Chapter 16 Wenhua Palace
Zhu Qizhen's skipping of classes did not seem to cause any disturbance on the day. Although Zhu Qizhen was a student, he was also the emperor, so the lecturers naturally did not say much.
Empress Dowager Zhang was fully aware of this, and although she did not lose her temper immediately, she was clearly in a bad mood.
Wang Zhen was busy familiarizing himself with the affairs of the Imperial Household Department as quickly as possible. Even though he had heard a little about it, he gradually felt relieved when he saw that Empress Dowager Zhang did not seem to make any move.
The power of the Imperial Household Department was truly fascinating, and Wang Zhen was busy placing his own people in it, so he had no time to care about Zhu Qizhen.
Without Wang Zhen, the supervisor who could barely be considered his biological mother, Zhu Qizhen felt much more relaxed. Although he would still attend the daily lectures and imperial lectures, if Zhu Qiuyu had riding and archery classes, the two brothers would naturally get together. He would often ask the eunuchs around him to inform the lecturer to move the study courses to another time.
Zhu Yuhuan comforted Empress Dowager Zhang for this. It was nothing more than that riding and shooting would be easier to learn if there was someone to compare with. Zhu Qiyu was well-behaved by nature and would not take Zhu Qizhen to do anything extraordinary. Moreover, Zhu Yuhuan and the people from the Imperial Stables were right next to them and would definitely not let anything happen to the emperor.
What's more, the emperor is now in the period of growth, and practicing riding and archery is also one of the ways to strengthen his body.
Empress Dowager Zhang was initially somewhat disapproving, but after hearing the words "strengthen the body", she acquiesced.
She really didn't want her grandson to make the same mistake.
Zhu Qizhen was in high spirits after receiving his grandmother's tacit approval. Whenever there was a riding and archery class, he would stay with his sister and brother, and he continued to do so after the Chinese New Year.
Apart from anything else, Zhu Qizhen learned riding and archery very quickly and achieved very good results. No wonder he was always thinking about Zhu Zhanji's imperial border patrols and incognito visits.
However, Zhu Yuhuan always felt that it was not good to let Zhu Qizhen continue to be so "biased", so he simply asked them to bring their usual homework together. He was responsible for checking and proofreading it, and then handed it to the lecturer after reading it.
She really didn't want to be blamed for nothing, so she had to work hard.
"Big sister, here are the homework."
Zhu Yuhuan took over the homework from Zhu Qiyu. They were no longer at the age of writing big characters, so they started copying some poems and articles. Zhu Qiyu was writing sentences from the Book of Documents today. When encountering some complex characters, Zhu Qiyu's strokes were a little messy, but the overall look was still in order, which showed Zhu Qiyu's seriousness.
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and touched his head, saying, "It seems that Cheng Banban is very strict in supervising your calligraphy practice."
Cheng Jing humbly said, "I don't deserve to be so strict. The virtuous concubine has instructed that His Royal Highness Prince Qing must learn the ways of a gentleman."
Zhu Qiyu was touched on the head by her. He was nine years old this year and had some understanding of the difference between men and women. He couldn't help showing some embarrassment after being touched on the head by his sister. He no longer accepted it with the same joy as when he was a child. He just said, "Mother said that the calligraphy copybook that sister had compiled is very useful, and asked me to learn it well from it."
"If Li Chun wasn't a scholar, I would have asked Grandma to bring him into the palace to teach you calligraphy." Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "Luckily, Empress Wu and Cheng Banban both have some knowledge of calligraphy. Together with the lecturers, they should be enough to teach you."
Zhu Qiyu responded, then couldn't help but look around and asked, "Why don't you see my brother?"
Zhu Yuhuan didn't take it seriously and said, "Maybe it will take a while before it arrives."
As the siblings were talking, a palace attendant beside Empress Dowager Zhang hurried over and said, "Your Highness, Princess Chang, Your Highness, Prince Qing, Empress Zhang invites you to Wenhua Palace. She is in the side hall."
Zhu Yuhuan and Zhu Qiyu looked at each other, both with some confusion on their faces, but Zhu Yuhuan quickly thought of Wang Zhen's matter and had a vague idea in his mind.
I'm afraid Empress Dowager Zhang is trying to scare the monkeys and make them follow her example.
Zhu Yuhuan smiled slightly and said to Zhu Qiyu, "Let's go together."
As soon as the brother and sister arrived in front of Wenhua Palace, they ran into Wang Zhen. Wang Zhen hurriedly greeted them and said, "Your servant greets the eldest princess and the prince of Qing."
Zhu Qiyu was puzzled when he saw his sister was silent, but he also felt that he couldn't let Wang Zhen keep bowing, so he took the initiative to say, "Get up."
Wang Zhen was already feeling uneasy when he was suddenly summoned by Empress Dowager Zhang today. Now, seeing that Princess Shunde also had a serious look on her face, Wang Zhen felt even more uneasy.
