Chapter 60 Homework
Wu Miaosu had heard Zhu Yuhuan mention how to use a music box before, so she quickly put the paper tape in and turned the handle nervously.
Even though Zhu Yuhuan had explained to her how to use it, this was her first time using it, and she couldn't help but feel anxious. After all, today's matter was not a trivial one, and if there was even the slightest mistake, she would not be able to get away with it easily.
Fortunately, Zhu Yuhuan's music box was indeed reliable. As soon as Wu Miaosu turned it a few times, tinkling music sounded from it, which made everyone open their eyes wide.
Such an ordinary wooden box can actually play music.
Only Empress Zhang had a hint of smile on her face.
After the music ended, Wu Miaosu replied, "When I was delivering a report on palace affairs to the Crown Princess's palace, I happened to see the princess making a wooden box. She once explained to me the principle of the wooden box. It uses gears to drive each other, and then the tuning fork is moved to produce music."
Seeing that she was neither humble nor arrogant, Zhu Zhanji looked at her with a bit of admiration.
Now all the people in the hall are the emperor, empress, concubines, crown prince and princes, but Wu Miaosu is still clear-minded and calm. Even if it is an external official meeting the emperor, it is difficult for him to be as calm and composed as her, not to mention that the situation in the hall at this moment is tense. However, Wu Miaosu is still calm and composed, which is enough to show that she is quite courageous. Compared with Hu Shanxiang's indifference and Sun Mengqiu's unrestrained and open-minded, she is a completely different person.
Zhu Yuhuan said pitifully, "Grandpa Emperor values reading and farming the most. I saw these in books. The books originally recorded magical tools that benefited the people's livelihood and agricultural work. However, I have lived in the deep palace for a long time and have no chance to use these things for farming. I can only ponder the principles behind them and want to make something that has never existed in ancient times. I want to ask my mother to present it to Grandpa Emperor. This is what I can do..."
Things had come to this point, and Zhu Yuhuan naturally could no longer say that this was just a birthday gift he prepared for his mother. He could only continue to elevate the meaning of the music box.
Wu Miaosu also said respectfully, "That's exactly what the princess said when I asked her for advice. In order to make the wooden box, she read a lot of books and worked day and night to create this treasure to present to His Majesty."
Seeing this, Zhu Zhanzhen also spoke up, "Father, I was with Huanhuan at the time. The copper and iron Huanhuan took from his mother had all been made into gears and tuning forks and placed inside. If you don't believe me, just open the wooden box and have someone weigh it, and you'll know for sure. This song was sung by Huanhuan and memorized by Tongtong. How could such a filial act be so disrespectful as the rumors say? This must be a misunderstanding. Please investigate carefully, Father."
Concubine Guo widened her eyes, as if she didn't expect Zhu Zhan'an to speak for Empress Zhang. But he was her son after all, so even though Concubine Guo was unwilling, she stopped talking.
Zhu Gaochi asked Wu Miaosu to open the wooden box. After just a glance at the contents, he revealed a look of surprise. He quickly suppressed it and said, "I think what Tenth Brother said makes some sense."
Empress Zhang looked pleased and said, "Third brother, although still young, he knows Huanhuan's filial piety and understands your majesty's painstaking efforts to rule the country with filial piety. From the highest officials to the lowest, all officials and subjects are like this... What do you think, Your Majesty?"
The implication is that even a filial son like Zhu Yuhuan is "rebelling". What is the point of talking about benevolence, filial piety, courtesy and righteousness in the Ming Dynasty? Isn't it a laughing stock?
Even Concubine Guo's own son, Zhu Zhanzhen, had said so. Zhu Gaochi was at a loss for words. Concubine Guo rolled her eyes and then asked, "It was I who believed the rumors, but there are more than one of them... Your Majesty's servants are the most discreet, yet those rumors were spread with such credible details that they damaged Your Majesty's reputation... Does Your Majesty have any way to refute them?"
When Concubine Guo said this, she couldn't help feeling a little gloating.
Zhang and Zhu Yuhuan, two cunning men, could get away with smuggling contraband, but leaking the emperor's words and deeds was no small matter. In the final analysis, wasn't it the prince and Princess Shunde who failed to keep their mouths shut and leaked the emperor's affairs?
If you were to take it too seriously, it would be a grave offense for casually revealing the emperor's whereabouts. Even if the crown prince couldn't be deposed, it would be enough to put Empress Zhang and Zhu Zhanji in a difficult position! Not to mention that as Empress, Zhang had the responsibility to manage the palace, so she should be punished for the serious crime of mismanagement!
Zhu Gaochi snorted coldly upon hearing this and said, "Queen, what are you talking about?"
Empress Zhang seemed quite surprised. She turned to Concubine Guo and asked, "Rumors? What rumors? How come I didn't know about them?"
Zhu Yuhuan, who lowered his head and pretended to be a background board, couldn't help scratching his hands, thinking that his grandmother was really a genius at pretending to be confused. If she lived in the future, she would definitely be the soul of the veteran actress in the popular TV series.
