Chapter 107
Glancing at the two guards at the Eastern Palace’s entrance, Xie Chengze went up and asked, “Has your Crown Prince returned from court?”
He did not ask whether Emperor Jian had come. Even if he had, he probably had not used the main entrance, or had instructed the guards not to reveal his visit.
“Your Highness.” Evidently surprised to see the Second Prince here, the two Eastern Palace guards exchanged a look, then stepped aside. “The Crown Prince has not yet returned, but His Highness has instructed that if you come, you may enter directly without being announced.”
“All right.” Not noticing anything unusual, Xie Chengze walked straight into the Eastern Palace.
After he had gone some distance, the guards exchanged another look. “Didn’t the Second Prince say he would never come to the Eastern Palace again?”
“How many years ago was that? He’s probably forgotten long since.”
“I don’t think so… If he’d really forgotten, why wouldn’t he have come even once in all these years? And it’s not as though we didn’t see how furious he was that day.”
“Ah, true. After that, the Crown Prince often reminded us never to stop the Second Prince if he came… Four or five years have gone by in a flash, haven’t they?”
“They certainly have…”
Xie Chengze knew nothing of what the two Eastern Palace guards were secretly saying behind his back.
With no one to lead him, he wandered aimlessly for a while. He planned to let Emperor Jian lower his guard, then make a “surprise inspection” once the emperor thought he was safely hidden.
On his first visit to the Eastern Palace, Xie Chengze found it quite novel. As he walked, however, he discovered how simple and austere it was, utterly different from Chenghuan Hall.
Apart from a few pavilions by the lakes, most of it consisted of dark, cold halls. Dusk was falling, yet no one lit the lamps. Occasionally a household retainer hurried past, showing a little surprise at the sight of him before bowing. Otherwise, there was not a trace of life. He could not even find a decent palace maid. It was like a barren wasteland.
Xie Chengze soon grew bored. Just as he was about to find someone and ask where the study was, an elderly steward hurried toward him from a distance and bowed respectfully. “Your Highness, the Crown Prince has not yet returned. Please go to the Eastern Palace’s sleeping quarters for now.”
What would he go to the sleeping quarters for?
Puzzled, Xie Chengze shook his head and refused. “No. I want to go to the Eastern Palace’s study.”
The old steward hesitated. The Eastern Palace’s study was a place where important affairs were handled. Ordinarily, other people could not enter freely. But…
The old steward bowed again and raised a hand to indicate the way. “Please follow this old servant, Your Highness.”
Xie Chengze followed, asking as they walked, “Why is the Eastern Palace so desolate? There aren’t even any palace maids or guards. Has Jian’an grown so poor? Can we not afford to employ even a palace servant?”
The old steward: ?
“Your Highness, the Eastern Palace has always been like this. And the palace servants are all in the rear halls, attending to the household retainers.” Apparently surprised by Xie Chengze’s question, the old steward gave him a puzzled look, then seemed to understand. “It has been a long time since Your Highness came here. You were young then and did not remember things well. It is only natural that you should have forgotten.”
Always like this? Xie Chengze rubbed his chin. “My childhood memories are indeed rather hazy. Could you explain in more detail?”
“If Your Highness wishes to know, perhaps you should ask the Crown Prince. This old servant’s position does not permit me to speak of it.” As though afraid of something, the old steward’s expression changed slightly, then returned to normal. The steward stopped outside a hall. “Your Highness, we have reached the study.”
Xie Chengze looked up. Sure enough, the plaque over the door read “Study Pavilion,” and the interior was brightly lit. Wearing an expression that said he had known it all along, he pushed the doors open with both hands and shouted, “Father! You’ve made me look everywhere for you!”
To hide from him, the emperor had even tried having someone trick him into going to the Eastern Palace’s sleeping quarters? Luckily, he was clever enough to know the man would be in the study!
Yet there was no response. Xie Chengze turned his head in confusion and discovered that the study was empty. There was not even a single memorial on the desk.
“Father? Father! Stop hiding. I can see you!” Xie Chengze paced around the study, but could not find a soul. He smacked his forehead hard. “Damn! I’ve been tricked!”
It was a diversion to lure him away!
Emperor Jian must have deliberately sent the eunuchs past the Imperial Study carrying memorials, misleading him into thinking they were being delivered to the Eastern Palace. In reality, the emperor was hiding in the Imperial Study, waiting for Xie Chengze to hurry here ahead of them. Xie Chengze had never suspected that the memorials would turn back to the Imperial Study halfway!
