Chapter 140: The Grand Empress Dowager’s Fury
Chapter 140: The Grand Empress Dowager’s Fury
The Grand Empress Dowager actually cared more about Zhu Houzhao than Empress Zhang did!
In truth, the Grand Empress Dowager already had seven or eight grandchildren. However, aside from Zhu Houzhao, most were not in the capital. For example, there was the son of the Prince of Anlu, Zhu Hou, and others.
But compared to the Grand Empress Dowager, Zhu Houzhao’s father, Emperor Hongzhi, was raised personally by her in Renshou Palace. The significance was completely different. And Zhu Houzhao, she had watched him grow up since he was little.
Outside Renshou Palace, some people might have muttered a few complaints about Zhu Houzhao, thinking the Crown Prince sometimes did not act properly. But inside Renshou Palace, the Crown Prince’s reputation was practically that of a saint through the ages. Anyone who dared say half a word against him would likely be dragged out and fed to the dogs.
At this moment, Zhu Houzhao, unusually well-behaved, said, “I am not hungry. Your son and servant came to deliver hand-copied Daoist scriptures.”
Hearing “hand-copied Daoist scriptures,” the Grand Empress Dowager was immensely pleased. She smiled and said, “It’s rare for you to show such filial piety. I hope it didn’t tire you out. You, child, as long as you come to pay your respects, that is enough for this old one. Why trouble yourself with this effort?”
As she spoke, Liu Jin, who had accompanied Zhu Houzhao, handed the hand-copied scriptures over to the chief eunuch of Renshou Palace, Wang Yan.
Wang Yan was around forty years old, with a large belly and a portly figure. He hastily took the manuscript from Liu Jin’s hands.
The Grand Empress Dowager said casually, “Come, show them to me.”
Wang Yan respectfully presented the manuscript. The Grand Empress Dowager took it. Just as Zhu Houzhao had told Fang Jifan, the Grand Empress Dowager’s eyesight was a bit blurry. She only saw a blur of characters and then smiled, saying, “The Crown Prince copied this himself. I am truly happy in my heart. Wang Yan…”
“Your servant is here.”
The Grand Empress Dowager said, “Read it to me.”
It seemed that for the Grand Empress Dowager, the Daoist scriptures hand-copied by the Crown Prince always held special meaning. If she simply stored them away on a high shelf, she would feel she had let down the Crown Prince’s thoughtful gesture.
Wang Yan naturally understood this. He hurriedly took the manuscript back and, swaying his head slightly, began reading the Daodejing first.
However, as he prepared to read, his eyes clearly flickered with doubt for a moment.
This handwriting… was it the Crown Prince’s?
But when he collected himself and cautiously glanced at the Crown Prince, he saw Zhu Houzhao baring his teeth at him. He shuddered and didn’t dare investigate further. He coughed once and said, “The Dao that can be spoken of… is not the eternal Dao…”
The Daodejing, with its five thousand eloquent characters, was the supreme true scripture of Daoism. Reading it through, Zhu Houzhao found it incredibly dull, but the Grand Empress Dowager was thoroughly enjoying it.
It was known throughout the Imperial Palace that the Grand Empress Dowager revered Daoist Studies!
Starting from the Chenghua Emperor, because the Chenghua Emperor believed in the Dao, many Taoists were kept in the palace. The Chenghua Emperor preferred Daoism for its techniques, especially alchemy and medicine-making. The Grand Empress Dowager, influenced by this, also deeply believed in it. However… she leaned more towards the scriptures themselves, believing these great Daoist true scriptures could bring her inner peace.
After finishing the Daodejing, he began reading the commentaries. Wang Yan glanced at the title of the commentary and froze again.
The Grand Empress Dowager was still waiting. She opened her eyes and said, “Read.”
Wang Yan then cautiously glanced at Zhu Houzhao again.
Zhu Houzhao was a bit annoyed inside. What, are you thinking of exposing that this Palace had someone else copy it?
But in an instant, Wang Yan broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead. Even his hand holding the commentary trembled slightly.
The Grand Empress Dowager seemed to notice something was wrong. She looked at him unquestionably and said, “Read!”
Wang Yan, his face showing alarm, could only stammer, “The Dao is primordial emptiness, chaotic and natural. The two modes follow it and are born; the myriad things rely on it and take form. It cannot be named. Forced to name it, it is called the Dao…”
Hearing this, the Grand Empress Dowager also froze.
Indeed, she had also detected a problem. However… she remained silent, but her expression became extremely grave.
She was silent, while Wang Yan cautiously raised his eyes to observe the Grand Empress Dowager’s expression.
“Continue reading,” the Grand Empress Dowager said.
Zhu Houzhao, however, looked suspicious. He wasn’t stupid; how could he not sense that something was unusual now?
Wang Yan became even more fearful and trembling: “Therefore, at the beginning of the first chapter, it should end with the character ‘Dao,’ just like in the chapter ‘The Dao is empty, yet use will not drain it,’ which also first reveals the character ‘Dao’…”
The Grand Empress Dowager’s face grew even more somber. Her body even trembled slightly.
After a long while, she closed her eyes and said sternly, “Why have you stopped reading again?”
“Your servant…” Wang Yan hurriedly knelt down, his face looking wretched, and said, “Your servant deserves death ten thousand times.”
The Grand Empress Dowager opened her eyes and stared fixedly at Wang Yan: “What does this have to do with you? Why do you deserve death ten thousand times?”
