Chapter Twenty-Three: Choosing a Bride to Reward the Crown Prince

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“Your servant humbly thanks Your Majesty...” Sien hurriedly kowtowed, overwhelmed with delight.

This appointment from Zhu Youjian had elevated Sien’s standing beyond measure. As the Crown Prince’s chief companion, Sien’s position was naturally not low. Strictly speaking, however, he could move only within the Eastern Palace and had no unrestricted right to enter and leave the Forbidden City. Being so far from the center of imperial power, it was easy to imagine how much authority an eunuch like him could truly wield.

Thus, even as the Crown Prince’s chief companion, if Sien wanted to pry some of the Eastern Depot’s or the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s better advantages loose, he still had to pave the way with silver. Calculated carefully, there were still at least two ranks between Sien and Wang Cheng’en.

Unless Zhu Cilang suddenly ascended the throne at that very moment, promoted Sien to Chief Eunuch of one of the Twenty-Four Directorates and placed him in the Directorate of Ceremonial, Sien could only be regarded as the Crown Prince’s attendant—not a powerful eunuch with a following and influence.

Now, Zhu Youjian had handed both the Armament Bureau and the Military Arsenal to Sien. He had immediately risen to prominence. Not only did he now possess the right to enter and leave the inner court freely and see the emperor with relative ease, even the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard would have to treat him with courtesy. Without spending a single coin, he could now clear the way into many places.

Of course, Sien knew perfectly well that Chongzhen held no particular favor for him. Zhu Youjian was simply in exceptionally high spirits, and since Zhu Cilang was preparing to wage war, he had handed over the Armament Bureau to make things more convenient for the Crown Prince. In truth, it was merely a disguised reward for his achievements.

Suppressing the joy in his heart, Sien handed up the secret decree.

Zhu Youjian soon read through it at astonishing speed. The decree clearly recounted everything that had happened before and after the Battle of Dongming. When he read of Liu Zhen and the others fighting stubbornly to the death, Zhu Youjian could not help but be moved. But when he reached the part about Liu Zeqing retreating at the most critical moment of the battle and then threatening Zhu Cilang for one hundred thousand taels in military provisions, he finally lost control of his anger.

“Bang! They are traitors and rebels, every one of them! Just like that Liu Liangyu! How could such conduct be worthy of a subject?” Zhu Youjian thundered. “Wang Cheng’en, draft an imperial decree. Grant Qin Xia the Imperial Sword and the authority to act at his own discretion. Then order Liu Kecheng and Ruan Yingzhao, both under Liu Zeqing’s command, to be thoroughly investigated, swiftly condemned, and executed!”

“Your servant receives the decree!” Sien hurriedly acknowledged.

At last, Zhu Youjian had finished reading the secret decree. He let out a soft sigh.

“Cilang has had such a difficult time fighting in Henan. If Ding Qirui had not been defeated and the army of one hundred and eighty thousand still remained, I would have felt somewhat reassured about sending Cilang into Kaifeng. But now there are no strong troops left in the Central Plains. How can I possibly let Cilang go in there? I must think of a way to bring him back to the capital. In any case, one great victory should be enough to stabilize the situation for a while.”

When Empress Zhou heard him speak of Zhu Cilang’s plight, she no longer cared about the rule forbidding the women of the inner palace from interfering in politics. She immediately said, “Your Majesty, I have an idea. Why not arrange a marriage for Cilang? A marriage is decided by parents and arranged by matchmakers. If he is to marry, he will have to return to the capital. Besides, once he has a wife and family of his own, he ought to become steadier and more responsible.”

At this, Zhu Youjian gave a light cough, but did not object.

Seeing that he had not rejected the idea, Empress Zhou grew enthusiastic and began chattering about how to choose a bride.

“Since that is the case, we should arrange a selection of young women. This time, I must personally oversee it and examine every candidate carefully. Given our Cilang’s temperament, if a girl is not outstanding in beauty and virtue, nor gentle by nature, he will surely dismiss her with a glance. Only a beauty of incomparable grace will truly stir his heart.”

Surprisingly, Zhu Youjian did not interrupt her. Instead, he offered his own opinion.

“Let us set aside a formal palace selection for now. Traditionally, Great Ming has chosen its empresses and consorts from modest families. But these are extraordinary times, and the rules handed down by our ancestors should be changed when necessary. Besides, Cilang cannot be expected to marry a whole host of imperial relatives who do nothing but eat without contributing. In my view, we should choose a daughter from one of the great clans.”

