Chapter 48 Admiring the Strong
As Hu Shanxiang said, Zhu Yuhuan's most important task at the moment was indeed to cultivate a good relationship with his grandmother. Empress Zhang's words carried considerable weight, and as the future Empress Dowager who served through the Hongwu, Jianwen, Yongle, Hongxi, Xuande, and Zhengtong dynasties, and who was later called the "Female Yao and Shun," her scheming and cunning abilities were not to be underestimated.
What's more, Empress Zhang had previously deliberately protected her granddaughter Zhu Yuhuan, which shows that she was very clear about what would happen to Zhu Yuhuan if she stood idly by. She had no shortage of granddaughters, but she still helped him, which shows that she still had some affection for her granddaughter Zhu Yuhuan.
Compared with his emperor grandfather and emperor father, Zhu Yuhuan still likes his grandmother very much.
——Who in the world doesn’t want to be strong?
As the New Year was approaching, the workload of both the tutor and Saihazhi was reduced a lot, so Zhu Yuhuan naturally had time to pay his respects to Empress Zhang.
"Huanhuan pays his respects to grandma, wishing her good health."
Empress Zhang waved at Zhu Yuhuan, then hugged her in her arms and said with a smile, "Grandma, I heard from your father that our Huanhuan has been studying hard every day recently, and has completed his homework neatly."
Zhu Yuhuan asked in confusion, "Isn't Dad busy? How can he have time to check Huanhuan's homework?"
Zhu Zhanji certainly had no time to take care of Zhu Yuhuan's studies, so all of Zhu Yuhuan's experience was handed over to Empress Zhang, who of course knew Zhu Yuhuan's progress very well.
Empress Zhang pinched Zhu Yuhuan's cheek lovingly and said, "Of course, you are the eldest sister. If your father doesn't value you, who else can he value?"
Zhu Yuhuan chuckled, and also reached out to hug Empress Zhang, snuggling in her arms, and said, "My family loves me the most."
"You're just a sweet talker."
After acting coquettishly, Zhu Yuhuan proposed that he wanted to find someone to make something special. Because it involved transporting metal into the palace, he needed Empress Zhang's consent. In addition, he also had to inform Zhu Gaochi.
Zhu Yuhuan did not want to be inexplicably accused of "treason" just because his reporting work was not perfect.
However, this music box was a gift specially prepared by Zhu Yuhuan for Hu Shanxiang. Zhu Yuhuan did not want to explain it in too much detail, lest Empress Zhang accidentally let it slip and leak it to Hu Shanxiang in advance, and then her surprise would be ruined.
In addition to this, Zhu Yuhuan also did not want Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji, father and son, to know about this. She also hoped that she could show off her skills in front of the father and son and make them pay attention to the issue of equipment development.
Now that you have greenhouse seedling cultivation, it’s time to consider upgrading agricultural tools and equipment.
The so-called prosperous times, for the king, meant expanding territory, but for the common people, filling their stomachs was the most important thing. To develop productivity, simply increasing the population wasn't enough; increasing food production was crucial, and upgrading agricultural tools was essential.
Zhu Yuhuan did not know how to design agricultural tools specifically, but the craftsmen certainly had some knowledge of it. As the old saying goes, "Masters are among the people." The most important thing is that the royal family's emphasis on equipment can promote the trend of research among the people.
Zhu Yuhuan can't do it alone, but there must be a way if we all work together, right?
Zhu Yuhuan originally thought that Empress Zhang would consider it, but unexpectedly, she didn't seem to mind. She smiled and said, "Since this is what our princess wants, then let's do it."
Zhu Yuhuan blinked, quite surprised, and said, "Grandma agreed just like that? Didn't you need to tell Grandpa the Emperor?"
Empress Zhang jokingly asked, "You are just a little girl, how could you possibly have any evil intentions? Your grandfather knows it all."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled in his heart and thought to himself that that might not be the case.
Her "evil intentions" have not yet come in handy, but they do exist.
Empress Zhang had no idea what she was thinking and simply said, "Besides, the few pounds of iron you used isn't a huge amount. Do you really think you can scare anyone to death?" Seeing Zhu Yuhuan's embarrassment, she continued, "What do you want it to look like? Give me the blueprints and I'll have them made and sent to you. That way, you won't have to worry about anything."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled awkwardly and said, "Okay... Then Huanhuan will ask someone to send the blueprints to grandma later."
The few pounds of iron she needed were indeed of no use. Not to mention that sharp weapons were not allowed to enter the palace without the emperor's permission. Even if she really wanted to design a magical weapon to assassinate people in the palace, she would have to find a few fools who were willing to help her forge it. The Ming Dynasty was not yet at the point where a stick-attack case could happen.
Empress Zhang was amused by her little expression. She reached out and rubbed her head, saying, "Well, the New Year is coming soon. I heard from Mr. Dan'an that the daily lectures have been suspended for the past few days. You can stay at Grandma's for the time being and return to the Eastern Palace after the Lantern Festival. Is that okay?"
Zhu Yuhuan nodded slightly and said, "Okay."
Seeing her mature appearance, Empress Zhang couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. She said, "Your mother is sometimes too indulgent with you. How could she let you spend your days doing nothing but studying and practicing martial arts? You should rest when you're tired. Don't overwork yourself at such a young age, understand?"
Zhu Yuhuan puffed out his chest and said proudly, "Don't worry, grandma. Master said that as long as I train hard, even if I can't knock down ten cows with one punch, I won't be so weak that I can't even stand up to the wind."
Empress Zhang exclaimed in surprise, "I never knew Huanhuan was so capable! Could it be possible that we too will have a Princess Pingyang Zhao in our family?"
Zhu Yuhuan was startled by his grandmother's shocking words. He subconsciously looked around and said, "Grandma, you can't say that, right? Princess Pingyang Zhao helped Emperor Gaozu of Tang start the rebellion..."
If someone else said this, Zhu Yuhuan could still treat it as a joke, but if his own grandmother said this, wouldn’t it be a disaster if others heard it?
Seeing her like this, Empress Zhang couldn't help but curl her lips and said, "If your grandmother can't even control the mouths of those around her over the years, how can she be the Crown Princess or the Empress?"
Zhu Yuhuan blinked and looked at the palace maids standing guard not far away. They all lowered their heads, as if they were clay figures, and seemed to have not heard the conversation between Empress Zhang and Zhu Yuhuan at all.
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but sigh in his heart again at his grandmother's ability to manage her subordinates. She must be considered a talented general. After all, it was easy to manage one or two people, but there were so many people in Kunning Palace, and it was not so easy to make everyone know what to say and what not to say.
Empress Zhang caught a glimpse of the look of amazement that flashed across her face, patted her shoulder, and said, "Huanhuan, take advantage of this time to learn how to manage the people here. Grandma promised you more palace servants, so you can practice with them and understand the meaning of combining kindness and authority."
Zhu Yuhuan didn't expect that his grandmother still remembered this matter, so he nodded and agreed.
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