Chapter 20 The Middleman
Zhu Yuhuan's original intention was to curry favor with her grandmother and find a suitable reason to leave the palace. Now that she had this opportunity, she naturally thought of various ways to prepare. After all, she was going to the Duke of England's mansion, so she had to be more polite.
She was busy every day, and suddenly she realized that there were people coming and going in Kunning Palace. These people were none other than her aunts.
Zhu Youtong, on the other hand, had already become familiar with the four unmarried aunts. She would go to one aunt to eat fruit, and from time to time to drink tea. It was obvious that she had become the aunts' treasure. Several aunts even made Cuju and sachets for her to play with, which showed that they took good care of this little niece.
Zhu Yuhuan didn't really spend much time with his aunts. Without exception, they were all taught by female officials, learning the standard female education, namely morality, speech, appearance and merit, which was no easier for them than Zhu Yuhuan. Moreover, they were all unmarried girls, each under the guidance of their mothers. They didn't have much to talk about with the married Hu Shanxiang, and naturally they would not have any contact with Zhu Yuhuan, a little kid.
At this time, Zhu Yuhuan had to thank himself for being "rebellious" since childhood and having a pair of "indulgent" parents.
She thought she had good patience, but if she really had to read women's books, embroider patterns, and learn court rules every day, Zhu Yuhuan, a modern man, would probably go crazy.
"Huanhuan is back."
Zhu Youtong held the Cuju in front of Zhu Yuhuan and presented it to him, saying, "Look, sister, this is the Cuju my aunt gave me. I will use it to exercise in the future."
The Cuju was not big and was made of brocade, embroidered with flowers and plants. It looked more like a sandbag, but even a child like Zhu Youtong could have fun playing with it.
Hearing Zhu Youtong's words, the two younger princesses became a little nervous, but Princess Qingdu said frankly: "These things are in triplicate, and all the little princesses have them."
Anyone with a discerning eye could see the conflict between Empress Hu and Concubine Sun. Behind Empress Hu lay the Empress Dowager, and behind Concubine Sun lay the Emperor. But the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were mother and son, so how could there be any hatred between them? If the Empress Dowager and His Majesty ever came to a consensus, the only ones who would suffer would be those who chose their positions indiscriminately. Naturally, the princesses didn't want to offend anyone.
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and rubbed his sister's head, then greeted the aunts and said, "Huanhuan meets the aunts. The aunts are really clever and skillful. I have never played with these little things before."
Among the four eldest princesses today, only the daughter of Empress Dowager Zhang and the princess of Concubine Zhao Hui have been given titles. These two princesses have reached adulthood, and it is time to choose a prince consort. However, the sudden death of the late emperor has forced the marriage to be put on hold temporarily.
Seeing her like this, Princess Jiaxing smiled and said, "Don't be shy. Mother and sister-in-law asked us to look at the book together to understand how these industries operate."
After the princess got married, she also had properties such as the imperial farm and shops. Although they were managed by a housekeeper, they still needed the princess's approval, otherwise she would be fooled and harassed by the servants.
After all, elders can only protect their children for a short while, and they will have to walk the path of life on their own. When blood ties become increasingly weak, they will only be able to rely on themselves.
Zhu Yuhuan was somewhat familiar with Princess Jiaxing. She had previously followed Empress Dowager Zhang to learn things and often met Princess Jiaxing, but they didn't talk much.
"That's perfect." Zhu Yuhuan bowed and said with a smile, "Mother is worried alone, but with the aunts watching over her, she doesn't have to sigh all the time."
How could Empress Dowager Zhang not know that Zhu Yuhuan was doing this in exchange of interests and to give Hu Shanxiang a good reputation? She also felt a little pity for her daughter-in-law, but she knew clearly who was more important, her son or her daughter-in-law.
It is precisely because Hu Shanxiang is "weak" that she is a good queen. If Hu Shanxiang were "strong", that would be something that Empress Dowager Zhang did not want to see.
