. Unlike a properly inherited sovereign, he had somehow ended up sharing an era name with a rebel. The rage was unimaginable.

Zhu Gaoxu had never seen his father so terrifying before. He hurriedly dropped to the floor and kowtowed hard enough to make a racket. “Father Emperor, this has nothing to do with me. It was all the Ministry of Rites, and the Hanlin Academy... I’ll go fetch them right now and cut off every one of their heads to vent your anger!”

With that, Zhu Gaoxu scrambled to his feet and made for the door. Killing them was secondary; the urgent thing was to get away from the enraged Zhu Di as fast as possible.

“Wait!”

Xu Jingchang stopped Zhu Gaoxu, then turned in haste to Zhu Di and said, “Your Majesty, I only remember this vaguely. For the past few days I have been overcome by grief for my father’s death and have been unable to pull myself together. Now that Your Majesty has arrived, I suddenly recalled it, though I do not know whether I am right. Since the accession edict has already been issued, I think Your Majesty should first verify whether what I said is correct. Even if I am not mistaken, I beg Your Majesty to think twice before acting...”

Zhu Di’s brows twitched. He was already seventy percent convinced. Those ministers who still carried a candle for the Jianwen Emperor might well have used precisely this sort of trick to put one over on him.

He had thought that once the Jingnan Campaign succeeded and he sat on the dragon throne, the whole world would have to obey him. Now it seemed he had made things too simple.

The road ahead was still long.

After a long silence, Zhu Di finally suppressed his fury and ground out two words between his teeth: “Return to the palace.”

He stormed off in a huff. At that moment he was like a volcano that could erupt at any second, dangerous to the extreme. And the unlucky Zhu Gaoxu still had to follow behind him, waiting at every moment for that overwhelming wrath to come crashing down.

The feeling was excruciatingly awful. At this point he no longer had any mind for the Xu family’s affairs; all he wanted was to save his own skin.

Watching them depart, Xu Jingchang wanted nothing more than to follow and see how it all played out. Unfortunately, matters of this sort concerned Zhu Di’s dignity, and until the emperor made up his mind, it would not do to make a scene.

Even so, Xu Jingchang was in high spirits. He even dug out a purple-bamboo fishing rod left behind by his father. Judging by the craftsmanship alone, Xu Zengshou had also been the sort who knew how to enjoy himself.

He was still in mourning, so he could not go to Xuanwu Lake. He would simply try his luck at the pond in the Xu family’s back garden.

At last, he could live the dream life of eating and dressing without worry, spending every day fishing.

That was true nobility.

Yet Xu Jingchang had scarcely been happy for a day before news arrived: the Empress Xu had come to the capital.

Xu Jingchang was stunned. Before Zhu Di ascended the throne, he had sent a letter to his aunt. From Beiping to Yingtian was no short journey, and for the imperial procession to reach as far as Xuzhou would already have been impressive.

By his calculation, it had only been three days since he sent the letter. How could she have arrived so quickly?

He had guessed right. Empress Xu was a woman from a military house, and once she received the news, she brought only ten attendants. With the same fierce determination with which Cao Cao pursued Liu Bei, she covered five hundred li in a single day and went straight to Yingtian.

And after entering the capital, she did not go to the imperial palace, but came directly to the Xu residence.

“I pay my respects to Your Majesty.”

Xu Jingchang hurriedly bowed to his aunt and quickly invited her into the study to take a seat.

Empress Xu looked at her nephew and went straight to the point. “No need for pleasantries. You wrote to me about two matters—one concerning your elder brother, and one concerning the second boy. You asked me what should be done. Now I want to ask you: what exactly are you planning?”

Xu Jingchang considered his words carefully. “Your Majesty, this matter...”

“Do not call me Your Majesty. I have not yet been formally enthroned. In your letter, you called me Auntie. That is more intimate. No matter when, we are family.”

Empress Xu had made her position clear.

Xu Jingchang gave a start and said quickly, “Thank you, Auntie. Then I will speak boldly. These two matters are really one and the same. So long as the issue of the heir-apparent is resolved and the King of Han’s improper ambitions are checked, the realm will naturally be at peace.”

Empress Xu lifted her head abruptly and fixed Xu Jingchang with a stare. “How can you be so sure the King of Han cannot be heir-apparent? He is also my son. His Majesty likes him, and he has prestige in the army. Must he be barred from the succession merely because he has offended the Xu family?”

Xu Jingchang hurriedly waved his hands. “Auntie, how would I dare drive a wedge between the emperor and his mother? I only mean that if the Eldest Prince becomes heir-apparent, your legitimate sons will all be safe. But if the King of Han ascends the throne, given his character, I fear he will show no mercy. By then, it would not be only the Xu family that dies.”

Empress Xu drew in a sharp breath. Her expression shifted again and again before she finally let out a heavy sigh.

Zhu Gaochi was benevolent and kind. If he were heir-apparent, all the brothers could live.

