Chapter 56 Giving Gifts
After Wang Zhen got the news, he rushed from Renshou Palace, but it was second-hand information after all, so he could not catch up with Zhu Qizhen's speed. When he arrived, the Three Yangs had already come out of the palace.
Seeing this, Wang Zhen hurriedly greeted the three Mr. Yangs. Unexpectedly, the three of them just looked at each other, nodded, and left together. It was obvious that they did not take him, the half-"Prince Mr.", seriously.
Although Wang Zhen was unhappy, what Princess Changde said was the most important matter, so he naturally rushed to the gate of the Qianqing Palace to wait.
Princess Shunde's favor was unfailing, so how could he dare to offend this princess? Naturally, he had to find a way to help Princess Shunde. If this kind of words got to Concubine Sun's ears, I'm afraid it would not be easily silenced, and even he would be in trouble.
Wang Zhen was just beginning to wonder how to speak up for Princess Shunde when he heard someone nearby say, "Isn't this Wang Zhen, who serves the Thousand Year Old Master? Why did you come to the Emperor's chambers without permission?"
The person Wang Zhen faced was none other than Jin Ying, the eunuch in charge of writing in the Imperial Household Department. Behind him were several young eunuchs, each holding a box in their arms. They had obviously brought the memorials that needed to be personally reviewed by the emperor for his majesty to decide.
Wang Zhen hurriedly bowed respectfully and said, "Your servant greets His Majesty Jin Dayun." He gave a flattering smile and said, "Your Highness has something to ask of you, the Emperor. I am of low status and cannot enter, so I am waiting outside the palace."
The Imperial Household Department enjoyed the emperor's trust and was allowed to approve documents on his behalf. This led to the rise of these eunuchs, and even the Imperial Horse Department, responsible for the emperor's inner palace security, often avoided their influence. Not to mention Jin Ying himself, who enjoyed considerable trust from the emperor. Having just been promoted to the position of Imperial Household Department eunuch and granted a pardon from death last year, it was time for him to show off his power. Every palace lady and eunuch treated him with courtesy.
Jin Ying took a quick glance and said, "It turns out to be Wang Daban, the companion of the Thousand-year-old Lord. You must be careful in front of the Emperor."
Wang Zhen naturally greeted him with a smile: "Jin Dayong is right."
Only after Jin Ying left did Wang Zhen spat in his heart.
Isn't it just a matter of seniority? When the dynasty changes in the future, I'll see if he can still be so generous in front of me!
Wang Zhen was secretly sulking. Zhu Qizhen had already walked out of the hall. Seeing Wang Zhen coming, he was a little surprised and asked, "Why are you here, Mr. Wang?"
Seeing his relaxed steps, Wang Zhen knew that the emperor had probably agreed to the prince's request, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly that the royal family's teaching of children was indeed different.
If it were in ordinary society, if a child always asked for things, he would have been stripped of his shoes and beaten. How could he be so obedient?
Even though he was thinking this, Wang Zhen remained calm and said with a smile, "I heard that the Thousand Year Old Master had rashly come to the Emperor, and I was worried that something had happened to him."
Zhu Qizhen snorted upon hearing this and said, "Did Third Sister send someone to look for you?" Seeing that Wang Zhen didn't dare to look up, he knew he had guessed correctly and snorted, "Mr. Wang is my master. How can he just follow Third Sister's orders?"
Wang Zhen suddenly felt a pang of authority when he heard him say this, no longer acting like a child. He felt a pang of nervousness in his heart, and he quickly said, "Your Highness is right, but I am really worried about you..."
Zhu Qizhen stepped forward, his tone still a little proud, and said: "Dad has already promised me, from now on, my sister and Duke Ying will teach me riding and archery."
Wang Zhen's heart was pounding, and he couldn't help but start thinking about how he would report to Princess Shunde.
He was just pondering this when Zhu Qizhen suddenly said, "Big sister is very good to me. Why doesn't Dad let me trust her?"
When Wang Zhen heard this, he had an idea in his mind.
If he could use this opportunity to drive Princess Shunde out of the palace, he wouldn't have to constantly leak information to her...
Wang Zhen saw that there was no one around except a few young eunuchs following him. They all followed Wang Zhen's lead and naturally would not pass on any message casually.
Wang Zhen said confidently, "My Lord, people's hearts are always hidden. No matter how good the princess is to you, her mother is the Empress, and your mother is the Imperial Concubine..."
Zhu Qizhen curled his lips upon hearing this and said, "Empress Hu is also my mother. All the princes and princesses are the queen's children."
Wang Zhen was speechless for a moment and said, "But to the princess, the Thousand Year Old Master is definitely different from Princess Yongqing."
When this was mentioned, Zhu Qizhen wavered a little and whispered, "My sister loves my second sister the most, and so does mother... After my second sister, it's me."
