Chapter 35 Mr. Yang
With Zhu Zhanji leading the way, Zhu Yuhuan naturally didn't have to worry about accidentally entering the former court. The father and daughter followed the palace road to the former court. The guards seemed to be more strict than when Zhu Di was still there, which surprised Zhu Yuhuan.
But if you think about it carefully, although the emperor and empress have taken over various affairs of the Forbidden City after the new emperor ascended the throne, it will take some time to sort out all the affairs. It is still necessary to stay vigilant and protect yourself.
Seeing that they had reached the door, Zhu Zhanji stopped and warned his daughter again: "Huanhuan, you are a princess now. You must be careful about your words and actions. You must speak carefully when you see your grandfather, the emperor. Do you understand?"
Seeing that his father still looked worried, Zhu Yuhuan nodded and replied, "Huanhuan understands. Grandma and Mother taught us that the royal family is a role model for the world. With the responsibility they shoulder, they must be careful with their words and actions."
Zhu Zhanji showed a look of relief, reached out and patted her head, and said, "Okay."
Just as the father and daughter finished their conversation, they saw three ministers walking out from a distance. Two of them were wearing crimson official robes, indicating that they were officials of the fourth rank or above. When they came closer, Zhu Yuhuan saw that they were decorated with the golden pheasant patches of the second rank and the peacock patches of the third rank. The only one wearing a green robe with a white pheasant patch was particularly conspicuous among them.
However, seeing that the three of them had a close relationship, Zhu Yuhuan knew that this fifth-rank official should not be underestimated.
Zhu Yuhuan was just wondering who the three men were when they arrived in front of Zhu Zhanji, bowed, and said in unison, "I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Zhu Zhanji smiled and said gently, "Gentlemen, please stand up." After the three stood up, he introduced Zhu Yuhuan, "This is Mr. Mianren. You should have heard the Empress mention him."
Zhu Yuhuan had naturally heard of Yang Rong's name. After all, in his early years, Yang Rong served as the Right Instructor of the Right Spring Office, an official under the crown prince, and had close contacts with Zhu Gaochi.
Zhu Yuhuan immediately bowed obediently and said, "Hello, Mr. Mianren." She raised her little face and said with a smile, "Mr. Mianren has made great contributions to the country. I often hear Grandpa Huang and Dad mention him."
Yang Rong, who had previously gone on a military expedition, rushed back to Beijing to deliver the news of Zhu Di's death. He can be regarded as a great contributor to the Eastern Palace. Zhu Gaochi was very close to Yang Rong, and after he ascended the throne, he quickly promoted Yang Rong to the positions of Prince's Tutor, Doctor of Zishan, Grand Secretary of Jinshen Palace and Minister of Works, and gave him three salaries. Even when Yang Rong requested to resign from the salary of Minister, Zhu Gaochi still insisted on rewarding him, which shows how deep their relationship was.
When Zhu Zhanji saw Zhu Yuhuan bowing so obediently, he immediately understood Zhu Yuhuan's little thoughts.
According to etiquette, it is not reasonable for a princess to greet a minister, but if it is a teacher and student, the student should naturally greet the teacher.
This little girl wanted to perform the "apprenticeship ceremony" in advance.
When the three saw Zhu Zhanji holding Zhu Yuhuan's hand, they immediately guessed that she was the Princess Shunde who had enjoyed the honors of two generations of emperors. Seeing that Zhu Yuhuan spoke and behaved appropriately and knew when to advance and retreat, they knew at a glance that she was smart and clever.
Yang Rong smiled and said, "Your Highness, your praise is unbelievable. I have heard Your Majesty mention that your Highness has been exceptionally intelligent since childhood, able to read, write, and shoot arrows at a young age. Seeing you today, I can see that your Highness is indeed a natural talent."
Zhu Yuhuan replied, "Compared to my father, I am not very smart, but as a princess, I cannot be left behind, so I study hard."
