Chapter 27 Uneasy
While they were talking, Zhu Yuhuan caught a glimpse of a long shadow cast on the ground through the gauze curtain. She leaned forward slightly and saw Sun Mengqiu standing at the door, with the wet nurse beside her holding the still babbling Zhu Hanjia.
Her body was a little stiff, as if she didn't know what to do. After hesitating for a moment, she turned around and was about to leave.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Yuhuan immediately asked, "Is it the concubine who brought her sister Hanjia to see father?"
Sun Mengqiu, who was about to leave, stopped in his tracks when he heard this. He slowly walked into the main hall and bowed, saying, "Mengqiu greets the young master. I pay my respects to Your Highness."
Zhu Zhanji, who had been a little distracted, straightened up slightly when he saw Sun Mengqiu coming with the child. He asked in a gentle voice, "Why did you come here so suddenly without letting anyone know?"
Sun Mengqiu smiled and said, "Your Highness rarely comes to my study. When I came here, I never thought that Your Highness would be here, so I rashly brought Hanjia to visit me. But seeing Your Highness here, I knew he must have something important to discuss with me, so Mengqiu naturally didn't dare to disturb him."
Zhu Yuhuan picked up the orange on the table, peeled the orange skin circle by circle, and placed it on the table, handing it to Zhu Zhanji and Hu Shanxiang respectively. Then he took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands and said with a smile: "This matter is also related to the Second Concubine. Grandma wants to gather the ladies inside and outside the court to raise money for disaster relief. Dad said that mother should bring the Crown Prince's Concubine along."
Sun Mengqiu's eyes lit up at first, then she suddenly realized something and hurriedly said to Hu Shanxiang, "Mengqiu has never assisted the Crown Princess in handling palace affairs, so she's not as talented as Your Highness... Besides, Hanjia was just born and needs care..."
Hu Shanxiang smiled and said, "Sit down first."
The palace servants had already brought a round stool, and Sun Mengqiu sat down at last. However, she still looked a little uneasy, obviously worried about what Hu Shanxiang would say next.
More importantly, the Crown Princess had assigned this task to Hu Shanxiang, surely hoping to train the future Crown Princess, or even Empress, in advance. How could a Second Consort like her have any right to interfere? If the Crown Princess, who hated Second Consort Guo the most, knew about it, how could she be any good?
Hu Shanxiang said gently, "It's not good for your health to always stay in the backyard. Go out for a walk more often and take in the scenery. That way you'll feel better." Her eyes fell on Zhu Yuhuan, and she smiled and teased, "Look at this little girl, running around everywhere every day. When have you ever seen a sad look on her face?"
Zhu Yuhuan, who was named, muttered, "Mom is making fun of me again..."
Sun Mengqiu was still a little hesitant and said, "But this is after all a matter arranged by the Crown Princess for Your Highness. How dare I interfere casually..."
Zhu Zhanji cleared his throat and said, "I'll talk to Mom. You don't have to worry." He looked at Sun Mengqiu and spoke earnestly, "I haven't been able to be with you these days to help take care of Hanjia. I'm sorry you've been left alone. This is a good opportunity for you to train yourself while the Crown Prince's Consort is on duty. This way, she won't have to go through all the accounts of your courtyard and suffer from it."
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but wonder what Zhu Zhanji was saying. It was not like Hu Shanxiang would embezzle Sun Mengqiu's expenses. As the Crown Prince's Consort, wasn't it normal for her to handle the accounts?
Sun Mengqiu could barely accept Zhu Zhanji's desire to give her the best, but what did it mean for him to constantly step on Hu Shanxiang's head? Could this be the common "favoring the concubine over the wife" trope seen in classical Chinese novels? Seeing this sincerity, Sun Mengqiu would probably be delighted.
Unlike the joy Zhu Yuhuan had imagined, Sun Mengqiu was stunned at first, a trace of sadness flashed across her face, and she said, "I really can't always bother the Crown Princess with Mengqiu's affairs..."
Zhu Zhanji didn't notice it, but Zhu Yuhuan was the first to notice that Sun Mengqiu seemed to be in a low mood.
She was a little confused at first, but considering that Sun Mengqiu wanted to leave when she saw the three of them chatting and laughing here, Zhu Yuhuan also understood.
Sun Mengqiu saw Zhu Zhanji verbally harassing Hu Shanxiang, and Zhu Yuhuan joking here, so she thought that the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess had eased. She felt that she was a little redundant, so she felt lost and wanted to leave.
Zhu Yuhuan's mood was a bit complicated. He smiled at Sun Mengqiu and said, "Now that my sister Hanjia is born, an extra portion of the allowance must be sent to the Second Concubine. Not only will you be able to calculate these accounts more clearly yourself, but if you feel there is any shortage, you can also directly inform father. Otherwise, you can report it to mother. When father finally found time to see my mother, it took a long time to go back and forth, which was unfair to the Crown Prince and my sister."