Zhu Gaoxu was dark-hearted and ruthless. For the sake of the heir-apparent’s seat, he could kill his maternal uncle without hesitation and cut the weeds down to the roots. If he became emperor, would he not wipe out his brothers too?

In truth, Xu Jingchang had already hinted at this obliquely in his letter. That was precisely why Empress Xu had rushed to see him. Her elder brother’s life was important, but the struggle between her two sons exhausted her heart and weighed upon her like a mountain.

“Jingchang, what you say is reasonable. But now all the generals in the army support the King of Han. As a mother, even if I have my own leanings, I cannot force His Majesty to do as I wish. Do you understand my difficulty?”

Xu Jingchang nodded. “I understand. But I think this matter is not so troublesome. It can be settled quite easily.”

“Easily?” Empress Xu gave a faint snort. “Throughout history, succession struggles have meant brothers slaughtering one another and fathers turning against sons. Where is the ease in that?”

Xu Jingchang said, “The later developments are hard to predict, but the Eldest Prince’s position as heir was established by the Emperor Grand Ancestor. His Majesty is a filial son of the Emperor Grand Ancestor. So long as this is brought to His Majesty’s attention, the Eldest Prince’s position will be secure. As for what comes after, His Majesty is still in the prime of life, so there is no need to rush. We can take it step by step.”

Empress Xu was struck again. After pondering for a moment, she could not help but nod with a smile.

Indeed, her nephew was no ordinary man.

Zhu Gaochi’s position as heir had been conferred while Zhu Yuanzhang was still alive.

From heir-apparent to crown prince, the transition was only natural.

Especially in Zhu Di’s case. He had only just succeeded in the Jingnan Campaign and was proclaiming everywhere that he was Zhu Yuanzhang’s most filial and devoted son. One of the reasons he had risen in rebellion was that Zhu Yunwen, led astray by treacherous ministers, had violated the ancestral regulations and defied Zhu Yuanzhang’s dying command.

In short, at this moment anything or anyone connected to the old Hongwu Emperor became sacred and beyond challenge.

“You make sense. Should I speak to His Majesty so directly? Would that be appropriate?”

Xu Jingchang thought for a moment, then smiled. “Auntie, if you are willing, you might find a way to obtain an imperial testament.”

“Obtain one?” Empress Xu was startled. “You want me to forge an imperial testament?”

“Not forge it—merely draw up a draft testament, with the general meaning that the Emperor Grand Ancestor intended to name his fourth son as heir-apparent... Then include lines praising the Fourth Son, the Prince of Yan, as wise and far-seeing, and describing the Grandson Gaochi as honest, benevolent, and virtuous. That would be enough.”

Over the past several years, Empress Xu had commanded troops, defended cities, organized supplies, and soothed people’s hearts. She had been tempered by it all.

Producing an imperial testament in Zhu Yuanzhang’s name would amount to further confirming that Zhu Di’s succession was rightful and inevitable.

It was all those treacherous ministers who had gone against the Emperor Grand Ancestor’s dying wishes and insisted on enthroning Zhu Yunwen, thus bringing about the Jingnan Campaign.

Whether anyone believed it or not, it had to be done.

And if Zhu Gaochi were included as well, then once Zhu Di accepted this so-called testament, Zhu Gaochi’s position as heir would also be effectively established.

Empress Xu looked at her young nephew for a long while before saying, “Child, it has only been four or five years since I last saw you, and you have grown so much. Your mind has opened up greatly. Auntie is truly astonished.”

Xu Jingchang froze. Was she saying he had become a little too clever?

“Auntie, what else can I do? My father is gone. Even if my uncle survives, he will not be entrusted with important duties. For a family as large as the Xu clan, I am truly trembling with fear, treading on thin ice, standing at the edge of a deep abyss... Auntie, how am I supposed to keep this family safe?” Xu Jingchang’s voice was full of sorrow.

Hearing this, Empress Xu’s eyes reddened as well. Her elder brother was in the condemned prison, her fourth younger brother had died tragically, and the Xu family no longer had even one man to stand as its pillar.

“The emperor seized the realm, but in the process he nearly seized the Xu family out of existence,” Empress Xu said with a cold snort. “Do not worry. With me here, there is no one in Great Ming who can bully the Xu family. Later I will write to Gaochi and tell him everything you have told me. You are brothers too; if you can support one another in the years ahead, then I shall be at ease.”

Xu Jingchang hurriedly nodded. “Whatever Auntie instructs, I will certainly carry out.”

Empress Xu smiled. “Very well. I should go into the palace and see His Majesty. Since you are so capable, I will certainly find you a good post. No one will dare look down on the Xu family!”

Xu Jingchang hesitated, then said, “I am still in mourning. As for the King of Han, I hope Auntie can look after him a little.”

“Look after him?” Empress Xu was puzzled. “Aren’t you supporting the elder son?”

Xu Jingchang said, “That concerns the succession. We are still family. It was he who wrongly used Fang La’s era name, and His Majesty is furious.”

At those words, Empress Xu’s anger surged up at once...

The end of chapter.