Chapter 2 Hu Shanxiang
The palace maids knelt one after another to pay their respects to the Crown Prince. Amidst the uproar, even the Crown Prince's wife, Hu Shanxiang, saluted her husband in the same way. Only Zhu Yuhuan walked lightly and threw himself into Zhu Zhanji's arms, saying, "Daddy is back!"
Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji is already 24 years old this year. Because he often follows Zhu Di in marches and battles, and is exposed to wind and sun, his skin is slightly dark, his forehead is full, and his chin is square. Although he is not a handsome young man, he is also very majestic.
But when he saw his daughter rushing towards him, Zhu Zhanji threw aside his previous questioning, reached out and touched his daughter's head, played with the two buns she was wearing, and said with a smile: "Your hair has grown a little longer. In a few years, you can wear a bun."
Zhu Yuhuan hugged Zhu Zhanji's thigh and said, "During Daddy's absence, I ate well every day and grew taller."
Zhu Zhanji asked everyone to excuse themselves, then he looked down at his little daughter and asked, "Have you neglected your studies while I was away?"
He had only two daughters, both born to the Crown Prince's Consort Hu. As the Crown Prince, it was a pity for him to have no offspring. Fortunately, his daughters were smart and clever, so Zhu Zhanji raised them like sons, one to relieve his depression, and the other to win the favor of his grandfather.
If Zhu Yuhuan had not been smart, he would not have taken his daughter to "present treasures".
The Crown Princess continued to sit at her desk and said with a smile, "Huanhuan is naturally intelligent and hardworking. How could he have fallen behind in his studies?"
Zhu Yuhuan puffed out his chest and said proudly, "Dad, you can test me on what I learned in books. Although I can't recite the classics by heart as well as you, I can still recite them."
Seeing her so proud, Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but feel a little amused, yet he also found her adorable. Just as he was about to speak, Hu Shanxiang rebuked him, "Huanhuan, you should be humble and polite. A modest gentleman should be humble and self-disciplined. Many people with real talent and knowledge are like this, not to mention you, a student who can barely read. You are so complacent that His Majesty will laugh at you."
Zhu Yuhuan stuck out his tongue, then let go of Zhu Zhanji and said obediently, "I listen to my mother."
Zhu Zhanji, however, did not take it seriously. With a somewhat dissatisfied tone, he said, "Huanhuan is naturally free and easy, why should you be restrained?"
After all, the old man is old and his temperament is not as violent as before. He likes to have children and grandchildren around him. If Zhu Yuhuan was not straightforward and intelligent by nature, he would not have caught his eye.
Upon hearing this, Hu Shanxiang said respectfully, "Empress Renxiao entered the palace at a young age and was respectful and cautious, earning a good reputation. Since Your Majesty has praised her, we must not tarnish her reputation. We should also allow Huanhuan to be a virtuous woman, otherwise I am afraid that Your Majesty will be displeased."
Zhu Zhanji saw his daughter with her hands behind her back, looking like she was listening obediently, and also saw Hu Shanxiang being as distant and respectful as ever. Even though he knew that she had always been like this, Zhu Zhanji's face was a little stiff. He felt that Hu Shanxiang's originally plain and pretty face was like a faded painting, lifeless.
He no longer focused his gaze on Hu Shanxiang, but instead asked, "Why isn't Mengqiu here? Is she well? What did the imperial physician say?"
The Crown Princess had long noticed the awkwardness between the couple and took the initiative to speak: "Sun's is her first child, and you specifically instructed her before you left. Shanxiang naturally took good care of her and didn't even take care of Youtong."
Zhu Zhanji's expression finally eased a lot, and he smiled at Hu Shanxiang and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
"This is my duty."
Seeing his parents getting along so awkwardly again, Zhu Yuhuan blinked and patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Daddy. I'm the elder sister, so it's natural for me to take care of my younger sister. Leave Youtong to me, Daddy, and don't worry. This way, Mom can concentrate on taking care of the Second Concubine."
Zhu Zhanji was amused by her appearance. He reached out and pinched her nose bridge, saying, "It's fine if you don't cause trouble for your mother. Youtong is already in poor health. If I leave him in your care, your grandmother will be scared."
Zhu Yuhuan sighed and said, "Grandpa often went on expeditions to the north, chasing the Tartars. The circles he ran were even wider than the ones I ran in the Eastern Palace. That's why he's in such good health and his skills remain sharp! When Youtong grows up, I'll take her running around in the Eastern Palace every day. Her health will naturally improve. This is what Grandpa taught me."