She said Sun Mengqiu's worries were completely unfounded. Ever since Hu Shanxiang gave birth to Youtong, Zhu Zhanji had rarely come to sleep with her. He acted like a big boss, always leaving after a conversation and spending most of his time with Sun Mengqiu. What was there for her to worry about or feel sad about? No wonder they always say "love breeds worry, love breeds fear"—it probably refers to this kind of state of mind that comes from having too much to do.
Zhu Zhanji was nodding his head at first, but the more he listened, the more he felt something was wrong. He felt that his daughter seemed to be hinting that he rarely visited the Crown Princess on weekdays.
But looking at Zhu Yuhuan's expression again, he was smiling so innocently, and there seemed to be no other meaning in his expression.
Zhu Yuhuan certainly couldn't let Zhu Zhanji see anything unusual, so he just smiled and said, "If the concubine feels busy, she can ask the wet nurse to bring Hanjia to me and Tongtong. They are of similar age, so they can definitely play together."
Zhu Zhanji raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "What about you? Are you playing with them too?"
"As the eldest sister, I naturally have to take good care of them." Zhu Yuhuan puffed out his chest, looking very proud, and said, "Dad, don't worry. I won't neglect my studies and painting."
Zhu Zhanji was a little amused: "With so many things to do, can you handle it all by yourself?"
"Those who are capable should work harder." Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile as he peeled an orange, "What's that saying? When Heaven wants to confer a great responsibility on a man, it will first test his mind and spirit, exhaust his muscles and bones, starve his body, and deprive him of all poverty. This is all about training."
Seeing that she was completely oblivious to the hardship, Zhu Zhanji said, "Those who accomplished great things in ancient times possessed not only extraordinary talent but also unwavering perseverance. To possess either of these qualities is already exceptional. Huanhuan wants both. It seems the position of County Master your great-grandfather promised you is no longer large enough for you."
When they heard him mention the position of "County Lady", Hu Shanxiang and Sun Mengqiu were both stunned. Hu Shanxiang immediately whispered, "Grandson, you can't say that casually."
Zhu Zhanji was not nervous at all, but just smiled and said, "This is what Grandfather the Emperor has promised. He said that when he returns this time, he will give Huanhuan the title of County Master in advance."
Wu Miaosu, who was standing by and serving, was also stunned.
She knew that this young lady was quite favored by the emperor, but she was unexpectedly granted the title of county lady at such a young age. Such an honor was rare in all dynasties.
Sun Mengqiu lowered her eyes so that her envy would not be too obvious.
After all, it was Huanhuan, the eldest daughter, who was more favored by the emperor. Just like her mother, she always stood out. Such luck was something that neither her daughter nor she could match. As the daughter of the crown prince, she neither received the emperor's favor nor the care of the crown prince and princess. Was it just because her unworthy mother was the second concubine?
But she was unwilling to give up... She once had the opportunity to give herself and her daughter all that was in front of them.
She was thinking so seriously that she didn't even listen to Hu Shanxiang's explanation of the fundraising plan. She just sat there absent-mindedly.
After Hu Shanxiang finished speaking, she did not hear any response from Sun Mengqiu, which made her feel a little confused. Zhu Yuhuan saw Zhu Zhanji's eyes also swept over her, and quickly walked to her side, handed over the orange in his hand and said: "Second Concubine, have an orange too."
Sun Mengqiu suddenly came to her senses and realized that Zhu Yuhuan had been standing in front of her without her knowing when, holding a peeled orange in his hand, looking at her with a smile.
Sun Mengqiu hurriedly took the orange, showing her usual smile, and said, "Thank you, Huanhuan, for peeling the orange for me."
Seeing that she had finally come to her senses, Hu Shanxiang smiled and said, "The Second Concubine is best at embroidery. This time, we should follow the example of Empress Xiaoci Gao, weaving cloth and practicing thriftiness. We should both increase revenue and reduce expenditure. We can use the money to buy food and other aid to the victims and help them rebuild their homes."
Sun Mengqiu then understood why Hu Shanxiang came to her. After all, her embroidery skills were excellent and that was why she was favored by the emperor.
If it weren't for this skill, the Crown Princess probably wouldn't have taken the initiative to look for her.
Zhu Yuhuan saw Hu Shanxiang's eyes sparkling when she talked about this, and it was obvious that she was very confident in her plan. She raised the corners of her mouth unconsciously, and then saluted Zhu Zhanji and Hu Shanxiang, saying, "Huanhuan still has to go back to review her lessons, so I'll take my leave first."
Whether it is helping Sun Mengqiu or rescuing the victims in Daming Prefecture, for Hu Shanxiang, who has lived in the deep palace for a long time, these are rare things that can give her a sense of accomplishment and value of existence.
This glittering appearance would be even more dazzling if it happened in modern times.
pity……
Zhu Zhanji had been teaching for an entire afternoon and was already feeling a bit bored, so he said, "Go back and study hard."
"yes."
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