Chapter 45 The Prince's Heart
Zhu Yuhuan was originally thinking about how to bring the topic back to Yishiha, but she didn't expect someone to bring her a pillow just when she felt sleepy. She just felt that her younger brother Zhu Qizhen suddenly became much cuter, so she put her arm around Zhu Qizhen's shoulders and pretended to talk to him, saying, "Look, don't talk back to Daddy from now on, got it?"
Zhu Qizhen nodded obediently and said, "I understand, otherwise my father will punish me by making me read again..." He was obviously very resentful about this.
Zhu Zhanji was a bit amused when he heard this, "You two siblings are of the same mind, letting Daddy be the bad guy?"
Zhu Qizhen sat down next to Zhu Yuhuan and said proudly, "Big sister is the best to me."
Zhu Youtong turned the teacup in his hand and brought it to his lips to hide his disgust and disdain.
Zhu Zhanji shook his head helplessly, "You should also play with Yu Ge'er more often, and stop clinging to your elder sister all the time."
Zhu Qizhen was raised by his grandmother, so he should have spent more time with boys of the same age. Otherwise, wouldn't he have no masculinity at all?
Zhu Qizhen curled his lips and said, "Brother Yu is so quiet all day long. It's boring. I'm still waiting for my elder sister to come back and take me riding horses."
Zhu Zhanji had to comfort himself, after all, Zhu Qizhen was still young and it was the time for him to playful. He said: "If you can't calm down, just stay with your mother and read scriptures every day. Then you will be able to calm down."
Unexpectedly, Zhu Qizhen was not afraid at all. He puffed out his chest and said, "Let's go. The snacks in mother's palace are the most delicious. I heard that they are sold by my sister in the teahouse outside the palace. They are even better than those in grandma's palace."
Zhu Yuhuan quickly raised his hand to cover Zhu Qizhen's mouth to prevent this kid from going on and on, which really annoyed Zhu Zhanji.
Hu Shanxiang also saw Zhu Zhanji's melancholy, and as the queen, she couldn't remain silent, so she consoled him by saying, "The prince is very intelligent, and his thoughts are as wild and imaginative as they come. Huanhuan was also like this when he was a child. Your Majesty, why should you mind?"
Zhu Zhanji couldn't say in front of Hu Shanxiang that Zhu Yuhuan didn't have the burden of inheriting the throne, so he just sighed and said, "It would be great if my fifth brother was here. Qi Yong is about the same age as him, and it would be a good thing for brothers to play together."
Zhu Zhanji followed Zhu Di when he was young, surrounded by soldiers. Not only had he traveled incognito with Zhu Di among the people, but he had also stayed in Shuntian when he was twelve years old, which was considered a lot of hardships for him.
But Zhu Qizhen was the heir that Zhu Zhanji had longed for. When he was born, Zhu Zhanji was already the emperor. This prince was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. No matter how strict Empress Dowager Zhang or Zhu Zhanji were with Zhu Qizhen, they could never bear to be cruel to him.
Zhu Yuhuan understood this perfectly well; they were all experienced people who had endured hardships, and naturally, they would not want their descendants to suffer. This characteristic of the Zhu family can be seen in the various safeguards and restrictions that Zhu Yuanzhang set for his descendants.
In addition, Zhu Qizhen was very smart, and as an elder, he was bound to have a lucky mentality, thinking that everything would be fine after the prince grew up.
Zhu Yuhuan smiled upon hearing this and said, "Father, why don't you summon the minister's son to the palace to be my younger brother's study companion? That would also prevent Zhen'er from being lonely."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Qizhen immediately asked expectantly, "Dad, are you really going to send someone to the palace to accompany me?"
Zhu Zhanji waved his hand and said, "It's better for the child to grow up in front of me. How could they bear to let him go? There are many eunuchs of the same age as Zhen'er in the palace. It would be the same if they were his study companions."
Zhu Yuhuan suddenly realized, "Dad is right, it was Huanhuan who was not thoughtful enough."
Zhu Yuhuan spoke like this deliberately in order to let Zhu Zhanji block his own way.
