Chapter 3 Five Difficulties
Sun Mengqiu was wearing a Zhenxia cross-collar, emerald green horse-faced skirt, which was particularly eye-catching in the bleak winter day, not to mention that she was pregnant.
Hu Shanxiang immediately let go of her daughter and quickly walked over to Sun Mengqiu, gently scolding her, "What are you doing out in such cold weather? The most important thing is to take care of your baby. Your parents and the Crown Prince all value this baby of yours."
Sun Mengqiu said with a smile: "I heard someone in the front yard say that the young master has returned, so I thought of going out to greet him, but I didn't expect to meet His Highness and Huanhuan first."
In the palace, everyone calls Zhu Zhanji "Grandson", except Sun Mengqiu, who calls him "Little Master". This is because when Sun Mengqiu entered the palace, Zhu Zhanji had not yet been canonized as the Crown Prince, and the palace people called him "Little Master". The world has changed, but Sun Mengqiu has remained the same to Zhu Zhanji.
Zhu Yuhuan saluted her and then replied, "Father has just returned. Grandma has missed him for a long time, so she left someone to talk to her. I'm afraid the Crown Prince Consort will have to wait until after lunch to see Father."
Sun Mengqiu nodded in understanding, a hint of anticipation in her expression. She gently stroked her swollen belly and said, "I was worried that the crown prince wouldn't be able to make it back in time. Fortunately, this child was patient and waited for his father to return."
Hu Shanxiang simply nodded, then urged the maids behind her, "Why don't you hurry up and help the Crown Prince's Concubine back inside? It's so cold, how will you handle the situation if the Crown Prince's Concubine and the baby get pregnant?"
Sun Mengqiu's personal maid Ruilan hurriedly replied, "It's really because the Crown Prince hasn't seen the Crown Prince for so long and missed him so much. When she heard that he had returned, she waited outside the house and forgot about the safety of the Crown Prince's eldest son..."
Zhu Yuhuan's eyebrows jumped, but he didn't show it.
These palace servants can talk, and they all seem to have X-ray vision, acknowledging that Sun Mengqiu is pregnant with a boy...
Sun Mengqiu scolded, "Rui Lan, stop talking nonsense!" She looked at Hu Shanxiang with a look of uneasiness, as if Hu Shanxiang was going to change her expression in the next moment.
Seeing her so flustered, Zhu Yuhuan was a little puzzled. Seeing this, he said, "Mother, let's go inside and talk. It's too cold outside. Don't hurt the younger brother or sister in the concubine's belly."
Hu Shanxiang didn't take it seriously. She simply ordered the palace maids to hurriedly help Sun Mengqiu into the house and handed her a hand warmer. Then she sat down calmly at the table and said, "The Crown Prince asked about you as soon as he returned, which shows that he is thinking about you. Just take good care of yourself, and that will reassure the Crown Prince. It's windy outside, so you can have lunch in your own room today. You don't need to come and serve your mother, or you'll catch a cold. The Crown Prince will come to visit you in the evening."
Sun Mengqiu responded and asked Ruilan to bring the embroidered basket. She took out an ivory-white cover from it and handed it to Zhu Yuhuan, saying, "Huanhuan, take this. This is a book bag I made to pass the time these days. I heard that Her Royal Highness the Crown Prince is helping you with your studies. If it's inconvenient for you to review your books on weekdays, just roll up the book and put it in this bag. Carry it with you and take it out when you want to review."
Sun Mengqiu's exquisite embroidery skills were renowned, and it was precisely because of her exceptional embroidery skills that she was recommended to the imperial court by the Crown Princess's mother. Although it was just a simple book bag, Sun Mengqiu crafted it with exceptional elegance, with bamboo embroidered in black thread and outlined with gold thread, creating a beautiful, yet precious, ink-and-wash painting.
Zhu Yuhuan took the book cover and said with a smile, "Thank you for your trouble, Second Concubine. With this, I can review my lessons frequently without worrying about showing any weakness when my father and mother examine me."
Sun Mengqiu covered her lips and smiled, "My young master used to study so hard that he couldn't put down his books even in the winter. I was afraid he'd get frostbite, so I made him a book bag like this."
Zhu Yuhuan's hand froze, and he didn't know whether to take the condom in his hand or not. He glanced at his mother unconsciously, and thought to himself that Sun Mengqiu didn't need to say such a thing, which made her and Hu Shanxiang feel uncomfortable.
Zhu Zhanji and Sun Mengqiu were childhood sweethearts, so naturally they had many gentle and sweet years together. Hu Shanxiang was not the type of person who would come from behind to take the lead. Even though Hu Shanxiang and Zhu Zhanji had no feelings for each other, these words really made people feel uncomfortable.
Hu Shanxiang remained calm and said to Zhu Yuhuan, "Did you hear what the concubine said? Your father studied very hard when he was young. You are his daughter, so you must not bring shame to your father."
Zhu Yuhuan responded obediently, then handed the book bag to the palace servant beside him to keep.
Of course, she was determined not to take this thing out again. She naturally stood on her mother's side. She could not stop Zhu Zhanji from doting on Sun Mengqiu, but if she was involved, Zhu Yuhuan would inevitably feel disgusted.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yuhuan said obediently: "Huanhuan is going to review first. Daddy said he would test me."
Seeing her daughter taking the initiative to study, Hu Shanxiang was relieved and said gently, "Go."
Zhu Yuhuan turned around and walked out. He could still vaguely hear Sun Mengqiu sighing at Zhu Yuhuan's cleverness and wishing that the baby in her belly could be like him. Ruilan also joked that the future little master must be a gentleman like Zhu Zhanji.
