Chapter Thirty: Sincerity and Heart

That night, Prince Zhou was incomparably happy. The light that Xuan Miao had infused into his soul allowed him to enter anyone's dreams at will. If it weren't for the fact that he could not leave the Prince Zhou Mansion, he would have loved to drift all the way to the capital to have a dream-meeting with the young Emperor.

However, he was quite busy that night. After leaving the dream of Physician Zhang and confirming that the doctor had agreed to petition the throne for him first thing in the morning, he went to visit the Princess. Prince Zhou was fair and impartial in his affections; he not only visited the Princess’s dreams but did not neglect any of his six concubines, not to mention the three brothers, Zhu Zijin and his siblings.

The three brothers were keeping vigil at the spirit hall. Even though they were exhausted, they were in a state between waking and sleeping, their heads nodding and snapping back up. He thought he wouldn't be able to enter their dreams, but the moment the thought crossed his mind, he was in—all three of them at once. Prince Zhou was astonished.

The three brothers, who simultaneously dreamt of Prince Zhou and each other, were equally surprised. After the shock wore off, the four of them wept in each other's arms within the dream. No one knew what Prince Zhou had discussed with them, but the conversation was quite long. When Zhu Zijin awoke, the three brothers exchanged glances, confirming they had all shared the same dream, which only served to deepen their fraternal bonds. The estrangement caused by over a decade of separation had melted away significantly in that moment.

The ever-attentive Prince Zhou also went to visit his younger brother, Zhu Youjue, in his dreams. Pan Jun did not know what they talked about, but upon returning from Zhu Youjue, the Prince was much more silent, and that airy, joyful spirit of freedom he had displayed earlier had faded quite a bit.

Seeing that he had finally settled down, Pan Jun pointed to her own head and said, "Come on, enter my dream."

Prince Zhou regained his focus and looked her over. "Have you lost your mind?"

Pan Jun sat up straight. "I want to see how her magic differs from mine."

Prince Zhou replied, "Why don't you just ask her? Isn't she your senior sister?"

Pan Jun lied with a straight face, "Even fellow disciples have their own secrets."

Prince Zhou said, "Prying into others' secrets is not a good habit."

Pan Jun just looked at him silently.

"Fine, fine, I’ll do it," Prince Zhou said, striking a pose. "Go to sleep."

Pan Jun lay down and closed her eyes. After a long while, neither the human nor the ghost had made a sound. The black cat, which had been sitting quietly on the rafters, couldn't help but mock them with a "meow."

Pan Jun opened her eyes and sat up. Prince Zhou, who was nearly asleep himself, said, "This has nothing to do with me. I usually enter dreams as soon as I think about it. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time and couldn't get into yours. You can't blame me for not being able to fall asleep, can you?"

"I don't blame you," Pan Jun replied. "Wait, let me meditate."

Pan Jun adjusted her breathing and sat in meditation. Instead of cultivating, she cleared her mind, weaving a dream for herself. Gradually, she entered a state between sleeping and waking. Prince Zhou still couldn't get in; he could only pace around the room. He paced and paced until dawn broke.

Prince Zhou seemed to sense something; the trick he had for entering dreams seemed to vanish. He looked at Pan Jun. Pan Jun also opened her eyes, the first rays of the morning sun shining directly upon her. The human and the ghost locked eyes, and Prince Zhou's figure gradually faded as he returned to the spirit hall.

Pan Jun sighed and asked the black cat on the rafters, "Why couldn't he enter my dream?"

Pan Xiaohei replied, "Meow, your will is firm, and your Niwan Palace is as solid as a rock. It’s hard for ghosts and spirits to invade—isn't that a good thing?"

Pan Jun stopped dwelling on the matter, deciding that if the opportunity arose, she would trade techniques with Xuan Miao. This method of dream-entry was highly adaptable—more natural than her own dream-weaving, and far more convincing as a "spirit-sent" dream.

