Chapter 16 The King of Flowers
In the absence of Emperor Zhu Di, state affairs naturally fell into the hands of the crown prince. Fortunately, this was not Zhu Di's first northern expedition, and most of the ministers in the court were promoted by the crown prince. He was naturally familiar with the matter of regent. After finishing the matter at hand, the crown prince returned to the East Palace and enjoyed the banquet for his son's birthday.
Zhu Yuhuan walked around to the front and saw Hu Shanggong leading the other five of the Six Shangs to congratulate Zhu Zhanji, who was sitting below the prince. Zhu Zhanji's profile had a smile on it, but after Zhu Yuhuan knew Zhu Zhanji's true thoughts, he felt that the smile was not sincere at all.
"...The Shangfu Bureau presents a set of scarlet gilded qilin robes, and a set each of royal blue and lilac cloud-patterned Taoist robes. Please accept them, Your Highness."
Zhu Zhanji waited until the six consorts had detailed the gifts one by one before he smiled and said, "The Shangfu Bureau is thoughtful. Stand up." He glanced at Hu Shanwei and said, "Usually, Consort Hu is always the first to speak. Why is she silent today?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but worry for Hu Shanwei in her heart. It was because she was too anxious just now and shouldn't have asked Zhu Zhanji back about the question about selecting talents. Otherwise, Zhu Zhanji wouldn't have been so aggressive.
Zhu Zhanji would naturally not make things difficult for his biological daughter, Zhu Yuhuan, but who was Hu Shanwei in his eyes? Zhu Zhanji might even suspect that Hu Shanwei had said something to Zhu Yuhuan that caused the two of them to be so unhappy.
In his haste, Zhu Yuhuan forgot that Zhu Zhanji had always disliked Hu Shanwei and would always find an opportunity to criticize him. Moreover, today was his birthday, which was the perfect time.
Zhu Yuhuan could sense the hidden meaning in Zhu Zhanji's words, and naturally the people around him could too. They all fell silent after hearing what he said, and even the youngest Zhu Zhanzhen did not dare to say a word.
Everyone was puzzled. Although Zhu Zhanji was the crown prince, he never bullied others and was always kind to the palace maids. Why was he even openly targeting Hu Shanwei today?
After all, Zhu Zhanji was the grandson of the emperor who was raised by Zhu Di himself. Even though there was no extra emotion in his tone, as soon as he spoke, people could feel the faint pressure.
Hu Shanwei remained calm in the face of Zhu Zhanji, and simply said respectfully, "The Sixth Lord has always respected the Crown Prince. This year's birthday gift has been incredibly thoughtful, with countless brilliant ideas. I dare not take all the credit for it, so the other five Lords will present the gifts to the Crown Prince first to earn his smile. I simply wish him a long and prosperous life."
Zhu Zhanji said with a half-smile, "Oh? Since you're the last one to be presented, it seems the Shang Gong Bureau has prepared a big gift."
Zhu Yuhuan stood nearby and couldn't help but clutch his sleeves. Just by standing there, he began to feel nervous for Hu Shanwei.
Hu Shanwei was, after all, a court lady who had been in the palace for a long time. Even though everyone around her noticed that something was amiss with Zhu Zhanji, she acted as if she hadn't heard anything. She remained neither humble nor overbearing, saying, "Your Highness, thank you for your compliments. I am but a humble court lady. Even if I have some tricks, I am no match for the great talents and wisdom of the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince. What I offer to you today is merely a token of my appreciation."
Zhu Zhanji scoffed, but Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi smoothed things over, saying with a smile, "The Sixth Bureau usually sends any fine items to the Emperor first, and never leaves out the Eastern Palace. I've seen even the most exquisite items, so for this birthday gift, simply be sincere and present it. Concubine Hu, please quickly present it."
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but feel secretly grateful to his kind-hearted and fat grandfather. No wonder his temple name was "Renzong".
"yes."
Behind Hu Shanwei, a beautifully dressed palace maid quickly approached, holding a wooden box. It looked plain, with no ornamentation other than hollowed-out patterns. There was a faint floral scent in the air, and Zhu Yuhuan was the first to detect it. It was strange to see it appear so early in spring.