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but start to worry about what would happen in a few years. But when he thought of Hu Shanxiang's calm look when she heard Sun Mengqiu's words just now, he vaguely felt that maybe Hu Shanxiang didn't care about these things.
Zhu Yuhuan was not well-versed in Ming history, but she knew some historical gossip, and these three years had allowed her to figure out some of the situation.
First, the Ming Dynasty oppressed princesses, who were widowed while still alive and suffered humiliation after death. Second, her mother, Hu Shanxiang, had a mediocre relationship with her father, Zhu Zhanji, and would soon "request the abdication of the empress." Third, she had only a younger sister and no brothers. Fourth, Sun and Zhu Zhanji were childhood sweethearts and were quite favored by him. Fifth, her half-brother was directly responsible for the Tumu Incident and was the tyrant who unjustly murdered the loyal minister Yu Qian. He consistently ranks among the top three tyrants, making him a popular choice.
As a woman and a princess, although the Ming Dynasty did not start from hell like the Jingkang Shame, it did not seem to be much better.
Firstly, she had won the lottery by being born a princess, which made her much happier than common women. Even if she could refuse the marriage, she still couldn't escape it.
Secondly, Zhu Zhanji's type was not someone like Hu Shanxiang, and Hu Shanxiang had long seen through this and had no intention of fighting for her. Zhu and Hu had a bad relationship and were not born to be husband and wife. Even if there were ten Zhu Yuhuans, they could not mend the relationship.
Third, if they had a bad relationship and seldom slept together, how could they have had a child? Could it be that Zhu Zhanji had knocked her unconscious and put her in his mother's bed?
Fourthly, Zhu and Sun were childhood sweethearts and were a perfect match. If Zhu Di had not insisted on choosing Hu Shanxiang, Zhu Yuhuan would not have been born. Zhu Zhanji did not dare to offend Zhu Di, but could he not deal with Hu Shanxiang?
Fifth, Sun was born as a piece of barbecued pork. Any male barbecued pork could succeed Zhu Zhanji. But her good father had only two sons, one a pig-head and the other unlucky. She didn't even have the chance to choose the shortest one among the three elders and one shorter. Not to mention that Zhu Zhanji died young, so there was no chance to raise a "good saintly grandson".
Zhu Yuhuan had no say in any of these five points.
Not entirely, at least Zhu Yuhuan could still choose to die quickly——
Zhu Di died, Zhu Qizhen was born, Empress Hu was deposed, and Empress Sun took the throne. Was there still room for her in the old Zhu family? If she had died before Zhu Zhanji, perhaps she wouldn't have been so unlucky.
As she was thinking this, she saw Zhu Youtong's wet nurse waiting at the door of the study in the distance. She quickened her pace and asked loudly, "Why are you carrying Youtong to me? What if he catches a cold?"
The nurse quickly replied, "The young master wanted to see you and kept crying. I thought you were still reading, so... I didn't expect the study to be locked, and the young master refused to go back, so I had no choice but to wait outside."
The palace servants around Zhu Yuhuan had already removed the copper lock on the door. Zhu Yuhuan entered the house first. Before he left, the remaining heat mixed with the scent of ink hit his face. The eunuch hurriedly used a copper pillar to pry open the charcoal basin and opened a small gap in the window frame to prevent the house from being too stuffy.
Zhu Yuhuan took off her cloak and handed it to the palace maid to put away. Turning back, she saw that Zhu Youtong's face was still rosy. She breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to stroke her face. She smiled and said, "You, sisters, we see each other every day. What's the rush if we don't see each other for a while?"
Zhu Youtong was born in spring and can now speak. When she saw a familiar face, she immediately reached out to Zhu Yuhuan, grabbed the bracelet on her wrist, and mumbled something in a language that only she could understand.
Zhu Yuhuan looked at her confused expression, smiled and took off the jade bracelet on his wrist, saying, "Take it and play with it."
This bracelet was awarded to Zhu Yuhuan by Zhu Di. He said it was made of high-quality jade found in Mongolia. Zhu Di felt it was not luxurious enough, so he inlaid it with gold edges and gems so that people could see the bracelet as thick as a finger at a glance. Only then did he hand it to Zhu Yuhuan.
The wet nurse was startled and said, "This is a gift from the Emperor. How can I give it to the young master to play with..."
"Grandpa always taught me that brothers and sisters should love each other. I have several bracelets like this in my dressing table. What's wrong with giving one to Tongtong to play with?" Zhu Yuhuan looked at Zhu Youtong's happy face and said with a smile, "Tongtong likes it. There will be better ones in the future."
For Hu Shanxiang, for Youtong, and more importantly for herself, she must not sit still and wait for death. Things are in the hands of people. Sun can be honored as a mother by her son, so why can't she let her mother be honored as a mother by her daughter?
Thinking of this, Zhu Yuhuan looked at the palace servant beside him and asked, "Before Dad followed Great-Grandpa to the war, have the crickets I had raised been taken care of?"
The palace maid hurriedly said, "Don't worry, young master. Aunt Hu is here. All the arrangements you mentioned have been made... It's amazing, these crickets are so big!"
Zhu Yuhuan smiled without saying anything, just teasing the confused Zhu Youtong with the bracelet. Seeing that she was having fun and didn't care about him, he sat back at the desk, picked up the book again, and read it slowly word by word.
For a moment, the only sounds in the study were Zhu Yuhuan's reciting and Zhu Youtong's mumbling, as if responding to Zhu Yuhuan, bringing a sense of peace in the winter.
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