King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 388 The Campfire Feast

There is no doubt that today's martial arts display was a success, so Zhu Xianming was also particularly happy.

"Old Thirteen, you kid...are not useless!"

Riding a horse to follow the imperial driver, Zhu Jinghong smiled and replied: "Didn't Du Fu say that my talents will be useful, and my son will always be of some use!"

It has to be said that the people around the emperor are all professionals, and they can hold back their laughter no matter how funny it is.

Only Zhu Xianming couldn't laugh at this moment, and there was a gloomy look on his face, obviously not satisfied with Zhu Jinghong.

"After you've been busy during this period, don't forget to study hard..." Zhu Xianming tried to calm himself down.

This means that Zhu Jinghong has made a great contribution, otherwise he would have cursed him outright.

Just listen to Zhu Jinghong's reply: "My son has been reading. Recently he read the third Analects of Confucius and read a funny story..."

"what story?"

"A man named Zhuangzi and Huizi went out to play and saw fish swimming in the water. One said the fish was very happy, and the other said..."

Hearing Zhu Jinghong's prestige here, Zhu Xianming felt that he was going to lose all his face, and his expression became particularly ugly.

"Dad, do you think these two people are full..."

"Shut up!" Zhu Xianming couldn't help scolding.

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Zhu Jinghong quickly silenced himself and looked afraid.

"Don't tell me that you are studying again. I will be embarrassed to death if word spreads..." Zhu Xianming scolded him coldly.

Zhu Jingyuan had just lamented that he was not as good as Zhu Jinghong. Seeing that he made the old man angry again, he said that Old Thirteen really had not made any progress.

It is true that Zhu Jinghong has not made any progress, and has always been reckless, taking risks and talking nonsense... However, the things he has accomplished and the contributions he has made exist objectively.

Thinking of this, both Zhu Jingyuan and Xu Xinan were touched, and they became increasingly wary of Zhu Jinghong.

"Dad, my thirteenth brother is just not good at studying, but his eagerness to learn...should still be encouraged!" Zhu Jingyuan stepped forward to persuade him.

As the prince and eldest brother, it is absolutely okay for Zhu Jingyuan to do this.

"That's nice to say. If you are really eager to learn, would you behave like this?"

"I think he is totally ignorant. I'm afraid he hasn't even touched a book in the past six months!"

However, after Zhu Xianming finished speaking, Zhu Jinghong said: "Dad, you can't accuse your son unjustly. Last year, he had to study all night for the test. That day..."

He glanced at Zhu Jinghong with an unkind look. The emperor was already furious and was frightened back by Zhu Jinghong's words.

Now that Zhu Jinghong has left the government, Zhu Xianming doesn't care whether he studies or not, not to mention he feels he can't control it at all.

So he didn't want to discuss this topic at all.

The team entered the capital all the way. The three legitimate sons sent their father back to his palace, and then walked together outside the Qianqing Palace.

"Thirteenth brother, you are really amazing. You are very good at training and fighting. You are quite like my father in the past!"

These words were spoken by Zhu Jingyuan with emotion, and they were also his test of Zhu Jinghong. He could no longer help but take action against his younger brother.

When Zhu Jinghong trains his troops, he has the opportunity to gain access to military power, and the importance of military power is so powerful and critical...

Just listen to Zhu Jinghong reply: "Sixth brother, it's not just training and fighting, my riding and shooting skills are also unrivaled in the world... Don't let it slip!"

Zhu Jinghong's brain circuit exceeded Zhu Jingyuan's expectations again, but his vigilance did not diminish.

In fact, Zhu Jinghong also knew that he was in danger at this moment. At least for now, if Zhu Jingyuan attacked him with all his strength, it would definitely cause him great trouble.

After all, his foundation is still shallow. It has not been a year since May last year, and his arrangements have not yet taken root.

He needs time, at least one more battle, and after he has truly established his prestige in the army, he can confront Zhu Jingyuan head-on.

And he worked desperately to reform the military system and tried his best to get the emperor to expand the navy to make money, in order to increase his irreplaceability.