In fact, she and Zhu Zhanji were both very clear that if the tutor was with the prince day and night, and the children of promoted officials were by his side and had too close a relationship with the prince, there was no guarantee that there would be trouble in the future. Naturally, they had to nip this uncontrollable bud in the bud in the bud in advance.
In comparison, eunuchs and princes posed far less of a threat, making them the perfect candidates. It was a shame that Zhu Zhanji didn't want to be involved in royal affairs and ran away the fastest, so Zhu Zhanji couldn't bring him back by force.
If someone were to be recruited into the palace, sons of military merit were also good candidates. After all, unlike civil officials who had to take exams, military positions were hereditary. As long as the family had a continuous lineage, the position would be passed down through generations.
The prince is wary and wants to take advantage of others. In the future, he may be able to control the overall situation through military merit.
Whether Zhu Zhanji had never thought of this or was unwilling to do so, it was not a bad thing for Zhu Yuhuan.
Zhu Yuhuan himself was still thinking about getting closer to the military heroes, but if there was such a popular figure as the crown prince, what was the use of her, Princess Shunde?
Zhu Zhanji visited the Shunde Princess's residence and summoned Xu Gong and the others there. Hu Shanxiang, Zhu Yuhuan, and Zhu Youtong, the mother and daughter, naturally couldn't stay with Zhu Zhanji. Zhu Qizhen could, but upon seeing Zhu Yuhuan return, his mind was already preoccupied with getting him to play. He had no interest in the routine report and instead followed the three mothers and daughters, enjoying the scenery together.
The gardens within the princess's residence were meticulously designed. Despite the winter, red plum blossoms still stood proudly against the snow and frost, fresh and elegant. The group entered the house and sat down, looking through the bamboo curtains by the window, adding a layer of haziness.
"You've lost weight again."
Seeing Hu Shanxiang's distressed face, Zhu Yuhuan patted his chest and said, "I've grown taller, at least an inch taller."
Zhu Youtong nodded seriously and said, "Yes, I have grown taller, but my sister still seems to be much taller than me."
Zhu Yuhuan reached out and picked her up, saying in surprise, "You've become much stronger. It seems you eat well every day."
Zhu Youtong raised his head proudly after being praised by her and said, "Sister told me to take care of my health and Mom's health, and I obeyed her orders. I even supervised Xiaoyu. Now Xiaoyu can play Cuju with me."
Hu Shanxiang couldn't help but smile and pinched her cheek. "Seeing how good you are, I'm worried that your sister should make up for the big mistakes she made while away from home. Your sister's Liu style is getting better and better with practice."
Zhu Youtong had no choice but to say: "After that, I will definitely make up for it when I go to Lin's Liuti..."
Zhu Yuhuan touched her head and said, "I haven't been practicing for long. If you want to practice Liu style calligraphy, I can help you find some suitable copybooks."
Zhu Youtong held her arm and said coquettishly, "I want your calligraphy. When my painting is finished, I want you to write a preface for it."
Zhu Yuhuan had no choice but to say, "Okay, okay, I'll write a book for you later."
Zhu Qizhen looked at the happy mother and daughter and felt a little envious.
Although his grandmother loved and taught him, she always said that he was the crown prince and could not slack off. He had to follow his grandmother and listen to boring books every day. As for Concubine Sun, he only saw her a few times a month. Moreover, his mother's gaze on him at the horse farm was still in his mind, so Zhu Qizhen did not want to get close to her.
The third sister would visit him whenever she was free, but apart from showing some simple concern, she would mostly just relay the Imperial Concubine's words, telling him to be careful with his words and actions, to behave like a prince, and to please his grandmother and father.
Hu Shanxiang noticed Zhu Qizhen's gaze and said softly, "The Crown Prince is old enough to practice calligraphy. I'll have someone prepare a copybook and send it to him later."
Zhu Qizhen finally smiled and ran to Zhu Yuhuan, saying, "I want your calligraphy too."
Zhu Yuhuan said calmly, "I'll ask Yu Ying and Wu Ning to find a few good ones and send them to the four of you."
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