Chapter 81 Marriage Discussion
In order to familiarize himself with the musket as quickly as possible, Zhu Yuhuan tried dozens of rounds in the training ground of the camp in the afternoon and quickly mastered the use of the musket.
If Toghto Boluo had not had to go south to southern Yunnan to meet Mu Ang later, these gunpowder and bullets would have been kept in case of emergency, and Zhu Yuhuan would probably have asked Huai En beside him to try it as well.
Later, they would have to go to the battlefield to fight against Luchuan, and Huai En would definitely follow her, so she should have some life-saving tools.
However, after some time, all the gunpowder and other supplies sent from various places arrived in Kunming, and Zhu Yuhuan no longer had to be so "frugal".
Shortly after the soldiers who delivered the letter to Mu Ang set out, the army following Toghto Boluo also quickly assembled and marched towards southern Yunnan.
Zhu Yuhuan stayed in Kunming with Wang Ji and Jiang Gui, and together with Mu Ang who had returned from southern Yunnan, they gathered and trained soldiers.
Of course, the main force is Jiang Gui, and Zhu Yuhuan is mainly responsible for patrolling from time to time.
Also traveling with Toghto Boluo were the memorial summarized by Zhu Yuhuan at Huai'en and his own memorial as the military supervisor, which was sent to the capital for Zhu Qizhen's review together with the memorials of Wang Ji and Jiang Gui.
Zhu Qizhen naturally received Zhu Yuhuan's memorial very quickly. After reading Zhu Yuhuan's detailed feedback, which even included reports on the situations of the provincial governments where they stopped along the way, the slight unhappiness he had originally felt about Zhu Yuhuan being able to go on the expedition to Luchuan disappeared.
When Wang Zhen saw a smile gradually appear on Zhu Qizhen's face as he was flipping through the memorial, he knew in his heart that although Princess Shunde was far away, she could still make the emperor obedient.
In this regard, he really couldn't compare with the eldest princess, so he could only find a way to let her stay outside for a few more years.
Zhu Qizhen glanced through the memorial, his eyes finally landing on Zhu Yuhuan's greeting. He then closed the memorial and said to Wang Zhen, "Let's go. Have someone prepare the sedan chair."
Wang Zhen was stunned and quickly caught up with Zhu Qizhen, asking in a gentle voice, "Your Majesty, are you going to...?"
"Let's go to Qingning Palace to pay our respects to the Queen Mother and have dinner together."
"This... didn't the Emperor already pay his respects to Empress Cihui this morning..."
Zhu Qizhen glanced at Wang Zhen and said, "Since my elder sister is not here, I must be more filial to her."
Wang Zhen quickly followed Zhu Qizhen's words and said, "I'll go and give the order right away..."
In Qingning Palace, the palace maids were preparing dinner for the Empress Dowager and the princess. Hu Shanxiang was holding the proofread collection of essays in her hands, while Zhu Youtong was playing the pipa beside her. Hu Shanxiang listened and occasionally gave some pointers, which was also a leisurely enjoyment before dinner.
Before dinner was ready, the palace servants outside came to report that the emperor was coming to Qingning Palace to have dinner together. Hu Shanxiang asked the small kitchen to prepare a few more dishes so that there would be enough.
"Son greets mother."
Hu Shanxiang smiled and asked Zhu Qizhen to stand up, saying, "You rarely have some free time, so please sit down. I've already asked the kitchen to prepare the Qingfeng rice that you enjoyed a few more bites of last time."
Zhu Qizhen smiled and replied, "It's still my mother who cares about my preferences. I still want to eat these refreshing meals in the summer."
"Summer comes and goes quickly. You can't eat these for a few days, otherwise your body won't be able to handle it."
"My son knows."
Zhu Youtong sat next to him properly, but his mind was already wandering elsewhere.
I should have called Xiaoyu over earlier, so that she could distract Zhu Qizhen's attention.
