Chapter 1: Peaceful Days
Spring came again in the blink of an eye. The capital was covered in green, with pink peach blossoms, green willows, singing birds, and the clothes of people walking on the street became more and more brightly colored.
Ever since Princess Shunde performed a sword dance on the All Saints' Day, the newly opened Chengping Cloth Shop in the capital has been extremely busy. Rumors have spread that all the clothes worn by the concubines and princesses came from the Chengping Cloth Shop, and there were no Jinyiwei inspections everywhere, which showed that the rumor was not groundless. It aroused people's curiosity, and even if they didn't buy anything, they would still come to join in the fun.
What's more, this cloth shop not only sells cloth, but also ready-made clothes. Especially the celestial clothes the princess wears, which are all ready-made. If you buy this, wouldn't it be the same clothes as the princess? What little girl doesn't love beauty? Even if she can't wear it every day, buying a set to entertain herself is no big deal. After all, the clothes at Chengping Cloth Shop are very cheap.
If this fabric wasn't something you could see and touch, people would think it was some fake. While it certainly couldn't compare to the luxurious fabrics of the rich and powerful, the beautiful colors and affordable price made it so appealing.
For a time, the fabrics and cloth produced by Chengping Cloth Shop became very popular in the capital and enjoyed great fame.
Zhu Yuhuan dared to do this because Zhu Zhanji's own policies were mainly relaxed, and the cautious atmosphere among the people gradually eased, so everyone began to follow the entertainment trend.
Zhu Zhanji especially loved to play. There were endless entertainment activities such as watching lanterns, playing Cuju, polo, etc., but most of his entertainment activities took place in the palace. Border patrols and hunting were also for the sake of border stability and understanding the people's sentiments. He also invited ministers to have fun from time to time. Which minister dared to say no? They all praised him generously and wrote poems and essays to praise the emperor's grace.
This also shows that Zhu Zhanji was adept at politics and controlling court officials. In comparison, Princess Shunde gradually kept a low profile after her sword dance to celebrate her birthday. People mostly heard of Princess Shunde's name from charity halls, medical clinics, etc., but she herself seemed to have little fame.
The ministers did not dare to openly remonstrate with the emperor, and Zhu Yuhuan, the sitting duck, suddenly kept a low profile, and the government and the country were calm.
Inside Dongyue Temple, Zhu Youtong wandered aimlessly, perhaps collecting folk songs. However, she had already spent half a day there and was already tired of the place, so she would occasionally glance towards the main hall.
This was her first time out of the palace, and Zhu Youtong didn't want to waste all her time in the temple.
Another half hour passed before someone emerged from the hall. It was Zhu Yuhuan. She wore a jade-green bodice with an apricot blossom pattern, revealing custard-yellow pipa sleeves and a red folded skirt. Her hair was tied up in a fashionable butterfly bun, and she wore only a pear-flower tasseled gold hairpin, which swayed with her steps.
When Zhu Youtong saw her finally come out, he immediately ran over and asked coquettishly, "Are you okay, sister?"
Zhu Yuhuan reached out and touched her head, saying, "Okay, let's go."
Zhu Youtong saw Han Guilan holding something in her hand and asked in confusion, "What is this?"
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "It is the Scripture of Eternal Purity and Tranquility given to me by the Taoist priest. I took it back to the palace to read it."
Zhu Youtong wanted to curl his lips, but thinking that this was someone else's territory, he had to say: "Then...then can we leave?"
Zhu Yuhuan touched her head and said with a smile, "Let's go now. Today we are just going to pay a simple visit." After that, she saluted the Taoist priest inside, scaring him so much that he hurriedly returned the salute.
Although he didn't know Zhu Yuhuan's identity, he knew from her demeanor, clothes and jewelry that she wore that she was not from an ordinary wealthy family, so he was naturally respectful in his interactions with her.
The two sisters left the Taoist temple together. Huai En had already had the carriage driven out. Seeing the two of them coming, he said, "Where do you girls want to go after your visit?"
Zhu Yuhuan looked down at his sister and said, "Want to go somewhere lively?"
Zhu Youtong nodded like a chick pecking at rice and said excitedly, "Yes! Let's go wherever there's a lot of fun!"
