Chapter 65 Physical Training
Zhu Yuhuan was surprised to hear this question. He was taken aback for a moment, then after a brief recollection, he said, "I have some impression of her. She was the one who suggested to the Imperial Concubine Shang that we cultivate peonies to win the Crown Prince's favor. The Imperial Concubine Shang praised her highly, so she has been keeping her by her side to educate her."
Since it was not Hu Shanwei who chose to cultivate peonies, but Wu Miaosu who took the initiative to offer the suggestion, it can be seen that she did have her own plan.
Zhu Yuhuan thought for a moment and then asked, "I've heard that she's from Dantu. Who was in charge of the arrangements for her entry into the palace?"
"I don't know much about this. If you need it, I will retrieve Wu Miaosu's files later. I'm sure I'll be able to find something."
Zhu Yuhuan hummed softly and asked again, "Does the "one of us" you mentioned include Wu Miaosu?"
Although it seemed that the female official was not very familiar with Wu Miaosu, she still had to ask one more question to confirm carefully.
The female official denied it, "Wu Miaosu was indeed not among them. It's just that the Shang Gong was close to her, so we took good care of her, and she naturally returned the favor."
Zhu Yuhuan rubbed his forehead. "I understand."
After all, Wu Miaosu had been in the palace for a short time. Even if Hu Shanwei admired her very much, he would not easily let her come into contact with the female officials who were loyal to him.
It was also thanks to Hu Shanwei that he did this, otherwise there might have been some big trouble later.
The female official noticed Zhu Yuhuan's vigilance and asked tentatively, "But what's wrong with Wu Miaosu?"
After all, Zhu Yuhuan had just started interacting with them and hadn't yet fully understood the details of these female officials. Naturally, he wouldn't reveal everything. He just said, "I think she's smart and clever, and my father and mother both admire her very much, so I just asked a few more questions."
The female official seemed to understand something and asked, "Could it be that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is against Wu Miaosu..."
Zhu Yuhuan didn't mean that originally, but after hearing her say that, thinking of the woman surnamed Wu from Dantu, it was hard not to think of the mother of one of her future younger brothers.
Because she was a palace maid, or even a family member of a criminal, there is almost no record of her in history books. If she had not had children, she would probably have lived her life in silence like many other nameless women trapped in the deep palace.
But for Miss Wu herself, it seems that the second option would be better. After all, the ups and downs from being a concubine to the queen mother and then back to a concubine, and witnessing the humiliation of her own bloodline with her own eyes, are more painful than being nameless.
The female official cautiously observed her expression and tentatively asked, "If the princess is worried, why not let me persuade her... In fact, if she is willing, she can also assist Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess..."
Zhu Yuhuan understood what she meant. He probably thought that Hu Shanxiang had no interest in palace struggles, and Zhu Zhanji favored Sun and alienated Hu Shanxiang. He was afraid that Hu Shanxiang would find it difficult to give birth to a child. In this case, it would be better to support a ready-made concubine to compete with Sun. If they had a child in the future, the two of them could raise him together, and Hu Shanxiang would also be able to have a good end.
Wu Miaosu was a generous, intelligent, and studious person. Although she was originally a palace maid of low status, she was able to pass the imperial examination to become a court lady through her own hard work, which shows that she was a person who was also very ambitious. If she was promoted, she would definitely be able to change the situation where Hu Shanxiang was "suppressed" by Sun. In addition, she was also a student of Hu Shanwei and had a good relationship with both Hu Shanxiang and Zhu Yuhuan. If she could give birth to Zhu Zhanji's eldest son before Sun, and rely on Hu Shanxiang, she would have no worries about a good life in the future.
Although Zhu Yuhuan understood that this strategy did make sense, she still felt a chill. She quickly said, "I believe she must have family and friends outside the palace. It's not a good idea to make such a decision for her without authorization. Mother has lived in the palace for a long time and will definitely not agree. Don't mention this matter again, and don't tell her anything."
The female official noticed that Zhu Yuhuan seemed to be somewhat resistant to this matter, so she responded.
But she also felt a sense of relief for Wu Miaosu. Fortunately, neither the Crown Princess nor the Princess had such intentions. Female officials could still leave the palace and regain their freedom one day, but once she became a concubine, Wu Miaosu was doomed to be trapped in the harem for the rest of her life. If she had no children, she might even be buried alive with the emperor...
Zhu Yuhuan felt his hair stand on end and changed the subject, "Let's not talk about this for now. I remember I asked you to prepare some clothes for work. Are they ready?"
"Yes. I will have someone bring clothes for the princess right away."
