Chapter 22 It’s Time to Come
Zhu Yuhuan had been away from the palace for so long with his sisters, and the one who missed them the most was naturally Hu Shanxiang. Seeing the two sisters come back together, he first asked them to wash up and have a good rest. The next day, when he was planning to ask the kitchen to prepare some of their favorite meals, Zhu Zhanji had already sent someone over, saying that he had asked the Shangshenjian to prepare a family dinner. After that, he personally came to Kunning Palace to have dinner with the queen and his two daughters.
Hu Shanxiang had no choice but to wait until the two sisters came out and dismissed the palace servants before she relayed the matter. Zhu Youtong muttered, "The Shangshenjian doesn't know what my sister and I like to eat..."
Zhu Yuhuan reached out and touched her head, saying, "Alright, stop talking. The food at the Imperial Kitchen isn't any worse than at the Imperial Household Department. If you want to eat something else, you can wait until tomorrow. There's no rush. Haven't you finished your manuscript? In that case, show it to Daddy, or he'll start to suspect you haven't been busy with your work this month. And you don't like to hear about schoolwork or anything like that."
Zhu Youtong curled his lips and said "oh" reluctantly, then went back to his room to organize the manuscript so that he could use it to fool Zhu Zhanji later.
After her youngest daughter left, Hu Shanxiang finally spoke, "It's probably about the agricultural book. Otherwise, they wouldn't have suddenly decided to hold a banquet in Kunning Palace. I heard from the eunuchs that His Majesty praised you and the two Shujishi in front of the cabinet scholars, saying that he would publish an agricultural book and distribute it to agricultural officials across the country to encourage farming."
Zhu Yuhuan nodded. "I think so too. Besides, the enlightenment books are also being sorted out during this period. Even if Dad doesn't care, he should at least ask about the progress, right?"
Hu Shanxiang caught a glimpse of the red string around her neck and asked, "Did you buy jewelry outside the palace?"
Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile: "Madam Xu asked for it for me. She said that this amulet was blessed by the Dongyue Temple and is very effective, so I carry it with me."
Hu Shanxiang felt somewhat helpless and asked in a low voice, "It's Dongyue Temple and Chaotian Palace again, what are your plans?"
Zhu Yuhuan tilted his head and smiled when he heard this, saying, "Didn't mother always read Taoist scriptures before? I'm just joining in the fun. Besides, the charity can only take care of Shuntian Prefecture. Sending the grain to Chaotian Palace will not only be a favor, but also help the people of Nanzhili."
Seeing that she was as slippery as a fish, Hu Shanxiang could only say, "Your father is always vigilant. You must be careful in everything you do."
Zhu Yuhuan comforted her, "Don't worry, Mom. I know what I'm doing."
Hu Shanxiang stroked her smooth hair and looked at her daughter, who was gradually growing into a graceful young lady. She couldn't help but sigh, "I didn't realize you've grown up so much. It seemed like you were still a little child yesterday..."
Zhu Yuhuan pretended to be proud and said, "Who knows, I might become an old lady tomorrow."
Hu Shanxiang was amused by her daughter. She reached out and touched her forehead, then said, "These days, the Crown Prince comes to me whenever he's free, asking when you'll be back, but you haven't given me a definite answer. If you're free these days, you should go to Renshou Palace, firstly to see your grandmother, and secondly to visit the Crown Prince."
Zhu Yuhuan wasn't very interested in this and only responded perfunctorily. Then he asked casually, "Did Dad pick out someone for my younger brother to start his education after not seeing him for a month?"
Hu Shanxiang, who was in the harem, naturally heard the rumors as well. She said, "It's Wang Zhen, who used to serve Jia Jia. I heard that he has some knowledge and is older, so he should be able to take good care of the prince. Besides, he has been in the imperial concubine's palace for a few years. I guess the imperial concubine also chose him for this reason." After she finished speaking, she saw her daughter there, deep in thought, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhu Yuhuan came back to his senses and said with a smile, "Nothing."
But she couldn't help but sigh that sometimes history really has a strong ability to restore itself.
Zhu Yuhuan had no intention of changing the relationship between Wang Zhen and Zhu Qizhen. Rather, she was very curious about whether things would develop as they did in history if she did not intervene, even if other conditions had changed.
The final result is also very gratifying. What is meant to come will come.
But even so, Zhu Yuhuan had to consider whether everything would continue to develop according to history if he could not be with his mother and sister.
She didn't dare to gamble on the safety of these two people.
Seeing that her daughter seemed to be worried, Hu Shanxiang continued, "The servants for Yu'er have also been decided."
Zhu Yuhuan said "oh" and asked curiously, "Who is it? What is their academic record?"
Regarding this period of history, Zhu Yuhuan was most impressed by Zhu Qizhen. Relatively speaking, Zhu Qiyu was much more unknown. Zhu Yuhuan only remembered that he probably died of illness, but the royal family was fighting for power, so who knows whether he died of natural causes or Zhu Qizhen helped him die manually.
Now that Zhu Qiyu is considered one of his own, Zhu Yuhuan can't help but pay more attention to him.
"It's a man named Cheng Jing. I asked someone about it. He was originally a scholar-official, and was to be assigned to the commoner Zhu Jixu as a shrine attendant. Before he even took up his post, Zhu Gaoxu's rebellion broke out, and he was implicated." Hu Shanxiang's tone became more sympathetic as she spoke, "Your Majesty originally wanted to send Cheng Jing into exile, but he was afraid of implicating his descendants, so he requested death. Your Majesty commuted the sentence to castration."
Zhu Yuhuan was slightly stunned, then pulled the corner of his mouth and said, "I see..."
Zhu Zhanji was really a master of compromise. People were afraid of implicating their descendants and wanted to die, but he was afraid of affecting his own reputation, so he sentenced them to be eunuchs... Not to mention that they hadn't taken office yet. Even if the original Prince of Jin Zhu Jixun and Zhu Gaoxu conspired to rebel, it had nothing to do with Cheng Jing, who had never even seen Zhu Jixun.
If it were Zhu Yuhuan, who had suffered such a misfortune for no apparent reason, he would definitely find an opportunity to take revenge in the future, such as raising Zhu Zhanji's son into a fool.
Thinking about it this way, Zhu Zhanji was really broad-minded. He openly handed his son over to the guilty minister to be raised, and was not afraid that Cheng Jing would think of taking revenge on him secretly.
Don’t you see how many sons you have? Can they withstand such consumption?
Hu Shanxiang noticed her subtle expression and warned her, "Some things you can tell your father, and some things you can't tell your father. Although he treats you well, you must never forget your status as king and subject, and don't interfere with your father's decisions."
Zhu Yuhuan naturally understood this and nodded gently, "I know, don't worry, mother."
However, her mind inevitably flew to her master who was "disobeying the emperor's will" and was far away on the battlefield. She didn't know what the situation in the northern border was like now, and whether Liu Yongcheng could really defeat the Uriankhai... Once victorious, it could at least send a signal to Zhu Zhanji, who was shrinking his borders. Even if he didn't expand outward, he should at least maintain the status quo. This was also for the safety of the capital.
It's impossible that Zhu Zhanji knew that he could win the battle and that food and grass could be supplied to the rear, but still insisted on a conservative or even passive border defense strategy, right?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
