Chapter 70 Imperial Stables
Seeing this, Empress Dowager Zhang knew exactly what Zhu Zhanji wanted to say. After the palace maids left, Empress Dowager Zhang said with a half-smile, "You are my own son. How could I, your mother, not know what you want to say?"
Hearing her say this, Zhu Zhanji smiled awkwardly and said, "If the emperor's second son was also brought here to raise, it would be fine, but Yu'er is now following Concubine Xian, how can Concubine Gui sit still..."
Empress Dowager Zhang waved her hand, signaling him to stop. Then she said, "Your mother is old, and her condition has finally improved. Are you two going to kill me?" She tilted her head slightly to look at her son and said, "You are my biological child, but didn't you grow up with your royal grandfather and grandmother? Did I say anything? What mother wants her child to leave her? I said nothing because I know it's for your own good. As long as you are well, I would move mountains and fill the sea."
When Zhu Zhanji heard his mother say this, he felt even more guilty and said, "I understand, mother."
"You understand? What do you understand?" Empress Dowager Zhang said angrily, "I know that the Imperial Concubine looks down on Concubine Xian for being a palace maid, but she has the ability to pass the imperial examination and become a court lady. Her mother, Shenshi, is also an honest woman. With the Empress by her side, I'm naturally not worried that the Second Prince will be corrupted. But what about the Sun family? Have you forgotten the injustice Huanhuan suffered? Do you really think that I, an old woman in Renshou Palace, don't know who is cleaning up the Sun family's mess?"
When this matter was mentioned, Zhu Zhanji immediately lost his temper and stammered, "Mother..."
"Not to mention the Sun family, even if it's the Imperial Concubine, if the eldest prince were sent to her palace, I'm afraid even the Empress wouldn't dare approach, fearing that she would scare her precious child." Empress Dowager Zhang snorted coldly, then continued, "She wants the eldest prince, right? Then let her take him back, but don't ever beg me to bring Zhen'er back again."
Zhu Zhanji didn't expect that Empress Dowager Zhang would actually agree after all this talk, so he asked tentatively, "Then...after that, my son will have someone from the Imperial Concubine's palace come to pick up Zhen'er?"
Empress Dowager Zhang sneered and said, "Answer it, answer it! Since your father is not here, I am naturally useless. If you can't afford to offend me, can't you just avoid me?" After that, Empress Dowager Zhang stood up and walked behind the screen. It was obvious that she had no intention of discussing the matter of the eldest prince with Zhu Zhanji anymore.
Zhu Zhanji knew that his mother was sad, but he finally achieved his goal and felt relieved. He felt the sky was clear and the air was fresh, and he felt relaxed and happy.
He was also upset by Concubine Sun, but he couldn't bear to scold her, so he could only turn his attention to his own mother. After all, they were biological mother and son, could his mother really hold a grudge against him?
Zhu Zhanji came out of the main hall and saw Zhu Yuhuan picking a flower and pinning it to Zhu Qizhen's ear. He couldn't help but feel warm in his heart. He remembered what his mother had just said about the Sun family and said to Zhu Yuhuan with a smile: "This time, the Alutai envoy came to the capital to pay tribute and brought more than a hundred fine horses. If you like any, go to the Imperial Horse Administration and pick one out and have them take good care of it for you."
Zhu Yuhuan heard Zhu Zhanji's cheerful tone and couldn't help but complain in his heart.
It's obvious that the task is accomplished, otherwise why would he be so happy...
But since there was such a good thing, Zhu Yuhuan no longer hesitated and immediately took advantage of the situation, "Daddy, I want two, one male and one female——"
Zhu Zhanji was in high spirits and readily agreed, "Two horses is enough. You can pick whichever you like. When you've chosen one, I'll have someone put saddles and bridles on them."
Zhu Yuhuan got what he wanted and replied with a smile, "Yes."
After getting Zhu Zhanji's consent, Zhu Yuhuan went to the Imperial Stables the next day, intending to choose his favorite mount for himself.
In fact, Zhu Yuhuan had his own mount, but he could not resist the temptation of the Tatar tribute horses. The horses raised on the prairie were naturally different from the horses supplied to the royal family and guards by the Imperial Stables.
The Imperial Stables had already received Wang Jin's instructions. When the eunuch Fan Hong, the supervising eunuch, saw Princess Shunde coming, he immediately came to greet her and said with a smile, "Your servant greets Princess Shunde. May your highness live a long and healthy life."
