Top Scholar

Chapter 546 The Great Ming Dynasty's Champion of Starvation
Seeing Su Lu staring in disbelief, Zhu Shou said irritably, "Why are you so surprised?"

"Shouldn't I be surprised?" Su Lu retorted. Although he knew that the relationship between the emperor and his mother was on the verge of collapse, he hadn't expected it to have deteriorated to this extent.

“Indeed, you don’t know the past between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, you just think of them as an ordinary mother and son.” Zhu Shou picked up his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp, his expression forlorn.

Su Lu picked up the wine jug from the ice bucket and poured him some chilled plum wine—this wine had a very low alcohol content, so it wouldn't make him drunk even when it was chilled.

"Actually, I don't like to hear these royal secrets, but if you can feel better if you tell me, I'm willing to listen to you."

Zhu Shou nodded and slowly began to recount his childhood memories of his mother, as well as those unpleasant memories... The two were almost identical.

He rambled on for over half an hour, finally sighing, "You might find what I'm saying trivial and boring, and wonder what's the big deal?"

"But the Emperor has always been so tense around her since he was a child, even finding it hard to breathe..." Zhu Shou said, covering his face with his hands, his voice broken as he spoke:
"In fact, the Empress Dowager has never laid a finger on the Emperor, but she has never stopped hurting him. When the Emperor is happy, she will always come to make things difficult for him. When the Emperor is enjoying the Emperor's company, she will always chase him to study. She will even confiscate the toys that the Emperor gives to the Emperor."

"The Emperor has finally memorized the article perfectly, but he can't get a single word of praise; yet if he makes even the slightest mistake, she will hold onto it and scold him over and over again!" The boundless suffocation made Zhu Shou's face turn pale.

Su Lu felt breathless for him and poured Zhu Shou another cup of wine, silently fanning him.

But Zhu Shou's tone suddenly changed, and hatred gradually flashed in his eyes as he said:
"But she was extremely indulgent towards her own brothers! No matter how big a mistake they made, she always forgave them! Even if they broke the law, she would unreasonably protect them, just like this time!"

“In my hometown, we usually call this kind of woman a ‘brother-supporting demon,’” Su Lu said softly.

"A devil who aids his younger brother?" Zhu Shou raised an eyebrow, instantly understanding.

“Exactly.” Su Lu nodded.

"Haha, this kind of woman is a devil! Whoever she marries will be cursed for eight lifetimes!" Zhu Shou said through gritted teeth, "She's the one who killed the late emperor!"

"Drinking, drinking..." Su Lu dared not listen to that, and quickly picked up his glass to change the subject, saying, "Brother, I really understand you."

Zhu Shou didn't want to reopen old wounds, so he followed up on Su Lu's topic, saying, "You don't even have a mother, how would you understand?"

"..." Su Lu's lips twitched. To be friends with this young master, one must have a strong mental fortitude, otherwise one's defenses will crumble at any moment.

"I understand, this is what they call 'the onlooker sees more of the game than the player.'"

"Then tell me," Zhu Shou said.

Su Lu's gaze deepened, and he said in a clear tone, "People say that maternal love is innate, but in fact, nothing in this world is absolute... Not all mothers love their children. Not to mention ordinary people, just look at emperors throughout history, there are many examples such as Duke Zhuang of Zheng and Qin Shi Huang who were rejected or even harmed by their mothers."

"Why is this happening?" Zhu Shou asked, frowning.

“Every mother and child has their own reasons,” Su Lu said slowly. “I’ll venture to offer my opinion on His Majesty’s situation—the root cause lies in the late Emperor’s excessive favoritism towards the Empress Dowager!”

"Go on," Zhu Shou frowned, not liking that he was directing his criticism at Emperor Xiaozong.

Fortunately, Su Lu was only feinting before turning his attention to the Empress Dowager, saying:
"The late emperor gave all his love to the Empress Dowager, which made her accustomed to having all the emperor's favor on her. When the current emperor was born, he took away most of the late emperor's love, so of course the Empress Dowager was unhappy. When the current emperor wanted to be close to the late emperor, she insisted on sending him to study. She just couldn't stand the current emperor taking away the attention that should have belonged to her."

“But the late emperor is still not number one in her heart, because she is a ‘brother-supporting demon’,” Su Lu said quietly.

"Oh?!" Zhu Shou's eyes widened. Upon hearing Su Lu's assertion, he instantly understood many things that had puzzled him for years...

“She dotes on her brothers from her maternal family and indulges their misbehavior. Clearly, she considers the Zhang family her root, and that is the most important thing in her heart.” Su Lu continued, “To put it bluntly, although she married into the Tian family, she never psychologically completed the transformation from a daughter of the Zhang family to a daughter-in-law of the Zhu family.”

"Such people are not uncommon in history, but they are mostly from families that are more powerful than their husbands' families. This kind of mentality is more common among wives who marry down. For example, princesses."

"Hmph, the Zhang family is nothing but a nobody!" Zhu Shou snorted contemptuously.

“Then we can only say that the Emperor is in trouble.” Su Lu lowered his voice and said, “Actually, the Empress Dowager knows very well what kind of people her two brothers are.”

"Of course, when the late emperor was alive, the ministers impeached the two of them, but the Empress Dowager stopped them with her crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide." Zhu Shou nodded.

"Therefore, the Empress Dowager must take the strongest stance to stop all attacks against her two younger brothers!" Su Lu declared in a deep voice.

"So Your Majesty need not blame yourself for this farce, nor need you dwell on why she treated you this way... It's not that Your Majesty is not good enough, it's just that in her priorities, her younger brother is not as important!"

"Well said! It seems you really understand me!" Zhu Shou punched Su Lu's thigh hard. "You've said exactly what I was thinking!"

