Chapter 82 Harmonious Family
When Zhu Yuhuan rushed to Kunning Palace, Empress Dowager Zhang and Zhu Zhanji were talking. Next to them was Wu Miaosu, who had gone south with Zhu Zhanji. However, this time she was not standing like before, but had her own seat.
Someone had already informed Empress Dowager Zhang and Zhu Zhanji of Zhu Yuhuan's arrival, so Zhu Yuhuan entered Kunning Palace smoothly and saw the three people who seemed to be having a happy time.
Zhu Zhanji traveled day and night from Yingtian all the way back to Shuntian, and his figure was inevitably a little thin, which surprised Zhu Yuhuan.
Zhu Zhanji used to follow Zhu Di in military campaigns. He was a little darker, but his complexion was usually rosy. He was never like he is today. His originally square face has become a bit oval.
Zhu Zhanji was amused when he saw his daughter standing outside and she actually stopped, with an expression as if she was trying to identify who he was.
Just as he was about to speak, Zhu Yuhuan rushed over, put his arms around his waist, and said, "Daddy, you're finally back..."
Zhu Zhanji heard the subtle choking in her voice and immediately felt sorry for his daughter. He raised his hand to stroke her hair and said soothingly, "Daddy is back, isn't he? Why are you crying? You are the strongest child in our family. When your sisters come here later, they will definitely laugh at you."
Zhu Yuhuan still held him tightly, refusing to let go, muttering in a low voice, "Let them laugh if they want, I just miss my dad..."
As soon as Zhu Zhanji came back, he saw his mother. Naturally, he knew how Zhu Yuhuan had behaved in the palace during this period. In addition, he was well aware of his mother's ruthless methods. No matter how smart Zhu Yuhuan was, he was still a child after all, and would naturally be frightened by Empress Dowager Zhang's behavior.
He had previously heard that Zhu Yuhuan had personally captured Huang Yan, and his words and actions were quite majestic, which made him a little surprised and confused. But now seeing his daughter acting like a spoiled child, Zhu Zhanji felt a lot more relaxed.
The Ming Dynasty needs a smart princess, but not a princess who is too smart.
Zhu Yuhuan hugged Zhu Zhanji for a long time, and then seemed to realize how inappropriate this was. He finally let go of Zhu Zhanji's hand and whispered, "Dad, you can't tell anyone about what happened just now, not even Mom."
Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but smile when he heard this and said, "Okay, okay."
Zhu Zhanji always felt that his daughter was too close to Hu Shanxiang, and Hu Shanxiang's personality was too dull. Zhu Youtong was still young, but she was already quite similar to Hu Shanxiang. If his eldest daughter, who was already smart and clever, became exactly like Hu Shanxiang, that would not be a good thing.
His daughter, who used to act like a spoiled child but was always well-behaved, hugged him pitifully today. Zhu Zhanji suddenly felt that his position in his daughter's heart was no less than that of Hu Shanxiang, and he was naturally quite proud of himself.
If Zhu Yuhuan knew what he was thinking, he would definitely laugh at Zhu Zhanji in secret and despise his self-confidence.
The reason why she acted like this to Zhu Zhanji was naturally because the news of Huang Yan's arrest had spread too widely. Given Zhu Zhanji's personality, he might start to have wild thoughts again.
Instead of letting Zhu Zhanji's convoluted logic make her think of her as a scheming little sister, it would be better for her to act coquettishly and save herself a lot of trouble.
Zhu Yuhuan jumped out of Zhu Zhanji's arms and then looked at Wu Miaosu who was sitting next to him. She had also become much thinner, which showed that she had suffered a lot following Zhu Zhanji along the way.
But her eyes were still bright and she looked very excited.
Zhu Yuhuan bowed obediently and said, "Huanhuan greets Concubine Wu Ci."
Wu Miaosu met her gaze and was about to stand up and speak, but she didn't expect Zhu Yuhuan to greet her first.
Wu Miaosu was a little overwhelmed for a moment, but Zhu Zhanji beside her said with relief: "Huanhuan, from now on, you can no longer call me the Second Concubine, you must call me the Empress."
Zhu Yuhuan also responded with a smile.
What a big pig's hoof...
