Zhu Yunwen returned to the Wu Prince's residence, travel-worn. Princess Sang greeted him with a smile, "Husband, didn't you go back to your hometown?"
"Grandfather doesn't like me, so he came back," Zhu Yunwen complained. "As long as his nephew is here, it doesn't matter whether I go back or not. He just asked me to take my brother to offer incense to my great-grandfather and great-grandmother, and then he sent me back."
Madam Sang then added, "Grandfather has always only ever had eyes for his elder brother. With his elder brother around, Grandfather has no eyes for his other children and grandchildren. Now that we have our eldest nephew, Grandfather sees even fewer of his other children and grandchildren. Grandfather's favoritism is extreme; everyone knows that!"
Zhu Yunwen didn't care and said directly, "It's only because you're bold enough to say this that everyone knows about it. Your grandfather is the emperor. If he shows favoritism or affection towards his other sons, the succession to the throne of the Ming Dynasty might be in chaos. They're all my flesh and blood, and I can't show favoritism."
"I heard that Your Majesty is preparing a joint trial by the three judicial departments, which concerns the lineage of the Duke Yansheng. It's causing quite a stir in the court." Madam Sang said as she brought tea to Zhu Yunwen. "Third Prince, you're not without your own problems. Why should you be the one to do this thing that offends people?"
Zhu Yunwen understood his wife's personality; she was loud and boisterous, and sometimes a bit rude. However, this woman was genuinely simple-minded, probably because she came from a military family and was spoiled at home, which made her somewhat 'lawless'.
Zhu Yunwen also understood that his wife only dared to be arrogant in front of him; she dared to be arrogant in front of other princesses and noblewomen as well. They all knew very well that Lady Sang could be considered 'arrogant because of the emperor's favor,' since she was Zhu Yunwen's first wife, and they all knew that she and Zhu Yunwen had a very good relationship.
Although this couple didn't have a great reputation among the imperial clan, no one dared to offend them, not even the princes' uncles. As for ordinary noblewomen, they all eagerly fawned over Madam Sang. This made Madam Sang even more arrogant, but fortunately, she wasn't malicious; all she did was make a big fuss.
"If Your Majesty were to entrust this matter to the Third Prince, you probably wouldn't be able to sleep at night," Zhu Yunwen laughed, a hint of smugness in his voice. "The Third Prince has become much more obedient these past few years, but compared to us, he's probably no match. Just you wait, I am Your Majesty's favorite younger brother!"
Zhu Yunwen was very proud; he was the emperor's favorite younger brother. As for the "third brother," Zhu Yunwen, the emperor didn't like him very much. He was only polite to the emperor on the surface, and the emperor couldn't do many of the things that the emperor personally asked him to do.
Back in Yingtian Prefecture, the couple couldn't stay at the Prince's residence any longer. Before they could even enjoy some time together, they were summoned to the palace by imperial decree from Wang Chengen. This demonstrated the Prince of Wu's immense prestige; Wang Chengen rarely left the palace personally to deliver imperial edicts. Moreover, he had a grand procession of ceremonial officials escort him into the capital.
Lian Qiongqiong was busy, and Wang Shi was also helping to take care of things and prepare the family banquet.
"Sister-in-law, where is my brother?" Zhu Yunwen entered the main hall without any fear. "He invited us here for a meal, we can't just leave without seeing him!"
Lian Qiongqiong smiled gently and said softly, "His Majesty is still handling state affairs and will probably not return for another hour."
"Oh, then let's wait a bit longer." Zhu Yunwen was still quite carefree, and then said, "By the way, our eldest niece is very lovable. My nephew adores his little sister. Everyone back home knows that our great-grandfather's great-grandson is mischievous and his great-granddaughter is well-behaved. A few days ago, I was with my nephew and niece to offer incense to our great-great-grandfather and great-great-grandmother."
Lian Qiongqiong's expression brightened. She usually couldn't enter the Fengxian Hall because she was only an Imperial Noble Consort.
In essence, she was only slightly better than a concubine, but still a concubine at heart. Returning to her ancestral tombs in Fengyang to pay respects to her ancestors was something Lian Qiongqiong dared not even dream of; she wasn't qualified. But her daughter was!
Sang sat with Lian Qiongqiong, but her big eyes were darting around undisguisedly.
One moment he was looking at Lian Qiongqiong's hairpin, the next he was staring at the ornaments on the table... Zhu Yunwen didn't think his wife was shameful at all; on the contrary, he thought she was very clever. She'd only be looking at things for a little while, and when she returned home, she'd likely bring back some nice things. That wasn't shameful; if she could gain something, that was real.
After finishing his official duties, Zhu Yunying strolled leisurely toward the Eastern Palace, where Wang Chengen also approached.
Hearing Wang Chengen's words, Zhu Yunying shook his head, "You have someone managing the expenses of the Wu Prince's residence, are you really short of money?"
“We don’t lack anything, not at all.” Wang Chengen complained incessantly, and hurriedly said, “Your Highness, Prince Wu never cares about the output or expenses of the fiefdoms, and neither does the Princess. Prince Wu’s restaurant and the Princess’s rouge shop both have output. It’s just that Prince Wu loves to freeload. No matter which elder’s family they visit, it’s always His Highness and the Princess who cry poverty.”
Zhu Yunying thought for a moment, then said, "Go to the storeroom and get that blood coral, and also get fifty pearls. They have no shortage of gold and silver, and they don't care for ordinary things. That rascal, he just likes to play tricks on us."
Wang Chengen remained silent. If it were any other prince or heir apparent, His Majesty would most likely have pretended not to understand. But since it was Prince Wu, even if His Majesty knew he was being taken advantage of, he accepted it all, and still took great care of him.
In fact, Wang Chengen understood that Prince Wu had always been raised under the Emperor's care and had been greatly spoiled. Furthermore, Prince Wu was also shrewd and always tried to please the Emperor, so the Emperor had always been fond of this younger brother.
Upon arriving at Chunhe Palace, Zhu Yunying laughed and said, "I told you not to run around aimlessly, but you insisted on doing so. You could have gone to Beiping for a trip or visited your uncle, but you had to come back."
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