Zhu Zhanji was very satisfied with his daughter's answer and said, "This is Mr. Dongli, who is now the Minister of Rites and the Grand Secretary of Huagai Palace."
This person was also an old acquaintance, that was Yang Shiqi, who had sent books before, also known as Dongli. He often presented classics to the crown prince. When the crown princess was reading beside him, Zhu Yuhuan also read several books, most of which were sage classics advocating benevolent governance, which was enough to show what Yang Shiqi's ideas were.
"Meet Mr. Dongli."
Yang Shiqi's expression was very cautious. He just bowed and said, "How can a princess bow to a minister? It is the minister who should bow to the princess."
Zhu Yuhuan chuckled and said seriously, "In terms of scholarship, the three gentlemen are all knowledgeable people. Of course, I would like to greet you."
Her words were impeccable. Although she meant to be intimate, she only talked about academic matters and nothing else. This made the three of them realize Zhu Yuhuan's intelligence and tact.
Zhu Zhanji was about to introduce the last person, but Zhu Yuhuan had already said with a smile: "Dad, you don't have to tell me, I know, it's also Mr. Yang."
Zhu Zhanji smiled and asked, "How do you know it's Mr. Yang?"
Zhu Yuhuan said as a matter of course: "I heard it from the Emperor. The Emperor said that the three Mr. Yangs worked hard for state affairs and were loyal to the royal family. They are the pillars of the country."
Of course, she was relying entirely on her own guesswork. After all, the "Three Yangs" cabinet was very famous, so of course she knew something about it.
Zhu Zhanji teased her deliberately and asked, "Then do you know how to address this Mr. Yang?"
Zhu Yuhuan choked upon hearing this, and after mumbling for a long time, he could not make any clear words. He could only say, "I have heard of it, but I don't know how to address you, sir..."
If she had only mentioned the names, she would of course know that the last one was Yang Pu, but people in the Ming Dynasty mostly addressed each other by their nicknames. It was good enough for Zhu Yuhuan to remember the characters, let alone the nicknames.
Seeing her speechless, even the "Three Yangs" couldn't help but smile, not to mention Zhu Zhanji, who always loved to joke. He reached out and patted Zhu Yuhuan on the head, saying, "Remember, this is Mr. Dan'an. Don't forget it again. His Majesty personally rescued Mr. Dan'an and appointed him as a Hanlin scholar."
Zhu Yuhuan bowed deeply and said apologetically, "Please forgive me, Mr. Dan'an. I was disrespectful."
Next time she will definitely remember Yang Pu's number clearly and never fight an unprepared battle again!
Yang Pu didn't mind. He looked very easygoing and said with a smile, "My name is a little unfamiliar, so it's inevitable that the princess can't remember it."
"Mr. Dan'an is always a bookworm, having read countless books in the past ten years. But you are the book lover and scholar you admire most. From now on, you must never forget how to address him as Mr. Dan'an. Do you understand?"
Zhu Yuhuan responded, "Yes."
Yang Pu quickly said, "Your Highness, you are truly overly kind. I dare not call myself a famous scholar. I am simply concerned about my lack of knowledge, so I often read."
Seeing his modesty, Zhu Zhanji smiled and said, "Mr. Dan'an is too modest. This little girl claims to love books, but she has only read a few books so far. She should learn from you."
Zhu Yuhuan was also a man who took advantage of the situation, so he said, "Yes, yes, if Mr. Dan'an could give Huanhuan some pointers and help him understand more, Huanhuan would be very satisfied."
Yang Pu said politely, "Since both His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Princess have said so, I feel unworthy of the title. I can't really say I'm giving you any guidance, but I've read a few books and have some experience. I'll go to the East Palace to meet you two later."
Zhu Zhanji and his daughter Zhu Yuhuan looked at each other, and seeing that their goal had been achieved, they smiled knowingly and said goodbye to the three Mr. Yangs.
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