Chapter 1 Small News
Although the late emperor, who had made great contributions, was gone, the court had to continue to function. No one took back the ivory plaques bestowed by the late emperor, and when the 100th day came, Zhu Yuhuan would leave the palace as usual.
There are still a lot of business waiting for her to deal with outside the palace, so of course she can't waste time like this.
Zhu Yuhuan flipped through the account book in his hand, looked at Huang Jinfeng, who was a little nervous beside him, and said with a smile, "Don't be nervous, you've done a very good job. It seems that you learned a lot during your time at the imperial farm. The farm in Jizhen is well managed, and the accounts are meticulously organized."
Huang Jinfeng was ordered by Zhu Yuhuan to go to Jizhen to purchase farmland. On the way back, he also visited Shandong and then returned to Beijing from the imperial farm in Fengrun. This round trip took a considerable amount of time. When Huang Jinfeng left, Zhu Zhanji was still alive. When he returned, the new emperor had already ascended the throne. During this period, he was delayed for a long time because of the national mourning.
Jizhen is remote, and it is unknown when news about the sorghum planted during spring plowing will reach the capital.
Huang Jinfeng finally relaxed the breath she had been holding after hearing Zhu Yuhuan's words. She said somewhat embarrassedly, "It was all thanks to the stewards of the imperial farm willing to teach me that I was able to help His Highness prepare the farm so smoothly this time. His Highness has explained the farming manual to the tenants, and the crop rotation methods." She became more cautious as she asked, "His Highness only lets them farm and doesn't take a single cent of the crops. Isn't this a huge loss..."
Zhu Yuhuan was a little amused and said, "We just started sowing in the spring, and there's still no news from Jizhen. This isn't reclaimed fertile land like the military fields, so we don't know if it will bear fruit. Besides, I just want something that can be grown, I don't care about anything else. The factories in the south are getting bigger and bigger, and they're selling to Yunnan and Annan. Now that our family business is a bit big, I'm not afraid of it going bankrupt."
Huang Jinfeng felt somewhat refreshed by the word "we," but then she pinched herself secretly, lest she forget her business and embarrass herself in front of the princess. She said, "On my way back, I heard from a merchant from Shandong that the palace seems to be recruiting palace maids recently..."
Zhu Yuhuan paused slightly as she was flipping through the account book. She closed it and asked in confusion, "Recruiting palace maids? When did this happen? How come I don't know about it?"
Although Hu Shanxiang was in charge of palace affairs, she would also tell Zhu Yuhuan about it. How could she not know that the palace was going to select palace maids from outside?
Although Zhu Zhanji is dead, it is still nominally within three years. Even if marriage is not banned, it is not necessary to recruit palace ladies on a large scale.
Even though no one was inside, Huang Jinfeng subconsciously looked around before saying, "Someone even asked if I knew any human traffickers, and if there were any girls of the right age..."
Zhu Yuhuan immediately became alert when he heard this routine and asked, "Could it be from Zouping?"
Huang Jinfeng didn't expect Zhu Yuhuan to guess so accurately. She nodded repeatedly and said, "That's right... I heard that the palace is very low-key in selecting people, but some people have secretly inquired about it. These girls are not selected by angels, but have to go through the hands of the Empress Dowager's family to enter the palace. After learning about this, many people want to send their daughters to the palace..." After she finished speaking, she suddenly realized something and hurriedly added, "They are talking about the Sun family of Zouping!"
The so-called "angels," eunuchs sent by the emperor to collect women from the public to serve as court ladies or maids in the palace, were often shunned by everyone, with few willing to approach them. However, the Sun family had a proven track record, with a successful case even earning them the title of Empress Dowager by Zhu Qizhen, so some were tempted.
It does have a bit of the meaning of "so that all parents in the world would rather have a daughter than a son."
Zhu Yuhuan certainly knew that his mother would never let the little girl enter the palace. He almost immediately understood the purpose of the Sun family's actions. They simply wanted to recreate the situation when Sun Mengqiu entered the palace, so as to keep Zhu Qizhen in their hands.
She was not worried about this at all. After all, although Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Zhanji had similar personalities, they were worlds apart when it came to filial piety. If Empress Dowager Sun sent someone over, Zhu Qizhen would most likely ignore him.
What's more, when Zhu Zhanji met Empress Dowager Sun, he was still young and admired her, while Zhu Qizhen was just a naughty kid who climbed trees and roofs. How could he have the mind to cultivate feelings with a little girl?
The most important thing is that Empress Dowager Zhang would never agree. She has seen the lessons learned from the incidents involving Hu and Sun, so how could she allow such a thing to happen again?
So even if these girls entered the palace, they could only be palace maids.
Zhu Yuhuan smiled at her and said, "I see. This news is quite interesting."
Huang Jinfeng continued, "Your Highness previously asked me to inquire about Ruan Dayong's time to return to the capital. Ruan Dayong has already replied, saying that His Majesty has summoned him to the capital to report on his duties, and he should be able to return before the end of the year. Your Highness's letter has also been handed to Ruan Dayong, and the reply and other matters are all written in the letter to Your Highness."
When Zhu Yuhuan heard that Ruan An was going back to Beijing, he knew that Xu Yun's plan would be successful.
Apart from anything else, Xu Yun himself was very motivated. Zhu Yuhuan agreed to recommend him to Ruan An, but he still felt that it was not enough, so he went back and wrote several articles, elaborating in detail his understanding of river management, and handed them all to Zhu Yuhuan, implying that he was asking Zhu Yuhuan for help in the recommendation.
After all, Ruan An couldn't choose just one person, so Xu Yun naturally hoped that he could be the most outstanding one among this group of people.
Huang Jinfeng took out another letter and said, "This one is from Jining. I personally visited the mansion. Although Earl Cheng'an and his wife are old, they are in good health. Concubine Hu has run a girls' school, and many young ladies from Jining go there to study with Concubine Hu. Concubine Hu knows the difficulties faced by Empress Cihui and the princess, and she said that she will take care of Earl Cheng'an's family and will definitely not hinder Your Highness. Your Highness, rest assured."
"What's the point of being a drag..." Zhu Yuhuan put both letters aside and said with emotion, "As long as these people are healthy, I'll be at ease."
Hu Shanxiang had been in the palace for so many years, and apart from Hu Shanwei, she had hardly ever seen her family again. In the few letters she sent home each year, both the Hu family and Hu Shanxiang would usually only report good news and not bad news, fearing that the recipient would worry.
Zhu Yuhuan was afraid that his mother would worry, so he asked Huang Jinfeng to visit the Hu family in person to see what the situation was like. If there were any difficulties, Zhu Yuhuan could help in time.
Huang Jinfeng quickly brought over a box from the room and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. Earl Cheng'an and his wife are not only in good health, but they've also been thinking about Your Highness. They said they didn't know what Your Highness would like, so they asked me to bring some Jining specialties for Your Highness to try."
Zhu Yuhuan stroked the envelope and said, "It's amazing that they are so thoughtful."
Huang Jinfeng then took out the last item and said, "Your Highness previously instructed Mr. Li Chun from the Imperial Village School to write two calligraphy books, and I have brought them along this time."
Zhu Yuhuan took it and looked through it carefully. Seeing that the strokes were broken down very meticulously and the content was clear, he said with satisfaction, "Next year, Your Majesty and Prince Qing will both go out to study. It's time to practice calligraphy. This is the time to need calligraphy books."
After she finished writing for Zhu Youtong, she lost her patience. Instead of waiting for Zhu Qizhen to come and snatch her sister's, she might as well make a few new ones.
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