Physician Zhang and Eunuch Qian, who had been "ghost-pressed" and had communicated deeply with Prince Zhou, were thoroughly convinced. As soon as dawn broke, they came to bid farewell to Zhu Zijin. They were willing to speak on behalf of the Prince Zhou Mansion...

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zijin immediately handed them the memorial he had copied the day before, along with the gifts Prince Zhou had instructed him to send the previous night. Eunuch Qian received a box of small gold ornaments—various gold nuggets and gold melon seeds, all gleaming and exquisite. Physician Zhang received a cookbook, said to be a collection of recipes from the previous dynasty's imperial kitchen. Since it was an item from the former dynasty, giving it away was not a violation of protocol.

Both were very satisfied with their respective gifts and departed immediately with the memorial. As Zhu Zijin saw them out of the mansion gates, Zhu Youjue hurried over, only catching a glimpse of their disappearing figures. The uncle and nephew exchanged a look, both thinking of the dreams they had had the night before.

Zhu Zijin thought: Father did not deceive me; he must have arranged everything in the dream last night.

Zhu Youjue was half-skeptical, yet things were unfolding exactly as his elder brother had described in his dream. Could it be that foresight and spirit-sent dreams truly existed in this world?

From that day on, mourners began arriving at the Prince Zhou Mansion. The Princess led the six concubines in keeping vigil and wailing. The six ladies moved in and out together daily and slept three to a room at night, ensuring no accidents occurred.

The visiting royals did not see a list of those to be buried with the Prince. Upon asking, they learned that the ritual had not yet been carried out, which made them somewhat dissatisfied with Zhu Zijin. "Although he was not your biological father, he raised you, knew you suffered, and specifically brought you back to inherit the title. For this reason alone, you should not be unfilial. Your father has been dead for three days, yet you have not prepared those to be buried with him. Do you intend for your father to lead a group of servants to pave the way?"

Zhu Zijin replied deferentially, "Father could not bear for the living to be buried with the dead, so he has already petitioned His Majesty and is only awaiting the imperial decree."

The Emperor had already received Zhu Zijin's memorial. Knowing that Physician Zhang and the others had arrived just in time to see Prince Zhou one last time, he sighed to Wang Zhen, "Fortunately, we didn't drag our feet on deciding the heir, otherwise, wouldn't Prince Zhou have passed away with regrets?"

Wang Zhen naturally laughed and praised the Emperor's wisdom. "Why not issue the decree for the Prince Zhou's succession now? Since Physician Zhang is already familiar with the task, let him be the one to proclaim it."

Physician Zhang thought: ...I really don't want to go back there again. But he had no choice but to accept.

Wang Zhen interjected, "Your Majesty, why the rush? The heir must observe mourning. It would be better to wait until he has completed a year of mourning before issuing the decree. Otherwise, if he succeeds to the title just after his father's death, it would be neither a time for sorrow nor joy, and would instead damage his filial piety toward the Prince."

Physician Zhang, waiting on the side, thought: ...What kind of nonsense is this? When the late Emperor died, the new Emperor ascended immediately—was that unfilial?

However, the Emperor felt Wang Zhen was right and nodded repeatedly. "Good, let it be done that way. Wait until he has completed a full year of mourning before issuing the decree."

Would the young Emperor even remember Zhu Zijin in a year? Physician Zhang cast a quick glance at Wang Zhen, fearing that by then, getting the heir to succeed would cost a fortune in bribes to Wang Zhen.

Physician Zhang thought of the gift he had received and hurriedly mentioned Prince Zhou's final wish, hinting, "The Prince Zhou Mansion knows Your Majesty wishes to fulfill the Prince's dying wish, so they have held off on the burial, awaiting your instruction."

Eunuch Qian agreed repeatedly, describing how Prince Zhou had begged and been restless before he died. "The Prince was kind-hearted and could not bear to see living beings slaughtered, so he could not let go of this even on his deathbed. As soon as Zhao Yuansong returned, he asked about this. When he heard that Your Majesty was going to issue a decree in the court to grant his request, he was so happy he ate two bowls of rice, and he was smiling when he passed away."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor immediately said, "Then go and issue the decree quickly; do not miss the seventh day after his passing."