Seeing that she was no longer crying and acting as if nothing had happened, Concubine Guo was furious and said, "The Empress is in charge of the six palaces, how come she hasn't even heard of this?"
Unexpectedly, Empress Zhang seemed to understand something from her words, and said with a smile: "Oh... I seem to have some impression. It seems that I, the queen, am not as well-informed as the imperial concubine..." She stretched out her voice when she said this, which made people feel panic for no reason.
Zhu Yuhuan immediately understood that Empress Zhang might be about to use her ultimate move next.
Concubine Guo felt something was amiss, but couldn't quite place it, so she said, "Your Majesty is too careless. You didn't even know such an important thing."
Empress Zhang couldn't help but smile softly. "Yes, I've always handled palace affairs impartially, and I'm constantly busy. Naturally, I don't have the popularity that the Imperial Concubine does... But I heard that the Imperial Concubine took good care of Tan. I'm sure she knows a lot from her, right?"
When Concubine Guo heard her mention Tan, her foreboding grew even stronger. She was about to interrupt when Empress Zhang continued, "The people around your Majesty are the most strict with their words. The Crown Prince and the Princess are so filial, so naturally they wouldn't do anything to damage your Majesty's reputation. This is really hard to imagine. Who spread this rumor... I remember that Tan's father was an imperial censor. It's just that Tan's position is not high enough, so she can't see her parents often. Unlike Madam Yingguo, who has free rein and can often share the deep mother-daughter relationship with Concubine..."
The implication is that Concubine Guo knew what Tan had done and asked Lady Yingguo, who was allowed to enter and leave the palace, to spread rumors and even had dealings with civil officials. She deliberately let Li Shimen find out and report it to the emperor, framing the crown prince and Princess Shunde. It was obviously a move to kill with a borrowed knife.
Concubine Guo's face turned pale. She hesitated for a long time but could not utter a word of defense. She could only kneel on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, I did not..."
Zhu Yuhuan found it even funnier when he heard her say that.
At this point, the best strategy is to deny the source and simply say that this is just a rumor. What's the point of just saying "it wasn't me"? Isn't this falling into Empress Zhang's trap?
Unexpectedly, Zhu Gaochi coughed lightly and said, "There is no concrete evidence..."
Zhu Yuhuan knew that he was starting to play it safe, and unconsciously looked at Empress Zhang, only to see that she remained calm and did not seem to be moved by Zhu Gaochi's ambiguous words. Instead, she glanced at Zhu Yuhuan nonchalantly.
Zhu Yuhuan immediately understood and shouted, "What kind of rumor is it that would damage Grandpa Emperor's reputation? In my opinion, it's clearly a rumor! How can you take something that doesn't exist seriously?"
After all, Li Shimen had mentioned in his memorial that Zhu Gaochi should be close to the crown prince. As Zhu Gaochi was the emperor, Zhu Zhanji really couldn't say anything. He could only avoid suspicion and let his daughter speak for him.
But he didn't expect that his daughter could handle such a situation so easily. He felt as if he saw a familiar yet unfamiliar shadow in her, and he couldn't help feeling pity.
After getting a satisfactory answer, Zhu Gaochi stroked his beard, his expression softened, and said: "He even takes rumors seriously. Li Shimen is really hateful. Fortunately, the late emperor valued him very much when he was alive. Now, he is making trouble just to gain a good reputation for himself." His words were implying to Concubine Guo not to mention this matter again.
Seeing this, Concubine Guo also saw the opportunity to back down and echoed, "Yes, yes, if it weren't for Li Shimen's nonsense, how could I have easily believed such a ridiculous rumor? In my opinion, such a hateful person should be thrown into prison to relieve my hatred."
Zhu Gaochi took it very seriously and said, "My beloved concubine is right. Li Shimen must not be forgiven lightly."
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but feel some sympathy for Li Shimen when he thought that Li Shimen had become the "source of all evil."
After all, everyone here is one family, so of course outsiders have to take the blame.
"Have his ribs crushed and thrown into prison to reflect on his actions!"
Upon hearing Zhu Gaochi's words, Zhu Yuhuan's brows jumped, knowing that Zhu Gaochi was using Li Shimen as a warning to others.
But if this happens, Li Shimian might lose his life...
Zhu Gaochi looked at Empress Zhang again and said, "Empress, it is you who have failed to govern strictly. In my opinion, it is better to hand over the power of governing the six palaces to the Imperial Concubine. This is also for your own good. These rumors are now rampant, and you must not let them implicate you in the future."
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
This "discard the donkey after it's done its work" thing comes so quickly... When Empress Zhang was helping you reconcile your relationship with Zhu Di, why didn't you promote Concubine Guo? Now that the world is at peace, you're starting to hide your good bows after the birds have flown away...
After all, Zhu Gaochi also knew that everything Empress Zhang said and did might be fabricated and could not stand up to scrutiny. But as he himself said, there was no real evidence. This was a case without a creditor. It would not be appropriate to use this opportunity to condemn anyone. It would be better to make a big deal out of a small matter.
