Chapter 19 Meeting an Old Friend
Zhu Yuhuan went to Huangzhuang this time originally to seek some peace and quiet for a few days. In addition to bringing Wu Ning and Yu Ying, he also brought his younger sister.
If possible, Zhu Yuhuan would like to bring his mother with him. However, this was not the emperor's official trip, Empress Dowager Zhang was still in the palace, and the relationship between the grandmother and grandson was not as good as before. Hu Shanxiang was also unwilling to let Zhu Yuhuan take risks casually, and only reminded the two sisters to pay attention to safety.
This time it was Zhu Youtong's turn to comfort Zhu Yuhuan. He even brought paper, pen and paint, saying that he wanted to paint all the scenery of the imperial farm and bring it back to show his mother.
Therefore, during the few days at the imperial farm, no matter whether Zhu Yuhuan was free or not, Zhu Youtong would run around with his pen, ink, paper and inkstone as usual, collecting folk songs from all over the imperial farm.
Zhu Yuhuan asked Xu Gong and others to follow him to avoid any accidents. After more than half a month, Zhu Youtong had prepared a lot of drafts, which left Zhu Yuhuan stunned. He couldn't stop flipping through Zhu Youtong's manuscripts on the way back.
"Mother has definitely never seen so many fields connected together. I'll show it to her when the time comes."
Zhu Yuhuan looked at the manuscripts one after another and couldn't help but sigh: "This is the Qingming Shanghe Tu..."
Zhu Youtong exclaimed, "Along the River During the Qingming Festival? I think I've heard of it before..."
Zhu Yuhuan explained: "The original has long been lost among the people and is no longer available..."
She had to go to the museum to see the original. She only remembered that there seemed to be a copy in the Ming Dynasty, but judging from the current situation, it probably has not appeared yet.
Zhu Youtong became interested and promised with a smile: "Then I will help my sister draw a picture!"
My sister's painting skills are still immature and of course cannot be compared with everyone else's.
Zhu Yuhuan didn't discourage her. Instead, he nodded in agreement and said, "That's perfect. Then hang it in the princess's mansion so I can enjoy it every day."
Zhu Youtong was happier than getting any other treasure to have his sister's approval, and he fiddled with his thick stack of manuscripts with great satisfaction.
Seeing her so happy, Zhu Yuhuan teased her, "You were reluctant to paint before, but now you like it so much."
Zhu Youtong said seriously, "I didn't like it at first. I thought my sister asked me to learn painting so that I could please His Majesty, so I hated it..."
Zhu Yuhuan was slightly stunned and felt a little guilty.
She did have this in mind, but part of the reason was that Zhu Youtong was indeed talented, and she couldn't let it go to waste. If Zhu Youtong really didn't want to paint, she wouldn't force him.
Zhu Youtong didn't know what his sister was thinking, so he just continued, "But as I was painting, it seemed quite interesting. I want to paint the scenery that my sister and I have seen, so that even if mother can't leave the palace, she can still see it."
Zhu Yuhuan was slightly stunned, then smiled and touched his sister's head, saying, "You think more. I can't always be with you and mother, so it's inevitable that I will be negligent..."
"That's great! Didn't you say people need to 'work'? Isn't that what you're doing? That's how you make money, that...what's it called?" Zhu Youtong pondered for a long time and said, "Economic strength! Your princess mansion wasn't earned by marriage, but through your own hard work!"
Zhu Yuhuan was genuinely surprised. She blinked, parted the curtains, and peeked at Han Guilan. She asked, "Are we on our way back to Beijing?"
Han Guilan was a little confused by Zhu Yuhuan's question, but she still answered honestly, "Yes..."
Zhu Yuhuan looked at Xu Gong, who was in charge of the escort, and asked, "Am I awake?"
Xu Gong was even more confused than Han Guilan. He thought Zhu Yuhuan was unwell and asked hurriedly, "Your Highness, have you been traveling for too long? Why don't you stop and rest for a while?"
