Chapter 12 Inner and Outer Cities
After the uncle and nephew left the shop and boarded the carriage together, Zhu Zhanji finally spoke, "Sister-in-law is a kind person. After all these years, she finally found someone who didn't pretend to obey her but actually disobeyed her. She should try to win him over. It won't dirty her hands anyway, so just getting her hands on one will be good."
Zhu Yuhuan was slightly stunned. It seemed that although Zhu Zhanji did not speak out on the issue of the queen's dethronement, he was still a little biased in his heart.
Anyone who was in this situation would know that Zhu Zhanji was not kind, but she was a little surprised that Zhu Zhanji even looked down on Sun Mengqiu. After all, Sun Mengqiu entered the palace much earlier than Hu Shanxiang.
Zhu Zhanji noticed the look in his niece's eyes, reached out and stroked her head, whispering, "Sister-in-law has never been concerned with palace affairs and has been able to take good care of the inner court, but Sun Shi can't let go of her grudge. Although you seem to be in harmony on weekdays, doesn't she know what will happen to you three if Sister-in-law really becomes a concubine?"
Zhu Yuhuan was of course very clear about this, but he did not expect that even Zhu Zhanji had discovered that Hu Shanxiang had no interest in Zhu Zhanji at all, and she just went to work every day.
Zhu Zhanji noticed Zhu Yuhuan's small look, tapped her forehead, and whispered, "Shortly after Your Majesty's wedding, I vaguely guessed it from his appearance. Although Your Majesty had a hard time in his childhood, he was also raised by the stars. The concern and kindness of those around him are natural and natural."
Zhu Yuhuan understood his implication. Zhu Zhanji was a child of destiny and was naturally used to being treated well. He realized that Hu Shanxiang's mind was not on him at all, so he had no feelings for her.
If Hu Shanxiang could compromise a little, the relationship between the two might be eased a lot.
"If we can really win over this Wu, it would be a good thing." Seeing that she was silent, Zhu Zhanji leaned close to Zhu Yuhuan and whispered seriously, "Given her background as a palace maid, it's already a great honor for her to be made a concubine now. That's because she has been instrumental in protecting His Majesty, not to mention making her the empress. When the time comes, the eldest prince she gives birth to will be raised by you, and no one will be able to challenge your position as empress. Huanhuan, your thoughts are no worse than others. You should understand what your fifth uncle said."
Zhu Yuhuan looked at Zhu Zhanji in surprise, but didn't respond. Instead, he asked in a low voice, "Fifth Uncle, you're really brave! How dare you say such things to me?"
"It's the same." Zhu Zhanji patted her shoulder and said as a matter of course, "The Ming Dynasty hasn't seen a princess like you in fifty years."
Zhu Yuhuan choked and could only mumble, "That makes sense..."
Seeing that she was speechless, which was rare, Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but laugh out loud. He said nonchalantly, "Fifth Uncle is just giving you a few words of advice. What if my words were effective?" He ruffled Zhu Yuhuan's hair and asked with a smile, "Where else do you want to go today? Fifth Uncle will take you there!"
Zhu Yuhuan thought for a moment, and then said honestly: "I want to go to the outer city to take a look. If there is a chance, it would be even better if I could visit the farmland outside the city."
Zhu Zhanji didn't expect that after Zhu Yuhuan had seen the bustling inner city market, she would still want to go to the outer city and even look at the farmland. Although Zhu Zhanji was a little hesitant, seeing that Zhu Yuhuan was very persistent, he had no choice but to agree.
He naturally knew that Zhu Yuhuan went to such great lengths to toss back and forth, all for the safety of the three of them. Ultimately, as long as he could appease Zhu Zhanji, have some power of his own, and Wu gave birth to a son, that would be enough. Why did Zhu Yuhuan cause himself so much trouble?
It was naturally impossible to leave the city today, so the two of them set off for the outer city.
The so-called outer city is the place outside the nine gates of the inner city. Compared with the inner city, there are more ordinary people in the outer city, and the streets are quite lively, but this kind of liveliness is different from the liveliness of the inner city. The liveliness of the inner city is prosperity, while the liveliness of the outer city is popularity.
Compared to what he had just done in the inner city, Zhu Yuhuan was much more interested this time and looked around curiously.
After all, most people who can live in the inner city are either rich or noble. Even the most ordinary passers-by do not have to worry about their family's livelihood. Prosperity and bustle are normal, but the life of ordinary people is the daily life of most people, and it is also the lower limit of a country.
Seeing her like this, Zhu Zhanji shook his head helplessly. He then glanced around and said, "What's so good about this place? It's not as lively as the inner city. It's quite crowded and noisy."
Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile: "Only by looking at how they live can you know how well Daddy is doing."
Just now in the inner city, Zhu Yuhuan's dress seemed a little shabby, but when he arrived at the outer city, Zhu Yuhuan immediately blended in. On the contrary, Zhu Zhanji was particularly conspicuous standing on the street. Passers-by couldn't help but look at him secretly, obviously wondering why this obviously rich young man would run to the street.
Don’t wealthy families like this often come in and out in carriages?
Zhu Zhanji felt a little uncomfortable being stared at. He bowed slightly and said to Zhu Yuhuan, "Forget about it, let's just go back quickly."
Zhu Yuhuan was at ease, but he was terrified by the stares he'd received. He felt the gazes of those around him were even more intense than those of the craftsmen he'd seen in the greenhouse. When he'd secretly left the palace before, he'd only wandered around the inner city, and only considered visiting the outer city if he'd heard of temples offering spiritual benefits or to pray for his mother. Even then, he'd rarely get off the train during his trips, usually returning directly to the palace after visiting a temple.
Zhu Yuhuan grabbed Zhu Zhanji and refused to let him go, saying with a smile, "Since you're here, why not take a look around? Going back so early is a waste of time, isn't it?"
Zhu Zhanji had no choice but to let Zhu Yuhuan lead the way, and he did not forget to say to the servants and carriage drivers behind him: "Follow closely, I will ask you if anything happens."
The others naturally responded quickly.
One of them is a prince and the other is a princess, how dare they do that? They would almost stick their eyes on them.
Zhu Yuhuan took a quick look around and had a plan in mind.
The Outer City was indeed quite lively, but it was far from prosperous. The people dressed very simply. Furthermore, their physical condition did not look good. While not emaciated, they were not much better. During the previous drought, many people had been displaced, and Hu Shanxiang had even assisted Empress Dowager Zhang in finding solutions for the refugees. Since Zhu Gaochi took over, he had significantly reduced corvée labor in various areas to improve people's livelihoods.
Despite this, it was still difficult for the people in this "prosperous era" to even have enough to eat.
This is the case for people living at the feet of the emperor, not to mention people in more remote places.
Seeing Zhu Yuhuan standing there in silence, Zhu Zhanji asked, "Are you disappointed? Uncle Wu said that the outer city is boring, right? Let's go back to the inner city and have a look. Uncle Wu will take you to get some snacks."
Before Zhu Yuhuan could speak, a voice suddenly came from not far away: "Catch the thief! Catch the thief!"
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