Zhu Yuhuan's eyes unconsciously drifted towards Zhu Zhanji, and as expected, Zhu Zhanji also had some doubts on his face.
"This is the birthday gift I present to the Crown Prince on behalf of the Shanggong Bureau." Hu Shanwei took the wooden box, bowed, and raised it above his head. "Please accept it, Crown Prince."
Zhu Zhanji raised his chin, and the eunuch beside him immediately stepped forward to take the wooden box and opened it. Sure enough, a bunch of light green peonies were seen in the box.
A faint voice from among the princes and grandchildren asked, "Why did you only send a bouquet of flowers?"
Zhu Zhanji was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized something. He looked at Zhu Yuhuan who was sticking his head out not far away, and quickly understood.
This peony flower was just an introduction. What Hu Shanwei really wanted to offer was the method of cultivating this flower, which was similar to the cricket that Zhu Yuhuan gave him.
Hu Shanwei was still bent over and staring at the tip of her shoes, but her back was already wet. She especially noticed that Zhu Zhanji's eyes were moving around her, and it was obvious that he still had doubts about her.
Zhu Zhanji glanced at the fresh and tender bouquet, then looked at the paper under the bouquet, where handwriting could be faintly seen.
After a long silence, Zhu Zhanji finally smiled and said, "This is a good gift. The Crown Princess and I have accepted it. Finding peonies to present in early spring is no easy task."
Hu Shanwei didn't dare meet his gaze, but simply said, "The Crown Prince enjoys painting flowers, plants, fish, and insects, so I have specially ordered my men to cultivate peonies for him. In addition to these excellent flowers, I have also given him five pots of peonies in bud. I have also assigned them to female officials to teach the Eastern Palace how to care for them, in celebration of his birthday. This Oubi peony is the king of flowers, symbolizing wealth and prosperity. The Sixth Chancellor wishes the Crown Prince a life of abundance, wealth, and good fortune."
As soon as she finished speaking, the other five palace maids beside her also congratulated Zhu Zhanji.
Zhu Zhanji ordered his men to put the peony away, then stood up and supported Hu Shanggong's arm with one hand, saying, "Good, Hu Shanggong has put in so much effort. If the Crown Princess knew that you have put so much effort into this, she would definitely be happy."
When Zhu Yuhuan saw that Zhu Zhanji's expression did not seem as deliberate as before, he knew that Hu Shanwei had temporarily passed the test, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Hu Shanwei's lips were slightly dry. He exchanged a hasty glance with Zhu Zhanji before quickly lowering his head again and saying, "Grandpa, you're joking. How could the Crown Prince's Consort, who has lived in the deep palace for so long, know what's going on outside?"
Zhu Yuhuan knew that she wanted to take advantage of Zhu Zhanji's good mood to seize the opportunity to clear Zhu Zhanji of the possible "collusion" of Hu Shanxiang, but it was obviously inappropriate to say this at this time. She quickly looked at Zhu Zhanji not far away and winked at him.
Seeing this, Zhu Zhanzhen trotted over and said in surprise, "Brother, this peony is so beautiful! Don't leave me out when you paint and enjoy it later!"
Seeing his curious look, Zhu Zhanji stopped his witty banter with Hu Shanwei. He smiled, patted his head, and said, "Okay, I'll have the Crown Prince's Consort hold a peony banquet later. You can enjoy the peonies presented by Hu Shanggong."
"good--"
Zhu Yuhuan also secretly gestured to Hu Shanwei, indicating that she should stop talking and retreat with Liu Shang.
Raise your uncle for a thousand days, use him for a moment! Sometimes, although you have to say or do something, you must also be careful not to say too much and make mistakes... She could understand Hu Shanwei's concern for his sister's situation in Zhu Zhanji's backyard, but this was obviously not the time to talk about these "private matters".
Although Hu Shanwei was unsure of Zhu Zhanji's inner thoughts, he finally retreated when he saw that the topic had changed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