“This old servant has served Your Highness for twenty years…” Wang Yan, scared out of his wits, stammered, “…always accompanying Your Highness while reading scriptures. Renshou Palace has collected commentaries on the Daodejing from across The World. I have never heard of this version. This… this distorts the meaning of the scripture. It is a heretical, deviant doctrine. Your servant actually read it out, polluting Your Highness’s ears and damaging Your Highness’s Daoist heart. Your servant has the crime deserving death ten thousand times. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”
So… there was no such version of the Daoist scripture commentary?
Zhu Houzhao’s jaw nearly dropped.
No wonder when Fang Jifan was copying the scriptures, he reached the commentaries and disliked the original commentary. Turns out… this commentary… was written by himself.
In fact, Zhu Houzhao never imagined that this commentary was the work of Wei Dayou, the most outstanding Daoist scholar of the Great Ming. Wei Dayou was a Taoist during the Hongwu and Emperor Wen periods. Fang Jifan thought that since Wei Dayou was from that era, this “Collected Commentaries on the True Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue” must have been passed down long ago. Not only passed down, but also praised throughout The World. Otherwise, how could this version of the commentary be passed down to later generations?
But what Fang Jifan never expected was that books in this era were different from those in later times.
In later times, as soon as someone wrote a book, they could publish it, as publishing didn’t cost much; ink and paper weren’t expensive. Even if it couldn’t be published, it would be posted online and naturally spread by others.
That was an era of knowledge explosion. And Fang Jifan just…
He truly hadn’t realized this point. He simply assumed that since this book was composed in the early Ming, it should have started circulating then!
Little did he know that this “Collected Commentaries on the True Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue,” although composed early, had not circulated in The World at all. It wasn’t until the late Ming, when the world fell into great chaos and many tomb raiders emerged, that it finally began to be passed down.
It was just like the “Qi Analects.” People only remembered the common version of the Analects. The Qi Analects were compiled into a book as early as the Warring States period. But because they didn’t circulate, they were eventually lost to later generations. It wasn’t until the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun was excavated that traces of the “Qi Analects” were found.
The Grand Empress Dowager took Daoist Scriptures extremely seriously. In this era, Daoist Scriptures were absolutely not something that just anybody could comment on. Otherwise, in people’s eyes, it was heresy, deviating from the orthodox path.
Especially for someone like the Grand Empress Dowager who revered Daoist Studies, this was even more true.
Renshou Palace housed hundreds of different versions of commentaries on the Daodejing. Each version was the painstaking work of past emperors and Perfected Masters of Daoism.
The Grand Empress Dowager was thoroughly familiar with these commentaries. Wang Yan, having accompanied the Grand Empress Dowager for twenty years, was also deeply influenced. Just by looking at this “Collected Commentaries on the True Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue,” he knew immediately that this scripture simply did not exist. How did the Crown Prince copy a non-existent Daoist scripture?
Moreover… this unfounded Daoist scripture actually dared to privately comment on a classic like the Daodejing. How arrogant! It was simply… outrageously audacious.
At the very least, he knew the Grand Empress Dowager was bound to be furious.
Indeed… an expression of extreme displeasure appeared on the Grand Empress Dowager’s face!
In her view, this was an extremely serious matter. Serious to what extent? Not only was someone being heretical and audacious. More terrifyingly, the Crown Prince had actually copied such a thing. Didn’t that mean someone was misleading the Crown Prince? The Crown Prince was being deceived by these heretical words. How could she, as his Great Grandmother, not worry?
“Zhao’er, where did you copy this from?” the Grand Empress Dowager demanded sternly, her face tense.
Zhu Houzhao felt like he’d stepped in something nasty. Copying a book could also lead to trouble?
Seeing his usually affectionate Great Grandmother suddenly turn hostile, he hesitated. After a long while, he finally stammered, “Your son and servant… your son and servant doesn’t know… just copied it casually…”
Clearly, he just wanted to muddle through.
Unfortunately, for the Grand Empress Dowager, this matter was far too serious. It was like a Scholar who revered the Four Books and Five Classics learning that the Crown Prince was interpreting them in an alternative way. How worrying this was! Indeed, such a matter could even be classified as being misled by treacherous flatterers.
Wang Yan looked hesitant. He naturally understood the consequences of this matter; it was of great importance. He clearly saw that although this manuscript deliberately imitated the Crown Prince’s handwriting, it was obviously not copied by the Crown Prince himself. If no complications had arisen, he certainly wouldn’t have dared to inform the Grand Empress Dowager, as he dared not offend the Crown Prince.
But now… now it was different. The Grand Empress Dowager was furious and determined to investigate this matter thoroughly. Once investigated, it would be clear this wasn’t the Crown Prince’s handwriting. If he had still hidden and covered up for the Crown Prince… wouldn’t that be seeking death?
So Wang Yan hurriedly said, “Your servant… your servant feels… feels that the handwriting of this copied scripture is not the Crown Prince’s.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhu Houzhao’s face immediately fell.
This was bad.
However, he seemed quite experienced with such sudden situations. He didn’t become flustered immediately. Instead, he quickly put on a pitiful look and gazed at the Grand Empress Dowager.
But the Grand Empress Dowager had experienced so much in the deep palace; how could she be so easily fooled?
Even if she treasured her great-grandson in her heart, she might understand someone helping him copy the scriptures. But what she could not understand was that this scripture was heretical and deviant. Who knew what kind of monstrous talk was in it?
She demanded sharply, “Who copied this recklessly?”
“This…” Zhu Houzhao did not hesitate. He said quietly, “It was Liu Jin!”