“That bastard of a father uses all his cunning on me!” Losing his composure, Xie Chengze cursed. “If he’d used any of it on affairs of state, the treasury wouldn’t be so poor it can’t even afford to support me!”
Behind him, the old steward silently bowed their head, wishing for a life without ears.
Among the living, probably only the Second Prince dared curse the emperor and escape punishment.
Among the dead, there had also been Noble Consort Hua.
In the end, Xie Chengze returned to Chenghuan Hall, still cursing. Meanwhile, in the Imperial Study, Emperor Jian sneezed as he reviewed memorials, then said to Eunuch Zhao with a smile, “That brat must have found no one at the Eastern Palace and be cursing me now!”
Eunuch Zhao smiled helplessly.
His Majesty was still holding a grudge over being sent on a wild-goose chase by the Second Prince last time. Now that he had taken his “revenge,” naturally he was happy.
Fathers and sons among the common people were probably much the same.
–
Early the next morning, Xie Chengze had finally managed to crawl out of bed, washed, and prepared to leave for court when Eunuch Zhao arrived late with a miniature imperial decree.
Written upon it in bold, flowing calligraphy were the words: “Get all the sleep you need before going to the Ministry of Works.”
Furious, Xie Chengze threw the miniature decree to the floor. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?! I’m already up!”
Did he have any idea how hard it was to get out of bed in winter?!
Accustomed to this, Eunuch Zhao picked up the miniature decree, flicked away some nonexistent dust, and placed it back in Xie Chengze’s hand. “Your Highness should keep this safe.”
Xie Chengze casually tucked it beneath his pillow and inquired, “Have the Crown Prince and Vice Minister Shen gone to court today? And General Lin and Director Han?”
Eunuch Zhao said, “His Majesty has permitted them to arrange the officials and troops being sent out.”
Xie Chengze nodded, then finally left.
When he reached the Ministry of Works, its officials were all waiting at the entrance to welcome him. Clearly, Emperor Jian had already notified them that he was coming. Xie Chengze drew his outer fur robe tighter around himself and walked in under everyone’s enthusiastic gaze.
The top of yesterday’s heated brick bed had been chiseled open. Smoke from the burning firewood traveled through the flue inside the bed to its far end. Elder Gu stood beside it, covering that end with a layer of stone slabs and testing the temperature to determine the proper height for the honeycomb stones.
Seeing Xie Chengze arrive, Elder Gu’s smoke-blackened face twitched several times before a stiff, awkward smile appeared. “Your Highness.”
Then he lowered his head and continued laboring over his study of the heated brick bed.
Rather too much smoke filled the room. Finding the smell uncomfortable, Xie Chengze covered his nose and began coughing. “Cough, cough, cough… cough, cough.”
He coughed like a little dog with asthma, the sound pitiful and restrained. It made Elder Gu so irritable that he looked up speechlessly. “What is Your Highness trying to prove? If you can’t stand it, go wait outside!”
“Elder Gu~ You’re worried about me again~” Still being obnoxious, Xie Chengze scurried out of the workshop under Elder Gu’s murderous gaze.
Only after drawing a few breaths of fresh winter air did he feel alive again.
After a while, Elder Gu came out. “All the problems have been resolved. We summoned the capital’s craftsmen into the palace yesterday. Today, we will teach them all to build heated brick beds.”
Xie Chengze nodded, glanced inside, and asked humbly, “Elder Gu, I noticed just now that the opening for feeding the stove seems to have no firebox door to contain the flames.”
Elder Gu glanced at him. “It does have one in the design. We left it out for convenience.”
“Oh, oh, oh.” Xie Chengze continued probing. “Then could we add another opening for feeding the fire, outside the house?”
“What would we put it outside for?” Elder Gu frowned, feeling that such a foolish question should never even have been asked. “You heat the bed while cooking a meal. How convenient is that? Put it outside, and you would have to go out into the cold wind to add firewood. Why do something so unnecessary?”
Xie Chengze rubbed his nose and muttered, “I’m worried about carbon monoxide poisoning.”
“What poisoning?” Elder Gu asked in confusion. He had never heard of any carbon whatnot. And what did burning a fire have to do with poisoning?