Chapter 32 Personal Teaching
Zhu Yuhuan cried. First, he cried for the separation of his grandparents, second, he cried for having no one to rely on, and third, he cried for the uncertain future. In addition, he had not had a good rest during this period, so he looked particularly sad when he cried.
Although everyone was sad and a little surprised, they did not find it strange when they thought that Zhu Yuhuan was the old man's beloved great-granddaughter.
After all, the child was still young, and what was wrong with crying sadly because of the death of his most beloved great-grandfather? This just shows that the prince had an excellent upbringing. Even a little girl like Zhu Yuhuan understood the meaning of loyalty, filial piety, chastity and righteousness.
Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi first appointed his son Zhu Zhanji to go to Kaiping to welcome the funeral, and then took the opportunity to summon the cabinet ministers to discuss and gather troops to avoid any changes during the succession to the throne. After all, the elite troops had followed the previous emperor in the northern expedition, and the troops left behind in the capital were relatively weak. Everyone knew that there was someone in the south waiting to rebel and usurp the throne, so there must be no problems at this critical juncture.
As for the grief of being a son...even the great-granddaughter Zhu Yuhuan was so sad about the death of the late emperor, not to mention his biological son Zhu Gaochi.
However, the new emperor still had to prepare to ascend the throne. For the sake of national stability and well-being, he naturally could not express his sadness all the time. It was enough to see Zhu Yuhuan, Zhu Di's great-granddaughter, crying so loudly.
Zhu Yuhuan naturally didn't know that his crying had brought disaster to the Prince's family's reputation, but after venting his anger through crying, he couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.
She was under a lot of pressure at the time and cried too sadly. What if others noticed something?
Fortunately, nothing seemed to have gone wrong at the time. In addition, the Crown Princess took time out of her busy schedule to call Zhu Yuhuan over and praised her in front of the Crown Prince's entire family of concubines and children. Zhu Yuhuan gradually calmed down.
It seemed like her crying didn't cause any trouble, nor did it arouse any other suspicion...
After this trip, Zhu Yuhuan didn't dare to go out casually, for fear that his words and actions would cause other troubles. He just stayed in the room and concentrated on reading and practicing calligraphy.
After all, public opinion is not always favorable. Before laying a solid foundation, it is better for Zhu Yuhuan to be cautious.
Zhu Di died on July 18th, and Zhu Gaochi ascended the throne on August 15th. He issued an amnesty and designated the following year as the first year of Hongxi.
Zhu Zhanji, the crown prince, was naturally promoted from a crown prince to a prince, and his brothers and sisters were also rewarded.
The Crown Prince and his consort moved to the Emperor and Empress' palaces, while Zhu Zhanji continued to reside in the former East Palace. The rest of his brothers and sisters were sent to various palaces to live with their mothers. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the new Emperor had chosen the former Crown Prince to succeed him as Crown Prince, but since he had just ascended the throne and was busy with state affairs, he had no time to appoint a Crown Prince.
Therefore, although the late emperor had just passed away, there were still many people who came to the Eastern Palace to congratulate him, but they were not very blatant. Naturally, the palace maids also hurried to present good things to the Eastern Palace in an effort to please the future crown prince and emperor.
Zhu Zhanji was overwhelmed with official duties and had no time to attend to palace affairs, leaving them entirely to Hu Shanxiang. She was known for her cautious nature, often refusing visitors and unwilling to accept favors from the palace staff. In contrast to Hu Shanxiang was the second concubine, Sun Mengqiu. Entering the palace at the age of ten, she had made many acquaintances, many of whom she had close relationships with. Even if she wanted to refuse, it would have been difficult to do so, not to mention her soft-hearted nature, so she could only receive a limited number of them.
Zhu Yuhuan had naturally heard these rumors, but she was really scared now, so she strongly supported her mother's closing policy.
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't control other people, so it was always right to protect herself.
Although Hu Shanxiang didn't know what had happened, she felt relieved when she saw that Zhu Yuhuan was no longer as carefree as before, saying "The emperor comes first, I come second". She urged Zhu Yuhuan to study hard and learn to read in her room every day. Hu Shanxiang herself handled the affairs of the Eastern Palace, took care of her youngest daughter Zhu Youtong, and occasionally did some embroidery to pass the time.
The mother and her two daughters lived a peaceful life, but they did not expect that the former Crown Princess, now Empress Zhang, would come to visit them, which scared the mother and her two daughters.
"How did Mother come? Shanxiang didn't know and didn't even go outside the palace to greet her..."
Empress Zhang smiled and helped Hu Shanxiang, who was about to salute, up. She looked at Zhu Yuhuan, who was teaching Zhu Youtong to speak, and couldn't help but smile.
Zhu Youtong had just learned to speak, and when he saw the Crown Princess, he stammered, "Grandma...Grandma..."
Seeing how intelligent she was at such a young age, Empress Zhang couldn't help but reach out and pinch her little face, saying, "You learn so quickly. Just like your sister, you're a smart child. She also learned to speak when she was just over a year old."
Although Zhu Youtong could not speak much, he could clearly understand what others said. Therefore, after hearing what Empress Zhang said, Zhu Youtong immediately grabbed Zhu Yuhuan's hand and shook it, saying, "Sister... Sister..."
