Chapter 926: Zhu Cunji Takes Action
In the summer of the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, a great locust plague raged. A delegation from Gao Family Village set out to persuade Gao Yingxiang to return to the village, but they failed! Crestfallen, they all turned back, heading home to Gao Family Village.
Meanwhile...
Xi'an!
In the rear courtyard of the Prince of Qin's Mansion, dozens of the prince's sworn guards carried a large black sack from the back garden into the main building. Their movements were furtive and suspicious; clearly, they weren't engaged in anything legitimate.
Maids, servants, and eunuchs who witnessed this scene along the way hurriedly covered their faces and kept their distance, daring neither to interfere nor even to glance twice.
They understood that the Heir Apparent had dispatched his sworn guards for this task, rather than his usual retinue! Evidently, this matter was of the utmost secrecy, and those who knew too much would likely face dire consequences. It was safer not to get involved.
At that moment, Zhu Cunji was dining with his Princess Consort. A trusted eunuch slipped in and whispered, "Your Highness, they have returned."
"Returned?" Zhu Cunji exclaimed, overjoyed, and sprang from his seat, rushing towards the rear courtyard.
The Princess Consort couldn't help but ask, her voice laced with concern, "My husband, don't forget the Heavenly Lord is watching from above. When you do things... you really must... follow some rules. You can't be as reckless as you were in your youth."
The Princess Consort's brow furrowed in a massive question mark. She hadn't intended to involve herself in her foolish husband's latest scheme, but now her curiosity was piqued. She pushed her meal aside, gathered her skirt, and rose, declaring, "I'll come see for myself."
Zhu Cunji said, "It's good that you're coming. I can hide this from anyone, but not from you. Otherwise, if I ended up with a cuckold's green hat, I'd be rather upset."
The Princess Consort bristled with anger. "What do you mean by that? Do you take me for an unvirtuous, fickle woman? How could I possibly put a cuckold's green hat on you?"
Zhu Cunji said, "Don't be angry. Come with me, and you'll understand."
There was no way the Princess Consort couldn't be angry. No woman could hear such words without indignation, and her cheeks puffed out as she followed behind him.
Soon, they reached the back garden. The sworn guards had already moved the large black sack into a secret underground chamber.
The trusted eunuch opened the chamber door and led the Heir Apparent and Princess Consort inside. A group of sworn guards emerged from among the garden's flowering trees, taking up positions with their weapons drawn, guarding the chamber entrance.
Seeing this display, the Princess Consort grew even more agitated. "What exactly is my foolish husband doing?" she thought, a wave of panic washing over her. "I'm so incredibly anxious! If the Heavenly Lord sees this, he won't just slap my foolish husband dead, will he?"
With trepidation, they finally reached the center of the secret chamber.
Several sworn guards had been waiting there for some time. As soon as they saw the Heir Apparent, they swiftly bowed. "Your Highness," one reported, "your humble servants have successfully completed the mission and brought the person back."
Upon hearing this, the Princess Consort glanced at the black burlap sack on the ground, her heart seizing with alarm. "You didn't kidnap a beautiful girl, did you? My heavens! The Heavenly Lord despises such deeds the most. If he finds out, his palm will surely come down!"
Zhu Cunji scoffed. "Hmph! What kind of man do you take me for? Is my only pursuit beautiful girls? Shallow, utterly shallow!"
The Princess Consort could only stare.
Zhu Cunji grunted. "Open the sack."
The trusted eunuch crouched down and swiftly untied the ropes. He peeled back the black sack, revealing a man's head. It wasn't a beautiful girl, but a middle-aged man.
The Princess Consort took a closer look and gasped in surprise. The man in the sack bore a striking resemblance to Zhu Cunji—nearly identical. The only difference was their demeanor. Zhu Cunji exuded an air of comical unreliability, the very essence of a dissolute middle-aged scion. The man in the sack, however, seemed countrified, his face etched with worry, betraying a life of hardship.
The Princess Consort stammered, "Ah? Ahhh? Who is this man?"
Zhu Cunji grinned. "His name is Zhao Si, from Yaozhou, Shaanxi. He's a poor actor who's struggled his whole life. A while back, our train line reached Yaozhou, and my men spotted him performing there. Heheheh."
The Princess Consort pressed anxiously, "So why did you kidnap him?"
Zhu Cunji scoffed, "Kidnap? I didn't kidnap anyone!"
He turned to Zhao Si. "Tell the Princess Consort, how did you come here?"
Zhao Si immediately bowed deeply to the Princess Consort. "Your humble servant came willingly! His Highness's subordinates told me that because I bear an exact resemblance to His Highness and know how to act, they wanted me to do some work in the mansion. His Highness promised me a very, very high salary, so I came of my own free will."
The Princess Consort hissed in understanding.
She wasn't foolish; she already had a vague idea of what her foolish husband intended to do.
Zhu Cunji grinned. "Zhao Si, you must have some idea why I brought you here, right?"
Zhao Si nodded. "I understand! Your Highness needs me to be a body double, to guard against assassins or something similar."
"Hahaha, assassination?" Zhu Cunji burst into laughter. "Assassination? This Heir Apparent isn't afraid of such things! This is Xi'an Prefecture, the Heavenly Lord's domain! Who would dare assassinate this Heir Apparent here?"
Zhao Si looked utterly bewildered. "Then... why am I here?"
Zhu Cunji declared, "This Heir Apparent intends to travel the four seas! You, you'll stay in Xi'an and simply enjoy all the riches and luxuries this Heir Apparent usually enjoys. Eat whatever you want, play whatever you want, and spend lavishly—that's how you'll truly seem like me."
Zhao Si was speechless.
The Princess Consort was speechless.
Zhu Cunji continued, "To play the part convincingly, you must indulge in luxury, waste, emptiness, unease, and depravity... In short, however one lives a life utterly devoid of soul, that's precisely how you must live."
Everyone stared, stunned.
Zhu Cunji turned to his trusted eunuch. "Starting today, in this secret chamber, you will teach him all the rules of the mansion—my demeanor, gestures, tone of voice, inflections, expressions, attitudes, and personal habits. Everything must be identical to me."
The trusted eunuch bowed. "As you command!"
Zhu Cunji added, "First, bring Zhao Si a bowl of shark fin to practice with... to let him get used to it."
The eunuch quickly departed. A moment later, he returned, holding a freshly prepared bowl of shark fin, placed on an exquisite tray, and presented it to Zhao Si.
Zhao Si was overcome with emotion; he had never tasted anything so fine in his life.
He reached for it with both hands, terrified of spilling even a single drop...
Zhu Cunji roared, "Not like that! For such a paltry thing, you mustn't look so reverent! Just take it casually with one hand. It doesn't matter if you spill it."
Zhao Si broke into a cold sweat. "This..."
Alright, he quickly switched to one hand, picking it up nonchalantly. He took a tiny sip, and a flavor he had never experienced before spread through his mouth.
He was about to exclaim, "Delicious!" when Zhu Cunji snarled, "What's with that expression? Twist your mouth, spit it out, say 'It's disgusting,' and then scold the cook for their lack of improvement!"
Zhao Si didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He thought to himself, "Playing such an eccentric character as the Heir Apparent is truly difficult."
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