Hearing this, Empress Zhou suddenly recalled Jiading Earl Zhou Kui, who had repeatedly entered the palace in recent days in hopes of meeting the Crown Prince. A trace of embarrassment arose in her heart.

Her father, Zhou Kui, had already been granted the title of Jiading Earl, yet he remained unsatisfied. He was forever seeking additional rewards from the palace and even intended to involve himself in court politics. Naturally, he also hoped to establish an early position around the Crown Prince.

Such ambitions might appear reasonable on the surface, but every one of them touched upon a forbidden matter, leaving Empress Zhou deeply embarrassed. She also felt that although girls from humble households might indeed possess admirable qualities, they often lacked the insight to understand the larger world and could instead become a burden to Zhu Cilang.

With that thought, Empress Zhou did not object. She merely began listing, one after another, the daughters of the capital’s great and powerful families.

And so, the atmosphere in the Palace of Heavenly Purity became rather peculiar. They had been discussing affairs of state only moments before, and now they were talking about matters of romance and marriage. Of course, the imperial family had no truly private affairs. The two eunuchs were accustomed to such things and simply stood in silence, listening as Empress Zhou and the Chongzhen Emperor assessed the eligible young women of the court.

Empress Zhou often met the titled wives of court officials and had opportunities to see their daughters in person. Whenever Zhu Youjian spoke, he focused on the girls’ elders, backgrounds, character, learning, and family standing.

In the end, the list grew shorter and shorter, narrowing to only two candidates: the granddaughter of Grand Secretary Zhou Yanru and the daughter of Zhao Guangyin, a Vice Director in the Ministry of War.

For a moment, everyone’s gaze turned toward Zhu Youjian, waiting for him to make the final decision.

As for Zhu Youjian, he remained lost in thought for a long while, a faint headache troubling him.

When considering a family alliance, his first thought had naturally been Zhou Yanru. As the current Grand Secretary, a man of the talent of a top-ranked scholar and possessed of a handsome, elegant appearance, Zhou Yanru seemed highly suitable in both family and appearance. Yet when Zhu Youjian imagined how complicated matters would become if the Grand Secretary turned into an imperial kinsman, he felt somewhat hesitant on Zhu Cilang’s behalf.

More importantly, the name Liu Zeqing kept circling through his mind.

At last, the Chongzhen Emperor made his choice.

“Since the empress has also said that the Zhao girl is outstanding in appearance, then let us choose Zhao Yan’s granddaughter—the daughter of Zhao Guangyin.”

After Zhu Youjian announced his decision, a scene rose in Empress Zhou’s mind: the titled lady Zhao Yang entering the palace with her daughter, Zhao Shiyao.

Empress Zhou was an observant woman. Whenever Zhu Cilang had been present, she had noticed that he especially enjoyed staring at pretty, delicate-looking palace maids and teasing them. Thus, when Zhao Shiyao entered the palace, he quickly remembered the girl with her innocent, childlike features, whose beauty combined the finest qualities of both her parents.

Her appearance was certainly excellent. That left only her intelligence and virtue to be considered.

At once, Empress Zhou recalled what had happened that day.

When Lady Yang Zhao and the other titled wives entered the palace, Empress Zhang Yian happened to be there as well. The widow of the Tianqi Emperor, Empress Zhang often felt stifled in her lonely widowhood. Seeing the titled wives arrive with their young daughters, she teased them, saying, “The Palace of Earthly Tranquility is so lively today, with people coming and going to pay their respects. It truly makes this old woman envious.”

Empress Zhou was not especially quick-witted. Although the remark had contained no malice, she still found it difficult to answer.

Zhao Shiyao smiled and took up the conversation in her place.

“Since Empress Zhang has put it that way, it seems my mother and I have come at an unfortunate time.”

“How so?” Empress Zhou asked curiously.

Zhao Shiyao pressed her lips together in a faint smile.

“My mother and I have come to the palace to thank Her Majesty for her grace. If everyone came together, then no one would have a chance to offer thanks on their own. But if the other ladies and young misses came today, and my mother and I came tomorrow, would that not be better? Then there would be people coming every day. The Palace of Earthly Tranquility would never be too quiet, yet it would never become too crowded either.”

When she finished, Zhao Shiyao realized that she had perhaps taken over the conversation. She gave a light curtsy.

“Shiyao has been presumptuous. I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”

“What a precious child,” Empress Zhang said with a smile. “Who could bear to blame her?”