Summon him to Wenhua Hall, perhaps there is something important to say. Wang Zhen immediately thought back to his recent actions, but he couldn't figure out what he had done wrong.
Zhu Yuhuan saw a hint of uneasiness on his face, so he said with a half-smile, "Why is Wang Dayong here too?"
Wang Zhen finally heard Zhu Yuhuan's voice and felt as if he had been pardoned. He hurriedly said, "I don't deserve the title of Grand Eunuch... The old lady sent me here without explaining why..."
He looked at Zhu Yuhuan cautiously, obviously hoping to get an answer.
Princess Shunde is very smart and must be able to guess what Empress Dowager Zhang is thinking.
However, Zhu Yuhuan's serious expression was no less intimidating than Empress Dowager Zhang's, which made Wang Zhen afraid that the Princess Shunde would stand on the side of the Empress Dowager, so he refused to reveal anything.
Zhu Yuhuan sneered inwardly at his expression, but kept it to himself. He simply said, "Now that Wang Dayong has been promoted to the position of Chief Eunuch in the Imperial Household Department, he should naturally be addressed as 'Daeong.' As for why Grandma summoned Dayong, it must be because of something concerning Your Majesty."
After being reminded by her, Wang Zhen hurriedly tried to recall whether he had behaved disrespectfully towards the Emperor recently.
It would have been fine if he had been clear-minded, but Wang Zhen, in order to quickly secure his authority in the Imperial Household Department, used various methods to replace many of Jin Ying's original subordinates.
As a result, Wang Zhen felt guilty and thought more and more about "disobeying the emperor". Although it was spring, Wang Zhen broke out in a sweat.
Zhu Yuhuan could guess what Wang Zhen was thinking just by looking at his expression.
After all, Wang Zhen had lived outside the palace for many years and had experienced much less intrigue. Whenever he was interrogated, his heart began to beat fast and he began to recall whether he had made any mistakes.
It is a bit like a modern student being called to the teacher's office for questioning. Before the teacher arrives, the student has already accumulated a lot of wrongdoings in his mind and is just waiting to admit his mistakes to the teacher.
As the group arrived at the side hall of Wenhua Palace, the palace attendant at the door said to Wang Zhen, "The old lady has summoned Princess Shunde and Prince Qing. Wang Dayun and this servant will come first."
Wang Zhen subconsciously looked at Zhu Yuhuan, only to see that she looked normal, and it was obvious that she did not take this meeting with Empress Dowager Zhang seriously at all. Wang Zhen could only comfort himself that this was just a trivial matter and he did not need to take it to heart.
Which government office doesn't replace its own people as soon as they enter? Why would Old Lady Zhang bother to argue with him? If you want to investigate this, he has a lot of leverage over Jin Ying...
Zhu Yuhuan did not look at Wang Zhen's expression, but took Zhu Qiyu in together. The brother and sister paid their respects to Empress Dowager Zhang together.
Zhu Yuhuan glanced at the female officials beside him and saw that they were wearing swords on their waists like some of the eunuchs. He became more certain of Empress Dowager Zhang's idea.
Empress Dowager Zhang asked the brother and sister to sit down together before she spoke: "How was your riding and archery today?"
Zhu Qiyu replied obediently, "I've made some progress today. Thanks to my elder sister's careful instruction, I can now shoot arrows from horseback. However, my accuracy isn't as good as my brother's."
Seeing how seriously he answered her every word, Empress Dowager Zhang couldn't help but feel a little pity for him. She smiled and said, "The Emperor has loved these things since he was a child. You don't have to be impatient. Just follow your elder sister and learn slowly."
"yes."
Zhu Yuhuan then smiled and said, "Now Yu'er's handwriting has improved a lot. Grandma, take a look." She raised her hand to Cheng Jing, who immediately presented the poem copied by Zhu Qiyu to her, who was then handed over to the Empress Dowager by a female official.
Empress Dowager Zhang carefully flipped through it, her expression showing a hint of appreciation and satisfaction. She said, "This is very good. Every stroke is within the rules and is neat and elegant. It shows that Concubine Xian has always been strict in disciplining Yu'er."
Zhu Yuhuan also smiled and said, "I also took the trouble to find the calligraphy copybook, why don't you praise me, grandma?"
Empress Dowager Zhang was amused by her attempt to take credit and said, "You are faster than others in learning everything except calligraphy. I don't know how long it took you to write properly."
Zhu Yuhuan pretended to be wronged and said, "But I have improved my calligraphy skills very quickly. The lecturers have all praised me for it."
Zhu Qiyu asked curiously, "Really? Normally, the lecturers all have stern faces and never smile at me, nor do they praise me to my face like my second sister does."
In his impression, lecturers always imparted knowledge and principles seriously and never praised him in person. Therefore, when he heard that the lecturers praised Zhu Yuhuan, Zhu Qiyu was very surprised.
