Chapter 40 On Being a Human Being
Zhu Yuhuan took a special leave for the work at Wunong Temple. He reported for duty on time like an official and directed the craftsmen to continuously make farm carts and other tools.
Of course, she also had another important purpose, which was to observe the relatively young Xue Shaoqing and see his style of doing things.
Unexpectedly, although Xue Xuan had only been a minor official for a few years, he was surprisingly skilled in how to manage a government office. Although he handled official business impartially, the craftsmen were not dissatisfied, and some even praised the impartial Xue Shaoqing privately to Zhu Yuhuan.
Management is an art that seems easy but is difficult to do, especially when there are many people under you and they are complicated. It is even more difficult to manage them in an orderly manner, but Xue Xuan is very good at it.
Zhu Yuhuan didn't expect the other party to treat the craftsmen as ordinary officials. It was enough for them to complete the work peacefully. After all, her main purpose was not to organize everyone to make friends.
Zhu Yuhuan was observing Xue Xuan, and Xue Xuan was naturally also observing Zhu Yuhuan.
Before he came to Wunong Temple, he had heard about Zhu Yuhuan's image from Zeng Heling and Yang Pu. Zeng Heling's sigh was "It's a pity that the princess is not a prince", while Yang Pu's evaluation of Zhu Yuhuan was "Fortunately, this Princess Shunde is not a prince." The former had been with Zhu Yuhuan for a long time. Although he was not a lecturer, he was also a tutor, which could be considered half a teacher. He had a closer relationship with Zhu Yuhuan, so it was normal for him to praise him more.
The Three Yangs all helped Xue Xuan, and this time they recommended him to the Wunong Temple just for the sake of formality. The most important purpose was to make some achievements and gain the favor of His Majesty, so that he could be sent out to gain some experience in the future, and maybe he would be able to enter the cabinet in the future.
Xue Xuan naturally believed Yang Pu's words more, and was even more puzzled by Yang Pu's comments. On the surface, Yang Pu was also Princess Shunde's teacher, but Yang Pu had basically never taught Zhu Yuhuan, let alone interacted with him, so why would he make such a comment?
However, after spending a month or two together, Xue Xuan gradually understood why Yang Pu made such an evaluation.
Be it writing or intelligence, this Princess Shunde is definitely not inferior to others, but her thinking and actions are more jumpy, and she often follows her own temperament, but sometimes she is particularly persistent about certain things, making it difficult to understand.
At least Xue Xuan couldn't figure out how such a princess could be raised in the palace.
Intelligence is passed down from generation to generation, but when applied to several generations of emperors, it seems that there is no trace of Zhu Yuhuan.
"I heard that the Queen is respectful and well-known for her virtue, but the princess and the Queen don't look much alike..."
Hearing Xue Xuan's question, Yang Pu sighed and said, "This princess has been following Emperor Taizong whenever she has time. Emperor Taizong has been among the common people for a long time and has a simple temperament. Princess Shunde has been with him for a long time, so it's natural that she will be like him."
Xue Xuan was unsure of Zhu Yuhuan's temper, so he thought of going to Yang Pu's house to ask him about it, so as to get to know Princess Shunde, who was not a colleague at all.
"I see..." Xue Xuan, seeing that no one was around, asked in a low voice, "Why does Your Majesty allow the princess to interfere in these matters? This is against the ancestral teachings."
Yang Pu coughed twice and said in a low voice, "Don't talk nonsense. Your Majesty's words are the golden rule. Besides, who do you think came up with these farm tools?"
Xue Xuan finally understood Yang Pu's hidden meaning and asked in surprise, "Did the princess come up with these farm tools?"
Yang Pu took a sip from his wine glass and said, "The princess loves reading. She said she learned it from books. If she's not a genius, what is she?" He put down his wine glass and said, "As for the princess's character, as a member of the royal family, she helps the poor and the weak and has a kind heart. She is not the kind of person who would cause trouble for the government. Wouldn't it be a waste if Your Majesty didn't use her?"
Xue Xuan recalled Zhu Yuhuan's gentle attitude towards the craftsmen, and immediately understood. He asked, "If that's the case, why are you...?"