Zhu Yuhuan was a little amused and said, "Then let's go to the teahouse first. There's a market there. We can sell some small things there, and we can bring them back to Zhen'er and Yu'er."
Zhu Youtong was originally very excited, but when he heard Zhu Yuhuan mention Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiyu, he immediately felt unhappy and said, "I finally got out once, but my sister is not concentrating on accompanying me. Why is she always thinking about those two brothers?"
Hearing her say this, Han Guilan and Huai En couldn't help but laugh secretly. Seeing their forced smiles, Zhu Youtong muttered in dissatisfaction: "Laugh, laugh, laugh, laugh until your teeth fall out!"
As a result, Huai En and Han Guilan pretended to be frightened and suppressed their smiles.
Zhu Yuhuan was amused by them and pulled Zhu Youtong onto the carriage. He then reached out and smoothed the small bun on her head. "Sister, when have you ever missed Jiajia's things when you were out? Brothers and sisters should naturally be treated equally."
Zhu Youtong knew that what his sister said made sense, but he still couldn't help but disdain it and said, "Then when they leave the palace in the future, they must bring me treasures back."
"When they grow up, you will be old enough to leave the palace. Will you still need them to help you carry things?"
Zhu Youtong finally understood, but when she heard the word "leaving the palace", she felt indescribable sadness and said, "Sister, does leaving the palace mean getting married?"
Zhu Yuhuan didn't expect her to ask this, but he answered truthfully: "For the princess, it's like this. Look at my aunts. They have all left the palace and married. Although they can come back, it is definitely different from when they were in the palace. Although my sister has her own princess residence, she almost never spends the night outside the palace."
Zhu Youtong felt even sadder when he heard this. He leaned against Zhu Yuhuan and muttered, "Sister, are you going to get married like the other aunts? What if I want to see you in the future?"
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help laughing when he heard this. He then reached out and tapped Zhu Youtong's forehead, saying, "You little girl, you have a lot on your mind. Don't worry, I'm not old enough to get married yet, and even if I am, I won't get married so soon."
She knew that her father would not live long. By the time she reached marriageable age, Zhu Zhanji would have passed away, and she would have to observe mourning for one to two years, so her marriage would naturally have to be postponed.
Zhu Youtong was a little confused after hearing this. She tilted her head and thought for a while, then said, "Tongtong heard from grandma that all women in the world must get married. Not getting married is against the law and customs."
In her heart, her sister is the most reasonable person in the world, followed by her mother Hu Shanxiang, and then her grandmother Empress Dowager Zhang, whom both her mother and sister respect and love. As for others, they have to stand aside.
Seeing her tangled look, Zhu Yuhuan said, "Don't worry, sister is not an ordinary woman."
Her frequent visits to Taoist temples during this period were simply to appease Empress Dowager Zhang and demonstrate her non-competitiveness. Her continued gifting of gifts to Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiyu was a way to demonstrate her unwavering love for them. Zhu Yuhuan's ulterior motive was to use this opportunity to establish a close relationship with Liu Yuanran and indirectly gain a better understanding of Zhu Zhanji's situation.
Grandma, Empress Dowager Zhang, had the intention of admiring and cultivating Zhu Yuhuan, but the old lady Zhang, who was over fifty years old, knew clearly what was more important, what was near and far, and who would eventually inherit the country. So no matter how favored anyone was, they must never surpass the crown prince. This was Empress Dowager Zhang's bottom line.
The previous sword dance incident had already touched upon Empress Dowager Zhang's minefield. Recently, Zhu Yuhuan had naturally been living a peaceful life to show his loyalty to his grandmother.
His biological father would die sooner or later, but Empress Dowager Zhang was in good health. Even if Zhu Yuhuan wanted to show his power, he would have to wait a few more years.
Zhu Youtong didn't know what his sister was thinking. He just blinked and said, "That seems to be true."
The child's thoughts came and went quickly. Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "There are sometimes temple fairs near the teahouse. They are very lively. Do you want to go and have a look? Maybe I'll be lucky enough to see one today."
Zhu Youtong was very eager after hearing this. His grape-like eyes sparkled as he said, "I've only heard about the temple fair from my mother. She hasn't been there many times. Now I can watch the fun for her."
Zhu Yuhuan pinched her little face and said, "Okay, let's have a good time today——"
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