Empress Zhang was still a little confused, but Zhu Yuhuan had already said embarrassedly: "Tongtong means...it was taught by my sister."
Empress Zhang was originally puzzled, but after hearing Zhu Yuhuan's words and seeing her shy expression, she couldn't help but laugh out loud and said, "I never thought our Huanhuan would be shy."
Zhu Yuhuan chuckled and said, "I'm not shy at all. As the eldest sister, I set an example and naturally have to teach my younger sister well."
"That's perfect! When your mother gives birth to a younger brother, we'll give him to Huanhuan to teach. He's sure to be a genius." Empress Zhang glanced around the room and saw that Hu Shanxiang hadn't touched anything. She couldn't help but admire him even more and said with a smile, "It's so busy outside, but you three are hiding away to relax. Why don't you even change the furnishings in your room?"
Hu Shanxiang said hurriedly, "Your Highness is busy with government affairs, and I can't help much. Naturally, I can only take care of the family and not cause trouble for Your Highness. Besides, these furnishings are all left by my mother. I like them very much and think this is fine."
After all, Zhu Gaochi had been on the throne for only a month, and Zhu Zhanji had not yet been named the crown prince, but he still lived in the East Palace and had moved from a side hall to the main hall. This was inevitably a bit against etiquette, so Hu Shanxiang was extremely cautious.
"You, you can't just hide away like this all the time. You have to come and help me more often." Empress Zhang took Hu Shanxiang's hand and asked her to sit down with her. Then she said, "You are the Crown Princess now. You have a long way to go in the future. You need to learn more and do more. You can't always rely on me."
Hu Shanxiang was startled and whispered with a hint of worry, "Mom..."
Zhu Zhanji seldom came to Hu Shanxiang's house to spend the night, so Hu Shanxiang naturally had no chance to have children. Moreover, she always thought that having two daughters was enough. After all, her husband did not have her in his heart. Even if she gave birth to a child, it would not please Zhu Zhanji, and would only cause trouble for her children. It would be better for her to abdicate voluntarily to avoid being an eyesore in the future.
Empress Zhang naturally understood what Hu Shanxiang was thinking. She gently patted her hand on the table and said, "With me here, no one can touch you three. Shanxiang, you just stay by my side. I will teach you everything, and you will learn everything. Everything will be useful to you."
According to Empress Zhang's intention, Zhu Yuhuan wanted to support Hu Shanxiang's position, but in this way, Hu Shanxiang became the rope in the hands of Empress Zhang and Zhu Zhanji, which was really a dilemma.
Hu Shanxiang moved her fingertips and said, "Then Mengqiu..."
Empress Zhang said with a half-smile, "I heard she's been busy greeting visitors to the Eastern Palace these days. Even if I wanted to teach her, I'm afraid she wouldn't have the time to learn from me."
She spoke lightly, but it was enough to make people realize her dissatisfaction with the Second Concubine. It was probably because Sun Mengqiu's behavior was too ostentatious at this moment.
Hu Shanxiang understood the hidden meaning of Empress Zhang and could no longer speak for Sun Mengqiu, so she had to agree.
Seeing her agreement, Empress Zhang smiled and said, "That would be best." She glanced at Zhu Yuhuan and suddenly asked, "Huanhuan, have you changed your room?"
Zhu Yuhuan was surprised that the topic suddenly turned to him. He was stunned for a moment, then explained, "Grandma originally told me to move into my aunt's room, but my aunt grew up there, so she must have loved the furnishings there. So Huanhuan picked a room for himself, moved the things from the backyard in, and settled down in the side room."
Empress Zhang was a little amused and said, "You have learned your mother's caution and you don't act like a child anymore."
Zhu Yuhuan was momentarily flustered. Before she could speak, Hu Shanxiang said, "It's my fault. I always restrained her temper, so Huanhuan is so mature at such a young age..."
"It's better to be cautious in this palace." Empress Zhang smiled and said, "Huanhuan, you will soon become a princess. You should have more servants around you. You can't run around the palace with only a few people like before."
When they heard the word "Princess", Hu Shanxiang and Zhu Yuhuan, mother and daughter, were both stunned.
Before Zhu Zhanji was named crown prince, Zhu Yuhuan became a princess. Why was that?
Seeing the two of them remain silent, Empress Zhang couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry," she said. "The Emperor has been incredibly busy with official duties lately. When he's free, he'll naturally confer titles upon each of you. By then, the East Palace will also be staffed with more people. The people surrounding the Crown Princess and the Princesses will have their own standards and regulations. You can't be so cold and lonely as you are now. You must show the dignity of a Crown Princess and a Princess. Do you understand?"
Zhu Yuhuan's heart moved, vaguely understanding what Empress Zhang meant, and said, "Huanhuan understands."
Before, they had the huge mountain of Zhu Di hanging over their heads. He had been wavering, so the Prince's family had to keep a low profile. Now that the mountain has collapsed, they can finally hold their heads high.
Hu Shanxiang and Empress Zhang exchanged a glance, then turned to look at Zhu Yuhuan, and finally said, "I will definitely obey my mother's instructions."
She vaguely sensed her mother-in-law's love and care for her daughter. If something unpredictable really happened in the future, she could at least entrust her daughter to the care of the queen...
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