Yang Pu shook his head and said, "You'll know once you've read her articles. Reading an article is like seeing a person; you can tell at a glance. She's probably been with Emperor Taizong for a long time, and she truly has great ambitions, and she's not one to give up easily... It's just that the country can't withstand such turmoil." He looked at Xue Xuan and said meaningfully, "We can't bear it either."
Only then did Xue Xuan understand the hidden meaning of Yang Pu's words.
Emperor Taizong was so turbulent and made several northern expeditions. None of the country, the court, the ministers, and the people could withstand such turmoil.
Seeing that he looked thoughtful, Yang Pu knew that Xue Xuan was not thinking in the direction he said, so he simply poured himself a drink.
For officials like them, if they really had to deal with such a troublesome emperor, life would definitely not be easy.
Fortunately, Zhu Yuhuan is just a princess and is kind to everyone.
Thinking of the rumors among the people that His Majesty had deposed the Queen, Yang Pu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Now that Princess Shunde is in Wunong Temple, His Majesty probably won't think of deposing the queen. Otherwise, it will be like the matter of King Han, which will put them and their ministers in a dilemma.
Even if it was Yang Shiqi, he probably wouldn't dare to act rashly like the King of Han did when that time came.
Zhu Yuhuan naturally didn't know about these things. After the affairs of Wunong Temple were stabilized, Zhu Yuhuan continued his usual life of studying, practicing martial arts and going out of the palace. Occasionally, he heard the female officials mention Wang Zhen's affairs. He was honest. After getting Zhu Yuhuan's promise, he always paid attention to Concubine Sun's movements, obviously hoping to get another chance to curry favor with Zhu Yuhuan.
Even if one is poor, one should not lose ambition. Just based on this fighting spirit, Zhu Yuhuan wanted to learn from Wang Zhen.
Before the charity hall invited a doctor, famous doctors in the capital took the initiative to come and take turns to see patients. All the medical clinics knew that this charity hall was opened by the Empress. Now that no one was seeing patients, they came to show their faces, and it would be proud to tell others about it later. Therefore, Xu Wangzhi's entry into the palace did not affect the charity hall's seeing patients.
"No, my dear!"
Zhu Yuhuan tightened his cloak and saw a tightly wrapped figure in the distance. It took him a while to recognize it as Zhang Zhong. He smiled and said, "Why are you here again? It snowed heavily a few days ago, and the roads are slippery now. Be careful not to fall."
She was wearing a pomegranate red cape and ear warmers, holding a fish lantern in her hand. She stood in the snow, looking slender and tall. At first glance, it was hard to tell whether she was a man or a woman.
Zhang Zhong was stunned for a moment before coming to his senses. He hurried to Zhu Yuhuan and whispered, "The letter from the Xu family has arrived."
Zhu Yuhuan's eyes lit up when he heard this. He took the letter from Zhang Zhong and examined it for a moment before putting it away. He smiled and said, "I didn't expect it to arrive so soon. Wang Zhi was just talking about it earlier."
Seeing her eyes sparkling, Zhang Zhong said, "It's almost the end of the year. How come you still have the time to come out? And you even got off the car and walked..."
"My sister wanted to see the lanterns outside, so I thought we'd come visit the teahouse and the charity hall together." Zhu Yuhuan pointed to the carriage behind him and said, "In the back are the money, grain, and cloth that my mother and aunts have collected. We're in time to provide relief to the poor and orphans before the New Year. There's so much stuff, and there's so much snow in the outer city, it's hard for the carriage to move, so I got off."
Zhang Zhong suddenly realized, but felt a little embarrassed, and said: "I have been recuperating recently and can't always come to the charity to help. It's all thanks to You Shilang."
Zhu Yuhuan walked towards the charity hall and said with a smile, "How are the Duke and Lady Yingguo's health? I'm concerned about this for Grandma."
"Don't worry, Princess. Father and mother are in good health."
As the two were talking, they heard the sound of horse hooves in the distance. Looking up, they saw a figure passing by quickly and then disappeared.
Zhu Yuhuan was stunned and frowned, "So fast, it's a military report."
Zhang Zhong was stunned for a moment and asked, "Military report?"
Zhu Yuhuan thought for a moment and said, "Maybe it's the military report from the southwest."
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