Wang Zhen narrowed his eyes, looking at Eunuch Qian and then at Physician Zhang, sneering internally. But seeing the Emperor enthusiastically preparing to write the decree himself, he found it difficult to object further. In the young Emperor's eyes, this was a novel act that broke ancestral customs, and since he considered it a good deed, he was more than happy to write it himself. Of course, it still had to be sent to the Cabinet for review before being sealed and dispatched.

This time, the young Emperor again sent officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Directorate of Ceremonial to proclaim the decree. Wang Zhen suggested to Eunuch Qian, "Experience is the best teacher; you've been there once, so going again will make the journey easier." The Ministry of Rites, hearing this, also went along and recommended Physician Zhang.

Physician Zhang and Eunuch Qian thought: ...Although proclaiming the decree might earn them some money, such a long official trip was exhausting, especially when they might run into Prince Zhou again. What if the Prince asked them why there was no succession decree for the heir?

Nevertheless, they forced smiles, pretended to be pleased, and left the palace with the decree from the Cabinet. Indeed, official travel was miserable; despite having just returned, they hadn't even stepped through their own front doors. Their luggage was ready—a bit dirty and smelly, but they could just pick it up and go. It was still better than being a capital official sent to the provinces.

As it happened, some capital officials had just received news of their reassignments. As soon as they got their documents, they boarded donkey carts to leave the city without even a change of clothes. The two groups met at the city gate; Physician Zhang recognized the others, and after a tearful exchange of glances, they exited the city.

Physician Zhang whispered on the road, "Brother, return to the city later. Could you trouble your family to send word to mine, saying I'll be home in ten days at most?"

"Easy enough, easy enough. I’ve decided to enter later, near the time the gates close. Sigh, the decree came down so suddenly, and I have no money at home. I wonder if Brother Zhang could lend me some to tide me over?"

Physician Zhang asked, "Where are you being posted?"

"Guangxin Prefecture, Jiangxi."

"Done, done. Write me a note, and I will have my wife find a way to scrape together twenty taels of silver for you."

Twenty taels was not a small sum; it was enough to settle in. The man agreed, and after some murmuring, they parted ways. Eunuch Qian found this unsurprising.

The Founding Emperor had left a rule: to prevent capital officials from accepting bribes or borrowing money before leaving for their posts, they were ordered to leave the city immediately upon receiving their official documents and seals. Anyone caught returning home would be arrested and prosecuted.

However, officials could not simply rely on the meager travel expenses provided by the court; they needed to eat, drink, and settle their families upon arrival. Thus, for every policy from above, there was a countermeasure from below. Officials would always sneak back into the capital after leaving to collect money or borrow funds. It was an unspoken rule; as long as it didn't cause a scene, everyone turned a blind eye. Even the eunuchs in the Directorate of Ceremonial knew this, and everyone in the court was well aware of it—only the one sitting on the Dragon Throne was kept in the dark.

Physician Zhang, having lent out twenty taels of silver with no idea when it would be repaid, was in a foul mood. After continuous travel, his mood only worsened. When he finally returned to the Prince Zhou Mansion, his expression was as sour as could be, leaving the residents of the mansion anxious, unsure if the news was good or bad.

The Princess and Zhu Zijin led the mansion's staff in kneeling before the spirit hall to receive the decree. When they heard clearly that the Emperor respected Prince Zhou's final wish and had exempted everyone in the mansion from being buried with him, everyone felt their spines soften with relief.

After a brief pause, the six concubines burst into wailing, slapping the ground and crying, "My Prince—my Prince, how could you leave us behind—"

The servants behind them also wailed loudly, especially those who had served Prince Zhou closely; they cried as if their own parents had died. Never before had they wept so genuinely for the Prince's mourning.