The clothes that Zhu Yuhuan had people prepare were naturally the clothes of ordinary people. After all, the most important thing for work was convenience and neatness, and they couldn't have the fluttering sleeves like those in the palace.
Zhu Zhanzhen touched the fabric of his clothes curiously and said, "So the common people outside the palace all wear this."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "This is the style, but the fabric isn't that good." As she spoke, she tied the leggings for Zhu Youtong, clapped her hands, and asked, "How is it, Tongtong? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Zhu Youtong shook his head and asked excitedly: "Sister, what should we do?"
"Well... first, measure the size of the wood, draw the parts on the blueprint, and then use the tools to cut and polish the wood..."
Speaking of this, Zhu Zhanzhen was quite pleased with himself and said, "Last time I helped you borrow the "Legacy of Carpenters", I also took the opportunity to study it and learned a little bit. I am a man, so I will do the heavy work."
Seeing his uncle so confident, Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "Since you said so, I won't be polite."
Zhu Youtong was still young and couldn't do much work, so he could only help Zhu Yuhuan and Zhu Zhan'an organize the tools. The main work was left to the uncle and nephew who had read books and had drawings.
Zhu Yuhuan first gave a simple demonstration to the palace servants, and then directed them to split the remaining wood. After all, the palace servants worked harder than Zhu Yuhuan and Zhu Zhan'an, two royal children who had never done housework. They were able to get the hang of it quickly and were much faster than Zhu Yuhuan and Zhu Zhan'an. Even Huai'en, who was of the same age as Zhu Yuhuan, was just as good at the work and was very skillful.
Seeing how fast everyone else was, Zhu Zhanzhen couldn't help but ask, "How come they're all so fast? I've read that book over and over again, and in the end, I'm still not as quick as these palace servants."
Zhu Yuhuan, who was working, couldn't help but laugh, "What's the point of just reading? As the saying goes, 'Knowledge gained from books is shallow; true knowledge comes from personal experience.' Practice is the best teacher."
Zhu Zhanzhen couldn't help but sigh and waved his hand to indicate to Zhu Yuhuan that he needed to rest. He leaned against the wood and couldn't help but ask, "Since they can do it quickly, why did you bring me to do it myself? Wouldn't it be faster to let them do it?"
Zhu Yuhuan said as a matter of course: "Uncle is not in good health, I am also helping you to exercise. Besides, didn't you just say that you are a man, so you should do the heavy work."
Zhu Zhanzhen's eyes widened and he asked, "Exercise?"
"That's right," Zhu Yuhuan said without hesitation, "It's not good for your health to always stay indoors reading and not come out to bask in the sun. Look at your fifth uncle, he wanders around the palace all day and goes horse racing from time to time. He's in such good health, I've never seen him sick."
Zhu Gaochi was already in poor health, and thinking of her own father who had died young and one of her unlucky brothers, Zhu Yuhuan felt it was necessary to encourage her younger uncle, Zhu Zhanzhen, to exercise properly. She initially considered using Sima Yi as an example, but felt that this wasn't quite right. Instead, she brought up her own fifth uncle, Zhu Zhanyong, who was often rumored to be inheriting the throne. However, not only did he survive, he lived to be over seventy. This demonstrates that good health and a fast pace are crucial for a long life.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yuhuan spoke more firmly: "People must have a good body. After living long enough, you can see everything. Exercise more and keep fit. This is the fundamental thing!"
Zhu Zhanzhen wiped the sweat from his head, then held out his sunburned, blistered hand and said in shock, "Is this exercise? I don't think you usually exercise Tongtong like this."
Zhu Yuhuan comforted him, "Uncle, your intensity is actually not bad. It's about the same as when I first started practicing martial arts. As long as you train diligently and strive to reach my current intensity by the end of this year, your body will definitely be fine."
Zhu Zhanzhen wanted to argue, but when he thought about his niece, who was naturally hardworking, talented in both civil and military affairs, and had countless brilliant ideas, he seemed to have accomplished nothing in comparison. Zhu Zhanzhen stood up silently, walked to the wood, and began to saw in silence.
Zhu Yuhuan was confused and asked doubtfully, "Uncle, what are you doing?"
Zhu Zhanzhen said quietly, "Exercise your body and strive to live a long life."
Zhu Youtong, who was watching from afar, couldn't help laughing. After meeting her sister's gaze, she quickly held up the teacup to cover her face to prevent Zhu Yuhuan from noticing.
Zhu Yuhuan had no choice but to pat Zhu Zhan'an on the shoulder and said solemnly: "In order to live longer, keep working hard!"
Zhu Youtong also encouraged him seriously: "Uncle, come on!"
But...what does my sister mean by "come on"?