Empress Dowager Zhang saw this and said, "This time, it's all thanks to Miaosu. If she hadn't disguised herself as your father and diverted some unscrupulous people from following him, your father wouldn't have returned to the capital so soon. Grandma, you should reward Miaosu well."
Zhu Yuhuan had not thought of this and was a little surprised.
Wu Miaosu hurriedly stood up and said, "Miaosu is unworthy of this honor. I can only offer my humble contribution."
Zhu Yuhuan felt sorry for Wu Miaosu when he thought about how difficult it would be for her to divert the pursuers that the King of Han might send, even with the guards.
This reward is really not easy to come by.
Zhu Zhanji disagreed slightly and said, "You deserve the reward for your merits. Why refuse it?"
He really didn't want there to be another "Hu Shanxiang" in his palace.
Empress Dowager Zhang also said, "Yes, child, why are you being so polite? After all, we are all family. What's wrong with Huanhuan calling you Empress?"
Wu Miaosu looked at Zhu Yuhuan, her eyes flickering, obviously feeling a little guilty, and her hands were clenched nervously.
Zhu Yuhuan didn't care. After all, his mother had no feelings for Zhu Zhanji, and Wu Miaosu had to become Zhu Zhanji's woman. These things were not what either of them wanted, so why blame them?
Thinking of this, Zhu Yuhuan first agreed, but then felt a little strange.
Logically, Zhu Zhanji should have returned to the palace first, and Wu Miaosu should have taken a detour back, so why did they come back together?
Since this question was not sensitive, Zhu Yuhuan asked it casually.
Zhu Zhanji smiled upon hearing this and said, "When Haitao came to meet me, I immediately sent guards to protect Miaosu. After all, the situation has been decided, so a little delay won't hurt. I'll wait for Haitao's men to bring her back, and we'll return to the capital together."
Zhu Yuhuan originally thought that Empress Dowager Zhang had started to convey the message to Zhu Zhanji so early, and that the message was delivered via a special route. Logically, it was impossible for Zhu Zhanji to come back so late. It turned out that she had been waiting for Wu Miaosu to return to Beijing together.
Looking at Zhu Zhanji again, he seemed very considerate towards Wu Miaosu, and there was indeed a tacit understanding and warmth between the two of them. I just don't know how much of it was true and how much was false.
Zhu Yuhuan was speechless, but she didn't show it. She only knew, "So that's how it is. Thanks to Grandma and Dad's careful planning and precautions, we were able to return safely." She looked at Wu Miaosu and continued, "And Empress Wu, her courage and commitment are no less than anyone else's."
Wu Miaosu hurriedly responded with a small sound.
Empress Dowager Zhang was a little amused and said, "You are so sweet-talking." She looked at Wu Miaosu and asked, "Miaosu, what reward do you want? As long as you say it, the emperor will definitely make it happen."
Zhu Zhanji also nodded slightly and said, "Just tell me what you want."
All he had to do was ascend the throne to become the official emperor. No matter how big Wu Miaosu's wish was, it couldn't be that big. How could he not make it come true?
Zhu Yuhuan immediately guessed that Wu Miaosu's wish must be related to her family, but the current timing was obviously not appropriate. After all, Zhu Zhanji was not yet an official emperor, and the King of Han was still alive and well.
Wu Miaosu was naturally very moved, but she tried to suppress her feelings. "With the words of the old lady and His Majesty, how can I refuse? It's just that I am fortunate to be by His Majesty's side. I have no other requests for the time being. Please allow me to keep this 'reward' for now, and regard it as an honor bestowed upon me and my family by His Majesty."
This was a very appropriate statement, and Zhu Zhanji was naturally very pleased with it.
As the four of them were talking, the voice of an eunuch could be heard from outside, saying, "Old Madam, the Crown Princess and the Second Consort Sun are here."
Upon hearing that Sun Mengqiu was coming, Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for her.
Zhu Zhanji's trip south completely changed everything, which was undoubtedly a major blow to Sun Mengqiu, who regarded Zhu Zhanji as her backbone. It's hard to say anything else, but the relationship between Sun Mengqiu and Zhu Zhanji was indeed sincere and deep, which was extremely rare in such an era, but it was inevitable that it would change one day, which was indeed too painful for Sun Mengqiu.
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