However, it was really inappropriate for Empress Zhang to make such a scene in front of the emperor. In addition, Zhu Gaochi still had some grudges against him. Only by temporarily handing over the power to govern the six palaces to someone he could trust could Zhu Gaochi feel at ease.
Empress Zhang remained unfazed by either praise or criticism, saying, "Your Majesty is right. I have had frequent bouts of this headache lately. Your Majesty has sent the Imperial Concubine to relieve me of my worries, so I can recover."
Zhu Gaochi chuckled and said to Zhu Zhanji, "Prince, when the spring plowing is over, I have an important task for you."
Zhu Zhanji did not ask what the errand was, but stood up and said respectfully, "Son, I obey your order."
Zhu Yuhuan thought for a moment, and when he thought about the articles he had read before, he already had a guess in his mind.
She vaguely remembered that when Zhu Gaochi passed away, the crown prince Zhu Zhanji was not with the emperor, but in Nanjing. Therefore, she immediately guessed that Zhu Gaochi probably wanted Zhu Zhanji to go south to prepare for the return.
Although Zhu Gaochi was Zhu Di's son, his personality and governing philosophy were completely different from Zhu Di's. In contrast, Zhu Zhanji was able to gain Zhu Di's favor largely because Zhu Zhanji's political ideas were cultivated by him personally. In Zhu Di's mind, Zhu Zhanji was expected to become a pioneering leader like him.
As for the actual situation, Zhu Yuhuan personally felt that there seemed to be some differences, but Zhu Zhanji was obviously different from his father. He often followed Zhu Di in the northern expedition. He was certainly very clear about the importance of the north. Once he moved back, the military center of the entire Ming Dynasty would only shift to the south. I am afraid that the old events of the Song Dynasty would repeat themselves.
Zhu Yuhuan was distracted there, and Zhu Gaochi looked at her again and said, "Huanhuan, get up."
Zhu Yuhuan came back to her senses and remembered that she was still kneeling on the ground. She staggered to her feet and said, "Huanhuan thanks Grandpa Huang for his consideration."
Zhu Gaochi asked Wu Miaosu to put the music box away, then walked over to Zhu Yuhuan, patted her shoulder, and said with satisfaction: "Huanhuan is so young and has such talent. It really surprises the emperor. Now the emperor has an important task to entrust to you."
Zhu Yuhuan said obediently, "Grandpa Emperor, please give me your orders. I will do it even if it means going through fire and water."
Zhu Gaochi tapped her forehead and said, "The Emperor is reluctant to let our De Huanhuan go through fire and water. Didn't you just say that you intended to use the magical tools you learned from this book for farming? This joystick can move so many things, and it's even more labor-saving than an ox. If it can really be put to good use, it will be a great thing that benefits all people. The Emperor has heard from Yang Dan'an that your policy papers are well written. Starting tomorrow, you will start writing your ideas into policy papers and submit them. This is an important task entrusted to you by the Emperor. You must not be lazy. The farmers are waiting for you."
Zhu Yuhuan chuckled and said, "Huanhuan won't be lazy. From now on, I will report to the emperor truthfully about what materials I use. I will definitely not make such a fool of myself again."
Concubine Guo was quite indignant at being ridiculed in such a way by a little kid, but she had just agreed with Zhu Yuhuan in order to step down, so she couldn't say anything more at this time.
"Well, this is the treasure that your great-grandfather holds in his hands."
Seeing this, Zhu Yuhuan said politely, "Writing a policy paper isn't a big deal, but it's inconvenient for Huanhuan to ask for help with her courtyard. I'd like to ask the Emperor to give Huanhuan the courtyard of the former Concubine Hu. I heard that Concubine Hu once built a greenhouse, and maybe Huanhuan could use it."
Although Hu Shanwei's old residence was many times better than the side rooms where other palace ladies lived, it was just a palace lady's courtyard after all, not much better. As a newcomer to the throne, he naturally hoped to live in his original house, and took this opportunity to find a way to get the palace to allocate money to decorate the house.
Zhu Yuhuan also saw it when Hu Shanxiang was helping Empress Zhang with palace affairs. Thinking that having a ready-made greenhouse would save time and effort, he was thinking about when to take the opportunity to go to Hu Shanwei's yard so that he could study other things.
Perhaps because the atmosphere just now was too heavy, Zhu Gaochi did not refuse Zhu Yuhuan's request. With a wave of his hand, he said, "I approve. I will have the palace servants help you clean up the yard. If there is time, you can join the people in the spring plowing. It will also be convenient for you to try out the farm tools and write a good policy paper."
Zhu Yuhuan was delighted when he heard this and said, "Huanhuan thanks Grandpa Emperor very much."
In fact, she felt a little complicated. Looking at Zhu Gaochi as the emperor and Zhu Gaochi as the grandfather, she felt that the actions of these two identities were extremely divided, but in such an era, they were natural... This made her miss modern life even more.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