He looked at Zhu Yuhuan carefully. She was wearing an indigo-blue dress and a pearl-rimmed hat. She looked very energetic and at first glance she looked like a prince.
Thinking that if this princess had not been born into the wrong family, she would have long been the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, Fan Hong became even more respectful.
Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile, "Fan Dayong is really polite. The Imperial Horse Administration has a lot of work to do. I heard that my father had already distributed tribute horses to the ministers in the capital. I was not originally included in the list, so Dayong was asked to accompany me to choose a horse."
Fan Hong quickly said modestly, "How can I be considered a high-ranking official? The fact that Your Highness is willing to call me 'Banban' is a blessing bestowed upon me by my ancestors."
This trick worked very well to bring people closer. Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile, "Then I'll trouble you to help me choose a horse."
While the Imperial Stables sounded like a place for breeding horses, Zhu Di had begun recruiting able-bodied men, gradually forming a sizable contingent, becoming the official Imperial Guard, also known as the Four Guard Battalions. These were responsible for guarding the palace, but they were not part of the Twenty-Two Guards and were instead managed by eunuchs, effectively serving as the emperor's personal guard. Zhu Yuhuan had heard from Liu Yongcheng that the army numbered around 2,300 men at the time, and since her grandfather, Zhu Gaochi, had strengthened the defenses of the capital, the number had likely increased.
In other words, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Stables was in charge of an army on behalf of the emperor, which shows that eunuchs were becoming more and more important.
Fan Hong knew that the princess was quite favored by His Majesty and the Queen Mother, so he naturally did not dare to act arrogantly. He immediately said, "The princess is the monarch, so naturally this servant will be by her side."
Zhu Yuhuan only smiled and asked, "Are tribute horses also raised in the inner pen pasture with the other imperial horses?"
Fan Hong responded with a somewhat sad face, "This horse is a good one, but it's been traveling all the way here, and after having to change the grass, it's inevitable that it's a little bit listless."
Zhu Yuhuan nodded in understanding and said, "Alutai is far away in the north. Naturally, the food and drink for these tribute horses on the grasslands are better than those in the imperial city."
Fan Hong nodded in agreement and led Zhu Yuhuan straight to the manger, where he saw that the tribute horses and the imperial horses were kept in separate pens. However, from a distance, one could tell that although the tribute horses were a little thin, they were no less majestic than the imperial horses.
Zhu Yuhuan sighed with emotion and said, "Alutai really spent a lot of money this time and sent us some good things."
She had seen other tributes before, and could tell the quality of the tributes at a glance. Although Zhu Di had issued numerous imperial edicts reprimanding the envoys, it had little effect. Zhu Yuhuan had also heard that the quality of the goods in the mutual trade was even more uneven, and the Ming Dynasty had to provide the envoys with food and lodging, so the results were only satisfactory.
Fan Hong echoed and said, "Yes, now that Alutai is showing weakness and Wala is growing stronger, it is natural that it can only turn to our Ming Dynasty for help in order to trade, otherwise it will have a hard time even getting through the winter." After he finished speaking, he saw Zhu Yuhuan staring at him intently, and he couldn't help but secretly reflect on whether he had said something wrong just now, and why he made Princess Shunde look at him like that.
Zhu Yuhuan didn't care that a eunuch like Fan Hong knew so much about government affairs. He just touched his chin and thought, "I can't believe that without the emperor, Alutai has declined to this extent."
Seeing that she had no other intentions, Fan Hong chuckled and said, "Alutai's fate has run out, and he cannot establish himself like the Oirat. If Your Majesty raises his hand even slightly, he will be wiped out in an instant."
Zhu Yuhuan thought to himself, "You're quite good at bragging for your father," and said, "Whether Alutai's fate will end depends on the Wala."
Zhu Zhanji had no intention of going to war, so it would be better for him to support Arutai to fight against the Oirat and Uriankhai, and to avoid any of these three families from disturbing the border as much as possible.
Fan Hong didn't expect Zhu Yuhuan to say this, and said cautiously: "This Alutai has repeatedly violated the border and disobeyed Emperor Taizong. With Your Majesty's divine power, you must let them fend for themselves..."
Zhu Yuhuan understood something from his words and was stunned for a moment before he understood.
Could it be that Zhu Zhanji was planning to watch Aluta fall, then go up and grab the head himself and "achieve unprecedented merit"?
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