So at least for now, he had to continue to be patient and not let Zhu Jingyuan attack and disrupt his plan.

But if he can keep pretending, Zhu Jinghong will not take the initiative to show his talent. Obscene development is the king.

"I have something else to do, so I'll take my leave now... See you in the evening!" Zhu Jingyuan smiled.

The foreign Khans and chieftains were about to leave, so the emperor naturally had to entertain them. This was something that had been planned in advance, and the Imperial Dining Room and the Shang Restaurant had been preparing for it early in the morning.

"Brother Six, walk slowly!"

After Zhu Jingyuan left, Zhu Jingyuan, who had been silent for the whole time, finally spoke: "Thirteenth brother, the sixth man is insidious and cunning. Don't get involved with him!"

"No way... I think Sixth Brother is pretty good to me!"

"You are just too shallow-minded to be deceived by him!" Zhu Jingyuan looked heartbroken.

While the two brothers were talking nonsense, Zhu Yunsheng also learned that there would be a banquet in Xiyuan tonight, which made her unable to sit still.

At this moment, she was pestering the queen and kept making a fuss to see it.

"Mom, I've done all my homework and passed the exams. I'm just looking at it from a distance. Isn't that enough?"

"I'm just looking at it from a distance. I'm not attending a banquet. What's the big deal..."

"Brother Thirteen is gone. Could it be that no one in this huge palace loves me anymore..."

After hearing the end, the queen was also very annoyed and couldn't help but say: "Tell your father to go, if he tells you to go, just go!"

"Really?" Zhu Yunsheng was overjoyed.

"Thank you mother!"

After thanking him, Zhu Yunsheng immediately left the hall, fearing that his mother would regret it now.

Zhu Yunsheng was confident about convincing the emperor's father.

Returning to the dormitory, Zhu Yunsheng excitedly announced the good news, to which Daiyu and Xiangyun both reacted strongly, and they both liked to join in the fun.

As for Yang Jingting, she is currently focused on choosing a princess, and nothing else is attractive to her.

"You go ahead, I won't go!" Yang Jingting said.

"Sister Qin, are you going?" Xiangyun asked proactively.

"I……"

Zhen Qin actually doesn't want to go. She feels that life is gloomy now and has lost interest in all activities.

"Let's go. You've been feeling depressed lately. It's a good idea to go out and relax!"

Although Zhen Qin is a bit stupid, she still made friends like Xiang Yun due to her straightforward character.

Thinking that she had been too decadent recently, Zhen Qin nodded slightly.

After this "heavy" blow, she has indeed matured a lot. At least she has learned to shut up instead of being as careless as before.

"Would you like to call Sister Bao too?" Daiyu suddenly said. She knew that Baochai lived in Shangyi Bureau.

"Of course!" Zhu Yunsheng was the first to speak.

She just felt that the more people there were, the more fun it would be, not to mention the fact that they were old friends reunited after a long absence.

"Which of you is going to send a message to her?"

"I'll go!" Xiangyun replied with a smile.

"I'll go with you!" Daiyu also spoke.

Hearing this, Yang Jingting became uneasy. She had to be where Baochai appeared, otherwise she would always feel uneasy.

But she had refused just now, and now she wanted to go. Yang Jingting didn't know how to speak for a while.

"You all go, don't make any mistakes!" Yang Jingting said.

Zhu Yunsheng didn't take it seriously and sat on the chair and said: "Sister Ting, what trouble can we make? It's just for fun!"

"I always feel uneasy, forget it... just follow and keep an eye on it!" Yang Jingting said lightly.

By provoking a topic in this way and achieving her goal, I have to say that Yang Jingting has also matured.Her words and deeds before and after were also seen by Daiyu, who couldn't help but worry about Baochai.

………………

Zhu Yunsheng's assumption was correct. When she resorted to coquettish tactics, Zhu Xianming easily agreed to her request.

He is strict with his son, but the emperor is doting on his daughter, but he only has this legitimate daughter.