He could also vaguely feel that the Queen, the eldest sister, and the second sister were a family. Although they all had the same father, the ones his sister cherished most in her heart were the mother and the second sister. Only the three of them were a true family connected by blood.
Wang Zhen realized that his opportunity had arrived and immediately said, "That's why the Emperor asked His Majesty to be more careful..."
Zhu Qizhen simply said, "Neither Yu'er nor I are your brothers, but you still love me more. Everyone sees it, even grandma says so."
It would be great if the older sister was his biological sister, then no one could compete with him.
Wang Zhenyi said sternly: "That's because Your Highness is the Crown Prince, and the princess will naturally treat you differently from others..." When he said this, he suddenly realized that once he said this, he would inevitably reveal his true thoughts.
He was thinking about how to make up for it when Han Guilan appeared not far away.
Han Guilan walked over quickly, smiling brightly, saying, "Your Highness's cloak has fallen behind, and His Highness asked me to bring it here quickly, along with the ear and hand warmers that Your Highness had sewn himself. I thought it was time for Your Highness to return to the old lady at Renshou Palace, so I decided to wait for him on the way, and I didn't expect to meet you by chance."
Zhu Qizhen exclaimed, and immediately took the item from Han Guilan's hand, asking curiously, "Did you sew this yourself, sister? You know needlework?"
Han Guilan squatted down and pointed at the stitching marks on it, saying, "Of course. Your Highness, look, there are scratches on the fabric in the middle. It's the calluses on your hands that have damaged the fabric. Your Highness was worried that Your Highness would think her sewing skills were not good enough..."
Zhu Qizhen was so fond of it that he took it and looked at it, unable to let it go, as if he had never seen a hand mask before. "This is great, I can wear it every day and everyone can see it."
Wang Zhen didn't expect Han Guilan to come at such a coincidence. He subconsciously looked at her, but saw that Han Guilan's eyes were cold. She looked at him as if she was looking at a dead person, as if she had heard the provocation just now. What's more, her eyes were exactly the same as Zhu Yuhuan's. Wang Zhen was so scared that he shuddered.
Han Guilan then smiled brightly and said, "Mr. Wang, why don't we usually see you come to Kunning Palace with His Majesty? We've all heard that His Majesty listens to Mr. Wang the most. As long as Mr. Wang asks, His Majesty will agree. Not even His Majesty has such an honor."
These words carried great weight. Wang Zhen smiled awkwardly and said hastily, "Your Highness Shunde, you are truly embarrassing me. I am only a lowly eunuch. How dare I be your master? Your Highness is different. Your Highness is always nagging about you..."
Zhu Qizhen didn't mind the heat, so he put on his hand warmers and ear warmers, then he said, "Yes, Wang Zhen, don't say bad things about Big Sister anymore."
Wang Zhen felt even more nervous when he saw Han Guilan's sinister smile. He quickly said, "How dare this servant say anything bad about His Highness Shunde? I just slipped my tongue..."
This excuse sounded somewhat feeble and weak, but Han Guilan acted as if nothing had happened. She smiled at Wang Zhen and said, "That's good. My prince is the most considerate to everyone in the palace, and he always fears that someone might harbor resentment..."
Not only was Han Guilan difficult to deal with, but most importantly, Zhu Qizhen's attitude towards Zhu Yuhuan remained unchanged. Wang Zhen had already given up and quickly said, "His Highness Shunde is so kind and generous. No one in the palace has a bad word to say about him!"
Seeing this, Han Guilan said with a half-smile, "Mr. Wang is indeed well-educated and knowledgeable. He understands the meaning of 'benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, trustworthiness, loyalty, filial piety, fraternity, forgiveness, courage and modesty.'"
Wang Zhen smiled awkwardly and said, "Mrs. Han, you are too kind..."
Everyone was happy when the imperial edict to teach riding and archery was issued, except for Duke Yingguo Zhang Fu, who was confused.
Although His Majesty had previously instructed him to be responsible for the Crown Prince's riding and archery, that was an arrangement made after he got married. Why is he now being asked to come to the palace on time to teach riding and archery courses?
However, after Zhang Fu entered the palace and met Zhu Yuhuan who was accompanying the prince, he naturally understood.
It is one thing for the Duke of England to teach, but with the Princess Shunde who has already learned horse riding and archery, His Majesty probably wants them to supervise each other.
It was simply that Zhu Zhanji was worried about the brother and sister, and he also considered that if the incident at the racecourse happened again, with the presence of an outsider like the Duke of England, he could at least explain the whole story clearly. If things really didn't work out, there would be someone to take the blame.
Moreover, Princess Shunde can monitor whether the Duke of Ying is sincere or perfunctory in teaching the Crown Prince.
Isn’t this a case of “Princess Shunde is a brick, she can be moved wherever she is needed”?
Zhu Yuhuan and Zhang Fu were old acquaintances, so they greeted each other familiarly. However, it was the first time that Zhu Qizhen met the Duke of Yingguo, so he was a little curious and looked Zhang Fu up and down.
