Chapter 71 Let’s have some tea
Zhu Yuhuan was confused but kept silent. He only asked, "Have these horses been given to the court officials?"
"Yes," Fan Hong said, "Ministers of the Cabinet and military heroes each received a reward, but the number of tribute horses was very small, so each palace only received one. In addition to the tribute horses for rewards, there were also horses prepared for His Majesty, so there wasn't much left for His Majesty to choose from."
Zhu Yuhuan didn't take it seriously and waved his hand, saying, "This tribute horse is very good, and the remaining ones won't be too bad either. Besides, these are all mature horses, and I won't be able to ride them for a while."
She asked Fan Hong to help her select two tribute horses, one white and one black, a male and a female. These two horses were a little younger, and Zhu Yuhuan thought that in a year or two, she would be able to ride these two horses to travel.
Zhu Yuhuan saw two other horses in the stable next to him. They were sick mares among the tribute horses. Zhu Zhanji probably would not want such horses, let alone give them as rewards. Seeing this, Zhu Yuhuan asked for them all.
Fan Hong naturally didn't dare to refuse, so he asked, "Your Highness, do you want this mare to breed with a stallion?"
Seeing that he understood his intention, Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "Yes, I'm thinking of raising a couple of horses for fun. I'll keep them in the Imperial Stables first, and then I'll take them to Xihe Royal Farm. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Banban to take care of my horses. If I can raise a few good horses, my brothers can use them when they practice riding and archery."
Hearing her care for the two princes, Fan Hong understood and said, "I will do my best to raise horses for Your Highness."
Zhu Yuhuan stroked the white horse's fur and said with a smile, "The white one will be called Meteor, and the black one will be called Quench Fire. If the two mares can survive, I will give them new names."
Fan Hong responded and praised, "Your Highness's name is indeed extraordinary and meaningful."
Zhu Yuhuan just smiled, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "I'll assign a few people to come and learn how to raise horses. They say 'Thousand-mile horses are common, but Bole is rare.' Although I can't find Bole, I still need someone who understands how to take care of these horses."
"Of course, Your Highness, please send someone over. I will definitely send someone to teach him carefully."
Zhu Yuhuan was in a very good mood after eating and drinking four tribute horses. He smiled at everyone he met. Even when he went to the imperial concubine's palace to visit the emperor's eldest son, he did not lose face. He just asked someone to pass on a small toy for his younger brother and left.
Zhu Yuhuan sat in front of the mirror, watching Han Guilan carefully tie up her long hair and put on a net scarf. She couldn't help but smile. She turned her head, looked back and forth, and said, "Your skills are getting better and better. It seems that Qiuying and the others are not hiding anything."
Han Guilan felt a little embarrassed, fiddling with the wooden comb in her hand, and whispered, "Princess, you're too kind. Sister Qiuying is very kind to me and allowed me to practice with her. Sister Qiuying said that the princess often combs men's hair for convenience, so it's no mistake to practice with her first."
Qiuying is younger than Han Guilan, but in terms of the time she has served in the palace, Qiuying is longer. In addition, Qiuying has a cheerful personality and has no aversion to Han Guilan who comes from a foreign country. She often lends a helping hand. If it were not for Qiuying, Han Guilan's Mandarin would not have improved so quickly. Therefore, Han Guilan calls Qiuying "sister".
Qiuying naturally knew that Zhu Yuhuan brought back the original Korean tribute girl because Han Guilan had outstanding qualities. It would never be wrong to help her a little more. Moreover, she originally planned to take the examination for the rank of female official. Once she had a formal position, she would no longer be able to continue to take care of the princess, and she should also leave someone who could serve the princess wholeheartedly by her side.
Zhu Yuhuan chuckled and said, "She is smart and understands my thoughts best."
Seeing that Zhu Yuhuan was in a good mood, Han Guilan hesitated for a moment before asking, "I heard from Sister Qiuying that when the princess went to visit the eldest prince, the imperial concubine refused to let you in. If this were to get out, wouldn't it embarrass the princess?"
Zhu Yuhuan was a little amused and raised his hand to tidy up his hair. "Did this news spread so quickly?"
"Many people in the palace have heard about it, but they're afraid the Empress Dowager will find out, so they only dare to spread it privately..."
Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile: "It's just a small matter. Besides, the imperial concubine has her reasons. The eldest prince has just returned to her palace and has not yet adapted. It is not appropriate for him to see guests."
Before her sister arrived in the Ming Dynasty, Han Guilan had a very good relationship with her brothers and sisters. Upon hearing this, she disagreed and said, "The princess and the eldest prince are siblings. How can they be considered guests?"
Zhu Yuhuan saw her confident expression in the mirror and couldn't help laughing. He simply said to Han Guilan, "Since you think so, I'm sure everyone else feels the same way. That's perfect." Seeing that Han Guilan didn't understand, Zhu Yuhuan changed the subject and said, "Hurry up and pack up. Ask the others for some ordinary clothes. After the lecture, we'll go out of the palace for tea!"
Han Guilan didn't expect that she could leave the palace with Zhu Yuhuan. She was immediately overjoyed and ran out happily.
Zhu Yuhuan listened attentively to the lectures. After completing the lecturer's instructions, she was about to leave. While she was sorting out her writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, the attendant beside her cautiously approached and asked in a low voice, "I heard that the princess was trying to give a gift to the eldest prince, but was stopped by the Imperial Concubine?"
Zhu Yuhuan paused, turned to look at him, and asked in surprise, "You know that too?"
Now the bachelors who serve as lecturers have been replaced by Jinshi who were admitted in the second year of Xuande. Zhu Yuhuan is no longer a spoiled and cute child. He does not behave like he did when Zeng Heling and others were around. Therefore, his relationship with the bachelors who serve as readers is only average.
By saying this, she implicitly agreed with the other party's statement. The attendant immediately said, "I have heard some things..."
In fact, they had heard about it because they had been keeping an eye on the eldest prince's affairs. They had not expected that the eldest prince, who had been raised in Empress Dowager Zhang's palace, would suddenly return to the arms of the noble concubine. Empress Dowager Zhang often summoned the virtuous concubine and the second prince, and gave them many rewards. Zhu Zhanji was busy with state affairs and had not made any move. Everyone was a little confused about the emperor's intentions.
Didn't the Empress Dowager and His Majesty originally favor the eldest prince? Why did they start favoring the virtuous concubine and the second prince?
Zhu Yuhuan saw that he was a little embarrassed and immediately understood his hidden meaning. So he smiled and said, "Zhen'er and Yu'er are both the sons of His Majesty, the sons of the Empress, and my younger brothers. Adults are all equally close. As the saying goes, 'the palm and the back of the hand are all flesh'. Don't let your imagination run wild."
Her words were fair and impartial, not revealing the king's intentions at all, yet seemed to have explained everything.
The tutor did not dare to ask any further questions and could only respond, but he began to ponder in his heart.
Although both sides of the hand are flesh and blood, but how was the second prince treated before? How is he treated now? Everyone sees it, it is really hard not to think about it...
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