Empress Dowager Zhang also knew a thing or two about Zhu Yuhuan's childhood studies, so she naturally knew what he was talking about. She smiled and said, "Your sister is so smart. She learns everything quickly. Everyone who has met her would praise her." She sighed and said, "The emperor is somewhat like your sister in this respect. He learns quickly and practices calligraphy quickly. However, his foundation is not solid. The lecturers told me some time ago that the emperor's handwriting is a little sloppy and needs more practice."
Zhu Yuhuan had also seen Zhu Qizhen's calligraphy, and he followed the lecturers every day to learn how to imitate it. It couldn't be said to be ugly, but there was always some indescribable restlessness between each stroke, which revealed a certain state of mind of Zhu Qizhen.
Maybe it's the idea of growing up quickly and getting rid of preaching and control.
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said comfortingly: "Don't worry, grandma. Practicing calligraphy is not a one-day job. It takes years and months to accumulate. By the time Your Majesty reaches adulthood, you will definitely have excellent handwriting."
Empress Dowager Zhang felt a little relieved. "That's true."
Zhu Yuhuan finally got the topic back on track and asked, "Grandma, why did you suddenly summon Yu Ge'er and me to Wenhua Hall? Is there something important?"
Empress Dowager Zhang waved her hand, obviously not intending to reveal the answer to her mystery for the time being. Fortunately, the announcement from outside the hall soon proved that Zhu Yuhuan's guess was correct.
"Madam, His Majesty has arrived with three of the cabinet members, Yang Gelao, Duke of Yingguo, Zhang Fu, and the Minister of State, Hu Yi."
"Please invite the Emperor and the ministers in."
"yes."
Zhu Qizhen had obviously just finished class, and was followed by several eunuchs serving as pens and ink. Seeing his sister and brother in the hall, Zhu Qizhen was surprised and almost asked the question in his heart.
Zhu Yuhuan and Zhu Qiyu stood up and saluted Zhu Qizhen.
Fortunately, Zhu Qizhen remembered that the Three Yangs were still in the hall. He first bowed and greeted the Empress Dowager Zhang before asking, "Your Majesty, Princess Xuanchang, and Prince Qin, have come here to discuss something important?"
Empress Dowager Zhang straightened up and said, "Emperor, please stand beside me."
Zhu Qizhen was a little confused, but he still did as he was told and stood to the left of Empress Dowager Zhang, staring at Zhu Yuhuan and Zhu Qiyu to the right of the Empress Dowager.
Empress Dowager Zhang then spoke, "You are all veteran ministers, serving Changling, Xianling, and Jingling for many years. The Emperor is still young, and this is the time when you need his careful guidance. The family, the country, and the people all depend on you five. You must always help the Emperor correct his mistakes. You must not neglect his guidance because of the Emperor's majesty or your own personal concerns."
Zhu Yuhuan thought to himself, "You, old man, also know that they are afraid of teaching the emperor too much, which will cause the emperor to bear grudges, and he and his family will have to bear the consequences in the future..."
Even if they were as high-ranking officials as the five people in front of them, they knew that they had to leave a way out for themselves. The little emperor would grow up one day, and the future emperor might not feel so-called "gratitude" when he thought of today's teachings, but would probably feel more shame, anger and resentment.
Especially Yang Shiqi. Because of the matter of his son Yang Ji, Empress Dowager Zhang had summoned him alone, but did not summon the emperor at the same time.
It seemed that Empress Dowager Zhang did not let him lose face in public because he was an old minister, but in fact it also revealed another meaning, which was that once the emperor knew about this matter, it would not be something that could be resolved in private.
When Zhu Gaochi was in power, he had been the crown prince for more than 20 years. At that time, there was also Zhu Di above him. In addition, there was the turmoil of the struggle for succession within the royal family. Zhu Gaochi and these ministers could be called "comrades in arms." Now that the royal family has been renewed, they are no longer on the same front as these ministers. How dare they cross the line again?
Even though they thought so in their hearts, the five of them still responded publicly: "Your servants shall obey the order of the Empress Dowager."
Zhu Qizhen couldn't help but curl his lips when he saw that the five of them were very respectful to Empress Dowager Zhang. Zhu Yuhuan was standing opposite him and could see it clearly. He knew that Zhu Qizhen had increasingly no good feelings towards these five ministers.
Zhu Qizhen loved freedom and casualness by nature, and was also a confident and outspoken person. He was used to taking his biological father Zhu Zhanji as the benchmark of his life. Empress Dowager Zhang called in such a group of "outsiders" to discipline him. No matter how much Zhu Qizhen agreed for the sake of face, he was still not convinced in his heart.
Empress Dowager Zhang then instructed the palace attendants around her, "Send Wang Zhen inside."
"yes."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
