Chapter 55 Father's Worry
On the other hand, Zhu Qizhen originally wanted to meet Zhu Zhanji directly, but Zhu Zhanji was discussing state affairs with the cabinet ministers. Wang Jin naturally asked the prince to sit in the side hall first, and then went in to report.
After obtaining Zhu Zhanji's consent, Wang Jin personally led the prince who had come to visit suddenly in.
When the three Yangs in the hall heard that the prince had also arrived, they all bowed.
Zhu Qizhen nodded solemnly and said, "Gentlemen, please stand up."
Since he was enlightened, Zhu Qizhen not only had to learn to read and write, but also had to learn various etiquette, so he would naturally have no problem dealing with people and things.
Jin Youzi passed away last year, and now only the Three Yangs are left in the cabinet to assist the emperor in handling state affairs. On weekdays, the three of them meet with the emperor. Today, with the sudden appearance of the crown prince, the three of them are a little cautious. They were originally discussing the topic of converting official salaries into banknotes, but it is not appropriate to continue at this time.
Zhu Zhanji, however, was unconcerned and said, "The Crown Prince is becoming more and more calm and sensible. He will soon be of marriageable age and will need to learn more about how to handle government affairs. You are his teachers, so there is no need to be restrained in front of the Crown Prince."
The three of them looked at their noses and their hearts, and all agreed.
After all, the crown prince was present when the top scholar met the emperor, which shows that His Majesty also intends to let the crown prince get involved in political affairs.
Zhu Zhanji then looked at Zhu Qizhen and said, "Dad remembers that you went horseback riding with your elder sister today. Why did you suddenly come to my side?"
Zhu Qizhen reached out and tugged at Zhu Zhanji's sleeve, and said seriously, "Dad, I have something to ask of you."
Zhu Zhanji uttered an "oh" and raised his eyebrows slightly before asking, "What do you want to ask me for, Prince?"
Zhu Qizhen said with a serious face: "Dad, I can't wait to get married. I want to learn horse riding and archery now."
Zhu Zhanji didn't expect Zhu Qizhen to say that. He was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "If you want to learn, just learn. Why are you in such a hurry?"
Zhu Qizhen did not regard the Three Yangs as outsiders and said, "Sister can shoot three arrows with one bow. I want her to teach me, but mother does not allow me to get close to the eldest sister."
Yang Pu suddenly wished he could close his ears, but unfortunately the emperor was above them, and they had no time to escape even if they wanted to.
They didn't want to get involved in the royal family's affairs; it was best for the royal family to resolve the issue internally. Furthermore, Zhu Qizhen's previous remarks clearly proved that the Crown Prince's relationship with his biological mother was average, and that he was closer to Princess Shunde. If the people started spreading rumors again, the Emperor might well suspect them, the ministers, who had inexplicably overheard the royal gossip.
Yang Pu thought so, and Yang Shiqi and Yang Rong thought much the same. However, Zhu Zhanji did not speak, so how could the ministers dare to interrupt?
Zhu Zhanji had never expected his son to say something so shocking. Even though he had been on the throne for eight years, he felt a little uneasy. He leaned forward slightly, patted his son on the back, and said kindly, "Don't talk nonsense. Your elder sister has always respected the Imperial Concubine, and the Imperial Concubine also loves your sister very much. Why would she not allow you to be close to your sister?"
Zhu Qizhen was determined and said, "I'm not talking nonsense. If it weren't for this, why would Third Sister go out of her way to persuade me? Now Big Sister isn't close to me anymore..."
If Zhu Hanjia heard Zhu Qizhen say this, he would definitely faint.
She did mean this, but she couldn't say it casually, let alone in front of the ministers.
Zhu Zhanji only regretted that he had not directly scolded his son and then let Wang Jin take him away. He could only force a smile on his face and said to the three Yangs, "We will discuss the issue of banknotes another day. You can leave first."
The Three Yangs were overjoyed and immediately accepted the order and left.
After watching the three ministers leave, Zhu Zhanji finally turned to Zhu Qizhen and asked in a rare serious tone, "Who taught you to say that just now? Your mother? Or your elder sister?"
When Wang Jin heard Zhu Zhanji ask this, his heart also skipped a beat.
After all, the prince is just a child. What he thinks and says are all taught by the people around him. It is no wonder that the emperor suspected Concubine Sun or Princess Shunde at the first time.
Zhu Qizhen was a little confused, but still replied: "I thought so myself. Third sister didn't let me and eldest sister learn horse riding and archery, wasn't it because of mother? I guessed it right away. Eldest sister is very good to me and would never harm me. Why does mother always dislike eldest sister?"
Zhu Zhanji was in a complicated mood and asked, "Do you like your sister so much?"
He had assumed that Wang Zhen, who had once been with Concubine Sun, had been mentoring Zhu Qizhen and, more or less, had been acting under Concubine Sun's orders, deliberately influencing the relationship between the two siblings. It wasn't that he didn't want the siblings to have a good relationship, but Zhu Yuhuan was cunning and intelligent, and if Zhu Qizhen trusted her too much and wasn't on guard, he feared she might turn against him and manipulate the Crown Prince.
In the past, Zhu Zhanji naturally had no such worries, but now he can vaguely realize that his spirit and body are not as good as before, and he can only rely on taking the offered elixirs to refresh himself... Taking all these into consideration, Zhu Zhanji also has to make preparations in advance.
"I like the big sister the most. I want to be better than the big sister so that everyone can praise me."
Zhu Zhanji was now even more displeased and disappointed. He said, "They say 'even if one is poor, one should not be short-sighted.' Why do you always compare yourself to your elder sister? You are the crown prince, and your elder sister is a princess. How can you compare the two of you? The crown prince has a heavier burden on his shoulders. What's the point of being more capable than your sister?"
These three consecutive questions caught Zhu Qizhen off guard. Puzzled, he asked, "But besides Dad, my eldest sister is the most powerful. Who else can I compete with?"
Seeing that he trusted Zhu Yuhuan so much, Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but sigh. He patted his son's shoulder and said, "Think about it carefully. If your eldest sister was a prince, an older brother than you, what would you do?"
Zhu Qizhen was even more confused and asked, "Father, why are you asking me something impossible? My sister will never be the crown prince. I will become the emperor in the future. What is there to worry about? Will everyone support my sister as the emperor?"
Zhu Zhanji was choked by his son's question, but he also knew that what Zhu Qizhen said was right, so he had to say: "You and your sister both have the surname Zhu, and you are born into the family. Your sister naturally respects you, but you can't trust her completely, understand?" Before his son could open his mouth to refute him, Zhu Zhanji tightened his hand on his shoulder slightly and said seriously: "Once you become the crown prince, or the emperor, everyone under the dragon throne will be your enemy. You can cooperate with the enemy, you can fight against the enemy, but there is one thing you must not forget: never trust someone completely. Zhen'er, you are still young now. You will understand when you grow up."
Seeing his father so serious, Zhu Qizhen could only nod and say, "Oh."
Zhu Zhanji patted his son's head and said, "Always remember what Dad said today, okay?"
"Okay." Zhu Qizhen agreed, but still couldn't help asking, "Can I still learn horseback riding and archery from my sister?"
Zhu Zhanji was almost mad at his words, but he finally said patiently, "Of course, I can, but I have to be with the Duke of Yingguo, understand?"
Zhu Qizhen achieved his goal and cheered, saying, "Dad is still the most powerful. He can be the boss of everyone! I will definitely become someone as powerful as Dad in the future!"
Zhu Zhanji had no way to deal with him and could only smile helplessly.
The prince is young, so as a father, he is the only one who can pay more attention to him.
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