As night gradually fell over, a bonfire was already burning on the grass somewhere in Xiyuan.

Tonight's banquet is hosted by people from the grasslands. Zhu Xianming deliberately chose this form to express his affection for them.

This is not to please foreigners, but the tolerance that comes only with great strength.

The emperor has not yet arrived, but ministers from various states have arrived in advance and arranged to take their seats in Honglu Temple.

Tonight's food is according to the standards of a state banquet, with just an extra roast leg of lamb.

"Father, the court is really thoughtful..." Nuo Min said with emotion. At this time, she had changed into women's clothes.

In fact, she was not the only woman coming this time. All of them also put on women's clothes tonight just because their mission had been completed.

There is no need to be so serious in a relaxed occasion like tonight.

"Yes!" Su He responded.

Until now, he has not gotten over the shock of the morning. This cross-era military exercise has brought him a great impact.

He really couldn't imagine that if the Ming Dynasty's hundreds of thousands of troops were so powerful, who in the world could compete with them.

And he knew that he was definitely not the only one who had this idea, and that others were more affected than him.

For example, Tushetu Khan, who was flirting with Junggar, had an ugly expression from the morning until now, while Zhasak Khan acted more relaxed.

On the other side, Zhu Yunsheng led several attendants, surrounded by a group of palace maids and young eunuchs, and was leaving Kunning Palace for Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Yunsheng and Yang Jingting walked in the front, followed by Zhen Qin and Xiang Yunzheng talking. Only Daiyu walked at the end holding Baochai.

They were really at the end, so there was no one behind them.

"Sister Bao, if you really enter Prince Xiang's Mansion, I'm afraid it will be difficult..."

Daiyu would never have said these words if they had not been friends with each other. It is a serious crime to make irresponsible remarks about the royal family.

"Why?" Baochai said with a slight smile.

Daiyu did not answer, but looked forward, and Baochai instantly understood what she meant.

"Don't worry about me... Whether or not you can choose a concubine is still unknown!" Baochai said with a smile.

Before entering the palace, Daiyu also felt that the court selection was extremely fair, but what she had seen in the past two months after entering the palace made her completely abandon her naive thoughts.

Behind Yang Jingting is the Queen's niece; Baochai is favored by the Queen and is the cousin of the Crown Princess, and also has the support of Princess Rui...

Daiyu really couldn't imagine how other people could compete with these two.

According to conventional thinking, Yang Jingting will definitely become the princess. If she is dissatisfied with Baochai and takes action to deal with it, Baochai's life as a concubine will be difficult.

"Sister Bao..."

Seeing that Daiyu was really worried about herself, Baochai couldn't help but feel moved, so he stroked her slender hand and said, "Okay... You are too young and have too many thoughts!"

"I told you not to keep thinking wildly, otherwise how can you get better?"

Seeing that Baochai was really not worried, Daiyu could only hope that His Highness Prince Xiang would always be kind to her, so that he could protect Baochai when the princess got into trouble.

Daiyu then changed the topic and asked about Baochai's "further education", and the two started chatting in detail.

Soon they arrived at Qianqing Palace, but only Zhu Yunsheng was able to enter, and the others could only wait outside the palace gate.

Zhu Yunsheng's two direct brothers arrived before her. The reason why they were two direct brothers was because Zhu Jinghong hadn't arrived yet, so they must have been routinely late.

Zhu Xianming was numb to this, but he was still very happy to see his daughter arriving, and even felt much better after reading the memorial.

As night fell, Zhu Jinghong finally arrived belatedly. Before leaving the palace, he discussed life with Ke Qing Yinglian, and he could be regarded as an ancient master of time management.

"Why are you here?" Zhu Jinghong's eyes lit up when he saw Baochai and the others.

"Thirteenth Master, why are you... here?" Xiangyun was also surprised. She originally thought Zhu Jinghong was in Qianqing Palace.

After getting closer, Zhu Jinghong asked Xiangyun, "I went out to do some errands. Are you waiting here? Are you going to attend a dinner party too?"