Zhu Yuhuan waved his hand, then sat down again and looked his sister up and down.
Zhu Youtong puffed out his chest proudly and said, "Sister, don't think I'm stupid just because I'm young. I'm very smart."
Zhu Yuhuan suddenly felt a sense of relief and joy, as if "my daughter has grown up." She reached out and pinched her sister's face, saying, "I underestimated our Tongtong. I promise I will never treat you as just a child again."
Zhu Youtong nodded proudly and said, "That's more like it. I'm not an ordinary child. I'm my sister's younger sister."
Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile: "Since my dear sister likes painting, how about I ask the painters of Renzhi Hall to teach you carefully?"
Zhu Youtong nodded repeatedly and said, "Okay, it's a good opportunity for them to give me some pointers. The painting that my sister wants to hang in the princess's mansion can't be done hastily."
When the convoy stopped to rest near Tong County, Zhu Yuhuan originally wanted to let his sister have a good rest, but unexpectedly he met an acquaintance, Ruan An, who was previously sent by Zhu Zhanji to repair the Lu River.
After the Luhe River project was completed, Zhu Zhanji saw that Ruan An had done a good job in repairing it, so he rewarded him and sent him to other places to dredge the river.
Such a project would not be completed in a short time even if it were put in the future, let alone in ancient times. Therefore, the two had never met each other since Ruan An was sent abroad, but now they met unexpectedly in Tong County.
Therefore, Zhu Yuhuan called his sister, Wu Ning, Yu Ying and others to make the scene more formal.
"This servant pays homage to Princess Shunde and Princess Yongqing."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "You are too polite, Mr. Ruan. You have worked hard all the way here, so why should you be so polite?"
Ruan An said respectfully, "If it weren't for the princess's recommendation, how could I be where I am today?"
Yu Ying and Wu Ning were standing by and were surprised when they heard this.
They only knew that Ruan An was entrusted with important tasks and was highly valued, but they did not know that Ruan An was recommended by Zhu Yuhuan.
No wonder Ruan An was so respectful to Zhu Yuhuan. It turned out that it was because of his recommendation.
Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile, "Banban works for father, and even more so for the people of Shuntian. Why be so humble? Dredging the canal is a great cause that will benefit generations to come." She first asked Ruan An if he was going back to the capital, and after receiving a positive answer, she smiled and said, "It's fate that I met Banban now. Let's go back to the capital together. I also have some questions that I would like to ask Banban."
"Your Highness, if you have any questions, I will certainly answer them in detail. There's no need to ask for your advice. I'm not going to take the responsibility." Ruan An smiled and said, "Actually, I have another reason to return to the capital this time. The Emperor has sent me back to fix up the work at Your Highness's residence. It would be best if everything is finished before the beginning of summer next year. If Your Highness returns from the Imperial Manor by then and can't make it to the palace in time, he can rest for the night at the Princess's residence outside the palace."
This surprised Zhu Yuhuan a little, but he still smiled and said, "I thought the Princess Mansion had been completed a long time ago. I was thinking that if I had time in the future, I would buy some simple furniture and bedding inside, so that I could go to the Princess Mansion to rest when I was outside the palace."
After the Princess Mansion was basically completed, Zhu Yuhuan hadn't seen any movement from Zhu Zhanji, and thought it was officially completed and they just needed to move the furniture in. Why did Zhu Zhanji think of renovating it again?
Ruan An answered truthfully, "The Emperor said there are some issues with the garden. We'd better modify the entire backyard so that it doesn't suit Your Highness's taste. As for furniture and other things, we can naturally provide them from outside the palace. There's no need for the princess to worry about it."
Zhu Yuhuan nodded slightly and said, "I see."
But now she couldn't help but think a few more steps ahead in everything she did. She always felt that this matter was not that simple. Seeing that Ruan An seemed to have something else to say, she felt even more that renovating the princess's mansion was not that simple.
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