An Instant Father

Dorgon had successfully walked into the trap Zhu Youjian had laid for him, leaving Zhu Youjian in excellent spirits. With this stage of his plans complete and nothing particularly urgent to attend to, he could finally relax.

Zhu Youjian walked out of Wuying Hall with a smile and looked up toward the world beyond the palace walls.

Warm winter sunlight bathed everything, and there was no wind. It was not as cold as it had been over the past few days. The scent of plum blossoms drifted from somewhere, lingering faintly beneath his nose.

Since arriving in this world, he had yet to see all of Great Ming's vast Forbidden City. As he was in the mood today, he might as well take a proper look around.

"Your Majesty, it's cold!" Wang Cheng'en hurried after Zhu Youjian and draped a sable cloak over his shoulders.

Zhu Youjian drew the cloak snugly around himself and strolled away from the hall.

"Where are you going, Your Majesty? Shall I send someone ahead to announce your arrival?" Seeing that Zhu Youjian was heading toward the inner palace, Wang Cheng'en hastened to ask.

"No need!"

Zhu Youjian had no particular destination in mind. He wandered through the palace like a VIP tourist, a whole entourage of attendants following behind him. Everywhere along the way, palace maids and eunuchs bowed to him.

Before he knew it, Zhu Youjian had reached the Palace Rear Garden, commonly called the Imperial Garden.

Within the garden, the upturned eaves of pavilions and towers appeared and disappeared among the branches. Strange rocks lay scattered like stars across the sky, fine trees grew lushly, and ancient cypresses and trailing vines lent the winter garden a vibrant air of life.

"Stop right there! Don't run!"

"Hahaha, you can't catch me!"

Figures darted among the greenery, and the laughter of children suddenly reached his ears, mingled with startled cries from palace maids and eunuchs.

"Your Majesty, it's Princess Kunxing!" Wang Cheng'en rose onto his toes to peer into the garden, then reported to Zhu Youjian with a smile.

Few people knew the name Princess Kunxing, but thanks to numerous films and television dramas, everyone knew Princess Changping.

Princess Changping, Zhu Meichuo, had originally been granted the title Princess Kunxing. Her title of Princess Changping was bestowed only after the Jurchens entered the pass.

At this point, Princess Changping had not yet lost an arm, become a Buddhist nun, or taken in her enemy's daughter with the intention of making father and daughter kill each other.

The events of fiction had never played out in reality. After the Jurchens became the new masters of this palace, Princess Changping had requested permission to become a nun. Shunzhi refused and married her off instead. In the end, longing for her parents plunged her into depression and illness, and she died soon afterward at seventeen.

Zhu Meichuo was now only eight years old, her little face full of smiles as she ran and played in the garden.

Perhaps this body still retained a father's love for his daughter. Zhu Youjian, who had never liked children, felt a surge of tenderness as he watched them.

To think I was still a lonely bachelor in my last life, and now I have a whole bevy of wives and concubines, with children gathered around my knees. Those legendary children who always belonged to someone else have actually become mine!

This instant-father business really moved at an extraordinary pace!

"All right, all right, stop fooling around," Empress Zhou's voice called from the Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion. "Come over, rest a little, and have something to eat!"

"Yes, Mother!"

Zhu Meichuo answered and ran toward the pavilion. Halfway there, however, she suddenly spotted Zhu Youjian standing on the pebble path. The smile instantly vanished from her face. She stopped properly, then took a few slow steps toward him.

"Come on, why did you stop? F-Father... why are you here... I... I..." Behind Zhu Meichuo, Crown Prince Zhu Cilang became visibly frightened the moment he saw Zhu Youjian.

In his memories, Zhu Youjian had spent little time with them because he was occupied with affairs of state, yet his demands of them had been extremely strict.

A princess had to conduct herself like a well-bred young lady. She could not speak loudly, could not show her teeth when she smiled, and had to walk with delicate lotus steps, much less run.

His demands of Crown Prince Zhu Cilang had been even harsher. Like a modern parent, he would have preferred the boy to spend all twelve double-hours of the day either sleeping or studying. Playing was a waste of time.

