Chapter 54 Shelter Me
"Big sister."
Zhu Yuhuan heard Zhu Qizhen's voice, turned to look at him, and asked in a gentle voice: "What are your instructions, Your Majesty?"
Zhu Qizhen walked towards a place not far away, and Zhu Yuhuan had no choice but to follow him. The two siblings looked at the misty scenery in the distance together.
Zhu Qizhen then spoke, "Hu Yi showed me the blueprints of the Xuan Palace. In the future, the Queen Mother and the Concubine will be by my father's side, and I will certainly not let her down. However..."
Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi both had only one empress, and there was no dispute about the one emperor and one empress. But when it came to Zhu Zhanji, he passed away suddenly, and he had already spent a lot of energy on taking care of his son's affairs, so naturally he did not consider the issues after his death.
However, with the tacit approval of Empress Dowager Zhang, Zhu Zhanji's mausoleum was built according to the specifications of one emperor and two empresses, so that the two empress dowagers could be buried in the underground mausoleum of the imperial tomb at the same time in the future, and enjoy the incense and worship of future generations together with Zhu Zhanji.
Zhu Yuhuan lowered his eyes upon hearing this and said, "We should have started preparations sooner rather than later. Grandfather and Father passed away so quickly that they only started building the mausoleum after their deaths. We can't let the two Empress Dowagers wait until later to worry about what will happen after their deaths."
Zhu Qizhen chose Tianshou Mountain as the last stop of his hunting trip to Changping to show his respect for Hu Shanxiang and Zhu Yuhuan, mother and daughter.
Although Hu Shanxiang was not Zhu Qizhen's biological mother, Zhu Qizhen still respected his stepmother and regarded her as his biological mother like Empress Dowager Sun. This was the filial piety that the emperor wanted to implement among all the people in the world. Only in this way could people all over the world follow suit and respect their emperor and father.
Zhu Qizhen hummed softly and continued, "My mother is my legal mother, and my concubine is my biological mother. Naturally, I treat them equally and will not make things difficult for either of them. When my father was still alive, my concubine often gave her trouble, and I know that...My mother has always been very protective of me and never made any demands on me. Instead, she often advised me to take care of my health."
Zhu Yuhuan, realizing that Zhu Qizhen meant to put the past behind him, laughed heartily and said, "No matter the weather, Your Majesty always greets the two Empress Dowagers on time and allows ladies of honor to enter the palace to pay their respects to the Empress Dowagers. Mother is deeply moved by such respect." She looked at Zhu Qizhen intently, her eyes full of sincerity, and said, "Besides, Your Majesty and I are both children of Emperor Xuanmiao, descendants of the Zhu family. Why should we do this?"
Yu Ying, who worked as a Langzhong in the Ministry of Rites, had already told her about the arrangements for the imperial mausoleum. Zhu Yuhuan knew it clearly. Zhu Qizhen knew that although he and Empress Dowager Sun were not close, his biological mother's status and legitimacy were another matter. No matter how reckless he was, he was not a complete fool.
Zhu Qizhen's purpose was exposed by her in front of him, but when he really looked into those eyes, Zhu Qizhen did not feel unhappy at all about having his mask exposed. Instead, he was moved by Zhu Yuhuan's sincere expression.
He recalled the past. As the eldest sister, Zhu Yuhuan had never been impatient with him and always greeted him with a smile. Not to mention that she spent a lot of time and effort on his education. Even now that she was assisting the court, she still abided by her duties and never overstepped the line.
How many people can support each other like this brother and sister? Zhu Qizhen couldn't help but take Zhu Yuhuan's hand and said, "Big sister is sincere to me, and so am I."
A cold wind blew, and under the hazy sun obscured by dark clouds, snowflakes fell from the sky and landed on the ground.
Zhu Yuhuan held Zhu Qizhen's hands in his own, passing his warmth to him, and said, "Your Majesty, please don't get cold."
The royal team slowly left Tianshou Mountain. Zhu Qizhen and others had already got into the carriages. Only Zhu Yuhuan had to discuss the return escort with Jing Yuan, Guo Xuan, Xu Gong and others, so he just followed the caravan on horseback.
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but look back at Wanshou Mountain shrouded in clouds and mist, and recited silently in his heart.
I will come here again, please take good care of me, Grandpa.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
