Chapter 9 Rumors
His mother's expression suddenly changed. Zhu Qizhen was startled by her anxious tone and said timidly, "It's me...it's me..." He met his mother's stern gaze and dared not say anything else. He grabbed his sleeves and stammered.
He grew up with his grandmother and did not have a very deep relationship with his mother. He just felt that his mother was particularly gentle every time she came to visit him. However, he had never seen Concubine Sun speak so harshly today. For a moment, he was afraid and annoyed and could not say a word.
Seeing that Zhu Qizhen was a little embarrassed, Zhu Yuhuan quickly interrupted, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. It's all in the past. It's all my fault. I wanted to take you to dance with Daddy, but I didn't expect this to happen."
These people must not start putting the blame on her horse again. She is still waiting to breed Meteor soon...
Hearing Zhu Yuhuan's gentle voice, Zhu Qizhen immediately ran between Zhu Yuhuan and Zhu Zhanji, hid behind Zhu Yuhuan, pulled her by the waistband and refused to speak again.
When Concubine Sun saw her own son like this, she was furious, but because Zhu Zhanji was still there, she could only endure it.
Zhu Zhanji had already come to a conclusion in his mind, and after understanding the whole story from Zhu Qizhen's few words, he said to Zhu Yuhuan, "Just copy this scripture once. Daddy will have it enshrined in the Fengxian Hall." He looked at Zhu Qizhen again and said in a stern tone, "I think you are too spoiled. You should find a teacher to discipline you!"
Zhu Qizhen hid behind Zhu Yuhuan, saying nothing, feeling very aggrieved.
My sister protected him very well and nothing happened to him, so why is Dad so angry?
Zhu Yuhuan didn't want to get caught between the father and son, so he simply said, "My brother is still young and hasn't even started learning. Why should Daddy be so harsh on him?"
Speaking of this Zhu Zhanji made him even more angry, but he couldn't say anything in front of everyone. He just said to Zhu Yuhuan: "He has been so cared for by you since he was a child, how can he grow up?"
Zhu Yuhuan patted Zhu Qizhen's shoulder soothingly, and then replied: "My brother is very talented. As long as he is given time, he will naturally become an outstanding talent."
Zhu Qizhen stopped crying when he saw someone speaking for him, raised his chin and said, "Sister, you are right!"
Zhu Youtong couldn't help but secretly complain, what a yes-man!
Seeing his son so proud, Zhu Zhanji didn't have the heart to scold him. He changed his tone and said, "In that case, Daddy will find a suitable teacher to teach you. From now on, you must learn to read and write, just like your sister, who knows the Four Books and Five Classics by heart and can recite them effortlessly."
Although Zhu Qizhen didn't understand, but after hearing Zhu Zhanji say that Zhu Yuhuan could do it, it made sense for him to be unable to do it, so he proudly agreed and said, "Okay!"
Concubine Sun listened to their chatter and naturally understood that Zhu Zhanji was trying to make a big deal out of a small matter. Whether it was confinement or copying scriptures, it was nothing more than an opportunity to downplay the matter. Even if she was still unwilling, she could only keep silent at this moment.
Princess Shunde's influence is too great. Even though the Queen Mother is now devoted to the teaching of the Crown Prince, His Majesty also trusts Zhu Yuhuan very much. Unless she can be driven out of the palace, I am afraid that even the Crown Prince will stand on Princess Shunde's side in the future.
Although Zhu Yuhuan was ostensibly confined, he was actually at ease. After copying the "Classic of Purity and Tranquility," which contained less than 400 characters, Zhu Yuhuan could do whatever he pleased, even skipping classes. Furthermore, he was able to spend time with his mother and sister for the first time in a long time. The only word to describe these days was "freedom."
It's just that everyone is used to Zhu Yuhuan showing up on weekdays, but now Zhu Yuhuan doesn't appear often, and it's related to the entertainment in the palace. Everyone is a little puzzled. In addition, Zhu Yuhuan calmly allows the female officials to indulge the palace people in discussions, and all kinds of news quickly spread, with all kinds of speculations, and they are all exaggerated.
"What a mess!" Zhu Zhanji, with the lawsuit on his mind, scolded, "What's so good about these things?! These common people are so bold! They even dare to spread rumors about the royal family!"
The document he dropped clearly stated the recent rumors circulating in the capital. They were nothing more than a deliberate exaggeration of the incident in which Zhu Qizhen was frightened and cried that day. They said that the crown prince was cowardly and incapable of doing important things, and that Princess Shunde intended to murder the crown prince, and that dancing with a horse was just an excuse. The so-called "Xiang Zhuang dances with a sword, aiming at Pei Gong" was exactly like this. There were also rumors that the mother of the emperor's second son, Concubine Xian, had a vicious mind and deliberately instigated a contest between the princess and the crown prince so that the fisherman could benefit from the conflict.
Wang Jin saw the veins bulging on the emperor's forehead and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He took the tea from the eunuch and offered it to him, saying soothingly, "Foolish people are ignorant and spread whatever they want. The Tang and Song emperors didn't like to hear about it, only true and false romantic stories. Why should the emperor be so bothered by it?"
Zhu Zhanji took a breath, took the tea and drank it all, saying, "Capture them! Arrest them all! I don't think these are groundless rumors. I'm afraid someone is deliberately instigating this!"
The first answer in his mind was naturally the Sun family. After all, the Sun family had a criminal record, but since being driven back to Zouping, the Sun family had been living in peace and tranquility. How could rumors spread again?
Wang Jin also knew this, so he advised: "If the Jinyiwei arrests someone, the people won't say anything in public, but the rumors will only spread more fiercely in private."
Everyone is curious, not to mention that this rumor has both positive and negative "reason" - if no one is arrested, it means that the emperor admits that what they spread is the truth, and if someone is arrested, it means that the emperor is guilty and wants to cover up his mouth.
Even if you are the emperor, you can't stop people from talking. It's not worth it to bother with these things.
Zhu Zhanji understood this very well. He raised his hand and rubbed his solar plexus, saying, "Government affairs are already busy, and someone is making things more difficult for me..." He felt that he was not in good spirits, so he asked the eunuch to present the elixir made by Liu Yuanran.
Although there are now the Cabinet and the Imperial Household Department, all of these must be reviewed by the emperor. Zhu Zhanji would not be lazy and would only take a pill occasionally to refresh himself. If he had not been so angry about these rumors today, Zhu Zhanji would not have suddenly taken the pill.
Wang Jin pondered for a moment before speaking, "Your Majesty, rather than trying to stop the boiling pot by adding more fuel to the fire, it's better to remove the fuel from under the cauldron...Your Majesty is a role model for the people. Only the Son of Heaven can get to the bottom of things and eradicate the rumors."
Zhu Zhanji pondered for a moment, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said thoughtfully: "There is some truth..."
Seeing that he had made up his mind, Wang Jin said no more.
As palace servants, they should just talk to the point and do more, and be careful not to make mistakes by talking too much.
Zhu Zhanji thought for a moment and said, "On the Dragon Boat Festival, I will go to the Wenhua Palace and order Yang Shiqi and others to meet me. I will personally select the future teacher for the crown prince." He paused and added, "After that, I will also inform the empress dowager and the queen and let the crown prince and princess accompany them."
Although Zhu Zhanji did not specify who the princess was, Wang Jin knew it and immediately agreed.
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