Chapter 74 Father's Heart
Since Zhu Zhanji allowed Zhu Yuhuan to leave the palace at will, she had been in the capital for six or seven years and was very familiar with the place. She knew the situation in the capital better than the emperor Zhu Zhanji. Naturally, she helped her father make all the arrangements and experienced the customs and people of the capital and the prosperous atmosphere of the Renzong and Xuanzong reigns.
For Zhu Zhanji, such a scene was undoubtedly an affirmation of the emperor. After all, Zhu Zhanji did have the ambition and ability to be a good emperor. Seeing such a lively scene, Zhu Zhanji was of course very happy.
The father and daughter ordered a duck and two or three side dishes at a pub. Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile, "I've had roast duck here before, it was delicious. I also took Tongtong and Xiaoyu to try it, and they both loved it. Daddy should try it too."
Wang Jin was worried that Zhu Zhanji was not feeling well and could not eat. Princess Shunde might have noticed something was wrong and said hurriedly, "My dear, this is food from outside..."
Zhu Zhanji didn't take it seriously and waved his hand, saying, "It's okay."
The waiter who was serving customers nearby heard the conversation and saw that it was Zhu Yuhuan, a frequent diners. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, Master and Madam. Our duck meat is the freshest. It has been more than ten years since the Yongle era. How could we damage our reputation?"
Zhu Zhanji smiled at Wang Jin and said, "Did you hear that? I used to stay with Grandpa when I was little, and the food here is just as good as the food at home."
Seeing that Zhu Zhanji seemed to be in a much better mood, Wang Jin felt relieved and said, "Master, you are right. I was acting on my own initiative."
From what the Emperor said today, he seemed to be somewhat pessimistic about his physical condition, which made Wang Jin even more anxious. But now that the Emperor and Princess Shunde were traveling among the people together, they were relaxed both physically and mentally, and Wang Jin couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The Emperor is in his prime; as long as he takes good care of his health, he will surely live a long life. Although Wang Jin doesn't know if the pills are effective, it seems that the Emperor's good mood is the real medicine.
Zhu Yuhuan suddenly thought of something and said to the waiter, "Bring two more bowls of duck soup." She smiled at Zhu Zhanji and said, "I heard from Madam Xu that duck meat clears heat and is easy to digest, and it can also relieve loss of appetite. My kitchen at home makes this from time to time, and it really works."
Zhu Zhanji only nodded slightly and said, "Today, Daddy will listen to you."
The waiter went to serve the dishes first, and when they arrived, he couldn't help but praise, "The young lady is so filial to the master! This is what those scholars call... 'crow bird love'! It shows that the master's family has a kind and gentle tradition. The father must be kind and the sons filial, and the brothers are friendly and respectful to each other!"
Zhu Zhanji felt even brighter when he heard his praise, and his tone was filled with pride as he said, "My daughter is the most outstanding among her brothers and sisters. Everyone praises her and she is especially caring and friendly to her brothers and sisters."
If we were to ask who knew Zhu Zhanji's physical condition best, it would be Zhu Zhanji himself, apart from Zhu Yuhuan, who knew that Zhu Zhanji was dying.
Therefore, when Zhu Yuhuan heard Zhu Zhanji say this, she couldn't help but feel a little surprised. It was precisely because she knew Zhu Zhanji's countdown that she felt that Zhu Zhanji's words were like instructions for his funeral arrangements.
Zhu Zhanji chatted with the waiter for a while, then turned around and saw his daughter looking at him eagerly. He couldn't help but ask, "Sister, why are you looking at me?"
Zhu Yuhuan tugged at Zhu Zhanji's sleeve and asked, "Dad, are you worried about something?"
Zhu Yuhuan's sharpness was beyond his expectation. Zhu Zhanji smiled and said, "Daddy has so many worries...that I can't even count them on one hand."
Zhu Yuhuan comforted him, "Dad, if you have any worries, just tell me. Mom said that it's not good for your health to always keep things in your heart."
Zhu Zhanji was slightly stunned when he heard this. He looked at his daughter and saw that her face was full of sincerity, but she was only quietly hiding some worry. His heart was quite complicated. After a long time, he said to Zhu Yuhuan: "Okay, Daddy will listen to you."
Ever since he discovered his daughter's precocious intelligence, Zhu Zhanji had some intention of taking advantage of her. He simply hoped that his daughter could please the emperor and ease the embarrassing situation in the Eastern Palace, and his daughter did achieve his goal.
But precisely because his daughter was exposed to these things too early, Zhu Zhanji could not be sure how much of her feelings for him were true and how much were false. Or perhaps his daughter had already resented him in her heart, but had always kept it to herself.
Zhu Zhanji vaguely felt that God seemed to have left him with little time. The ancestral foundation and the beautiful country were still too heavy a burden for the young prince.
Empress Dowager Zhang, his mother, had a close relationship with the Three Yangs and trusted their policy opinions. However, considering the Crown Prince's current condition, she feared that the Empress Dowager might not be able to fully control the future Emperor. Furthermore, Empress Dowager Zhang was now advanced in age and could die at any time. If the Crown Prince was still a minor by then, there would need to be someone who could support both the current Crown Prince and the future Emperor.
But no matter how close the relationship between the emperor and his ministers is, it is unreasonable for the emperor to be led by his ministers. There must always be someone to teach the emperor what scheming and tactics are.
Zhu Zhanji knew his two younger brothers, who were born to the same mother, very well. His third brother devoted himself to Buddhism, and his fifth brother did not want to be involved in the royal family's affairs. Not to mention that his other brothers were all in the vassal states, Zhu Zhanji was not confident enough about them.
As for the Sun family, the prince's in-laws who would be 100% loyal to the crown prince, it would be fine if they could really hold on, but ever since the Sun family resorted to such inferior means to deal with his daughter, Zhu Zhanji understood that this family could only do superficial work and did not have many real means.
Although Sun Yu had a good reputation when he was a local official, Zhu Zhanji could not trust him or the Sun family because he was able to pretend to obey his orders but actually disobey them.
After much calculation, it turned out that only his grown-up daughter Zhu Yuhuan was the most suitable. For this reason, Zhu Zhanji conferred a title on the Hu family and granted them an annual salary of 1,000 dan, just to reassure his daughter.
Although Zhu Yuhuan and Zhu Qizhen were not born of the same mother, Zhu Qizhen grew up under Zhu Yuhuan's care, and the relationship between the two siblings was quite harmonious. Zhu Qizhen's trust in Zhu Yuhuan was self-evident, and Zhu Yuhuan himself understood the pros and cons of the situation, and was constrained by the rules and ministers, making him a relatively safe choice.
At this moment, he couldn't help but feel a little fortunate that he had not deposed the queen.
Zhu Zhanji took his daughter on the carriage back to the palace. Listening to the creaking sound of the wheels rolling over the cobblestones, after a while he looked at his daughter and asked, "Huanhuan, Daddy has an important matter for you to do."
Zhu Yuhuan was originally listening to the wind outside, deep in thought. Suddenly, he heard Zhu Zhanji's words, and a puzzled look appeared on his face. He asked, "What does Daddy want to order? Huanhuan will do his best to do it."
Zhu Zhanji looked at his daughter and said, "Daddy wants to inconvenience you with one thing."
Zhu Yuhuan vaguely guessed what Zhu Zhanji wanted to do, and said solemnly: "Huanhuan is not afraid of grievances, as long as my father and brother believe in me."
Zhu Zhanji looked at his daughter in front of him and said with relief: "Good."
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