After all, the Duke of Ying is over fifty years old. Even though he was once a famous general, his physical fitness cannot be compared with the past. Zhu Qizhen is naturally curious about what this old man can teach him.
Seeing this, Zhu Yuhuan introduced Zhu Qizhen, "Duke Ying's father once served my great-grandfather, risking his life. Duke Ying himself even conquered Annan several times. This title was earned through hard work and outstanding military achievements. My little tricks are nothing compared to Duke Ying. Moreover, Duke Ying is a man of both civil and military talents. He even supervised the compilation of the Veritable Records and is quite famous in the Imperial College."
Zhang Fu bowed and said, "Princess, you are too kind. I am already very old and seldom ride a horse, so I can only devote myself to writing."
Zhu Qizhen said "Oh" in understanding, then asked, "What can Master Zhang do?"
Zhang Fu really didn't know what to say, so he asked, "What does Your Highness want to learn?"
For military commanders, horse riding and archery are just trivial skills and there is really no need to talk about them all the time.
Zhu Qizhen was proud of Zhu Yuhuan and said, "Sister can shoot three arrows at once! Every one of them will hit the target! I want to learn this too!"
Zhu Yuhuan smiled awkwardly and said, "It's just some simple skills. Please forgive me, Lord Yingguo."
Zhang Fu said seriously, "The princess has not only accompanied His Majesty on border patrols, but has also traveled to Liaodong and other places on her own. Although she has never met the enemy, her courage is commendable, which is also a great advantage for a general."
Zhu Qizhen's eyes lit up when he heard this and he said, "Yes, sister is powerful and brave. I want to be like her, or even more powerful than her!"
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and touched his head, saying, "You..."
This precious prince was still young, so Zhang Fu didn't know what to say. He simply said, "Although I haven't personally taught the princess how to ride and shoot, I have heard that she is always diligent. Not only does she come to practice every day, but she also comes earlier than the teacher. It shows that hard work pays off."
Hearing this, Zhu Qizhen was rather troubled, but still said: "I study very diligently on weekdays, and Mr. Wang has praised me before."
Zhang Fu didn't know who Mr. Wang Zhu Qizhen was talking about, but Zhu Yuhuan had already spoken, "Duke Yingguo, you don't know that Wang Banban, the Crown Prince's most trusted mentor, is the one who teaches him. The Crown Prince always takes Wang Banban's advice to heart."
Wang Zhen, who was originally just a background figure, was startled and quickly bowed, saying, "Your Highness, you are truly embarrassing me..."
After being "taught a lesson" by Han Guilan, Wang Zhen immediately gave up the idea of throwing mud at Princess Shunde. The most important thing was that the Crown Prince trusted Princess Shunde very much. If he did the opposite, he would only lose the Crown Prince's trust. No matter how much the Imperial Concubine messed with her, she was still the Crown Prince's biological mother. He was just a eunuch, so how could he dare to act recklessly?
However, he could understand why Concubine Sun and the Sun family were so afraid of Princess Shunde. This princess was a smiling tiger character. She always attacked without making any sound. By the time she reacted, the knife was right in front of her. No one would dare to move.
If Wang Zhen was not absolutely sure of "getting rid of" the princess, he would never act rashly again.
Zhu Yuhuan actually reached out and helped him up, saying with a smile: "Don't be nervous, Wang Banban, it's just a joke."
Zhang Fu immediately understood that Wang Zhen was the "Mr. Wang" mentioned by the prince. The intimate way he addressed a servant who served his master showed that the relationship between the master and servant was very good.
Zhu Yuhuan turned to Duke Yingguo Zhang Fu and said, "When we brothers and sisters have free time, we go to the stables to ride horses. My brother can already sit steadily on a horse, but he's still young, so we can't let him ride alone. A eunuch usually leads the horse. As for archery, my brother hasn't learned it yet. Fortunately, my father has had a bow and arrow made for him. It doesn't require much physical strength, just enough for him to practice with."
After listening to Zhu Yuhuan's description of the Crown Prince's learning progress, Zhang Fu nodded slightly and said, "I understand. Your Highness is still young, so you should first train your arm strength. There's no need to rush into archery. Practice your arms for two quarters, then practice horseback riding for another two quarters, alternating between the two to prevent Your Highness from getting bored."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Qizhen said with some displeasure, "How can you shoot accurately without drawing the bow? Next year when I go to the Western Garden, I want to hunt a rabbit for Grandma like my sister did."
Zhu Yuhuan patted his brother's shoulder and said, "Zhen'er, I'm doing the same thing. Let's train our arm strength first."
Zhu Qizhen had no choice but to mutter, "I know..."
When Zhang Fu saw that he was easily "suppressed" by Zhu Yuhuan, he finally understood that Princess Shunde was here to enforce discipline.
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