“Of course…” Su Lu rubbed his thigh hard, wincing in pain. “Go easy on me.” “Hehe, I only used half my strength.” Zhu Shou smiled smugly, then said in a deep voice, “So, do you have any suggestions for the Emperor?”

"Please tell His Majesty that since ancient times, emperors have known that it is better to admit one's mistakes than to acknowledge them—the word 'admit one' does not exist in the dictionary of emperors! The authority of the emperor is above all else, and he must never be forced to submit by anyone!" Su Lu said in a voice as firm as metal and stone.

"Knowing you're wrong but not admitting it?" Zhu Shou murmured, "You absolutely cannot let anyone force you to give in?"

“Yes,” Su Lu said in a deep voice, “Gods cannot shed blood, and emperors cannot admit their mistakes. Shedding blood makes one a mortal, and admitting mistakes means losing authority!”

Su Lu's tone suddenly turned sharp: "Today she can force the Emperor to go on a hunger strike. If the Emperor backs down, there will never be peace in the future. The whole court and the public will know that the Empress Dowager can suppress the Emperor. From now on, anyone will dare to use the Empress Dowager's name to force the Emperor to compromise!"

"Screw it!" Zhu Shou threw the wine glass over the wall with all his might, and with a crack, another commotion ensued.

Su Lu paused, then said firmly, "Therefore, this is a battle concerning the supreme power of the emperor; taking a step back means falling into an abyss!"

"I know, I know." Zhu Shou nodded, rubbing his head in frustration. "But the Empress Dowager is threatening suicide, what can we do? The Emperor can say these things in anger, but can he really watch her die?"

As he spoke, his eyes bloodshot, he looked at Su Lu and asked, "Do you have a way to solve this checkmated game?"

Su Lu remained confident, smiling as he patted his arm and said, "Of course there's a way, brother."

"Tell me quickly!" Zhu Shou's expression brightened upon hearing this, and he immediately straightened up, ready to listen attentively. He still had confidence in Su Lu; otherwise, he wouldn't have come all this way!
Su Lu leaned closer and said, word by word, "The art of war says, 'Attack where they must defend, and besiege Wei to rescue Zhao!'"

Zhu Shou immediately understood: "You mean, the two younger brothers of the 'Brother-Supporting Demon'?"

“That’s right!” Su Lu nodded and said, “Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling are the Empress Dowager’s Achilles’ heel!”

Then, he exclaimed in a startling statement, "In my opinion, we should immediately order the confiscation of the Zhang family's property! The crimes committed by the Zhang brothers, Heling and Yanling, over the years are countless, and their files are piled up in the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review!"

"We still have readily available evidence of Zhang Yanling's crimes, including colluding with Tibetan monks, detaining people, forced labor, transferring assets, and murdering innocent people! Let's investigate thoroughly. Not only those two brothers, but also their sons, nephews, cousins, and brothers-in-law—arrest them all, investigate them one by one, and uncover all the dirty deeds the Zhang family has done over the years!" Su Lu said, slamming his hand heavily on the table, his voice filled with murderous intent.

"Since they're courting death, let them die a complete and utter death, the whole family! Let's see who dares to push their luck and disrespect the Emperor again!"

"Great! That was so satisfying!" Zhu Shou clapped his hands in approval and poured wine for Su Lu. "Just for those few words you said to vent my anger, I have to toast you!"

"I'm not just saying this, I'm actually suggesting you do it!" Su Lu didn't pick up her wine glass, looking at him defiantly. "Or perhaps you don't dare?"

"What wouldn't I dare to do?!" Zhu Shou said in a rough voice, glaring at him, then added breathlessly, "But like I said, what if the Empress Dowager really starves to death? If this problem isn't solved, everything else will be for nothing!"

Then, offering a terrible suggestion, he said, "Why don't we keep her calm for a while, trick the Empress Dowager into having a good meal for two days, and then investigate her brother?"

Su Lu gave a thumbs up and said, "I never expected you to be such a brilliant idea master of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Isn't this to buy more time?" Zhu Shou said embarrassedly.

"What's the point of damaging the Emperor's prestige and gaining favor in the next few days?" Su Lu said, "Won't she go on a hunger strike again when the investigation begins?"

"That's true..." Zhu Shou said awkwardly, "Then how do you suggest we resolve this?"

"If you ask me, I'd say we don't need to pay any attention to her for now." Su Lu shook his head and said confidently, "Don't worry. The Empress Dowager has only been on a hunger strike for three or four days; she's not going to starve to death so easily."

He paused for a moment, then added, "At this stage, for her, it's just fasting to cleanse her digestive system and lose some weight, which is actually very good for her health."

"But the Empress Dowager fainted from hunger two days ago!" Zhu Shou said.

“You wouldn’t know if you’ve never been hungry. The hardest part of not eating is the first two days because this stage only consumes the body’s energy. The fainting is just a temporary stress response due to the depletion of energy; it’s still a long way from truly being exhausted,” Su Lu said with a smile.
"Haven't you noticed that there's been no movement in the palace these past two days? It's obvious that the Empress Dowager has entered the fat-burning phase. The Empress Dowager was well-nourished in the palace before, ate more and moved less, so her body was covered in fat and her blood and qi were sufficient. As long as she drinks water regularly, she can continuously transform the fat into blood and qi. It's no problem for her to maintain this for ten days or half a month."

"Pfft..." Zhu Shou almost spat a mouthful of wine in his face: "Really?"

"Would I joke about something like this with you?" Su Lu said irritably.

P.S. Post first, edit later.

I read everyone's comments yesterday, thank you all for your understanding, but I don't want to stop updating three times a month. I'll stick to this until the end of the month and then reduce the frequency...

(End of this chapter)