Hu Shanxiang's expression softened considerably. She stroked her hair and said, "You're the only one with so many crooked ideas."
Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but smile. "You should save your sweet words for when you meet your great-grandfather. Daddy won't be your mouthpiece."
Seeing that her son and daughter-in-law had finally calmed down and stopped arguing with each other, the Crown Princess asked Zhu Zhanji, "Where is your father?"
The palace maid served hot tea. Zhu Zhanji sat on the armchair and said, "Grandpa sent Dad to discuss something. He said Huanhuan must have missed me, so he asked me to come back first."
The Crown Princess was startled, then seemed to realize something and said to Hu Shanxiang and Zhu Yuhuan, "You two, ask the palace maids to prepare lunch for today. Don't prepare too much. I'm afraid the Emperor wants to keep the Crown Prince in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, so he may not return home for dinner."
Why should Hu Shanxiang go in person for such a small matter? It seemed that the Crown Princess wanted to get them away. Although Zhu Yuhuan was a little curious about what topic the mother and son wanted to change their topic, he still responded obediently and followed his mother out of the main hall.
The mother and daughter returned to the back hall together. Hu Shanxiang personally arranged lunch and ordered someone to boil hot water for Zhu Zhanji to take a bath and change clothes. Then she took Zhu Yuhuan back to the prince's courtyard.
The courtyard is deep and the wind is cold. The dead branches cast dense shadows on the ground. The remaining snow is piled on the roadside. Occasionally, a few birds stop for a moment, then fly away, shaking off a cloud of snow.
Seeing her mother's silence, Zhu Yuhuan guessed she was angry. She turned to look at the palace maids following her from a distance, then quickly caught up with Hu Shanxiang, reached out and took her sleeve, gently shaking it, and whispered, "Mother—are you angry?"
Hu Shanxiang paused and glanced at Zhu Yuhuan lightly. She waited until she dared not wiggle her sleeves anymore and then she spoke, "Although His Majesty has given you the power to enter and exit the Wenhua Palace at will, who told you to go to the corner tower? Is the former court a place you, the daughter of the crown prince, allowed to go?"
Zhu Yuhuan hesitated and said, "I'm also concerned about my great-grandfather and father..."
"You see it as concern, but what do others see it as?" Hu Shanxiang bent down, placed her hands on her shoulders, and said, "Others see it as usurpation! Even if you didn't mean to do it, public opinion can be deceptive and it's hard to tell right from wrong. I don't know how much trouble this will cause your grandfather and father."
Zhu Yuhuan said "oh" awkwardly, looked down at the pearls on the toe of his shoes and said nothing.
Hu Shanxiang sighed, stroked her cheek, and said, "Huanhuan, things in the palace are not as simple as you think. You can't gain eternal peace by pleasing your great-grandfather."
Zhu Yuhuan was startled, and met Hu Shanxiang's distinct black and white eyes. After a while, he spoke: "Mother..."
If Zhu Yuhuan had not seen Hu Shanxiang handling the affairs of the Crown Prince's Palace as usual and maintaining a cold relationship with her father, he would have thought that his own mother had already anticipated the future "dethronement of the Queen".
Hu Shanxiang sighed softly and said, "The world is ever-changing. One day the sky is clear, the next day it's covered in snow. Good and bad fortune are hard to predict. I just hope you don't get involved in these disputes and be more filial to your elders. Besides, you're still young. Instead of wasting your time on these things, you'd better read more books, cultivate your character, be a sensible person, and avoid going astray."
Zhu Yuhuan blinked, but couldn't help but ask, "But... knowing that peace wouldn't last forever, yet you just sit there and wait for death, not taking the initiative to fight for it. Isn't that what 'lowly enslaving oneself' means?"
Hu Shanxiang hadn't expected her daughter to use her previous question to question her so quickly. She was speechless for a moment. Her eyes moved, a glint flashing in them, but she still spoke softly, "The world is our furnace, nature is our work, and life as a human is nothing but suffering. Even if we use all our strength, what's the point? It's better to stay content with our lot."
Zhu Yuhuan held Hu Shanxiang's hand and said seriously, "Heaven and earth are not kind, but I have a heart. Heaven has given me three points, and I must fight for seven points. If I don't fight for it, Heaven may not even give me the remaining three points."
Hu Shanxiang's hand on her shoulder couldn't help but tighten, and she said softly, "You and your father are exactly the same."
Zhu Yuhuan was slightly startled, and just as he was feeling a little confused, he heard the voice of the Crown Prince's Second Consort, Sun Mengqiu, not far away: "Your Highness, why are you standing outside with Huanhuan? It's cold, what if you're sick?"
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