Zhu Zhanzhen had long been accustomed to Zhu Yuhuan's strange words. He twitched his lips at first, but couldn't help but sigh to the sky.
There really is a weirdo in the family! And the big weirdo is bringing up a little weirdo!
After practicing civil and military skills every day, Zhu Yuhuan went to the greenhouse to work. She worked in the greenhouse for half a month. Seeing that the wooden parts had basic shapes and were gradually pieced together into complete farm tools, Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but feel relieved. However, she didn't know enough about farm tools, so she had to find some reliable people to help her study it carefully. Therefore, Zhu Yuhuan was eager to ask her grandfather, the emperor, to summon craftsmen regularly to help her check whether it was feasible.
She simply copied what she had seen in modern times, and then further refined it by looking up ancient texts. However, Zhu Yuhuan was not a professional in this area after all, and her main role was creative. The specific production still depended on the craftsmanship and wisdom of these "ancients".
Zhu Yuhuan took a day off for this purpose and went to the Qianqing Palace to ask for an audience with his grandfather, the emperor. After receiving the permission, he returned to the warm room and began to prepare to welcome these skilled craftsmen. He did not return to the East Palace until the evening.
Huai En saw her yawning on the way back to the palace, and a look of heartache appeared on his face. He said, "Princess, why don't you take a day off? You've been working non-stop all this time. Even the lecturer said you've lost weight..."
Zhu Yuhuan put away his sleepy expression and muttered, "It's because I'm not energetic these days, so it's inevitable that I get distracted. The lecturers are worried that I'll be affected by my studies..."
In fact, the minds of these scholars in the Hanlin Academy are very simple. When they encounter talented people, they are reluctant to let go and want to cultivate them carefully.
Huai En often follows Zhu Yuhuan now, so he naturally knows that the group of teachers attach great importance to Zhu Yuhuan's talent and are willing to devote all their knowledge to him.
If people could be more tolerant towards women these days, the princess would definitely be able to achieve great things in the future.
"What are you looking at me for?"
Huai En came back to his senses and said hurriedly, "I was thinking that several lecturers seemed to have some complaints about the princess being busy with farm work..."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but sigh and said, "All other pursuits are inferior, only reading is superior..." She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, "Wait until the craftsmen have modified the farm tools I made, and then I'll ask the lecturers to review my work. I'm sure they won't have any objections..."
Huai En understood and said, "When the granaries are full, people learn etiquette; when they have enough food and clothing, they know honor and disgrace. When these farm tools are put to good use, it will be a great benefit to both the country and the people."
Zhu Yuhuan was a little surprised and said with a smile: "I can't tell, Huai En is now so eloquent. It seems that it is right to take you to listen to the lecturers' teaching."
Although there were older eunuchs who taught the younger ones how to read and punctuate, the Taizu Emperor's golden rules imposed many restrictions on the eunuchs. Zhu Yuhuan asked Huai'en to serve by his side in the hope that he could learn something.
Huai En's face was a little more shy, and he said softly: "The princess is so diligent, how can I not concentrate on studying?"
Zhu Yuhuan was unconcerned and said, "Everyone is equal in front of books. No matter your social status, we are all students in front of books. The most important thing is whether you are willing to study hard."
Huai En was startled and responded quickly, but he silently remembered her words in his heart.
It was already evening when the two returned to the East Palace together. Unexpectedly, Hu Shanxiang was sitting at the top seat and Sun Mengqiu was sitting at the second seat. Hu Shanxiang looked calm, while Sun Mengqiu seemed a little unhappy.
Zhu Yuhuan had long been accustomed to his mother's calm demeanor, but even Sun Mengqiu, who loved to joke the most, had a gloomy face. How could Zhu Yuhuan not be surprised?
But what surprised her most was Wu Miaosu, who was sitting opposite Sun Mengqiu. She sat there with an unusually stiff expression, and seemed very uncomfortable.
Zhu Yuhuan felt that the scene before her was indescribably awkward. She saluted Hu Shanxiang and said, "Mom, Huanhuan is back."
Hu Shanxiang nodded slightly and said, "Go wash up and get ready for dinner together."
"yes……"
Zhu Yuhuan walked out of the main hall and realized something was wrong. She stopped and couldn't help but look back.
Wu Miaosu usually stands when she comes to deliver memorials, why is she sitting today?
The three women were still sitting there. Hu Shanxiang was talking about something, and Zhu Yuhuan only saw Sun Mengqiu and Wu Miaosu both bowing their heads in agreement.
Zhu Yuhuan suddenly felt something was wrong and vaguely remembered what the female official said when he went to the greenhouse on the first day.
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