While she was thinking this, Zhu Qizhen spoke up, "Big sister has returned from Yunnan with her memorial. She is safe and sound and has long been accustomed to the climate there. She is now training soldiers and rehearsing tactics with Wang Ji and Jiang Gui."
In fact, Zhu Yuhuan replied immediately after receiving the letter from the capital. Hu Shanxiang and Zhu Youtong had known about Zhu Yuhuan's situation for a long time, but the news in the memorial was more recent. Knowing that Zhu Yuhuan had adapted well in Yunnan, both mother and daughter breathed a sigh of relief.
Hu Shanxiang's face brightened with smiles as she said, "Yunnan is remote, and communication with the capital is not smooth. If it weren't for the emperor, we don't know when we would have heard from her. Now that we know she is safe, we are relieved."
Zhu Qizhen smiled and said, "My elder sister was busy investigating the local officials and people's livelihood in Yunnan. The memorial included all the details. She was so busy with official business that she inevitably neglected to pay her respects to the Queen Mother."
Hu Shanxiang said with relief: "The emperor has appointed her to accompany the army to the battle, so she must do her best and be busy with official duties." She naturally saw the smugness hidden in Zhu Qizhen's smile, and then said: "It just so happens that the emperor is here. I also have something to discuss with you. I still need your decision."
When Zhu Qizhen heard that there was something he needed to decide, he immediately became interested and asked, "What does your mother want to say?"
"When your mother came to visit me today, she told me that the emperor will be fifteen next year. It's time for him to marry and rule the country. It's time to choose a suitable woman to marry into the royal family and preside over the harem for the emperor." Hu Shanxiang said with a kind smile, "At the very least, we should choose a queen and two concubines to continue the royal family line."
When Zhu Qizhen heard Hu Shanxiang mention Sun Mengqiu, he immediately thought of the group of palace servants in Empress Dowager Sun's palace. He couldn't help but frown slightly, and then asked, "What do you think, mother?"
Hu Shanxiang looked at Zhu Qizhen and said gently, "Since Taizu founded the country, there has been no precedent for an emperor to directly marry an empress. This matter should be prepared early. The empress is the mother of a country. Virtue, beauty, words and merit are all indispensable. We should select ladies from all over the country. But your mother is right. Your Majesty should marry and rule the country as soon as possible. Why not follow the example of the princes in selecting concubines and select some daughters of low-ranking military officers from the northern and southern Zhili provinces? Then you can review and decide on the empress and concubines."
Starting from Zhu Di, the princesses of the vassal kings were mostly selected from the daughters of ordinary military officers in Northern Zhili. These women were considered to have some family background, which could also prevent the quality of the candidates from being too low. For example, Empress Dowager Zhang herself was the daughter of an officer, and Zhu Gaochi's daughters-in-law were almost all from the military and commanding officers.
It was reasonable for Hu Shanxiang to expand the scope of selecting concubines to the area of Southern Zhili.
Zhu Qizhen had no objection to the selection method and nodded slightly, saying, "Your Majesty, I've considered it carefully. I'll let the Imperial Household Department select you as you say." He paused for a moment before continuing, "Forget about the concubines. There are already quite a few palace maids in the imperial city. Adding more concubines would only cause more trouble for the future empress. Besides, we're currently conquering Luchuan. Selecting so many concubines would only lead to gossip from those who gossip!"
Hu Shanxiang remained silent on this, but patiently reminded him, "The most important thing is the wedding ceremony. The status of the Empress is far higher than that of the Crown Princess or the Crown Prince's Consort. There should be a set of appropriate rules to be passed down to future generations."
Hearing her say this, Zhu Qizhen was stunned for a moment, then said: "What the Queen Mother said is true."
After all, none of the emperors after him had Hu Shanxiang's bloodline, but she was still so meticulous and considerate, which shows her sincerity.
This was true for Hu Shanxiang and Zhu Yuhuan.
No wonder Empress Dowager Zhang repeatedly asked him to trust Zhu Yuhuan before her death.
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