"That's right...this is the grace that Her Royal Highness the Princess asks for!"

Walking among the women, Zhu Jinghong said with a smile: "That's good, if you stay in Kunning Palace all day, I'm afraid everyone will be stupid!"

Just as he was about to continue speaking, Daiyu's voice came from the left: "Master Thirteen, it's better to go in quickly, it's too late... I'm afraid you will have to be punished again!"

"Look, I usually treat you well, but it's Miss Lin who comes after me who cares about me more!"

Daiyu smiled sweetly and replied: "The Thirteenth Master is wrong. I don't care about you. I'm just afraid that you will be punished and the Queen and the Princess will be sad!"

Zhu Jinghong never put on airs in the private residence of the inner court, and showed great respect to the girls.

Although Daiyu had only been in the palace for a short time, she also understood Zhu Jinghong's temperament, and after getting to know him, she dared to joke with Zhu Jinghong.

"Really? Someone said this before, but now..." Zhu Jinghong looked at Baochai while speaking, but did not continue.

Knowing what Zhu Jinghong meant, Baochai didn't dare to look at Zhu Jinghong. When she glanced at Yang Jingting, she realized that this girl was also staring at Zhu Jinghong.

Hearing this, Zhen Qin couldn't help but ask: "Who said what? What happened now?"

Of course, Sister Bao also said that now that she is running for the title of princess, the Thirteenth Master is also speaking out... Daiyu is dissatisfied with being teased.

At this moment, there was movement in the Qianqing Palace, but it was the emperor who was about to take off.

Zhu Jinghong didn't dare to delay any longer, so he ran towards the palace gate. It was foreseeable that he would be scolded again.

However, today, Zhu Xianming was in a really good mood. He just scolded her a few times and then continued talking to his daughter.

The emperor's imperial chariot left the Qianqing Palace, accompanied by a large number of guards and honor guards, and Baochai and his entourage also followed.

It should be noted that the Emperor will also attend tonight's banquet, so the Emperor will go to Ningshou Palace first, pick up the Emperor and go to Xiyuan together.

It took almost half an hour to walk from the palace to the banquet place in Xiyuan.

Before the arrival of the two supreme beings, a group of senior civil and military officials from the imperial court had also arrived, including three cabinet ministers and officials from various ministries, as well as senior generals from the Fifth Army Governor's Office.

When the two supreme beings arrived, everyone stood up and knelt to greet them, and a cry of long live erupted from the scene.

Seeing the emperor supporting the emperor, the former was filial and the latter was kind, everyone couldn't help but sigh that the royal father's filial piety was indeed the same, and it can be said to be a model for the world.

Following the emperor and his brother, Zhu Jinghong looked left and right as he walked forward, and happened to meet the eyes of Nuo Min who boldly raised his head.

Nuo Min's appearance is better than her personality, and there is a bookish air in her eyes. If she puts on Chinese clothes and says she is a lady, some people will believe her.

But in this bookish atmosphere, Nuo Min also had a wild streak, and her bold and appraising eyes... really made Zhu Jinghong's eyes light up.

In fact, when he was observing Nuomin, the latter was also looking at him carefully.

Is he really that brave?The observation at this moment, less than one foot away, made Nuomin still have such doubts.

Just as Nuo Min rolled his eyes, Su He reminded him in a low voice: "Lower your head, don't risk your life..."

Hearing his father's fear and worry, Nuomin bowed his head honestly.

Spying on the emperor might lead to losing his head, and Nuo Min knew the pros and cons very well.

Soon, Zhu Xianming helped his father onto the high platform and helped the Supreme Emperor sit on the throne. Then he turned around and said slowly: "Get down!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Everyone bowed again.

In order to show his benevolence and filial piety, Zhu Xianming's seat was set to the side to express his respect for his father.

After Zhu Xianming took his seat, the ministers sat down individually.

When everyone was looking forward to it, Zhu Xianming said calmly: "You will be leaving in the next two days. Today I specially hosted a banquet to see you off. You can have a good drink tonight..."

(End of this chapter)