So Hu Shanxiang handed over the book to Empress Dowager Zhang for review, and Empress Dowager Zhang asked several princesses to review it together. In this way, everything was open and transparent, and there was no need to worry about Hu Shanxiang and Zhu Yuhuan, mother and daughter, "pretending to obey but actually disobeying".
After hearing what Zhu Yuhuan said, Hu Shanxiang scolded him, "What nonsense are you talking about..."
Princess Jiaxing was always cheerful and generous. She smiled and said, "What's there to be embarrassed about, sister-in-law? It's us who have to bother you these days. Mother trusts you the most. Even without looking at the account books you keep, I can tell there's not a single mistake."
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but sigh that it was good to have someone behind you. You didn't have to think too much about what you said or did. The sister-in-law came and went, but the emperor brother and the empress dowager mother remained forever...
Unlike Hu Shanxiang and Sun Mengqiu, one was humble and the other had to look at people's faces, and even though they were not sick, they were forced to develop a mental illness.
Zhu Youtong didn't understand any of this, but instead said happily, "With my aunt here, my mother will be able to teach me how to play the pipa more often in the future!"
Hu Shanxiang was embarrassed when she heard this and said, "Tongtong, what are you talking about?"
Princess Jiaxing covered her lips and smiled, "Last time, Consort Xian gave my sister-in-law a pipa. Not only us, but even my brother was shocked. I didn't know my sister-in-law had such skills."
Hu Shanxiang sighed and said, "It's just a little trick in the boudoir. It's useless."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "The pipa is not only used to express deep emotions, but it can also be used to play military music. It is said that the pipa is played in the music of "The Qin King's Battle". The person is gone now, but the music lives on. It shows that it is not important who plays the pipa, but what is played. "
Princess Jiaxing agreed and said, "That's right. Sister-in-law, you are the queen, so the sound of the pipa is naturally the most elegant music. It's just like the charity hall. If it weren't for my brother and sister-in-law, it might not be able to open." After she said this, she exchanged a glance with Princess Qingdu and had someone bring a treasure box, placing it on the table. She said, "I heard that sister-in-law took out her private money to support the charity hall. We don't have much, but it's a small token of her appreciation. I hope you won't despise it."
Hu Shanxiang was surprised and asked, "Why did you prepare all this?"
Princess Qingdu said with a smile, "We naturally can't miss out on such a good opportunity to accumulate merit. We sisters are not like Huanhuan who can walk around freely outside the palace. There is not much we can do to help outside the palace, so we can only come out with some money."
Hu Shanxiang was still a little hesitant, but Zhu Yuhuan said politely, "Thank you, aunt. Huanhuan had originally thought that the operation of this charity hall couldn't rely solely on the shop and my mother's personal income. With the donations from the aunts, I believe this kind of charity will spread from top to bottom, just like it did in the Song Dynasty. I'm thinking of opening a teahouse in the inner city, where I can record the aunts' good deeds on a scroll and hang it there to remind people of their kindness."
Hu Shanxiang was even more surprised. After all, in her opinion, these princesses were just being polite. Moreover, their main purpose was to monitor the specific situation of the shop. Otherwise, with Princess Jiaxing's wealth, the amount of money that slipped through her fingers would be more than this.
If she could see it, there was no way Zhu Yuhuan hadn't noticed it.
Zhu Yuhuan naturally understood this, but he didn't care.
In fact, it is not impossible to run the charity hall solely relying on the revenue from the shop, but this charity hall has a more important function, which is to connect Hu Shanxiang with the ladies of the capital, and invisibly expand its influence.
If it were only Hu Shanxiang and Zhu Yuhuan, mother and daughter, these ladies would never rashly join in. But if these neutral princesses also got involved, I am afraid that the imperial concubines and virtuous concubines would not continue to pretend that nothing happened, and they would naturally not care about taking sides.
Not only can you do good deeds and leave a good reputation, you can also build relationships with other ladies, and even become familiar to the queen and the imperial concubine, contribute to the family's reputation, etc. Why not do it?
The most important thing is that this little world is so boring.
Zhu Yuhuan is probably not the only one who thinks this way.
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