The original Chongzhen had not merely wound himself up like clockwork; he had wound Zhu Cilang up as well. If he caught the boy playing, even for a quarter of an hour, that was indulging in pleasure and proof that he was unworthy to be the Crown Prince of Great Ming.

No wonder, then, that these two children looked so frightened upon seeing Zhu Youjian.

Zhu Youjian, however, saw nothing wrong with it. They were children; playing was in their nature.

"What were you playing?" Zhu Youjian tried to make his voice sound gentle, keeping a warm smile on his face.

That gentle, perfectly calm question drained the color from the faces of the two children standing before him.

The last time Father spoke to us so gently, he made us copy books for half the night afterward!

Our wrists ached so badly that we couldn't even lift them the next day. The nursemaids had to feed us!

Zhu Cilang's little face fell, his lips pressed tightly together with nerves. He looked as though he was about to cry, yet he still mustered his courage and shuffled forward a few steps, shielding Zhu Meichuo behind him as if that would keep Zhu Youjian from seeing his younger sister.

"Father, I know I was wrong. Please punish me!" As Zhu Cilang spoke, he dropped to his knees with a thud.

The path beneath their feet was paved with pebbles, its colored stones arranged into auspicious patterns representing blessings, prosperity, and longevity. Pretty as it was, the sound of those knees hitting it made Zhu Youjian wince at how much it must have hurt.

After Zhu Cilang knelt, Zhu Meichuo followed suit. "Father, it wasn't my brother's fault. I dragged him out to play. He's been reading all day. He's worked so hard!"

The brother and sister certainly shared a deep bond!

Zhu Youjian looked at the two children before him without immediately telling them to rise. Hearing Zhu Meichuo's words, he coughed and said, "He is the crown prince. One day, he will have to shoulder the whole realm of Great Ming. If he doesn't work hard now, he will have to work a hundred, a thousand times harder in the future."

"But..."

Zhu Meichuo was about to continue when Zhu Cilang tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Second Sister, don't say any more."

Zhu Meichuo pursed her lips and lowered her head. Zhu Cilang let go of her sleeve and turned to face his father squarely. "Father, you are right. I should not have indulged in pleasure. I know I was wrong, but Kunxing is still little. Please don't punish her!"

"Why are you still-Your Majesty?"

Just as Zhu Cilang finished speaking, Empress Zhou came around a rock and appeared before the three of them. One look at the scene told her exactly what had happened.

Zhu Youjian raised his eyes and saw two more people following Empress Zhou. One was his eldest daughter, Princess Kunyi. Already in her teens, she was somewhat more composed. She glanced at the two children kneeling on the ground, worry showing in her eyes.

The other woman was exceptionally beautiful, her willow-slender waist swaying gently, her eyes brimming with affection. The gaze she turned on Zhu Youjian was full of longing.

Zhu Youjian was momentarily dazed, and the woman's identity surfaced in his mind-Consort Tian!

At present, however, she was still only Consort Tian Lifen and had not yet been elevated to Noble Consort. Even without that title, she was still favored in the inner palace.

Yet the books also recorded that Consort Tian and Empress Zhou were at odds. Why were the two of them enjoying the garden together today?

Were the records wrong, or...

The more women there were, the more complications arose. Before Zhu Youjian could work it out, Empress Zhou lifted her skirts and started to kneel. "Your Majesty, I hadn't seen Lang'er for days. I was the one who sent for him. If you must punish someone, punish me!"

"Mother, it was my fault. I'm the one who should be punished..." Zhu Cilang shuffled forward on his knees and anxiously reached out to support her. But he was still small and did not dare stand, so his outstretched arms looked more like a plea for a hug. Zhu Youjian could not help chuckling.

"All right, all right. When did I ever say I was going to punish you? Get up, all of you!" Zhu Youjian stepped forward and helped Empress Zhou up before her knees touched the stones, then addressed his son and daughter kneeling on the ground. "Hurry up and get up. Doesn't kneeling there hurt?"